Frank Norman

[We see a close up of a young white male, tanned, white teeth, coiffed hair clearly an influencer on social media. It is an image such as you see when social media posts are shown on the news. In the corner of the screen is named a location: DUBAI. He is staring slightly off-camera for several silent panels of the comic strip. His eyes move slightly. He is having a thought.] From off-screen a newsreader’s commentary comes: NEWSREADER: Extraordinary images here of an expat in Dubai [The influencer’s eybrows raise slightly] …Having their first ever geopolitical thought. [CUT TO a BBC news scene. The BBC newsreader CLIVE MYRIE is talking to an interviewee next to the screen showing the social media influencer’s face. The interviewee’s name is David Jones]. CLIVE MYRIE: To explain the significance of this moment we’re joined by David Jones, our Expat Thoughts correspondent DAVID JONES: Clive, this is momentous It was caught on film at the end of an Instagram post titled: ‘Dubai Is Brilliant’. [Pointing at the screen, the influencer’s expression still the same] You can clearly see in the eyebrows here, the dawning realisation that there *might* be something in the world beyond his dickhead self. It marks a *huge* departure from all the Dubai Expat’s previous thoughts. CLIVE MYRIE: Which are…? DAVID JONES: You've Got To Get Yourself Out Here Mate, Everything Is So Clean, I Don't Have To Pay Taxes, I Am Incurious As To Why I Do Not Have To Pay Taxes, and Spa. CLIVE MYRIE: And might we see an expansion of these new Thoughts in coming days? DAVID JONES: I think we can expect to see: “I Deserve To Be Airlifted By A Country I Pay No Tax To” CLIVE MYRIE: Mmm. [Ends]

World Book Day There will be a debate on World Book Day at 3pm on Thursday 5 March 2026. This debate will take place in Westminster Hall, and will be led by Helen Hayes MP.

Debate 3pm Thurs 5 Mar on World Book Day, by Helen Hayes. Make school libraries & professional librarians statutory commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri... Commons research briefing (by professional librarians), shouldn't our kids get the same support as politicians? #GoAllIn #WBD #NYoR

Pretty much.

a large screen shows a man 's face and says ingsoc ALT: a large screen shows a man 's face and says ingsoc

So... A friend was supposed to give a PURELY SCIENTIFIC talk at NIH within the next couple of weeks and it was cancelled because of a "new process" where all speakers/talks have to be CLEARED BY A POLITICAL APPOINTEE.

A similar thing happened with the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence's #climatescience chapter, which was *erased* after 27 GOP AGs claimed this extensively vetted, peer-reviewed independent science resource was biased against US energy production. insideclimatenews.org/news/0303202...

Women in science: gaining ground but fundamental issues remain Around the world, women make up 53% of bachelor’s and 55% of master’s level graduates, and 44% of those who achieve a PhD.

“We should all take hidden bias tests regularly to identify our own failings and shine a light on the work we need to do on ourselves.”
open.substack.com/pub/scholarl...

In Iran, Donald Trump is making history Too bad he has so little appreciation for its lessons

Donald Trump is strangely lacking interest in what the consequences might ultimately be. He has made himself a world-historical figure, yet with no appreciation for history’s tragic lessons

Trump awarded FIFA War Prize President Trump has been awarded the FIFA War Prize this morning. After blowing the shit out of Iran over the weekend, the 45th and 47th POTUS was proud to accept FIFA’s newest award from FIFA CEO …

NEWS! Donald Trump awarded FIFA War Prize

Good grief.

I'm addicted to these videos from a bakery in Uzbekistan

this bread is beautiful

How ironic!!!

September 16, 2013:
“I predict that President Obama will at some point attack Iran in order to save face!”
— #Trump suggesting Obama would use an Iran attack politically.

Trump on November 16, 2011 said that President Obama will start a war with Iran since he has no ability to negotiate and is weak and ineffective....

Wow, he was talking about his future self and not Obama??

#Iran #IranMassacre #IranWar #TrumpIran

screen grab of Instagram post showing Trump has bombed 10 countries as President. Biden 5, Obama 7, Bush 5

just saw this over on Insta #iran #trumpwars

I've been watching council planning committee meetings as research for my next short film and it's remarkable how many of them involve a professional woman giving evidence getting bellowed at by red-faced old men.

Photo of Michael Moore, alongside his quote: "[Librarians] are subversive. You think they're just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them".

Don't mess with librarians!

The NIH Restructuring Congress Rejected Is Happening Anyway (I used Gemini Nano Banana 2 to create this fictional image.)

This piece by Elizabeth Ginexi is a must read. Trump, Vought, RFK and Bhattacharya are destroying the NIH simply ignoring the law and the US Congress. It’s illegal and immoral. The NIH Restructuring Congress Rejected Is Happening Anyway open.substack.com/pub/elizabet...

Why Don’t Things Fall Up? Why Don’t Things Fall Up? delivers what every adult and schoolchild deserves, but often doesn’t get: an authoritative and accessible account of the key ideas in science. The book is rooted in Alom’…

Primary Teachers! British Science Week starts next Friday. To help any of you who’d like to refresh and / or deepen your understanding of the science in the National Curriculum, I’m giving away FREE kindle editions of “Why Don‘t Things Fall Up?” Drop me a line if you want one!

Basic Overton Window stuff. If your society has lurched rightward, you don't get points for sitting in the middle, wherever it may be. The middle, in Western countries, is now basically on the very fringes of what would have been acceptable a generation ago. I was there. Labour sound like the BNP.

Having romped into third place in Gorton and Denton, Labour is celebrating its success with a word salad | Marina Hyde Got battered at the polls? No problem. Just act like voters want more of what you’re selling – not considerably less, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

Sheer brilliance by Marina Hyde in The Graun:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Book cover: Writing Queer History by Matt Cook. The title and author's name appear in a pink circle. There are also two black and white photographs relevant to queer history.

Matt Cook's 'Writing Queer History' just missed out on my 'coming soon' list (by a week or so!), but it's definitely a *must read* for all #queerhistory fans . . . 🌈📚🗃️

Love the point from @simonjbains.bsky.social that projects can be a real motivator during times of cuts and pressure #CopimConference

I will never not be angry at the way tech bros have told us that the danger is apocalyptic superintelligence when it was always obvious that the reason to worry is that we would put dumb AI in really stupid places.

Repost if your account is a safe space for the trans community. 🏳️‍⚧️

That is such an incendiary and offensive phrase ('coalition of Islamists').

When did ’white women’ become a sect?

Wot, no wholemeal???

Maybe Matt Goodwin should retrain as a plumber?

So the candidate who left school at 16 with no A-Levels and who's spent her whole adult life vocational, manual jobs beat the ivory tower academic turned cushy media pundit, but you can be sure we'll still get plenty more casual description of the latter as "white working class".

The Handbasket 100% independent journalism by Marisa Kabas

Now that CNN and WBD are set to become state media in a sale to Paramount/Oracle/TikTok, it is especially important to support independent media.

Off the top of my head:

www.thehandbasket.co
404media.co
www.garbageday.email

Add your favorites in the replies. Fuck state-backed media monopolies.