Deadline is Tuesday www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

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The world’s gone barking mad. In this era of canine exceptionalism, can humanity stage a comeback? | Farhana Dawood

The real BBC bias story, narrated by Anna Ford

Newcastle on a Sunday night, 22:45.

My god, the sheer relief of reading a piece by someone who knows something about this football match and didn't just learn to spell Maccabi two days ago www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Looking forward to @zackpolanski.bsky.social shredding the Government's attack on nature in their Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The comments made by Reeves and Starmer need to be comprehensively refuted by someone with reach and influence.

British.

Today's column is about the government's huge, unprecedented assault on nature ... and about the eerie, astonishing silence of the big nature groups. The RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts have 7.5m members between them. A vast force, completely unmobilised. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The community note has it right.

Special relationship? There can be no such thing with a snake like Trump | Aditya Chakrabortty

Marsh Harrier south over Foxton Bend, just now.

Hobby just gone Sw over my Newcastle Road garden. Circled back briefly to have a look at the swifts (a mere 5 this year), then disappeared. Nice garden tick !!

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/yv...

Deserts are spreading across Britain, yet scarcely anyone in public life even seems to have noticed. This week's column seeks to open our eyes to something that has been too big to see. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Hobby flew across the Seaton Burn roundabout on the A19 at 12:25, heading in the direction of Arcot Pond.

Labour has denounced me as ‘deeply misleading’ on its planning reform. I wish that were true | George Monbiot

Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple giving it some at the Common Room tonight.

Just come back from my first visit to Tunisia. It's a potentially beautiful and rewarding place to go to, but the constant police presence, security guards and overzealous customs officials made it a trying holiday experience for someone doing it even slightly independently (i.e. having a hire car.

From the air, a good portion of France looks like a giant farm.

Great start to my short break in Tunisia, when my binoculars and scope were confiscated by customs on arrival. Hotel staff trying to get them back for me, but there's nowhere to buy a pair of bins, if they fail.

6 Goosanders just flew over the house, heading for the coast. A most unexpected garden tick.

If I was a federal employee whose boss was telling me I had to respond to the Musk email, I think I'd be avoiding that list of words that they're looking for in Government-funded projects. Musk will be analysing all the responses with AI, no doubt.

Good to see that Marsh Tits, severely declining in Northumberland, are still thriving in Castle Eden Dene, Co. Durham. 4 seen during our walk this afternoon, plus a minimum of 7 others heard.

One of the main things that inspired me to become an entomologist was watching the BBC's Lost Land of the Volcano & specifically @georgemcgavin.bsky.social standing on the volcano edge surrounded by the most wondrous moths! I've just been lucky enough to travel w my family to Trus Madi mountain 1/x

6. You might think they're serving you by beating up someone else, designated as your enemy, but there will always be a need for new enemies, and one day you too could find yourself on a list. There is also a need, to justify emergency powers, for endless crises, to which you might also fall victim.

5. These psychopathic movements are never on your side. They might flatter and uplift you when it's convenient for them. But as soon as you cease to be a useful instrument, they will discard you. Look at how Trump sacrifices even his most loyal lieutenants when he has exhausted their utility.

2. The far right is, and has always been, opportunistic. It has no ideological consistency because it doesn't care: it will steal anyone's clothes if they fit. It doesn't care because it is a psychopathic movement, which treats both people and ideas as mere instruments.

Great Egret at the western extension of Hurworth Burn Reservoir.

There was an odd-looking duck yesterday at Whitworth Hall near Spennymoor. Looks like American Black Duck until it raises its head, but has a black and orange bill. Never seen a female Mallard as dark.

I rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ, My hippie son, was born on Christmas Day So all his foolish followers could throw their cash away. O acquirings of smartphones and toys, smartphones and toys, O acquirings of smartphones and toys.

"Trump has no mandate to implement Project 2025 -- in fact he denied all links with it on the campaign trail. But because of the trifecta voters handed Republicans, it's likely to happen nonetheless."

Correction: SW not SE

Raven heading SE over the Metrocentre at 0815 this morning

And some more.

Some pics of a recent peak-bagging expedition, taking in the group around Grasmoor. Gotta love the Lake District.