StephDickenson.bsky.social

This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet? The news that healthy life expectancy is in decline in Britain exposes a serious truth about the state we’re in, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet?

And finally, sadly, a growing belief (or even acceptance) in mainstream conspiracy theories.

About a third of the electorate believe/don't reject/are undecided on things like great replacement, a secret global ruling cabal, or deliberate dissemination of viruses 🫠

Hegseth: "The dumb, politically correct wars of the past were the opposite of what we're doing here. They had vague objections with restrictive, minimalist rules of engagement. No more."

Today's evacuation orders in Beirut displace 100,000s - including elderly people, children, people with disabilities, etc. etc., all having to leave in a hurry with no idea what will happen to their homes. This kind of mass forced displacement is illegal under international law.

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

A guy responsible for killing 160 children while they were at school celebrates “punching them while they are down”. The United States has lost all sense of morality and decency.

Excellent advice right here.

Sunny spring afternoon, a red brick Victorian terraced house in the background, a gorgeous magnolia tree in full bloom in the foreground. Phibsborough.

Today’s walk

The amount of events and festivals around the country using genAI for their promotional images is slightly maddening. All about supporting local, except their local artists.

I'm begging the small local community groups in Ireland to please consider reframing their use of AI design work this way. The amount of drama and theatre groups in my sphere that I see using AI posters now just makes me sad.

Cycling in Dublin for commuting rises 50% as most residents back more bike lanes Residents of Ireland’s five main cities want more space for cyclists, even at the expense of cars

Cycling in Dublin for commuting rises 50% as most residents back more bike lanes
The vast majority of residents across the State’s five main cities want increased investment in cycling infrastructure, even when that results in less road space for cars.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dubl...

Greens overtake Labour in sensational poll The Greens have polled higher than Labour in the latest poll by YouGov, which puts them only two points off Reform UK and five ahead of the governing party.

"The YouGov weekly voting intention poll puts Reform UK on 23%, down one, Greens on 21%, up four, Labour and the Tories tied on 16, both down two, and the Lib Dems unchanged on 14."

As the laid off Middle East News Editor, I concur. Management eliminated the positions of every single staff correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East.

UK slashes climate aid programmes for developing countries Exclusive: Schemes worth hundreds of millions of pounds to protect biodiversity and oceans likely to be substantially reduced UK programmes to protect nature and the climate in developing countries are suffering swingeing budget cuts despite ministers’ promises, the Guardian has learned. The cuts belie the government’s claims to be fulfilling international obligations on climate finance and are veiled behind a system that experts have slammed as opaque. The cutting and partial closure of the £100m Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, intended to protect nature in vital ecosystems in poor regions overseas. Six regions were originally targeted, in Africa, South America and Asia, but this has been reduced to two. Coast – a project for Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition – and Pact (Prepare and Accelerate Climate Transitions) are having substantial cuts. The future of the £500m Blue Planet Fund has been thrown into doubt despite its successful operation. Other schemes have been reduced in scope, for instance by allowing only one year’s funding where years were expected. Requests for data under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed spending has been slashed among the departments responsible for international climate finance (ICF). Continue reading...

UK slashes climate aid programmes for developing countries

Thank you! It was kind of an accident - I only realised the bee was there when I zoomed in on this. Great to see the bees back anyway.

Meanwhile in Ireland ...

www.thejournal.ie/lng-terminal...

“Our attack was so successful we inadvertently created a power vacuum” is a new one to me tbh

Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds Royal College of Psychiatrists says impact on mental health often overlooked and calls for improvements in care Nearly three-quarters of UK women do not know menopause can trigger a new mental illness, polling shows. This lack of understanding is so acute that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first targeted “position statement” to raise awareness about menopause and mental health. Continue reading...

Three in four women unaware menopause can trigger new mental illness, poll finds

bsky.app/profile/sust...

Looking down on purple and white crocuses in grass. You can just see a bee nestled in one of them.

Today’s bee!! (Phoenix Park.)

63 people, including 9 children, deported to South Africa More than 60 South African nationals, including nine children, have been deported.

63 people, including 9 children, deported to South Africa. The Oyekanmi family, whose neighbours & friends protested their proposed deportation recently, seem to have been among those on the flight. share.google/BAJMoZfIH23e...

Context: Mass migration doesn’t happen because people “want to move.”

It happens when:

• safety collapses
• food systems strain
• jobs disappear
• banking systems freeze
• remittances stop

Conflict spreads through economics.

I firmly believe there are people who would still be alive today if not for the government delaying the blanket 30km/hr speed limits for urban areas. More will die while we wait for local councils to act #spéirgorm

China's policies to advance vehicle remanufacturing Targeted subsidies, industrial zones and funding are propelling the vehicle remanufacturing sector

China adopted the circular economy
as a national priority since 2009 recognising it can generate growth decoupled from resource use. This case study covers growth in the vehicle remanufacturing sector. www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-exa...

Strait of Hormuz has been an exposed jugular of the global economy for 50 years. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a technology that could remove that vulnerability completely?

It’s become such a nice little neighbourhood event! We manage to do it pretty much every month, and we’ve been doing it for a year now. It attracts absolutely all kinds of people, which is something I really love about it, and it’s such a gentle accessible event for people to come to.

Love that one of their Irish names is lil' Siobhán of the road, they just love da streets

Do any good thing you can, no matter how small. No good thing is ever insignificant.

A photograph of an outdoor book swap with two tables of books, with 10 people browsing and chatting. The sun is shining and there is multi-coloured bunting.

Today’s particularly lovely Stoneybatter book swap. Around 100 books found new homes, including some now heading for a primary school library, and many chats were had. And the sun shone, and there were excellent dogs.

Iran's revolutionary guards tell ships passage through Strait of Hormuz 'not allowed', EU naval mission official says An official from the European Union's naval mission Aspides said on Saturday that vessels have been receiving VHF transmission from Iran's Revolutionary Guards saying "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz".

Iran's revolutionary guards tell ships passage through Strait of Hormuz 'not allowed', EU naval mission official says reut.rs/4l4rJ0G