You have singlehandedly counteracted a ton of the terrible stuff that is happening in the world now. I hope the two of you will have many happy years together.

Cristina Zenato works in the wild with sharks, where she has built a special relationship with a local shiver of Caribbean Reef sharks. Many recognize her and approach her touch. She uses this connection to remove hooks from their mouths.

Original post

This makes me so happy!

On this date in 1970, Earth  Day was first celebrated in the United States. An estimated 20 million people participated, making it the largest single-day protest in American history, and it quickly became an international event.

Read with Angelina the Adventure Cat Meet the cat that inspired Maria E. Lyons’ children’s book series, “Angelina the Adventure Cat,” at Sassafras on Main in Waynesville starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25.

Waynesville NC
Meet the cat that inspired Maria E. Lyons’ children’s book series, “Angelina the Adventure Cat,” at Sassafras on Main in Waynesville starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25.
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www.themountaineer.com/life/arts_en...

That's a wonderful tradition!

Yours truly with my favorite tree. She is a Patagonian cypress, “cipres de la guaiteca,” clinging to a cliff overlooking the Rio Futaleufú. I have been taking this same pic with her every year since we purchased our property in Futa. 10 years of pics. I will continue to do so until I am old & gray.

Montgomery County passes 'ICE Out' legislation to block immigration detention facilities Montgomery County Council unanimously passed it's "ICE Out" legislation barringprivately owned immigration detention centers from operating in the county.The m

Maryland's Montgomery County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to take a proactive anti-ICE stance, barring privately owned detention facilities. "We will not wait for an immigration detention facility to be proposed — we are ensuring it is never built in the first place," Councilmember Glass said.

That IS infuriating. I can't think of any legitimate reason for this.

'An amazing, fast-paced trip back to the 1970s. The US seems like a different country now.' -reader review
'When Saigon Surrendered- a Kentucky Mystery' #books #historicalfiction
www.amazon.com/When-Saigon-...

Event flyer: Prairie Lights Books. Thursday, April 23, 7pm. Jessica Calarco. Holding It Together. In Conversation with Jennifer Haylett.

Iowa friends: I'll be at Prairie Lights in Iowa City tomorrow night (4/23) at 7pm, for a reading and conversation about Holding It Together. I'd love to see you there!

prairielights.com/event/2026-0...

If you know me-you know that I have to always go outside & stand near a tree.”The books of my heart are grounded in nature with the hope of inspiring joy, empathy, & connection with the environment-Earth Day reminds us to rediscover or maybe even renew this care for the Earth and each other🪾🌳

It's almost as if the NC elections board doesn't want people to vote ...

This West Michigan Cat Was Missing for 5 Years. A Microchip Changed Everything. A cat named Night slipped away during a move in 2021. Five years later, a microchip brought him back to the family who never stopped loving him.

Another microchip happy story!
mix957gr.com/west-michiga...
Focus on Ferals Rescue chronicles the journey👇

www.facebook.com/FocusOnFeral...

Happy #EarthDay y’all 🫶

Deals with the Devil Aren’t What They Used to Be Tales of Faust’s bargain teased and consoled an earlier culture with the lure of freedom, the promise of a wider world. But Hell is everywhere now.

Deals with the Devil Aren’t What They Used to Be: Looking at the Faustian myth #books

Young, humpback whale launching itself into the sky: #AGoodPlace

Source: www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFu...

The 11 most challenged books of 2025, according to the American Library Association The ALA says 4,235 titles were challenged at U.S. libraries — the second-highest year on record. Forty percent of the challenged works involved LGBTQ+ subjects or the experiences of people of color.

NPR:

The 11 most challenged books of 2025, according to the American Library Association

www.npr.org/2026/04/20/n...

Ready-to-use feline OA stem cell therapy gains entry to FDA’s faster conditional approval pathway | dvm360 New study results from Gallant show that 76% of cats improved after receiving intravenous uterine-derived mesenchymal stromal cell therapy, an immune-modulating treatment that doesn't require patient-...

More than 76% of treated cats showed meaningful improvement in quality of life over 90 days.
OA affects an estimated 90% of cats older than 12 years, and researchers estimate that approximately 45% of all cats develop the condition.

🔥 “I’m so glad people are finally waking up to your cruelty — and to the idiocy of your star disciple Pete Hegseth.”

@wajahatali.bsky.social eviscerates Hegseth’s pastor Doug Wilson (with @timmiller.bsky.social & piers in the front row)

Kittens hold court at Canada’s first publicly funded long-term care home based on the concepts of a dementia village - The Daily Scan A cat rescue organization will deliver a group of kittens to spend the afternoon with seniors at Providence Living at The Views.

Comox BC
The CATS partnership with Providence Living at The Views in Comox arose from a personal connection. The son of one of the residents is involved with CATS and saw first-hand what a pet visit meant to his mother there.
thecatadvocates.com/about-us/

🔥 @repauchincloss.bsky.social to RFK JR: “FDA issued 3 vouchers based on a text from JOE ROGAN—flies in the face of your commitment to put science over politics. I want safety/efficacy to be standards to approve psychedelics, not Trump needing support for a disastrous war.”

H/T @acyn.bsky.social

Rep. @repyassansari.bsky.social: “Naked, open, brazen corruption. The Trump administration is guided and shaped by it… Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is shaping US foreign policy while simultaneously soliciting billions from the same foreign governments he's negotiating with.“

People know those tax cuts last summer weren't for them. They know tariffs are killing their pocketbooks. They can see their healthcare bills skyrocketing.

You really can't hide a rigged economy behind a "booming stock market" anymore. Tax the rich.

Iroquois Museum cat to turn 15 HOWES CAVE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Since 1981, the Iroquois Museum has been promoting and preserving contemporary Iroquois culture through the arts. Their museum cat, Little Boy, has played an impor…

HOWES CAVE, N.Y
A stray cat showed up at the museum’s doors in 2012. Little Boy now holds the position of CFO, Chief Feline Officer.
On April 25, the museum is holding a celebration for his 15th birthday.
www.news10.com/off-the-beat...

Thanks to everyone who joined us in Marion last night! It was great to hear from so many folks from McDowell. Western North Carolina is a special place and we're all so blessed to live here.

#NC11 #WNC #WesternNC

Wow!

And the Best Literary Film Adaptation of the Last 50 Years is… After six rounds of voting, and thousands of votes cast, the people have chosen their winner: The Princess Bride, which prevailed over The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with 60% of the …

Rob Reiner's 'The Princess Bride' voted best literary adaptation of the last 50 years by Literary Hub readers #books #film
lithub.com/and-the-best...?

This is interesting to me. My father died when I was 10, and I don't know much about his history. In trying to learn more about him online, I found a letter to the editor of Amazing Stories that he wrote in the 1930s. Just a little tidbit, but it tells me something about who he was.