Meroë Candy

…but, but the Aliens kill lots of teenagers. (I’m biased as parent of two).

My time is now... Alien movies ranked, final cut:

1. Alien
2. Alien3 - really - BUT play on mute
3. Aliens ( including only sentry scenes from Directors Cut)
4. Alien: Romulus. Aliens vs Teenagers - what's not to love.
4. Alien: Resurrection. Gooey - watch for Weaver.

Don't bother with the rest.

It’s Mary Anning’s birthday, so time to share @katebeaton.bsky.social’s brilliant cartoon again.

While researching something entirely different I spotted this from 1989. Decades of wasted opportunity.

Cartoon ginger cat with big beseeching eyes.

In the days of lovely Twitter I often put out a call for help with research in writing my books. So here goes, Bluskiers.

I'm looking for a social worker (adoption/fostering preferably) and a probation officer who worked between 2008 and 2012, the more senior the better.

Please share :)

The debate around care visas in the political space boils down to people saying stuff like this - we desperately need people.

It's a good soundbite but...

A significant surge in care visas were issued since 2020 in response to sector demand and yet the problem of shortage has persisted.

Why?

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: THE REAL EXORCISM BEHIND 2025’S ‘THE RITUAL’ The exorcism of Emma Schmidt, also known as the Earling Possession, is among the most disturbing cases of alleged demonic possession ever recorded. With roots in trauma, witchcraft, and deep Cathol…

The 1928 exorcism that inspired The Ritual (2025) was more terrifying than fiction. Stevens & Pacino bring it to the screen, but I'm interested to see what The Ritual gets right & what it invents about the real exorcism of Emma Schmidt for #NightTideMag. 👻📽️
nighttidemag.com/2025/05/06/f...

I don't think Trump can put tariffs on films? Under the 1988 Berman Amendment, films are explicitly exempted from any Presidential tariff order, whether emergency or not. Here's the relevant clause from The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA):
1/3

I got this scam text this week. They don’t know teens. It used caps and punctuation.

Virginia Giuffre and the terrible cost of breaking the silence Virginia Giuffre has died from suicide at the age 41. What can we do to protect sexual abuse whistleblowers like her?

Virginia Giuffre has died from suicide at the age 41. What can we do to protect sexual abuse whistleblowers like her? | Jennie Kermode

@jenniekermode.bsky.social

Time for this classic.

The first reported case of Tourette’s in medical research was 1825.

a close up of a red circle with a white center ALT: a close up of a red circle with a white center

Help! I’m trialling a range of AI tools for my research to varying degrees of disappointment. Can you recommend any I should have on my list?

Calls for public inquiry into environmental scandal after botched clean-up of steelworks A lawyer is calling for a public inquiry into one of the UK's worst environmental scandals.

www.lbc.co.uk/news/health/...

Adolescence and the seven TV shows that changed Britain The hit Netflix show has inspired a public campaign by the prime minister. Here are some dramas, from Cathy Come Home to Mr Bates vs the Post Office, that made a real impact

Adolescence and the seven TV shows that changed Britain

www.thetimes.com/article/2425...

What Adolescence gets right (and wrong) about teen boys’ brains It may make for a compelling drama, but young men’s minds are more complex, says one neuroscientist

What Adolescence gets right (and wrong) about teen boys’ brains

www.thetimes.com/article/9b46...

Praise IKEA

Welsh National Theatre unveils first season featuring artistic director Michael Sheen Two plays have been announced

Michael Sheen has revealed the first season of Welsh National Theatre! www.whatsonstage.com/news/welsh-n...

When Science Finds a Way More incredible stories of how scientists and communities are leading the charge against urgent health challenges. Join botanist-turned-Hollywood actor Alisha Wainwright as she explores groundbreakin...

I’m not just a drama queen. I also research stories for the When Science Finds a Way podcast with Alicia Wainwright. S2 has just started with two fascinating projects - how planned burning is used to reduce the impact of wildfires and how mosquitos can combat malaria and dengue. lnk.to/ULyw1j

Two cheap plastic children’s play-sets. One is called Tool Set. The other is called Medical Case.

Saw your two ex-boyfriends at the post office.

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne: ‘I can’t forgive myself for what I did as a teenager’ The creator of Enola Holmes and Help on why his troubling new drama about knife crime is his most personal project yet

When I spoke to Jack Thorne about Adolescence, he said: "I hope that something I write someday will have the sort of impact that Mr Bates vs the Post Office did." Well Jack... www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/jack-th...

On watching, my 14 year old said this incel talk is all a bit 2022…

Yes and yet at a deep level I need MORE.

The news has been more than a bit grim of late, so hooray for @carbonbrief.org providing some genuine and really meaningful **good** news: the UK's carbon emissions in 2024 were the lowest since 1872, because demand for fossil fuels just keeps decreasing.

www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-...

Take that Meghan! #ToxicTown www.netflix.com/tudum/articl...

No exodus to state sector after VAT added to private school fees, say English councils Most say they have seen no impact on applications for year 7 places, despite warnings from those against policy

No exodus to state sector after VAT added to private school fees, say English councils

Most say they have seen no impact on applications for year 7 places, despite warnings from those against policy

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Classic cocker

The Shocking True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Toxic Town’—What Happened In Corby? Netflix’s new series "Toxic Town" follows three women whose children’s birth defects are linked to toxic waste from a steel mill. Here’s the shocking true story behind the show.

Netflix’s new series "Toxic Town" follows three women whose children’s birth defects are linked to toxic waste from a steel mill. Here’s the shocking true story…
www.forbes.com/sites/monica...

‘The videos the kids are watching get a lot more dangerous than Andrew Tate’ Screenwriter Jack Thorne on troubled teens – from Lord of the Flies to Adolescence, his chilling drama that’ll give every parent nightmares

A pleasure to speak to Jack Thorne about Adolescence, Toxic Town, autism, raising boys and much more that didn't make it into the piece (including the state of Welsh rugby). www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/jack-th...

The true scandal behind Netflix’s ‘Toxic Town’ A new Netflix series puts a dramatic lens on one of the biggest environmental scandals in U.K. history — one that left dozens of children with birth defects

Looking for something to watch this weekend? 📺 Toxic Town puts a dramatic lens on one of the biggest environmental scandals in U.K. history.