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flâneurben
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<peers sceptically about, not sure about this whole Bluesky neighbourhood> @flaneurben@urbanists.social on Fedi
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flaneurben.bsky.social
Original post: beige.party/@johnbloor/1...
October 10, 2025 at 12:03 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
It seems unfair that my carnivorous Sarracenia has been eaten and inhabited by an insect. (I am going to see what hatches)
Photo of a Sarracenia trumpet pitcher. The pitcher leaf has been partially eaten, leaving circular cut marks. There is frass next to and within the pitcher Photo of a Sarracenia trumpet pitcher. Silk strands cover part of the leaf exterior. Something inside the pitcher casts an indistinct shadow.
September 18, 2025 at 12:31 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Writing to my labour MP may be futile but it helps me feel slightly less crazed #TransRights #EHRC
Letter to Joe Powell MP for Kensington and Bayswater Dear Mr Powell, Equality Act Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations You will by now be aware that the Bridget Philipson MP, in her role as Minister for Equalities, has received an updated statutory Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations, drafted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). This was drafted in light of the Supreme Court's judgment in the For Women Scotland (FWS) case over certain definitions of sex and gender as applied to the Equality Act. The Code of Practice is expected to be laid before parliament under the minimal "negative procedure" for statutory instruments imminently. You should also be aware that the draft Code of Practice has attracted significant criticism, both for the flawed process of consultation used by the EHRC and for its contents. The EHRC initially proposed to open its consultation for comments for a shockingly short two-week period, and only extended the consultation period after external criticism. Further, the EHRC has stated that it deliberately did not read and consider all of the submissions made during the consultation, instead using an unspecified (and inherently flawed) AI tool to summarise them. The EHRC has even refused to publish the consultation responses until the Code of Practice has been approved. [https://tacc.org.uk/2025/09/05/consultation-in-name-only-ehrc-blocks-mps-and-public-from-seeing-the-evidence/] These actions are not suggestive of a public body which is acting transparently or in good faith in drafting new statutory guidance for approval by Parliament. The content of the draft Code of Practice is deeply troubling. It goes far beyond the limited questions of statutory interpretation addressed in the FWS judgment and proposes restrictions on trans people's rights to access services and freedom of association which are regressive, insulting and will result in practice in the segregation of trans women and men from many aspects of normal daily life. Even before the Code of Practice is approved, misreporting and misrepresentation of the FWS judgment (including by the EHRC's outgoing chair) is having real, negative effects on the safety and freedom of trans people--and also on cis people who may not meet conventional standards of gendered appearance or behaviour. [https://transactual.org.uk/impacts-of-the-supreme-court-ruling-on-trans-people/] The draft Code of Practice has been criticised by a strikingly wide range of expert groups, from the Scottish and Northern Irish statutory human rights bodies [https://www.scottishhumanrights.com/media/3044/positionstatement-policy-sexandgender-11082025.pdf; https://www.equalityni.org/SCJ] to the British Psychological Society [https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/equality-and-human-rights-commission-response], the TUC [https://leftfootforward.org/2025/09/tuc-calls-for-new-legal-protections-for-trans-people-following-supreme-court-ruling/] and the Good Law Project [https://goodlawproject.org/update/update-our-challenge-against-the-ehrcs-interim-guidance/]. Most concerningly for the UK's international reputation and responsibility to uphold international human rights law, the draft Code of Practice has been criticised by a group of experts from the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council (the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system) [https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/un-experts-warn-legal-uncertainty-and-rights-implications-following-uk] and, shamingly, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security, which identifies "evidence of genocidal intent and actions targeting" trans and intersex people in the UK. The Lemkin Institute names the EHRC and the draft Code of Practice specifically in its alert [https://www.lemkininstitute.com/red-flag-alerts/red-flag-alert-on-anti-trans-and-intersex-rights-in-the-uk]. Given the clear failings in the consultation process it is essential that Parliament is given adequate time to scrutinise the draft Code of Practice, and to require that it is amended to remove the unwarranted and harmful effects it will otherwise have on the human rights of trans people in the UK. I urge you to lobby the Leader of the Commons and the Minister for Equalities accordingly. Sincerely
September 11, 2025 at 9:05 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Well, this is surely entirely legit and lawful
Photo of a sticker on a lamppost “Do you need a vehicle tracked and followed?” A QR code revolving to a link tree URL
August 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
While most Notting Hill businesses take some precautions over the carnival weekend, Amazon Fresh is the only one with US Embassy-level protection
Branch of Amazon fresh. Outside are temporary solid metal walls backed by meter-high concrete blocks Branch of Amazon fresh. Outside are temporary solid metal walls backed by meter-high concrete blocks
August 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
What do they mean by “that just pierced feeling”? Agonising pain?
An advertising poster. A photo of a multiply-pierced ear, framed with wavy auburn hair. The text reads: “ASTRID & MIYU “BOOK NOW “That just pierced feeling”
July 27, 2025 at 3:18 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Huh. Gmail has bundled its useful “smart” features along with nonsense Gemini AI. At least I have a choice, albeit all or nothing. Nice to see they have such faith in their AI product
Screenshot of a Google workspace pop up: Get more done with smart features in Google Workspace Work smarter and more efficiently with Workspace smart features. Smart features boost your productivity in an experience customised to how you work. You agree to let Google Workspace use your Workspace content and activity to personalise your experience across Workspace. Keep smart features on in Workspace When you turn this setting on, you can get experiences that include: Show events from Gmail in Calendar (such as flight itineraries and invitations) Personalised search (such as keyword suggestions, file suggestions and more relevant results) Ask Gemini to summarise content, create drafts and find key information, along with other Gemini for Workspace features Turn off smart features in Workspace When you turn this setting off, you'll no longer have access to the experiences described above
July 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Accidental street art (reposted with alt text, oops)
Photo of a splat of black paint on a white concrete wall. The black paint has dripped and dried so as to look reminiscent of a ghostly figure, perhaps No-Face (顔無し, Kaonashi) from the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away
July 16, 2025 at 2:49 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Who is this trying to appeal to, exactly?
Photo of a Google ad poster at King’s Cross tube station, text overlaid on a photo of women at a gym [query:]can anyone do a bro split [AI answer:]Yes, anyone can do a bro split. The Bro Split is a type of workout routine that focuses on training one muscle group per day, typically once a week. It can be effective for certain people and situations, especially for beginners or those who prefer a more focused approach. Close up of the same poster Photo of a Google ad poster at King’s Cross tube station, text overlaid on a photo of women at a gym [query:]can anyone do a bro split [AI answer:]Yes, anyone can do a bro split. The Bro Split is a type of workout routine that focuses on training one muscle group per day, typically once a week. It can be effective for certain people and situations, especially for beginners or those who prefer a more focused approach.
July 16, 2025 at 11:47 AM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Wonder what protest “Lord” Toby Young, that defender of free speech, is planning against the proscription of Palestine Action?
Screenshot of an email sent to Lord Toby Young (via the House of Lords email service): Dear Lord Young I look forward to hearing such a doughty and principled champion of free speech as yourself speaking strongly against the proscription of the non-violent Palestine Action group. Please tell me when I can expect you to speak on this subject in the House of Lords. Sincerely
July 6, 2025 at 11:48 AM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Sound advice from my lunch today 🌤️🍙
A picture of an onigiri (rice ball) in its packaging. The packaging advises “avoid warm temperatures and high humidity”
July 5, 2025 at 12:57 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
¯\_ȌᴥȌ_/¯
Screenshot of a Tweet on the U.S. embassy in London X account. The word “censorship” in capitals, crossed through. The tweet reads “We must dismantle the fact-checking industrial complex that censors opinions unpopular with global elites” Screenshot of a tweet from the X account of the US ambassador to London: “The anti-Semitic chants led by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury were a disgrace. There should be no place for this hateful incitement or tolerance of antisemitism in the UK.”
July 1, 2025 at 5:00 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
First harvest from my sketchy balcony garden: a few leaves each of Outredgeous lettuce and mispoona (a hybrid of tatsoi and mizuna), plus some carrot thinning for an impromptu side salad
May 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
flaneurben.bsky.social
Wrote to my MP (Joe Powell, Lab, Kensington & Bayswater) fwiw
#UKpol #benefits
Letter to Jow Powell MP for Kensington & Bayswater Dear Mr Powell, Disability benefits I was fortunate to be represented by your predecessors Karen Buck and Emma Dent Coad, whose personal commitments to social justice were sustaining through the dark days of the Tory governments from 2010. I was initially optimistic when Labour secured a majority last summer that the UK would be able to move away from an irrational commitment to the neoliberal economic dogma which has done so much to immiserate all but the very wealthiest people in this country. I'm afraid that any remaining optimism has been pretty much extinguished by today's statement by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. As a practising GP who has worked in the NHS since I qualified more than 20 years ago, I understand well the relationship between ill-health, disability and poverty, and I have witnessed at first hand the inevitable and deliberately cruel effects of previous governments' cuts to the support available to people who are not able to work: for any reason, but particularly because of illness and disability. I frequently provide reports for patients of mine who are claiming Personal Independence Payment for the first time, or who are undergoing reassessment, and so I am well aware of the already-stringent criteria that have to be met before PIP is awarded. In my professional opinion, there is no-one who would meet the current PIP criteria who could not be said to be significantly disabled. In order to achieve a nugatory reduction in benefits spending, to help the Chancellor meet her self-imposed and self-defeating fiscal rules, Ms Kendall proposes to further tighten the eligibility criteria for PIP and other illness-related support, and to freeze, cut or abolish the incapacity components of Universal Credit. These changes are estimated to reduce claimants' incomes by several thousand pounds a year. We know from long experience that making people poorer doesn't make them any healthier, nor any more likely to find suitable and dignified work. Everyone, regardless of employment, pays taxes and stimulates the economy through their consumer choices. These kneejerk changes, chasing short-term gains, will have profoundly harmful long-term effects on individuals and on the economy as a whole. Respected charities including Scope, Mind and the Child Poverty Action Group have already identified the harm these cuts will do to millions of people and their families who are already among the poorest in Britain. Your colleague Debbie Abrahams bravely warned the Government against “balancing the books on the backs of sick and disabled people.” The cynical media management on this issue that has been on display in the past few days has also been appalling. For the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to imply that disability benefits are given based on over-diagnosis of mental health problems, or to deliberately conflate PIP with being unemployed, is shameful. Baroness Grey-Thompson has rightly warned of the increase in discrimination, abuse and violence that disabled people will experience as a direct result of the Government's pandering to the worst instincts of the right-wing. What do you plan to do to limit the impoverishment, distress and further ill-health that will inevitably flow from these reckless proposals? Yours sincerely,
March 18, 2025 at 10:41 PM