Six different tree species clumped together in an area of natural regeneration on the edge of Coill Sheanadh Gharráin in Connemara. No forester would plant Oak, Birch, Willow, Rowan, Holly & Hazel like this. Rewilding is crucial, because we can neither predict nor replicate what nature will do.

‘All murder’d: for within the hollow crown That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits, Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp’ ~ Richard II, Shakespeare. #BookWormSat

three more

What's happening to CBS News is what the tech oligarchs call "parallel" strategy. Buy an existing institution, gut it, and convert it into a right-wing zombie version of itself. They are doing this to media, government, education, biotech, defense tech, etc. Some call it the "Network State."

“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” ~Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself, 51.” Whitman was born in New York on this day 207 years ago: May 31, 1819. Image: National Archives.

Blue flowers for a #BlueMoon, though a Blue Moon doesn’t relate to colour. One definition is the second full moon in a month with two full moons, as occurs on 31 May. Its rarity gave rise to the saying “once in a blue moon”, meaning something that seldom happens. #FolkloreSunday

Book Cover of the Day:

i genuinely hate how internet culture has become so normalized and widespread. i do not want a white house deputy chief of staff saying "it's white boy november" or a secretary of state tweeting that he's "locked in for this banger." grow up.

A democracy is being dismantled before our eyes and only cartoonists, comedians, and independent journalists are covering it. threads.com/@jeffkoterba

Tonight we congratulate our friend Stephen Colbert and his writers, staff and crew for eleven years of excellence. Watch Colbert’s finale tonight, and then never watch CBS again.

Morning 🖼️ Audubon

05.10.26.nyc.

When we took office, NYC had a $12B deficit. Today it’s zero. And we didn’t close that gap on the backs of working people. We closed it while funding parks, libraries, safer streets, & public housing. Call it Pothole Politics or Democratic Socialism: We are government that delivers for the people.

Seapinks (Armeria maritima) fringing the Cliffs under gathering rain clouds. County Clare, Ireland. Cormacscoast.com walking tours

Goodnight. ‘The birds are silent in their nest. And I must seek for mine. The moon, like a flower In heaven's high bower, With silent delight Sits and smiles on the night.’ ~ Blake. 🖼️ Antoinette Kelly

Trillium maculatum, the spotted wakerobin. On Beltane.

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) egg shells. The freshly hatched chicks were cheeping away softly in the nest behind me. 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛ County Clare, Ireland. Cormacscoast.com walking tours

"....But for the first time in my adult life, the moral and strategic heart of the defense of liberal democracy doesn’t beat in Washington.... It’s in Kyiv, where a courageous leader and a courageous people have picked up the torch America has dropped." #Zelensky

Trump soared in the polls after a 2024 assassination attempt. Could another assassination attempt help Republicans in the 2026 midterms?

Don't you dare lecture the citizenry when we rely on you and your fellow journalists to always pursue the truth and *waves broadly* you don't. It's all spin, stenography &access for clicks. None of you should have been sucking up to the orange slob at that dumb dinner in the first place. And yet.

Michael Tilson Thomas redefined classical music for the modern era. For 25 years, he led the San Francisco Symphony, bringing out the very best in his musicians, the music itself, and his audiences. Michael was bold, innovative, thoughtful, and generous. His work will forever play on.

(RED).org

In honour of #WorldEarthDay here are some images of the wonderful wildlife you can encounter on the Great Saltee Island. I have visited the island a number of times now, due to my obsession with puffins I have tried to make it an annual tradition! #EarthDay #Ireland #SpéirGhorm

Who is paying the Senate GOP to sit on their hands?

📌Pope Leo XIV TODAY: “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants. Blessed are the peacemakers, but woe to those who manipulate religion and the name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.” He is NOT backing down.

This is the one. This is the deceiver and the manifestation of evil. He makes me incandescent with rage. The orange slob is a hideous ignoramus but this one, this is the one. Oof. May his god judge him into the fiery pits.

We will be taxing the ultra-wealthy and global elites.

The Brook with Trees and Deer, William Morris.

Orbán's electoral crushing is a far greater achievement than most people outside Hungary realise. He systemically consolidated power for 16 years, fixed the electoral map, abused govt power for political purposes & censored media. The hurdles that Hungarians overcame for this moment were immense.

I am in awe of the Hungarian voters. Well done, very well done. May Orban be drop kicked into the despot bin of history where he belongs.

All this because Donald Trump couldn't abide the idea of a Black president having a success. This war may have been triggered by his desire to distract from Epstein...but his tearing up the JCPOA (like his Nobel Prize obsession) is driven by his profound and unyielding racism.

Goodnight. Pete Seeger, Croton-on-Hudson, New York Annie Leibovitz, 2001. www.jacksonfineart.com/exhibitions/...

The Cliffs of Moher - caught between a moody sky and an unsettled sea. For more images and information on the Cliffs watch "Aillte' a 2 part documentary now streaming worldwide on the TG4 player. Available with English subtitles. www.tg4.ie/en/player/ca...

‘This is 160-million-year-old Jurassic clay’: inside Es Devlin’s bid to reshape AI ethics – through pottery

One day, "It" will happen, by which I mean sudden and unexpected news that you want to celebrate. In such cases, you will want the right outfit. 🧵

Goodnight.

Easter Lily [iykyk]

Like A Starving Dog Let Loose In A Deli: U2 roll away the stone with the marvellous Easter Lily. @independent.ie

Swedish Easter witches, armed with pots of coffee, are flying to their yearly gathering at the island of Blåkulla. ☕️ 🎨 Jenny Nyström, 1911

I’ve long admired the steady leadership of Secretary-General António Guterres. His commitment to human rights, the dignity of refugees, climate justice, and confronting global inequality reflects the kind of moral clarity our world urgently needs. It was an honor to meet him this week at the UN.

But kings and mightiest potentates must die, For that’s the end of human misery.

The E Street Band is coming your way!

25 March is Hilaria, the Roman festival of joy, honouring Cybele, Mother of the Gods, and celebrating the triumph of light after the spring equinox. As sap rose and buds unfurled, Romans rejoiced in spring’s return—winter’s death giving way to new life. A sacred day of renewal.

Our CEO, Javier, thought he earned a vacation ❤️ Thank you, Best Western, for hosting us and for suggesting these fun activities #ad

For #StPatricksDay here is St Patrick's Cross in Carndonagh on the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula of Donegal. The name derives from 'Carn Domhnach', the 'cairn of the church'. According to tradition, the church was founded by St Patrick himself. #Ireland #SpéirGhorm #Archaeology 🏺

“May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.” — Traditional Irish blessing Green flowers, symbolising good health and good fortune, to wish the Emerald Isle a happy St. Patrick’s Day. #StPatricksDay #LaFeilePadraig