I cannot understand what these people think the purpose of human life is? It is *not* "pursue joy, deal justly, love well, try to understand as much and see as much of this beautiful world and of the deepness, richness and variety of human culture and experience as you can before you die"?

The Bishop of Birmingham has written to the Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick about his comments about Handsworth

It’s becoming increasingly, scarily acceptable to be openly racist in UK politics with zero consequences. It’s also seemingly increasingly taboo to call someone out for being racist, but lets all keep calling this out: complaining about the “lack of white faces” in a city is really fucking racist.

In case you missed it — our cold spots research was covered in a panel discussion on Radio 4’s Front Row programme yesterday! Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I agree with every word Zelda Williams says. And this at the end from OpenAI makes me want to go full Ned Ludd. Creators can’t have a blanket opt-out on copyright infringement of their work and have to fill out a form appealing to OpenAI’s mercy every time? Fuck off into the sun

As parents, we're supposed to remember the first time we did stuff with our kids, but the last time is equally as significant, if not more. This poem is from Whatever You Do, Just Don't (HappenStance Press, 2023), my second full collection...

I’m deeply concerned about recent racist attacks in our capital city.

I absolutely think there is a crisis in gender right now, and a crisis of loneliness. But for men to be framed as the principle victims of that is repeating the dehumanisation of women that has existed for centuries. It shows how far we have to go until women attain equality. That's where we are

"It always seems you’re not doing pregnancy, birth or baby-raising right unless you’re really suffering through it. This is not the preserve of any one ideology or industry; it’s everywhere." @anooshc.bsky.social on what the anti-Tylenol rhetoric is really about www.newstatesman.com/internationa...

Thousands of Londoners have indefinite leave to remain. They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city. Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.

marriage and parenthood is fun because you can love somebody so much that you’d literally marry them three separate times but then also you find out the hard way that they didn’t restock the nappy bag

Want to be clear that the predictable violence against the police wasn't the only problem with yesterday's march It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.

ENRAGED by the newfound knowledge that The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) has an average rating of 6.4/10 on IMDb, who are the people who disliked it, were they all born without a soul, or capacity for joy

At the core of transmisogyny is, inevitably, misogyny itself. The viciousness with which some people trash trans women for how they look, or their supposed artificiality, or perceived errors in their behaviour, comes from a fundamental loathing of any women who doesn’t conform to their expectations.

⚠️ Women in the UK don’t need to be told what danger looks like — we live it every day. ⛔ One woman is killed by a man every three days in this country (Femicide Census, 2023) ⛔ In 2023, 1.7 million women experienced domestic abuse (ONS, 2023). It is not trans people who perpetrate these crimes.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail updated for Britain in 2025.

The New and Emerging Research sessions were amazing, as always. If you’re reading this and you’re a student / early career on the fence about presenting… I highly encourage you to submit your work in one of these sessions next year. They’re such welcoming spaces! #RGSIBG25

It’s the busiest day of our Annual Conference, with 173 sessions scheduled! 💡 Make sure to check the full programme to ensure you don’t miss out on any highlights: http://bit.ly/45WpHtm #RGSIBG25

Some great tips here for anyone attending #RGSIBG25 for the first time!

We made it! Conference team (and name badges) safely in Birmingham, we look forward to seeing #RGSIBG25 delegates from 10am tomorrow morning!

With our Annual Conference just days away, we’re sharing a few top tips from our colleagues at @globalsouthshub.bsky.social on getting the most out of the experience: http://bit.ly/4fzye96. In keeping with this year’s theme, creativity is one of the best strategies!

refugees are being housed in hotel rooms that do not meet their basic needs: families are being housed in rooms with no cooking facilities, nowhere for children to play, frequent reports of mould, damp, vermin. if an MP can’t explain that to constituents what are we doing here.

where’s the option for multiple at once

City Hall has triggered a high air pollution alert for Tuesday 12 August as hot weather is expected to increase pollutant levels. We're urging Londoners to look after themselves, stop their engines idling, and refrain from burning wood or garden waste.

Sometimes the historical dictionary offers solace through the existence of an obsolete word that is sorely needed now. One of them is ‘respair’, recorded just once, in the 15th century. It means fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.

Thought I'd best follow the advice I always give postgrads and take a brief recharge break at #dcdc25 - Durham cathedral as inspiring as ever. Now for the final two sessions!

Another fantastic day of sessions at #dcdc25 - I keep coming back to these ideas of both useability and usefulness which are bubbling up in so many presentations. The key takeaway for me - how can I be useful?

Loving all the panels and conversations at #dcdc25. Moving, powerful and compelling, and I'm struck by how much love and care are emerging as themes across sessions

i'm so tired. i'm just so tired all the time

To celebrate the publication of my new book, THE ART OF A LIE, I'm doing a giveaway of one of my signed author hardbacks, together with signed paperbacks of my first three novels, BLOOD & SUGAR, DAUGHTERS OF NIGHT, and THE SQUARE OF SEVENS. Follow and retweet to enter. UK only 🍍

Okay, so very briefly, here’s the state of abortion in the U.K.: it’s still illegal in GB! (Legal in NI) However, you can get one legally if you get a doctor to affirm that it’s a risk to your health- and that includes mental health, so it is de facto very easy to get a free legal abortion. BUT.

ON SALE NOW: A ghost story, live in your house. Grab your pay-what-you-decide ticket to The Rug in the Smaller Drawing Room. Live-streamed on Monday 19 May 7.30pm. (See below🎟️) 👻

Despite efforts to the contrary, we live in a nation of laws.

Sounds like a job for @edarmstonsheret.bsky.social 😊

Did you know we've recently launched a new map interface on our Gertrude Bell website? The result of a 2 year project it allows users to explore over 10,000 of Bell's letters, diaries and photographs and travels on a map. Find it here gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk/bellmap #SomethingNew #Archive30

Today is the 5 year anniversary to when I slowly started losing my mind during the pandemic and began dressing up as works of art. As my Twitter account has long been abandoned, why not make a thread of my madness on BlueSky? This was “The Maid” by Wilhelm August Lebrecht Amberg, from 1862

We can upload 3 minute videos now. YOU KNOW THE RULE

All I’m asking for is protected civil rights for all, a revolution followed by an age of political and economic stability which favours the working class and Ben Barnes playing more slutty villains, and I am being denied all these things.

A tiny watchful fragment in the chapter house at Durham Cathedral. #StainedGlassSunday

I am giving a 'Be Inspired' talk on my book "On the Backs of Others: Rethinking the History of British Geographical Exploration" at the Royal Geographical Society (and online) on Monday 10 March, 2.30 pm. Find out more and register here: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

The Love and Friendship episode was how I found this fantastic podcast! Absolutely love both 😊

I know people are looking for something to listen to while cooking/traveling this week, so I'm going to share some highlight eps from my film review podcast Overinvested! I'll sort my recommendations by genre (horror, classic cinema, critical pans etc.) in the thread below.