“We have no idea whether we can stay in control” Geoffrey Hinton (known as Godfather of AI) at the Nobel Prize Banquet Dec 2024. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physi...

Claims it is both a "superflu" & “unprecedented" even NHS England - experts say it’s ordinary with accusations of "crying wolf" Finally, catching up with reality, they’ve have been played by Government www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

One of the sad things that the poisonous anti-migrant rhetoric has produced is even more difficulty in having honest mainstream conversations about culture, identity, self-actualisation and the intersection of patriarchy with racism, leading to even more silencing of women in particular. Really sad.

2025 has been a speed competition in normalising racism. And as Toni Morrison said, the serious function of racism is distraction. So 2025 has topped the charts in distraction from the real work to achieve societal progress. Wishing you a less distracted 2026. northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...

Because of how much the word is nowadays being stigmatised I want to say -particularly to younger women- that ‘feminist’ is a great word & cause and being one gives clarity to one’s paths & strength to one’s choices. My only regret is that I didn’t proudly call myself one until later on in my life.

Because of how much the word is nowadays being stigmatised I want to say -particularly to younger women- that ‘feminist’ is a great word & cause and being one gives clarity to one’s paths & strength to one’s choices. My only regret is that I didn’t proudly call myself one until later on in my life.

I’m a mother of boys who have told me over their teenage years about the prevalent exposures to misogynistic social normalisation among their peers which makes me think that something absolutely needs to be done about this early on in education.

I loved Ardern’s memoir. I’m reading Sturgeon’s now and finding it on the whole too defensive. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

2025 has been a speed competition in normalising racism. And as Toni Morrison said, the serious function of racism is distraction. So 2025 has topped the charts in distraction from the real work to achieve societal progress. Wishing you a less distracted 2026. northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...

So here’s my take: Racists can NEVER be genuine feminists.

So here’s my take: Racists can NEVER be genuine feminists.

Here’s the leader of one of our main political parties calling for the deportation of women (included in ‘people’) based on some nonexistent misogynist classification of their ‘cultures’ in the name of protecting other women. What’s not valid as serious political messaging is this nonsense.

Here’s to the end of the classically most tiring week of the year. One more day. We can do this!

Another incredible case of white racial grievance about the academic job market. He reveals at the end that he wouldn’t provide the necessary application materials!

Racism isn’t a social class thing. That’s why it’s wrong to equate it with poverty & ignorance. One can be rich & highly educated and racist at the same time. One may not display overt racism but actively use their resources to strengthen structurally racist systems. We don’t talk about this enough.

Someone asked me the other day: were you exposed to racism? I said: yes very occasionally in an overt in-your-face sense but pretty frequently in a structural & stereotypical sense. The latter consumes so much more energy, produces much more pain & derails you more from doing the important work.

Racism isn’t a social class thing. That’s why it’s wrong to equate it with poverty & ignorance. One can be rich & highly educated and racist at the same time. One may not display overt racism but actively use their resources to strengthen structurally racist systems. We don’t talk about this enough.

I do think that if the main public health message from the authorities to the population is get the flu vaccine then the flu vaccine should be free and readily available for all. That’s not the case at the moment.

Hero is too small a word for this man 🙏

Ahmed Al Ahmed, is 43, a father of 2 and owner of a fruit shop in Sutherland, Australia. Yesterday, he disarmed a terrorist targeting a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach where 12 humans were killed. Ahmed was unarmed. He was shot twice and is expected to make a full recovery. Hero. 💔

Developing: At least 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney. Police say one shooter was killed and another is in custody. Video shows bystander Ahmed al Ahmad tackling and disarming a gunman.

so far tonight msnbc has interviewed two students from brown university that are also survivors of separate high school shootings. insanity.

The lowest price for private flu jab that I can see is £16 at Tesco but no appointments available locally. Local pharmacy offers it for £25. A blanket population-wide message of ‘get the flu jab’ is inappropriate if no practical incentives offered particularly for those struggling financially.

I do think that if the main public health message from the authorities to the population is get the flu vaccine then the flu vaccine should be free and readily available for all. That’s not the case at the moment.

Every time you’re visibly or vocally passionate about something and that voice in your head tells you off: ‘oops, that was a bit too much and over the top, tone it down girl’ .. just smile and remember that what makes you come alive is the reason you are here. What else could it be?

This is the thing. Flu jabs are not readily available even with pay for most people so the constant advice to get them needs to be grounded in reality and to offer folk practical steps.

I've spent three days in Calais & it's horrendous. People living in disgusting conditions. Our Government is spending £476m on the militarisation of the border. We must divert that money to a humanitarian response that treats people with basic dignity. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

This is the thing. Flu jabs are not readily available even with pay for most people so the constant advice to get them needs to be grounded in reality and to offer folk practical steps.

I don’t get why human civilisation is not progressing towards understanding that tackling airborne viruses need proactive preventive whole system approaches rather than the constant reactive panic in response to the damage they bring.

Interesting discourse. Resident doctors offered at the alter of flu. Their fault not limited hospital bed capacity. Not lack of universal free vaccination. Not lack of structural preventive measures against airborne viral spread. Not fear of angering the anti-masking ideology. It’s resident doctors!

If resident doctors have the super power to collapse the NHS singlehandedly then why not pay them properly and provide them with better working conditions? Why not give them an incentive to stay and invest their energy in this country rather than go abroad to chase a better life?

Every time you’re visibly or vocally passionate about something and that voice in your head tells you off: ‘oops, that was a bit too much and over the top, tone it down girl’ .. just smile and remember that what makes you come alive is the reason you are here. What else could it be?

Stand up to the far right rather than appease it. More of that please!

The important question is whether this year’s flu season will peak soon (and so we have a ‘normal’ serious flu wave, shifted earlier) or whether it will keep going up and only peak towards end of the year in which case it will be a terrible flu season - i.e. are we in scenario A or scenario B. 6/10

Good quality face masks work to reduce spread of respiratory infections. Widespread prejudice against wearing masks doesn’t undermine their effectiveness but it does undermine uptake & acceptability & these are important for population health. So it’s important to understand & tackle such prejudice.

This article criticises dividing public health messaging by dividing public health messaging. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Please wear a mask if you have flu symptoms and you can’t avoid mixing with other people. apple.news/AtvA_yCGuTqy...

Very well put: Politics as a tool for improving lives rather than managing decline. As it should be.

I wonder if, with such grave warnings, people may stop for a moment and think: anyone including us could become refugees so let’s reject all the cruel stigmatisation.

Please wear a mask if you have flu symptoms and you can’t avoid mixing with other people. apple.news/AtvA_yCGuTqy...

So what if they weaken ECHR human rights protections? So what if they interpret protection from torture differently? Will that improve services? Help the NHS? Bring better food, air & education? Eradicate poverty? Crushing rights is the most destructive distraction from the wrongs that need fixing.

So what if they weaken ECHR human rights protections? So what if they interpret protection from torture differently? Will that improve services? Help the NHS? Bring better food, air & education? Eradicate poverty? Crushing rights is the most destructive distraction from the wrongs that need fixing.

We're proud to be one of the orgs supporting the first domestic abuse awareness day of NHS staff. A vital yearly initiative started @thedauk.bsky.social & @medicalwomenuk.bsky.social Our door is always open to frontline staff if you need support with this, or any area. Frontline19.com #NHSDAAD

Give up your human rights protections to fight the people who think you shouldn’t have them. Yeah, right, very clever! www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

Religiously driven authoritarianism does not only oppress religious minorities. Its oppression of religious majorities who don’t exactly adhere to its version of ‘truth’ is constantly overlooked and that results in stereotyping of whole people as implicit & their double oppression by outside forces.

I recently watched Jacinda Ardern on an interview urging people to not stop expecting good from politics but that’s exactly the opposite of the constant media messaging which is: if you expect good from politics, you’re stupid, naive and a fool. Be pragmatic, aka be hopeless.

Religiously driven authoritarianism does not only oppress religious minorities. Its oppression of religious majorities who don’t exactly adhere to its version of ‘truth’ is constantly overlooked and that results in stereotyping of whole people as implicit & their double oppression by outside forces.

"We can take some solace in the fact that this offer to import the Trump and Vance doctrine into our own politics is something we will get to decide for ourselves at the ballot box." Our @sundersays.bsky.social letter to @thetimes.com on Trump's fears for Europe's 'civilisational erasure' [1/2]