#TheFiveAcreForest. A personal tale of tree planting that tells the deep-time story of a sand country landscape. "I now feel the oneness with our planet like never before." (Reader) Details: trishnicholsonswordsinthetre… eBook sold everywhere for all devices for the cost of a latte 🙃

This past week alone, Russia has launched around 1,600 guided aerial bombs, 48 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles, and nearly 2,300 attack drones against Ukraine. Unfortunately, almost every day, these brutal strikes leave people killed and injured. In the evening, Russian strikes on the Dnipro region killed four people. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Another 22 people were injured, including an 11-year-old girl. In Vinnytsia, a Russian drone struck a high-rise apartment building. Six people were injured. In Kharkiv, the Russians first struck a home improvement hypermarket and then carried out a cynical double-tap strike on the emergency services that arrived at the scene. First responders were injured. There were also strikes overnight on a thermal power plant, substations, coal mines, grain storage facilities, shopping malls, and a postal logistics hub. Damage has been reported in nine regions. This is how Russia responds to diplomacy and deisolation. And it is very important that support for those who protect lives not diminish alongside the negotiation process. We need to unblock the deliveries of Patriot interceptors already approved by European countries. We need to continue supporting Ukrainian combat aviation to defend against jet-powered “shaheds.” Every such defense package, especially ahead of winter, helps save lives. I thank all partners who provide this kind of support. @ZelenskyyUa

In Serbia, @avucic has conceded defeat. The Students’ List has won an absolute majority in the elections. Celebrations have begun in the streets across Serbia. Sound familiar?

When most people talk about Ukrainians, they use adjectives like ‘unbreakable,’ ‘brave,’ and ‘resilient.’ And yes, that’s who Ukrainians are. Who they’ve been forced to become. But I dream of a day when the world will think of Ukrainians as happy people who cherish their traditions, who love to sing and dance, and who throw the best parties, where everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, enjoys themselves and each other’s company. A day when Ukrainians are known not just for their strength in the face of adversity, but also for their joy, their laughter, and their love of life. 💙💛

The recent Starlink / Starshield incident in Ukraine has created a dangerous precedence for the US export industry, many haven't yet grasped. The sudden deactivation respectively curtailing of those systems without warning not only cost precious lives, but also equipment worth millions. Though the blame game between the White House (Trump) and SpaceX (Musk) is going on, ultimately it doesn't matter. It showed the world that the USA are not a reliable partner any more. Pointing at some obscure "violation of terms of services" without providing the exact passage are just increasing that notion that this was a political move. The explanation that Starlink must not be used for "offensive" means is nonsense, too. Starlink has never been turned on over Russia, and using it in Ukraine is by definition defensive in nature. You can even argue that hitting Russian targets in Russia is defensive, since you don't have to wait for an attack to be conducted. Even the intention is enough to warrant action and to eliminate the threat at the source. But this is a different topic. Furthermore, SpaceX has been fully aware that its Starlink terminals are being used by Ukrainian forces. Especially when considering that Ukraine only recently had to white-list their Starlink terminals for the Ukrainian military so that Russian forces, who have been abundantly using Starlink as well, were locked out. It has always been clear that those Starlink terminals are used for and by the Ukrainian military, and Ukraine has always been thankful for that. Coming up with this bogus story, now, three weeks before midterms is therefore as transparent as it is shameless. It is obvious for everyone that this was just figleaf statement so that a political agenda can be pushed, an agenda which runs counter to the strategic nationalist interests of the USA, both political and economic. And this is the real scandal. It is not new that the US had to lock out its technology or supplies to nations with which it had previously good and even cordial relation. Iran under the Shah, South-Vietnam and Cuba before Castro are just three to name it. But as you can see from them, it made perfectly sense back then. Those nations switched sides or disappeared altogether. Ukraine on the other hand didn't switch sides and even helped the US in the most recent and botched Iran war, despite being short on ammunition itself. The Ukrainian government accepted every possible compromise and offered an unconditional ceasefire from the start. Russia on the hand refused all of it and is demanding surrender. Yet, it gets this treatment? Unbelievable. This will be noted by all clients around the globe who purchase US weapons and technology. If agreements are not honored and can unilaterally and even clandestinely be altered based on the whims of a few, who only follow their own motives or election lies, then the all concept reliability falls apart. Whether it is Starlink, the F-35, Tomahawk missiles or HIMARS. All those systems run on software and in many cases can only properly operate with recent updates. You don't even need have a kill switch. You can only refuse to update and many of those systems lose more than 90% of their effectiveness within a short period, making worthless. This is why we see the blame game between Musk and Trump. I'm sure that people around those guys told them how absolutely shortsighted and stupid this step was. It will fall back on the entire US industry. Not even those two guys are worth that losses and backlash. A functional US Congress would immediately start subpoenas and hearings, asking questions in order to mitigate the damage, but here we are. Trump and Musk have given the best reason why not to buy American. Customers - governmental and private alike - around the globe will take note of this and act accordingly, and I wouldn't be surprised if this won't be limited to US military products only. An absolutely senseless and avoidable own goal.

Sunday 25 October Today’s Daily Picture Theme is ‘Q/X/Y/Z/Anything' RT or reply with your own photo Tomorrow’s theme will be 'pano' (panorama) #DailyPictureTheme #Q/X/Y/Z/Anything #Y for yellow Sunflowers still blooming beginning of October.

Saturday 24 October Today’s Daily Picture Theme is ‘Weathered' RT or reply with your own photo Tomorrow’s theme will be ‘Q/X/Y/Z/Anything' #DailyPictureTheme #Weathered along Grand Union Canal Rickmansworth.

Video of the rescue. Ukraine’s emergency service leaves nobody behind.

Don't remain silent. Yell. Scream. Rally the world against the slaughter of innocent people.

Russia is pursuing one of its strategic objectives: forcing Ukrainians to leave their own country. And we are already witnessing the devastating consequences of this war. According to estimates attributed to the Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the population living in Ukrainian government-controlled territory has fallen to approximately 28.5 million people. One of the main drivers of this demographic decline is forced migration abroad. Millions of Ukrainians have left their homes not because they wanted to abandon their homeland, but because Russia has made their lives unsafe. And today, October 22, we are once again witnessing what this means in practice. KYIV. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia used, among other weapons, three ballistic missiles equipped with cluster warheads against the capital overnight. One of these missiles struck the Pechersk district, in the area between the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Holy Presentation Monastery. Monastery buildings, residential homes, shops, cafés, and other civilian infrastructure were damaged. The President emphasized that there were no military facilities nearby. LOZOVA, KHARKIV REGION. A Russian strike hit a civilian market. According to local authorities, two people were killed and 34 others were injured. These people were simply living their lives. Some were buying groceries. Others were working. Some were planning to return home to their families. But for some, this ordinary day became their last. And all of this is happening against the backdrop of systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to Zelenskyy, more than 170 strikes have hit critical energy facilities since October 11. Russia has already identified priority targets for further attacks on Ukraine in the coming weeks, the President warned, citing Ukrainian intelligence. He also stated that Russia appears to be exploiting delays in the delivery of air defence systems from international partners. And this raises a question the international community cannot afford to ignore. What do humanity and peace mean when millions of people are forced to flee their own country, while those who remain risk being killed every day — in their homes, on the streets, or at a local market? Destroying energy infrastructure is not simply about cutting off electricity. It means hospitals, heating, water supplies, jobs, schools, and the ability to survive the winter. Every new attack deepens Ukraine’s humanitarian and demographic crisis. We are not simply talking about population decline in statistical reports. We are talking about children growing up far from home, families separated by borders, lives lost, children who may never be born, and generations whose futures are being reshaped by war. The forced displacement of millions of people, the destruction of the conditions necessary for everyday life, and Ukraine’s long-term demographic decline are consequences of Russian aggression that cannot be ignored in any discussion of peace. Peace is not simply silence after the last explosion. It is the right to live in your own country. The right to return home. The right to have children, to work, to study, to grow old, and to build a future without the fear of being killed. And if the international community truly speaks of humanity, it must speak not only about ending hostilities, but also about protecting people, restoring the conditions necessary for life, and ensuring accountability for the crimes committed. Because what is the meaning of peace if people can no longer live on their own land? #Ukraine #RussiaWarCrimes #ProtectCivilians #HumanRights #StandWithUkraine

Friday 23 October Today’s Daily Picture Theme is ‘View from ..' RT or reply with your own photo Tomorrow’s theme will be ‘Weathered' #DailyPictureTheme #View from... Bircham Windmill . Norfolk

🇺🇸🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Rubio is shocked. Outraged. How dare anyone suggest the US withheld missile warnings? Just technical glitches! Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports the US is blocking Patriot transfers from other countries. Ukrainians die. Interceptors don't arrive. Rubio is offended.

The verified record of Russia's crimes in Ukraine: case files, UN statements, fact-checks, sanctions, the cost of the war, and a calendar of where Ukraine is on the agenda. Every figure has a source, a date and a tier. Open data, 6 languages. ukraine-evidence.org/?src=x