Dr Leon B

Wellington Arch: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welling...

Cenotaph: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenotaph

Victoria Memorial: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victori...

by my count the countries on this list actually have: six (6) kings, plus one queen regnant and an emperor

Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca): 13cm (5.1in). This spectacular Kingfisher is also known as the black-backed kingfisher or three-toed kingfisher and is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. Fantastic photo taken by Sanjeev Kapadia in India. #kingfisher #bird #birds #wildlife #nature

What we know about White House plans for an 'Arc de Trump' The Paris-inspired proposed monument in Washington DC is meant to commemorate the US 250th anniversary.

Ok, that monument reminds me of a mish-mash of London stuff. The main arch off the Wellington Arch & the column murals off the Cenotaph. With its crown & torch; statue is supposed to be Lady Liberty... but with wings? It looks more like like the Victoria Memorial statue www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Look who came with

MY GOD, I HAVE A NEW HERO. SHE HAD THEM SO HOOKED AND THEN BAM, SHE ATE THEM, BONES AND ALL.

Good to see and hope @scurry.bsky.social's efforts on this finally pay off.

Led by Donkeys arrested. UK speed running descent into totalitarianism www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Farewells of Abu-Zayd and Al-Harith before the return to Mecca, 'Al Maqamat' by Al-Hariri, Syria or Iraq, c.1240

As I [brown skin, beard, multicolour hair] walked to dance class, I passed a group [mid-20s, yt, glam clothes] exiting a house... 1 young man turns towards me, raises his fists to the sky & shouts "Free the hostages". I ignored him & walked on. QUESTION: what reaction was he _trying_ to elicit?

It's so galling to realise that twenty, thirty years of feverish right wing conspiracy about the US government rounding up citizens and putting them in camps, of state surveillance and corruption was just a projection of what they'd do to others if they had the means. Three decades of wank fantasy

Grandiloquent Word of the Day logo - Sepia-toned graphic with a baroque Victorian typeface and a pen-and-ink illustration of a band of pirates holding a gentleman captive while a captain of diminutive stature brazenly stands looks on with a threatening stance.

Thrasonical [thruh-SAHN-uh-kul]
(adj.)
- Egotistical; arrogantly bumptious. Braggartly, given to boasting.

tapping the sign

for reasons that made sense in my head I've just googled "Thomas the tank engine bus" and my god it's David Cameron

+1 for Bordeaux! Also go on a wine tour and see some fancy historical vineyards/distilleries.

YouTube video by Zone Horror The Spirit Of Dark And Lonely Water (Public Information Film 1973)

Got reminded how macabre the lo-fi british Public Information Films of the 70s and 80s were the other night, with this one on outdoor swimming. An absolute masterclass in how to scare the absolute shit out of kids www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNPM...

AMAZING 🤩

Crisis at NASA It's very bad news all round for NASA science, but the worst hit is Astrophysics (which includes cosmology) where the proposed cut is about two-thirds, which would be devastating.

Crisis at NASA

It's very bad news all round for NASA science, but the worst hit is Astrophysics (which includes cosmology) where the proposed cut is about two-thirds, which would be devastating.

This statement about the transphobic Supreme Court ruling by the UK's Crab Museum (yes a museum about crabs) is better than 99% of the statements I've seen on the topic

www.crabmuseum.org/visit

🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

A pink margarita-looking drink with a salted rim in front of a sign for Riffraff Bookstore and Bar in Providence, R.I. From the store's Instagram.

Text from an Instagram post from the Providence, RI bookstore/bar Riffraff that reads: riffraffpvd We’re rolling out this specialty cocktail for Independent Bookstore Day…. The Fuck Jeff Bezos 2.0! We love a seasonal margarita and we hate Amazon! Blanco tequila, Aperol, cream of coconut, lime, and a tajin rim cause that just makes everything better 😏 All books in the store and online will be 10% off all day, and we’ll be giving out free merch for folks who buy a bunch of books! ($100 gets you a free tshirt, $150 a free sweatshirt!!!) Come by for great drinks, great books, great outdoor space (our outdoor garden is BLOOMIN), and immaculate vibes. Yay books! #independentbookstoreday #indiebookstore #shopsmall #providencebookstore #riffraffpvd #riffraffbookstorebar #specialtycocktail #margarita #rhodydrinks #providence #rhodeisland #olneyville #independentbookstoreday2025

The Providence bookstore/bar Riffraff -- where I had my book launch in April 2024 -- has a special cocktail for Indie Bookstore Day called the "Fuck Jeff Bezos 2.0."

I love this town, and I love indie bookstores.

I hope this clarifies the situation.

I don't know if there's a term for the people themselves, but "pulling the ladder up behind them" is the turn of phrase I'd pair with this... "ladder-pulling campaigners" is the most concise I can pull out of that 🤷

A more technical thread on some of the criticisms of the claimed detection

"Strongest evidence" to date in the streets;
"Possible biosignature... of low statistical significance" in the sheets...

What do they even mean by “biological women”? What sort of tests would I need to submit to before these bigots would let me try on a dress in a private cubicle? Chromosomal (not a reliable marker)? Hormonal (not a reliable marker)? I’m so fucking angry.

Trans communities are devastated by today’s ruling. Instead of bringing clarity, the Supreme Court has made a ruling which appears to contain a number of contradictions. The intent seems clear: to exclude trans people from society.

Full statement: transactual.org.uk/blog/2025/04...

What happened GAK? Hope staff are ok. Acquired in Sept 2021 news.sky.com/story/entrep... . Full accounts to Sept 2022 (screenshot of pg.10) find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/0566...) show profits drop from ~2% to ~0.005%. Seems investor's new biz plan wasn't very bright

Smithsonian isn't a government entity, so this is a reach for control that goes way beyond decisions on government activity/expenditure. I can _literally_ quote Orwell's 1984: "Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past"

MapAction are supporting the #MyanmarEarthquake response. Read our live blog for updates. Our team is an embedded @unocha.org Disaster & Assessment Team partner, but we still need to fund the mission. PLEASE SHARE AND HELP! mapaction.org/myanmar-thai... #skyhumanitarians #skygis #skymaps