Helen McCarthy

While most of us are addled by reality TV, influencer-dominated media, degraded education and shortened attention span, the few with money and power channel even more of our labour upwards to enrich them. Have fun - just don't buy their brands of fun. They only dominate the market if we let them.

I sometimes wonder if we were put on this planet to keep stating the bleedin' obvious in the teeth of the conmen and snake oil salespeople. That really isn't such a bad destiny, you know.

They are already, but if there's no challenge for them because people are conditioned to think they don't want anything beyond reality TV, the few steps forward made in the later 20th century will reverse completely.

And quite simply, thats it.
No frills.
That's the gospel truth

Irish children's authors & others have come together to raise funds for Palestine. Organised by @sineadohart.bsky.social & @rurooie.bsky.social
I'll be hosting a Picture Book event with @chrishaughton.bsky.social Paddy Donnelly & Patricia Forde - check it all out:
www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit...

This. So much this. Mistakes in science or medicine can kill. Mistakes in art are a deep well of creativity and self-knowledge. Mistakes are #SomethingBeautiful

@helenmccarthy51.bsky.social because this should be shared.

World Athletics’ mandatory genetic test for women athletes is misguided. I should know – I discovered the relevant gene in 1990 World Athletics says its genetic test for women ensures ‘the integrity of women’s sport’ – but science does not support this overly simplistic idea.

World Athletics’ mandatory genetic test for women athletes is misguided. I should know – I discovered the relevant gene in 1990

By, Professor Andrew Sinclair, Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

theconversation.com/world-athlet...

Sadly all "common" British parents have been conditioned to disregard education, because too many "common" kids were using it to climb out of forelock-tugging poverty. Education can be a radical thing for kids because at its best it teaches them a variety of strategies to get past barriers.

GCSE results (Attainment 8) Published 7 November 2024 published by gov.uk

Hate it when people infantilise immigrants. Almost all migrant groups, despite language and cultural barriers, relative poverty and systemic racism, outperform White British kids in GCSE English & Maths. And right-wing grifters can't bring up anti-white bias, because Irish outpreform Brits as well.

WHEN IS IT NOT SMALL BOATS WEEK THO??
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

When is it wealth inequality week, eh?? WHEN DOES THAT COME AROUND?

I'm interviewed in the new issue of @bigfinish.bsky.social's Vortex this month, talking about the V UK alien invasion audio drama with Jonathan Morris, @eddierobson.bsky.social & @lisamcmullin.bsky.social 🛸
Download your free copy here: www.bigfinish.com/vortex/v/198

EdBookFest flyer, showing the information available as text if you follow the website link

Not long now 'til Adventuremice at Edinburgh Book Festival!

Join us on Friday, 15 Aug for story fun and drawing shenanigans!
🐭🐭🐭✍️✍️

Tickets here: www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

@edbookfest.bsky.social
@philipreeve.bsky.social

Every far-right movement that has ever existed has claimed to have 'legitimate concerns'. The representation of those concerns as an urgent crisis caused by others -e.g migrants- is how they try and co-opt ordinary people. Someone having 'legitimate concerns' doesn't mean they aren't far-right...

#SomethingBeautiful - and we are a tiny part of it. Twinkle, twinkle, little stars ...

A had a coffee at my local French establishment whilst reading my favourite Greek poet. Un café at le café reading Cavafy, carefully.

Fucking hell

Celebrate the 448th anniversary of the appearance of cyclopean devil dog Black Shuck with this unforgiving photorealistic Ladybird-grade image of the phenomenon which children were invited to enjoy, absorb and accept in the Usborne Book Of The Unknown.

Why it’s John & Yoko, & Liz & Richard, & Ringo & Maureen, & Peter Blake & Francis Bacon. & lots more.

From October 5th’s Sunday Times Magazine, when it could be - whisper it - rather cool - a splendid Frank Bellamy-illustrated comic strip featuring the trials of a young artist from out of London.

'How can we trust a public that uses words like “selfie,” “skin care,” and “solutioning” without a flicker of self-hatred?'

Wondering how many people will read this without knowing who Richard Ayoade is

Whoo~~ Finally got the next research project moving forward!

@frankhecker.com and I are doing a super exciting look at how folks engage with live-action Yuri/GL, with surveys in English, Spanish and Portugese. Follow Frank and I and get ready to talk about Live-action Yuri/ GL!

Girls against God by jenny hval The cover is a black and white photo showing a girl levitating in a door frame

11. 'girls against god' by jenny hval (tr. marjam idriss)

a young lonely queer girl's obsession with norwegian black metal takes her to some nightmarish and surreal places. creepy and dreamlike. jenny herself is a talented musician and her thoughts on music + culture are interesting!

#WITmonth 💙📚

Wild that this is a real TV movie and it’s also based on a Gloria Steinem article where she did this. Also wild ass cast.

Listen my darling butterflies: if trans people (and POC and all other humans) don't have exactly the same rights you do, YOUR rights are under threat. Because once some people are allowed to state that those they don't approve of don't have full human rights, that never stops.

Sign the Petition Not in our name: Women in support of the trans+ community

The cis women against transphobia petition by @nionwomen.bsky.social is just about to pass 40,000, on the day after Mariah Carey declares her support for trans people’s human rights.

Climate change: Ban fossil fuel advertising says UN chief - BBC News The UN leader's call comes as new data highlights the worrying pace of global warming.

did you know the u.n. secretary general has literally called for all countries to ban fossil fuel advertising

Digging around in one of the Spanish language anime/manga magazine Minami CDs from 1999 and came across an issue of 'Adamzine', a little multimedia fanzine that I've seen on DOKAN discs too.

What sweet MIDI beats and slice of ESP anime fandom 💜

#SomethingBeautiful

A hobby flying straight towards the camera low over a reedbed

What it looks like when a Hobby flies straight at you! 😲👀😍
#birds 🪶
Taken at Shapwick Heath in Somerset. 🐦

Unsolicited Writing Advice, no: 16: MONEY. The average (professional, full-time) author earns around £11,000 a year from being published. This sum, never high, has actually gone down over the past 10 years, whereas salaries in the publishing industry, (though not always high) have increased.

Good principle. Soaking the soil of America in the blood of red and black people doesn't really uphold it, though. Maybe time to stop that?

Worrye not about 'being productive,' for thou art not a product. Thou art a star daunsinge yn a hopeful skye. A signal blinking across centuryes and worldes. Thou art a song performid just once and perfectlye.