The flip side is also that by focusing on net migration, the UK counts its own brain drain of young talent *as a positive* in its own numbers. It's like the economic version of a death cult
Canadian who's self-exiled to Europe
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The flip side is also that by focusing on net migration, the UK counts its own brain drain of young talent *as a positive* in its own numbers. It's like the economic version of a death cult
I kind of want to write an essay about the history of disaster films/stories now; it would start with War of the Worlds (we think of it as the first sci-fi novel but it’s beat-for-beat the plot of a disaster film), weave in how much Jaws is a subversion of the genre
Kirby understood horror about as well as any kid who grew up loving the Universal Monsters, went to war and saw real horror, and whose understanding of horror as a genre in subsequent decades was thereby indexed to an increasingly kitsch and nostalgic suite of Hollywood spooky imagery
There is a well used line that "elections are won from the centre" except Labour aren't fighting from the centre, they are fighting from the right. Attacks on human rights, international law, migrants, trans and non-binary individuals, the disabled etc, aren't centre ground attacks. 20/
Doctor I trust more than RFK Jr.
By contrast, the business hatred of Zohran Mamdani is revealing in its own way. What it shows is that they expect him to be a normal liberal who operates via law, and so they can safely whine about the possibility of higher taxes without worrying about lawless retribution
One of the weaknesses of modern liberalism is not realising this and so not using state power in a responsible way to regulate companies.
Yeah - I think you’re both right. Issue by issue, this Labour government is miles to the left of New Labour. But in terms of the things that actually matter to your average voter in the left bloc, not so much.
youtube.com/watch?v=183O... RIP Mark Volman. Very funny this. 'It's a shit biz etc.'
All this for something that nobody wants, and that will put intelligent, creative human beings out of work.
Wonderful admission from the cops that non violent action is effective and really really makes them sad.
Farewell to Mark Volman, co-founder of the Turtles, one half of Flo & Eddie, and one of the great eccentrics of the rock'n'roll era. My obituary for the Los Angeles Times. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
So the copyright cartels are starting to move on the AI bros. Time to make popcorn
I can't particularly recommend anyone do it, but for myself personally, I found it really useful to actually go back and read (and also read about) and study the history of Eagle/Dan Dare. Made a lot of sense of British Comics for me, as to how you go from DC Thomson's Beano to eventually 2000AD.
Weird that it cost a TV production company £20k to license my books, but this company got to do it against my will and the will of my publisher for an order of magnitude less. And only *maybe* pay up because they settled out of court.
This is exactly why we gotta drop this “functioning” nonsense. ALL autistic people have high -support needs- in some time, place, or stage of life, and the “high functioning” label cuts us off from support and kills autistics all the time.
Ha! Yes.
The world would be depressing anyway at the moment, but there is something peculiarly crushing in being on a bus that's heading straight for a cliff and everyone screaming to change direction and the guy at the wheel maintaining that only he knows how to save everyone and it's definitely this way.
I am begging people to understand that fiction is a metaphor used to explore things. Yes even realistic literary fiction.
"Polling shows that opinion on immigration tracks tabloid coverage much more closely than actual immigration levels. People become more concerned not when the number of immigrants rises, but when the press fearmongers about it more." www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/709...
Today I got an email from a listener who said she wasn't going to be listening any longer because I had run an ad for ICE. As in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When I was pretty sure I'd both filled out the Google form and blocked political ads from that form over a year ago.
Passion of the Christ 2: Lost in New York Passion of the Christ: Fallen Kingdom Passion of the Christ: Tokyo Drift Passion of the Christ Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
And this is early music rather than the famous cantata composed by Carl Orff? Well that has my curiosity piqued.
Quote post with an album you rate 10/10
in music: poptimism in fashion: foptimism in agriculture: croptimism in comedy: proptimism in commerce: cooptimism in sexuality: toptimism
Lol I mean I always suspected they would do this, but to just admit to it in order to impress your date is pretty fucking funny.
I’m completely agnostic on the merits of “abundance” as a policy agenda, but I’m very skeptical of Abundance as a political project. Any project which would attract or accept funding from fascist oligarchs Thiel and Andreessen is not worth being part of.
Warner Bros is suing AI company Midjourney for alleged copyright infringement • The lawsuit cites multiple AI-generated examples of Batman and other iconic characters • WB is seeking $150K per infringed work • They argue generating copyrighted characters is a 'clear draw' for Midjourney users
liberal currents has in fact been extremely vocal about how bad mass deportation is www.liberalcurrents.com/mass-deporta...
If the idea is to hear directly from perspectives that otherwise perplex us, whom else might they invite? Sergey Lavrov? Nigel Farage? Marine Le Pen? Tamara Lich?
So, Wikipedia has copied my synopsis for MISS MEND verbatim and their solution to plagiarism is for me to address the editor responsible directly. The problem? It's just an IP address, not a registered editor. Most reliable source on the internet MY ASS
Not gonna lie. This would kill my productivity, but I'd be so happy.
Freya I am trying to work stop being adorable.
(I feel like I'm leaving trans men's plight out of discussing this problem, but it seems like public transphobia overwhelmingly consists of transmisogyny.)
It's really striking how much transphobia just loops around to traditional misogyny. This is where insisting on narrowing the definition of "woman" leans.
In any case, absent pink triangles, Linehan is inciting violence against any woman with short hair or a wig, or who is tall or small-breasted or flat-chested or who someone thinks is trans.
Are you young, highly educated and driven, and want to contribute to our stagnant economy with its aging population and low productivity? Well out you go
Based on Andrew's work, I think of Bill Haley as the first "creator." A marketer as much an artist. He loved music doubtlessly, but was driven by the need to engage and succeed in a systematic and somewhat ruthless way.
Nice piece by @rockingbob.bsky.social on Bill Haley (paywalled, but you should subscribe to his Patreon anyway). Haley made a few truly great records, and really doesn't deserve his posthumous negative reputation.
My position on immigration is that it is a natural human right to move home, comparable to the right to have children. In an environment of limited resources, we migrants do not have time to wait for Abundance or socialism. You need to defend us now.
While I don't follow the Scottish independence issue much, that is a devastatingly good argument for it. English politicians and the English electorate have absolutely forced horrible decisions on the Union that completely destroy whatever advantages it might have had.
The thing is that since 2014, when Scotland was told that independence would be a dangerous leap into the unknown, England has repeatedly forced us into one dangerous leap into the unknown after another, all of which were actively resisted by the hated Scottish nationalists.
The Green’s have decided to give being a coherent political party a go and all the best to them
Then perhaps leave the making of music to the many, many, talented human beings who can?
If Rahm Emmanuel ever comes to my house, I’m beating his ass with my Complete Pogo volumes.
One more thing to add, I’ve heard that there’s something brewing about discrimination against Chindo (Chinese Indonesians) AGAIN like during Soeharto’s reign as president. Indonesia is a country of diversity and democracy. But the citizen’s voices remain unheard, and the minority is now threatened.
(6) Protests went on from 29th to 30th, and some mercs/provocators burned down bus stations. Not only that, there are broadcasts to attack Chindos(Chinese Indonesians) and repeat the 98 tragedy. This is such a heinous tactic to exploit our collective trauma, tho thankfully most people called it out.
(1)🚨ALL EYES ON INDONESIA🚨 It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets. Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.
Yeah. I moved from Canada to Germany where that sort of spongy white bread isn't the standard...but is still widely available because "toast bread" is a thing in Germany. Now I'm being told that's nearing extinction in England? How?
It must be so exhausting living your life like this. Just mentally draining going around forcing yourself to be upset by absolutely fuck all.
You couldn't make Trigger Happy TV today. Not because of woke. It's simply that most of the audience wouldn't understand that the loud guy with the big phone was doing something bad.
The funniest bit about rewatching that scene with seeing how T'Pol and Trip's interactions completely undermined the attempts to make it look sexy. As if the script and the actors are aware that this scene is unnecessary bullshit.
Utterly insane. If they were working they would be less dependent on public benefits, but once against bigotry trumps not only compassion, but basic sanity.
The benefits given to asylum seekers in the UK are *very* basic compared to France, Germany and others. In the UK, they are also forbidden from working. If they were simply economic migrants, it would be far better for them to stay 'on the continent'. But some instead risk everything to come here.
"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?" Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
We have told three generations that college is needed for societal success and, in half a decade effectively, decided cheating is alright if it makes a billionaire money.
At @secondwindgroup.com, I wrote about one of the big themes running through the films of the summer, from "28 Years Later" to "Weapons" to "Alien: Earth" and beyond. This year, film and television desperately worried that kids are anything but all right. READ: www.patreon.com/posts/column...
Tell me when Trump starts flashing quicker and quicker and his attack pattern changes.
This entire narrative pushed by the far right of an "epidemic of trans violence" is completely bullshit. It's propaganda designed to stoke hatred and incite violence against trans people while building support for policies designed to eradicate our community. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Thanks to Karen Hao's brilliant book Empire of AI, I learned that potable water is the only type of water that can be used to cool data centers. Saltwater or wastewaster isn't useable.
From the article: if your publisher failed to register your book for copyright, and it was published more than five years ago, you’re out of luck. It’s too late to fix it. Go ahead. Ask me how I know. 🤬
Fundamentally, tech bros don't believe other people are people.
Sat down with the head of another startup that wants to “revolutionize” the entertainment industry with gen AI, and I came away from the conversation even more deeply convinced that all of this stuff is a morally and artistically bankrupt scam
Bluesky has a scold issue, people bursting into hobby posts to scream that the OP should be DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT. I have come to the conclusion that we must fight fire with fire and scold the scolds.
Remember how if a kid choked on a little plastic toy they used to stop selling the toy
Brief 🧵, as someone who has studied mass shootings for 13 years: -gender does not cause them -SSRIs, no -mental illness, no -internet/gaming, no Above can be compounding factors—but motive is complex, often very. The most fundamental combo: suicidality + rage + isolation + easy access to guns
shit like this cannot be ignored and is everyone's problem. there is real evil and danger happening and you will start seeing friends and family disappear if people dont step up. this is not just some guy talking shit. do your research outinstl.com/republican-c...
So much for ‘un Québec libre’ 🫤 I had no idea public prayer was a thing, nor did I think that a “serious issue”. #cdnpoli #mtlpoli #Quebec #Canada www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
*sigh* I can't say that this was an unexpected turn for Quebec politics...
Learning the shooter was a detransitioner spouting the same shit detransitioners have been smearing all over the country for the past decade really boils my blood at the people who jumped on the chance to salaciously report "the first trans woman mass shooter" yesterday.
This is one of the many reasons I sent my name to the lawyers involved, as someone with multiple books plagiarised. I want those fuckers gone.
Any technology that requires constant human oversight to make sure it isn't doing something disastrously wrong or bad could just be replaced by the humans in the first place
Indeed not just in the country in question -- in *every* country whose politics I have any knowledge of. Immigration is an issue that is totally decoupled from reality in most voters' minds, because it doesn't directly affect most non-immigrant citizens.
The new @andrewhickey.500songs.com podcast shows up what was wrong with the Becoming Led Zeppelin film, which clumsily started somewhere near the founding of Led Zeppelin, rather than in the 1940s before taking over an hour and a half to get to the schoolboy skiffle band of Jimmy Page. Rookie error.
Sorry but Taylor Lorenz being scandalized by unethical behaviour on social media is like Sweeney Todd being scandalized by improper ingredient sourcing in restaurants
Ruin a book by adding "Tom Clancy's" to the title Tom Clancy’s Love in the Time of Cholera
I stopped using Microsoft Word and Excel months ago. The expiration is nigh and they are begging me to stay by touting Copilot AI. I stopped using their products specifically because of Copilot AI.
When this project was announced, I didn't even think it would be worth my interest on its own merits, appearing to be yet another IP retread. But your commentary on this unfolding mess is just gold! And your commentary on the difficulties posed by child actors is genuinely interesting.
Columbus is IMV hugely underrated as a director of children and I think his contribution to the films working is underplayed because it coincided with the peak of Pottermania. People basically think 'oh, anyone could have made those films work', wrongly IMO:
I like how this project now has even more of the energy of 'troubled political party that has bitten off way more than it can chew' in that 'successful former leader is now making not particularly veiled comments about it in interviews'.
There's no better poster child for the mess the UK is now in than the fact that the Financial Times - home to the "how to spend it" supplement on luxury geegaws - is now one of the most left-wing media channels in the country simply because it's still interested in reality.
Excellent piece by @anandmenon.bsky.social:
Which makes me wonder if, given the sheer scale and cost of GoT, if traditional networks are daunted by the sheer cost and risk involved.
Most of the series that seem like obvious attempts to follow GoT are from streamers that were willing to throw money at such demanding productions. And they haven't come anywhere close to replicating that success.
I have complicated feelings about infotainment. Like, it’s the logical conclusion for journalists in an era where job security for them has largely been obliterated. I imagine moving into infotainment is lower-stakes work for probably more or steadier money. I can appreciate that.
Co-signed times a thousand. “Other people have no interiority” is, fundamentally, a deeply evil belief to hold which will lead you exclusively to terrible places
Interesting to see a lot of people arguing that this will have Netflix questioning their entire business model. That seems unlikely, just as the success of “Glass Onion” didn’t lead to an embrace of theatres. Netflix’s rejection of theatres was never financial, but ideological.
There's that and people who were kids then and have simply enjoyed comfortable enough lives that they ever needed to reflect on that decade. Some of it also seems to be an American thing. I never see similar levels of nostalgia for this decade among Brits.
So naturally I find out about things like the U.s supporting death squads and Guatemala and El Salvador as well as the AIDS crisis, etc. Even reading about music in the 1980s, especially with regards to Britain, was a good introduction to Thatcherism and its social effects. 2/2
As someone who grew up in the 80s, I can confirm. I wasn't even conscious of politics being a thing until the fall of the Berlin Wall and even then really didn't pay attention to politics until second or third year in University, by which point it was 2001. 1/2
I try to only quote post to either agree or add to the point. If I disagree, step 1 is move on, especially if I don't think I can change their mind. Step 2: If I must argue, first check someone else hasn't made the same point. If they did, go to step 1. Step 3: disagree politely in a reply.
Admittedly I'm fine with this disastrous direction since, owing to Rowling's awful politics, the HP franchise is radioactive as far as I am concerned. I look forward to reading about this unfolding disaster.
This makes a lot more sense than what they are choosing to do. However, because Fantastic Beasts failed it seems that WB just threw up its hands and decided to adapt the books again, even though the film franchise failed because of Rowling's writing.
This is a joke because the truth of course is all the horrid shit we make fun of as Bluesky shit is actually Twitter shit that we forgot about because of all the nazi stuff
I just watched Top Gun for the first time, and it’s such a weirdly enjoyable nothingburger of a movie, and then it dawned on me just how much cinema sins has utterly poisoned the entire landscape of movies