Christine Fears
@ccfears.bsky.social
Comms, publishing, policy and politics of global public health. London based, lucky to spend lots of time in Mexico City - the greatest cities in the world 🇬🇧 🇲🇽
https://christinefears.substack.com/
https://christinefears.substack.com/
Reposted by Christine Fears
About half of the high-powered .50-caliber cartridges that the Mexican authorities have seized from cartels since 2012 were traced to an ammunition factory outside Kansas City, that is owned by the United States government. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
Cartel’s Seized Ammunition Is Traced to U.S. Army Plant, Mexico Says
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 7:23 AM
About half of the high-powered .50-caliber cartridges that the Mexican authorities have seized from cartels since 2012 were traced to an ammunition factory outside Kansas City, that is owned by the United States government. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/w...
Absolutely - in so many ways a great country and a great place to live, filled with charitable and kind people. Easy to forget that among the howls of the tabloids and the powerful people who want to tear it all down.
We hear way too much about angry Britain, blue-red Britain. What about the Britain of Save the Children, Oxfam, the RSPCA, the RNLI, popular environmentalism, the Britain of London's absolute triumph since its 80s nadir, its civic universities, the Britain of volunteering, giving, hoping?
February 16, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Absolutely - in so many ways a great country and a great place to live, filled with charitable and kind people. Easy to forget that among the howls of the tabloids and the powerful people who want to tear it all down.
Reposted by Christine Fears
One of the most striking data visualizations I've ever seen, and it's just text:
This Is Donald Trump’s Name 38,000 Times
The Epstein files released so far contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, Melania, Mar-a-Lago, and other related words, according to the New York Times.
This Is Donald Trump’s Name 38,000 Times
The Epstein files released so far contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, Melania, Mar-a-Lago, and other related words, according to the New York Times.
The Epstein Files Contain More Than 38,000 Trump References. Here’s a Helpful Visualization.
Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald ...
slate.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:54 PM
One of the most striking data visualizations I've ever seen, and it's just text:
This Is Donald Trump’s Name 38,000 Times
The Epstein files released so far contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, Melania, Mar-a-Lago, and other related words, according to the New York Times.
This Is Donald Trump’s Name 38,000 Times
The Epstein files released so far contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, Melania, Mar-a-Lago, and other related words, according to the New York Times.
Reposted by Christine Fears
In terms of what cures are being lost:
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
February 13, 2026 at 5:44 AM
In terms of what cures are being lost:
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
I mean this is obviously appalling, but as a European come on guys there's some top scientists to poach here surely
The FDA has refused to accept an application from Moderna to review its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, the company said, in another setback for the technology that’s been a target of some Trump administration health officials. https://cnn.it/4kt8iyn
February 11, 2026 at 1:52 AM
I mean this is obviously appalling, but as a European come on guys there's some top scientists to poach here surely
Reposted by Christine Fears
- I was lying in bed the other night
- was you
- yes Dud, and I heard this tap, tap, tap on the window
- who was it?
- bloody Jim Pickard of the FT
- no
- yes Dud, "Peter, Peter" he said, "tell me about Jeffrey Epstein"
- and what did you say?
- I told him to 'fuck off'
- that told him
- it did Dud
- was you
- yes Dud, and I heard this tap, tap, tap on the window
- who was it?
- bloody Jim Pickard of the FT
- no
- yes Dud, "Peter, Peter" he said, "tell me about Jeffrey Epstein"
- and what did you say?
- I told him to 'fuck off'
- that told him
- it did Dud
February 5, 2026 at 3:09 PM
- I was lying in bed the other night
- was you
- yes Dud, and I heard this tap, tap, tap on the window
- who was it?
- bloody Jim Pickard of the FT
- no
- yes Dud, "Peter, Peter" he said, "tell me about Jeffrey Epstein"
- and what did you say?
- I told him to 'fuck off'
- that told him
- it did Dud
- was you
- yes Dud, and I heard this tap, tap, tap on the window
- who was it?
- bloody Jim Pickard of the FT
- no
- yes Dud, "Peter, Peter" he said, "tell me about Jeffrey Epstein"
- and what did you say?
- I told him to 'fuck off'
- that told him
- it did Dud
Reposted by Christine Fears
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
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
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
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Reposted by Christine Fears
So many men named in the Epstein files say "I was only emailing him for financial advice, something I now hugely regret of course" and then the email is "hi j-dawg, loved partying with you and the naughty little girls this weekend, same again soon, bestie?" and Epstein replying "me am sayy yse . !1"
February 3, 2026 at 12:04 PM
So many men named in the Epstein files say "I was only emailing him for financial advice, something I now hugely regret of course" and then the email is "hi j-dawg, loved partying with you and the naughty little girls this weekend, same again soon, bestie?" and Epstein replying "me am sayy yse . !1"
Reposted by Christine Fears
I know you've heard that a federal judge ordered the release of 5 year old Liam Conejo Arias and his father, and that they're now home.
But did you look at the judge's order?
It's less than 2.5 pages and well worth a minute. "Jesus wept."
Link to pdf: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
But did you look at the judge's order?
It's less than 2.5 pages and well worth a minute. "Jesus wept."
Link to pdf: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I know you've heard that a federal judge ordered the release of 5 year old Liam Conejo Arias and his father, and that they're now home.
But did you look at the judge's order?
It's less than 2.5 pages and well worth a minute. "Jesus wept."
Link to pdf: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
But did you look at the judge's order?
It's less than 2.5 pages and well worth a minute. "Jesus wept."
Link to pdf: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Yes, great article. I keep thinking there's recognisable elements of Franco (and Salazar) in Trump's approach.
What Franco’s fascist regime in Spain can teach us about today’s America
What Franco’s fascist regime in Spain can teach us about today’s America
Comparisons of Trump to Hitler have become common. But some of Trump’s policies may more closely resemble those of Francisco Franco of Spain, says a Spanish scholar.
buff.ly
January 30, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Yes, great article. I keep thinking there's recognisable elements of Franco (and Salazar) in Trump's approach.
Reposted by Christine Fears
Reposted by Christine Fears
Liz Truss's real legacy
January 27, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Liz Truss's real legacy
And the UK govt had decided that this is the time to be punitive towards overseas students
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 PM
And the UK govt had decided that this is the time to be punitive towards overseas students
Reposted by Christine Fears
It is profoundly ironic that the whole stated purpose of mass gun ownership in the US - which carries it with the associated cost of frequent mass shootings, including in schools - is to protect against oppressive tyrannical government and yet...
January 24, 2026 at 10:04 PM
It is profoundly ironic that the whole stated purpose of mass gun ownership in the US - which carries it with the associated cost of frequent mass shootings, including in schools - is to protect against oppressive tyrannical government and yet...
Reposted by Christine Fears
Would watch this reality show though
January 24, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Would watch this reality show though
Reposted by Christine Fears
We are Christopher Isherwood, watching the increasingly alarming scenes in the Berlin street below from our apartment window above.
This video filmed by Ben Luhmann shows the moment a federal agent sprayed chemical irritants directly into a man's face in south Minneapolis.
Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
January 22, 2026 at 6:11 AM
We are Christopher Isherwood, watching the increasingly alarming scenes in the Berlin street below from our apartment window above.
Great article from @angelahuttner.bsky.social - "AI is not the problem. It can only augment problems that already exist. It is a catalyser, an enzyme that has found its substrate. And the substrate here is our broken academic and publishing systems—our academic-industrial complex".
bit.ly/49A1UkY
bit.ly/49A1UkY
The beating heart of a broken machine
www.sciencedirect.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Great article from @angelahuttner.bsky.social - "AI is not the problem. It can only augment problems that already exist. It is a catalyser, an enzyme that has found its substrate. And the substrate here is our broken academic and publishing systems—our academic-industrial complex".
bit.ly/49A1UkY
bit.ly/49A1UkY
Reposted by Christine Fears
We go live to the Protect our girls crew, unsure what they are doing
January 10, 2026 at 1:59 PM
We go live to the Protect our girls crew, unsure what they are doing
This report in Nature on the costs of competing for & administering scientific grants is shocking: "In other words, European taxpayers will have spent more on the funding process than on the funding itself, and the scientific ecosystem has been drained." www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
www.nature.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Christine Fears
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
January 1, 2026 at 4:43 AM
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
In sick this NYE with a cold, but still
Happy New Year all!
Happy New Year all!
December 31, 2025 at 11:45 PM
In sick this NYE with a cold, but still
Happy New Year all!
Happy New Year all!
Reposted by Christine Fears
Good interview in the paper, this. I think Sadiq is right: London 'needs' to be less successful than it is for a bunch of political arguments here in the UK to work, hence the fictions being invented about it:
Populists attack London because it is ‘progressive and successful’, says Sadiq Khan
Rightwing attacks on one of the world’s most visited cities at odds with reality, says mayor
www.ft.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Good interview in the paper, this. I think Sadiq is right: London 'needs' to be less successful than it is for a bunch of political arguments here in the UK to work, hence the fictions being invented about it:
Reposted by Christine Fears
Christmas is hard for many. The years roll, the ghosts at the table increase. We’re haunted by the absence of voices, of laughter engines who drank and ate with us. This can be day of remembrance rituals. For what it’s worth, Hooklanders near and far are in my candles today. Be gentle on yourselves.
December 25, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Christmas is hard for many. The years roll, the ghosts at the table increase. We’re haunted by the absence of voices, of laughter engines who drank and ate with us. This can be day of remembrance rituals. For what it’s worth, Hooklanders near and far are in my candles today. Be gentle on yourselves.
Came home for Christmas, cat immediately scratched me, mum took cats side, I'm now in chair far from fireplace while cat lies resplendent in full glow of log burner
December 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Came home for Christmas, cat immediately scratched me, mum took cats side, I'm now in chair far from fireplace while cat lies resplendent in full glow of log burner