Alright, I’m home now so here’s the Norm update. Yesterday at 4pm, I got a text from a family I’ve been helping who had a loved one abducted a couple of days after Renée Good’s murder. This was the family that Norm Nation kept from being evicted (and you delivered). ICE had released their loved one.
Book cover for Wren's Aria by Helen Whistberry showing a bright-eyed brown wren perched among bright red poppies and green grass with beak open in song.
TODAY IS THE DAY!
My latest book, Wren's Aria, is out in the world!
A charming animal fantasy wherein open hearts and loyal companions triumph over tyranny and needless cruelty. Includes 52 original illustrations and cover art by me!
Full blurb and buying links in comments below
#WrensAria #sff
Trials for a pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine: “Nearly 90% of people whose immune systems responded to the vaccine were still alive up to six years after receiving the last treatment. The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is around 13%…” [mskcc.org]
“…in any given week there are scandals playing out in Cabinet departments, sub-Cabinet posts, and outer-rings-of-Trump influence that never even make the front page — and yet most of them would be bigger than the biggest scandal to hit either the Obama administration or Biden administration…”
Screenshot of a Substack note by account 'JoJoFromJerz' that says: 'In a sane administration, the FBI Director doesn’t go on the morning news to prove he’s not a drunk, the Defense Secretary doesn’t quote Tarantino to prove he’s a man of God, and the President doesn’t take multiple cognitive exams to prove he’s not insane.'
None of this is normal.
Today's winner of the Internet. Congratulations!
Here's the documentary (Reeve appears at 1:13:45).
Donald Trump threatened to sue any distributor or broadcaster that took on the film.
textured acrylic painting, gestural strokes, bright colours, varnished layerings, low-angle view, a field of cooled black lava, active volcano in background, starry skies, bright crescent moon, tangled lines, soft edges, negative space --ar 5:7 --stylize 300 --v 7
"Goodnight moon" #synthart
Photo: a baby chameleon rests atop a red flower against a green and yellow backdrop. Source: Mehmet Karaca, Kapıçam Nature Park, Turkiye, Wiki Loves Earth 2024.
A baby Mediterranean chameleon
📸 Mehmet Karaca,
Kapıçam Nature Park, Türkiye
Wiki Loves Earth 2024
I dunno about y'all but I'm fairly sure we were sold out. Everybody involved needs to be held accountable for this, and the data centers need to be held not just to the same, but to higher environmental standards.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
I had a thing about the origins of First Mage On The Moon posted on @scalzi.com's blog yesterday (Thanks, John & Athena!)
whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/16/t...
Absolutely wonderful!
United States Ambassador To Italy Mrs Clare Boothe Luce Listens To The Words Of Pope Pius Xii,During An Audience At The Pontiff'S Lakeside Summer Residence.13 October 1955
American conservative politician Clare Boothe Luce converted to Catholicism in 1946.
In a 1953 meeting with Pope Pius XII, she was fiercely lecturing the pontiff on the Church's moral duty to fight communism when the Pope finally interrupted her.
"You know, Mrs. Ambassador, I am a Catholic too."
Exactly 💯
Imagine if instead of spending billions of dollars supporting terrorists or weapons, the United States had spent that money helping the people of the United States
April 13 Scripture
When the authorities threatened the apostles, Acts 4:31 says, they "continued to speak the word of God with boldness." The post-resurrection and Pentecost era were not times of fear and timidity. It was an era of "boldness". #PopeLeo continues the early Christian tradition today.
Complicated and tricky poetry that never fails to challenge and delight! My name here comes from my favorite Hopkins poem.
Trump didn't just attack Pope Leo, he attacked the faith of every serious Catholic.
Congress should act swiftly to address both the diplomatic issue this causes as well as the slap in the face to millions of American believers.
Opposition leader Péter Magyar at a rally.
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.
A wintery landscape with brown-grey colour scheme
Cold spring in Liaoning. Two anchiornithids fighting. Tianyulong unbothered.
a pencil sketch of some birds nesting in a tuba or tuba-like device
watching birds at the music building
#art
Today I learned
that frankincense is threatened by war
And myrrh is threatened by drought.
All that's left is gold.
Unmoored, alone.
Concentrated in the hands of the few.
Cold uncaring idol.
Bitter drink.
A "wartime" poster that says: "Using Generative AI? You're Prompting with Hitler! GenAI is a Fascist Project! Try using your brain instead! Don't surrender your creativity to the Tech Billionaires' control!"
I missed this from @phineas.bsky.social when it originally came out but it sure feels relevant at the moment.
Also, you can buy this as a print from the artist here:
www.inprnt.com/gallery/phin...
Welcome home, Integrity!
Panel 1 A delivery bot on a suburban path says “You don’t always end up where you expect” Panel 2 “It’s silly but I saw myself beside an astronaut rolling across a strange new world” it says as it continues down the path. An alert reads “50m to destination” Panel 3 A had has opened the lid of the bot and taken out a paper bag. “I like to feel useful. Nobody likes a cold hamburger” Panel 4 It continues “So I give every mission my all” The alert says “mission complete” Panel 5 The sun is setting. The bot looks tired. The alert says it’s power is 3% Panel 6 Night. Stars twinkle. The bot is parked in a lot with three others, it has its eyes closed and says “in my dock I dream of space”
My latest for @newscientist.com
That is so beautiful! 🥹
We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.
Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
