Poems for Lent (Day 32) 'Poem of the One World' • Mary Oliver •

"Universal health coverage is not merely a technical goal to be achieved; it is primarily a moral imperative for societies that wish to call themselves just." —Pope Leo XIV

“1 mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, 1 mile driving is a $.20 loss.” “Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” The #’s may vary, but the truth is the same.

🚨BREAKING PMQs🚨 Starmer: "When I see religious events in Trafalgar Square, when I see Hindus celebrating Diwali, when I see Jews celebrating Hanukkah live, when I see Christians performing the Passion of Christ or Muslims praying, that shows the great strength of our diverse city and country."

The US taxpayer will pay thrice over for this war. First for Israel's warfare. Second for US military. They'll pay again as the economic consequences hit home.

In Japan there are 36 words for walking! Like Japanese cities, the language is highly pedestrian friendly

this was one of the first things I made in this space. and I still feel the same music Ben E. King

If you're appalled by the blatant racism of this lot, you have a chance to get out on the streets in London on 28th March and stand up against the far right. Better than sitting at home feeling helpless. www.togetheralliance.org.uk

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

A useful summary of the reasoning behind @greenparty.org.uk policy on legalising drugs

Our latest tactical voting advice to stop Reform: stopreformuk.vote/parl/gorton-... Parliamentary by-election 26th Feb 2026 🟢 Gorton & Denton = GREEN #Manchester #ByElection

The annual social cost of urban road noise in England is £7-£10 billion & the WHO identified environmental noise as the second largest environmental health risk in Western Europe. LTNs & 20mph speed limits can massively improve this.

On this day in 1989, Princess Diana visited the Mildmay Hospital. It was a key moment in changing public attitudes to HIV. Together, we must continue our work to end HIV stigma forever. You can donate now to support our work. https://tht.org.uk/donate

Is it possible to live on this planet with a generosity, abundance, fearlessness, and beauty that mirror Divine Being itself? These are the wisdom questions, and they are the entire field of Jesus’ concern. cac.org/daily-medita...

Hard not to think that allegations of sharing government secrets is dealt with rather differently to allegations of crimes against girls. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...

"smoking costs the Hampshire and Isle of Wight region £1.2bn a year" @hampshirechronicle.bsky.social @hantsconnect.bsky.social

Unanimous not guilty: All Extinction Rebellion ‘JP Morgan medics’ cleared A jury has delivered a unanimous not-guilty verdict to the six healthcare professionals from who cracked windows at JP Morgan Chase’s European HQ during the July 2022 heatwave. extinctionrebellion.uk/2026/02/19/i...

Less than a week until our annual #PublicHealth conference held with the @local.gov.uk. Join leaders, practitioners & partners to hear the latest thinking on themes inc prevention & early intervention, tackling the wider determinants of health & neighbourhoods. SIGN UP NOW ➡️ bit.ly/4q1zaqq

Reform are definitely going down the Christian Nationalist route, I fear.

"We are not a perfect people. Yet, we are called to a perfect mission. Our mission: to feed the hungry; to clothe the naked; to house the homeless; to teach the illiterate; to provide jobs for the jobless; and to choose the human race over the nuclear race (1984)." #JesseJackson #PrayForAmerica

Jesse Jackson on the relationship between political action & religious commitment (on the BBC's "Out On A Limb" in October 1882). For Jackson (& for a while generation of African American civil rights activists) there could be no God-shaped world without practicing radical compassion & solidarity.

Everything, even sweeping, scraping vegetables, weeding a garden and waiting on the sick could be a prayer if it were offered to God. St. Martin de Porres

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has passed away at the age of 84. My thoughts are with his family. I wanted to share this clip from his appearance on Sesame Street in 1971. His important words ring just as true today as they did back then.

🆕 We’re excited to announce the launch of a new government campaign urging parents and guardians to get their little ones vaccinated to protect against serious illnesses such as measles. 🔗 nhs.uk/childhoodvaccinations #StayStrongGetVaccinated

One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.

We don’t just want more and better LTNs, we want Hackney main roads to change. 10% of Hackney residents live on main roads, and we want those people to feel the benefit too. Here’s how main roads should be changed in Hackney: www.lowtraffichackney.org/hackneys-mai... #hackney #LTN #traffic

I never really sign stuff. But this was different. It's not about trying to facilitate or block a particular party's route to power. It's about an electoral system that's unsuited to the political realities we face today and risks giving us government after government with no convincing mandate.

Love shouldn’t come at a cost 💔 For thousands of mixed-age couples, this Valentine’s Day may not be so happy as they miss out on vital support. Join us in our call for change: https://www.independentage.org/about-us/campaigning/mixed-age-couples #UnhappyValentinesDay #FixMixedAgeRule

Bollards save lives. End of story. #WorldBollardAssociation

Jim Ratcliffe abandoned workers in Grangemouth and fled to Monaco to avoid paying taxes in the UK. His hypocrisy knows no bounds. Another super-rich man blaming immigrants for the problems caused by billionaires.

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY. There was also a 71% drop in air pollution. Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

"silence is not empty — it’s full of answers"

Tweede Weteringdwarsstraat, Amsterdam in 1969 and today. Urban space is finite. When cities prioritize people over car storage, streets can support local businesses, active transport, and community life.

TikTok is censoring the words “Epstein” and “ICE” — and that alone should tell you how fast political censorship just arrived in America.

One for you @yplac.bsky.social

"If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started. They get started by suppressing free press.” #JohnMcCain

Say hello to Hannah Spencer—councillor, plumber, greyhound lover and your Green Party candidate for Gorton and Denton 💚

🚨NEWS🚨 Jackie Pearcey is our candidate in the Gorton & Denton by-election. Voters in Gorton and Denton deserve so much more than a failing Labour government or the divisive politics of Reform UK. Good luck Jackie!

This wisdom is so timely

Lies, lies, and damn lies.

Walz: "I call on all Americans to see the decency this state is exhibiting, and the horrific cruelty, unprofessional, absolute abomination that is passing for what these f--- ICE agents are doing on our streets."

MLK Jr. said America suffers not just from "the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people." Remember this.

This makes no sense… An MP can wake up one morning, ditch the party you elected them for, & sign up to a completely different manifesto… No thanks If they defect to a different party, we should get a vote Sign the petition & help make that law. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

The government sits and watches as Heba dies. It's heartbreaking, horrible, almost impossible to compute. Didn't people vote in the hope (however forlorn) of ending the Tories' psychopathic mode of government? Yet on it goes, under Keir Starmer. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

On this day in 1909 the first state pensions came into force - thanks to a Liberal government.

This year: - Bolsonaro went to prison - Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and is being tried - Brazil and Belgium joined S. Africa's ICJ case on Israel's genocide - Global green energy surpassed coal power - Denmark passed a law against deepfakes There are people still fighting to make the world better.

Genocide www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

This 👇🏻