Laurie Stras's Avatar

Laurie Stras

@lauriestras.bsky.social

Feminist, musicologist, musician, extreme knitter, gardener. Not necessarily in that order. Girl groups from Ferrara to Motown; all the nuns, all the time; disability studies Prof Emerita of Music, Uni of Southampton; director @musicasecreta.bsky.social

4,357 Followers  |  765 Following  |  3,179 Posts  |  Joined: 04.08.2023  |  2.0107

Latest posts by lauriestras.bsky.social on Bluesky

Congratulations!

09.12.2025 10:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Important notice: AI-generated archival references

I wish a notice like this wasn't necessary.
www.icrc.org/en/article/i...

08.12.2025 01:27 β€” πŸ‘ 432    πŸ” 187    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 71
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AI Slop Is Spurring Record Requests for Imaginary Journals The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that artificial intelligence models are making up research papers, journals and archives

www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-s...

09.12.2025 00:46 β€” πŸ‘ 80    πŸ” 40    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 9
Robin saying, "The Immaculate Conception is when Jesus was concei--"

Batman, slapping him across the face, yells in reply, "MARY!"

This image has been around for a while and, sadly, I do not know who created it.

Robin saying, "The Immaculate Conception is when Jesus was concei--" Batman, slapping him across the face, yells in reply, "MARY!" This image has been around for a while and, sadly, I do not know who created it.

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

08.12.2025 14:27 β€” πŸ‘ 2550    πŸ” 238    πŸ’¬ 134    πŸ“Œ 43

God yes. We had a pub roast yesterday with the family - my OH and I shared one and still couldn’t finish it. Was it Β£25 worth of food and so reasonably priced? Certainly, in a London pub. But far too much food for a single person.

08.12.2025 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

So much for all that 'Look at how China is leading the world in solar' stuff.

08.12.2025 08:30 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A poster on 8.5 x 11 inch paper saga Fishtown fish facts: red lipped catfish or of ocephalus Darwini. Then a pic of that freaky fish with 4 limbs it rests on the ground and then the words β€œstg this fish real red-lipped batfish walk ocean floor with they flippers RLBF have RBF, not they fault
RLBF have a bioluminescent lure that glows to attract dinner 
RLBF lipgloss is popping, RLBF lipgloss is cool, all the fish keep jockin, they chase RLBF after school
RLBF got scales like armor and shine bright like a diamond
Red-lipped batfish will teach you how to dougie, I can promise u that.

@yaboyni
Take a moment
And and realize the moment 
You took has already passed
Thank you
See you next time

A poster on 8.5 x 11 inch paper saga Fishtown fish facts: red lipped catfish or of ocephalus Darwini. Then a pic of that freaky fish with 4 limbs it rests on the ground and then the words β€œstg this fish real red-lipped batfish walk ocean floor with they flippers RLBF have RBF, not they fault RLBF have a bioluminescent lure that glows to attract dinner RLBF lipgloss is popping, RLBF lipgloss is cool, all the fish keep jockin, they chase RLBF after school RLBF got scales like armor and shine bright like a diamond Red-lipped batfish will teach you how to dougie, I can promise u that. @yaboyni Take a moment And and realize the moment You took has already passed Thank you See you next time

One of my neighbors has been putting up these fish facts posters. All kinds of different fish, marine, freshwater, deep, shallow, all kinds. This is a good one. β€œStg this real fish” took me out. Good work, neighbor.

07.12.2025 15:39 β€” πŸ‘ 8977    πŸ” 2154    πŸ’¬ 163    πŸ“Œ 150
pete_wharmby_books &
β€’β€’β€’
HADLEY FREEMAN
Wes Streeting must stand up to the
ADHD activists
I can help with the minister's review: some people are just confused by life
Hadley Freeman
pete_wharmby_books Ah, as expected the right wing press (and Freeman's pipeline from the Guardian op-Ed pages to the Times is worth looking into) is now piling on, suggesting that these scary ADHD activists are just trying to ruin things for everyone.
Not, like, try to improve people's self esteem and sense of what is going on.
2025 is so horrifyingly, predictably *boring*

pete_wharmby_books & β€’β€’β€’ HADLEY FREEMAN Wes Streeting must stand up to the ADHD activists I can help with the minister's review: some people are just confused by life Hadley Freeman pete_wharmby_books Ah, as expected the right wing press (and Freeman's pipeline from the Guardian op-Ed pages to the Times is worth looking into) is now piling on, suggesting that these scary ADHD activists are just trying to ruin things for everyone. Not, like, try to improve people's self esteem and sense of what is going on. 2025 is so horrifyingly, predictably *boring*

then, the transphobes , feeling victorious at how many people they have made unhappy and despairing in the previous week, move on to anything else that has a spectrum and the possibility of more colours than they can conceive - such hateful people - they cannot understand anything that is not THEM

07.12.2025 19:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2771    πŸ” 727    πŸ’¬ 105    πŸ“Œ 229

My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: β€˜Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’

07.12.2025 08:31 β€” πŸ‘ 13876    πŸ” 4244    πŸ’¬ 246    πŸ“Œ 96

Horrific and disgusting. British citizens - this is being done in your name, especially those of you who continue to defend the horrors being proposed and perpetuated by Labour.

When will it be enough for you all?

06.12.2025 12:16 β€” πŸ‘ 117    πŸ” 63    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 2

I remember losing it when I rang my (newly ex-) husband’s parents on Xmas morning to wish my 5-yr-old son Happy Xmas… and he wasn’t there. He was at said ex’s brand new girlfriend’s parents’ house. My ex-in-laws told me to stop overreacting.

But perhaps a less normal social interaction

06.12.2025 08:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Good morning!

06.12.2025 06:58 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I have the postal routine in Forest Hill down pat now, so if you need to get your hands on one in a hurry, I can oblige!!

05.12.2025 08:59 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Ricordanze: a record of love, by Musica Secreta 31 track album

It's #BandcampFriday and if you haven't yet got that special present for someone, take Gramophone reviewer Ed Breen's advice and snag one of our last few limited-edition double CDs with beautiful artwork and copious liner notes. musicasecreta.bandcamp.com/album/ricord...

05.12.2025 08:55 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

Look at this beauty.

05.12.2025 09:06 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Jimmy Hill

Jimmy Hill

Tom Lehrer said β€œPolitical satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel peace prize”, so I think it’s admirable of FIFA to have *started* at a level it took the Nobel committee 72 years to reach

And I’m sure we all look forward to hearing about winners in future years

05.12.2025 18:01 β€” πŸ‘ 61    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Hey! Wait! I got a new complaint. And you could too....

05.12.2025 10:59 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you! We think it's gorgeous ❀️‍πŸ”₯

05.12.2025 10:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

TODAY!!

05.12.2025 09:10 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Complaint ('Research Mix'), by Kate Arnold track by Kate Arnold

Now live on my Bandcamp page!
Have a listen and chuck a couple of quid my way if you like it. It's not every day you hear an electro-hammered dulcimer version of a 12th-century knight's lament as he goes off on crusade. Unless you live in my house.
katearnolduk.bandcamp.com/track/compla...

#music

05.12.2025 08:01 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

I have the postal routine in Forest Hill down pat now, so if you need to get your hands on one in a hurry, I can oblige!!

05.12.2025 08:59 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Sharing this for all my like-minded scholarly followers!

04.12.2025 18:03 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The Cass Review is the worst kind of pseudoscience & has at least 13 peer-reviewed critiques of it (all ignored by mainstream media).

Streeting now wants a Cass Review for Autism, ADHD, etc.

I have characterised these as β€œcontrived authority” strategies (referring to the work of Max Weber)

1/2

04.12.2025 07:55 β€” πŸ‘ 395    πŸ” 203    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 6
I am - and always will be - proud of my time as a Girlguiding ambassador. As a former Rainbow and Brownie myself, I know first hand what a difference these spaces make to girls. I've seen it in the faces of the young people I met on site visits - including trans girls, who were every bit as bright, joyful and deserving as any other child.
Which is why the organisation's decision to exclude trans girls has devastated me.
Some of those girls and their families have now found themselves caught in the crossfire of culture wars they never asked to be part of. I am truly heartbroken for the trans community who simply want to live their lives, be included, and have access to safe, supportive spaces. Trans girls experience the same threats as other women and girls - they are not a threat to us. They are our sisters.
And so, with a very heavy heart, I will be stepping down as a Girlguiding ambassador with immediate effect.
I stand with my trans sisters today and always. Inclusion makes us all stronger, and I will continue to use my voice to fight for a world where every girl - cis or trans - grows up knowing she ngs.
N
- Ashley x

I am - and always will be - proud of my time as a Girlguiding ambassador. As a former Rainbow and Brownie myself, I know first hand what a difference these spaces make to girls. I've seen it in the faces of the young people I met on site visits - including trans girls, who were every bit as bright, joyful and deserving as any other child. Which is why the organisation's decision to exclude trans girls has devastated me. Some of those girls and their families have now found themselves caught in the crossfire of culture wars they never asked to be part of. I am truly heartbroken for the trans community who simply want to live their lives, be included, and have access to safe, supportive spaces. Trans girls experience the same threats as other women and girls - they are not a threat to us. They are our sisters. And so, with a very heavy heart, I will be stepping down as a Girlguiding ambassador with immediate effect. I stand with my trans sisters today and always. Inclusion makes us all stronger, and I will continue to use my voice to fight for a world where every girl - cis or trans - grows up knowing she ngs. N - Ashley x

Ashley James, celebrity star of Good Morning has resigned from Girl Guides in response to their exclusion of trans girls.

04.12.2025 08:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1314    πŸ” 303    πŸ’¬ 20    πŸ“Œ 18
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UK using more wood to make electricity than ever, Drax figures show Giant biomass plant reveals burning of wood pellets made 9% of UK’s electricity in July, its largest ever monthly share

UK using more wood to make electricity than ever, Drax figures show.

Drax burns wood, the most expensive electricity, biggest UK polluter.

Drax is highly profitable. Received subsidies for years, will receive Β£458.6m a year between 2027 and 2031. Govt doesn't take any equity stake.

03.12.2025 15:43 β€” πŸ‘ 156    πŸ” 104    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 4

Contact us if you have been affected by the policy changes of Girl Guiding or the Women's Institute. This could be as an individual, or because you lead a local Brownie group who don't want this policy change. We want to help protect trans inclusion.

goodlawproject.org/about/contact/

03.12.2025 16:06 β€” πŸ‘ 567    πŸ” 332    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 8

Keep sharing. These people are utterly ludicrous ghouls.

03.12.2025 16:11 β€” πŸ‘ 19    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

One of the most common replies in any discussion of universal basic income is "but how do we pay for it?" and not once do those same people ever question the costs incurred by not doing UBI. We spend $1.5 trillion every year on the costs of child poverty alone. Poverty ain't free, folks. WE ALL PAY.

03.12.2025 14:41 β€” πŸ‘ 473    πŸ” 162    πŸ’¬ 26    πŸ“Œ 11
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Women’s Institute will no longer accept trans women as members from April Exclusive: CEO says decision taken with β€˜utmost regret and sadness’ after supreme court ruling on definition of a woman

Even people who have concerns about sport or refuge spaces would do well to justify why trans women should be excluded from the Women’s Institute or Guides. Just cruelty and spite. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

03.12.2025 13:48 β€” πŸ‘ 146    πŸ” 39    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 2

Swearing at Wes Streeting bleating on the radio. My thoughts on this man are actually unprintable.

03.12.2025 08:25 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@lauriestras is following 20 prominent accounts