As we bid a fond farewell to Ireland, it’s only right that we highlight its national animal: the sheep. This fine looking ram was lying on a rock above the road when we passed him on a sunny morning last week. I thought about stopping to take a picture, but I didn’t. Sightseeing called.

Six hours later, returning home on the same road, there he was. Same spot. He looked like he hadn’t bothered moving a muscle all day. This time I stopped. After all, how often do you get a chance to snap a portrait of Ireland’s laziest sheep?

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We don't answer to billionaires. We answer to you.

You've watched it happen in real time: corporate media cutting staff, killing stories, and bending to power. The giants of American media have owners to protect, and the truth pays the price.

None of it should surprise us. The problem with American journalism has always been that we entrusted this vital public service to for-profit companies whose allegiance could shift with the political winds and the bottom line.

That is why Mother Jones is independent from billionaires, corporations, and any other deep-pockets owner—and has been since we were founded 50 years ago. We’re only answering to our readers. To you.

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