The Snark was a Boojum

Painting of a white woman in an orange dress standing on rocks by the sea

Laura Knight's Enduring Expressions of British Summertime
artuk.org/discover/sto...

this is what I, personally, would like to go to hell in

If you have to attend the job centre to justify the pittance you get as UC, they do give you credit for volunteer work & training courses. (Not money of course but they look kindly on it). I volunteer with our charity and with the Mayor of Merton's fundraising activities & do any training I can.

Yesterday a bank told me that rather than look for its phone number on its website (which is useless & hides all the numbers), or even on Google*, I should have “used AI” to find its phone number… please why do I have to drain rivers to cool data centres to *find a bank’s number*?

Mom burrowing owl peeking out from her burrow while her kid is standing in the cave in back.

Good morning! 🪶

Prohibitions are not spells.

Law is not magic.

When you prohibit a thing, all that means is the thing may be attended by different legal consequences than before.

The thing is not extinguished by a mere prohibition: it can continue but in a different way with different (and unforeseen) effects.

"Cynicism is a form of obedience."

— Cornelius Eady

This chimes with my view. The more exposure the Fag Ash Fuhrer and his band of crooks, grifters, and imbeciles receive, I think the more people see through them.

BBC repeatedly contrasts people who arrive in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats - an irregular/illegal journey - with others who might arrive here by a legal route.

If there had been a legal route for the last few years, there would have been no small boat gangs.

#bbcpm

As per the current conversation on James O’Brien

Margaret Thatcher -

We don’t negotiate with terrorists

Right wing media -

All hail Empress Thatcher

Keir Starmer -

We don’t negotiate with terrorists

Right wing media -

Burn him… he’s a witch

Painting of a young woman sleeping in a gigantic canopy bed on top of a stack of mattresses taller than she is

The Princess and the Pea — Edmund Dulac, 1911

This guy is the real deal. I am a huge fan.

We once loved pigeons. We might not remember that, but they do | Joseph Earp The gentle, beautiful curiosity of humans led to the discovery that these birds are able to differentiate between paintings by Monet and Picasso

A lovely tribute to pigeons. 🥰

Firearms licensing guidance strengthened to protect the public Tighter controls on firearms licensing will be introduced by the government to keep people safe and help the police apply the law consistently.

Tighter gun controls come into force today to further make sure those who are unsuitable do not have guns.

Two referees will be needed for shotguns with additional advice for referees being given.

Additionally, police will have access to more info about applicants.

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We are turning Earth into a unlivable Hot House Earth
Earth was about 2.65 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 1.47 degrees Celsius) warmer in 2024 than in the late 19th-century (1850-1900) preindustrial average.

The 10 most recent years are the warmest on record.
climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/...

American climate journalist Alec Luhn missing on Norwegian glacier A search is underway for award-winning climate journalist Alec Luhn, a Wisconsin native, who is missing on a Norwegian glacier.

I’m sharing this hoping that someone hiking the same route in Norway might see this. Let’s find @alecluhn.bsky.social!

This is no more a story than if Mr Kipling had warned we were in danger of not eating enough cake

Scientists reclassify the shortest measurable unit of time as that which occurs between Tommy Robinson incident and the launch of his fundraising page The world of physics is in shock after scientists announced the reclassification of the shortest measurable unit of time after Tommy Robinson was involved in a violent incident at London’s St…

newsthump.com/2025/08/01/s...

Assignment - Waiting for my Dad - Ukraine's children of the missing - BBC Sounds A pioneering summer camp for Ukrainian children with missing parents

A longer version of Will Vernon's report from a Ukrainian summer camp for children of the missing.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

#r4today

Government moves to end discriminatory age bands and unfair pay The Government’s manifesto commitment to deliver a genuine living wage for working people took a step closer today as it set out new considerations for the Low Pay Commission when recommending next ye...

A genuine living wage has become a step closer as the Labour Government sets the remit for the Low Pay Commission to set minimum wage recommendations for next year.

It will deliver on a manifesto commitment by moving towards phasing out the 18-20 band & must take into account the cost of living.

Wooden ladder A stile under the Beech tree. Walking east beside the north ditch in Wall mile 25. Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail.

Walking east beside the north ditch in Wall mile 25. Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. #hadrianswall #followtheacorn #thicktrunktuesday

The ITV documentary about Lucy Letby is very good. Old school, public interest broadcasting which assumes the intelligence and the conscience of its audience. Anyone with the slightest interest in the case should watch it.

I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts.

The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative.

Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.

The Fragonard just hit the spot for a lowish alcohol 🍸 drink that spelt of summer, thank you @nigella.bsky.social

I made a queen butterbean, fennel sausage and red pepper tray bake for lunch. I’d already made some “proper” lavender icecream, so baked figs in honey and Pernod to go with it. Yum!

"eCommerce will revolutionise the law of contract," we were told twenty-five years ago, but the law of contract hardly noticed.

"Artificial Intelligence will have an impact ten times greater than that of the Industrial Revolution," says somebody whose only knowledge of the Industrial Revolution must come from Artificial Intelligence.

Tens of thousands of cornflowers in a field in Wicken. Research shows that the sight of them will help you recover from sources of stress more quickly & boost dopamine release in your brain, lifting your mood…in case you need it just now:

Added:

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"PM call with President Erdoğan of Türkiye: 4 August 2025"

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Plan to build UK's largest battery storage facility near Corsham Grenergy submits plans to build the facility near Corsham in Wiltshire.

Plan to build UK's largest battery storage facility. 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...