Tom Grey

While the #AirPollution result is the most important one, most business will be sold on the latter

It’s pragmatism to use the latter even if air pollution is a health issue

Another thing is it’s safer for us all as no vehicles means no incidents. A life saved is a step to #VisionZero

Nonsensical parody of campaigning journalism by the Business Post, as it continues its obsession with deregulating aviation.

And to hell with the #climate impacts, to hell with locals suffering noise pollution & disrupted sleep.

All that matters it seems is growth, growth, growth.

‘16 years later, I’m not unhappy’: the rise of Britain’s multigenerational flatmates Fewer under-25s leaving home, and older renters being priced out of ownership or solo renting, is fuelling a change in house-share demographics

Britain's multigenerational flats
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Mirador School La Jalquilla / Semillas Completed in 2024 in Cajamarca, Peru. Images by Eleazar Cuadros. Roots and Context. The "Mirador School La Jalquilla" project is located in San Ignacio, in the Ceja de Selva region, on the border with...

www.archdaily.com/1035995/mira...

Finally, a decent article about Zack Polanski from the mainstream media. Worth a read.

Solar and numerous crops are complements and I am tiring of FUD indicating otherwise as the peer reviewed experimental evidence piles up. #EnergySky

interesting, and "Sinn Féin has promised it would organise a referendum to insert a legally enforceable right within a year of taking office." #RightToHousing appeals tend I'd say to be rather uncertain of specifics or effect; so I'm curious if/what eg Sinn Féin or others'd propose it concretely do

Two-thirds of voters back insertion of right to housing into Constitution, poll shows Fewer than a third of voters think Government is making progress on housing, Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll finds

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Conscious any discussion on transport is polarising but can we agree on:
🚗 Less speeding in cities and towns
👮‍♀️ A Garda focus on speed enforcement
🛣 Road design and landscaping to reinforce this
🚴‍♀️ Cycling facilities that protect children (and ourselves)
🏍 Confiscation of illegal souped-up e-bikes?

Ireland in the storms: Flood barriers won't save us if we keep draining the land After flooding in the past, successive governments promised protections, but instead, doubled down on dredging and delayed land-use reform, leaving communities exposed, writes Pádraic Fogarty.

Another excellent piece by Pádraic Fogarty. The Nature Restoration Law and the Land Use Review offer the government a real opportunity to address challenges like flooding head-on, but I have little faith they’ll take it.
www.thejournal.ie/readme/storm...

Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”

Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.

This example nicely illustrates that #smartcities do not have to be filled with sensors, chips, and robots. A #smartenoughcity combines selected new technologies with time-tested vernacular knowledge, making it more resilient and less vulnerable to technical failure.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue

Janet Horner @janetphorner.bsky.social does amazing work as a councilor in Dublin Central and will have huge positive impact as a TD - please encourage anyone you know in Dublin Central to get behind her campaign !

Immigrants’ Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994–2023 Our analysis in this paper shows that immigrants generated a fiscal surplus of about $14.5 trillion from 1994 to 2023, that the average immigrant is much less costly than the average US-born American,...

The right wing Cato Institute has released a paper showing that, over 30 years, immigrants to the US created a fiscal surplus of $14.5 trillion, and that without immigrants, US public debt would be twice its current level.

Air pollution joins Europe’s list of cancer risks Air pollution has today (4th February) been formally recognised as a cancer risk in Europe for the first time, after being added to the European Code Against Cancer. The update appears in the fifth ed...

Air pollution is now formally recognised as a cancer risk in Europe.

“Individuals are encouraged to limit their exposure by choosing public transport, walking or cycling…and keeping homes free of smoke by avoiding the burning of coal or wood”.

#WorldCancerDay #AirPollution

Our founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.

Heads are going to explode 💥

Cato Institute just nuked the lie. Immigrants have cut U.S. deficits by $14.5 TRILLION since 1994, slashing the national debt by a third.

All that “immigrants are bleeding us dry” noise? Absolute bullshit.
1/3

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

“There’s a tendency in certain government departments to trivialise the impacts of #climate on the economy so as to avoid making difficult choices today. This is a big problem—the consequences of delay are catastrophic.”

—Mark Campanale, CEO of @carbontracker.bsky.social

The problem repeats itself across issue after issue. Majorities support moderate gun qualifications, democratic norms, human decency, and climate action. Still, progress is blocked, with powerful systems like mainstream media firmly in reactionary hands. So how do we break the deadlock?

Two Cities, Different Rides: Exploring Gendered Experiences of Cycling in London and Amsterdam Differences in Cycling and Gender Patterns Between the Two Cities

In contrast, in Amsterdam, the prevalence of casual clothing, step-through commuter bikes, and the general absence of helmets portrays cycling as a calm and everyday activity.
urbancyclinginstitute.substack.com/p/two-cities...

LTNs work!

People of all ages and abilities ride bicycles along the newly-transformed Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, which is lined with commercial shopfronts, dedicated and separated space for walking and cycling, bike parking, and trees and plants.

People of all ages and abilities ride bicycles along the newly-transformed Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, which is lined with commercial shopfronts, dedicated and separated space for walking and cycling, bike parking, and trees and plants.

People of all ages and abilities ride bicycles along the newly-transformed Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, which is lined with commercial shopfronts, dedicated and separated space for walking and cycling, bike parking, and trees and plants.

People of all ages and abilities ride bicycles along the newly-transformed Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, which is lined with commercial shopfronts, dedicated and separated space for walking and cycling, bike parking, and trees and plants.

Utrecht’s municipal plan—developed over several years with input from stakeholders, business owners, disability and cycling advocates—set out a broad set of goals: elevate spatial quality, enhance safety, slow traffic to 30 km/h, add greenery, support climate resilience and boost commercial success.

‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions

Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Amazon has cut a combined 28,000 jobs since October. Its CEO made $40M+ in 2024

UPS has announced 78,000 job cuts since last year. Its CEO made $24M.

HP announced up to 6,000 layoffs in November. Its CEO made $21M.

This is what I mean when I say the system is rigged.

Illustration of three soldiers in purple uniforms holding rifles, standing near an oil pumpjack and a burning gas flare, set against an orange and purple sky.

From the abduction of Venezuela’s president to the seizure of its oil, @alfatau.bsky.social traces a chilling new phase of U.S. power—extortion dressed up as policy.

As Professor Robert Pape put it, this is ​“Imperialism 101,” a vision of ​“America as predator.”

inthesetimes.com/article/empi...

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."-Elie Wiesel

The difference between the president and I is that I was raised to be a decent human being, and my faith teaches me to have compassion.

He lacks both of those things.

February or March: when does spring really begin? The Celtic calendar says spring starts on February 1st, but climatologists are adamant it's March so who's right?

February or March: when does spring really begin?
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

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