It's gambling, basically. Insurance companies take all comers in a flash, then if a claim is made they put a lot of resources towards finding a loophole which will enable them to not pay out, and I've experienced this myself.
I like books, but not just any books. I eschew disregard of the shared path etiquette.
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It's gambling, basically. Insurance companies take all comers in a flash, then if a claim is made they put a lot of resources towards finding a loophole which will enable them to not pay out, and I've experienced this myself.
Dawn's around 7am their time, so midday -->13 o'clock our time.
I couldn't resist a look and it's very active. Dawn there, soon.
...Something—the figure of a man—wandered in and out among the trees of her consciousness, through the white, blurring fog upon her mind's shores. Now it was the shape of a lover and now something else—something frightful beyond telling—something with the body of a child in its arms." 2 of 2 📚
In The Night of the Hunter (Davis Grubb), Willa ignores the voice of her intuition: "She did not know herself whose voice this was, deep in the vast river murmurs of her mind, that kept telling her not to do this thing... 1 of 2 📚
Did you stay up and watch? I didn't, too weary nowadays:) It's live right now and thrilling.
Euronews - Russia accused of jamming the GPS of the airplane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her official visit to Bulgaria. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/09/01/russia-accused-of-jamming-gps-of-ursula-von-der-leyens-plane-during-bulgaria-trip
Nuneaton. I was born and grew up not far from there, and I have an in-law from that town, and I have to say I'm not surprised. It's not known for the broad outlook and tolerant attitude of its population, believe me.
Are you a crepuscular creature? 🦇🦉🐇🦇 If you're up at 2 a.m. UK time (as I often am) & hanker for a spectacle, tune in live to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats, the fastest horizontal fliers in the world, as they dash from a Texas cave at the dinner bell of sunset: explore.org/livecams/bci...
yes also additional reference (crabs and anemones do get along!) bsky.app/profile/schm...
Podcast with the great @dankaszeta.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
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.
I'm pleased and a little nervous to share the opening of my new book, Upon A White Horse: Journeys in Ancient Britain and Ireland. I hope that you enjoy this. It will be published by @headlinebooks.bsky.social on September 11 and is available for pre-order. smallfinds.substack.com/p/small-find...
Every time somebody goes "Marie Curie, famous French chemist and physicist", I'll show them this photo. These smiles. These Polish smiles. Only we react to the photographer asking to say "fromage" like that.
If you want more greenways built in Ireland, please please respond favourably to this public consultation on the Cork-Kinsale greenway, and share widely. It’s being threatened by scaremongers. Deadline is today. corkkinsalegreenway.ie/feedback-for...
🌊 --> 🪨 I'll translate these into "Geologist": (clockwise from top left) - Pumpkin-spice squishy star (extrusive igneous) - Armored pinchy hands (metamorphic) - Tiny windsocks (extrusive igneous) - Squishy w/ curls (*not calcite or halite; do NOT lick)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The Court of Appeal will decide the Epping hotel injunction appeal today on the basis of [x], and this will be seen as an emphatic victory/defeat for [y], an issue which was not before the court. More news as we get it.
"This is going to be a difficult time to be a dangerous person" Yes, this is going to be a difficult time to be a "dangerous person" www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/08...
Finding key information shared at council meetings takes time and effort. Today, we've launched a tool that allows you to search verbatim quotes from council meetings in the UK and Ireland, without the need to watch long recordings or sift through extensive notes. council-search.bellingcat.com
That's how I first read it, then confused myself. Thanks for clarifying. That's an impressive statistic.
And do please come back and explain it to the arithmetically-challenged (me)
“The funding we have secured for #walking and #cycling, in the main, is used to create new routes that #connect communities, enabling people to travel in a more #sustainable way." 💚Well good #RainGarden #urban
"You're really smart and you have sensitive skin" says the mosquito "you'd KNOW if I was biting you. You aren't the kind of person who could be tricked like that, we both agree." (This is about propaganda.)
Close To An Invasion Denmark summons US charge d’affaires over Greenland ‘interference’ attempts Trump continues to interfere in other countries! #AureFreePress #News #press #headline #GOP #Politics #uspolitics #uspol #Trump #Denmark #Breaking #BreakingNews
And on yesterday’s run that old Doors song came up, “Summer’s Almost Gone”
People focus on Frontex but most migrants never make it that far because we fund govts who are happy to brutalise migrants on our behalf before they ever cross the Mediterranean. European border patrols beating people up is bad optics but if it happens in North Africa it barely makes the news.
This is what happens when you build key public services out of town with no public transport links www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Kudos to the people who braved this Irish “cycle lane” to illustrate why the road is safer than this absurdity.
20 year-old wunderkind defends, and wins, motorists' right to drive as fast as they like youtu.be/zKlk5aW0V8g?... #TheWarOnCars
Developing a plan for if or when something bad happens online is a good practice for anyone, but especially a community of people who face increased risk. It’s important to strategize with your allies around what to do in the event of such things happening. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Former Japanese Internment Camp Used As Immigrant Detention Center https://theonion.com/former-japanese-internment-camp-used-as-immigrant-detention-center/
I'd give a tip, as appropriate, and let it be as long as he didn't try to engage me in conversation.
I listened all through at x 1.7 speed, and it affected me like an antidote to the particular mood I've fallen into today #fortuitous :)
You know what they do, though - they make it such a pain to access anything without it, people cave in to their authoritarian keening
"🔥it’s not so much that they don’t believe our burning of the world is overheating it to the point of mass extinction, but rather that they get turned on by the idea, like some insane death cult that gets off on the power of bringing about the end🔥" fieldnotes.christopherbrown.com/p/dogs-days-...
Miss "Lydia" shows us her screen with a temp of 97° at 11am while she works packing grapes in Bakersfield CA. The area is under an extreme heat warning meaning a high risk for heat illness especially among the elderly like herself, but she works out of necessity. #WeFeedYou #calor
💬'There are Brompton docking stations available in Cardiff, Carmarthen, Llanelli, and Burry Port, where you can hop on a folding bike for a day, week, or even longer.' In Swansea we have to make do with Santander bikes 😢😉 #bike #hire #wales
UK online safety law in practice.
One thing I've noticed is how insurance companies look very dimly on the presence of trees anywhere near buildings. When I recently had to get new cover, they asked me specifically about trees being within x metres of my property. So if you have trees close to you, no dice (or pay a higher price).
Took young Rufus to the vet this morning - asked about taking him to France next year. Apparently as part of connections with EU, pet passports may be coming back soon-ish - good to hear of another bit of Brexit being unpicked
Haha, I think on here you only have to humiliate yourself that way if you want to access "certain features"; I think that's what they said. The law coming in way before the tech seems to be a habit.
I felt almost overwhelmed one day last week when I counted five butterflies in my garden -- at the same time! I know it's not like it used to be when I was small but in comparison to how it's been going, it was a pleasant shock. Over past 5 years we've had loads of False Widows, and very few House
Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Italian physicist Claudio Maccone, a good friend and a leading figure in interstellar studies. I post some recollections about this fine man today on Centauri Dreams. www.centauri-dreams.org/2025/08/22/c...
S Wales. I saw a cockchafer in May (first one I've seen here in 25 years) and the other week, a centipede, also unusual. Some others whose name I've forgotten have vanished, having been constantly present (flies that swarm and dance jerkily) Loads of butterflies though. Hope your migrants settle in
A sieve of harvested blackberries, damson plums and rosehips (the latter two pitted and de-seeded), ready to be cooked and blended into jam. Here's my weird regret: Of the two or so gallons' worth carefully processed this year, none contained insects, not even the windfalls. An ominous sign?!
The last 2 or 3 years when I've been cutting back and digging up the brambles in the autumn, the critter-count has generally been: 1 worm, 2 flies of some type, and zero spiders. Also, the garden-spiders this year, in my garden, are tiny.
Atrocities Keep Getting In Frame Of D.C. Tourist’s Shot https://theonion.com/atrocities-keep-getting-in-frame-of-d-c-tourists-shot/
'The Christian Right that propelled Trump to power is coming for Britain' says journalist Katherine Stewart. And I've watched it clicking into place for decades, like slow motion Tetris substack.com/home/post/p-...
And I'm a bit late, but this is a most informative thread:
Years ago in the city centre I witnessed a gull punching out the heart of a pigeon with its beak in one swift action. I'd never seen that behaviour before. And then a couple of years later it happened again. Coincidentally both times my young son was with me.
I've just muted a popular account on here as it's got a bit too voluble for me to handle. Over on Mastodon you can mute an account for a set period of time: hours, days, eternity. Makes for a smoother experience.
Republicans have the means nearly at hand to exterminate tens or even hundreds of millions of people. And their recent actions show them to be unrestrained by any moral code. Indeed, they are accelerating into ever greater cruelty.
Any and all flags hoisted in service of petty nationalism vex me.
More seriously - the sheer speed with which those who decry "activist lawyers" shift towards using the courts themselves when they realise courts can be used illiberally too. Those who loudly decry courts and lawyers often only do so when they are losing the cases: it is not a principled objection.
"Today, it is necessary to risk interpretation – [omission] which is prohibited in discipline. In other words, I do not know whether what I am saying is true, and I will never know it, but at least let us try to say something about it, because science is daring to dare to be mistaken." Beautiful ❤️🔥
It seems wrong that they can change horses mid-course like that. If I'd voted Cons and my representative defected to the likes of Reform, I'd be quite cross. Although there's not that much difference really.
📰'At the time, Labour First Minister Mark Drakeford said he "could not imagine voters in Gower backing such a candidate". ' Narrator's voice: 🗯️Cllr O’Brien went on to come second in the 2019 general election.
" Who gets to be Sudanese? " #Art #identity open.substack.com/pub/continen...
Just got an new ant guide "Ants of Britain and Europe" ... ... did ya'll brexit the ANTS too???
Workers are harvesting tomatoes in CAs San Joaquin Valley. If you listen, you can hear the new technology that has a machine scan their badge to keep count the amount of the buckets they pick. Workers average 160 buckets and get paid 86 cents per bucket. #WeFeedYou
Email addresses are very simple, and you will score highly in this quiz. https://e-mail.wtf
I scored 12/21 on e-mail.wtf and all I got was this lousy text to share on social media. I seem to now know more, and less.
Not sure Zelenskyy should commit to paying $100bn to the US for security garauntees until he's shopped around and seen if protection is being offered at a more affordable price by other players in the space such as the Cosa Nostra, the Crips or the Triads.
You should have put a *glare hazard* warning on that pic.
I don't know about this. If it's a toss up between leaving Bluesky and UK-govt hoop-jumping, I know what I'll do. It's annoying: I just keep seeing images of Theresa May, with those Nosferatu fingers.
Yes, there is some good intention.
They are, and they provide foods that will rake-in still more profit.
Some people are drawn to the old stones.
Walthamstow Django the cat has been missing these past few days from around the orford road / hoe st area and his owners very worried. If you see him let me know and will let them know he’s ok!
The slow insipid creep of the Heritage Foundation and Project2025 for the UK.
'Vance’s summer trip to the UK was not really a break' 🗞️ (Observer co uk) I'm not surprised that I'm not surprised.
Hampstead Heath, 07:17
Going down Tesco for, what will be, a very great and successful shopping trip.
Dmitry nails it 🔨
It’s so sickening this being treated as a media spectacle. Putin is a murderer who kills people most days and is literally attacking ukraine right now.
▫️'The most divisive issues include capping production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.' 3/3 And so it goes
▫️'Diplomats & climate advocates had warned earlier this month that efforts by the EU and small island states to cap virgin plastic production - fuelled by petroleum, coal and gas - are threatened by opposition from petrochemical-producing countries and the US under President Donald Trump.' 2/3
🔳Plastic pollution treaty stalled as Geneva talks end without deal 2025-08-15 ▫️'In an apparent reference to oil-producing nations, Colombia's delegate Haendel Rodriguez said a deal had been "blocked by a small number of states who simply did not want an agreement." ' #PlasticsPollution 1/3
#Καμίνια Η ταβέρνα του φίλου μου του Γιώργη στα Καμινια κάηκε ολοσχερώς. #Αχαΐα #Πάτρα
It is absolutely baffling that the tech sector has convinced itself that AI can solve climate change. The most ambitious proponents of AI believe that it could get to the point of being able to do complex human cognitive tasks. But generating unlimited clean energy isn’t a complex cognitive task.
"Conclusion This paper has been longer than I or readers might have wished... Smaller platforms and creators are particularly likely to see the law’s downsides...And all of us will lose out if artists, comedians, news reporters, and historians self-censor for fear of liability..." #NoFakesBill
Jones has lost control of his media empire to a newly-appointed receiver who will sell it off to pay the Sandy Hook Elementary School families who sued Jones for defamation after the 2012 shootings.
Who promotes this practice, I wonder? ⌛...I just tried to check and get the impression it's widely practiced. All the time we see 'cut your plastic straws in half to reduce plastics' alongside '10 amazing new ways of putting plastics where they've never been before!' Hoomans are basically mad.
petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/24...
All, but especially b.
All that's on my mind: If that spider in the bath last night is male, just how big is the female? + Ball of Confusion 🎶 earworm.
Here come our new overloads (quote from mom of embryo forecasted for high IQ): ‘They plan to name him Tex Demeisen. His middle name, she noted, comes from Iain M. Banks’s science-fiction novel “Surface Detail,” after the avatar of a warship known as Falling Outside the Normal Moral Constraints.’
Time goes by but prejudices tend to stick.
Newbridge in the news again
She was, and wrote The Sea Around Us, but was vilified by the chemical industry for criticising DDT in Silent Spring.
oh weird i'm just drawing a venn diagram of people who think we need men patrolling the streets to keep women safe and men who think metoo went too far and you'll never guess how it's turned out
A commenter on Richard Murphy's finance/politics blog noted "Not just Wikipedia – many sites, especially useful specialist forums, are shutting down in the #UK or geoblocking UK users – there’s a list building up here: www.blocked.org.uk/osa-blocks " #OSA #GeoBlocking #😢
CLIMATE CHANGE 2025 GLOBAL HEAT WAVE! Iraq announces nationwide power outage as consumption surges in 'record' heat #AureFreePress #News #press #headline #GlobalWarming #climatechange #climatecrisis #Breaking #BreakingNews
A consistent feature of the Polish rule of law saga has been that whenever the side of this conflict that appears genuinely to care for the rule of law slips up or makes a strategic mistake, their opponents, aligned with PiS, exploit these errors in the most comically self-defeating way possible.
Like with Rachel Carson
'Welsh villagers abuse workers at Scout camp after mistaking them for migrants because they couldn't understand their Scottish accents' 🎭
Scout Haranguers
Land swapping?
The #Internet has been years in the breaking by successive UK Governments. No protection yet for the likes of Wikipedia, but the court says Ofcom and the UK government must play nicely wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/08...