David

Plaque stating "Cooper Clarke Group PLC - Traffic Signals"

The bloody lights are bloody red
Bloody sense of bloody dread
Bloody lorries bloody smoke
Bloody biker's bloody choked
His bloody start he bloody sways
His bloody right of bloody way
Green nowhere to be bloody found
Evidently Chickentown

Elon Musk Annoyed by Bernie Sanders and AOC’s Growing Crowds Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been drawing large crowds on their "Fight Oligarchy" tour, and it’s clear that their success is rubbing some people the wrong wa...

Elon Musk Annoyed by Bernie Sanders and AOC’s Growing Crowds

“MAGA Lefty” Is Not A Thing Trump did not “steal the Democrats’ economic platform.” He’s not “anti-war.” He’s an plutocratic imperialist waging war on social welfare, consumer protection, and civil liberties. Look at what he doe...

The bare minimum to be on the pro-labor left is to support a $15 federal minimum wage, universal healthcare, and strong labor protections. Trump opposes all of that. www.currentaffairs.org/news/maga-le...

Some disabled people could lose £10k a year in benefits by end of decade Experts say planned cuts will deliver series of ‘painful income shocks’ for many

The Spirit of 4.5%

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Cut Off U.S. Energy and Resources Now: No Electricity, No Critical Minerals, No Oil and Gas  | Canadian Labour Congress WINNIPEG – Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, issued the following statement today:  Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers and our economy. With 2.4 mil...

Trump’s Tariffs: Canadian unions hit back bit.ly/cdn-unions-h...

X post: Elon Musk @elonmusk We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper. Could gone to some great parties. Did that instead.

U.S. policy was to help bring an end to apartheid and establish a nonracial, democratic government. In response to this policy and the Act, USAID/South Africa was responsible for financing projects that apartheid victims viewed as critical in promoting social, political, and economic change through peaceful means. The mission enabled community consultation and ensured that the United States did not impose foreign-defined solutions to local problems. USAID created projects and activities to respond to the priorities of the black community and its leaders, maximized black participation and leadership, and ensured activities had a linkage to the general objectives of U.S. policy. First-year funding for the program was $25 million, which was raised to $50 million the second year. The main project areas were community outreach and leadership development to redress the repression of black-led institutions; educational support and training to address the educational crisis in South Africa; black private enterprise development to combat the inhibiting effects of apartheid–induced discrimination in private enterprise; university grants to help create a new generation of economic and political leaders; human rights; legal assistance; labor union training; and health and nutrition

What’s his beef against USAID in particu….oh. Wow.

Regarding the DC air crash it seems the Air Traffic Control was chronically short of staff. Makes me think there should be some sort of initiative to recruit from underrepresented demographics who have the skillset but have been put off from applying due to little institutional representation ...

This is real ‘mad king’ stuff. “It was not immediately clear how or where the federal government intends to transport the water.”
www.latimes.com/environment/...

More of a lifestyle thing but does it also feature the history of "In my day only sailors had tattoos and now *everyone* seems to be getting them" which has a pedigree going back a century I believe.

YouTube video by Michael Spicer The Room Next Door - Donald Trump Plane Crash Fact Check

More robust journalism than some that's knocking about.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNXR...

How long until someone does a "We Didn't Start the Trade War" Billy Joel parody...

A tad under the weather so booted up the Soul Reaver Legacy of Kain remaster today and it's a delight. The visuals are beautiful yet faithful, the voice acting is superb, and the block puzzles? Oh boy are there block puzzles...

‘I am a Gazan’: writing on Eleanor Marx in times of genocide on her 170th birthday The youngest daughter of Karl Marx and her unwavering humanity in the face of injustice remain relevant for our times, writes DANA MILLS

This Eleanor Marx Day take a moment to read Sister Dana on the relevance of Eleanor today.

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/i-am...

Important info on Advice and Guidance for GPs.

Keep up the action, it strengthens our hand in negotiations!

A screenshot of a Tumblr post from user thehmn. It depicts two carved ivory figurines of foxes dressed as monks. The caption reads, Foxes disguised as monks. On the left from Japan and on the right from Denmark.

Clearly, this was a global issue.

That's what they all say...

This post will be cited in family debates for years to come.

You will be visited by three spirits ...

The Bath Song by J. R. R. Tolkien Sing hey! for the bath at close of day that washes the weary mud away! A loon is he that will not sing: O! Water Hot is a noble thing! O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain, and the brook that leaps from hill to plain; but better than rain or rippling streams is Water Hot that smokes and steams. O! Water cold we may pour at need down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed; but better is Beer if drink we lack, and Water Hot poured down the back. O! Water is fair that leaps on high in a fountain white beneath the sky; but never did fountain sound so sweet as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

The Bath Song is one of my favorite poems from #Tolkien. Despite being "mundane", it's a celebration of everyday comfort, a respite from challenging journey (Pippin sung it at some point during the Hobbits' dangerous journey). We need those even more nowadays. 1/2

#TolkienTrewsday #TolkienTuesday

How Democrats can win the messaging war "Liberals trust the mainstream media — foolishly, I think. The trust is not deserved," Ryan Cooper tells us.

"The Times, which now supposedly employs like 10% of the journalists in the country, absolutely botched their coverage. It was probably worse than 2016. They had a scoop from John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, calling him a fascist. They basically caught and killed their own scoop."

Add for some kind of grain app on twitter with the testimonial “it’s actually enjoyable to sell my grain”

[defensively, to the chad hunter gatherers mocking me while I till my fields],

A photograph of capybaras enjoying a bath in a hot spring pool. One animal is submerged to the neck, its head looking up and its eyes are closed in pleasure. Another capybara is seen submerged next to its friend. Three yellow yuzu fruits with wrinkled skins are floating next to them. A wooden bucket with yuzus is placed on the stony edge of the pool.

A photograph of a capybara enjoying a hot bath in a hot spring pool, surrounded by rock formations. There is a yuzu fruit on top of its head and a wooden bucket full of yuzu on the edge.

A photograph of a capybara enjoying a hot bath in a zoo in Izu, Japan. The capybara has a yuzu with its leaves on top of its head. The animal is surrounded by floating yellow yuzu fruits.

An adult capybara and capybara offspring enjoying a yuzu bath together in a hot spring pool in the zoo in Izu, surrounded by rock formations. The capybaras are surrounded by floating yuzu fruits.

Capybaras enjoying the annual yuzuyu (citrus bath) at Izu Shaboten Zoo, mimicking a popular Winter Solstice tradition.

An old belief said yuzu bath protects from illness, bad luck, and misfortune, helping with sleep and bringing your mind to warmer months. 1/2

❄️🍋

#FairyTaleTuesday

Finish writing my thesis on LOTR is the big one! I also have a peer-reviewed article coming out, a handbook chapter and bibliographic essay to write, a seminar proceedings to finish editing, and an imperial ton of reading.

I'm swimming Tolkien in 2025! Now to avoid ending up like our boy Isildur…

Members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer are now on their second round of strike action, in case you were wondering why we have no Game Awards coverage. (I've been an NUJ member for 20 years.)

Maybe some ghosts will visit Jeff Bezos…

Union anger over Labour government’s ‘insulting’ 2.8% public sector pay plan Pay review bodies will make final recommendations on proposed rises for teachers, NHS staff and other workers The government is set for a clash with trade unions after ministers recommended a 2.8% pay rise for teachers, NHS staff and other public sector…

Union anger over Labour government’s ‘insulting’ 2.8% public sector pay plan

262 words is not a manifesto. A manifesto should be so long and rambling that its sheer size deters people from reading it. It should look like you need a briefcase full of ragged, yellowed typing paper to lug it around in and wave at people. It should be usable as a melee weapon in an emergency.

YouTube video by Sarah Owen MP Why we MUST change the law on fireworks | Sarah Owen MP

Last night's Fireworks Petition debate was one of the busiest I've seen - it shows the appetite for change in the public and among MPs.

It was good to chat with the petitioners afterwards, and get support from across the House for my Fireworks bill.