Ali Riley

Square of tartan with vertical and horizontal thin stripes in red and grey on black

A new Scottish tartan memorializing the (mainly) female victims of the Witchcraft Act has been officially registered, created by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of the Witches of Scotland campaign #WomensArt
via Smithsonian Magazine

Three excellent books on what the #ClimateEmergency means for higher education & how universities should respond 📚 🧵

1️⃣ Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Climate Crisis by @edufuturist.bsky.social

www.universitiesonfire.com

My colleagues & I have taken a huge gamble to set up @thenerve.news We’re trying to build a new independent publication from the ground up. Social media is our only distribution for now.

Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN commission of inquiry Commission’s 72-page legal analysis cites examples including scale of killings, aid blockages and forced displacement

“The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Tommy Robinson is lying about the police estimate, by a factor of nearly thirty, to turn 110,000 into 3 million. He is spinning "MILLIONS" quite hard. It is a lie.

All this while research into long term, non-surgical and non-hormonal treatments is chronically underfunded.

I'm not saying some of these products aren't helpful (I use a TENS machine and it's great). But when you have a chronic condition it is easy to feel like the next product/supplement will be the one that finally makes the difference and end up spending money you haven't got

Screenshot of an Instagram advert showing endometriosis related products such as a TENS machine and magnesium supplements

While I think it is fantastic that #endometriosis is getting more attention and there is less stigma, I can't help feeling that there's a downside to this as I see adverts across Instagram asking me to spend a fortune on 'endo support' products. The products here cost around £70.

Absolutely astounded that the UCU and Unison branches at Kent and Greenwich were not consulted, and that staff only found out about the merger this morning via BBC news and Kent Online. Solidarity to all colleagues.

sit with this quote for a minute

Great article about the work being done by pioneering female scientists on #endometriosis (just think what could be done if it was actually well funded!!) www.science.org/content/arti...

Driven by the pain of endometriosis, this scientist is uncovering clues to its causes Katie Burns is helping reveal the immune system’s role in the long-neglected disease

So, right now, the only reliable way to diagnose endometriosis is with exploratory surgery. But finally, real scientists (instead of male scientists), are on the job & of course they’ve identified multiple markers in menstrual blood that point to noninvasive testing.

www.science.org/content/arti...

It's that time of year again, annual elections for election to Council of the National Trust. Lots of candidates to choose from.

Read carefully and vote wisely if you don't want the direction of travel to be backward.

Burning banned on England’s deep peat to protect wildlife Ban on burning heather and grass on deep peat extended to improve air quality for local communities, reduce flood risk and protect wildlife.

Great to see that government WILL ban moorland burning on peat deeper than 30cm, and over a much greater area than previously

Big win for communities who've suffered the smoke + floods stemming from this Victorian practice

Only losers are ~150 wealthy grouse moor owners

www.gov.uk/government/n...

So why are people who wear Plasticine Action T-shirts assumed by the police to be supporting Palestine Action but people putting up flags of the Patron Saint of Palestine aren’t? Shouldn’t we arrest them all to be on the safe side? #twotierpolicing

Iconic moment at the Downton Abbey premiere

Ugh I feel your pain! Grade 4 endo also claimed my appendix, and as I enter my 40s the mittelschmerz is fast becoming my absolute nemesis. I also ask this question about my appendix frequently...

Thank you. I work very close to the audiology department and can get Eduroam there so I'm seriously considering setting up camp and hoping someone takes pity on me!

Broken hearing aid, no appointment before I go to Japan 😰. Praying to the gods of the NHS for a cancellation!! It is semi-functional, but I really want 100% for my trip...

Chart from the BDS website with a list of boycott targets- AXA, carrefour, HP, chevron, caltex, remax, ahava, taco, Siemens, sodastream. Divest: elbitbsystems, CAF, Volvo, CAT, Barclays, JCB, intel, chevron, Hyundai, HikVision. Pressure: Google, Amazon, Airbnb, booking dot com, Expedia, Disney, teva. Organic boycott targets: McDonald’s, dominos, papa johns, Burger King, wix, pizza hurt.

this is a very minor subskeet but! It has come to my attention that not everyone realises that BDS is actually a concerted effort and not just ‘I dislike this one company’.

Here’s the current list! Along with an explainer of how they were chosen: bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Agai...

Strike ballot opens at University of Sheffield staff over job cuts Staff at the University of Sheffield are being asked to vote for strike action, announced the University and College Union (UCU) today. The ballot opened yesterday and will close on Tuesday 30 September.

Ballot papers drop today for local industrial action to defend jobs at the University of Sheffield against redundancy and further workload pressures.

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1415...

Circuses vs. Roses: Notes on Pleasure and Scold Culture Someone made this extra-grumpy meme about the fact that football player and podcaster Travis Kelce proposed to pop superstar Taylor Swift and now they're engaged, or rather about the fact that of cour...

Had a fun time writing about bread and circuses vs. bread and roses and whether in crises we're allowed to have fun. www.meditationsinanemergency.com/circuses-vs-...

Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations

When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?

Crowds throng along a street. Do not as yet have a picture credit

Hundreds of thousands of people are on the streets of Tel Aviv to protest against Netanyahu.

21K views · 159 reactions | The Police have arrested the Lady in Hebden who supports Palestine. | Ian Whitehead The Police have arrested the Lady in Hebden who supports Palestine..

Christine Drake has been protesting against treatment of Palestinians in Gaza every day for over 10 years in Hebden Bridge.

Yesterday police turned up, threw her to the ground, injured her, then arrested her.

Please share.

Warning: this footage is upsetting.

www.facebook.com/jamfishjamfi...

Sally Rooney putting her money where her mouth is (figuratively of course). Bravo.
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Congrats to Engaged Learning at Sheffield School of Architecture (ELSSA), @sheffielduni.bsky.social‬ on your #CATE2025 award! The team have been transforming architecture education through engaged learning. 🎉

And the thing is - I wouldn't even define my family as being working class. Working class background for sure, but in the area I grew up in, relatively speaking, we were much more comfortably off than others...

Also would add - any meaningful work to include students from working class backgrounds should include work to include working-class academic and professional services staff.

Not from the NE but I am from a mining town in the E Midlands - I remember visiting Durham Uni when choosing where to apply. Felt completely out of my depth being shown around by students who asked me whether I row or ride... needless to say neither activity featured heavily in my bog standard comp