Caturday
Melissa Riane

my feed, just too good not to share

Ever wondered why you can see underwater bubbles: invisible air in invisible water?
It's because light bends slightly at the boundary between air & water, so light coming from behind the bubble is diverted away from your eye. The resulting dark line shows you the bubble must be there. Beautiful!

A Cat’s Life (Wonder) | Gérard DuBois

We are deeply concerned by the situation in Iran. Our first thoughts are with the people caught up in this conflict - in Iran, in the countries in the wider region, and the New Zealand families worried about loved ones. We recognise the courage of Iranians who have taken to the streets demanding change, at enormous personal risk and we condemn the serious human rights violations that have been perpetrated against them. Military escalation does not produce the stability the region needs. The attacks on Iran and the retaliatory strikes undermine international peace and security and put civilian lives at risk. New Zealand must urge all parties - including close allies - to show restraint, pursue diplomatic solutions and first and foremost, protect the rights and safety of Iranian civilians. New Zealand must use its voice on the world stage to call for de-escalation, for a return to negotiations, and for the right of the Iranian people to determine their own future.

That’s a proper Labour/Labor party statement from Chris Hipkins, leader of New Zealand Labour.

Speaks to values, values of peace, international law, and the values of the people of Aotearoa.

Aotearoa New Zealand is a country with a big heart, this is how I’m used to that place responding.

This cute hamster sits in his little chair and enjoys a mini egg.

Original post

When police and ICE join forces, community surveillance becomes government surveillance.

2,500-year-old 'primitive prosthetic' found on jaw of mummified Scythian woman who survived complex jaw surgery Researchers used CT scans to peer inside a partially mummified skull and discovered the woman survived jaw surgery 2,500 years ago.

www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Image 1

Snow leopard in Ladakh, India

Original post

I grew up with Alex Pretti The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

I just looked up sublingual iron cos I didn't know about it and am in a similar boat. It looks like you can get iron melts from the chemist warehouse. Have you tried these? if so what did you think about them?

So, How’s the Occupation Going for You? What’s it like to live in America with a domestic military occupation? Minnesota has the answer.

"Neighbors in neon vests dot the neighborhood... Information-sharing networks have been built. Residents have connected with non-profits and churches to deliver food to people who are locked in their homes out of fear. Resistance signs are everywhere..."

www.liberalcurrents.com/so-hows-the-...

The image shows a small, rounded, purple glass vessel in the shape of a pomegranate fruit displayed against a light grey background. The display lighting enhances the translucent purple glass which replicates the colour of a ripe fruit. There is some encrustation dotted around the body of the vessel and around the calyx which has one lobe missing. Height 6.9 cm (2.7 in), Diameter 6.6 cm (2.5 in). Probably used as a container for perfumed oil.

For New Year’s Day 2026, a hellenistic glass vase shaped like a pomegranate. 2nd century BC - 1st century AD.

A symbol of abundance and good luck for the year ahead!

📷 Phoenix Art phoenixancientart.com/work-of-art/...

#Archaeology

A comic called Animals with Misleading Names. There's an electric eel labeled "not an eel". There's a mountain goat labeled "not a goat." There's a maned wolf labeled "not a wolf." There's a king cobra labeled "not a cobra. Also, snakes are typically self-governing." There's a peacock mantis shrimp labeled "Not a peacock. Not a mantis. Also, not a shrimp." There's a horny toad labeled "Not a toad. Only thinks of you as a friend." There's a mayfly labeled "active through the spring and summer." There's an eastern kingbird labeled "found in the west. Many birds do not recognize its authority."

Animals with misleading names. I'm seeing this go around as part of a viral tumblr thread so I thought I'd reshare it.

Here the story starts with the king atop his hoard of wealth and debris. His subjects bring him offerings and treasures to add to his pile. Soon a missive arrives from the queen of bees. Is it war, marriage, or discussion of flight lanes?

#crow #queenbee #art #artsky #bskyart #crowking

Ancient Greek ceramic vessel shaped like a donkey’s head, with a black-glazed flaring rim decorated with figures and patterns, and a curved handle.

What a gorgeous #Greek rhyton in the form of a #donkey's head! Dating ca. 450 BC.
Vessels such as this one were used in drinking parties. Since they didn't have a base, the content had to be consumed before the vessel could be put down

📷 Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

🏺

Remarkable impact: there were no reported cases of #cervicalcancer among women in Scotland who received the #HPV vaccine at the age of 12–13 in the 12 years following vaccination. Here’s a look at studies from around the world that show that #VaccinesWork to #StopCervicalCancer: bit.ly/489S33A

NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.

Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

25 days left to sign this petition, folks!
Save Art History, because it really matters 💥
#nzpol
petitions.parliament.nz/a1acf19a-72f...

Facebook post from National saying that "your" investment flat helping pay your kids' uni costs will be taxed by cgt.

what if... hear me out... we made uni free AND did the cgt?

Hoiho - the world’s rarest penguin, fewer than 150 mainland pairs left

🐧We researched one of the world’s rarest #penguins. The yellow‑eyed penguin (aka hoiho/takaraka) isn’t one homogeneous species after all!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

#hoiho #conservation #genomics #birds #nzwildlife #endangered #wildlife #nature

Great to hear he had a good buddy in his retirement who he used to race along the fence. And, that he was always into ‘devil ent’

Simeon Brown said yesterday that average senior doctors are paid:

$343,543K pa (including OT and allowances, not one talks about a salary including OT lol)

The actual figure is:

$254,000K ($89,543 difference)

Any OT these doctors are doing is due to understaffing! #NZPol

Get ready to see the smallest tiniest snails I’ve ever found. There are three babies and a mummy snail just wondering about about amongst the lichen on this twig I picked up. It’s a little bit of paradise saved from getting crushed by a car on our farm track. Who needs to go on Safari 😂

For every €1 provided through a Basic Income For Artists pilot program in Ireland, the government got €1.46 back. So it’s being made permanent.

Over and over we see it. It saves public money to provide public housing. And it makes public money to provide basic income.

We can’t afford to NOT do it.

Indian Railways to achieve net zero targets in 2025 itself - 5 years ahead of 2030 goal - Times of India India Business News: Indian Railways is set to achieve net-zero targets by year-end, surpassing its 2030 goal through extensive electrification. Aiming for 95% electric tr

Not nearly enough is made of the incredibly impressive feat Indian Railways has made to electrify almost 100% of its 135,000km of track, while also growing renewable sourcing. Huge:

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...

Unzoomed Identify cities using satellite images in this daily puzzle game, where each guess zooms out for enhanced clues.

quite smug about this

Unzoomed #624 1/6 🟢⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
unzoomed.com

Brian Blessed, but also Herzog

The giant parrot Heracles stood about 1 metre tall CREDIT: Professor Paul Scofield, Canterbury Museum

What if parrots were GIANT?

What if they came up to your waist and weighed twice as much as the largest living parrot (the kākāpō).

Well, nature has an answer for you! Let's meet the extinct parrot with the fabulous name: 'Heracles inexpectatus'

(🧑‍🎨: Paul Scofield, Canterbury Museum)