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Helen McCarthy

@glider.bsky.social

3.1K followers 1.1K following 7.2K posts

Glider in the night, dancer in the dark, lover of lost rivers and paths in the woods and libraries and half-open doors. Moonlights as a writer. All images and poems mine unless credited elsewise. AI is only acceptable if it's consensual.

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · Aug 26

I'm a writer, scholar, speaker, poet and frequent ranter. This is my personal account, so it features stuff outside my work. @helenmccarthy51.bsky.social is where you can find posts on my anime, manga, daily poems, talks and writing. Feel free to follow both. Website helenmccarthy.net

Introduction - Helen McCarthy

Helen McCarthy, writer, author, journalist, speaker, scholar, Manga, Anime, Japanese animation, Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, haiku, UK - introduction

helenmccarthy.net

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 22h

It’s Sam Altman: the man who stole the rights from copyright. If he’s the future, can we go backwards? | Marina Hyde

His AI video generator Sora 2 has been reviled for pinching the work of others. One giant leap for Sam: for everyone else, not so much, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

www.theguardian.com

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Vintage Obscura Radio @vintageobscura.net · 23h

The Skeltons - Terror [Brazil ; Surf / Garage Rock] (1964)
https://redd.it/q7d3de
https://youtu.be/ZrxIFntJcMc

The Skeltons - Terror [Brazil ; Surf / Garage Rock] (1964)

youtu.be

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jondmaas.bsky.social @jondmaas.bsky.social · 1d

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hookland.bsky.social @hookland.bsky.social · 23h

The alleged home tree of the Wood Sprite known as Blood Squall. His reputation is high among the fiercest and most troubling of cursers. His favoured appeasements are said to be the medicate wine Tor Tonic, items of pewter, chocolate raisins and teeth – human or animal.

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David Osland @davidosland.bsky.social · 1d

As Toby Young points out, Black people are over-represented in advertising. He somehow forgot to mention they are over-represented in poverty, unemployment and homelessness statistics too.

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 1d

There will be those who will once again council empty reconciliation with Republicans, on the grounds that “we need to be better than them.”

But here’s the thing: we ARE better than them. Much better than them. Everyone is far far far better than them. That’s why they all need to go to prison.

Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

Everybody who pushed Democrats to be more aggressive after the insurrection was right. Listen to them next time (if there is a next time).

Letitia James criminally charged in Trump’s latest effort to punish rivals

Prosecutor who sought charges was installed amid Trump frustrations with pace of investigations against rivals

www.theguardian.com

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Mike here, hello @mikecornes.bsky.social · 1d

I watched Question Time for the first time in ages tonight. Great to see the audience pushing back on the anti-immigration rhetoric from the majority of the panel. Well done @zackpolanski.bsky.social for making your points so well. I expect the membership will be well into six figures soon.

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 1d

To anyone feeling upset that they didn't get the #NobelPeacePrize today, please remember that bringing about a ceasefire in a conflict you enabled, helped to prolong and showed intent to profit from doesn't qualify.

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations to Maria Corina Machado, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize - her incredible optimism has already changed her country. I spoke to her, and wrote about her, at the beginning of this year:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

The ‘Anthropological Change’ Happening in Venezuela

Maduro is still in place, but a pro-democracy movement is transforming the beleaguered country.

www.theatlantic.com

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warriorseamstress.bsky.social @warriorseamstress.bsky.social · 1d

Typically astute analysis from @alanderminna.bsky.social 👇

"So far the main concept for deterrence by punishment has been “deterrence by attribution”, i.e. threatening reputational costs by naming and shaming. Unfortunately, Russia is clearly quite far beyond the point of caring about reputation."

Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 1d

Great new Europe Dispatch column by @alanderminna.bsky.social just appeared (all free). This week she discusses the challenges in implementing a Deterrence by Punishment policy towards Russia--though that of course does not mean it should not be tried. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Easier Said Than Done: Hybrid Deterrence By Punishment

This week, Minna Ålander turns to the question of how to move from defensive reactions to Russian hybrid warfare to an effective deterrent. (Spoiler: not easy)

open.substack.com

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1d

The £1m man: Why did Boris Johnson take his donor to Ukraine?

Exclusive: Leaked files offer a glimpse of the ex-prime minister’s relationship with Christopher Harborne As he boarded the night train to Ukraine, Boris Johnson had the usual entourage of aides and bodyguards – plus the man who had given him £1m. Less than a year had passed since Johnson accepted what is thought to be the largest donation ever to an individual MP. It was from Christopher Harborne, one of the UK’s biggest and most private political donors. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

Here's an interactive graphic representation of the Nobel laureates by country, gender, category, affiliation and time ➡️ reut.rs/432uR5m

Nobel Laureates

every Nobel laureate by country, prize and academic affiliation

reut.rs

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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 1d

It really feels like they’re trolling our autocrat.

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 1d

It's hardly progress. They're only doing it because she's female.

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 1d

We have just eaten and drink ourselves almost to a standstill at Burr's in Newport, IOW. Good food beautifully cooked and charmingly served in pleasant surrounding, plus they make a really good Old Fashioned. Very highly recommended.

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 1d

"Trickle down economics" are actually piss-on-the-peasants economics.

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 2d

The global whaling industry experienced a boom c. 1840-1950 as technology allowed whalers to hunt the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

Under standard models, we would have expected krill populations to have *exploded*.

Instead, they DROPPED exponentially.

Let's talk about the KRILL PARADOX.

Change in distribution and abundance of southern right whales. (A) Shows historical and contemporary wintering distributions (Figure 1 from Carroll et al., 2018), and (B) shows decline in abundance and subsequent recovery (solid line is the mean, dashed line shows upper and lower 95% CI). Modified Figure 1 from Jackson et al. (2008). Contemporary sightings are divided into regions where large aggregations are seen during winter: Argentina (ARG), Brazil (BZL), South Africa (SAF), southwest Australia (SWA), south central Australia (SCA), and New Zealand sub-Antarctic (NZSA) and regions where sightings are typically of small numbers of individuals per year. The large aggregations are IWC management units and correspond to historical whaling grounds, although another 5 whaling grounds show little sign of recovery. Summer feeding areas are poorly described and so not shown.

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warriorseamstress.bsky.social @warriorseamstress.bsky.social · 2d

Peel off the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 barely covering the uglies following Yaxley Lennon & ilk and you'll soon find the 🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺. Coming to a roundabout near you soon 👇

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warriorseamstress.bsky.social @warriorseamstress.bsky.social · 2d

"That a UK politician, a member of the party currently leading the polls (and news agenda) has been revealed to have taken bribes to make statements in favour of Russia – when Russia had illegally annexed chunks of Ukraine and was killing and attempting to kill people on British soil – is alarming."

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 2d

Yep

Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 2d

If Christian's really want to covert others, they should be like #DollyParton - leave judgement to God, give to the poor, support education, encourage reading and learning, and let their actions and treatment of others do the preaching.

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DocBuglove @docbuglove.smokefleet.net · 2d

Everyone on the fence about A.I., there's something you don't realize.

It's purpose is to eliminate human jobs and human skills.

That's it. That's its single purpose. For companies to no longer pay people or train them in skills.

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 2d

Thrilled and can't wait to read the seventh story in one of the best and most beautifully illustrated adventure series for just about anyone!
@helenmccarthy51.bsky.social

Sarah McIntyre @sarahmcintyre.bsky.social · 2d

'Adventuremice: Mousehole to the Centre of the Earth', the seventh in our highly-illustrated series, is out now!
Available at all good bookshops!
🐭🐭✍️✍️
@philipreeve.bsky.social
@dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social

Cover with Pedro, Fledermaus & Ptiny the Pterodactyl

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 2d

the rose called Peace
has buds streaked red as blood
yet transmutes to gold

#haiku #poetry #hope #GivePeaceAChance

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Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social · 2d

the ageing year is
now more greying than golden
but still well-dressed
in a riot of colour
not yet time for monotone

#tanka #poetry #changingseasons #enduringbeauty

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