iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Did some further digging. Apparently the main route is via hacked routers and smart devices in ordinary homes, as well as web sites in the US bought by GRU & FSB using crypto. emeraldbook.org/news/oct-122... Change your router Admin password. www.speedtesthq.com/guides/route...

Screenshot from part of the first link "Coordinated inauthentic behavior operates through residential proxy networks—millions of IP addresses assigned to real households, often harvested via malware, compromised smart-home devices, or free VPN apps. When a bot in St. Petersburg posts on X, its traffic routes through a router in Ohio or London. To the platform, it looks like a standard home user.

The physical operations are equally distributed. Russia's infamous Internet Research Agency ran out of ordinary office buildings in St. Petersburg, with paid workers manually managing dozens of profiles per shift. Law enforcement raids in Ukraine have uncovered regional "bot farms" hidden in rented apartments, packed with SIM boxes—hardware units holding thousands of cellular SIM cards used to bypass phone verification.

The software layer runs on cheap Western virtual private servers from providers like DigitalOcean or AWS, purchased with cryptocurrency and registered under fictitious business names."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Seeing this in my local charity shop always makes me smile.

Picture of a poster of Luke Skywalker on the wall of a shop, next to shelffuls of DVDs

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

It's been their long term plan. From a 1996 Chinese army newspaper, reporting on a speech on Military Strategy in the Information Age:

Scan of part of a book:
"... is far less vulnerable to information warfare than the US. This is no idle speculation. "After the Gulf War, when everyone was looking forward to eternal peace, a new military revolution emerged. This revolution is essentially a transformation from the mechanised warfare of the industrial age, to the information warfare of the information age. Information warfare is a war of decisions and control, a war of knowledge, and a war of intellect." <highlighted> "The aim of information warfare will be gradually changed from 'preserving oneself and wiping out the enemy' to 'preserving oneself and controlling the opponent'" <end highlight> "Information warfare includes electronic warfare, tactical deception, strategic deterrence, propaganda warfare, psychological warfare, network warfare and structural sabotage. Under today's technological conditions, the all conquering stratagems of Sun Tzu more than two millennia ago 'vanquishing the enemy without fighting' and subduing the enemy by 'soft-strike' could finally be truly realised."
This is a summary of the speeches delivered at the founding ceremony for Beijing's new Military Strategies Research Centre in May 1996, published in Jiefangjun Bao, the Chinese Army newspaper."

Page 120 Living on Thin Air by Charles Leadbetter, 1999

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

The blue bomber jacket is modern, and a gentleman of the 1800s wouldn't be wearing jeans. A cowboy might.

Zoomed in image of the pile of clothes on the chair, showing modern clothing, not of the period.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

One way ticket, we hope.

Boarding pass, London to New York in his name.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The actual, mundane truth is buried under the sensationalism. Even in the Grauniad. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

"Taylor said of the vans: “Those vehicles have been subject to extensive examination, with the support of military assets and forensic experts, and we can confirm that no improvised explosive devices were found. However, a quantity of petrol was recovered.”"

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Just hope your neighbour doesn't smoke...

Image of a round pool on fire (actually from a fire suppression test at an oil refinery pool).

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Earth is curved. When a jet leaves contrails (water vapour from converting fuel into carbon dioxide and water) that high up, and it's going away from you, it looks like it is going down. Roughly:

Left Rough diagram showing their position on a curved Earth, with a plain moving towards the horizon. Right, similarly rough diagram showing how the perspective gets lower in the sky as the plane moves further away.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

How can we change the system? Even if it is one small step at a time? (Comment on a video about why rich countries stopped having children, but that's incidental to the comment which is about how lonely is normalised by the system today)

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Oh, and (courtesy of www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/9833... )

Maritime flags spelling out the words F*** Trump, without the asterisks.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Laila Cunningham - their London Mayoral candidate - claims that Reform did not sponsor the poll and it wasn't published... (15 mins in): www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

"The investigators subsequently supplied details of a US company, which received an invoice from polling company JL Partners and paid it. Results later appeared prominently in the Daily Telegraph and then The Times without readers being told that Reform had commissioned the research."
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/09/04/reform-uk-sting-broadcast-by-channel-4-confirms-years-of-byline-times-warnings/

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

At the moment the "source" appears to be a tweet from "a friend" that 3 members have had their accounts "frozen". This has been repeated on GB News and a couple of right-wing newspapers.

x.com

https://x.com › James_Thorburn › status › 2096654111768731717

James Thorburn 󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 on X: "Two of Nigel Farage's family ...
1 day ago Two of Nigel Farage's family members have had their bank accounts frozen because of their association with the Reform UK leader, a friend has claimed. The Reform leader is said to be "seething" about the impact his political career is having on his family.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Health & safety issue. It's why the private company wants to charge £132 a flag - the court case will make RtF & the other defendants liable for the cost too. www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"He would rather not know" kind of indicates he knows it's going on, but doesn't want to know the details? Keeping the dirty dealings at an arm's length so no mud sticks to him? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Captioned screenshot from video, 0.52 seconds in, where the aide says (after "It's the kind of thing he doesn't want...") "he would rather not know"

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

You have to wonder. Is this a double-bluff? Did Garage know that this was bound to come out, and set this up, allowing two patsies to fall on their proverbial sword for him? Just asking questions... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

How many library books would that buy? The internet is a good first-resource for education, but to really improve requires reading actual books that aren't (yet) on the internet. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/... Image Source: Forbes

$ Billionaire Updates

Zuckerberg has a net worth of $198.7B, <<highlighted>> which increased by $2.1B in the last day.<<end highlight>>
<image of Mark Zuckerberg>

Ambani has a net worth of $89.9B, which increased by $1.6B in the last day.
<image of Mukesh Ambani> as of 2 Sept 26

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Not on the UK version. www.google.com/maps/@43.789... Seems like it's only to satisfy American egos. www.msn.com/en-us/news/n...

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

This is what Israel is forcing on the children in Gaza: apnews.com/photo-essay/... Is this right? Is this fair? Is this humane?

Image of a child in Gaza, so emaciated his ribcage and shoulder bones are showing through his skin. He is facing a dirty, cracked wall, unsmiling.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"Pro-Billionaire Propaganda Is Getting Weird" www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SD2...

Rules of the Billionaire Defence League (in gold, on a cream vellum background)
1. Billionaires deserve their wealth
2. Billionaires are a natural part of life
3. We need MORE billionaires
4. Hate those below you, not above you

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The funding goes the other way. www.cfr.org/articles/us-...

Graph of cumulative US aid since 1946 showing Israel has received twice as much aid (Economic + Military) as the next country (Egypt). Around $350bn, at least $16.3 billion since 2023 in military aid.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

A good question was raised by a Jewish caller to the James O'Brien show. If it is JUST the Israeli Zionist Government of Netanyahu who is intent on destroying Gaza, why do the citizens of Israel keep voting for his government? www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBa_... www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvDv...

Clip from video of an X post from @itamarbengvir "For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All Lebanon must burn!"

The rest of the clip goes on to confirm his genocidal views.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

We've known about the risk for years. It's now costing the UK £1bn a year to deal with the damage. Is it time to put a £5 deposit on anything with a lithium battery (and forcing retailers to dispose of them rather than relying on recycling centres)? www.theguardian.com/environment/...

4 article headlines on the risks:

"Fire and ‘sheer volume’: how Britain’s 6m-vape problem is putting recycling under strain"
17 May 2026

"UK public warned after huge rise in fires caused by binned batteries"
10 May 2024

"Disposable vapes cause fires and cost taxpayer, English and Welsh councils say"
18 Jun 2023

"Single-use vapes sparking surge in fires at UK waste plants"
13 May 2023

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

The US is losing it's export markets. Ironically, doing the opposite of what the Financial Markets want. Boycotts of American products by European consumers are becoming a meme. www.reddit.com/r/BuyFromEU/...

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

When is a glacier a tsunami? New Scientist (May 26) reports it was lucky it happened at 5:26 in the morning as the Alaskan Fjord is popular with cruise liners. There was also an article about the (in-)effectiveness of cloud seeding for drought that now impacts 1/2 the Earth. www.newscientist.com

Image of the Tracy Arm glacier nr Juneau, Alaska showing ice retreat and site of landslip.
Summary of article below:
"A massive landslide in August 25 triggered the second biggest tsunami ever recorded… sped down the fjord at…70m/s…
…stunning landscapes…attracting over 1m cruise ship passengers a year.
Dan Shugar at the University of Calgary "This was really terrifyingly big wave…if a ship were in the upper part of the fjord, I can't see how it would survive"
Shugar & his colleagues reconstructed the event using satellite images, seismic data, eyewitness accounts & computer models. They found it was almost certainly caused by a retreating glacier destabilising terrain around Tracy Arm fjord, leading to a massive landslide (Science, doi.org/q5p5).
Throughout the 20th Century & continuing into recent decades, the South Sawyer glacier, which feeds into the fjord, has retreated by more than 10 Km.
In spite of the massive retreat, there was no obvious indication that a huge section of the mountain was about to give way, dropping 64m cubic metres of rock into the fjord.
Only in hindsight did researchers identify small tremors in the days leading up to the landslide.
"Tsunamis are generally not primarily linked to climate factors, so this is another clear example of how climate change can indirectly trigger even those natural hazards we wouldn't traditionally associate with it" says Martin Koehler at the University of Queensland, Australia.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

"If a small thrombus lands in the artery supplying a critical structure like the brain stem, it can cause sudden death and they are very hard to find on post mortem." The mother had anti-phospholipid syndrome which can lead to thromboembolism. lucyletbyinnocence.com/babies-ab.html

PANEL OPINION
In Dec 2024, Zhou and Lee (Am J Perinatol 2024 Dec 27. doi: 10.1055/a-2508-2733) published new research showing that patchy skin discoloration has never been reported in infants with venous air embolism, including IV air injection...

Mother had anti-phospholipid syndrome, which is a condition in which the immune system mistakenly creates antibodies that attack tissues in the body. These antibodies can trigger blood clots to form in arteries and veins. During pregnancy, antibodies can pass through the placenta to the neonate and lead to thromboembolism, particularly if there is concurrent infection. Post mortem of Baby 1 showed a recent non-occluding thrombus in the liver, which means there was a recent thrombotic event. On the day of collapse, Baby 1 had 2 central catheters that were left without infusion for up to 4 hours, which predispose to thrombosis when there is no infusion. Shortly after infusion was started in the most central line, Baby 1 collapsed. A thrombus from the catheter tip likely migrated to an artery supplying the brain stem, causing sudden collapse and inability to resuscitate the infant. It is also possible that Baby 1 had placental fetal vascular malperfusion, in which the fetal villi in the placenta present small thrombi that can travel to and occlude small blood vessels in major organs like the heart, brain and liver. If a small thrombus lands in the artery supplying a critical structure like the brain stem, it can cause sudden death and they are very hard to find on post mortem. Collapse associated with fetal vascular malperfusion can occur 1-2 days after birth.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Agreed. However Speed Cameras are a proven, statistically significant, factor in reducing speeding. Meta study: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"This study aimed to systematically synthesise the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of Speed Cameras (SC) in reducing vehicle speeds and to clarify how these effects have been evaluated across diverse contexts. Through a structured and transparent review process informed by PRISMA principles, 94 empirical studies were identified, screened, and analysed. The findings consistently demonstrate that SC are associated with meaningful reductions in mean speed and the proportion of vehicles exceeding posted limits. The quantitative synthesis confirmed a statistically significant pooled speed reduction, reinforcing the robustness of this intervention despite considerable methodological heterogeneity."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I hadn't heard of this show, but what's happened with reviews seems wrong, whatever it is. So I looked it up & it looks fun. It's now bookmarked on my "listen" list for tomorrow. www.audible.co.uk/podcast/Its-...

Summary from Brave Leo:
"It's a Superpower?? is an audio sitcom created by The Daily Tism, described as the first sitcom made by a team of autistic creatives for an autistic audience. The series follows five autistic characters—Norah, Pix, Wilder, Sophie, and Bums—who meet at an autism support group and accidentally acquire out-of-control magical powers. They are tasked with saving the world from a neurotypical supervillain. The show is available on Audible and is best enjoyed with headphones."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

No, Dan, the primary reason for attacking Wildberries is NOT "an effort to hurt the Russian economy". It is because a significant amount of it's sales are to support Russia's war effort. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a... factually.co/fact-checks/... www.kyivpost.com/analysis/80850

Quote from Guardian article "Over the past month, Kyiv has shifted focus to attacking facilities linked to the Wildberries company, used widely by businesses to support online retail. Ukrainian attacks have struck about 20 warehouses and buildings in an effort to hurt the Russian economy and affect ordinary citizens financially."

Quote from kviv post article "headlined "Not quite a civilian marketplace"

"Russian business leaders and government officials portray Wildberries as an exclusively civilian retailer.

However, this is not the case. The marketplace offers a large number of dual-use goods, including drones.

For example, a search for the word “drone” returns a large selection of DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 4 drones, which are widely used on the battlefield.

Screenshot from the Wildberries page depicting a drone for sale (Screenshot made by KyivPost from Wildberries' online listings)

More than that, the platform openly sells quadcopters explicitly labeled as first-person view (FPV). They have become the primary strike weapon for both sides in the war."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

It's going to be a bad season for UK crops wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/opinion/news... Particularly those in Southern England where we've had 59 days without rain (longer than the '76 drought at 42 days).

"Those with irrigation have now, pretty much, run out of water and are keeping what is left for the high value crops. Half the carrots have failed and potato yields will be down 25%. In the south-west, much of our summer broccoli, Tenderstem, cauliflower, and Romanesco has traditionally been grown on unirrigated ground. Many will now fail, with the remaining crops having drastically reduced yield and compromised quality. As our reservoirs run dry and our crops die, data centres will have plenty of water and energy and leapfrog the planning process. It seems they are needed for the only sort of growth that matters. You can’t eat it and it’s killing our planet but who dares impede a tech bro?"

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

45% win, 20% mixed, 35% loss isn't "tend". goodlawproject.org/just-how-suc... Especially since they take on controversial cases, with a lot of government opposition.

Our assessment of legal outcomes (where we think we can say) is that 45% are wins, 20% are mixed, and 35% are losses. And our assessment of campaigning outcomes is that 45% are wins and 20% have delivered some real campaigning advantages. Of 47 cases where we think we can give a legal or campaigning outcome, 68% (32) are successes and only 9% (4) are losses.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Perhaps this is an analogy more will understand:

"So after being told I was offside, I decided to rather put it to my other teammates. Only 3 of the 11 replied, but 2 of those said no. Therefore I've decided that I wasn't offside, and the VAR review can now end".

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Showing the workings: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Cl...

Turnout %turnout Electorate Binface Vote Binface %age of electorate
35,111 44.37% 79,132 9,455 11.95%

44.37 x e = 35,111
100

e = 35,111 x 100
44.37

e = 79,132

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

As I understand it, he had to be granted a title / role to get around the rules to allow him to stand down in the first place. Unless that title/role has been rescinded/resigned, before the bye-election, does that mean he's still disqualified as an MP? www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics...

Post from No_Imagination5705 1mo ago
"To explain: MPs cannot simply resign from the House of Commons.

Instead, by a centuries-old constitutional convention, they must be appointed to a nominal “office of profit under the Crown”, which automatically disqualifies them as an MP. The Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead is one of two ceremonial offices used for this purpose.

Although the appointment is formally made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it is a routine constitutional function. In Farage’s case, the appointment simply means his resignation has taken legal effect, triggering a by-election in Clacton, which he has said he intends to contest."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

So, despite his win, Garage is still in hiding, and still will have to face the Standards investigation for not declaring the £5,000,000 "gift". Congratulations to Count Binface for capturing 26% of the vote. You made a better loser than he did a winner. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

"Despite winning, Farage did not appear at the count for a victory lap, and claimed that Essex police had advised him that a plot was under way to embarrass him when the result was declared. The Guardian understands that the force did not advise Farage not to attend. "

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The answer, it seems, is "it depends". shuncy.com/article/does... If your neighbourhood is conservative (with a small c) then I would opt for an olde-worlde "cottage garden" look, interplanting structured and native plants. Some HOAs specify a list of Native Plants you can use freely.

Image of an old-world thatched cottage with foxgloves and other flowers next to a wildlife pond and patch of mixed grass and flowers. Credit: https://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_235239/Arthur-Claude-Strachan/A-Cottage-by-a-Duck-Pond

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Clacton has a higher percentage of retirees and older people than the rest of England: www.baseview.uk/constituency...

Clacton Population ⁞ The most recent data for constituencies in England and Wales comes from mid-year estimates for 2022. This tells us what the population was estimated to be on 30 June 2022.

Clacton Population by age group, June 2022
Age Band Constituency (Number) Constituency (%) Region (Number) Region (%) England & Wales (Number) England & Wales (%)
0 to 17 16,922 16.91% 1,348,369 21.07% 12,506,535 20.76%
18 to 24 5,935 5.93% 465,497 7.28% 5,008,522 8.31%
25 to 34 9,563 9.56% 810,089 12.66% 8,098,257 13.44%
35 to 49 13,821 13.81% 1,242,589 19.42% 11,575,752 19.22%
50 to 64 21,842 21.83% 1,261,140 19.71% 11,745,365 19.50%
65 and over 31,962 31.95% 1,270,813 19.86% 11,303,607 18.76%

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

My wildflower & herb patches are still a lovely shade of green. I've only had to water the pots & items planted this year that are yet to develop long roots. Wild chicory doing well & bees love it. The soil where I've taken up the covering but not yet seeded is as hard as a brick. The park...

Image of a tall Chicory plant with blue flowers next to a wooden fence with bamboo canes supporting it.

Photo of a park with dried brown grass except near a sapling with few leaves left, where there is some green in the small shade of it's base.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

In the UK it requires consent. Otherwise it's a criminal offence. www.recordinglaw.com/world-laws/w...

From 6 February 2026, it is a criminal offence to intentionally:

Create, or request the creation of, a "purported intimate image" of an identifiable adult without their consent or a reasonable belief in consent.
A purported intimate image is any image that appears to show the person nude, partially nude, or engaged in a sexual act, whether the image is real, digitally altered, or entirely AI-generated.
Importantly, the offence does not require intent to share the image. Creating a deepfake for private use is already criminalised. If the deepfake is subsequently shared, the perpetrator may also face the separate section 66B sharing offence under the OSA 2023.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

As a real photographer pointed out on Insta www.instagram.com/p/DXEpi3Ok8tt/

No — that's not a real single-capture photo from the Netherlands, it's a digital composite (basically Photoshop/AI art) that's been floating around as a meme.
Here's why:
1. The scale is physically impossible
• The sun's angular size in our sky is about 0.5 degrees — roughly the size of your pinky nail at arm's length. Even with a super-telephoto lens you can make it look bigger behind a distant tree, but it won't fill the entire crown like a giant orange beach ball.
• In your image the "sun" is perfectly centered, uniformly orange, and about the same diameter as the tree itself. If the sun were actually that big in the frame, the exposure would be blown out and you'd be... well, cooked. Commenters on the original iFunny repost put it bluntly: "If the sun were that close we'd be cooked",

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

U.K. "deliberately chose not to probe Russian interference in Brexit " www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha... www.cbc.ca/news/world/u...

Quote from article "A report by Britain's intelligence and security committee found no evidence of Russian interference during Brexit — but the former chair of that committee says that's no surprise because the government "actively avoided" looking for it."

The report from the parliament's intelligence and security committee said it would be "difficult — if not impossible — to prove" allegations that Russia sought to influence the referendum, but it was clear that the government "was slow to recognize the existence of the threat."

"There has been no assessment of Russian interference in the EU referendum, and this goes back to nobody wanting to touch the issue with a 10-foot pole," Hosie said, demanding that such a study be done and the public informed.

Committee members concluded that the goal of a resurgent Russia in influencing the vote would be to amplify existing divisions and thus possibly destabilize Western political systems.

In a 20-page response, officials denied the government had "badly underestimated" the Russian threat and rejected the call for an assessment of alleged Russian meddling during the Brexit referendum.

"We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU referendum," the statement said.

The report says Russia sees Britain as one of its top intelligence targets in the West. It said Russian influence in the U.K. is the "new normal," and successive governments have welcomed Russian oligarchs with open arms.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The US is WAY past monopolies and millionaires hoarding wealth being a problem. As it was before the first and second world wars.

Quote from video "If we will not endure a king as a political power, we should not endure a king over the production, transportation, and sale of any of the necessities of life. If we would not submit to an emperor, we should not submit to an autocrat of trade, with power to prevent competition and to fix the price of any commodity."

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Safer than watching it direct www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cw...

Image from BBC South live feed of the solar eclipse from Hengistbury Head of the moon moving from bottom left to top right, showing just a sliver of the sun.

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Teq @teq2.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

They believe in the lie of "survival of the fittest". Misinformation, as Darwin said it was about some plants and animals survive with a variation that better suits their environment. Our society learnt how to use vaccines, and for 3 centuries used them to survive. todayinsci.com/D/Darwin_Cha...

Clip from link:
'By the third edition (1861), to answer issues that had arisen since the original publication, Darwin extended the paragraph with the following:

“Several writers have misapprehended or objected to the term Natural Selection. Some have even imagined that natural selection induces variability, whereas it implies only the preservation of such variations as occur and are beneficial to the being under its conditions of life. No one objects to agriculturists speaking of the potent effects of man's selection; and in this case the individual differences given by nature, which man for some object selects, must of necessity first occur. Others have objected that the term selection implies conscious choice in the animals which become modified; and it has even been urged that as plants have no volition, natural selection is not applicable to them! In the literal sense of the word, no doubt, natural selection is a misnomer; but who ever objected to chemists speaking of the elective affinities of the various elements? — and yet an acid cannot strictly be said to elect the base with which it will in preference combine. It has been said that I speak of natural selection as an active power or Deity; but who objects to an author speaking of the attraction of gravity as ruling the movements of the planets? Every one knows what is meant and is implied by such metaphorical expressions; and they are almost necessary for brevity. So again it is difficult to avoid personifying the word Nature; but I mean by Nature, only the aggregate action and product of many natural laws, and by laws the sequence of events as ascertained by us. With a little familiarity such superficial objections will be forgotten.”'

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