Cathy

@cathyby.bsky.social

844 Followers 655 Following

"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin Header description with alt-text: https://bsky.app/profile/cathyby.bsky.social/post/3mr5kidowzc2m #SpéirGorm 🇮🇪 🇪🇺

"What has emerged from our talks with Moroccan authorities is that trafficking mafias took a self-serving interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling" which "spread like wildfire", he said.
Google @NewsFrom Google ... Re: our statement on Image Generation in Google Earth: "We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. We've seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we've also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. So we're rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails. It's important to note that generated images didn't appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as Al generated." 1:54 PM Jul 31, 2026
From New York Times. 4 hours ago Carlos Barragán and Jason Horowitz Reporting from Ceuta We've now spoken to several Moroccans who say they were encouraged to cross into Ceuta by the Moroccan authorities. Youssef Alaoui, 26, said that as his group approached the border on Thursday, Moroccan police officers pointed them in right direction. "They just kept saying, 'Go that way, go that way," Mr. Alaoui said. He ultimately swam across the maritime border, he said, encountering several dead bodies in the water. Mohammed Ahmidho, 37, said he had heard about the influx to Spain yesterday on social media, and that as he neared the border, Moroccan police officers "said, 'Come to Spain." We met Mr. Ahmidho as he was returning back across the border to Morocco. There wasn't anything to eat or drink, or any place to sleep, he said, so he was going home.
Principal Skinner out-of-touch meme. Text: Analysts - No, it's the investors who are wrong.
FT • Final • Today Kerry 1-17 Mayo 1-20 Croke Park
Samwise Gamgee, surrounded by his family, says "well, I'm back".
Great Cormorant sitting in the heat of 2026 summer in Spain, the shading of its feathers, the white patch under its bill, its huge black feet and turquoise eyes up close, against green water.
Mock Op-Ed Text: Here's Why It Would Never a Mistake To Do Anything That Inconveniences Rich Assholes by Some Rich Asshole Stolen from https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social
"What do you want money for? You want money for goods and services, right? You want money for mostly food, housing, transport, entertainment,” said Musk. "Well, if that is so abundant that [...] the robots and Al are providing more goods and services than you... than any human, could possibly consume, what do you need money for?"
Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Foyle's War). A murder involving a time machine, clearly.
On the right, a honeybee explores a cluster of small white oregano flowers. The background is blurred but oregano leaves, other oregano flowers and another honey bee can be made out.
Boy in nightclub shouts:"SUICIDAL EMPATHY IS, LIKE, DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY IN THE NAME OF SHOWING EMPATHY TO OTHERS." Girl in nightclub thinks, "EMPATHY IS THE ONLY REASON I'M STILL STOOD HERE, MATE."
Data centers unite U.S. in shared anger People of both parties lock arms in opposition to the computer hubs BY SHIRA OVIDE Kyle Schmidt ticked through what makes him irate about the massive Google data center slat-ed for construction about a mile away from his home near Sand Springs, Oklahoma. He didn't like that residents were kept in the dark about what would be built on a pristine tract of mostly forested land. He's worried about the data center's potential impact on the com-munity's water supply and on the dream home that his family moved into last year. But Schmidt said what really bothers him is the powerlessness he felt as the project advanced and elected officials, Google representatives and bigwig data center backers belittled or misled people who raised concerns. "I hate bullies," said Schmidt, a 43-year-old flooring salesman and project manager who leads a community group opposing the project. "Data center developers discovered if we can sneak in here without anyone noticing, we can pretty much take what we want." A rare issue uniting Americans is opposition to data centers, the sprawling computer complexes that are the most visible mani-festation of the artificial intelli-gence boom. In a recent Gallup poll, about 7 of 10 Americans said they would oppose a data center being built near them, and many express concerns about the projects operating in secret and gobbling scarce land, water and electricity. But experts and activists say that the intensity and breadth of the data center backlash reveals... (continued on another page)
Describe your favourite movie as boring as possible
Shot from Trump AI video featuring him, wearing a crown, dumping crap on the American people.
Thu Jan 15 2026-06:00 A single data centre in west Dublin consumes 10 times the electricity of a nearby pharmaceutical plant employing 2,000 people, equivalent to enough power for 200,000 homes, according to an internal Government document.
The Cure in early 1990s performing "Friday, I'm in Love". Desert island backdrop, giant red heart played as a drum, guitarist twirling amid little bubbles, Robert Smith on tambourine - what's not to like?
The sequence came because the EU wouldn't get into negotiations until Article 50 was triggered, argued Raoul Ruparel, a former special adviser to May. And only then did the U.K. see the problem this created.
Child of Prague statue, with base aflame, beside a smiling sun. Caption: For the love of God take him in before the country goes up in flames!!
From greening our cities for more shade to creating networks of cooling centres. From social services checking that older people stay hydrated to training teachers and child carers to recognize the signs of heat-related illness. From introducing breaks or flexible shifts, so workers avoid the midday sun, to ensuring we have enough staff on shift in health facilities during heatwaves. The solutions are practical, within reach and scalable. I sincerely thank Federal Minister Schneider and his Ministry for their continued support to the WHO European Centre for Environment, Climate Change and Health in Bonn, which led the development of this new Guidance. And let me recognize the contribution of European Commissioner Hoekstra and his Directorate-General for Climate Action, which provided the specific funding for this vital work.
According to Reuters, cooling centers are becoming one of the first emergency measures deployed in Europe's hardest-hit urban areas. The Eiffel Tower and other Paris venues set up misting stations to cool visitors. In Rome, tourists sought relief in public fountains. Local governments opened public cooling centers in libraries, community halls, and shopping centers. Germany activated public cooling stations, fountains, and shaded urban zones, with the national weather service Deutscher Wetterdienst issuing alerts that triggered localized responses in cities. Italy's major cities, including Rome, Florence, and Milan, also established emergency cooling shelters after intermittent blackouts caused by surging air-conditioning demand.
It's 24 June, 2025, and Britain is marking its annual Independence Day celebration. As the fireworks stream through the summer sky, still not quite dark, we wonder why it took us so long to leave. The years that followed the 2016 referendum didn't just reinvigorate our economy, our democracy and our liberty. They improved relations with our neighbours. The United Kingdom is now the region's foremost knowledge-based economy. We lead the world in biotech, law, education, the audio-visual sector, financial services and software. New industries, from 3D printing to driverless cars, have sprung up around the country. Older industries, too, have revived as energy prices have fallen back to global levels: steel, cement, paper, plastics and ceramics producers have become competitive again.
POLITICO Europe must choose between Al and climate goals, data center lobby says Tech sector says only carbon-emitting gas plants are reliable enough today to power the EU's AI goals.
FINANCIAL TIMES From the perspective of the Trump administration, Europe's original sin was to abandon the US in a moment of consequence and expose the alliance as hollow. But for Europeans, the critical betrayal was Greenland. The fact that the US threatened to annex Greenland and considered the territory of a sovereign ally negotiable is the key inflection point.
Yellow light along the horizon under gathering clouds of deep blue, dimmed by rain on the left. The sea is also deep blue, with some reflections of the muted dawn light, until it crashes on a pebbly shore. A muted beauty.
Image from "28 Years Later" showing the virus exclusion zone. The "Unconditional exclusion zone" includes the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and Man, plus coastal islands. The wider patrolled zone extends in a circle, touching the French coast (protected by the Atlantic Wall defences) and stretching almost up to the Shetland Islands. NATO security bases are located in Calais, Stavanger and Shetlands.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called for an Irish sea border. He said: "We have a swinging backdoor open between the two countries, which means we can't manage migration. "Events this week highlight how checks are needed to end the confusion and chaos. "The proposed process will not affect the Common Travel Area as Irish and British citizens will still be able to move with passports and drivers' licences. "People with the required visas will also be able to move. "But those applying for asylum on either island will have to do so when they land on each island."
KB: No, I don't think that The Common Travel Area is the problem. This is one man... NF: Isn't that where the suspect got through though? KB: Yes but we are seeing 1000s of people get through, you know, the southern borders. I don't think we should get distracted and look at The Common Travel Area. Every day people cross from Ireland to Northern Ireland, you know, to work, to live. The Common Travel Area has been working fine for 100 years. Something else is going wrong, and that is that Western Europe, not just the United Kingdom is struggling to control its borders. We're not the only ones who have this problem. Ireland has it too. That's why it's spilled over. France has it too. We do need to work with these other countries, but the best way we can do that is by leading the way. Let us leave the ECHR. Once we're able to start deporting people, I think that it'll actually be easier for us to work with other European countries facing this problem.
David Frost @DavidGHFrost on X The Irish happily check vehicles and people going south when they want to. Yet apparently we can't police our border with Ireland. Instead we let people wander across it & give them asylum. We must be out of our minds. The back door into the UK via Ireland needs closing. 17:00 09 Jun 26
Grass featuring lots of hail.
RTÉ 100 12:48 Iran says it delivered 'painful response' to Israel Iran said it had delivered a "painful response" to Israel and "accordingly, the cessation of armed forces operations is hereby announced", the Khatam al-Anbiya command said in a statement carried by state television. "However, it is emphasised that should acts of aggression and hostility continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will follow," it added.
VISIT THE USA Do ESTA applications require me to disclose all of my social media activity? The ESTA application does not require access to your social media activity. Applicants may voluntarily provide social media identifiers or handles, but passwords, private messages, and full account access are not required. Apply only through the official ESTA website and review all application questions carefully.
John P. Duggan's account of the visit appears to be the only historical (and more importantly, referenced) account that is based on independent, primary evidence. According to Duggan, who personally interviewed Hempel's wife in Ireland. 'it took Frau Hempel to put the record straight as to the location of the visit. The Taoiseach had visited Hempel's home rather than the legation'. 139 Was the purpose of de Valera's visit to sign a book of condolences? According to Duggan's account, de Valera paid a visit out of consideration for Hempel 140 the German minister, who deduced his mission as being the preservation of Irish neutrality, who was a great favourite of Dev's because he had fought against any German infringement of Irish neutrality-and because it was the right thing to do. 142 His attitude to 'the displaced German diplomat was 'charitable and understanding. He granted asylum to him For example. Alan Shatter. "State must apologise for de Valera's morally repugnant error of judgment over Hitler'. Irish Independent. 28 January 2005; Dick Walsh, 'When history repeats itself and no lessons are leamed Irish Times, 27 December 1997. 107 For examples in the USA, see Clarity. 'Ireland weighs trading neutrality': James F Clarity. Tie to NATO forces Ireland to reconsider neutral role New York Times. 16 December 1998: and James F Clarity. "Call to modify Irish neutrality ignites debate'. New York Times. 1 April 1996. Nolan, Joseph Walshe. 296-9. Duggan, Neutral Ireland. 243. Duggan, Neutral Ireland. 241. Duggan, Neutral Ireland. 202. 142Duggan, Neutral Ireland. 241.
Easter of 1936 was a memorable one for the Mahr children of Waterloo Place, Dublin. The Hitler Youth group to which they belonged held its annual get-together at Hampton Hall, Balbriggan, but this year, they were joined by a group of Hitler Youth from Britain. On the large estate in the north Dublin countryside, the two groups marched, saluted the Swastika, watched Nazi films and sang songs around a campfire.
Department of State @StateDept on X.com Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West. The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.
Old and new: the moored Jeanie Johnston tall ship (a three-masted replica of a 19th-century famine ship, with its hull painted black with a broad white stripe) contrasts with the modern buildings along Custom House Quay. In the distance, the modern, harp-shaped Samuel Beckett Bridge spans the dappled waters of the Liffey. Through it are visible the iconic chimneys at Poolbeg and a distant white cruise ship. In the foreground, on the metal beams of Sean O'Casey Bridge, a young seagull says "Howaya?" Above, dramatic clouds billow, encroaching on the blue sky now only visible to the left.
Our European allies have behaved shamefully, standing by as the U.S. dealt with growing Iranian capabilities and Iran attacked re-gional powers. Our allies need to re-engage with us, and we with them. Iran isn't only our problem. It isn't only an Israeli problem. The United Nations Security Council between 2006 and 2010 passed five resolu-tions declaring Iran's nuclear ambi-tions under Chapter VII an "action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of ag-gression." The next time our Euro-pean friends are inclined to say that conflict with Iran is "not our war," they should reread those resolutions.
Cartoon headed "Eco Chamber" Small child: "Could the energy crisis speed up the transition to sustainability?" Mother: "That depends on the wisdom and courage of our leaders." Child: "Oh bum"
Rugged coastline at the foot of mountains leads to a small village of traditional stone and whitewashed cottages under a soft, cloudy sky. The closest building is roofless, whitewash worn away to show the bare stone. The other cottages have slate roofs in various shades of grey.
Google search: "how many days of the week have a fish in them" Al Overview Two days: Tuesday and Thursday. If you are thinking of calendar names, no days of the week have the actual word "fish" in their spelling. However, phonetically or as syllables, only Tuesday and Thursday contain the "fish" sound (as in the letters "f-i-s-h").
Clump of lightning strikes over Pembrokeshire and stretching over the sea towards Gwynedd. A few stray strikes just east of Wexford.
Kyle @KyleTrainEmoji on X PICARD: Data, shields up DATA: Brilliant! Shields can reduce damage we sustain. Not immunity. Not hubris. Just prudence. It's not precaution—it's strategy. [camera shakes] WORF: HULL BREACHES ON NINE DECKS DATA: Here's what happened: you told me to raise shields, and I didn't
Let's look at western Newfoundland, which is not influenced by the Gulf Stream. Its summers are mild to warm, particularly in western lowland valleys, which can see summer temperatures near 30 degrees. Winters have average daily temperatures below freezing for roughly four months. And average rainfall is 900-1,200mm. Who's afraid of losing the Gulf Steam?
In Malmo, for example, a city in the far south of Sweden where the climate is described as "Baltic" but not as we know it [the word]. It has cold winters and mild summers. Average temperatures remain above freezing in winter, while the average summer temperature is about 18 degrees, with a minimum of 14 degrees and a maximum of 23 degrees. Very liveable for any Irish person. However, what makes it even more bearable is that average annual rainfall there is 615mm, ranging from 30mm in April to 70mm in the wettest month, August.
A blackbird sings, its orange bill the only spot of colour against a symphony of grey: ornate grey gate pillar below, grey castle tower behind. Bare black branches are stark against a pale grey sky.
A mackerel sky back-lit by the sun creates a fiery dappled pattern in amber and gold, against which stand the dark silhouettes of a sheep and its lamb, standing on a grassy ridge.
Graph showing Irish GDP & GNP diverging widely, most markedly from 2015. Gap in 2024 €100 trillion.
I'd like to introduce you to the hardest-workin' band in the world. On bass, Derek "Meatman" Scully. On piano, Steven "Soul Surgeon" Clifford. Dean "Mr Nipple" Fay on sax. Joey "The Lips" Fagan on trumpet. Our gorgeous chanteuses are Bernie, Imelda, and Natalie. Deco "Deep Throat" Cuffe on vocals. On lead guitar, Outspan "Fender bender" Foster. Finally, on drums, Mickah "Don't Fuck With Me" Wallace. Ladies and gentlemen, The Commitments.
Power handshake between Taiwan and Ireland. Link: Trump saying "You took our industry"
Graph showing Japan's population peak circa 2007 with subsequent symmetrical fall. Also show is UK with peak population estimated in 2060s.
On top of a pile of earth and rubble, colonised by a few weeds sits a large Grey Heron in a hunched pose. Its ashy-grey plumage and white head with a broad black stripe stand out against a uniform concrete background.
Interactive chart showing effective US tariff rates for Ireland and UK. For UK, hovering around 1% until Trumps second term where it went up to 8%, down to about 5.5% now around 6.5% For Ireland, under 0.5%, rising to 2%, dropping under 1% then up to just under 2% again. (Lots of pharma, still zero tariffed.)
STATUE TO THE MOSQUITO OR MIDGE THAT BIT OLIVER CROMWELL 'That Cork City Council will erect a statue to the mosquito or midge that bit Oliver Cromwell during his siege of the city, later causing his death through 'Cork fever' (malaria); and that this statue shall be the 'world's smallest public statue'.' (Proposer: Cllr. O. Moran 26/266) Party Whips - 25/05/2026
Orla Joelsen @OJoelsen 16h DR (the Danish Broadcasting Corporation) has interviewed Cliff Stanley from Nevada, who over the past two days has attracted major attention in Nuuk after offering 200,000 dollars in exchange for support for making Greenland American. He plans to remain in Nuuk until May 19, when the special U.S. envoy Jeff Landry - independently of Cliff's trip - is planning a controversial visit to the Greenlandic capital. And if it turns out that Greenlanders - contrary to his expectations - have no interest at all in becoming an American state, he says he already has a backup plan. "I will do my best as a human being. To give them this, if they want it. And if they don't want it, that's okay. Then I'll just go to Canada and see if they want to." -DR
A vibrant sunrise of deep oranges and yellows, tinting lavender coloured horizontal cloud formations. The calm sea is also lavender tinted orange, and in the foreground stand phormiums with exotic flower plumes dark against the light.
A pigeon fluffs up its feathers against the cold, becoming a cartoonish spherical version of itself. Its fluffiness contrasts with the yellow toned granite of Fusiliers' Arch, at the entrance to St Stephen's Green.
Kambucha girl - sounds okay face.
Kombucha girl - yuck face.