Emma Bates
@emmabates.bsky.social
Fundraiser, cat owner. She/her.
Reposted by Emma Bates
God: behold the horse, my finest creation. fast. strong. powerful. mankind shall ride them into battle for thousands of years.
angel: wow, they must be nearly indestructible
God: lol no if they lay down weird one time it's pretty much over
angel: wow, they must be nearly indestructible
God: lol no if they lay down weird one time it's pretty much over
December 10, 2025 at 5:56 AM
God: behold the horse, my finest creation. fast. strong. powerful. mankind shall ride them into battle for thousands of years.
angel: wow, they must be nearly indestructible
God: lol no if they lay down weird one time it's pretty much over
angel: wow, they must be nearly indestructible
God: lol no if they lay down weird one time it's pretty much over
The similarity between the challenges for dentists and for anyone trying to book a driving tests makes me wonder just how many other things are broken in this specific way.
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
December 9, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The similarity between the challenges for dentists and for anyone trying to book a driving tests makes me wonder just how many other things are broken in this specific way.
Reposted by Emma Bates
I wanted dinner recommendations so I scraped 13,000+ London restaurants and accidentally discovered Google Maps is running a shadow economy. Anyway here's a dashboard and a political economy thesis: open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
How Google Maps quietly allocates survival across London’s restaurants - and how I built a dashboard to see through it
I wanted a dinner recommendation and got a research agenda instead. Using 13000+ restaurants, I rebuild its ratings with machine learning and map how algorithmic visibility actually distributes power.
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I wanted dinner recommendations so I scraped 13,000+ London restaurants and accidentally discovered Google Maps is running a shadow economy. Anyway here's a dashboard and a political economy thesis: open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
Reposted by Emma Bates
We're watching the wholesale burning of every scrap of dignity afforded to trans people in the UK, their rights, their medical services, their employment, their place within society, their bodily functions.
It is a disgrace, and a disgusting stain on the government and media of this country.
It is a disgrace, and a disgusting stain on the government and media of this country.
December 3, 2025 at 11:54 AM
We're watching the wholesale burning of every scrap of dignity afforded to trans people in the UK, their rights, their medical services, their employment, their place within society, their bodily functions.
It is a disgrace, and a disgusting stain on the government and media of this country.
It is a disgrace, and a disgusting stain on the government and media of this country.
Reposted by Emma Bates
If we're starting "what is a Christmas movie" discourse early this year, I will tap the sign
*It’s cold outside
*Friends gather for a meal together
*Everyone is thinking about a very special little baby
*An important visitor comes in through the ventilation system
Alien is a Christmas movie
*Friends gather for a meal together
*Everyone is thinking about a very special little baby
*An important visitor comes in through the ventilation system
Alien is a Christmas movie
November 29, 2025 at 2:57 PM
If we're starting "what is a Christmas movie" discourse early this year, I will tap the sign
Reposted by Emma Bates
it's basically impossible to argue with this, they have won significant policy concessions, and there's no reason to think they'll stop pushing now that Labour have opened the door for them
They must be proud with this endorsement, they worked hard for it.
November 16, 2025 at 10:13 AM
it's basically impossible to argue with this, they have won significant policy concessions, and there's no reason to think they'll stop pushing now that Labour have opened the door for them
Reposted by Emma Bates
A 34-year-old as a politician: My god he's like a baby. It's like they just elected an infant to be their mayor.
A 34-year-old as an athlete: You have to admire the bravery of him attempting that dunk, knowing full well the grim reaper is right behind him.
A 34-year-old as an athlete: You have to admire the bravery of him attempting that dunk, knowing full well the grim reaper is right behind him.
November 5, 2025 at 5:45 AM
A 34-year-old as a politician: My god he's like a baby. It's like they just elected an infant to be their mayor.
A 34-year-old as an athlete: You have to admire the bravery of him attempting that dunk, knowing full well the grim reaper is right behind him.
A 34-year-old as an athlete: You have to admire the bravery of him attempting that dunk, knowing full well the grim reaper is right behind him.
Orkney made me feel more welcome as a tourist than anywhere else I've ever been. I really hope the Scottish government let them have their levy.
Cruise control: could a £5 ‘entry’ fee help balance Orkney’s needs with tourist demand?
Cruise control: could a £5 ‘entry’ fee help balance Orkney’s needs with tourist demand?
With tourists outnumbering locals by 20:1, islanders say levy is needed to help protect neolithic sites and maintain public services
www.theguardian.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Orkney made me feel more welcome as a tourist than anywhere else I've ever been. I really hope the Scottish government let them have their levy.
Reposted by Emma Bates
Learned that an anonymous outside expert on submersibles did an interview with the OceanGate Titan investigation, and they released a transcript, with all the names redacted. The first line of his first answer? "I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."
October 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Learned that an anonymous outside expert on submersibles did an interview with the OceanGate Titan investigation, and they released a transcript, with all the names redacted. The first line of his first answer? "I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."
As I never tire of pointing out, "Sapiens" also includes a whole section about the origins of the patriarchy without ever acknowledging the impacts of pregnancy or childcare.
"Sapiens" is so normal for the first 70,000 years of human history but then goes absolutely buckwild as soon as it gets to colonialism
October 14, 2025 at 12:45 PM
As I never tire of pointing out, "Sapiens" also includes a whole section about the origins of the patriarchy without ever acknowledging the impacts of pregnancy or childcare.
Reposted by Emma Bates
In honor of National Poetry Day, the greatest parody rewrite of all time:
October 2, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In honor of National Poetry Day, the greatest parody rewrite of all time:
Reposted by Emma Bates
Am of the opinion we should just respond to the current flag epidemic by flying a wider range of random national flags from lamp posts, roundabouts etc until the situation gets ridiculous and they give up.
October 2, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Am of the opinion we should just respond to the current flag epidemic by flying a wider range of random national flags from lamp posts, roundabouts etc until the situation gets ridiculous and they give up.
Reposted by Emma Bates
My goodness, this poem. A beautiful, savage, blunt explanation of why we study war and conflict and also why military history is not and should not be just 'for the boys.'
The poem is moving in its unwillingness to whitewash the many tombs of war, as we should too should be unwilling.
The poem is moving in its unwillingness to whitewash the many tombs of war, as we should too should be unwilling.
I tend to think every nerdy trans woman should read Margaret Atwood's The Loneliness of the Military Historian and sit with it for a moment no matter what it is exactly she's nerdy about, but that goes double for you www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47788/...
The Loneliness of the Military Historian
This is why few people ask me to dinner, though Lord knows I don’t go out of my way to be scary. If I roll my eyes and mutter, if I clutch at my heart and scream in horror like a third-rate actress ch...
www.poetryfoundation.org
October 2, 2025 at 5:28 PM
My goodness, this poem. A beautiful, savage, blunt explanation of why we study war and conflict and also why military history is not and should not be just 'for the boys.'
The poem is moving in its unwillingness to whitewash the many tombs of war, as we should too should be unwilling.
The poem is moving in its unwillingness to whitewash the many tombs of war, as we should too should be unwilling.
Reposted by Emma Bates
Kind of feels like a big deal that a Reform/Brexit Party former MEP has been convicted of taking bribes to promote Russian interests in Ukraine, and it feels like a bigger deal that this isn’t being treated as the major scandal that it clearly is.
September 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Kind of feels like a big deal that a Reform/Brexit Party former MEP has been convicted of taking bribes to promote Russian interests in Ukraine, and it feels like a bigger deal that this isn’t being treated as the major scandal that it clearly is.
Reposted by Emma Bates
YES SCIENCE (and these scientists in particular)
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that could transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC
www.bbc.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
YES SCIENCE (and these scientists in particular)
At a conference and pondering how much I loathe the phrase "lives at home". Everyone with a home lives at home. That's what a home is.
September 22, 2025 at 11:47 AM
At a conference and pondering how much I loathe the phrase "lives at home". Everyone with a home lives at home. That's what a home is.
Reposted by Emma Bates
“This policy is a fucking disgrace and will do harm to the people it affects, our economy, our services, and it’s morally reprehensible” is the correct response not “haha your numbers are wrong and it may not even be legal”
September 22, 2025 at 9:10 AM
“This policy is a fucking disgrace and will do harm to the people it affects, our economy, our services, and it’s morally reprehensible” is the correct response not “haha your numbers are wrong and it may not even be legal”
Reposted by Emma Bates
imagine getting qt dunked by ed davey. unrecoverable. you’re furious and he is serenely going down a log flume in bognor regis.
September 15, 2025 at 12:27 PM
imagine getting qt dunked by ed davey. unrecoverable. you’re furious and he is serenely going down a log flume in bognor regis.
Reposted by Emma Bates
I am again stating for the record that women are consistently more in favour of trans rights than men and the whole ~women are being silenced, silenced I tell you~ narrative is pure propaganda
September 14, 2025 at 1:15 PM
I am again stating for the record that women are consistently more in favour of trans rights than men and the whole ~women are being silenced, silenced I tell you~ narrative is pure propaganda
Reposted by Emma Bates
Want to be clear that the predictable violence against the police wasn't the only problem with yesterday's march
It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear
The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.
It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear
The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.
September 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Want to be clear that the predictable violence against the police wasn't the only problem with yesterday's march
It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear
The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.
It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear
The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.
Reposted by Emma Bates
Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
September 14, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.
Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.
I notice I got a push alert from BBC News about this, which, for some baffling reason, they haven't done for any of the other larger marches that Dan mentions.
In a showpiece event they have been trailing for weeks, with the added publicity boost of this week's murder in the USA (which was all over British social media) they still couldn't get more numbers than Trans Pride. Not only are they smaller than Palestinian solidarity marches...
Police have called for calm after officers were attacked as around 110,000 people joined Tommy Robinson‘s “Unite the Kingdom” rally in central London trib.al/I5OI7Ln
September 13, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I notice I got a push alert from BBC News about this, which, for some baffling reason, they haven't done for any of the other larger marches that Dan mentions.
This is just such a consistently fascinating series.
This week on the blog: more peasants! We take our model of peasant farming from last week and factor in land scarcity, tenancy and exploitation and hopefully clear up at last that you do not, in fact, work harder than a pre-modern peasant!
acoup.blog/2025/09/12/c...
acoup.blog/2025/09/12/c...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVc: Rent and Extraction
This is the third piece of the fourth part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers – a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. Last…
acoup.blog
September 13, 2025 at 3:52 PM
This is just such a consistently fascinating series.
Lots of scepticism in the responses but I also get car sick much more in EVs than ICE cars. I thought it was because the lack of gear changes means that the acceleration isn't interrupted. I'd like my next car to be an EV so it is a real concern!
‘Extreme nausea’: Are EVs causing car sickness – and what can be done?
‘Extreme nausea’: Are EVs causing car sickness – and what can be done?
Phil Bellamy’s daughters refuse to ride in his electric car without travel sickness tablets. Are there other solutions?
www.theguardian.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Lots of scepticism in the responses but I also get car sick much more in EVs than ICE cars. I thought it was because the lack of gear changes means that the acceleration isn't interrupted. I'd like my next car to be an EV so it is a real concern!