David Westwood

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366 Following
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European. Woke. Moving further to the left as I get older. Moved here from Mastodon social. Lifelong interest in natural history, these days mainly entomology, mainly, but with a wide range of interests. Semi retired.
#Entomology #Moths #butterflies #insects #bugs #spiders #arachnology #nature #beetles #nature #wildlife

IF I USED THE PHRASE: "The most monumentally STUPID president in American history", your response wouldn't be: "Who?"

That is where we are right now. 🙄

Trump doesn’t know WTF he’s talking about with regard to NATO. His own people should tell him the only time Article 5 was utilized was after the U.S. was attacked on 9-11-01.

He insults our allies & praises Putin.

He stopped sanctions on Putin’s gas at the same time Putin is giving Iran intelligence on US troop movements and locations.

This👆🏻used to be called TREASON!
Trump’s actions are aiding & abetting the enemy. Now it’s called Monday in Trump🌎🤬

#NoBootsOnTheGround
#VetsAgainstTrump

"Why Trump & Netanyahu are the most dangerous men on the planet".

"As Iran stands firm, there is no clear exit strategy from a war driven by one man's ego & another's messianic vision".

"But in the meantime, this war can go a lot further in wrecking nations, destroying oil fields, burning Gulf wealth & killing thousands of innocent civilians."

David Hearst

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/why-trump-and-netanyahu-are-most-dangerous-men-planet

#USPol #EUPol #IranWar #Israel #USImperialism #Psychopathy .

Why Trump and Netanyahu are the most dangerous men on the planet

As Iran stands firm, there is no clear exit strategy from a war driven by one man's ego and another's messianic vision

Middle East Eye

“Britain’s failure to meet its legal obligations has contributed to the mass killing of Palestinian civilians and the wholesale destruction of civilian objects, the desecration of international law and the further erosion of Britain’s status as a nation committed to the rule of law in the international arena.” - from the article

Another shameful moment for the UK

#gaza
#gazagenocide
#Gazainquiry

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/15/uk-complicit-desecration-international-law-gaza-says-corbyn-led-tribunal

UK complicit in desecration of international law in Gaza, says Corbyn-led tribunal

Unofficial body co-chaired by ex-Labour leader says Britain failed to meet its duty to seek to prevent a genocide

The Guardian

The outstanding beach at Calgary Bay, near the north-western tip of the Isle of Mull. In 1876 its name was given to a fort that would become the city of Calgary in the western Canadian province of Alberta. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/mull/calgary/index.html

#Scotland #Calgary #CalgaryBay #IsleOfMull #Mull

Bright pink insect stands out to blend in https://phys.org/news/2026-03-bright-pink-insect-blend-scientists.html

Pink Cricket Club: Dramatic color change in a Neotropical leaf-masquerading katydid https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70333

"A tropical #insect has been found to change color from vivid hot pink to green within a fortnight, which may mimic the young leaves of #rainforest #plants... delayed greening, a phenomenon in which newly emerged leaves flush vivid shades of pink or red before maturing to green"

Yesterday, I observed an insect I had never encountered before. I captured an image of it and uploaded it to iNaturalist. It is called Zelus renardii. Interestingly, this turned out to be one of the earliest documented sightings of this species in Germany, and quite possibly the first observation of it in its nymphal form in Germany.
This particular insect is native to North America and has already established itself in the Mediterranean region of Europe. It appears to be gradually moving northward as the climate becomes warmer. Whether it will be invasive / problematic remains to be seen.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186668115

#insects #heteroptera #biology #neobiota #iNaturalist #nature

Leafhopper Assassin Bug (Zelus renardii)

Leafhopper Assassin Bug in October 2023 by lauribanane

iNaturalist

Long before the advent of #AI, having to deal with awkward and unreasonable parents was one of the reasons my sister gave up teaching.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/mar/13/teachers-mental-heath-parents-behaviour-education

Short tempers and legal threats: UK teachers report rise in problem parents

Rudeness, social media posts and AI-generated complaints among issues harming staff wellbeing, union survey finds

The Guardian
@tor @ChrisMayLA6
It used to said that it was better that 100 guilty people walk free than that one innocent be jailed.
Of course that principle was lost many years ago but the way the courts would operate without juries might very well reverse it completely.