Derek
@derekdesanges.bsky.social
Writer of books and short stories: derekdesanges.wordpress.com/books
Writer of feature articles & reviews in the museum sector: https://desangeswritings.wordpress.com/
Media-adjacent (sorry)
https://linktr.ee/derekdesanges
Profile artwork by Emma Weakley.
Writer of feature articles & reviews in the museum sector: https://desangeswritings.wordpress.com/
Media-adjacent (sorry)
https://linktr.ee/derekdesanges
Profile artwork by Emma Weakley.
Reposted by Derek
There has been wide reporting of a measles outbreak
www.theguardian.com/society/2026... (it doesn't really matter where it starts, coverage is relatively low in many areas)
www.theguardian.com/society/2026... (it doesn't really matter where it starts, coverage is relatively low in many areas)
Fast-spreading measles outbreak takes hold among under-10s in north London
UK Health Security Agency urges parents in Enfield to get their children vaccinated as Easter holiday travels approach
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:10 PM
There has been wide reporting of a measles outbreak
www.theguardian.com/society/2026... (it doesn't really matter where it starts, coverage is relatively low in many areas)
www.theguardian.com/society/2026... (it doesn't really matter where it starts, coverage is relatively low in many areas)
Reposted by Derek
The Russo-Japanese War was the first major conflict in history that saw more deaths in combat than deaths by disease.
Realistically, if you were sent to war any time before WW1, you were more likely to shit yourself to death than die at the hands of the enemy.
Realistically, if you were sent to war any time before WW1, you were more likely to shit yourself to death than die at the hands of the enemy.
If anyone asks you who won the Crimean War the answer is indisputably “cholera”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
A major cause of death in pretty much every pre-20th century war (especially siege based ones) was highly curable bacterial diseases ripping through people in close proximity to each other, as opposed to actual violence.
February 17, 2026 at 9:10 PM
The Russo-Japanese War was the first major conflict in history that saw more deaths in combat than deaths by disease.
Realistically, if you were sent to war any time before WW1, you were more likely to shit yourself to death than die at the hands of the enemy.
Realistically, if you were sent to war any time before WW1, you were more likely to shit yourself to death than die at the hands of the enemy.
Reposted by Derek
Reading ghost stories from a century ago a lot of them begin like "Seeing as I was beset by Nerves, my doctor prescribed I travel the Continent for three months" oh word yeah that does sound helpful. I didn't know that was an option
February 16, 2024 at 9:20 PM
Reading ghost stories from a century ago a lot of them begin like "Seeing as I was beset by Nerves, my doctor prescribed I travel the Continent for three months" oh word yeah that does sound helpful. I didn't know that was an option
Reposted by Derek
tl;dr it looks like Amazon is demonetizing erotica (not just queer erotica, even cishet ones like 50 Shades, but F/F ones seem to be especially targeted even if not erotica) from their *affiliate program*, which is not a great sign.
iheartsapphfic.com/2026/02/17/h...
iheartsapphfic.com/2026/02/17/h...
February 17, 2026 at 7:36 PM
tl;dr it looks like Amazon is demonetizing erotica (not just queer erotica, even cishet ones like 50 Shades, but F/F ones seem to be especially targeted even if not erotica) from their *affiliate program*, which is not a great sign.
iheartsapphfic.com/2026/02/17/h...
iheartsapphfic.com/2026/02/17/h...
Reposted by Derek
Man, if they thought people were disrespectful when Charlie Kirk died, just wait until Matt Walsh dies. He might be the single shittiest person alive.
February 17, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Man, if they thought people were disrespectful when Charlie Kirk died, just wait until Matt Walsh dies. He might be the single shittiest person alive.
Reposted by Derek
Yep. Black people have been dealing with this for centuries.
Violence committed by a Black person (or Trans person) is violence assigned to the entire community.
White violence is all loners and outcasts with no ties to anybody else.
Violence committed by a Black person (or Trans person) is violence assigned to the entire community.
White violence is all loners and outcasts with no ties to anybody else.
February 17, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Yep. Black people have been dealing with this for centuries.
Violence committed by a Black person (or Trans person) is violence assigned to the entire community.
White violence is all loners and outcasts with no ties to anybody else.
Violence committed by a Black person (or Trans person) is violence assigned to the entire community.
White violence is all loners and outcasts with no ties to anybody else.
Reposted by Derek
If any one of us is less than a perfect person then we all deserve elimination. If we're all perfect people then we still deserve elimination. There is no winning that game with people who play it. They're just bigots.
February 17, 2026 at 2:50 PM
If any one of us is less than a perfect person then we all deserve elimination. If we're all perfect people then we still deserve elimination. There is no winning that game with people who play it. They're just bigots.
Reposted by Derek
Imagining my staunch Republican Grandma still being alive and reading this to her.
February 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Imagining my staunch Republican Grandma still being alive and reading this to her.
Reposted by Derek
Good time to re-up: the Tumbler Ridge newspaper is literally one person who is doing his best to update his community while grieving along with them. One-time donations can be etransferred to publisher@tumblerridgelines.com or ongoing via
www.patreon.com/posts/thanks...
www.patreon.com/posts/thanks...
Thanks, everyone | Tumbler RidgeLines
Get more from Tumbler RidgeLines on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Good time to re-up: the Tumbler Ridge newspaper is literally one person who is doing his best to update his community while grieving along with them. One-time donations can be etransferred to publisher@tumblerridgelines.com or ongoing via
www.patreon.com/posts/thanks...
www.patreon.com/posts/thanks...
Reposted by Derek
The Tumbler Ridge newspaper puts it better than I could
February 17, 2026 at 12:58 AM
The Tumbler Ridge newspaper puts it better than I could
Reposted by Derek
Our cat, Luca, was diagnosed with kidney issues last year. The vet told us that a sign that his time is up would be when he loses his appetite. Which is why, every morning, even though he wakes me up at the ungodly hour of 4am, I'm filled with such joy when he starts munching away at his food.
February 17, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Our cat, Luca, was diagnosed with kidney issues last year. The vet told us that a sign that his time is up would be when he loses his appetite. Which is why, every morning, even though he wakes me up at the ungodly hour of 4am, I'm filled with such joy when he starts munching away at his food.
Reposted by Derek
hard to pronounce (because my surname isn't the way ANYONE including francophones expects) creators:
deh-rekh dehz on-jehz. not 'dey sonjuhz' and not 'dehz ahn'gehz'. sorry!
deh-rekh dehz on-jehz. not 'dey sonjuhz' and not 'dehz ahn'gehz'. sorry!
Hard to pronounce creators, sound off!!
Rée is pronounced "ray", not "ree". Which is why my handle isn't a pun, even though it would've been hilarious.
Rée is pronounced "ray", not "ree". Which is why my handle isn't a pun, even though it would've been hilarious.
Hard to pronounce (to some) creators, sound off (but you’d hear better with sound on)!
Ha (as in “happy”)-nih (as in “nipple”)-bull (as in “male cow” or “terrible”)
Ta (as in “taffeta”)-boo (as in “your special person” or the noise ghosts are supposed to make)
Ha (as in “happy”)-nih (as in “nipple”)-bull (as in “male cow” or “terrible”)
Ta (as in “taffeta”)-boo (as in “your special person” or the noise ghosts are supposed to make)
February 17, 2026 at 11:54 AM
hard to pronounce (because my surname isn't the way ANYONE including francophones expects) creators:
deh-rekh dehz on-jehz. not 'dey sonjuhz' and not 'dehz ahn'gehz'. sorry!
deh-rekh dehz on-jehz. not 'dey sonjuhz' and not 'dehz ahn'gehz'. sorry!
Reposted by Derek
People are such fuckin' weirdos in the quotes about this. She's not unnamable, she's an ex-ac medievalist named Mary Rambaran-Olm and she spends seemingly 85% of her free time talking about "'zios' eating babies," spreading conspiracies, and pleasantly interacting w people who say we run the banks.
the answer to this is that there’s a yarn supplier/medievalist that a lot of people start engaging with because she’s Black and does (important!) work around anti-racism but also she went off the deep end of antisemitism several years ago and I guess some people followed her down the rabbit hole
That's horrible, and I totally get it - it feels like you've been tricked, and they've just done a horrible, horrible 'ta-da!' reveal.
Though the mind boggles how one would move from knitting to Nazi views. But then, as a dyspraxic crocheter, the ability to use 2 needles seems like dark magic....
Though the mind boggles how one would move from knitting to Nazi views. But then, as a dyspraxic crocheter, the ability to use 2 needles seems like dark magic....
February 17, 2026 at 3:02 PM
People are such fuckin' weirdos in the quotes about this. She's not unnamable, she's an ex-ac medievalist named Mary Rambaran-Olm and she spends seemingly 85% of her free time talking about "'zios' eating babies," spreading conspiracies, and pleasantly interacting w people who say we run the banks.
Reposted by Derek
Ramadan starts tonight, so wishing all my friends and colleagues ṣawm maqbūl and Ramadan karim!
a greeting card for ramadan kareem with a crescent moon and stars
Alt: a greeting card for ramadan with a crescent moon, lamps, and stars on a purple background
media.tenor.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Ramadan starts tonight, so wishing all my friends and colleagues ṣawm maqbūl and Ramadan karim!
Reposted by Derek
I used to follow this one lady for paleography stuff until suddenly her entire online presence became about how much she hated trans people. I don't understand how you can make something harmless your brand for years and then turn around and be like "okay, time for Hitler posting!"
February 15, 2026 at 11:09 PM
I used to follow this one lady for paleography stuff until suddenly her entire online presence became about how much she hated trans people. I don't understand how you can make something harmless your brand for years and then turn around and be like "okay, time for Hitler posting!"
Reposted by Derek
all her posts on here are yarn and a good two thirds of her posts over there are blood libel
February 15, 2026 at 10:53 PM
all her posts on here are yarn and a good two thirds of her posts over there are blood libel
Reposted by Derek
These anti-fat activist screeds always include a blithe acknowledgement that fat activists are correct on the merits.
"To be sure, weight and health aren't perfectly correlated, fatphobia is widespread and losing weight is extremely difficult..."
Right, but that's the entire thing!
"To be sure, weight and health aren't perfectly correlated, fatphobia is widespread and losing weight is extremely difficult..."
Right, but that's the entire thing!
The way she winds up for the BUT after “not everyone can control their weight, and no one should be mistreated for it”
This is indistinguishable from right-wing anti-SJW agitprop
February 17, 2026 at 8:25 PM
These anti-fat activist screeds always include a blithe acknowledgement that fat activists are correct on the merits.
"To be sure, weight and health aren't perfectly correlated, fatphobia is widespread and losing weight is extremely difficult..."
Right, but that's the entire thing!
"To be sure, weight and health aren't perfectly correlated, fatphobia is widespread and losing weight is extremely difficult..."
Right, but that's the entire thing!
Reposted by Derek
There is a measles outbreak in London, which has been widely reported.
Vaccination rates are low.
And we have been warned that an outbreak could be large.
Some of the reasons are due to misinformation and disinformation. Thankfully the Government appears to be waking up.
A thread.
Vaccination rates are low.
And we have been warned that an outbreak could be large.
Some of the reasons are due to misinformation and disinformation. Thankfully the Government appears to be waking up.
A thread.
February 17, 2026 at 6:10 PM
There is a measles outbreak in London, which has been widely reported.
Vaccination rates are low.
And we have been warned that an outbreak could be large.
Some of the reasons are due to misinformation and disinformation. Thankfully the Government appears to be waking up.
A thread.
Vaccination rates are low.
And we have been warned that an outbreak could be large.
Some of the reasons are due to misinformation and disinformation. Thankfully the Government appears to be waking up.
A thread.
Reposted by Derek
If anyone asks you who won the Crimean War the answer is indisputably “cholera”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
A major cause of death in pretty much every pre-20th century war (especially siege based ones) was highly curable bacterial diseases ripping through people in close proximity to each other, as opposed to actual violence.
Yes. Our current form of living, highly concentrated urban with constant global mobility, only can happen because of vaccines, antibiotics, running water, and public health efforts like meat inspection. Without all of these, we die and it ends.
February 17, 2026 at 8:13 PM
If anyone asks you who won the Crimean War the answer is indisputably “cholera”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean... (scroll to “Casualties and Losses”)
Reposted by Derek
They raided the jailed children to steal their letters.
The problem, in federal officials' minds, wasn't confining children in prison-camp conditions; it was that the children could tell the public about it.
The problem, in federal officials' minds, wasn't confining children in prison-camp conditions; it was that the children could tell the public about it.
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 8:01 PM
They raided the jailed children to steal their letters.
The problem, in federal officials' minds, wasn't confining children in prison-camp conditions; it was that the children could tell the public about it.
The problem, in federal officials' minds, wasn't confining children in prison-camp conditions; it was that the children could tell the public about it.
no? i don't write things to have them be movies. i write them for them to be what they are.
Writers if you could drop your novel or short story into an AI and have it make a great and watchable movie out of your story, and you could sell that movie, would you do it? #writers #WritingCommunity
February 17, 2026 at 9:32 PM
no? i don't write things to have them be movies. i write them for them to be what they are.
Reposted by Derek
No. If someone makes a movie of my work, it’s because that someone was a human who found something in the work that spoke to them — and that they felt would be a story that spoke to a whole AUDIENCE of actual humans.
Writers if you could drop your novel or short story into an AI and have it make a great and watchable movie out of your story, and you could sell that movie, would you do it? #writers #WritingCommunity
February 17, 2026 at 9:09 PM
No. If someone makes a movie of my work, it’s because that someone was a human who found something in the work that spoke to them — and that they felt would be a story that spoke to a whole AUDIENCE of actual humans.
Reposted by Derek
This is a good and welcome move. Until we tackle the vile, hostile and dehumanising political and media rhetoric which so often stoke these hate crimes though it is a sticking plaster on a gaping wound.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Disability and LGBT hate crimes set to become aggravated offences
The proposed change has been set out in an amendment to the government's Crimes and Policing Bill.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM
This is a good and welcome move. Until we tackle the vile, hostile and dehumanising political and media rhetoric which so often stoke these hate crimes though it is a sticking plaster on a gaping wound.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Derek
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
Reposted by Derek
Canadian authors. The PLR program is open. Don’t forget to register your new titles.
publiclendingright.ca
publiclendingright.ca
The Public Lending Right (PLR) Program
It pays to have your books in Canada’s libraries! Learn more about the Public Lending Right Program
publiclendingright.ca
February 17, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Canadian authors. The PLR program is open. Don’t forget to register your new titles.
publiclendingright.ca
publiclendingright.ca