The cultural whiplash here is strong

Tony Blair on my radio doing full AI Silicon Valley boosterism Unrelatedly…. Tony Blair’s personal think tank has had or been pledged $350 million from Oracle boss Larry Ellison democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-the...

Here is the apotheosis of the insanity: we must burn through our remaining fossil fuels in order to "take advantage of #AI". AI can give us NOTHING that will make worsening & accelerating climate crisis worth it. This 'last gasp tech-as-saviour' attitude is cult-like.

UK is more likely to be tipped into a skip. There is no legal or constitutional rule which requires a general election if a PM is changed mid-term. Since 1974 every UK PM has either entered or left office mid-term (or both). Silly, misleading stuff from a senior politician.

Showing this heat who's boss by wearing all my clothes. Let's see who blinks fir

Pope Leo:

Iona, East Bay – The Little Island and Mull, painting by Francis Cadell (1883-1937), Scottish colourist.

I am proud to play with Arthur as with all my trans teammates. This guidance is horrifically short-sighted and dehumanising. We cannot let this pass without a fight.

Wrote a letter to my MP, it’s probably not the most coherent thing in the world but I couldn’t not say anything.

"Blimey, that's a long way down!" -#SheepOfTheDay

Higher than it looks with incredible wear where many boots have stepped. Shap to Rosgill.

Friday

Andrew Fisher in a few sentences exactly sums up the economic situation people are facing, why and what the alternative is.

Inside the Great Barn, Sizergh Castle. #AdoorableThursday

Overheard on the Manchester train this morning: ‘Well, we’re off to a WONDERFUL place called Barrow in Furness.’ It’s pure cross-Bay prejudice, but I feel like Coral Browne deciding that the three sisters’ enthusiasm for Moscow gave the whole play a very sinister slant.

Right time, right place - so thrilled to get these heavily cropped shots of a pair of Kestrels. Don’t think he looks too impressed that she’s not sharing! @severnsidebirds.bsky.social @andy-1963.bsky.social #southglosbirds #bristolbirding

So farewell then Ianto's shrine Created as a So farewell then For Ianto Your show was dark, wild and sexy Now you're a risk to health and safety On TripAdvisor You were #43 in Things To Do In Cardiff Now Cardiff is down to Only 42 wonders.

Oil pastel drawing. Coffee office

If you missed out on the Crowley/Mythos Kickstarter, here is yiur chance to get on board: crowley.backerkit.com/hosted_preor...

Oh so now copyright matters.

moby-dick, his eyes enormous: from hell's heart you STAB at moby? for hate's sake you spit your last BREATH at moby? oh! oh! the great shroud of the sea for ahab! the great shroud of the sea rolling on as it rolled five thousand years ago!!!!

Astronaut Victor Glover, pilot of the #ArtemisII, and his family. They must be so friggin proud.. www.nasa.gov/learning-res...

Dramatic scenes at BBC Breakfast.

Monkey touches bird tube red snake

Waiting for a train home at Oxford station, where there’s a chartered Pullman service in first, and Rowan Williams is also waiting on the platform. Easy to think it’s an HBO promo event for H*rry P*tter

My excellent colleague @katiedd.bsky.social has just published this remarkable investigation into rampant book banning in a Greater Manchester secondary school library. 193 books including The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, White Teeth and 1984 Graphic Novel www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

First 2026 sighting of a bare chest. Put it away/nature is healing

Very much enjoyed this deliciously deadpan reminder of Kwarteng's record as chancellor in this piece www.ft.com/content/1518...

Leslie Schofield with no moustache, though. Unnerving.

I've just (thanks to The Golden Girls) been introduced to the idea of Gene Shalit. It's like someone watered Robert Winston with Baby Bio

Job done: #SheepOfTheDay gathered and waiting to be sorted

Your regular reminder than a large majority of voters - and overwhelming majority of Labour voters - favour giving settled migrants access to the welfare state after five years or less. The Home Secretary is not reforming rules in line with public opinion. She is doing the opposite.

If Reform had won, Labour's statement would be that this result is a stark reminder we need to listen and learn from voters who rightly feel betrayed by modern politics. But the Greens won by a comfortable margin, so it's: these voters are stupid and also sinister and, ugh, Muslims

TERRAHOPS

As ever, I don't imagine myself representative of anyone but me. But if I'd had a vote in Gorton I'd have agonised, then done whatever felt most likely to stop Goodwin. After Starmer and Mahmoud's responses I now feel quite motivated to vote *against* Labour?

Wrote about what it felt like to have Ian McKellen and Golda Rosheuvel staring directly into my soul and telling me how I'm going to die while seeing An Ark at The Shed

Exciting post from @barbarawhitfield.bsky.social and @fingerprintedns.bsky.social this morning!

#SheepOfTheDay entertaining the punters at Bentham mart with her ear-waggling tricks

*Not so fun fact. Matt Goodwin was my dissertation supervisor. Only briefly mind. I swapped after he said that my idea - a study and survey on the politics of the homeless (less than 1% vote) - was of "no academic interest". I got a 1st 🎓

With most psychedelic drugs, you never know what you're going to get. But this mysterious mushroom from China - without fail - causes users to hallucinate tiny people: crawling up walls, popping out from under furniture and marching under doors. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

And for our last free article of the day, in light of Sinners earning a record number of Oscar nominations, here's our review from @charlespulliam.bsky.social.

If you're a subscriber, should also check out my interview with Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who was *also* nominated today for her cinematography work on Sinners

Sinners breaking the record for most Oscar nominations ever Nigella replacing Prue on HBO Today is a historic day

First review of the new year is for 28 Years: The Bone Temple, which surprised the hell out of me with its dark humor and the way it turns the larger franchise on its head. Nia DaCosta *gets* it

*whispers* *hey, most of the world, you know we should boycott the Olympics and the World Cup, right*

I am wondering at what point some variant of "it would be good for Beitain to move closer to Europe" becomes a significant strain of thought in Europe again. I understand why there is caution - but it still feels like there must come a point where the advantages outweigh the bullshit