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Flayrah for the eyes

For Lughnasadh/Lammas, a poem about blackberries by the great Seamus Heaney. "You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it"

New album by @trashcansinatras.bsky.social, "Ever the Optimist," is out today! They're in top form ... sounds great.

Trashcan Sinatras “Ever The Optimist” Official Music VideoYouTube video by Trashcan Sinatras Officialwww.youtube.com

So moved by his courage.

This thread is full of goodies, like a Brach's Pick-A-Mix

Yes, definitely. But also: the 1974 edition that my family had possibly also helped save my life, thanks to a calm and non-judgmental article on "Homosexuality."

Kill thy physician, and the fee bestow Upon the foul disease — King Lear, Act I, Scene I

If I could get paid $4.6M for failing at something I promise I would get so good at failing. You would never have seen such glorious failing. I would perfect failing into a high art

They don't want to acknowledge that the negligence and malevolence of their clueless Nero of a president is responsible for millions of Covid deaths, so they're desperately scapegoating a scientist whose competence helped save lives. These are the times we live in.

Related question: are there any writers you own so many books by that they get a dedicated row of your bookshelf all to themselves? I have two: Ursula K. Le Guin and Russell Hoban.

Rats have more empathy than some human beings I could mention "A rat will learn an effortful, non-obvious motor task, keep performing it for weeks, and eat about a chip and a half less chocolate than it otherwise would, in a setup whose only consistent outcome is another rat getting out of a tube."

In a University of Chicago lab, a rat left free to roam learned to open a tube and release a trapped cagemate, and when researchers added chocolate as a rival temptation, the rat opened both at much t...A rat's instinct to help a trapped friend rivals even chocolate's pull—suggesting empathy runs deeper than appetite.spacedaily.com

Right on.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong Urge U.K. Government to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger in Op-Ed: ‘It Threatens to Inflict Immense Harm’Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have urged the U.K. government to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.variety.com

If I were the Doctor I would absolutely use my Tardis for a very special episode where I rewrite the timeline to rescue this guy, and to hell with the Reapers

Others have noted that this gigantic march hasn't gotten the level of attention it deserves—so let's amplify the story. This seems like a good writeup from the Independent. "An estimated 150,000 people marched through central London in the world’s largest trans pride event, organisers have said."

150,000 march through London in world’s largest trans pride, organisers sayProtesters voiced anger at the new guidance on single sex-spaces and fears that trans people are being excluded from society.www.independent.co.uk

Look, the Musk/USAID thing is like the trolley problem except that the choice is between a) killing 0 people if you do nothing, and b) deliberately choosing to kill *millions* of people, and he gleefully pulls the lever to send the DOGE trolley at the millions of people. It's really that simple.

The wonderful and highly underrated film adaptation of Cloud Atlas. I remember David Mitchell himself saying that the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer had taken it to a new level. The smart choice to cast the same actors recurring in different storylines adds thematic depth to it.

For what it's worth, Emma Grede is just channeling Lady Groan, the Countess of Gormenghast.

In case anyone out there is wondering where a campaign donation might do some good ... stopping a Ricketts from getting reelected to the Senate is a worthy goal in and of itself. Polls suggest that this is achievable.

This is so good.

#SaturdayNewWave: "Shut Up and Dance" by Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, from their self-titled 1979 debut album. I wish there'd been a proper music video for this one, because I think it's far & away PH+E's best song—its frenetic energy always a good time, on or off the dance floor. #NewWavers

Shut Up And DanceYouTube video by Pearl Harbor and the Explosions - Topicwww.youtube.com