Pinned
Simon 🪗
@mzdt.bsky.social
· Nov 10
I have no intention of tiring of this view (and neither has the dog)...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Fly-tippers dump ‘mountain’ of waste in Oxfordshire field
Fly-tippers dump ‘mountain’ of waste in Oxfordshire field
Area’s MP says it would cost more than local council’s annual budget to remove the 10-metre high pile of waste
Fly-tippers have dumped a “mountain of illegal waste” in Oxfordshire so large that removing it could cost more than the local council’s annual budget, the area’s MP has said.
Hundreds of tonnes of waste, stacked 10 metres high, appeared in a field between the River Cherwell and the A34 near Kidlington. One charity called the huge dump of rubbish “an environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Fly-tippers dump ‘mountain’ of waste in Oxfordshire field
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Let's start with the obvious point. Don't use a technology whose purpose is to enable employers to get rid of workers so they can use an app to do the same job badly. Workers like . . . graphic designers for instance. Next, when using a selection of images, VARY your images. Total rookie mistake. 2/
November 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Let's start with the obvious point. Don't use a technology whose purpose is to enable employers to get rid of workers so they can use an app to do the same job badly. Workers like . . . graphic designers for instance. Next, when using a selection of images, VARY your images. Total rookie mistake. 2/
Reposted by Simon 🪗
For crying out loud @zarahsultana.bsky.social
Okay, I can't let this one go. I live in Ireland, not the UK, but the use of this image by a supposedly socialist party is so stupid and offensive, I'm going to get stuck in.
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
November 15, 2025 at 1:57 PM
For crying out loud @zarahsultana.bsky.social
Classic information failure; if a sign remains when it no longer has meaning, will anyone take heed next time it does?
I've been collecting pandemic era signs that nobody can be bothered to take down or remove. There's something grimly fascinating about this. Putting them up was urgent and important; removing them is nobody's job. How long will some of these hang around?
November 15, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Classic information failure; if a sign remains when it no longer has meaning, will anyone take heed next time it does?
Reposted by Simon 🪗
It's real, and it's mind-blowing.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
Just some British patriots in Benidorm, taking over a street in Spain to shout in their own language about unwanted foreigners. It’s a blessing that they are too thick to understand irony.
November 15, 2025 at 11:34 AM
It's real, and it's mind-blowing.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
If affected by flooding here, imagine what it might be like for displaced people living in makeshift tents...
I usually share a new Palestinian account every day but today I am going to do a thread of people I’ve already verified impacted by the recent flooding in Gaza. If you can help any of these families- many who lost everything again- please do. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/14/m...
Heavy rainfall floods the camps of displaced Palestinians in Gaza | CNN
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza woke up Friday morning to inches of water flooding their tents, after heavy rainfall overnight left their shelters and belongings soaked with no way to dry them out.
edition.cnn.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:40 AM
If affected by flooding here, imagine what it might be like for displaced people living in makeshift tents...
'Local councillor, who drives everywhere'
All too often the case...
A fundamental problem with governance at all levels.
Take away mileage expenses, give them bus & train passes.
All too often the case...
A fundamental problem with governance at all levels.
Take away mileage expenses, give them bus & train passes.
I, too, am lobbying for the cycle route that is supposed to open up the transport desert where I live. Local councillor, who drives everywhere, hasn't even replied to my emails
November 15, 2025 at 11:39 AM
'Local councillor, who drives everywhere'
All too often the case...
A fundamental problem with governance at all levels.
Take away mileage expenses, give them bus & train passes.
All too often the case...
A fundamental problem with governance at all levels.
Take away mileage expenses, give them bus & train passes.
Reposted by Simon 🪗
The implication is that there has to be action to disrupt, or add friction to, existing car journeys if we want to unlock the benefits of providing alternatives - the conclusion also reached by Xiao et al. recently www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Shifting towards healthier transport: carrots or sticks? Systematic review and meta-analysis of population-level interventions
This Article found that, although transport interventions with only positive strategies
are more commonly evaluated, interventions that combine both positive and negative
strategies might be more effe...
www.thelancet.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
The implication is that there has to be action to disrupt, or add friction to, existing car journeys if we want to unlock the benefits of providing alternatives - the conclusion also reached by Xiao et al. recently www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reducing traffic with “carrots”: A review of the evidence
Reducing traffic volumes is one way to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector. Since increasing driving costs is often met with public resi…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Labour's plans on asylum are so extreme that they are being welcomed by Rupert Lowe MP - a man thrown out of Reform for being too extreme.
November 15, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Labour's plans on asylum are so extreme that they are being welcomed by Rupert Lowe MP - a man thrown out of Reform for being too extreme.
Reposted by Simon 🪗
This is an element of the migration/asylum plans I suspect quite a few Labour MPs will find hardest to sign up to: if you come to the UK as a refugee you can never make your life here, but only ever exist in a state of limbo.
Question on Monday
Is it now your principle that every Ukranian refugee in Britain should leave, must leave once it is safe + that they will all be made to leave?
Is it now your principle that every Ukranian refugee in Britain should leave, must leave once it is safe + that they will all be made to leave?
November 15, 2025 at 8:43 AM
This is an element of the migration/asylum plans I suspect quite a few Labour MPs will find hardest to sign up to: if you come to the UK as a refugee you can never make your life here, but only ever exist in a state of limbo.
Live music is great - and lovely when the acts enjoy it as much as the audience.
My own gig may have been smaller last night - @adamthomaswalton.bsky.social fave #LouisIHara - but still full of fun, camaraderie + beauty. Support bands were old mates of Louis' from Bristol. :-)
My own gig may have been smaller last night - @adamthomaswalton.bsky.social fave #LouisIHara - but still full of fun, camaraderie + beauty. Support bands were old mates of Louis' from Bristol. :-)
Incredible gig last night.
Henge and Gong joint headlining in #cornwall. So much fun and positivity in the room. Had heard a lot from friends about Kavus Torabi but never seen him play. A total rock star.
Nice to hear the bands enjoyed it, too.
Support live music
Support grassroots venues
Henge and Gong joint headlining in #cornwall. So much fun and positivity in the room. Had heard a lot from friends about Kavus Torabi but never seen him play. A total rock star.
Nice to hear the bands enjoyed it, too.
Support live music
Support grassroots venues
November 15, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Live music is great - and lovely when the acts enjoy it as much as the audience.
My own gig may have been smaller last night - @adamthomaswalton.bsky.social fave #LouisIHara - but still full of fun, camaraderie + beauty. Support bands were old mates of Louis' from Bristol. :-)
My own gig may have been smaller last night - @adamthomaswalton.bsky.social fave #LouisIHara - but still full of fun, camaraderie + beauty. Support bands were old mates of Louis' from Bristol. :-)
'Gallacher said she couldn’t afford to pay for taxis or a private driver as she is the sole financial provider for her two children.
Gallacher earns a £150,000 salary from Gold Radio and confirmed she has around £80,000 in savings..'
Fucking hell. I can afford a taxi on a reduced pension.
Gallacher earns a £150,000 salary from Gold Radio and confirmed she has around £80,000 in savings..'
Fucking hell. I can afford a taxi on a reduced pension.
Lady, this is your 5th driving offence (4th speeding) in 8 years.
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after being banned from driving
The presenter asked the court to spare her from a driving ban, saying it would prevent her from taking care of her teenage sons
www.standard.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:38 AM
'Gallacher said she couldn’t afford to pay for taxis or a private driver as she is the sole financial provider for her two children.
Gallacher earns a £150,000 salary from Gold Radio and confirmed she has around £80,000 in savings..'
Fucking hell. I can afford a taxi on a reduced pension.
Gallacher earns a £150,000 salary from Gold Radio and confirmed she has around £80,000 in savings..'
Fucking hell. I can afford a taxi on a reduced pension.
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Lady, this is your 5th driving offence (4th speeding) in 8 years.
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
Kirsty Gallacher says judge has 'no empathy' after being banned from driving
The presenter asked the court to spare her from a driving ban, saying it would prevent her from taking care of her teenage sons
www.standard.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Lady, this is your 5th driving offence (4th speeding) in 8 years.
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
If losing the privilege of driving would cause you exceptional hardship, then perhaps you should have been less careless with that privilege.
www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/kirs...
'each train only has one wheelchair space in standard class (and another in first class), two friends or family members who are wheelchair users cannot travel together in standard class and would have to take separate trains.'
Only one wheelchair space in standard on NEW trains? @garethdennis.uk
Only one wheelchair space in standard on NEW trains? @garethdennis.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:20 AM
'each train only has one wheelchair space in standard class (and another in first class), two friends or family members who are wheelchair users cannot travel together in standard class and would have to take separate trains.'
Only one wheelchair space in standard on NEW trains? @garethdennis.uk
Only one wheelchair space in standard on NEW trains? @garethdennis.uk
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Gone down a weird rabbithole with far-right Facebook slopaganda* about celebrities cancelling things as a result of the New York election result.
*I just invented this word: AI-generated disinformation content pumped onto social media by right-wing think tanks, and "slopaganda" was right there.
*I just invented this word: AI-generated disinformation content pumped onto social media by right-wing think tanks, and "slopaganda" was right there.
November 14, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Gone down a weird rabbithole with far-right Facebook slopaganda* about celebrities cancelling things as a result of the New York election result.
*I just invented this word: AI-generated disinformation content pumped onto social media by right-wing think tanks, and "slopaganda" was right there.
*I just invented this word: AI-generated disinformation content pumped onto social media by right-wing think tanks, and "slopaganda" was right there.
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Another grim night in Kyiv. Six people were killed and dozens injured after Russian drones and ballistic missiles hit the Ukrainian capital. Our hotel shook. As ever, Vladimir Putin is deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in a campaign of murder & terror www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Russian attacks on Kyiv ‘calculated and wicked’, says Zelenskyy
Pictures posted on social media showed different sites in flames and residents gathering in rubble-strewn streets outside apartment buildings
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Another grim night in Kyiv. Six people were killed and dozens injured after Russian drones and ballistic missiles hit the Ukrainian capital. Our hotel shook. As ever, Vladimir Putin is deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in a campaign of murder & terror www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally
A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...
www.yahoo.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Reposted by Simon 🪗
This is cool. COURIER has created a searchable database with all 20,000 of the files just released from Epstein’s estate.
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
We created a searchable database with all 20,000 files from Epstein’s Estate
Easily find every mention of Trump, Clinton, blackmail, and potential sex crimes in the thousands of private messages between Epstein and his close associates.
couriernewsroom.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:58 PM
This is cool. COURIER has created a searchable database with all 20,000 of the files just released from Epstein’s estate.
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
A key point about "volunteering" is that it should be "voluntary". By forcing migrants to volunteer this government not only treats us as if we are a free resource, but also ignores everything else we go through. This policy is dehumanising and exploitative.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer
Making volunteering compulsory for refugees slammed as exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
A key point about "volunteering" is that it should be "voluntary". By forcing migrants to volunteer this government not only treats us as if we are a free resource, but also ignores everything else we go through. This policy is dehumanising and exploitative.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
oh we’re finally at the moderation point a bunch of us were warning about like two years ago
if your moderation team bans someone for a harmless unactionable exclamation of disgust, but permits a govt account to say stuff like this,
you need a new moderation team.
you need a new moderation team.
![Dept. of War [sic]'s bluesky account says "To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: If you keep trafficking deadly drugs–we will kill you."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4n6zqm2ufqrdbyszo5gvgyq/bafkreifpxnl7xocstyj3ztg3enbd5osgyaxznmbkkkysjjuykxbplp5gl4@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
oh we’re finally at the moderation point a bunch of us were warning about like two years ago
Reposted by Simon 🪗
every day. women post their achievements online and get their hearts broken 😔
April 7, 2025 at 10:30 PM
every day. women post their achievements online and get their hearts broken 😔
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Amid the crackdown on Palestine Action, Jewish activists are taking a stand. Many are over 50; one is a retired army colonel; several are descendants of Holocaust survivors.
They all risk conviction under the UK Terrorism Act for holding signs:
Watch: youtu.be/wwMCH6k1ESQ
They all risk conviction under the UK Terrorism Act for holding signs:
Watch: youtu.be/wwMCH6k1ESQ
Jewish activists risk arrest as UK cracks down on pro-Palestine protests
YouTube video by Middle East Eye
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Amid the crackdown on Palestine Action, Jewish activists are taking a stand. Many are over 50; one is a retired army colonel; several are descendants of Holocaust survivors.
They all risk conviction under the UK Terrorism Act for holding signs:
Watch: youtu.be/wwMCH6k1ESQ
They all risk conviction under the UK Terrorism Act for holding signs:
Watch: youtu.be/wwMCH6k1ESQ
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Like when the fox hunters tried to pretend they were a protected ethnic minority.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...
Pro-foxhunting group says UK hunters should be protected ethnic minority
Chair of Hunting Kind says he has built legal case to obtain same protection as Roma and LGBTQ+ people
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Like when the fox hunters tried to pretend they were a protected ethnic minority.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...
Reposted by Simon 🪗
Everything about this interview is brilliant.
The interviewers do a great (and enjoyable!) job and @anthonyslaughter.bsky.social is going to be hugely impactful as part of the first ever group of elected Greens in the Senedd!
(And the carrots do sound delicious!)
The interviewers do a great (and enjoyable!) job and @anthonyslaughter.bsky.social is going to be hugely impactful as part of the first ever group of elected Greens in the Senedd!
(And the carrots do sound delicious!)
We had the leader of the Welsh Greens on the pod.
Apart from presenting him with a bag of carrot batons (obviously) we talked about the party’s chances in Wales next year and the Zack Polanski surge. youtu.be/7xPjR3iFr6A?...
Apart from presenting him with a bag of carrot batons (obviously) we talked about the party’s chances in Wales next year and the Zack Polanski surge. youtu.be/7xPjR3iFr6A?...
Leader of the Green Party in Wales - on the pod | For Wales See Wales
YouTube video by For Wales See Wales
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Everything about this interview is brilliant.
The interviewers do a great (and enjoyable!) job and @anthonyslaughter.bsky.social is going to be hugely impactful as part of the first ever group of elected Greens in the Senedd!
(And the carrots do sound delicious!)
The interviewers do a great (and enjoyable!) job and @anthonyslaughter.bsky.social is going to be hugely impactful as part of the first ever group of elected Greens in the Senedd!
(And the carrots do sound delicious!)