Paulb
@paulb3964.bsky.social
Retired pharmacist from UK, Married, Spaniel owner, private pilot, EV (not Tesla) driver.
Reposted by Paulb
A cheerful thought for a Sunday night: We're already 29% of the way through February; by the end of the month the UK will have an hour and forty minutes more daylight each day than it did at the start. Spring is coming x
(Photo PoliticalPics)
(Photo PoliticalPics)
February 8, 2026 at 11:29 PM
A cheerful thought for a Sunday night: We're already 29% of the way through February; by the end of the month the UK will have an hour and forty minutes more daylight each day than it did at the start. Spring is coming x
(Photo PoliticalPics)
(Photo PoliticalPics)
Reposted by Paulb
On BBCiplayer Dr Helen Czerski investigates the #science behind the #sounds we're familiar with and the sounds that we normally can't hear, from Big Ben to the Stromboli volcano.
BBC Four - Sound Waves: The Symphony of Physics, Series 1, Making Sound
The science behind the sounds we're familiar with and the sounds we normally can't hear.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Paulb
My top tips for not using Amazon if you’re a book lover in the UK: borrow books from library and get the Libby app for ebooks/audiobooks. Use XigXag to buy audiobooks. And just pay a few more quid to buy new books from a local indie or somewhere with decent moral values like bookshop.org
February 8, 2026 at 8:49 AM
My top tips for not using Amazon if you’re a book lover in the UK: borrow books from library and get the Libby app for ebooks/audiobooks. Use XigXag to buy audiobooks. And just pay a few more quid to buy new books from a local indie or somewhere with decent moral values like bookshop.org
“Deepfakes harder than ever to spot, experts say”
Surely if AI is used to create such images, AI could surely be used to detect images that have been manipulated/altered?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...
Surely if AI is used to create such images, AI could surely be used to detect images that have been manipulated/altered?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...
BBC Verify Live: Non-consensual deepfakes are now illegal in the UK - how are they detected?
Latest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 5:04 PM
“Deepfakes harder than ever to spot, experts say”
Surely if AI is used to create such images, AI could surely be used to detect images that have been manipulated/altered?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...
Surely if AI is used to create such images, AI could surely be used to detect images that have been manipulated/altered?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz...
Interesting….
Most side effects listed for statins occur equally in people not taking statins.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Most side effects listed for statins occur equally in people not taking statins.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Most statin side-effects not caused by the drugs, study finds
While labels list dozens of possible risks only four are supported by evidence, say researchers
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Interesting….
Most side effects listed for statins occur equally in people not taking statins.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Most side effects listed for statins occur equally in people not taking statins.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Paulb
"Starmer didn't pick Mandelson in spite of his Epstein connections… He picked him because of them."
Would he have made the same choice if Kamala Harris had won?
"Absolutely not", says @lewisgoodall.com.
Would he have made the same choice if Kamala Harris had won?
"Absolutely not", says @lewisgoodall.com.
February 5, 2026 at 4:22 PM
"Starmer didn't pick Mandelson in spite of his Epstein connections… He picked him because of them."
Would he have made the same choice if Kamala Harris had won?
"Absolutely not", says @lewisgoodall.com.
Would he have made the same choice if Kamala Harris had won?
"Absolutely not", says @lewisgoodall.com.
Reposted by Paulb
"But surely the biggest issue is we simply have a different legal relationship with our streets from that of almost any major US city. It’s not so much that jaywalking is legal here, as that it’s an entirely non-existent concept."
Of self-driving cars, and the non-existence of jaywalking
Also this week: the unexpected indeterminacy of rivers; and a barcode map of the UK.
jonn.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:13 PM
"But surely the biggest issue is we simply have a different legal relationship with our streets from that of almost any major US city. It’s not so much that jaywalking is legal here, as that it’s an entirely non-existent concept."
Reposted by Paulb
Reposted by Paulb
Spent my Friday night with Melania for @ftweekend.com and I wanted to love it 💔
as.ft.com/r/cd009ac3-c...
as.ft.com/r/cd009ac3-c...
The most interesting thing about Melania’s documentary? Donald Trump
[FREE TO READ] The US first lady’s dreary docu-mercial suggests she wasn’t really ready to let us in
as.ft.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Spent my Friday night with Melania for @ftweekend.com and I wanted to love it 💔
as.ft.com/r/cd009ac3-c...
as.ft.com/r/cd009ac3-c...
Reposted by Paulb
We’ve confirmed the candidates standing for the inaugural National Pharmacy Advisory Council elections across England, Scotland and Wales. These Councils will help shape pharmacy policy and practice within the future Royal College of Pharmacy.
Find out who they are: https://bit.ly/3Zj1OZ3
Find out who they are: https://bit.ly/3Zj1OZ3
February 5, 2026 at 10:05 AM
We’ve confirmed the candidates standing for the inaugural National Pharmacy Advisory Council elections across England, Scotland and Wales. These Councils will help shape pharmacy policy and practice within the future Royal College of Pharmacy.
Find out who they are: https://bit.ly/3Zj1OZ3
Find out who they are: https://bit.ly/3Zj1OZ3
Reposted by Paulb
Have you just qualified as a prescriber?
Our checklist covers everything you need before you start prescribing. Find out about indemnity, prescriber codes and more.
To tick off your admin and feel confident in your practice, check out the guide:
https://ow.ly/zxOj50Y8TGg
Our checklist covers everything you need before you start prescribing. Find out about indemnity, prescriber codes and more.
To tick off your admin and feel confident in your practice, check out the guide:
https://ow.ly/zxOj50Y8TGg
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Have you just qualified as a prescriber?
Our checklist covers everything you need before you start prescribing. Find out about indemnity, prescriber codes and more.
To tick off your admin and feel confident in your practice, check out the guide:
https://ow.ly/zxOj50Y8TGg
Our checklist covers everything you need before you start prescribing. Find out about indemnity, prescriber codes and more.
To tick off your admin and feel confident in your practice, check out the guide:
https://ow.ly/zxOj50Y8TGg
Reposted by Paulb
To anyone concerned,
I’m a social democrat who supports a modern social democratic party - not tankies still clinging to Militant posters on their wall. Please follow accordingly.
Kind regards
whathaskeirdone.co.uk
I’m a social democrat who supports a modern social democratic party - not tankies still clinging to Militant posters on their wall. Please follow accordingly.
Kind regards
whathaskeirdone.co.uk
This is what Keir Starmer has done for you so far
The Tories presided over 14 years of decline, undermined our public services, and wrecked our economy. Keir Starmer's Labour Government is getting on with the job, fixing the foundations of our countr...
whathaskeirdone.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 8:18 AM
To anyone concerned,
I’m a social democrat who supports a modern social democratic party - not tankies still clinging to Militant posters on their wall. Please follow accordingly.
Kind regards
whathaskeirdone.co.uk
I’m a social democrat who supports a modern social democratic party - not tankies still clinging to Militant posters on their wall. Please follow accordingly.
Kind regards
whathaskeirdone.co.uk
Reposted by Paulb
🔼 Spoiler: They did raise council tax in the end...
But hey, you know what journalists are like - definite non-story 😉
But hey, you know what journalists are like - definite non-story 😉
February 4, 2026 at 9:21 PM
🔼 Spoiler: They did raise council tax in the end...
But hey, you know what journalists are like - definite non-story 😉
But hey, you know what journalists are like - definite non-story 😉
This’ll upset the nurses (and all the other non-medical staff in the NHS.)
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Wes Streeting to offer resident doctors bigger pay rise to end dispute
Health secretary to increase pay offer and guarantee working conditions for resident doctors only
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:41 PM
This’ll upset the nurses (and all the other non-medical staff in the NHS.)
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Paulb
Wes Streeting saying on Today that Mandelson is ‘not the man we thought he was’ but the trouble is, he is exactly the man we thought, just on a much worse scale than almost anyone thought. And there is an alternative world where none of this is this govt’s problem, because they never gave him a job
February 4, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Wes Streeting saying on Today that Mandelson is ‘not the man we thought he was’ but the trouble is, he is exactly the man we thought, just on a much worse scale than almost anyone thought. And there is an alternative world where none of this is this govt’s problem, because they never gave him a job
Reposted by Paulb
"...perfectly decent quantitative metrics become corrupted once they’re pressed into service as targets."
Don't we know it... and yet standards matter. And so the answer is not, I think, not to have targets and standards, but to wrap the right behaviours around them so we get the right outcomes.
Don't we know it... and yet standards matter. And so the answer is not, I think, not to have targets and standards, but to wrap the right behaviours around them so we get the right outcomes.
February 4, 2026 at 8:04 AM
"...perfectly decent quantitative metrics become corrupted once they’re pressed into service as targets."
Don't we know it... and yet standards matter. And so the answer is not, I think, not to have targets and standards, but to wrap the right behaviours around them so we get the right outcomes.
Don't we know it... and yet standards matter. And so the answer is not, I think, not to have targets and standards, but to wrap the right behaviours around them so we get the right outcomes.
Reposted by Paulb
Cadeaux des laboratoires Urgo : 14 pharmaciens normands condamnés pour avoir accepté des avantages contraires à la loi
Cadeaux des laboratoires Urgo : 14 pharmaciens normands condamnés pour avoir accepté des avantages contraires à la loi
Le tribunal de Rouen leur a infligé des peines d’amendes de 3 000 à 16 000 euros pour avoir reçu près de 175 000 de présents de l’entreprise pharmaceutique entre 2015 et 2021.
www.lemonde.fr
February 4, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Cadeaux des laboratoires Urgo : 14 pharmaciens normands condamnés pour avoir accepté des avantages contraires à la loi
Reposted by Paulb
‘Most of us can call up pictures in our minds. We can visualize the past and summon images of the future. But for an estimated 4% of people, this mental imagery is weak or absent.’
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Many people have no mental imagery. What’s going on in their brains?
People with aphantasia are offering a window into consciousness.
www.nature.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:57 PM
‘Most of us can call up pictures in our minds. We can visualize the past and summon images of the future. But for an estimated 4% of people, this mental imagery is weak or absent.’
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Paulb
Reposted by Paulb
I have never seen anything in politics to match Mandelson’s betrayal. He betrayed his colleagues, his party and his country just so he could suck up to Epstein and the bankers who had crashed the world economy.
It’s staggering
Piece here comment.press/o3o2mandy
It’s staggering
Piece here comment.press/o3o2mandy
Peter Mandelson betrayed his colleagues, his party and his country…
… to please the bankers who had wrecked the world
comment.press
February 3, 2026 at 3:20 PM
I have never seen anything in politics to match Mandelson’s betrayal. He betrayed his colleagues, his party and his country just so he could suck up to Epstein and the bankers who had crashed the world economy.
It’s staggering
Piece here comment.press/o3o2mandy
It’s staggering
Piece here comment.press/o3o2mandy
Reposted by Paulb
UK govt drafting legislation to remove Mandelson peerage, has referred information to the police www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cl...
Government refers material to police after review of Mandelson Epstein emails - live updates
PM Keir Starmer calls allegations that Lord Mandelson passed on sensitive government information to Epstein
www.bbc.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 1:33 PM
UK govt drafting legislation to remove Mandelson peerage, has referred information to the police www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cl...
Reposted by Paulb
Making it make sense: Epstein wasn't a global mastermind. He did not orchestrate a vast conspiracy that led us to today.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
February 3, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Making it make sense: Epstein wasn't a global mastermind. He did not orchestrate a vast conspiracy that led us to today.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
Reposted by Paulb
Watching my children doing various after-school activities has really brought home to me the massive difference it makes if children like / get on with a teacher (they’ve been really lucky with their school teachers). Know many would say being “liked” is unimportant for teachers but they’re wrong.
February 3, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Watching my children doing various after-school activities has really brought home to me the massive difference it makes if children like / get on with a teacher (they’ve been really lucky with their school teachers). Know many would say being “liked” is unimportant for teachers but they’re wrong.
Reposted by Paulb
Stormzy calls reading a ‘superpower’ as he backs accessible books campaign
Stormzy calls reading a ‘superpower’ as he backs accessible books campaign
The musician is championing the annual Quick Reads initiative, which will release six short, digestible titles for ‘nonreaders and lapsed readers’ in April for £1 each
Stormzy called reading a “superpower” as he backed an initiative aimed at encouraging people who don’t see themselves as readers to pick up a book.
The musician’s publishing imprint #Merky Books, which is part of Penguin, is publishing one of this year’s six Quick Reads – short, accessible books created “specifically for nonreaders, lapsed readers, people with short attention spans, and neurodivergent readers”, according to The Reading Agency, which has run the Quick Reads initiative for 20 years. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Stormzy calls reading a ‘superpower’ as he backs accessible books campaign
