Zhang Shan won the gold medal for the mixed skeet shooting event in the 1992 Olympics.

The International Shooting Union *immediately* banned women from competing against men.

In honor of #EarthDay, here is a reminder that there is a bot account that posts a photo of the whole Earth from a million miles away, taken by the Deep Space Climate Observatory, several times daily. You can view all the images (and zoom in) here: epic.gsfc.nasa.gov

This piece is incredible because you're like "oh so that's what did it" like five times and by the end you're just like "jesus christ make it stop"

Credit ratings agency Moody’s downgrades NZ’s outlook to ‘negative’ Persistent inflation and global uncertainty have prompted Moody’s Ratings to downgrade New Zealand’s fiscal outlook.

The outlook is "look out"

Credit ratings agency Moody’s downgrades NZ’s outlook to ‘negative’
www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

A dog stands on a table, posing next a basted peak lapel sport coat. The jacket is being displayed on a dress form.

A dog sitting on the floor, posting next to a basted blue tweed sport coat with notch lapels. The jacket is being displayed on a dress form.

A dog sitting on the floor, posing in front of a wall where three tailored jackets are hanging.

A dog poses on a table. He's surrounded by a tailor's measuring tape.

Every time this tailor posts a photo of their workspace, it looks like their dog is a tailor and he's showing off the garments he made.

IG z.o.e.y.a.t.e.s

Cover of Red Deer in New Zealand, A Complete Hunting Manual by Roger Lentle & Frank Saxton It's red-brown in colour, featuring two stag photos

Infographic showing the characteristics of deer shit -- in different seasons, different deer, different conditions, how it degrades with time, &c &c

Inforgraphic "The deer at rest and his defences" showing the typical posture of an unalarmed deer facing downwind, the range and effectiveness of deer senses, and detailing the alarm matrix: either smell alone, or a combination of sight and sound

Infographic showing "The rules for stalking in pairs", showing two hunters moving parallel to each other into the wind, with visual communication between them and allowable fields of fire for each hunter comprising a 180 degree arc opposite the other hunter with a prominent NO SHOOTING IN THIS AREA between

One of my bids for the apocalypse library: Red Deer in New Zealand, A Complete Hunting Manual by Roger Lentle & Frank Saxton

A taonga of a book. Nearest thing to a Bible for practical deer hunting in the NZ-specific context

Worth it for the hand drawn infographics alone

Uh-oh. Do we need a new version of @magnets.eurosky.social’s brilliant observation about how climate change will manifest?

In a surreal twist, people are now doubting footage that is both very real and very close to home—a result of AI imagery poisoning the waters:
www.tickaroo.com/e/GCRysAwNeu...

Labour labels Treaty review ‘disgusting’ as Government moves to standardise clauses Labour calls Treaty clause review “disgusting” and “by stealth” as Government confirms bill covering 18 laws is coming within months, with public consultation promised

Labour calls Treaty clause review “disgusting” and “by stealth” as Government confirms bill covering 18 laws is coming within months, with public consultation promised

Submission: Policing Amendment Bill The Council strongly objects to the Policing Amendment Bill. This bill removes all limits on Police powers to record people’s activities. This bill enables police to break up any gathering, remove peo...

The Policing Amendment Bill vastly expands Police surveillance powers and enables the use of body cams without any additional oversight. It also allows Police to designate no-go areas nearly anywhere and on the flimsiest of grounds.

Read our full submission: nzccl.org.nz/submission-p...

The media should not desist from pressing the PM on whether his colleagues continue to have confidence in him — whether he likes it or not.

Luxon’s attempt to refocus the media is constitutionally misplaced. Confidence is the lifeblood of government. And the media have a legitimate interest in interrogating changing dynamics in confidence.

The Chrisis continues

#nzpol

Rare sighting of a column chart taking a dip at Hove Beach.

#dataviz

ANALYSIS: Government set to reduce Treaty in legislation to lowest possible standard - what it means Sweeping changes to Treaty clauses across 23 laws could lower te Tiriti to its weakest legal standard, reshaping how it influences decisions in health, environment and beyond.

yes we've all been frothing with the coup, meanwhile Mani Dunlop is out here reporting on this fuckery and what it means.

www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/04/20/a...

An old pine tree has fallen across the road taking the power lines with it.

Wellington peeps, if you need one, this is your go home stay home warning.

I’m so feeling for my Welly peeps but I’m also seeing a lot of folks are saying “so glad I can WFH” and I think we forget in weather events of the past where you couldn’t come into the office you used to get the day off.

A black-and-white studio portrait photograph of Emma Lucy Braun, the pioneering American botanist and plant ecologist widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists in the study of eastern North American forests. Shown from the shoulders up against a soft, neutral gradient background, Braun appears in her later years with a calm, intelligent gaze directed straight at the viewer. Her white hair is neatly styled and swept back from her face, and she wears delicate round wire-rimmed glasses. A gentle, knowing half-smile softens her expression, conveying quiet authority, warmth, and scholarly poise. She is dressed in a light-colored, pleated blouse with a gathered neckline and a prominent dark floral brooch pinned at the center of her chest; the visible sleeve features subtle decorative patterning. The tight, centered composition focuses entirely on her face and upper torso, creating an intimate and dignified mood that emphasizes intellect and dignity over ornamentation.

Botanist/plant ecologist E. Lucy Braun is one of the most influential ecologists in North American history.

+ First woman President, Ecological Society of America, 1950
+ Helped establish plant ecology as a rigorous academic discipline

She was born #OTD in 1889. #WomenInSTEM #conservation #ecosky

77mm in one hour in Berhampore. That’s just an incomprehensible rain intensity anywhere at any time, let alone in Wellington in Autumn. We used to use 7mm an hour as a threshold for “heavy rain”, and this was more than 10 times that.

The privacy of others. Group privacy. It’s long been a thing. There’s long been a need for individuals to think of the privacy of others when connecting their lives to online services and what services may do with those images of others

This Google behaviour is the same issue I have with WhatsApp. If you use it, you have given Facebook/Zuckerberg permission to copy the entire contents of your phone’s address book.

Not once has a friend of mine sought my consent before giving my data to Facebook, a platform I’ve studiously avoided.

I'm not joking when I say mRNA technology is more important than "AI" and it's a tragedy we're throwing billions into one while our government is aggressively defunding the other.

Before Ruth died, we agreed on her ‘ghost’ sign. Experts say it’s a powerful tool for working through grief I don’t believe in ghosts. But for the bereaved, receiving ‘messages’ from beyond the grave can help us feel connected to the departed

Before Ruth died, we agreed on her ‘ghost’ sign. Experts say it’s a powerful tool for working through grief

Seems like the Strait of Hormuz is only open when the stock market is.

Opinion | My Wife Is 85. She Takes My Breath Away.

I found this ode to the singular beauty of old ladies inspiring. "My wife is 85. She Takes My Breath Away"
unlocked NYT | Roger Rosenblatt www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/o...

Google Starts Scanning All Your Photos As New Update Goes Live Google wants its AI to see all the photos of "you and your loved ones." Billions of users must now decide.

“Take a moment to think before you dive in. That’s the best advice for Google Photos users, as the company confirms its latest update can scan all your photos to “use actual images of you and your loved ones” in AI image generation.”

www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...

If Mamdani and Obama singing The Wheels On The Bus with a group of tiny kids doesn't spark some sort of joy in you, I've got nothing for you.

Mayor Mamdani and President Obama read a picture book to a group of children.

Mayor Mamdani and President Obama chat and laugh with a group of children.

Mayor Mamdani and President Obama chat and laugh.

Children hug Mayor Mamdani.

Today, President Barack Obama and I read to a group of toddlers at Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx. 

In between singing wheels on the bus, we discussed our administration’s vision for this City — one where New York’s Cutest have the strongest start possible.

Sir Geoffrey has replied! He says:

What I said was "New Zealand is an irredeemably pluvial country." Of course because of climate change it is even more pluvial now than when I said it.
All the best,
Geoffrey

So it's just "New Zealand is a pluvial country", or, if you can't bear to lose the adjective, "The irreducible fact ... New Zealand is a pluvial country".
(But not "New Zealand is an irreducibly pluvial country". It is the fact that he is calling irreducible, not the pluviality).