Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1d

The rising complexity of life in economies regulated to remove risks has been met with a a wave of simplistic unrealistic solutions leaving everyone feeling worse as a shouting match gets more intense.

Not much sign of that changing right now.

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 1d

Brilliant and depressing piece on how hard it is to transact property

on.ft.com/4nHDf2m

I know some people think housing policy is simple - just build more! And to do that just have less planning! - but most appreciate the more complex tangles in life.

Moving home is maddening — here’s how the system needs to change

A new government consultation promises to speed up the conveyancing process in England and Wales. But will it work?

on.ft.com

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Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 1d

My kid's Clacton nursery has cut hot lunches for toddlers to save money, and sent round leaflets to parents advising us on preparing packed lunches for around 90p per day.

They have no waiting list for places because there's so few jobs here worth doing once you've covered childcare.

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 2d

Twelve Jobs Nigel has earned over £1 million in additional income since the general election.

To understand the scale of it, since the July 2024 election he's earned roughly £100k more as a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion than Starmer gets as PM.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Nigel Farage earns over £1m from 12 'second jobs' - check how much your MP earns

The Reform UK leader's most lucrative second jobs include hosting on GB News, serving as a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion and recording videos for Cameo

www.mirror.co.uk

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 1d

it all made sense, once I realised that people wanted to be like Farage - and Trump... Bit sad though, all about helping self and close friends and not about making life better for everyone

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Jewish Voice for Liberation @jvl.org.uk · 1d

The surging censorship in a country that pretends it values free speech is frightening
‘They didn’t even read the book’: How children’s authors are being canceled over Palestine
Authors tell of book bans, cancellations and harassment – ‘they’re trying to disconnect us from our stories’
is.gd/0rYhPE

‘They didn’t even read the book’: How children’s authors are being canceled over Palestine

Authors tell of book bans, cancellations and harassment – ‘they’re trying to disconnect us from our stories’

www.theguardian.com

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Camellia Tea Ceremony @camelliakyoto.bsky.social · 1d

💜FIELDS OF FUJIBAKAMA🌿

Each year a parcel of meadow in Ōharano (大原野), to the south west of the city, is transformed into an oasis of thoroughwort. 'Fujibakama-en' (フジバカマ園) is one of the best places in Kyōto to catch sight of this endangered flower 'in the wild'.

#Kyoto #Oharano #fujibakama

Nao-san enjoys a field of fujibakama south of the city.

Fujibakama-en is a popular autumn destination in Oharano. In recent years the flower has increasingly become endangered in the wild.

Fujibakama is a favourite flower for many butterfly species.

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All In with Chris Hayes @allinwithchris.bsky.social · 2d

WATCH: "People at a deep level understand that what they are seeing in Chicago is wrong. They know that they are free citizens of a free country," says @chrislhayes.bsky.social on the backlash to Trump's takeover in Chicago.

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Joanie @creaturesrule.bsky.social · 1d

Hahah 😂😎
Feeling feisty after their beloved Cubs win last night!
Congrats Chicago!
Stay feisty!!!

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 2d

ICE getting tailed like it’s a heist movie. Chicago is turning the tables.

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UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) @ukceh.bsky.social · 2d

We highly recommend this upcoming talk at @linneansociety.bsky.social for compelling, evidence-based perspectives on the decline of woodland birds from Dr Richard Broughton 🌳⬇️

The Linnean Society of London @linneansociety.bsky.social · 7d

Why are Britain’s woods falling silent?

Marsh & Willow Tits have declined by up to 96%.

Join @richardkbroughton.bsky.social at 6pm, Oct 23 at the Society to uncover what’s driving these losses - and what they reveal about our vanishing forests.

Book now: buff.ly/IuNlpoH

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 1d

hmm he hasn't done too well on love your neighbour by saying he hates his enemies (i.e anyone who doesn't agree with him), that's 50% of the most important commandments out the window...

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Carolyn Castor @carolyncastor.bsky.social · 2d

Such a creative thread!

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · Apr 6

A little while ago, my parents' cat Bridget went missing. As the weeks dragged on, they became extremely worried. My dad devised a way to distract himself: he began to paint Bridget's adventures, imagining her travelling through time and popping up in some of art and music's most iconic scenes.

Bridget hanging out in Grant Wood's American Gothic.

Bridget in Bruegel's Hunters In The Snow (with a freshly caught mouse).

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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 2d

Reminder there are 1.53m unemployed people in the UK.

There are 0.11m jobs, and most of these are part time.

They are screaming at people to get jobs that don't exist.

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🦇🧛‍♂️Bram Stoker’s GuitarMoogula🧛‍♂️🦇 @guitarmoog.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you for doing this thread, and for all of your other work on this. My response to the news was, well, somewhat less temperate:

bsky.app/profile/guit...

🦇🧛‍♂️Bram Stoker’s GuitarMoogula🧛‍♂️🦇 @guitarmoog.bsky.social · 4d

For the actual fucking love of god.

The person responsible for the gaslighting of thousands of people with ME/CFS with CBT and torturing them with graded exercise therapy, both of which were then tried again on Long Covid patients.

An absolute menace to the sick or vulnerable.

Adam @abrokenbattery.bsky.social · 4d

Simon Wessely — the controversial psychiatrist once dubbed “Britain’s most hated doctor” has been appointed vice chair of Labour’s review into overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 1d

this is serious stuff read the BUT that follows- it will surely affect autoimmune conditions too...long covid too
#Lupus #longcovid

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3d

ME/CFS is a devastating condition that has long been denied, dismissed, psychologised and underdiagnosed. Research is at last starting to catch up with it, with glimmers of hope for those who have been left untreated for so long.
There's a huge BUT coming ...🧵
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

www.theguardian.com

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MichelleRNRetired @michellernretired.bsky.social · 2d

I get surveyed by my healthcare plan after every visit. I have been saying for years now that there should be universal masking in healthcare. I have two physicians that agree with me at last. Both young women with children at home.
I will continue all mitigation measures for me and those around me.

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 1d

"just a cold" in our household could be fatal...and a surprising amount of people think it's fine to be out and about with "just a cold". Also pre-covid my sister-in-law was given a private office, as for her a cold could hospitalise her, and co-workers came in unwell.

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Conor Browne @brownecfm.bsky.social · 3d

3. ... my feeling is that their illness *genuinely is a mystery to them*.

This is precisely what happens when a concerted effort is made by governments, public health, and the media to downplay or erase Covid-19.

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Conor Browne @brownecfm.bsky.social · 3d

2. All of these conversations were perfectly pleasant. The theme that ran through all of them was a genuine belief that Covid-19 was 'gone'. Not endemic, or 'just a cold', but 'gone'. When you see videos on social media featuring young people bemoaning their 'mystery illness'...

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d

Scottish Social Attitudes report a dramatic dip in British identity in Scotland in 2024

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Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 2d

Our marine observations are vital for weather, climate, and research.

Now, ocean robots like Oshen’s C-Stars can independently sail for months, boosting ocean data alongside satellites and buoys.

See how the Met Office supports this innovation 👇

Are ocean robots the next big thing for climate monitoring?

With climate data more important than ever, is there a way to maximise marine data collection, gathering even more information from all oceans?

www.metoffice.gov.uk

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3d

In the firing line, as ever, are the UK’s hundreds of thousands of ME/CFS patients. As a practitioner once remarked, “the bastards don’t want to get better”. If there is one characteristic all the ME/CFS patients I’ve come across have in common, it is a desperation to get better.

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3d

Just as we are beginning to understand the biochemical basis of this horrendous condition, the government appoints the man perhaps most responsible for the mischaracterisation of ME/CFS – Simon Wesseley - to its *overdiagnosis* commission. www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/controv...

Controversial professor to investigate overdiagnosis of mental health and neurodivergence for Labour

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments...

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 2d

I had no idea this was happening, how awful... Wes Streeting is a bit worrying sometimes, especially considering how much sponsorship he gets via private healthcare links...

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 3d

ME/CFS is a devastating condition that has long been denied, dismissed, psychologised and underdiagnosed. Research is at last starting to catch up with it, with glimmers of hope for those who have been left untreated for so long.
There's a huge BUT coming ...🧵
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

www.theguardian.com

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Luis Cordoba Photographer @luiscordoba.bsky.social · 28d

home sweet #home, sweet #garden

𝗺𝘆 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔
bsky.app/profile/did:...

𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗶 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁
bsky.app/profile/did:...

𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 #𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗘
bsky.app/profile/did:...

#storytelling #luiscordobapharchive #portrait
#picoftheday #flowers
#photographer
#eastcoastkin #saturday #BlueSkyArtShow

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Flo Fflach @flofflach.bsky.social · 2d

her name gives the essay more exposure?

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