The rainfall of Namibia, 🇳🇦 where millions of water lilies bloom all at once

If the world knows that the President of the United States is about to commit war crimes by bombing the infrastructure of another country, isn’t it imperative that he be prevented from doing so rather than simply watch it happen

Marg Leehane, part owner of Great Bear Lodge in Port Hardy, British Columbia, decided it was worth waking up the guests at 6 a.m. to show them two humpback whales in the bay. TT: bookofcabins

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," if a deal isn't reached, President Donald Trump said in a post Tuesday morning, while keeping open the possibility of an off-ramp, saying that "maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen." https://to.pbs.org/4cclaVW

There is something you can do about all of this — make your plans for May 1. This country needs a united show of power, energy, and hope. indivisible.org/events/may-d...

The Iranian Embassy in South Africa weighs in:

Given Trump’s Easter threats to carry out new war crimes in Iran, we should think one or two steps ahead about a coup attempt connected to the war. And then deter it. (1/17)

Morally, legally, economically the war on Iran is disastrous and the disaster goes on for years no matter what happens now. But what cannot be overstated is that in pure national security terms it is also an unmitigated catastrophe.

This is a well preserved combat helmet for a Roman cavalryman of the C1st AD. Iron inners for the crown of the helmet and the neck guard (now missing) would have provided additional protection to the wearer. It was found in a gravel pit in Cambridgeshire. 🏛️📷 BM #AncientBlueSky #Archaeology

Sunday Inspiration: Kindness Ah, kindness. What a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in this world. —A. A. Malee

Dartmoor, UK

Today's frog is the Maluti river frog.

Why does Trump want to increase the defense budget by almost 50%? Because he sees it as a payoff to the guys who will help him establish his dictatorship of convenience.

We are seven months away from the most consequential midterm election in US history. Meanwhile, we are fighting a war. These are the structural conditions for a coup attempt in which a president tries to nullify elections and take permanent power as a dictator. snyder.substack.com/p/the-next-c...

Exclusive: US upends global supply program for malaria and HIV amid warnings of gaps reut.rs/4vazHKh

This is the Coppergate Helmet, named after its find location in York. It’s Anglo-Saxon & one of only 6 helmets surviving from the period. If you look at the nose guard, it has fantastical animals weaving through the decoration. It’s wonderful. 🏛️Yorkshire Museum 📷Museum Trust #AncientBlueSky

Native azalea

Bees are small, fragile, and easily overlooked. And yet, in their heavy pollen-laden wings, they hold something of the planet's balance. With every flight, with every touch of the petals, the bee gathers not only nectar—it gathers life, color, hope.

The US needs to rebuild the train networks we used to have. No, we aren't the Netherlands, but this isn't about coast-to-coast trips. It's about connecting local neighborhoods, cities, and regions to help eliminate forced car dependency.

Rubio does NOT mention: 1) enriched uranium or anything about nuclear weapons; 2) Iranian-backed armed gangs in the Arab world; 3) securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormoz into the foreseeable future with real consequences; 4) regime change. 5) REALLY? www.state.gov/releases/off...

Photo a Day 2026 - Day 87: What a fun day I had shooting today! This pair of Burrowing Owls standing next to their burrow was such a special sighting! It was my first time seeing these small, busy owls. #owls #photoaday #birds #nature #photography

Here are some nice mushrooms

Heck to the heck yes.

This male Anhinga went all out for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #OpenBeak! #birds #nature #photography

So I’m probably not being pretentious when I code-switch with the waiter at El Sombrero, but I probably am when I code-switch with my non-Spanish-speaking friends.

Ever wonder why ants build colonies that last generations without trashing their habitat? Or how bees pollinate without poisoning the flowers? No intelligent species will destroy their environment in the disguise for development and profit—nature proves it.

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” — Mary Davis #thicktrunktuesday #texturetuesday #ColorADay #bluetue #trees #sky #nature #summer #dutchesscounty #newyork #photography

Let’s linger longer… #MushroomMonday 🍄‍🟫 #ShroomScrolling 🍄

Scandalous lack of accountability, typical approach to policing in our benighted country.

#dogsmakelifebetter #doggos #welovedogs

"Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat" is widely attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu (544 - 496 BCE), author of The Art of War.

Rural communities in the US have fewer doctors and many areas lack internet connections for telehealth. More rural residents are uninsured than in urban settings. See what makes their hospitals so vulnerable reut.rs/3PfDWnr

Sunday Inspiration: Making a Difference You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.—Jane Goodall

Then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem doubled down, denouncing the incident as an act of “attempted murder” on law enforcement. Her agency published mugshots of all three men arrested in connection with the alleged assault, casting them as “violent criminals.” None of it was true.

Earth is now heating up twice as fast as in previous decades | New Scientist www.newscientist.com/article/2518...

Right, JD.

Cricket, 14-months-old,was shot and killed by Kristi Noem, who called him "worthless" and "untrainable." Animal cruelty merits prison. It indicates and warns of callous disregard for all life.

Reuters Exclusive "U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school." "The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

"It is fraud" -- Neguse nails Kristi Noem for lying during her testimony yesterday when she told the Senate that DHS's $220m ad campaign starring her "went out to a competitive bid" (it did not), and tells her "I think there's gonna be accountability" (1/2)

Seems like the media should at least express some curiosity about this. open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...

DHS invoked the “national emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign, which has secretly benefited a firm with ties to Kristi Noem. (Published Nov. 2025)

But they said he was “The peace president.” 🥴

The most under-leveraged secret weapon in mating.

THIS.