Our governments should be focusing on better vaccine solutions, reusable plastic free masks which are already in existence and clean air. They are doing none of this because facial surveillance seems to be the priority.

Sat 4th Oct sees Angel Snow return to #Sheffield, this time to @thelanternsheff.bsky.social Expect an evening of bluesy #Americana infused immersive songs <3 The evening will be opened with a set from Sheffield artist Teah Lewis tix - ticketsource.co.uk/thelanternsh... #livemusic 1/2

Canada is on the verge of adopting a national standard requiring N95s in healthcare—and your voice can help make it happen.

Having just watched a report on the increasing number of people turning to AI agents for relationship advice, we can't be far away (if not already there) from a significant slice of voters asking ChatGPT/Grok/Siri/Whatever to tell them for whom they should vote. Take a moment to think about that.

The older you get, the more you realize it's not who has known you the longest, but who sees you, hears you, understands you, supports you, brings out your inner child, makes you laugh, brings you more peace, soothes your nervous system, relaxes you and gives you more energy.

..her mocking smile says it all.. #SuzanneVega

It’s obvious what Trump’s doing, the huge short, disaster capitalism on a big scale. Why? Also obvious, huge profits for him and his billionaire associates. How do I know? It’s happened here twice. Meanwhile, CEOs build compounds because civil war is guaranteed. youtu.be/BTSnojxvnEM

Gen Z and Millennials: In ten years when we’re still without a cure and you’re caring for your parents, remember what he did.

Do you know of the history of riots in the USA? What's hampering them and why they are not happening now? The more I try to understand the what and the why, the more confused I am. They are attacking civil rights from all sides, yet people only think of peaceful demonstrations.

A pleasing review of the new John Hackett Band out next Friday :-)

Heather Findlay will be at @thelanternsheff.bsky.social #Sheffield on Fri 28th Mar for the launch of her new album, "Wildflower" @robyngair.bsky.social will open the evening An intimate show in the gorgeous setting of Sheffield's oldest working theatre! See www.ticketsource.co.uk/thelanternsh...

Del Scott Miller will be at Sheffield's Lantern Theatre on Fri 4th April 2025 launching his new EP, "How The Night Gets In" Songs of love, loss & the underdog, filtered through the gentle cynicism of his native Yorkshire The night will be opened by Lofter see www.ticketsource.co.uk/.../del-scot...

Please will the opposition point out to Labour that there are over 3.1 million people suffering #Longcovid due to lack of airborne mitigations and UKHSA not following the WHO guidance. I feel this is morally wrong, failing to prevent and failing to even mention it. This has greatly increased the 🧵

I'm tech'ing a conference today, and very impressed that the refreshments table has milk jugs for both left- and right-handed folk Literally catering for everyone

First John Hackett Band gig of the year.. I've added keys to the right, and a new chapeau for when we play bits of @stevehacketthq.bsky.social's Voyage Of The Acolyte - or when I need to impersonate a dome of St Basil's

One of the lessons that I learned from Covid is that a lot of people really struggle with the fact that their reality has been upended. They long for what WAS and struggle with what IS and we're experiencing that right now with Trump. Every moment litigating what could have been is denying what IS

Very pleased this is on its way now :-) It was a fairly long road to get it finished, but lovely that it's being released with a gig on home turf! We're playing around the UK through the year, so if you fancy an evening of the ol' progressive music, we'll probably be somewhere close..

According to a former editor of JAMA, we need more studies on whether or not vaccines cause autism. What mistakes does he make? 🧵

Nick Battle nearly got fired for his edit of R.E.M.’s ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’ He's had his songs recorded by Cliff, Michael Ball, & Engelbert Humperdinck He's promoted Take That, Clannad, & Paul Hardcastle, tho' not on the same bill! 1/2

After playing a fictional member of the Resistance a long time ago, I never could have imagined it ever happening in real life, but here we are.

You first.

Incredible. After years of accusations about “pharma shills” from antivaxxers, MAHA types, etc., someone actually took a massive cash bribe from Pfizer, and it was Donald Trump, not your community pediatrician.

This looks like good news..

I mentioned to someone that I did Kipling's poetry for A level "Was it hard?" 'It was Rudyard..'

‘Cybertruck Man’ a cartoon in defiance of Musk #political #cartoonist #cybertruck #elon #musk #democracy #tiananmen

Nick Battle has been in the UK music industry since forever.. Performer/publicist/publisher/composer he's worked with Cliff, Chris Rea, The Spice Girls, & many others He's at The Lantern Theatre, Sheffield Fri 7th Mar with industry tales & warm hearted songs www.ticketsource.co.uk/thelanternsh...

An appropriate playlist of a few of my nervous love songs :-) www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hr_... (A couple are a bit sad. Sorry. Not everything in love is beer and skittles..)

Dictators don’t care about court orders you will never stop him within the courts.

I worry for Americans who think the constitution is going to protect them. I worry for Americans who think the courts are going to protect them. You have to understand what a dictatorship means. Laws don’t matter anymore. It doesn’t matter if a court says don’t do something, Trump will ignore.

Welcome to the pandemicene, everyone.

Updates to my 2025 events at @thelanternsheff! The Midsommars are headlining the Quarks & Quonstellations (Sat 1st Mar) acoustic mini-festival: an astonishing folk vocal ensemble, Vashti Bunyan meets AC/DC with string ensemble backing! Plus Lofter & me www.ticketsource.co.uk/thelanternsh... 1/3

→ The value of #migrants needs to be championed 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗣𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠’𝗦 𝗥𝗛𝗘𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗪𝗢𝗡’𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 Trying to counter Nigel Farage's Reform party by adopting a tough stance on migration risks fuelling xenophobia. Facebook tinyurl.com/ycxnap2c LinkedIn tinyurl.com/yupvym5a YouTube tinyurl.com/5ymt539k

Apropos of nothing, I'm thinking about several things, one of which I just learned bout. The first is "Chesterton's Fence": an early 20th Century author who used a parable of a fence to posit why we should not destroy what we do not understand. 1/n www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPGb...

An excellent interview here with cardiologist Dr Rae Duncan who talks about the ‘cumulative risks’ and long term post infection health risks to everyone from #COVID.

Invigilating this morning. Students identified errors in formulae given, department confirmed. A student claimed "I know enough to know this is wrong, but not enough to know what is right." In a single sentence they encapsulated the essential existential moral dilemma of life we all face every day..

"So, Derek, who are you going to be for us?" 'Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Stacia from the old Hawkwind gigs' "w.w.what? Quick - Take that body paint off him and get him away from that camera. Don't let him on the stage.."

No more National Audit Office involvement. 6 days into office Rachel Reeves refused permission for the NAO to investigate England's 48 SEZs and 8 Freeports.>

The term ‘localised freedoms’ is a libertarian speak for total corporate hegemony, it involves breaking up a country into more ‘manageable pieces via zoning. Corporations are being trusted to ‘self-regulate’ inside the zones under Adam Smith’s ‘Invisible Hand’. The UK is being privatized.

It sucks that right-wing and fascist propaganda are free and forced upon us, but actual news is paywalled. Can't understand why so many people are getting fash brain-rot.

Today I was asked by the person at the cafe taking my order, "do you have any allegories?" Shame they didn't follow up asking for a fable number.. (I would note this was a very British looking and sounding person!) Usually if asked whether I have any allergies, I reply "let's find out!"

AOC 🔥🔥🔥

Sometimes it's hard to be an omen Giving all your fates to just one ome (that's yer actual Polari..)

In just two weeks Chrystine Moon will be playing at @thelanternsheff.bsky.social - "changing the world one revolutionary love song at a time"! Plus YouTube historian Catherine Warr @cathwarr.bsky.social It'll be a fab evening - see you there! #Sheffield www.ticketsource.co.uk/thelanternsh...

I love that Fun With Grapes and its follow up Strawberry Pop-Tart Blow-Torches are both still up. Two of the oldest pages extant on the internet. pmichaud.com/grape

So if Donald Trump didn't win in 2024 he would be going to prison for his failed coup. That is where the USA is at.

He took a long drag and ruffled his mane as the smell of strawberry and lime filled the air. "You see, Lucy", he said wistfully, "I still have a bit of the Old Magic.."

Revisiting my Joke-of-the-Day service from decades ago. Today's entry was originally "broadcast" on Nov 29, 1995: Q: What's the difference between a banjo and a trampoline? A: Not everyone likes to jump on a trampoline.