ich😮‍💨iel
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From Ashwini B

Brown Fish Owl

Eyes like fire, wings like shadow. The silent ruler of the night...

Ranthambore.... India

Last night was the first night in more than a month that my best friend and I hung out. It was for her 40th birthday. For background, everyone but me in our friend group is Vietnamese. So when people started showing up, they spoke Vietnamese only. This is fine, I get it. They’d rather speak their mother tongue around me. Even if that means I don’t understand a word anyone is saying. I’ve brought this up to her, only for her to turn it around me as if somehow it is my fault for not joining a conversation that I have no frame of reference to. Whatever, it is what it is.

I’ve supported her through her divorce. I’ve been the only one to listen when she cried, to offer her an ear time and time again when she told me about how bad it was for her. To offer her support of what to do in the steps she needed to take to file and etcetera.

But tonight was too much.

They all showed up, and as usual talked only Vietnamese, which again I don’t understand. But the moment her motherfucking new boyfriend, an American guy, showed up, they all switched to English. It was like magic! Wow, suddenly everybody can talk English—it was amazing! So somehow when I am with the group, I need to be understanding because one or two people don’t speak English well. But when that motherfucker showed up, they all made the fucking effort to try, for him. He didn’t even try to know me past “what’s up?” Clearly she has not told him how close her and I were (or was, now). I feel betrayed. I feel hurt. And above all I feel like a fool for listening to her bullshit excuses why they talk the way they do, when some motherfucker she has known for two months shows up and it’s suddenly English. Fuck that. I’m tired of being bored, and I see the fucking hypocrisy now. I hope this is worth it for her.

I’m happy that she found someone who makes her happy. I am devastated that it comes at the cost of our friendship. He can eat shit and walk into traffic for all I care. I love her like the big sis she has been to me, but last night, I reached my motherfucking limit on bullshit I can deal with.

I’ve texted her as much, we’ll see what she has to say. Seriously, I feel so unimportant to a friend group that was somehow so happy to see me? If I was important at all, they would speak at least a little English, so I could understand, so I could join in on the conversation. But they don’t. Fuck all of them. I’d rather be alone than sit there for hours being bored again. My only wish is that no one parked behind me, so I could pretend to have a reason to go home, rather than staying the night at her brothers house. I fucking hate this. I wish that I had my old best friend back, the one who made sure I understood what was going on. The one that sat near me and made sure I was having a good time too. She doesn’t even try anymore. People change, it’s life. I just need to accept this and move on.

Happy fucking birthday, Mandy.

Trump grew up in a world of vast privilege, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't emotionally wounded. Now, once again, the world pays the price for this deeply damaged man.

Trump grew up in a world of vast privilege, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't emotionally wounded. Now, once again, the world pays the price for this deeply damaged man.

Archived

Finnish authorities have accused senior officers of a Russia-linked vessel that damaged undersea cables last year between Finland and Estonia of criminal offenses related to the wreckage.

They say the oil tanker, the Eagle S, dragged its anchor to damage the Estlink-2 power cable and communication links between Finland and Estonia on Dec. 25. The Kremlin previously denied involvement in damaging the infrastructure, which provides power and communication for thousands of Europeans.

The Eagle S is flagged in the Cook Islands, but has been described by Finnish customs officials and the European Union’s executive commission as part of Russia’s shadow fleet of fuel tankers. Those are aging vessels with obscure ownership, acquired to evade Western sanctions amid the war in Ukraine and operating without Western-regulated insurance.

[...]

The Eagle S was carrying 35,000 tons of oil and investigators allege it left a drag trail with its anchor for almost 100 kilometers (62 miles) on the sea bed before it was stopped and escorted to the vicinity of a Finnish port.

The senior officers, whose names were not made public, were the master, the chief mate and the second mate, Finnish police said.

[...]

The investigators’ findings have been referred to Finnish prosecutors for possible charges.

[...]

The damage to the Estlink 2, which can provide about half of the electricity needs for Estonia in winter, did not disrupt service, although it did drive up energy prices in the Baltic nations.

The cable is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) long and is located at a depth of 90 meters (295 feet) at its deepest point, across one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe.

The undersea cables and pipelines that crisscross the sea link Nordic, Baltic and central European countries, promote trade, energy security and, in some cases, reduce dependence on Russian energy resources.

From Ross Merrigan

Beautiful Screech Owl chick at sunset.

I love the wavey and rippling patterns on the young Screeches.

Get ready to have your mind blown by “BlackRock’s Bitcoin Scheme: How Wall Street Giants Are Bilking Poor People Out of Money.” This video dives deep into the shocking reality behind the Bitcoin hype and exposes how BlackRock and other Wall Street titans are quietly taking over the crypto world while everyday people are left holding the bag.

In “BlackRock’s Bitcoin Scheme: How Wall Street Giants Are Bilking Poor People Out of Money,” you’ll learn how just 1% of entities control nearly 90% of all Bitcoin, and how BlackRock alone has amassed over 530,000 BTC—making them the second-largest holder on the planet. The video breaks down how institutional giants use thousands of wallets to hide their concentration of wealth, while the media and crypto influencers keep pushing the myth of “decentralization.”

We’ll also reveal how new deregulation moves—like Trump’s rollback of IRS crypto broker rules and the SEC’s so-called “innovation-friendly” policies—are making it even easier for Wall Street to dominate, while retail investors get crushed by scams and volatility. “BlackRock’s Bitcoin Scheme: How Wall Street Giants Are Bilking Poor People Out of Money” is your wake-up call: Bitcoin isn’t the revolution you were promised. It’s become another playground for the rich, and the real winners are the same financial giants you thought you were escaping.

Kolumne Starke Gefühle von Luisa Faust

Spahns Maskendeal kostet den Staat Milliarden. Trotzdem ist er Fraktionschef. Kein Einzelfall: Wer in der Union Mist baut, macht Karriere

Feedback period ends 18 June 2025 (midnight Brussels time).

Certain metadata processed by service providers are needed to effectively fight crime. Since no EU-wide legal framework exists requiring providers to retain metadata for a reasonable and limited period of time for criminal proceedings, data may no longer exist by the time authorities request them. The divergences between EU Member States’ laws governing the retention of data can hamper criminal proceedings and affect service providers operating across the EU. This initiative is to assess the impact of data retention rules at EU level.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.blahaj.zone/post/86457

From Mugunthan Mug

Some animals have this look where it feels like they are looking straight into you. In my case, there is nothing there so it is probably looking through me.

A great grey owl, the largest owl by length.

Somewhere in Washington.