John Birch
@fandw.bsky.social
Faith | folkie 🎵 | writer | birder | rambler | gardener | photographer | justice | peace www.faithandworship.com
Torture is the only way to describe this - but then so was water-boarding of detainees some years back, and nothing was changed or acted upon then….
This is so messed up… Amnesty International reports that detainees at Alligator Alcatraz (and at another facility, Krome North Service Processing Center) describe being placed in a “punishment box,” a cage-like structure in the yard so cramped that people could not sit, lie down, or
December 5, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Torture is the only way to describe this - but then so was water-boarding of detainees some years back, and nothing was changed or acted upon then….
Yea! Let’s hear it for garden ponds! Always nice to do a bit of pond dipping in ours with the grandkids, finding newts and all manner of life within the water!
Garden ponds provide vital habitats – and a revival is under way in Britain
Even tiny ponds can create biodiversity hotspots, as well as helping out during heatwaves and heavy rain
buff.ly
December 5, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Yea! Let’s hear it for garden ponds! Always nice to do a bit of pond dipping in ours with the grandkids, finding newts and all manner of life within the water!
A visit to the oxymoron library… feel free to add your own subject areas…
December 5, 2025 at 11:47 AM
A visit to the oxymoron library… feel free to add your own subject areas…
Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot.
Long article but if you’re into growing food then it’s worth a read
Long article but if you’re into growing food then it’s worth a read
Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot
I knew that a revolution in our understanding of soil could change the world. Then came a eureka moment – and the birth of the Earth Rover Program, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot.
Long article but if you’re into growing food then it’s worth a read
Long article but if you’re into growing food then it’s worth a read
Reposted by John Birch
"We need to do more than talk. We are an immigrant church. We are a nation of immigrants. We need to engage people in conversation. We need to step into the middle." #LiveTheGospel #WelcomeTheStranger #PrayForAmerica www.ncronline.org/news/after-9...
After 900-mile trek, Chicago priest urges action and empathy on deportations
"We need to do more than talk," Fr. Gary Graf said. "We need to engage people in conversation. We need to step into the middle. We need to mediate in a sense."
www.ncronline.org
December 5, 2025 at 2:41 AM
"We need to do more than talk. We are an immigrant church. We are a nation of immigrants. We need to engage people in conversation. We need to step into the middle." #LiveTheGospel #WelcomeTheStranger #PrayForAmerica www.ncronline.org/news/after-9...
December 4, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by John Birch
Reform is reporting £331 million in savings across the councils it runs, but Private Eye’s Rotten Boroughs writer Saba Salman says the claims are complete guff.
Watch the full episode of Page 94, the Private Eye podcast, on YouTube.
Watch the full episode of Page 94, the Private Eye podcast, on YouTube.
December 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reform is reporting £331 million in savings across the councils it runs, but Private Eye’s Rotten Boroughs writer Saba Salman says the claims are complete guff.
Watch the full episode of Page 94, the Private Eye podcast, on YouTube.
Watch the full episode of Page 94, the Private Eye podcast, on YouTube.
December 3, 2025 at 10:03 AM
December 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement.
He wrote about it his book!
He wrote about it his book!
Pete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagement
Defense secretary shares anecdote in The War on Warriors and rails against ‘rules and regulations’ governing war
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq to ignore legal advice about when they were permitted to kill enemy combatants under their rules of engagement.
He wrote about it his book!
He wrote about it his book!
Reposted by John Birch
Leadenhall Market, London, one of the city’s oldest covered markets, dating back to the 14th century.
December 2, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Leadenhall Market, London, one of the city’s oldest covered markets, dating back to the 14th century.
Don’t know the source of this but love it!
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Don’t know the source of this but love it!
“[Let’s] stuff the drugs right up the noses of the gringos,” the double-dealing politician once allegedly bragged as he lined his pockets with millions of dollars in bribes and turned his country into what many called a narco-state.
Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s ex-president shows counter-drug effort is ‘based on lies and hypocrisy’
Why has Trump blown up alleged narco boats in the Caribbean and at the same time decided to let a big time trafficker off the hook?
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM
“[Let’s] stuff the drugs right up the noses of the gringos,” the double-dealing politician once allegedly bragged as he lined his pockets with millions of dollars in bribes and turned his country into what many called a narco-state.
A mystery virus and kids falling sick: How the UK war-gamed a new pandemic - seems like a good plan bearing in mind the mistakes made with Covid!
A mystery virus and kids falling sick: How the UK war-gamed a new pandemic — The i Paper
Ministers, civil servants and scientists have been war-gaming the Government response to another pandemic
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
A mystery virus and kids falling sick: How the UK war-gamed a new pandemic - seems like a good plan bearing in mind the mistakes made with Covid!
Is it true that … a glass of wine a day is good for your heart? “Wine isn’t medicine,” says Guttmann. “I don’t want people thinking they can eat badly and balance it out with a glass of wine.” 🍷
Is it true that … a glass of wine a day is good for your heart?
Moderate wine consumption may benefit your cardiac health, but foods such as grapes and berries offer similar advantages without the negative effects
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Is it true that … a glass of wine a day is good for your heart? “Wine isn’t medicine,” says Guttmann. “I don’t want people thinking they can eat badly and balance it out with a glass of wine.” 🍷
Good for them, hard tho it is
ICC president vows to resist US and Russian pressure despite sanctions and threats
ICC president vows to resist US and Russian pressure despite sanctions and threats
ICC president vows to resist US and Russian pressure despite sanctions and threats
www.independent.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Good for them, hard tho it is
Pouring down in Wales as I post this, but pic taken yesterday as the sun went down!
#photo #landscape
#photo #landscape
December 1, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Pouring down in Wales as I post this, but pic taken yesterday as the sun went down!
#photo #landscape
#photo #landscape
Reposted by John Birch
“Ah, just one more thing, sir. You’re blowing up those boats, saying they’re filled with drugs headed for the US. But then you go and pardon the guy who brought in 400 tons of cocaine. That’s billions of doses. Help me understand that.”
November 30, 2025 at 3:25 AM
“Ah, just one more thing, sir. You’re blowing up those boats, saying they’re filled with drugs headed for the US. But then you go and pardon the guy who brought in 400 tons of cocaine. That’s billions of doses. Help me understand that.”