Sara R

Another #buyastrangerabook day offer to tell you about!

@mrslscarles.bsky.social is offering to buy someone copy of one of Tom Cox's books.

Here's what you can get!

If there's one you'd like, let us know!

UK only.

Peter Mandelson is fleeing the House of Lords: now let’s throw out all the other rogues and idlers | Jenny Jones The disgraced politician throws all that is wrong with our present system into sharp focus. We need a second chamber the public can trust, says Jenny Jones, a Green party peer

"Mandelson’s career is littered with scandal, but no one cared – because everyone assumes that corruption is the norm."

Green Party peer Jenny Jones on why Mandelson's case, and patronage politics, demands fundamental reform of the House of Lords.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · 49m I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated. Quote lizzie johnson @lizziejohnsonnn · Jan 25 Waking up without power, heat, or running water. (Again.) But the work here in Kyiv continues. Warming up in the car, writing in pencil — pen ink freezes — by headlamp.

INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.

Today is a good day to follow and support news outlets that avoid generative AI slop:

bsky.app/profile/alex...

Protesters in Westminster with Big Ben/Elizabeth Tower in the background and a person with a loudspeaker in the foreground. Text overlaid says 'Join the lobby of Parliament: Defend our right to protest, Tuesday 17 March, Parliament, London' with the logos of different civil society groups at the bottom

🚨 Join the Defend our Right to Protest Lobby of Parliament, 17 March 🚨

The government plans to give police new powers to effectively ban repeat protests – join us and many civil society groups to demand MPs oppose this attack on our rights.

Register: palestinecampaign.eaction.org.uk/March2026Lobby

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the renowned American journalist, author, women's suffrage advocate, and legendary conservationist known as the "Guardian of the Everglades" or "mother of the Everglades" for her tireless efforts to protect Florida's Everglades ecosystem—most famously through her influential 1947 book The Everglades: River of Grass—sits thoughtfully outdoors in a charming black-and-white portrait. The elderly Douglas, in her later years, wears a classic wide-brimmed straw hat with a dark band, thick-rimmed round glasses, and a striped button-up shirt or blouse with a collar. Her hands are clasped together in front of her as she gazes directly at the camera with a warm, knowing smile. Surrounded by lush tropical foliage in the background, the image captures her enduring spirit and dedication to environmental preservation. #MarjoryStonemanDouglas #Everglades #Conservation #Environment #Florida

Journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas' 1947 book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴: 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 transformed public perception of Florida's Everglades from "worthless swamp" to priceless ecosystem. Her advocacy led to Everglades National Park's creation & inspired wetland protection worldwide. #WorldWetlandsDay

Black-and-white studio portrait of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, a Native American woman in her thirties or forties, facing forward with a calm, direct gaze toward the camera. She has dark hair pulled back neatly into a bun, prominent cheekbones, and a serious yet composed expression. She wears a high-necked, long-sleeved dark Victorian-style dress with a patterned white lace or floral insert at the collar, creating a contrast against the solid dark fabric.

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first #NativeAmerican woman to become a physician in the United States. A member of the Omaha tribe, she campaigned for public health & for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of her tribe.

#WomensPhysiciansDay #WomenInSTEM #WomenInMedicine

Dr. Ruth Patrick, the pioneering American botanist, limnologist, and freshwater ecologist (1907–2013) renowned as a foundational figure in environmental science for her groundbreaking work on diatoms as indicators of water pollution, developing innovative methods to assess river health, and influencing policies like the Clean Water Act—often called the "River Doctor" for her decades-long advocacy in protecting freshwater ecosystems—appears in a classic black-and-white portrait. She has curly short hair and a warm, knowing smile, gazes directly at the camera while holding an open book in her hands. She wears a dark ribbed short-sleeved top and a polka-dotted scarf with abstract patterns tied loosely around her neck. The soft, neutral background highlights her thoughtful expression, the texture of the book, and the subtle details of her face, capturing her enduring legacy as a trailblazing woman in science who bridged research with real-world conservation. #RuthPatrick #Limnology #FreshwaterEcology #Diatoms #WaterPollution #Environment #WomenInScience #CleanWaterAct

Botanist & limnologist Dr. Ruth Patrick changed the way scientists study water, the "Patrick Principle," by taking the focus off the water’s chemistry & placing it on its biodiversity. It is a fundamental method in modern wetlands monitoring.

#WorldWetlandsDay #WomenInSTEM #botany #ecology

Environmentalists decry ‘crushingly disappointing’ Pfas action plan for UK Ministers’ proposals to tackle ‘forever chemicals’ fail to match tougher stance taken in Europe, say experts

What's in the UK government's PFAS action plan? What's not in it? And what are the implications?

A 🧵:

share.google/LMC4MSeOIOH7...

Did u know? Having a wildlife garden means minimising waste & re-using as much as poss. Live by the mantra - whatever grows in the garden, stays in the garden. Don't take dead wood or logs to the tip,pile them up in your outside space to create fabulous habitats for all sorts of small souls. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🪵

Brilliant letter in The Economist from Professor Ian Wray
Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place, University of Liverpool
www.economist.com/letters/2026...

BBC Inside Science - Should we rethink navigating by GPS? - BBC Sounds GPS is vulnerable to interference, so how can we make navigating at sea safer?

Almost as if they knew!
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

YouTube video by PurPest EU PurPest - VOC detection technology

📡 Dive into the future of sensing with our VOC detection technology in action 🎥!

👇 Watch our newest video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvv...

What’s happening in America is technofascism. It could happen here Peter Thiel's data surveillance company Palantir is powering Trump's ICE operation in the US. Carole Cadwalladr argues that the UK will be next

NEW: What’s happening in the US is TECHNOFASCISM.

It’s fascism + surveillance technologies. Palantir is playing a central role. And the UK is next in line.

My latest for @thenerve.news
1/

www.thenerve.news/p/technofasc...

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour WATCH: Aretha Franklin sings "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"

I admit the Kennedy Center thing gets under my skin because it was my first experience of a "grown up" art place when I'd visit my grandfather in DC. Gonna watch Aretha Franklin and Carole King have holy communion with each other again to soothe, youtu.be/efIAM5dzuDs?...

A collage of early-flowering plants in winter light, including hazel catkins, pink winter heliotrope, yellow winter aconite, pale lilac crocus, white snowdrops with green markings, blue scilla, yellow cornelian cherry flowers, cream comfrey blooms, pink viburnum flowers and glossy green spurge laurel.

“Forerunners of a world of flowers…”

Blooming this weekend to welcome February: hazel catkins, winter heliotrope, winter aconite, crocus, snowdrops, scilla, cornelian cherry, comfrey, viburnum & spurge laurel, early signs the year is already turning. #WildflowerHour #TheWinter10

More than a hobby: garden birdwatching is the new conservation frontier Three decades of citizen science show that our gardens are more than just patches of lawn – they are critical frontlines for conservation

The 2025 charts are in! 🏆
Robin takes the top spot in UK gardens; woodpigeons have soared to #4. Meanwhile, greenfinches and starlings have dropped out of the Top 10.

Want to help track these changes? Sign up for the BTO Garden BirdWatch, says Susan Jones.

Happy #Imbolc, ushered in by Brigid and her hare. Nature is stirring, there’s a full moon. The winter is ebbing away. The seeds scattered last year are waking up. Pat yourself on the back , you’ve made it through another winter.

A flora identification guide and illustration of the plants of early February, including snowdrop, hellebore and celandine

Other work by the Ladybird artists.
‘February in the Weald of Kent’
Artist: SR Badmin

Pictures of ground ivy, nice purple orchid-like flowers, frilled-edged green leaves. Also leaves with parasites - one eating away at inside leaving white area, other causing raised pale galls. Also start of text of interview with Laura Moss about The Big Meadow Search. https://bsky.app/profile/bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social

🌱🌾🌲🌍🌿🍄🌺🌳🌴🌷🪳🥦 Read about Big Meadow Search @bigmeadowsearch.bsky.social where people around UK record plants in meadows, road verges, churchyards & amenity grassland. Also career change to plants. Read about both in
botanicaluniversitychallenge.co.uk/the-thymes/ #BUC2026

Starmer vows to take UK deeper into EU single market Seemingly buoyed by a positive reception and a smaller-than-anticipated backlash, the British PM is now doubling down on his Brexit reset.

🇨🇦 PM Mark Carney put it well in his book Values: society has confused “value” (market price) with “values” (social, moral and ethical principles).

The EU is a values-based system: rule of law, democracy and human rights, checks on power...

Align wisely, UK.

🇬🇧 🇪🇺

www.politico.eu/article/keir...

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk United used an algorithm system to identify patients who it determined were getting too much therapy and then limited coverage. It was deemed illegal in three states, but similar practices persist due...

UnitedHealth is the nation’s largest health insurance conglomerate.

ProPublica obtained what is effectively the company’s internal playbook for limiting and cutting therapy costs.

Here’s what we found.

(Published Nov. 2024)

Three UK research councils suspend funding opportunities Temporary block on grant applications by MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC heightens concerns over funding cuts

Three UK research councils suspend funding opportunities
Temporary block on grant applications by MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC heightens concerns over funding cuts www.timeshighereducation.com/news/three-u...

Children and police officers among at least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Deadly attacks launched day before border crossing due to open as part of ceasefire deal

Israel bombed tents in Gaza today, killed at least 30 people including children, and the death toll is likely to rise

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

‘Keep on dreaming’: could Europe really defend itself without the US? Nato chief has glibly dismissed prospect of coping without US support, but in the age of Trump the case for autonomy is growing

A wholly inadequate response to a pressing question.

"We can't do it" is not an acceptable approach. We may need to

#Security
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Carbon capture does not reduce emissions: these three case studies prove it - Land and Climate Review Carbon capture causes more harm than good, and only serves to prolong fossil fuel industries, argues Professor Mark Z. Jacobson.

Carbon capture does not reduce emissions: these three case studies prove it

Carbon capture causes more harm than good, and only serves to prolong fossil fuel industries, argues Professor Mark Z. Jacobson.

www.landclimate.org/ccs-no-mirac...

Quilt with image of the head and shoulders of a hare looking outwards with startled expression against a green background

Mini art quilt by textile artist Nancy Messier #WomensArt

Duncan Williamson coming to my primary school and sharing his stories was a formative experience. What a wonderful resource.

Tickets now online for Watching Narrowly Book Day, 21 March at Gilbert White’s House

1/2 Watching Narrowly Natural History Book Day 21 March - day tickets now online @gilbertwhites.bsky.social

Come along to hear some of our best contemporary writers in beautiful Selborne, the home of British nature writing.

Say no to Palantir in the NHS NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back

A world where our health records are used to power state-sponsored surveillance and target vulnerable communities isn’t so far away. And it's exactly what Palantir wants

Keep Palantir out of our NHS 👇
https://notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-target/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs