Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 1d

It’s almost like if people tell you that to win you have to turn your back on poor people, or Muslims, or trans people, or immigrants, you can just say, “no, that’s immoral, we’re not doing that,” and keep doing good old fashioned organizing and campaigning and things will be ok

5 320 1.2K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

C. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 1d

As many have pointed out, Mamdani didn't stand apart from our trans brothers and sisters. He didn't play the "Gee, gosh, it sure is complicated," milquetoast moderate card. And he crushed.

The way forward is together, not over the bodies of our own.

41 3.1K 12K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 1d

BBC News bulletins leading on the story of an Algerian man being mistakenly released by the prison service.

Funnily enough I don't remember these cases ever leading the bulletins when an average of ten prisoners were mistakenly released a month in the final year of the last Government

72 620 1.6K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

The "why do you care so much about the NY mayoral election" takes strike me as pretty obtuse. The world's sole superpower is being taken over by fascists, and this was part of the struggle to define what the opposition to that will look like. That obviously has major implications for all of us?

11 170 690

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Lucy Prebble @lucyprebblish.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly TELL THE STORY. Won’t someone just tell the fucking story of how Brexit created this economic hardship, how a Muslim immigrant just saved the lives of those commuters on that train, won’t someone in politics or even media just connect the fucking dots and TELL THE STORY. IT’S RIGHT THERE

10 180 750

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Janel Comeau 🍁 @verybadllama.bsky.social · 1d

well I for one am shocked that "every aspect of your life gets worse forever and also look at my marble bathroom" did not turn out to be a winning election strategy

30 660 3.8K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Joel @snufkinlib.bsky.social · 2d

VP Cheney will be honoured with a 21 gun salute accidentally aimed directly at 21 of his friends

74 2.3K 8.9K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Neil Norman And His Cosmic Orchestra @fubsyshabaroon.bsky.social · 11d

Gosh, this makes me feel good in a way I can’t begin to describe.

Gene Krupa "Sing, Sing, Sing" on The Ed Sullivan Show

YouTube video by The Ed Sullivan Show

youtu.be

3 1 15

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Comedy Club 4 Kids @comedyclub4kids.bsky.social · 2d

Poole! KIDS! Come see us at The Lighthouse on Saturday 8th, we have stand-up and clowning from @vanderlaugh.bsky.social, @annasoden.bsky.social and Darryl J. Carrington. High chance of mayhem! And all after an 11:30am family screening of E.T. - how NICE.

🎟️ www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/comedy...

Saturday 8 November | 2pm

£11 (£8.50) | 01202 280 000

lighthousepoole.co.uk | comedyclub4kids.co.uk

1 1

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · Aug 22

My favourite international name for a Mr Men character will never not be the name for Mr Bump in Norwegian, which is Herr Dumpidump. Tragically, the books with that title are now out of print. I’ll therefore be spending much of my remaining time in Norway searching antique bookshops for an old copy.

A cover of Herr Dumpidump by Roger Hargreaves that says "Herr Dumpidump by Roger Hargreaves" and with an illustration of Herr Dumpidump looking especially dumpidumpish (forgive me but I can't stop repeating the word dumpidump... DUMPIDUMP!)

7 37 290

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 2d

Focus is the word! I read an interview with Harry Hill where he talked with wide-eyed wonder about Sean Lock's ability to be totally focused, but utterly relaxed, making him the funniest person in the room.

Different context, but I think Mamdani has the same sauce.

1 9

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 2d

Christ, he is supernaturally good at this.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 2d

Locked in with @arimelber.bsky.social.

73 510 2.5K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 2d

A total and utter hero

150 1.1K 5K

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Toby Earle 🇺🇦 @tobyontv.bsky.social · 2d

one more time for the right & far-right racists who demonise others: Samir Zitouni

2 6 67

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Toby Earle 🇺🇦 @tobyontv.bsky.social · 2d

spread Samir Zitouni’s name far and wide

Train hero who saved passengers during attack named:
Samir Zitouni is credited with saving lives on the train

8 180 400

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 2d

Magic! Me too. Glad to have you in the best bit if London. 😁

1

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 3d

You're welcome. Obviously I am now eating my own fist in shame.

1

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 3d

You gonna join us at a show soon? It's been AAAAAAGES!

1

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 3d

Nope, that's just an absolutely dreadful piece of copy-editing by me.

It's meant to mean that on the same night each of them is in Battersea, they're also in Honor Oak. But I've absolutely mangled the fuck out of the English language there. Thanks for spotting.

1

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 3d

This is the single greatest piece of diplomacy of all time.

Bruce Gorrie @bsrg1.bsky.social · 3d

Anyway, we need some joy, so here's the Egyptian foreign minister being given a Lego Pyramid by the Danish foreign minister.

1 5 20

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Dan the Gnome @brewergnome.bsky.social · 4d

As a biologist, It really is a great analogy. Also trees. It's like saying, "There are trees and grass, you have to be one or the other." Ok... where is the line that defines "is a tree?" what about bush-like grasses? Palm trees? NON-tree palms? What about horsetails and their tree-like ancestors?

Magpie @shy-magpie.bsky.social · 4d

8 260 630

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 4d

Yes yes and more yes

Athena Kugblenu @athenakugblenu.bsky.social · 5d

If you want kids to read:

-Reopen the closed libraries
-Give them free books
-Sponsor author visits in schools with high % pupil premium or FSM students
-Work on adult literacy

Then Y8s will have a chance of passing this test

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Bridget Phillipson ‘ready to take on unions’ over year 8 reading tests

Education secretary says mandatory test needed to tackle ‘shocking outcomes’ for many working-class children

www.theguardian.com

1 3

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 7d

Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.

Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.

They are not the same.

570 15K 39K

Ben Van der Velde @vanderlaugh.bsky.social · 6d

Hard not to read that in Humphrey Lyttleton's voice.

1

Reposted by Ben Van der Velde

The Ronin @the-ronin.bsky.social · 10d

6 140 210