Alison Sampson is working

speaking of which, bsky.app/profile/mari...

I do not want to hear the term 'underaged women' ever again.
It is such a gross term.
The word is 'girls' or 'children'.

my cover for Pick-Up from AWA.

I have yet to see any evidence that there is a market for AI-generated books outside of people being tricked into thinking they are not AI-generated books. AKA, it is a project of scamming and deceiving people, and really should be treated as fraud

ICE in Italy: When American Border Politics Hit European Streets

An opinion I pretty firmly hold is that everyone should make a song, paint a painting, act in something, and write a book even if all of those things end up being objectively terrible

The idea that society allows billionaires to exploit their workers and freeload off our infrastructure to become even richer is the great tragedy of this era. We have been brainwashed into thinking they “deserve” that treatment and workers are lucky to have jobs.

Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees

Former Washington Post journalists have launched a GoFundMe to help repatriate fired staff members who are effectively stranded in foreign countries.

One of the richest men in the world fired them from the paper and didn’t even pay to ensure they got home.

Abolish the billionaire class:

Man, Sienkiewcz is so fucking good. And there's nobody in the business who's worked at such a high level for so long

Peter Mandelson issues secret notice demanding press leave him alone – read in full LATE on Friday evening, this notice was circulated from representatives of Peter Mandelson, via press regulator IPSO and the Press Association news…

i think he has a few things to answer to.
www.thenational.scot/news/2583451...

The March Micro Marathon 2026 - SmokeLong Quarterly Please book by February 20th! In its third year, The March Micro Marathon will be, as usual, a prompt-a-day whirlwind for 24 days. You’ll exchange drafts of micro fiction, non-fiction, and prose poetr...

24 days, 24 writing tasks designed by Christopher Allen. Webinars by Ingrid Jendrzejewski and Kim Chinquee. Competitions. Open mics. Write-ins. And one month of SmokeLong Fitness for participants not already in Fitness. Is big! Book by Feb 20th. www.smokelong.com/the-march-mi...

We’re getting all these reports of how Starmer is huddled up alone at Downing Street in agonies of anguish over Mandelson, well if he truly desires to make amends, one thing he could do that would have a tangible, immediate positive impact is serving all UK Government ties with Palantir.

It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.

Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”

I may delete this because it’s a bit spicy but it shouldn’t be lost on us that games being turned into TV is essentially harvesting the stories written by those who don’t have union representation or healthcare with WGA by those that do. Our stories are good enough for TV but the writers aren’t?

the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex

In many sources on rebellions of the enslaved, slavers are surprised that they rebel and think it’s a psychological aberration because slaves can’t have a concept of, let alone will to, freedom. The idea of robots was always tied to this: a slave that doesn’t yearn for freedom.

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.

One of the reasons I so greatly dislike the “can men and women be friends?” nonsense (yes, full stop, shut up) is that it casts suspicion on people with opposite-sex friends instead of where it more often belongs: on people with no opposite-sex friends.

New John Sayles book out this month. I read three of his previous novels last year and bits of a few others. If you like Sayles as a filmmaker and or just really good historical fiction I highly recommend. Excited to dig into this one

The Government must reveal all details of Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir - Foxglove Sign the petition for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm?

I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...

YouTube video by Kermode and Mayo's Take Mark Kermode reviews Melania

My God.....Mark Kermode did see Melania....🔥

I’ll be doing a signing for the release of The Twilight Zone issue 4 this Saturday, Feb. 7th at Bloomington’s own Vintage Phoenix Comics (114 E. 6th) from 2-4pm.

See you there, and please spread the word!

Reminder that it is 2026 and this is not a Bradbury novel; the correct term is *firefighter*, not "fireman".

Are you sufficiently concerned about Palantir and Peter Thiel? Because he wasn't just in Epstein's life or files. He's in yours, and your files are with him thanks to the UK government.

Tech billionaires aren't robber barons.

Robber barons donated money to educational and cultural institutions, from universities to newspapers. Tech billionaires are destroying them - and building their fortunes on destroying the human capacity to think, learn, empathize, and concentrate.

I'd add to this: Don't just read it. Have more experienced and/or legally savvy friends read it.

‘Please tell us authorities will go after the people named in the Epstein Files’ | The News Agents A new release of the Epstein Files confirms rumours and conspiracy theories about a global cabal of billionaires and people in power exploiting women and girls for personal pleasure. But will…

"This might vindicate the very worst fears that people have about global elites," says Lewis Goodall

"It feels like massive cover-up, and you can understand how people get to a conspiratorial mindset.

"It doesn't feel conspiratorial at that point"

www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/plea...

Rayner.

By entering the competition and in consideration for Hearst publishing your entry, you assign to Hearst the entire worldwide copyright in your entry for all uses in all print and non-print media formats, including but not limited to all rights to use your entry in any and all electronic and digital formats, and in any future medium hereafter developed for the full period of copyright therein, and all renewals and extensions thereof, any rental and lending rights and retransmission rights and all rights of a like nature wherever subsisting.

Venerable magazine Harper's Bazaar is running its short story contest again, with the winner receiving "the chance" of publication in the magazine. Just one catch: per the wording of the guidelines, _just by entering_ you transfer copyright ownership of your story to Harper's parent, Hearst. 1/3

Hello, looks like independent publishers should beef up our books coverage.

If you're into the idea of joining the @flaminghydra.com collective and writing a book review each month (800-2000 word range), please send us your ideas and some clips to hello@flamingydra.com