Ciara

If you’ve watched live streamed genocide for two years and are still blaming a right wing government instead of acknowledging that this is what Israel was built to do, you are doing a form of genocide denial. All forms of Zionism are morally abhorrent and should not be tolerated.

An Israel with equal rights is not Israel in anyway that matters—Israel is a project of genocide of the Palestinian people (and beyond), and anything short of its abolition for the creation of a single Palestinian state with equal rights is an endorsement of that Zionist project.

To have a state where one type of people get more rights means there will be other people in it who are second class citizens. This has been true for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship from its inception—a “two state solution” with an ethnostate is an endorsement of apartheid.

Anyone that thinks that the settler colonial apartheid state of Israel should exist is a Zionist, and it doesn’t matter how much handwringing they do now that the holocaust of the Palestinian people that Israel’s founding was based on is impossible to unsee. It’s that simple!

Heading that reads, "Stress and Rescued Wild Birds" followed by text that reads: In the wild, birds naturally recognise predators and humans are at the top of that list, so when they are rescued, they are quite likely to be in shock and become severely stressed. Just because a bird is sitting quietly and staring at you does not mean it is not stressed, if you were to feel or listen to the creatures’ heart you would find it would be pounding. In some cases, the stress associated with capture and handling is enough for them to keel over and die. Always bear in mind we are seen as a predator, despite our best intentions.

Heading that reads, "Capture" followed by text reading: Shock can kill and it is important that the first person on the scene ensures that they do everything possible to minimise shock and stress. To do this we capture efficiently and kindly, then recommend that the bird be placed in a warm, dark and quiet area, preferably away from pets while you plan what to do next. Please keep in mind sudden noises, unfamiliar smells, over-handling and cold temperatures will contribute to the bird being stressed further.

Heading that reads, "Long term tips" followed by text and a bullet point list reading: Under all this stress we expect them to heal and recover! For birds to do this we should always try to minimise anything that is likely to put them under stress i.e. Keep noise to a minimum Handle the wildlife quickly and quietly Avoid using sudden movements - move calmly and deliberately Keep pets, children and unnecessary people out of the recovery areas Keep people traffic to the bare minimum Where possible give them things to hide behind or under Avoid stroking and talking to them Don’t stand staring at them Don’t place a prey species of bird in the sight of a predatory species Provide housing that allows the bird some privacy

It's not uncommon for birds to die from shock so even if you get it to a rescue or vet an otherwise healthy bird could die. Watching nature take its course can be difficult and sad but intervening should always be a last resort and done in a way that minimises stress and harm

More often than not when people think they're saving a chick they are doing more harm than good and have taken a healthy baby from parents who were looking after it. The least one can do in that scenario is not go near it or touch it more than absolutely necessary until a rescue can advise further

If you do rescue one, please remember wild animals are not pets and are unlikely to perceive being touched as anything other than threatening and scary no matter how affectionate you think you're being. Your desire to feel close to wildlife should never trump an animal's comfort

Screenshot of website with heading that says "When to take action. A fluffy or partially feathered baby on the ground" followed by a photo of a small, fluffy herring gull chick ans caption reading, "A nestling gull which should be off the ground"

Plain text that reads: These babies are at risk and should be placed back in the nest or as close to it as possible e.g. on a nearby house or garage roof. Take care to place them as close to their original nest site as possible and not near to neighbouring gulls’ nests or they may get attacked. Contact a rescue for advice if needed but please make every effort to get the baby back to the nest yourself if possible – most rescues don’t have long ladders. Ask neighbours or on your local Facebook group to source a ladder or sometimes the fire brigade will be willing to help if they’re not otherwise busy. Sometimes the parents will swoop at the baby’s rescuers – this is normal and an encouraging sign that they are still invested in the baby’s wellbeing. Holding an umbrella over your head will stop them making contact.

The aim should be to interfere as little as possible. They really only need rescuing in cases of obvious injury, anything else and it's just a matter of popping them back up somewhere safe where their parents can access them or leaving them be depending on what stage they're at

If you're not consistently monitoring them it can seem like they're on their own because the parents can perch a bit away and might only pop down to feed them a few times a day. If the parents dive-bomb you if you go near the chick it's a good sign they're still caring for it

Plain text from linked article that reads: He says: “We do get a lot of healthy young gulls - especially herring gulls - brought into our centres by well-intentioned individuals. That’s because the behaviour of these young gulls can sometimes lead people to believing they’ve been injured, abandoned or orphaned. “If you are worried about a young bird, the golden rule is to monitor it from a distance. If you find a fully feathered gull the odds are that it is fine and it is just behaving naturally.

Plain text from linked article that reads: “Even if it’s on the ground, the young gull probably hasn’t been abandoned or orphaned and should be left alone unless it is sick, injured or in a dangerous situation, for example, in a busy road or car park, in which case they will need urgent help."

A lot of perfectly healthy and cared for herring gull chicks are brought into rescues because people interpret their normal cries for food as distress and their being alone as having been abandoned

www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/rspca-c...

Screenshot of website with heading that reads, "When to leave alone" followed by a photo of a fledgling gull with its full feathers and caption, "A fledgling gull who is old enough to be out of the nest"

Text in bold that reads, "A baby gull is crying, and the parents don't seem to be feeding it" followed by plain text that says: It is normal for baby gulls to call to their parents. Gulls also feed their young much less often than many other species at only a handful of times a day. As long as the baby is uninjured and off the ground (or a fledgling) and the parents are in the area, this isn’t a cause for concern.

I know people are well intentioned when "rescuing" seagull chicks but please do your research before intervening. The parents are more often than not feeding them even if you haven't seen it
www.helpwildlife.co.uk/advice/baby-...

An adult seagull and a very young nestling chick on a chimney with another nestling chick on the top of the roof just beside the chimney.

An adult seagull with three fluffy chicks, slightly bigger but not yet fledglings, on the flat roof of an extension.

A nestling chick on its own on a chimney.

As seagull nesting season begins and we start to see plenty of chicks on chimneys over the next few months, it's a good time to remember that it's totally normal for them to fall from nests to lower areas of roofs, to cry (a lot) and to be on their own for periods of time

A mob of Hasidic men in Brooklyn chase down a woman who came to protest Ben-Gvir.

This sort of reaction has become normalized in NYC and LA, where violence against protestors has spiked enormously since October 7th.

This largely isn't covered or addressed by media, despite how widespread it is.

sorry to be an asshole bc i know everyone’s just trying to get paid but it really bums me out whenever i see an author like “yes i hate amazon but still here’s a link to my book on amazon bc it’s on sale :)”

Translators: any job where you “edit” a machine translation is also a fake job 💜

When people break the law, and their actions are righteous and appropriate, we should applaud them. When people abide by or enforce the law, and their actions are repugnant, we should condemn them. We should never pretend the law is a moral dividing line.

everybody knows that the second a person with a penis expresses some form of gender variance, they get downgraded—be it gay men, bi men, drag queens… the more gender variant you are, the more privileges you lose, the more you get harassed, the more you get othered. trans women most of all

something that really bothers me is the insistence from TERFs that trans women move through the world as men and are treated as men, which is obvious nonsense

I'm back to spread the good word that it's now Chino dog spring

There is Only Shame The new book from Peter Beinart, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza," is reviewed by Joshua Gutterman Tranen. "The truth that Beinart cannot face is that there is no prize to be won here, no ...

I wrote about Peter Beinart's muddled book "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza" and the necessity for anti-Zionist Jews to face the truth: a neat bifurcation of Judaism and Zionism is neither possible nor politically useful. proteanmag.com/2025/01/31/b...

Israel continues to violate the ceasefire. Again.

a pen drawing of Brigid in a shawl holding her cross

A drawing of Ireland and the caption "along with Patrick and Columba, Brigid is a patron saint of Ireland. Born in Louth in 452, she performed mNy miracles and founded the abbey of Kildare. Funny enough, before that Brigid was the celtic goddess of poetry, craftsmanship, healing and fertility. Brigid is known as The Protector and a crosóg Bríde (Brigid's cross) woven in her honour will protect a home, but she does has her favourites. She's the patron and protector of:

A drawing of a nurse in scrubs holding a baby. Caprion: Pregnant people, newborns and midwives. Did you know that one of her miracles was an abortion?

A drawing of a blacksmith weaving cross on top of an anvil and the title "blacksmiths"

Brigid: Goddess and Saint

A drawing of St Brigid holding a cross, standing on a cliff. There's a woven frame around her and little emblems of a three legged cross, a pint, Ireland and a cow

Imbolg sona!!
Spring is here, winter is over, beannachtaí na féile Bríde everyone!!

"Imbolc or Imbolg, also called (Saint) Brigid's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Bríde, Scottish Gaelic: Là Fhèill Brìghde, Manx: Laa'l Breeshey), is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring."

"February-isn't-Spring" people, remove the coloniser from your mind

My jack russell cross in her harness lying on my lap in the backseat of a car and looking out the window as the golden sunset light hits the back of her head and her big ears.

My jack russell cross on my lap in the backseat of a car still looking out the window but with the sunlight on her head looking even more golden.

iPod, play Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves

Israel’s ban on UNRWA comes into effect despite backlash Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack without providing proof.

Israel just killed all humanitarian services for Palestinians. Medical, food, water, everything. The genocide continues. The scale of Israel's relentless murder and terror is unspeakable - a blight on humanity like very few evils in history.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/...

Photo of 5 dog figurines in profile facing to the left in a staggered line. The closest one is reddish, the three in the middle are beige, and the furthest is dark grey. Each one has a cuneiform inscription on their side.

For anyone wondering, some possible dog names have survived from cuneiform sources.

On tiny dog figurines found buried under a palace in Nineveh, Iraq are inscriptions that seem to be names.

dan rigiššu “loud is his bark”

munaššiku gārîšu “biter of his foe”

mušēṣi lemnūti “expeller of evil”

Square shaped clay plaque that shows a man walking a huge dog with a curled tail and floppy ears. The dog has a rope tied around his neck which might be a collar and lead, held in the man’s left hand. In his right hand he holds a stick. They are shown in profile walking to the right

No biggie, just an ancient equivalent of a clay photograph that shows a man walking his dog 3,800 years ago in the city of Borsippa 🥹

I never made the move to streaming and my iPod classic is about 20 years old now. Older tech being sturdier and not designed to die within a few years is presumably a big factor in it still working but I also think consistently using it without leaving it to rot in a drawer somewhere has helped

My music experience is still this and I highly recommend it to anyone who still has a functioning iPod classic or can find a secondhand one (oreo cream bun not related but delicious)