Carsten Timmermann

You should - definitely!

I agree - the alarmism is misplaced. My in-laws live in rural Kyushu (about as far away from Tokyo as you can get on the main islands). Changes are noticeable - but not that different from what I can see in other developed countries.

Science for Governing Japan's Population Cambridge Core - Asian Studies - Science for Governing Japan's Population

It’s a general interest in the history of concerns about population growth and shrinkage. Partly for family reasons, because the spouse wrote a book on it.

www.cambridge.org/core/books/s...

Thanks for the link!

Interesting

Reform plans to strip EU citizens of benefit rights, says Farage Leader Nigel Farage says his party would renegotiate the Brexit deal struck by the Tory government.

BBC News - Reform plans to strip EU citizens of benefit rights, says Farage - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Meanwhile and without batting an eyelid, Nigel is entitled to his EU pension of £100k aged 63 and his transitional allowance of £153k after his long, dignified service as an MEP.

Useful. The Europeans should reject the proposal.

Trump and Witkoff Try to Get Russia a Win The joint U.S.-Russia proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, taken point-by-point

Useful @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social analysis of Trump proposal on Russia, skewering it point-by-point in an easily digestible way:
www.arcdigital.media/p/trump-and-...

Universities blame ‘societal shift’ for axing foreign language degrees Numbers taking languages at A-level and beyond has been falling for decades, although Duolingo says its app is most popular with young people

'Michael Lynas, the UK country director for the Duolingo language app, who argues there is no good substitute for the hard graft of learning a language as a way of seeing another country’s culture from the inside.' 1/3

This is on the X account of the UK Home Office. A Labour government.
Where is this country going?

I would like to remind the British government that among the taxpayers in the UK there are millions of non-British people.

#notonationalism #migrantsarenotcriminals

Es sollte nicht undenkbar sein.

The Long Con Comes To An End The Trump Administration Takes Off The Mask (Again)

as Phillips O'Brien also points out, this plan has been in negotiation for a long time, probably since Trump took office.

open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?

This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

The Sudetenland was ceded to Germany. It did not stop World War II.

Do not let history repeat itself.

Important: Read Dan's thread and then fill out the consultation on the link at the end

It's very important for as many of you as possible to take part

Nazi salutes and racism: the allegations about Nigel Farage’s school days Podcast Episode · Today in Focus · 21/11/2025 · 27m

Is it a surprise that Nigel Farage was not just a cruel bully but also a proud self-confessed Nazi as a teenager? Probably not, but it’s useful to hear it from his contemporaries at Dulwich College.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Happy three month bookaversary!

CCTV captures fox and otter’s tour of Lincoln city centre A wildlife expert says the footage of the animals wandering past shops and bars is

Fox and Otter's Tour of Lincoln sounds like a great children's book title
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

'"The beaches have been awash with it but the seals don't seem to mind," said a member of the reserve's team.'

That said: not giving birth helps with keeping it intact.

Guys, it's an underappreciated fact that men have a pelvic floor, too.

Incidentally: I love that image, and on the website it's even better and moves!

Oh no - the cruelty of the next generation!!

Man that's profoundly stupid. I apologise. I mistook bsky for my teenage diary.

We have to be careful not to fool ourselves into believing that only Labour in the UK are going through these contortions. Social democrat parties elsewhere are struggling with the same splits. Perhaps we have to find a way to preserve the principles of social democracy without these parties?

The more I learn the less I understand. 🫤

I had no idea they could sing!

Now there's a soundscape!

Artwork featuring what could be two silkscreen flatbed cargo tricycles with some kind of demon or gremlin drawn on the left side. There are two cartoonish heads in the middle. The second (lower) cargo trike is in a negative image in its rear.

Artist: Jean-Michel Basquiat

Anyone been to see Wolf Alice during the current tour? I'm going to see them at the AO Arena in Manchester next week and am wondering what to expect. [NB I'm not particularly keen on the AO Arena]

Definitely worth that trillion dollar pay check.