'US Climate Imperialism' seems to be becoming a thing. Whatever, it's the focus of my short story "The Rockets' Red Glare", one of the ten in my new collection #IrishTales

"Fountain with Owls" (Fontana con civette) Ferdinando Noulian, 1914

A dispiriting walk at Carrive Forest/Glendesha in the @Ring_Of_Gullion AONB today. On a mere 2km loop I counted over 300 dead or dying dung beetles. I suppose the cause is ignorant dog owners not scooping, so the beetles cop the anti-flea insecticide in the poop :(

Lots of aspen along the Fane River at #Inniskeen. Non-native of course, but even so, not a tree I see very often. 1. Beautiful leaves; 2. Leafhopper nymph of presumably, one of the Idiocerus sp. associated with poplars; 3. Galls of the Eriophyid mite Phyllocoptes populi.

Grey Wagtail on the Fane River #Inniskeen this evening:-

Nice gaff in #Inniskeen for the next week. Going to be hitting the #RingOfGullion to see what I can find :D

I received several reactions to the discussion I hosted about how nuclear weapons may be used against Europe to restore deterrence. To be clear, this is not a normative argument about what I think should happen or what I think is just. My argument is what I think will happen. European leaders have become so deeply involved in the attacks on Russia that the Kremlin is under great pressure to restore its deterrence. Once Russia retaliates with conventional weapons against European targets (weapons facilities, logistics centres), the Europeans will more forcefully attack Russia. At this point, I believe that it is more likely than not that Russia could launch a limited nuclear strike (with tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic). This should not be a controversial prediction. NATO countries are doing the war planning; their intelligence agencies are doing the targeting; their contractors are pulling the trigger; they are supplying the long-range weapons; and they are also using NATO territory to strike Russia. This will only escalate as the Europeans are talking about mass-producing long-range weapons for "Ukraine" to strike deeper and deeper inside Russia, and are setting dates for when Europe will directly attack. Our political leaders are obsessed with defeating the world's largest nuclear power, which considers itself to be fighting in a war for its existence. It should worry us that our political leaders did not define what a NATO victory looks like in this scenario, and we should also be worried that our political leaders have incrementally become so directly involved in attacks on Russia and still pretend it is merely a war between Russia and Ukraine. Our political leaders sabotaged both the Minsk peace agreement and the Istanbul agreement, and then shut down all diplomacy for more than 4 years while declaring that "weapons are the path to peace". It is obligatory in Europe to pretend this is about "helping Ukraine", but this is dangerous self-delusion. Where exactly did we think this was heading? Is nuclear war not the obvious end? Can anyone imagine it ending in any different ways if we had done this during the Cold War or if Russia were now similarly attacking the US through a proxy? Biden once said that sending F-16s meant World War 3, yet now it has become controversial to point out that NATO clearly crossing the line between proxy war and direct war will trigger a nuclear war. I see no morality in such self-delusion. NATO escalations are now out of control, we are heading to war, and that war will not be limited to conventional weapons. The fact that this is dismissed as a "pro-Russian" argument demonstrates how completely lost we have become in mindless war propaganda. youtu.be/Q8PT0jiemKc

Wordle 1,821 3/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Sundry Diptera at #TheGlen this evening:- 1. The Pallopterid, Palloptera muliebris; 2. An Argyra sp. Dolichopodid - possibly A. diaphana going by the size; 3. The Lauxaniid, Peplomyza litura; 4. A Lispocephala sp. Muscid.

THE U.S. FUNDED deadly virus biolabs in 30 foreign countries—and lied to the world about their existence, it was revealed last night by the U.S. government. The White House four years ago said the claims were Russian and Chinese propaganda. But the labs really existed as part of a 30-country network, the US’s spy chief Tulsi Gabbard said last night in a video announcement and statement. The truth about “these US funded biolabs has been intentionally covered up by powerful people falsely, claiming that they do not exist and accusing anyone who says otherwise to be foreign assets and traitors to America”, she said. The labs stored Ebola, SARS and other viruses for experimentation, she said, releasing a top secret file on X. . DANGEROUS VIRUSES The Director of National Intelligence was referring to 2022, when the White House told the world, including the US public, that claims about the existence of US biolabs storing dangerous viruses in Ukraine were a lie invented by Russia and endorsed by China. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on 9 March 2022: “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.” It is now clear from all sides that Psaki was lying, and the Russians and Chinese were telling the truth. . STEPPING DOWN Researchers have already shown that the US biolabs were real, so it is unclear why the information was released in this way. Gabbard herself is stepping down to spend more time with her husband, who has bone cancer. The spy chief did not name the 30 countries but shared a document showing locations of multiple biolabs in Ukraine. Separately, it is also known that the U.S. government funded research on viruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology through grants to the non-profit organization EcoHealth Alliance. . EMERGING TRUTHS While US President Donald Trump does not have a reputation for accuracy in his speech, his administration has revealed a number of truths that have confirmed what independent journalists have been saying for years. As well as the news above, independent journalists have said for years that the US’s main biological warfare lab was Fort Detrick in Maryland, US. In 2019, it was ordered to halt all research into deadly viruses because of contamination leaks. The same year, a new virus was detected in multiple locations, including the US, Europe and China. .

The 7 questions Mrs. Kallas cannot answer. open.substack.com/pub/kristi…

Wordle 1,820 3/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The Valley of Mexico 1877 José María Velasco Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico

A harrowing read from Jonathan Cook. The deep cause of this catastrophe: the belief that Israel can only achieve its political goals through terror and mass murder: 'David Ben Gurion, Israel’s founding father, wrote to his son in 1937, 11 years before Israel’s creation: “We must expel the Arabs and take their places.” 'In a diary entry during the mass expulsions of 1948, Ben Gurion summarised the mood among his generals: “If we accuse a family – we need to harm them without mercy. Women and children without mercy. Otherwise this is not an effective reaction. During the operation, there is no need to distinguish between guilty and not guilty.” 'The goal was the weaponisation of fear, making Palestinians too terrified to remain in their homeland. 'Mordechai Maklef, a senior commander in the fledgling Israeli army, noted two years later, in 1950, the logic behind Israel’s policy: “It is impossible to expel 114,000 people who lived in the Galilee without terror.”' middleeasteye.net/opinion/ga…

Discovering the Sycamore Lace Bug Have you ever searched for lace bugs hidden beneath the bark of plane trees? These delicate creatures often go unnoticed, tucked away in quiet crevices of the Platanus. I was delighted to find this beautiful specimen of Corythucha ciliata. If you look closely at the second image, you’ll spot it right in the center: a perfectly preserved dead find, though with a slightly damaged head. Even in its imperfect state, it is a wonderful treasure. The intricate, lace-like wing patterns and fragile structure make it an ideal subject for the coming winter studio sessions — perfect for detailed macro photography, scientific illustration, or careful study. Nature continues to surprise and inspire, even in the smallest forms.

The great outsider album! A formative sound during my teens that I'm now catching up with again after a very long time. 🎶 Happily singing along to "I'm Working For The Federal Bureau of Narcotics." :D 🎶 #WildManFischer

Great to have this drop on the mat today! And huge thanks to editor Mark for tweaking things so that us down south aren't hit by international shipping charges. #SciFiIreland

Judge Johnson so rigged the trial of anti-genocide activists that 1000s of legal professionals have urged him to step down from the sentencing hearing. But Johnson's dirty work is not yet complete. Read my latest article here: jonathancook.substack.com/p/…