Tom Rank
@tomrank.bsky.social
Reflections on literature, education - and other ramblings. Was @literaryconnect in the other place 😀
http://www.literaryconnections.co.uk/
http://www.literaryconnections.co.uk/
Reposted by Tom Rank
Braverman says children are taught about gender rather than facts, and to view the UK with "shame".
Criticising schools can be politically risky, as many parents tend to view their kids' particular school, and teachers, with affection, and might dislike being told they are in fact rubbish.
Criticising schools can be politically risky, as many parents tend to view their kids' particular school, and teachers, with affection, and might dislike being told they are in fact rubbish.
February 17, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Braverman says children are taught about gender rather than facts, and to view the UK with "shame".
Criticising schools can be politically risky, as many parents tend to view their kids' particular school, and teachers, with affection, and might dislike being told they are in fact rubbish.
Criticising schools can be politically risky, as many parents tend to view their kids' particular school, and teachers, with affection, and might dislike being told they are in fact rubbish.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Why AI writing is so generic, boring, and dangerous: Semantic ablation
Why AI writing is so generic, boring, and dangerous: Semantic ablation
The subtractive bias we're ignoring
opinion Just as the community adopted the term "hallucination" to describe additive errors, we must now codify its far more insidious counterpart: semantic ablation.…
dlvr.it
February 16, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Why AI writing is so generic, boring, and dangerous: Semantic ablation
Reposted by Tom Rank
Join us for our next OWC #Shakespeare webinar on 2 March at 6pm.
In this online event, Emma Smith @oldfortunatus.bsky.social will be discussing #CYMBELINE with Kim Gilchrist.
Register for your free ticket: shakespeare-webinar-cymbeline.eventbrite.co.uk
In this online event, Emma Smith @oldfortunatus.bsky.social will be discussing #CYMBELINE with Kim Gilchrist.
Register for your free ticket: shakespeare-webinar-cymbeline.eventbrite.co.uk
English Faculty/OWC Shakespeare Webinar: Cymbeline
In this free webinar, Professor Emma Smith will be discussing the new edition of Cymbeline from Oxford World's Classics.
shakespeare-webinar-cymbeline.eventbrite.co.uk
February 17, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Join us for our next OWC #Shakespeare webinar on 2 March at 6pm.
In this online event, Emma Smith @oldfortunatus.bsky.social will be discussing #CYMBELINE with Kim Gilchrist.
Register for your free ticket: shakespeare-webinar-cymbeline.eventbrite.co.uk
In this online event, Emma Smith @oldfortunatus.bsky.social will be discussing #CYMBELINE with Kim Gilchrist.
Register for your free ticket: shakespeare-webinar-cymbeline.eventbrite.co.uk
Reposted by Tom Rank
This simplistic rhetoric is so frustrating.
Between 2024 and 2025, the leading 'small boat' nationalities were Eritrean (17%), Afghan (13%), Iranian (11%), Sudanese (10%), and Somali (8%).
We currently have NO workable deportation treaties with these countries. And that's if you ignore the
Between 2024 and 2025, the leading 'small boat' nationalities were Eritrean (17%), Afghan (13%), Iranian (11%), Sudanese (10%), and Somali (8%).
We currently have NO workable deportation treaties with these countries. And that's if you ignore the
February 17, 2026 at 9:40 AM
This simplistic rhetoric is so frustrating.
Between 2024 and 2025, the leading 'small boat' nationalities were Eritrean (17%), Afghan (13%), Iranian (11%), Sudanese (10%), and Somali (8%).
We currently have NO workable deportation treaties with these countries. And that's if you ignore the
Between 2024 and 2025, the leading 'small boat' nationalities were Eritrean (17%), Afghan (13%), Iranian (11%), Sudanese (10%), and Somali (8%).
We currently have NO workable deportation treaties with these countries. And that's if you ignore the
Reposted by Tom Rank
More info, from the instagram account that posted the video
February 17, 2026 at 7:29 AM
More info, from the instagram account that posted the video
Reposted by Tom Rank
Also, if you borrow an author's book from a library in the UK, that author gets more than 12 pence per loan in Public Lending Rights. Any author can earn up to £6,600 per year this way.
Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.
February 17, 2026 at 8:08 AM
Also, if you borrow an author's book from a library in the UK, that author gets more than 12 pence per loan in Public Lending Rights. Any author can earn up to £6,600 per year this way.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Cuts to overseas aid by the UK are set to go further and faster than those made by the Trump administration in the US, as Sir Keir Starmer’s government wrestles with funding pressures
www.ft.com/content/ad52...
www.ft.com/content/ad52...
UK overseas aid cuts to outstrip those of Trump administration
Spending will drop 27% this year from 2024 levels to help fund higher defence budget
www.ft.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Cuts to overseas aid by the UK are set to go further and faster than those made by the Trump administration in the US, as Sir Keir Starmer’s government wrestles with funding pressures
www.ft.com/content/ad52...
www.ft.com/content/ad52...
Reposted by Tom Rank
The government should review those chosen to draft the new national curriculum because the list has a ‘deeply concerning lack of diversity’, according to an open letter with nearly 100 signatories
Lack of diversity among curriculum drafters ‘deeply concerning’
Open letter with nearly 100 signatories calls for a ‘more diverse range’ of drafters to write the new national curriculum, warning there is a risk of ‘narrow’ content
www.tes.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:05 AM
The government should review those chosen to draft the new national curriculum because the list has a ‘deeply concerning lack of diversity’, according to an open letter with nearly 100 signatories
Reposted by Tom Rank
My Beautiful Laundrette, between Omar's father and Johnny: "I don't want my son in this... underpants-cleaning condition. I want him reading in college. You tell him. You go to college. He must have knowledge. We all must, now if we're to see clearly what is being done and to whom in this country."
February 17, 2026 at 7:39 AM
My Beautiful Laundrette, between Omar's father and Johnny: "I don't want my son in this... underpants-cleaning condition. I want him reading in college. You tell him. You go to college. He must have knowledge. We all must, now if we're to see clearly what is being done and to whom in this country."
Reposted by Tom Rank
Am reminded of this bit of satire (which I cowrote) 15 or so years ago.
February 16, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Am reminded of this bit of satire (which I cowrote) 15 or so years ago.
Reposted by Tom Rank
..who is going to break it to him that Jesus was a middle eastern jew?
February 16, 2026 at 10:15 PM
..who is going to break it to him that Jesus was a middle eastern jew?
Reposted by Tom Rank
Restore and Reform sound like two quack procedures for attempting to reverse male pattern baldness.
February 16, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Restore and Reform sound like two quack procedures for attempting to reverse male pattern baldness.
Reposted by Tom Rank
My Dad was born in Kőszeg, Hungary, on the Austrian border. When he was 6 yrs old, in 1945, out gathering firewood, he saw piles of white "logs" from which his dad ushered him away. They were the dead bodies of Jews, covered in lime.
The context:
collections.ushmm.org/search/catal...
The context:
collections.ushmm.org/search/catal...
February 16, 2026 at 6:23 PM
My Dad was born in Kőszeg, Hungary, on the Austrian border. When he was 6 yrs old, in 1945, out gathering firewood, he saw piles of white "logs" from which his dad ushered him away. They were the dead bodies of Jews, covered in lime.
The context:
collections.ushmm.org/search/catal...
The context:
collections.ushmm.org/search/catal...
Reposted by Tom Rank
The angel of abundance, the Dolly Lama of literacy, the distributor of almost a third of a billion books for kids.
The study found that children enrolled in Parton’s Imagination Library “were 5 times more likely to be interested in reading, 11 times more likely to be interested in books, and 15 times more likely to join in during shared reading, compared to children who aren't enrolled.”
February 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
The angel of abundance, the Dolly Lama of literacy, the distributor of almost a third of a billion books for kids.
Reposted by Tom Rank
My house was burgled by a man who stole my personal salt and pepper grinders. During sentencing the judge described him as a seasoned criminal.
February 14, 2026 at 1:42 PM
My house was burgled by a man who stole my personal salt and pepper grinders. During sentencing the judge described him as a seasoned criminal.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Upcoming online CPD sessions, 4–5pm
Journal writing to develop responses to GCSE poetry (24/02)
Teaching handwriting for writing fluency (11/03)
Promoting repertoires of talk about writing (18/03)
Planning lessons and schemes of learning (05/05) tinyurl.com/mr2smw67
Journal writing to develop responses to GCSE poetry (24/02)
Teaching handwriting for writing fluency (11/03)
Promoting repertoires of talk about writing (18/03)
Planning lessons and schemes of learning (05/05) tinyurl.com/mr2smw67
February 16, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Upcoming online CPD sessions, 4–5pm
Journal writing to develop responses to GCSE poetry (24/02)
Teaching handwriting for writing fluency (11/03)
Promoting repertoires of talk about writing (18/03)
Planning lessons and schemes of learning (05/05) tinyurl.com/mr2smw67
Journal writing to develop responses to GCSE poetry (24/02)
Teaching handwriting for writing fluency (11/03)
Promoting repertoires of talk about writing (18/03)
Planning lessons and schemes of learning (05/05) tinyurl.com/mr2smw67
Reposted by Tom Rank
That lost scene in Act 4 of Macbeth where European countries release a report that shows Duncan was not murdered by his sons and the Scottish thanes are like thanks, we know
February 16, 2026 at 4:35 PM
That lost scene in Act 4 of Macbeth where European countries release a report that shows Duncan was not murdered by his sons and the Scottish thanes are like thanks, we know
Reposted by Tom Rank
If children were more politically active they would be quite pissed to be told that their screen time is “the most urgent public health issue” while the largest measles outbreak since the vaccine sweeps their schools because of conspiracies that the adults in their life believed from social media.
‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18
‘It’s the most urgent public health issue’: Dr Rangan Chatterjee on screen time, mental health – and banning social media until 18
The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is ‘failing a generation of children’. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homework
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:52 AM
If children were more politically active they would be quite pissed to be told that their screen time is “the most urgent public health issue” while the largest measles outbreak since the vaccine sweeps their schools because of conspiracies that the adults in their life believed from social media.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Reposted by Tom Rank
A more explicit metaphor that I admired recently, in @timothysnyder.bsky.social's book ON TYRANNY:
"Each story on televised news is 'breaking' until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean."
"Each story on televised news is 'breaking' until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean."
February 16, 2026 at 1:53 PM
A more explicit metaphor that I admired recently, in @timothysnyder.bsky.social's book ON TYRANNY:
"Each story on televised news is 'breaking' until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean."
"Each story on televised news is 'breaking' until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean."
Reposted by Tom Rank
Words in the previous post that can be seen as metaphorical include "thoroughly", "enjoyed", "podcast", "about", "metaphor", etc. etc.
Some discussion in this old piece:
stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/d...
Archive of metaphor-related posts:
stancarey.wordpress.com/category/met... #language
Some discussion in this old piece:
stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/d...
Archive of metaphor-related posts:
stancarey.wordpress.com/category/met... #language
Dictionary of faded metaphors
Over the last few weeks, I’ve written some articles about metaphorical English for Macmillan Dictionary Blog. This is a round-up of those articles, along with related links and additional thoughts.…
stancarey.wordpress.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Words in the previous post that can be seen as metaphorical include "thoroughly", "enjoyed", "podcast", "about", "metaphor", etc. etc.
Some discussion in this old piece:
stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/d...
Archive of metaphor-related posts:
stancarey.wordpress.com/category/met... #language
Some discussion in this old piece:
stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/d...
Archive of metaphor-related posts:
stancarey.wordpress.com/category/met... #language
Reposted by Tom Rank
Today's home truth comes from @alanbeattie.bsky.social who wrote "The extent to which Trump is ceding the green tech field to China remains almost beyond belief in its self-destructiveness." In all of the debates about soft v hard power, don't forget Trump is also doing incredibly stupid stuff.
February 16, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Today's home truth comes from @alanbeattie.bsky.social who wrote "The extent to which Trump is ceding the green tech field to China remains almost beyond belief in its self-destructiveness." In all of the debates about soft v hard power, don't forget Trump is also doing incredibly stupid stuff.
Reposted by Tom Rank
Key reformists arrested as Iran regime acts ‘to break anyone who speaks up’ bit.ly/4qzbKZL
Key reformists arrested as Iran regime acts ‘to break any...
More than 53,000 protesters have been held – and now cultural figures, politicians are being swept up in the crackdown
bit.ly
February 16, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Key reformists arrested as Iran regime acts ‘to break anyone who speaks up’ bit.ly/4qzbKZL
Reposted by Tom Rank
It’s the 211th anniversary of an editorial in The Times which “deplores the credulity of Londoners”. Apparently, they’d fallen en masse for a rumour that there was a gentlewoman living in the capital who was unremarkable but for the fact she had a pig’s head 🧵
February 16, 2026 at 9:55 AM
It’s the 211th anniversary of an editorial in The Times which “deplores the credulity of Londoners”. Apparently, they’d fallen en masse for a rumour that there was a gentlewoman living in the capital who was unremarkable but for the fact she had a pig’s head 🧵
Reposted by Tom Rank
"Even if your social or professional life does not demand it, your patriotism demands that you keep your face bright and attractive so that you radiate optimism."
I went through a book about make-up recently and thought you'd enjoy some of it
Does your reflection give you 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 the satisfaction it gave you in 1914?
Does your reflection give you 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 the satisfaction it gave you in 1914?
February 16, 2026 at 12:26 PM
"Even if your social or professional life does not demand it, your patriotism demands that you keep your face bright and attractive so that you radiate optimism."