My mother used to tell me not to mock the afflicted, but it depends on the affliction, doesn't it?

We've just been discussing food and its importance to human development even beyond sex as Freud asserted, and all I could think of was this from I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.

Such manufacturing could be good news, if the products were socially useful, the process was environmentally friendly, and the unwanted operatives were otherwise employed or enjoying more leisure, but none of that is likely, is it?

Since the gender madness began, women and children have been the focus of attention in the resistance, but gay men are asserting themselves too. They don't want to be part of the LGBTQ+. humangaymale.com

An addled response 👇 to a post about discrimination against someone who doesn't believe trans ideology. If it was a religious belief, and she'd been denied recognition for her achievements because she was an atheist, there'd be an outcry, but this is typically trans, making the victim the aggressor.

Labour doesn't just have to worry about Reform, says Sir John Curtice. People don't know what to make of Starmer. Sir John's also pointed out that Labour's share of the vote last year was 33.7%, the lowest ever for a "majority" government. It's ime for electoral reform. youtu.be/tkGNCk45_Z4?...

The Boring Fund will be open for applications in November. If your small UK charity needs (up to) £200 to cover something boring like insurance or web hosting, take a look. They welcome donations too.

I keep reading about Trump firing or deporting people, and wondering who's left to do the essential work around Ameruca? Will Melania have to put on a pinny and rubber gloves to keep Mar-a-Lago habitable? And who's delivering his burgers and fries?

not sure what language this is, i’ll try to find out as soon as i’ve posted this letter, reaching my fingers through as far as possible to ensure a precise delivery

I can understand why a minority of delusional people may adopt a gender identity, a false belief that leads them to reject reality, but I find it harder to understand why ostensibly informed and educated people make fools of themselves by sharing such nonsense. www.tabletmag.com/sections/art...

Migrants make useful scapegoats for the failings of governments, which haven't addressed the underlying problems of inequality and exploitation by political donors. Starmer talks of grievances, but isn't demolishing the mythology.

I thought we'd settled all this, but no, there are still men in a women's prison. unherd.com/newsroom/why...

Racism on the streets, America 2025 Don't let Farage and the far-right police our communities.

Heartbreaking report on Melika Mohammadi Gazvar Olya, who is #ICE detention after she fled Tehran after taking part in the #WomanLifeFreedom protests in #Iran #TrumpsAmerica www.france24.com/en/americas/...

I have an Instagram habit. Some evenings I scroll through reels, liking the ones with singing and dancing, and funny ones, like French and Saunders, Morecam and Wise, and the Two Ronnies. There's lots of lovely stuff in there.

One of the big announcements at the weekend's Labour conference was a plan to build three new towns with thousands of new homes. One site would surround the village of Tempsford in Bedfordshire, a greenfield area prone to flooding and sewage spills. You'd be unwise to buy a home there.

Found on Facebook. “They’re eating the swans, they’re eating the carp!”

I'm sorry but I refuse point blank to believe that Philip Faircloth-Mutton is a real person.

I see you!

As an antidote to my last post, something beautiful. 'Upon Going to Sleep' from Richard Strauss's 'Four Last Songs', a musical interpretation of a poem by Hermann Hesse. youtu.be/-v1zlfWZXDw?...

Jonathan Swift and H G Wells are among authors who've imagined worlds where othering resulted in horrors for the disadvantaged. It's not just fiction any more. Are we close to a point of no return? I won't live to find out. For images, see any news feed. "Our true nationality is mankind." H G Wells

​This is what the destroyed homes in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, just outside Kyiv, look like after russian attack last night. Bastards. Murderers.

When dreams come true... 😊 #cat #catday #bluesky #animals

My sympathies with Preston people who want nothing to do with Reform or the misguided LGBTQ+ "community", and who think flags belong on sandcastles.

I don't think PR will be the answer to all our political problems, but it'll certainly be an improvement. Add your name to @electoralreform.bsky.social‬'s call to #MakeSeatsMatchVotes action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/3782/pe...

September showboating in Voi! Our orphan herd adores the camera and many members strike a pose when they see it focused their way. Who’s your favourite showboat? 1 Akina striking an elegant pose 2 Chapeyu snooping 3 Kaluku reaching for the sky

Lend your support to entrepreneurs in low-income countries through @lendwithcare.bsky.social Make your first loan for free with this link! lendwithcare.org/referral/LUK...

Creativity is a valuable asset for anyone taking advantage of a university education, but not when it means rejecting science and logic in favour of fashionable nonsense. Richard Dawkins is among those criticising the influence of trans ideology in universities. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...

Have just been reminded why it's inadvisable to go barefoot when there are cats in the house.

thecritic.co.uk/the-gender-f... Excellent piece

I've never been inclined to reason with domineering men. They don't listen anyway. I just tell them what I think of them for the benefit of an audience. It's been quite effective. I don't think enough women realise how strong they might be, like Hull's Headscarfed Heroes. inews.co.uk/culture/film...

There's something familiar about that expression, and the bottom lip. Elon Musk has it too. And Trump. I can imagine Vladimir using toy weapons in the same provocative way he's using real ones against his NATO neighbours. Some people never grow up.

So frustrating hearing & seeing fruit & seed bearing hedges being cut ahead of winter. We have lost 50% of our hedgerows since the 1950’s, no wonder we are in a “”#BiodiversityEmergency in the UK.

Another woman's achievements unrecognised because she doesn't recognise men as women. It's absurd. Using threats and intimidation to impose a false belief is very masculine behaviour. Men who do this give their game away. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...

I find this farcical. Am I meant to?

There’s been a mass walkout at the UN as Netanyahu delivers his address.

Oil is very lucrative, so the vendors will continue to do the hard sell and seek more sources. Politicians are reluctant to make it clear that wasteful, consumerist lifestyles must change. It's a fallacy that all it takes is a few adjustments, so we can carry on as usual. And wars are distracting.

Came back to bed after letting my cleaner in this morning, and I'm still here, warm and comfortable, but as my cat can't make coffee I suppose I'll have to get up. It's not laziness, it's conserving energy. #ME/CFS

Found on Facebook: In the centre of Barcelona stands El Esfuerzo (“The Effort”), also known as La Carga (“The Burden”), a sculpture by Jaume Plensa. We may have more labour-saving appliances than my mum did in the 50s, but women still do more domestic work than men, and it's under-valued.

Anyway, goodnight!

I need one of those home hairdressers, or my carer's going to have to use a large basin.

Was chatting with an intelligent octogenarian today who said that a grandson had told her that she should keep up to date with the news. She told him there was nothing she could do about any of it, so she didn't watch it any more. I sympathised. We may have a vote, but the choice doesn't inspire me.

Damn the drills! The Foz do Amazonas (Amazon River mouth) basin is a unique ecosystem, where freshwater from the Amazon meets the Atlantic ocean. An oil company thinks it has vast potential. Yes, the wrong sort. Not content with deforestation, Brazil would pollute the sea too.

Having been driven around in the back of a noisy, rattly hospital transport minibus for over 4 hours this afternoon, through heavy traffic, and all a waste of time because we were too late for my appointment, I've renewed my opinion that there are TOO MANY CARS, electric or otherwise.

Yum.

We want MPs to put pressure on the Bank of England to accelerate the fight against climate breakdown. Our work alongside leading economic and environmental organisations, in the Guardian.

The only people who benefitted from PFI were the private companies that made billions in profit from public money, while the public sector faced extraordinary bills, hospitals in special measures and mothballed schools. 1/2

It has to be the money. Hope she's getting a good rate of interest.

NEW The government is considering plans to weaken a law protecting England’s national parks, in a move criticised as “outrageous” and “devastating”. Story 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/history/a...

“If Joe Biden had given a speech saying just a fraction of what Trump did, American news would be dominated for weeks by calls for him to be replaced, via the 25th Amendment if necessary. Trump being Trump, it will likely be shrugged off at home.” inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...