It’s so important to me to cover economic abuse - so I was delighted to have the chance to raise it on the World Service. Insights from UK, USA, South Africa and more. Thanks to @nicolajanesharp.bsky.social and all my contributors, especially ‘Mary’ for sharing her experience so frankly.

Day 1, #hARToween25: Haunted House 😈🎨🦇 I got a brand new sketchbook and figured I would use it to put all my drawings in for this challenge, but wow, the watercolor paper did NOT behave the way I expected it to. We'll see if I adjust or find it works better with a different medium. 🤞

I used to draw all the time up until my early 20s. But I haven’t done much of it for nearly 4 decades! #hARToween25

It's officially Spooky Month! 🎃 Kicking it off with some #hARToween25! Took a little inspiration from old school Halloween cards but tried to keep it in sort of my style. 🖼️

Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist, has died. She was 91

Halloween Season Poetry: a haiku Orange is not a Scary colour. It just isn't. Fucking hate pumpkins. (Like, share, quote post with your own. We can make this a thing. 😜😱 )

Be seeing you

#hARToween25 challenge day 1: haunted house Private reserve ebony purple ink, fountain pen, water and water brush, black rollerball for the tree

@stinasdemons.com doing today's challenge, just about finished, sneezed on it...

Jesus christ this scared me

Omg this is HILARIOUS

Times are tough and life is hard, so I've put Columbo on. In this episode Columbo meets Number Six after he kills Frank Drebin Snr. Number Six says "I'll be seeing you" a lot.

There’s a developing trend of people standing for positions in left wing parties being “not openly transphobic” in the light of previous “just a little transphobia, as a treat” positions. I’m not supporting any of them. Open support for trans rights is a bare minimum.

Charging 2% tax on assets over £10 million would raise £24 billion a year. Labour claims its invented (see MMT) 'black hole' in the nation's finances = £22 billion. So, that 2% tax would plug that notional hole, with £2 billion change, & NOT A SINGLE CUT to welfare budgets. It's a choice.

Same for transphobia

I’m on a train with four young activists returning from the Labour conference. They’re very well-spoken and passionate and… they know *nothing*. They’re constantly asking each other obvious and easy questions about politics and life and getting the answers profoundly wrong.

🧵 Yesterday, we learned that the brilliant Arthur Rank Hospice in South Cambridgeshire is facing a crisis due to a £829,000 funding cut. The reduction would close 9 of the 23 palliative care beds, representing a massive 40% decrease in capacity.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD! I'm taking part in a panel with other women food writers for this year's South East London BookFest. Come join us at 2pm on Sat 18 Oct! l'll be alongside Romy Gill, Pary Baban from Nandine, @foodstories.bsky.social and The Flygerians! Free tickets here! 🎟️ tiny.cc/food

I'm writing an article on the new Crunchyroll subtitling pipeline, and at this point I'd really like to get in touch with someone who does subtitle work for CR and has had to deal with said pipeline already to confirm my findings. DMs are open, you can be an anonymous source. Please spread the word!

Hi! We've made the Put This In Your Ear Object. It is the ideal size and shape to put in your ear, feels really nice when you put it in your ear, and can be used to clean out earwax, by putting it in your ear. Just one thing, though. Under NO circumstances should you put this in your ear.

Based on behavioural analysis of me recently I am a bat. Now please excuse me, I have an important period of torpor to attend to.

It's not a "bigger tent" if we bring in people that require us to kick out people already under it.

It's fascinating and revealing how many centrists think refusing to compromise on human rights to gain the support of bigots represents a "political purity test," yet also think that a bigot saying "I won't join you unless you accommodate my bigotry" does NOT represent a "political purity test."

September 30th / October 1st

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I DELIGHT IN TELLING PEOPLE THIS IS THE SAME DUDE There's always equal numbers of 'pfft, everyone knows that' replies to 'WHAT??? THEY'RE WHAT?????' and I think that's lovely!

Watching Suspiria on the BFI Player it asks, "Are you over 18?" No, I'm a ten-year-old with a subscription to the BFI Player.

This is the hill I will die on. Information should come (at least also) IN TEXT FORM.

Wishing all Earthlets a Lawful Drokktober

‘Nice food to be made more expensive’, another winning policy during a time of rampant food inflation. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I hope this whole incident has taught Emma Watson a valuable lesson about trying to satisfy both sides when one side is normal people and the other side is whatever the fuck fascists are

Yesterday's line from Labour was that Reform are racist which is bad so we're going to be racist. Today's line is that Reform want to remove your human rights which is bad so we're promising to remove your human rights, in the service of racism, which is bad, and that's why you shouldn't vote Reform

Public views of Reform,July 2024 Need to do more to keep out candidates with racist views: 64% to 9% (+55) Risk bringing prejudice to immigration debate 51% to 20% (+31) Say things they shouldn't say 45% to 24% (+21) Mainly dangerous + divisive 43% to 28% (+15) Racist 41% to 30% 29% on fence

Everything is terrible, but at least my little self-care birb gets to go on an exciting adventure around a creepy mansion with his little doggo because it's October? If you want to join me, tap this link or use my friend code YN3VDZ8ADY6 for a special reward! finch.go.link/7IMmu?adj_la...

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Any time people start talking about weakening protections for certain groups I am always reminded of this quote.

"War is hell." Ethel Merman cameos as the lieutenant who thinks he is Ethel Merman in Airplane! (1980)

I mean, half the rape crisis centres are closing because they're being attacked by transphobic "feminists" - Edinburgh rape crisis was basically wrecked by one powerful bigot

I have updated my post about my struggles with mental health, battling the legal and benefits systems and a lack of funds over the last year: karohemd.dreamwidth.org/2368074.html The processes are very slow so any amount would be helpful. Donation options are in the link. Please reskeet.

Join us in celebrating Arachtober by sharing your #spider and other #arachnid photos all month. #Arachtober has spread around the web. We’ve created a basic site at Arachtober.com to explain what this is all about. Banner by @ashleymbradford.bsky.social, inspired by my recent linocut artwork.

Excited to introduce Vibes from Meta. Eat your slop, piggies!

"I have crossed oceans of time for this foolproof bake."

BBC iPlayer having normal one tonight

We all have to compromise our principles to survive, because we live in Hell, but the *whole point* of getting rich and powerful is surely that you don't have to compromise as much, you have more freedom to do the things you want to do and be who you really are.

fuck off fuck off fuck off fuck OFF with this bullshit

Happy birthday to the only TV show to predict that in the future some people would communicate using only reaction memes

🎨🩸🎃 HERE is the #hARToween25 Prompt List for anyone who'd like a head start. Start posting on 10/1! 👻 Feel free to share/repost. Anyone can join & share their Art but **ABSOLUTELY NO AI OR GENERATED IMAGES** If you use #hARToween25 (CASE SENSITIVE) it will auto pull into the Feed (link in replies)

Again, we go back to this idea that "racist" is a slur levelled at someone, a thing that someone *is*, rather than a thing they do of their own volition. I'm not *calling them* racists: I'm saying they are *being* racist.

What's your sign?

I was gonna post about how if you ban kids from using the right toilet at school, half of them will stop going to school, but I realised that's exactly what the transphobes want. Just another step in their program of completely driving trans people out of public life.

Keir Starmer says everyone in the UK will be required to have mandatory digital ID. That’s not the kind of country we want to be.