Pete Hegseth: "We need our warriors to embrace the Spartan mindset" U.S. Military: *suffers crushing defeat to the Persians*

The thing that often isn't understood is that in order to make the transition to a zero-carbon economy, we have to invest an enormous amount of energy in things like building infrastructure.

That the same David Blunkett who colluded with the Sun to demonise refugees and famously shrieked "machine gun the lot of them" on the phone about a prison riot? Said towns were being swamped with migrants? Said Roma had to change their behaviour? Has Burnham just declared himself a racist prick?

AB, a 🧵

Hard to think of a more deeply damaging start to Burnham’s premiership than giving green light to new oil & gas in N. Sea, if true. It won’t lower bills or lead to greater energy security but will drive an even hotter planet. What a terrible signal to give to rest of the world #ClimateVandalism

Andy Burnham is going directly against the 2024 Labour manifesto by doing this (as the BBC correctly and prominently notes). That opens a door that his team have tried hard to keep shut. If he can go against the manifesto for *this*, he will hear, why not for other issues?

Chanced upon Bruce Grobbelaar's autobiography, and it has one hell of an opening line

A wonderful conversation here. I loved listening to it. Such a powerful, important combination to bring together deep medical expertise with a genuine care for people's real lives. Really heartening, thank you.

Time for a game. Give me the evidence base for screening the military for low testosterone and topping them up as needed to maximise their “lethality”. Wrong answers only.

It’s time to simplify shift patterns.

Astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell was born #OTD in 1943. As a Cambridge grad student in 1967, she discovered an entirely new type of celestial object: Pulsars! In 1974 the Nobel was given to her advisor; she was left off. 🧪 👩‍🔬 🔭 Photo: National Science & Media Museum

What great timing! Fans of I, Claudius definitely want to tune in to the new series of Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, Thursdays at 9am from 30th July… 👀 #IfYouKnowYouKnow

Markets don't think. They react. They're an emotional collection of heard animals whose priority is money, not the best interests of the country.

"Fundamental research should not be allowed to decline through attrition while public statements continue to suggest it is being protected." @jim-wild.bsky.social in @resprofnews.bsky.social today. Well worth a read. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

My random Sam Neil story. An actor friend of mine was cast in a small role on Peaky Blinders. Never receives his script pages. Discovers his role has been pushed to non speaking background, which is less fun/less money. Sam Neil spots him looking dejected on set and finds out.

The UK AI pushback: 42% of people are deliberately limiting their AI use and 70% of people think it would be difficult or impossible to avoid being exposed to AI even if they wanted to. New report from us at @kings-dfi.bsky.social : www.kcl.ac.uk/news/over-40...

Timely Radio Active repeat By-Election Special www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

Count Binface wants water bosses to swim in rivers to prove they’re clean. He could win a by-election on that policy alone.

If I were Nigel Farage, I’d dip into that £5 million crypto gift just to fund a video that can compete with this! 🤣 HILARIOUS ⬇️

“Verify your age” motherfucker it’s on Wikipedia

‘…we need to achieve a minimum of 40% street tree canopy cover, and preferably more, before we start to really feel the benefits of nature’s most advanced air-conditioning technology.’ Me, for Big Issue, on tackling urban #heatwaves…👇 www.bigissue.com/opinion/heat...

This shitlark deserves everything Count Binface can throw at him. 🤬

Stefan Johansson • Street Lights along Klarälven River •

FYI

Conventional wisdom says rooftop solar meets **exisiting** electricity demand. What if rooftop solar actually **increases** electricity demand, improving living standards and driving economic growth? This is exactly what our new analysis of Pakistan's solar boom shows. Let's dig in.. 🧵

Public sector research facilities now facing devastating cuts act as catalysts for regional business ecosystems, while offering training and job opportunities to their communities. Worrying reports that research institutes are facing deep funding cuts, putting jobs and UK research capacity at risk.

I was digging around on wikipedia today and happened to come across this very good painting of Fancy Men Bamboozled By Egg

If a racist resigns in disgrace, And sparks an electoral race, And the rest step aside, Could the people decide On a man with a bin for a face?

Here it is, the cover of the paperback edition of my book, Breaking: How the Media Works, When it Doesn’t, and Why it Matters. Now featuring some snazzy quotes! It’s out on August 27. geni.us/BreakingMicWright

I'm re-re-posting this significant article: "The open-source archive now contains more than 500,000 digitized photographs, identification papers, diaries, maps, films, and letters, many of which were collected directly from Palestinian families and might otherwise have been lost forever."

“Language matters here. Every time the word “e-bike” is attached to these machines, a legal, healthy and increasingly important form of transport takes the blame for the behaviour of people riding illegal motorbikes."

“In a letter to the Office for Students, which distributes the funding, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said funding should no longer be given to support nursing, computing, history, creative arts, performing arts, archaeology, and geography courses.” removepaywalls.com/https://www....

DSIT tend to hang a load of big ticket announcements off the back of public events (eg London Tech Week) and I think hope that the volume of them will prevent any decent scrutiny. Is very much a case of making it look like something is happening

this is just outright cultural and sociological vandalism from Labour.

Of course, another comedian once stood in an election, as an anti-corruption protest, using viral posts and stand-up routines…

The true reason for Social Media is revealed, to get clips like this

I'm hiring a Living Wage Intern based in my Westminster Office. If you are passionate about policy, Parliament, and care about the people of Newcastle, apply here: chionwurahmp.com/2026/07/job-...

Who doesn't want to spend all day giving things to an otter?

If you want to watch the full exchange it's on parliament TV here: parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

On display this morning, parliamentary scrutiny at its very best with @chionwurah.bsky.social and her committee questioning Secretary of State Liz Kendall about the STFC funding cuts. Worth watching in full, but here are some of the highlights! 1: Doctoring the minutes!

WTF is wrong with these people?

At today's UKRI board meeting, the fate of UK particle physics and astronomy will likely be decided. Have we done enough to convince the powers-that-be to halt the proposed funding cuts? 🤞 Read Prof. Hiranya Peiris in Nature today eloquently explaining why these cuts are wrong.🧪🔭⚛️ 📖: rdcu.be/friwM

it’s really important to have friends who are down to get weird with you at the skatepark

Well, it's been owned by Rupert Murdoch since 1981...

Bologna opens a new library containing more than 32,000 books from Umberto Eco's private study - arranged exactly as he left them - a decade after his death.

Boggling at this. OMG!!

With alt text.

Remember that the tuition fee rise just about covers the simultaneous increase in employer national insurance contributions for universities, so cutting teaching grants on this basis means universities on life support being subject to a shake down and being expected to say thanks for the privilege.

"...many of the deals to 'mainline AI into the veins' of the British economy were 'phantom investments'" www.theguardian.com/technology/2...