Andrew Harmer
@andrewharmer.bsky.social
Senior lecturer in global health at Queen Mary's University in London. I write a blog: andrewharmer.org
“We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody for putting his life in danger. We never do”
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US justice department says it is not investigating ICE agent over shooting
Democratic mayor and governor made subject to federal probes amid protests in Minnesota over killing of Renee Good
giftarticle.ft.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:04 PM
“We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody for putting his life in danger. We never do”
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One of my favourite quotes is from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, which I studied at school. It was delivered by one of my favourite characters from that book, Fanny Price:
“We seldom want advice, except when we wish to be dissuaded from something we know.”
Just the wisest observation.
“We seldom want advice, except when we wish to be dissuaded from something we know.”
Just the wisest observation.
January 18, 2026 at 8:33 PM
One of my favourite quotes is from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, which I studied at school. It was delivered by one of my favourite characters from that book, Fanny Price:
“We seldom want advice, except when we wish to be dissuaded from something we know.”
Just the wisest observation.
“We seldom want advice, except when we wish to be dissuaded from something we know.”
Just the wisest observation.
I hope someone is doing an epistemic community analysis of the current global health reimagining exercise. It's insane how the same people (Helen Clarke, Peter Piot etc) and their friends try to imprint their views 'top down' on everybody else.
January 17, 2026 at 9:26 AM
I hope someone is doing an epistemic community analysis of the current global health reimagining exercise. It's insane how the same people (Helen Clarke, Peter Piot etc) and their friends try to imprint their views 'top down' on everybody else.
It's hilarious just how utterly cringeworthy and pathetic Trump is, clutching the award like he's earned it. What a desperate, needy...[leafs through thesaurus for inspiration]. Is there a bigger clown on the planet?
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Giving Trump the Nobel peace prize medal is ‘absurd’, say Norwegian politicians
US president criticised for accepting medal awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:26 PM
It's hilarious just how utterly cringeworthy and pathetic Trump is, clutching the award like he's earned it. What a desperate, needy...[leafs through thesaurus for inspiration]. Is there a bigger clown on the planet?
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
In other rage-inducing news...
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Donald Trump’s first Venezuela oil sale deal goes to megadonor’s company
Senior Vitol trader met US president at White House last week and gave millions of dollars to his re-election campaign
giftarticle.ft.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:19 PM
In other rage-inducing news...
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"At the University of East London, firsts increased from 10.9 per cent of degrees in 2010-11 to 35.7 per cent in 2023-24. At the University of Durham the share of top grades increased from 18.4 per cent to 39.6 per cent over the same period". giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Rise in top grades at English universities sparks alarm
Office for Students says almost two-thirds more first-class degrees were awarded than can be explained
giftarticle.ft.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:13 PM
"At the University of East London, firsts increased from 10.9 per cent of degrees in 2010-11 to 35.7 per cent in 2023-24. At the University of Durham the share of top grades increased from 18.4 per cent to 39.6 per cent over the same period". giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
"The COVID-19 pandemic, he argues, exposed what many had long known but few said aloud: that global health has always been as much about power as about saving lives".
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Who will pay for global health? - Nature Health
Devastating US aid cuts offer an opportunity to reimagine global health, with African leaders charting a new course of self-reliance.
www.nature.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:49 AM
"The COVID-19 pandemic, he argues, exposed what many had long known but few said aloud: that global health has always been as much about power as about saving lives".
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Andrew Harmer
Check out this week's IHP news 862: The global health year kicks off www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/newsletter/ pdf: www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/wp-content/u... (also with translations in French, Portuguese & Spanish). And for the ones with very little time, a short 4-pg AI summary :)
Newsletter
www.internationalhealthpolicies.org
January 16, 2026 at 7:29 AM
Check out this week's IHP news 862: The global health year kicks off www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/newsletter/ pdf: www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/wp-content/u... (also with translations in French, Portuguese & Spanish). And for the ones with very little time, a short 4-pg AI summary :)
Some quick reflections on the Executive Board's report
on WHO funding: EB158/32. More interesting than it sounds!
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/14/e...
on WHO funding: EB158/32. More interesting than it sounds!
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/14/e...
Everything starts with an E…B158 – andrewharmer.org
andrewharmer.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Some quick reflections on the Executive Board's report
on WHO funding: EB158/32. More interesting than it sounds!
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/14/e...
on WHO funding: EB158/32. More interesting than it sounds!
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/14/e...
Every cloud...
"Candidates with liberal arts degrees 'might have been deprioritised in the past' but they have more 'truly novel' ways of thinking that will complement some AI models’ inability to make 'discontinuous leaps' in logic"
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"Candidates with liberal arts degrees 'might have been deprioritised in the past' but they have more 'truly novel' ways of thinking that will complement some AI models’ inability to make 'discontinuous leaps' in logic"
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McKinsey challenges graduates to use AI chatbot in recruitment overhaul
Candidates in pilot assessed on how they prompted consulting firm’s AI assistant and ability to adapt responses
giftarticle.ft.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Every cloud...
"Candidates with liberal arts degrees 'might have been deprioritised in the past' but they have more 'truly novel' ways of thinking that will complement some AI models’ inability to make 'discontinuous leaps' in logic"
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
"Candidates with liberal arts degrees 'might have been deprioritised in the past' but they have more 'truly novel' ways of thinking that will complement some AI models’ inability to make 'discontinuous leaps' in logic"
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
"Iran would very happily wipe out the UK if it felt it could get away with it" says the UK Conservative Party leader expressing the kind of logic usually heard by drunk people after six or seven pints. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
UK wants any transition of power in Iran to be peaceful, says minister
Heidi Alexander calls for end to violence while Tory leader says she would ‘not have an issue’ with regime change
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:29 PM
"Iran would very happily wipe out the UK if it felt it could get away with it" says the UK Conservative Party leader expressing the kind of logic usually heard by drunk people after six or seven pints. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
The use of AI to create fake preprints of academic papers with the intent to misinform takes disinformation practice to a new level, as @caulfieldtim.bsky.social explains in this great podcast (around 8mins in): shows.acast.com/strength-in-...
Unmasking the Infodemic: How Misinformation & Disinformation Are Threatening Our Health Systems with Timothy Caulfield | Strength in Practice
shows.acast.com
January 11, 2026 at 1:45 PM
The use of AI to create fake preprints of academic papers with the intent to misinform takes disinformation practice to a new level, as @caulfieldtim.bsky.social explains in this great podcast (around 8mins in): shows.acast.com/strength-in-...
In times of crisis I like to play this track VERY loud - if it's the last thing I hear, then that's ok by me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=--3e...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=--3e...
Paul van Dyk - For An Angel (1998)
YouTube video by Paul van Dyk
www.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:33 PM
In times of crisis I like to play this track VERY loud - if it's the last thing I hear, then that's ok by me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=--3e...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=--3e...
In the video clip, you can hear the final words of this ICE agent - "fucking bitch" - seconds after he shoots her in the face.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Renee Nicole Good said ‘I’m not mad at you’ before ICE agent shot her, video shows
Clip first posted by partisan outlet Alpha News shows perspective of ICE agent as Good was fatally shot
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2026 at 10:21 AM
In the video clip, you can hear the final words of this ICE agent - "fucking bitch" - seconds after he shoots her in the face.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Watching events evolve in Iran...
"demands for political reform and an end to the regime’s rule quickly emerged"
...and you can't help but wonder - where next?
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
"demands for political reform and an end to the regime’s rule quickly emerged"
...and you can't help but wonder - where next?
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Iran’s supreme leader sets stage for harsher crackdown as protest movement swells
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames US for instigating the unrest
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Watching events evolve in Iran...
"demands for political reform and an end to the regime’s rule quickly emerged"
...and you can't help but wonder - where next?
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
"demands for political reform and an end to the regime’s rule quickly emerged"
...and you can't help but wonder - where next?
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
What I think of Trump and global health in the big 2026
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/06/t...
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/06/t...
The global health community needs to wake up and fight back against the Trump administration. – andrewharmer.org
andrewharmer.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:49 PM
What I think of Trump and global health in the big 2026
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/06/t...
andrewharmer.org/2026/01/06/t...
I blame you for this @kristofdecoster.bsky.social
January 9, 2026 at 5:19 PM
I blame you for this @kristofdecoster.bsky.social