Dave Tait
@davetait.bsky.social
Living in Ottawa, happy and content
The scientists talk here about fire expanding useful food types, improving protein intake that enlarged brain size, and spurring more social co-operation...
...but I also think of 400,000 years of countless generations dreaming as they stare into pulsing ruby coals and watch dancing flames... /1
...but I also think of 400,000 years of countless generations dreaming as they stare into pulsing ruby coals and watch dancing flames... /1
This is fascinating stuff.
And I will say again that we should have statues for those unknown inventors of ancient times, in stead of certain politicians and rulers who we have to tear down again after a few generations... ;)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
And I will say again that we should have statues for those unknown inventors of ancient times, in stead of certain politicians and rulers who we have to tear down again after a few generations... ;)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
The moment the earliest known man-made fire was uncovered - BBC News
Archaeologists in the UK have discovered the world's oldest evidence of humans lighting fires
www.bbc.co.uk
December 11, 2025 at 1:12 AM
The scientists talk here about fire expanding useful food types, improving protein intake that enlarged brain size, and spurring more social co-operation...
...but I also think of 400,000 years of countless generations dreaming as they stare into pulsing ruby coals and watch dancing flames... /1
...but I also think of 400,000 years of countless generations dreaming as they stare into pulsing ruby coals and watch dancing flames... /1
If someone pays the $1m to become a legal resident, can they then conduct business in the U.S. free of foreign investment restrictions?
And can they bring as much money as they want with them? If so, isn't that going to be a huge hit to the money laundering business? Kind of a huge self-own...?
And can they bring as much money as they want with them? If so, isn't that going to be a huge hit to the money laundering business? Kind of a huge self-own...?
Lutnick on the $1 million Trump Gold Card: "It's a gift to the United States of America to help America be great again under Donald Trump."
December 11, 2025 at 12:24 AM
If someone pays the $1m to become a legal resident, can they then conduct business in the U.S. free of foreign investment restrictions?
And can they bring as much money as they want with them? If so, isn't that going to be a huge hit to the money laundering business? Kind of a huge self-own...?
And can they bring as much money as they want with them? If so, isn't that going to be a huge hit to the money laundering business? Kind of a huge self-own...?
Reposted by Dave Tait
‘Poetry (at any rate in my case) is like trying to remember a tune you’ve forgotten. All corrections are attempts to get nearer to the forgotten tune.’
— Philip Larkin
writingforwellbeing.co.uk
#writing #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity
— Philip Larkin
writingforwellbeing.co.uk
#writing #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity
December 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
‘Poetry (at any rate in my case) is like trying to remember a tune you’ve forgotten. All corrections are attempts to get nearer to the forgotten tune.’
— Philip Larkin
writingforwellbeing.co.uk
#writing #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity
— Philip Larkin
writingforwellbeing.co.uk
#writing #WritingCommunity #WritersCommunity
John Roberts: "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them."
Well, John, now you do have Trump judges. Big thanks for that. Really.
Well, John, now you do have Trump judges. Big thanks for that. Really.
Emil Bove, thumbing his nose at America, is making a mockery of the rule of law www.lawdork.com/p/emil-bove-...
Emil Bove, thumbing his nose at America, is making a mockery of the rule of law
Attending Trump's rally on Tuesday, Judge Emil Bove let it be known that his DOJ actions were just the beginning. Bove must face accountability, and ultimately impeachment.
www.lawdork.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:22 PM
John Roberts: "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them."
Well, John, now you do have Trump judges. Big thanks for that. Really.
Well, John, now you do have Trump judges. Big thanks for that. Really.
Picked Auden's "For the Time Being" from a shelf by chance and read at random in it.
Found this in Prospero to Ariel, the first part of The Sea and The Mirror.
Found this in Prospero to Ariel, the first part of The Sea and The Mirror.
December 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Picked Auden's "For the Time Being" from a shelf by chance and read at random in it.
Found this in Prospero to Ariel, the first part of The Sea and The Mirror.
Found this in Prospero to Ariel, the first part of The Sea and The Mirror.
' [An MP from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party] called the idea of holding a wartime election “absurd,” and said it would work in Russia’s favour by turning Ukrainians against each other.
“It is absolutely impossible to hold elections in a war. This is Putin’s idea and he is using Trump…” '
“It is absolutely impossible to hold elections in a war. This is Putin’s idea and he is using Trump…” '
Zelensky’s “double dare.”
After Trump challenges Ukraine to hold elections, Zelensky says he’ll do it - if the U.S. provides security guarantees.
My report from Kyiv on why neither is likely to happen…
After Trump challenges Ukraine to hold elections, Zelensky says he’ll do it - if the U.S. provides security guarantees.
My report from Kyiv on why neither is likely to happen…
Zelensky ‘ready’ to hold wartime election if U.S. provides security guarantees
Ukrainian President has reversed his position on the issue, saying that a vote could be held within 60 to 90 days
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:21 PM
' [An MP from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party] called the idea of holding a wartime election “absurd,” and said it would work in Russia’s favour by turning Ukrainians against each other.
“It is absolutely impossible to hold elections in a war. This is Putin’s idea and he is using Trump…” '
“It is absolutely impossible to hold elections in a war. This is Putin’s idea and he is using Trump…” '
Reposted by Dave Tait
Now to Dnipropetrovsk region, where there's quite a bit of damage from numerous attacks.
The council has just revealed two police officers were hurt when their police car was damaged by a shell in Marhanets, near Nikopol in the south of the region.
#RussiaIsATerroristState
The council has just revealed two police officers were hurt when their police car was damaged by a shell in Marhanets, near Nikopol in the south of the region.
#RussiaIsATerroristState
December 10, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Now to Dnipropetrovsk region, where there's quite a bit of damage from numerous attacks.
The council has just revealed two police officers were hurt when their police car was damaged by a shell in Marhanets, near Nikopol in the south of the region.
#RussiaIsATerroristState
The council has just revealed two police officers were hurt when their police car was damaged by a shell in Marhanets, near Nikopol in the south of the region.
#RussiaIsATerroristState
What I love here is his look of sublime contentment as his child consumes his full attention...as he tunes out the teasing of his friend with the tankard at whom his wife is looking askance.
"Gotta say, Daan, where's that fun carousin' gozer I used to know?"
"Hmm? Sorry...say what...?"
"Gotta say, Daan, where's that fun carousin' gozer I used to know?"
"Hmm? Sorry...say what...?"
The Pater Familias, study for a print; the man carefully feeding the baby, watched by the woman. Adriaen van Ostade, c. 1648. A side of 17thC men you don't often see depicted.
Van Ostade was born #otd 10 Dec 1601. (British Museum)
Van Ostade was born #otd 10 Dec 1601. (British Museum)
December 10, 2025 at 6:25 PM
What I love here is his look of sublime contentment as his child consumes his full attention...as he tunes out the teasing of his friend with the tankard at whom his wife is looking askance.
"Gotta say, Daan, where's that fun carousin' gozer I used to know?"
"Hmm? Sorry...say what...?"
"Gotta say, Daan, where's that fun carousin' gozer I used to know?"
"Hmm? Sorry...say what...?"
'Pyrite’s extreme rarity in the local area…suggested it had been…brought [from tens of kilometres away] for use as a fire striker. “It’s incredible that some of the oldest groups of Neanderthals had the knowledge of the properties of flint, pyrite and tinder at such an early date,” said Ashton.'
Humans made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, discovery in Suffolk suggests
Groundbreaking find makes compelling case that humans were lighting fires much earlier than originally believed
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:48 PM
'Pyrite’s extreme rarity in the local area…suggested it had been…brought [from tens of kilometres away] for use as a fire striker. “It’s incredible that some of the oldest groups of Neanderthals had the knowledge of the properties of flint, pyrite and tinder at such an early date,” said Ashton.'
"These notebooks...are dense and inward-facing and not, one thinks, meant for public consumption...They are not quite for the casual reader.
"This casual reader was glad to make their acquaintance anyway, even if searching for the more lucid and interesting bits is like panning for gold." /1
"This casual reader was glad to make their acquaintance anyway, even if searching for the more lucid and interesting bits is like panning for gold." /1
A Peek Into the Mind of One of History’s Great Thinkers
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"These notebooks...are dense and inward-facing and not, one thinks, meant for public consumption...They are not quite for the casual reader.
"This casual reader was glad to make their acquaintance anyway, even if searching for the more lucid and interesting bits is like panning for gold." /1
"This casual reader was glad to make their acquaintance anyway, even if searching for the more lucid and interesting bits is like panning for gold." /1
'The book he’s most known for, Love You Forever, tells the story of a mother cradling her son as a baby, only to be cradled by him in return at the end of her life...
“The kids would be laughing and the grown-ups would be crying, and that made it special,” he said.'
“The kids would be laughing and the grown-ups would be crying, and that made it special,” he said.'
Beloved children's author Robert Munsch promising dozens of books to come after his death | CBC News
After a lifetime of writing beloved children’s books, Robert Munsch is now living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. In an exclusive interview that he calls his "last hurrah," the bestselling auth...
www.cbc.ca
December 10, 2025 at 3:31 PM
'The book he’s most known for, Love You Forever, tells the story of a mother cradling her son as a baby, only to be cradled by him in return at the end of her life...
“The kids would be laughing and the grown-ups would be crying, and that made it special,” he said.'
“The kids would be laughing and the grown-ups would be crying, and that made it special,” he said.'
...geometric logic...
December 10, 2025 at 5:28 AM
...geometric logic...
"Holsey appeared before the senators by video teleconference, people familiar with the matter said, just ahead of a ceremony scheduled for Friday in which he is expected to step down..."
The top U.S. military officer overseeing operations in Latin America met privately with lawmakers, days before he is due to step down prematurely amid tension with the Trump administration over its deadly counternarcotics campaign there.
Admiral pushed out by Hegseth meets privately with lawmakers
Adm. Alvin Holsey, who oversees military operations in Latin America, has voiced concern about the Trump administration’s activities there.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
"Holsey appeared before the senators by video teleconference, people familiar with the matter said, just ahead of a ceremony scheduled for Friday in which he is expected to step down..."
Reposted by Dave Tait
“When they come to power for the second time, they feel more ruthless, and they behave as if there are no boundaries any more…I think especially in the leader’s head, that association of ‘me and the country’ [being] the same thing becomes very prominent when they seize power for the second time.” /1
We asked critics from authoritarian regimes what they wish they’d known sooner. Here’s what they said
Critics from Hungary, El Salvador and Turkey offer advice to the US about what they’ve learned about authoritarians
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:35 PM
“When they come to power for the second time, they feel more ruthless, and they behave as if there are no boundaries any more…I think especially in the leader’s head, that association of ‘me and the country’ [being] the same thing becomes very prominent when they seize power for the second time.” /1
'In a rambling and sometimes incoherent interview…, a transcript of which was released on Tuesday, the US president struggled to name any other Ukrainian cities except for Kyiv, misrepresented elements of the trajectory of the conflict, and recycled far-right tropes about European immigration…' /1
Trump lambasts ‘weak’ and ‘decaying’ Europe and hints at walking away from Ukraine
US president recycles far-right tropes on European immigration and presses Zelenskyy to accept his peace plan
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
'In a rambling and sometimes incoherent interview…, a transcript of which was released on Tuesday, the US president struggled to name any other Ukrainian cities except for Kyiv, misrepresented elements of the trajectory of the conflict, and recycled far-right tropes about European immigration…' /1
Reposted by Dave Tait
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Dave Tait
Reporter: “Are you committed to releasing the full video?”
Trump: “Didn't I just tell you that?”
Reporter: “You said that it was up to Sec. Hegseth.”
Trump: “You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place…You are an obnoxious, actually a terrible reporter.”
Trump: “Didn't I just tell you that?”
Reporter: “You said that it was up to Sec. Hegseth.”
Trump: “You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place…You are an obnoxious, actually a terrible reporter.”
December 8, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reporter: “Are you committed to releasing the full video?”
Trump: “Didn't I just tell you that?”
Reporter: “You said that it was up to Sec. Hegseth.”
Trump: “You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place…You are an obnoxious, actually a terrible reporter.”
Trump: “Didn't I just tell you that?”
Reporter: “You said that it was up to Sec. Hegseth.”
Trump: “You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place…You are an obnoxious, actually a terrible reporter.”
Reposted by Dave Tait
"Ukrainians have one wish - for peace to finally come to us."
Kyiv residents shared Ukrainians' greatest wishes for Christmas.
📹: hromadske
Kyiv residents shared Ukrainians' greatest wishes for Christmas.
📹: hromadske
December 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
"Ukrainians have one wish - for peace to finally come to us."
Kyiv residents shared Ukrainians' greatest wishes for Christmas.
📹: hromadske
Kyiv residents shared Ukrainians' greatest wishes for Christmas.
📹: hromadske
Reposted by Dave Tait
Reposted by Dave Tait
Life goals in one image
December 8, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Life goals in one image
Reposted by Dave Tait
When margarine was banned in Canada, it was bootleggers in Newfoundland who kept Canadians supplied.
The manufacturing of margarine is even enshrined in the Newfoundland Act.
This is the story of Canada's Margarine Prohibition Years.
🧵 1/12
The manufacturing of margarine is even enshrined in the Newfoundland Act.
This is the story of Canada's Margarine Prohibition Years.
🧵 1/12
December 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
When margarine was banned in Canada, it was bootleggers in Newfoundland who kept Canadians supplied.
The manufacturing of margarine is even enshrined in the Newfoundland Act.
This is the story of Canada's Margarine Prohibition Years.
🧵 1/12
The manufacturing of margarine is even enshrined in the Newfoundland Act.
This is the story of Canada's Margarine Prohibition Years.
🧵 1/12
Reposted by Dave Tait
US SouthCom a few tweets way from using a Sonnenrad patch in their imagery.
December 8, 2025 at 4:16 PM
US SouthCom a few tweets way from using a Sonnenrad patch in their imagery.
Hegseth, 2016: “Here’s the problem with Trump… He says: ‘Go ahead and kill the family. Go ahead and torture. Go ahead and go further than waterboarding.’ What happens when people follow those orders, or don’t follow them? It’s not clear that Donald Trump will have their back." /1
Hegseth said US military should refuse ‘unlawful’ Trump orders in unearthed 2016 interview
Hegseth said US military should refuse ‘unlawful’ Trump orders in unearthed 2016 interview
Defense secretary’s comments recirculating amid dispute over US strikes on alleged drug boats in Caribbean
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stated repeatedly in 2016 on Fox News that US service members should refuse “unlawful” orders from a potential president Trump – exactly the position he called “despicable” when Democratic lawmakers said it last month.
The debate about whether US soldiers should refuse illegal orders is now at the center of a fiery political dispute over the US killings of alleged drug traffickers in boats off the coast of Venezuela and Columbia. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Hegseth, 2016: “Here’s the problem with Trump… He says: ‘Go ahead and kill the family. Go ahead and torture. Go ahead and go further than waterboarding.’ What happens when people follow those orders, or don’t follow them? It’s not clear that Donald Trump will have their back." /1
I'd followed this without noting the FIFA president's name, so when I saw this headline I thought the word "infantino" referred to the situation, as with "peccadillo"…
…and now I suggest we make it so: Henceforth, an "infantino" shall refer to a situation where an adult is treated like a child.
…and now I suggest we make it so: Henceforth, an "infantino" shall refer to a situation where an adult is treated like a child.
'The Trump-Infantino farce shows how FIFA debases football'
'The Trump-Infantino farce shows how FIFA debases football'
The awarding of a 'peace prize' to US President Donald Trump during the 2026 World Cup draw epitomizes how the international federation has hijacked football for its own ends, writes Le Monde columnist Jérôme Latta.
www.lemonde.fr
December 8, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I'd followed this without noting the FIFA president's name, so when I saw this headline I thought the word "infantino" referred to the situation, as with "peccadillo"…
…and now I suggest we make it so: Henceforth, an "infantino" shall refer to a situation where an adult is treated like a child.
…and now I suggest we make it so: Henceforth, an "infantino" shall refer to a situation where an adult is treated like a child.