Cristina Rusu

Oh dear! Hope it goes away soon!

Always good! Is it an allergy to something you think?

are you okay? that does not look good.

The Dutch can tell us something about managing extremism The UK and Netherlands have similar politics, but very different ways of managing it. What might we learn from across the North Sea?

Should Britain adopt a Dutch-style voting system to stop a party opposed by most voters from taking absolute power?

Is it time to add a “safety valve” to UK democracy?

Stephen McNair reports.

Stopping Reform UK Ltd : A call to arms What would happen if Reform UK Ltd won the next general election?

What would happen if Reform UK Ltd won the next general election?
northwestbylines.co.uk/politics/sto...

‘We’ve been inundated’: European private schools report surge in interest from wealthy British parents VAT on school fees has led to a rise in overseas interest and even relocations as UK fees have jumped by as much as 22.6%

‘We’ve been inundated’: European private schools report surge in interest from wealthy British parents

The government must ensure fair distribution of income 'The average real wage of workers has hardly moved from the 2008 level whilst bosses never had it so good.'

Average real wage of UK workers is stuck the 2008 level.

Some bosses are collecting 1,112 times more than the average employee wage. Millions forced to rely on food banks and charity.

Workers have no say in income distribution. Govts do nothing.

Can't build economy/society on huge inequalities.

Fracking in the UK has been banned since 2019, after an Oil and Gas Authority report found "it was not possible to accurately predict the probability of tremors associated with the practice."

But Reform LTD want to bring it back because...
Corruption - they work for oil & gas interests.

Also no need for that anymore. There is a saliva test which has the same accuracy but we are still told to accept being chopped open to investigate pain 🤨

Fair Use Protects Everyone—Even the Disney Corporation Jimmy Kimmel has been in the news a lot recently, which means the ongoing lawsuit against him by perennial late night punching bag/convicted fraudster/former congressman George Santos flew under the r...

In a new blog post @eff.org explores how fair use protects everyone (yes, even a major studio like Disney) and its essential role in protecting transformative uses like parody. Learn more: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

YouTube video by Geneva Graduate Institute Propaganda and Mass Manipulation in the Contemporary World

In case you missed our Opening Lecture of the Academic Year, watch the recording now 👇
Prof. @davidcolon.bsky.social drew on historical examples and contributions from various sciences to explain how our brains have become the target of a new global #InformationWar.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gncg...

Newcastle says no – a city united in kindness and against fascism Thousands came together to show the City’s true character: united, diverse, welcoming of refugees, rejecting hate

Thousands came together to show the City’s true character: united, diverse, welcoming of refugees, rejecting hate | Ben Dickenson

Women followed by ‘mob’ after removing flags Flag disputes are escalating from lampposts to council chambers, fuelling heated clashes and political debate

Local councillors are calling for a zero-tolerance approach to flags used for intimidation.

Will leaders listen?

Owen Sennitt reports

Jane Goodall, conservationist renowned for chimpanzee research and environmental advocacy, has died Jane Goodall, the conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking chimpanzee field research and globe-spanning environmental advocacy, has died. She was 91.

BREAKING: Jane Goodall, the conservationist renowned for chimpanzee research and environmental advocacy, has died.

The nuance of flags – why one symbol can have many meanings Flags are complex signs open to multiple interpretations which are affected by how, why and where they are displayed.

Patriotic or racist? Unifying or divisive? Dr John Byrom, Associate Dean at the @uolmanschool.bsky.social looks at the slippy semiotics of the flags that are having a moment recently.

Please repost ❤️👇🏻

Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in latest Jeffrey Epstein files Elon Musk, Prince Andrew, Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon, Bill Gates and more prominent figures were the latest to be named in association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as his estate turns over a third batch of documents to the oversight congressional committee.

Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in latest Jeffrey Epstein files

Important new #OpenAccess article on how slavery in Britain was ended, and who ended it.

Taken Not Given: The End of Slavery in Britain
by Simon Newman

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

#History #EnslavedHistory 🗃️

Long term colleague of Nigel Farage and Former Leader of Reform UK in Wales

Ex-Reform politician admits Russia-linked bribery charges

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Got an old floppy disk lying around?
Come have your floppy disk data transferred onto a modern format at Cambridge University Library!
Booking is required at: https://loom.ly/FRjMsM8

Thanks for spotlighting our latest report!

AI-cloning of Lara Croft's voice has 'Tomb Raider' fans and actors up in arms In France, the apparent use of artificial intelligence to clone an actor's voice for video game character Lara Croft has fans and actors up in arms.

The apparent use of artificial intelligence to clone an actor's voice for video game character Lara Croft has fans and actors up in arms.

an image with text reading welcome back to school, with pencil, eraser, apple, sharpener, and other school supplies on a white and yellow background

Welcome everyone to a new academic year! To celebrate we decided to write a blog post introducing copyright law and highlighting the bits we considered most relevant. Why not head over to our blog and have a read:

blog.lboro.ac.uk/rdm/2025/09/...

#AcademicSky #Copyright #BlogPost

A bright green poster with bold white and pink text at the top: “TRAINS ARE TOO OFTEN MORE EXPENSIVE THAN FLIGHTS.” Below it reads: “Sustainable travel shouldn’t be a luxury.” A color-coded map of Europe shows the proportion of cross-border train routes that are more expensive than flights for the same journey. Colors: green (0–20%), yellow (20–40%), orange (40–60%), red (60–80%), purple (80–100%). For example, Spain, Portugal, and the UK are shaded purple (80–100%), while countries like Poland and Czechia are shaded green (0–20%). At the bottom, source text reads: “Greenpeace, Ticket Prices Of Planes Vs Trains, 2025. Only countries for which at least 4 cross-border routes met the methodological criteria are included in the Scorecard.”

Green background with bold text: “WHY ARE TRAINS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PLANES?” Below is a comparison table with icons of a plane and a train at the top. Two rows: VAT on international travel: Plane = “NO” (pink), Train = “YES” (yellow). Kerosene/energy tax: Plane = “NO” (pink), Train = “YES” (yellow). The chart highlights that flights avoid taxes trains must pay. Source: Greenpeace, Ticket Prices Of Planes Vs Trains, 2025.

😢 How are flights so much cheaper than trains?
Indeed, why are we forced to pick between cheap & polluting and expensive & sustainable?

Well @greenpeace.eu has the answer: subsidies and MASSIVE tax breaks.

Wow! Das klingt sehr teuer!

YouTube video by Marsh Family "Freedom of Speech" - Marsh Family parody of "Under the Sea" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid"

In some ways, an oddly upbeat vibe, for a musical rundown of the backsliding #freespeech situation developing in the US ... but this is our 🎵 parody "Freedom of Speech" to the tune of #Disney's "Under the Sea" - with some familiar faces cut in. 😎

youtu.be/DyoYRN8cc-g

#Kimmel #Colbert

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight Jimmy Kimmel & the FCC: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Here’s last night’s story about Jimmy Kimmel, the FCC, freedom of speech in the U.S., and why certain broadcast groups could learn a thing or two from Love Island. youtu.be/ohPToBog_-g

Rhinos thriving once more! 🦏

In 2024, 21 black #rhinos were moved by Kenya Wildlife Services to the Loisaba Conservancy, an area they hadn’t called home in over 50 years. – and it looks like this is going well. Three new calves born so far! 💚

It's always the same. The far-right is only as "popular" as it is because of the billionaire fascists behind it. All these "men of the people" are backed by the billionaire class they're supposed to be against. That's why they get so much exposure. That's why they can afford to take so many holidays

In historic move, UK recognizes a Palestinian state despite opposition from US and Israel British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the U.K. is formally recognizing a Palestinian state despite opposition from the U.S. and Israel.

BREAKING: Canada, the U.K. and Australia recognize a Palestinian state despite opposition from the U.S. and Israel.