Stephanie Cole

I see. I don’t think I’d have a good time with those European tea bags. You can take the woman out of Yorkshire etc. Or maybe I’d just need to learn a bit more patience!

I thought I’d seen one from him with what seemed like long lists of previous bans not just in the UK, thought Europe too.

Very little milk (probably about one teaspoon), in first [cue excessive hyperventilating and flapping from almost everyone] and (Yorkshire) teabag out fairly quickly results in fresh, zesty, non-milky brew. Nice. It does mean I nervously say ‘can you take the teabag out now’ a lot. Like a berk.

Yeah, can’t abide stewed tea and flabbergasted at the amount of milk people use. After extensive training to suit the needs of a VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT TEA friend and housemate, I still take it the same as her after 20+ years. And get grief about it from everyone else every time.

Also useful distinction re ‘Ultras’,(which you and I will probably know more than enough thank you about from another world…)

@sundersays.bsky.social has written a number of detailed threads about banning away fans in UK and internationally with sensible (to me) suggestions about how to manage public safety for and of away fans. Here’s a link to one. There are more inc eviscerating Robert Jenrick 👍 bsky.app/profile/sund...

It’s great (so far). I’m listening to her reading the audio book. And love that she really reads it, says things more than once, and ad libs. She’s so influential for my work. I’ll buy and read the actual book at some point, and reread and relisten multiple times. #Fan

Great piece and insight from colleagues in @refugecharity.bsky.social team supporting victims of domestic abuse, who are increasingly subjected to perpetrators' use of technology to coerce, control and harm.

So excited about this fabulous event on Fri 24th & Sat 25th October in central London: SURVIVING #SPYCOPS.

With a brilliant line up of speakers on Friday including the wonderful comedian Mark Thomas plus fantastic new protest art. Not to be missed!

Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surviving-...

Human rights in the age of populist authoritarianism.

'In a political moment defined by the rise of authoritarian far right movements and figures, we argue that this is an urgent task for a Feminist Anti-Racist Left.'

By @feministdissent.bsky.social

www.soas.ac.uk/about/event/...

School history lessons minimise the role of women, report finds Campaigners say key stage 3 curriculum plays to misogny and teaches a ‘false version of the past’

'Even when women were mentioned, the report found they were more often victims than protagonists, with the women murdered by Jack the Ripper more likely to be taught in lessons than the female code breakers at Bletchley Park during the second world war 1/2

Women took Thalidomide from 1957 until 1961, when it was taken off the market. Paracetamol has been in safe use for over 70 years.

It's a perfect example of how populists undermine trust in institutions: it's a bullshit false equivalence, but only an expert would be able to rebut it live on air.

Populism always makes things worse for people - the economy, social cohesion, culture, all wither under its weight. It's a prerequisite for dictators to undermine the authority of the institutions like academia, science & the courts, that track this decline & communicate it to the public.

💥 #FiLiA2025 session news 💥

POLICE SPIES OUT OF LIVES: STOP STATE-SPONSORED ABUSE OF WOMEN BY #SpyCops

Survivors of the undercover policing scandal in conversation about their fight for justice.

🎟️ filia.org.uk/tickets

@spiesoutoflives.bsky.social @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social

"We demand decisive government action to shut down far-right intimidation and foster a bold, anti-racist, anti-sexist vision for our society and pledge support for the 12 demands made by SBS with support from 60+ organisations"

southallblacksisters.org.uk/news/its-tim...

As part of the 10th celebrations, we share news of a book by @rahilag.bsky.social, British Feminism: Through A FiLiA Lens, a herstory of the #Feminist voices & activism of the last decade of #FiLiA

Pre-order for collection at #FiLiA2025 or delivery 🔗 shop.filia.org.uk/products/bri...

Announcing Kinship Works An alliance for a human alternative

9 months ago @jamestplunkett.bsky.social went full-time supporting the energy at the edges. Our old bureaucratic institutions struggle more each day. This is a movement to build a more human alternative.

👀 medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Our thanks to the many people who have shaped the thinking.
(1/3)

I wrote a thing a while ago about how one of the important tasks for a new Labour government was to make space for the sadness people felt as a result of the pandemic, austerity and more. Sadness, not despair or its proxy anger. There is a lot of sadness with nowhere to go, hiding in other things

“Because the [best code isn’t written by the developer or the best, most caring, care-full, purposeful work isn’t done by the person] who works the longest hours. It’s [written by the developer or done by the person] who brings their full attention and energy to the problems that matter most.”

“When we’re wankered—truly, deeply tired—we’re not serving our users, our teams, or ourselves well. The most sustainable thing we can do is acknowledge our limits and work within them.”

“Which in turn invites us to confer autonomy on [developers our people].

[Software development or public service] will always be challenging. The problems we solve are complex, the technologies evolve rapidly, and the stakes continue to rise. But that challenge can energise us, not exhaust us.”

“This means building organisations that value our wellbeing not as a nice-to-have, but as a prerequisite for [building quality software or being able to care for people & communities]. It means recognising the most productive [developer or worker] is often the one who knows when to stop working.”

“The goal isn’t to eliminate tiredness from [software development or helping people/VCSE organisations]—complex cognitive work is inherently demanding. The goal is to make that work sustainable over the long term. (Good luck with that, BTW)”

“This isn’t just about being tired after a long day. This is about the deep, bone-deep fatigue that comes from months or years of ridiculous practices, impossible deadlines, and the constant cognitive load of modern [software development or VCSE working life/public service].”

Wankered Wankered Understanding and addressing developer exhaustion in the software industry In software development, there’s a lot of talk about technical debt, scalability challenges, and code quali…

Wankered: Understanding and addressing [developer] exhaustion [in the software industry]

Great piece…(too) easy to extrapolate out to the VCSE sector

Wankered: Understanding and addressing [staff and volunteer] exhaustion [in the VCSE sector]

flowchainsensei.wordpress.com/2025/08/26/w...

'Pro-Life’ Groups Brag They Killed Funding for Children's Brain Cancer Research Conservatives are targeting $20 million in NIH research allegedly using fetal tissue

Conservatives have been bragging all week that they got the Trump administration to pull NIH funding from 17 studies using fetal tissue.

What the 'pro-life' movement won't tell you is that one of those studies was seeking to cure brain cancer in children.

jessica.substack.com/p/nih-brain-...

There may or may not be a case for continued drilling while we continue to transition to clean energy, but the idea it will meaningfully boost the economy, solve the UK's fiscal woes, or bring down energy bills is beyond laughable.

It's treating voters with contempt.

Meet Jasmine and Josh. Jasmine is a mathematician. Josh is a male mathematician.

Actual T shirts you can buy and wear! 10 % off EVERYTHING until Midnight on Sunday. Use code TENOFF at checkout.

https://manwhohasitallshop.com/collection/hers-and-his

SARS2 presents a considerable risk to preschool kids, both acutely and in the longer term cf other CHILDHOOD DISEASES, NOT ADULTS.
The childhood vax is incredibly safe and incredibly good at preventing both.
2-6% of infections result in #LongCovid. Vax lessens this risk.
Vax DOES reduce transmission