Alan Nobleman
@duneslack.bsky.social
Keen on places.
Marshall of the Pomeranian Voivodship manqué.
Marshall of the Pomeranian Voivodship manqué.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
A shepherd in Kintail was settling in for the night, when about twenty cats came & sat round the fire, holding up their paws to warm themselves…
—from John Gregorson Campbell’s Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland (1902)
#BookologyThursday
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58894
—from John Gregorson Campbell’s Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland (1902)
#BookologyThursday
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58894
December 25, 2025 at 7:22 PM
A shepherd in Kintail was settling in for the night, when about twenty cats came & sat round the fire, holding up their paws to warm themselves…
—from John Gregorson Campbell’s Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland (1902)
#BookologyThursday
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58894
—from John Gregorson Campbell’s Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland (1902)
#BookologyThursday
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58894
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Remember: It ys okaye to be lonelye. It ys okaye to feel lost. It ys okaye to be sad. It ys okaye yf nobody ys arounde. It ys okaye to have no plannes or just small plannes. It ys okaye to have big plannes that seem exhausting. It ys okaye to be a mess. Take care of thyself. Thou art amazinge.
December 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Remember: It ys okaye to be lonelye. It ys okaye to feel lost. It ys okaye to be sad. It ys okaye yf nobody ys arounde. It ys okaye to have no plannes or just small plannes. It ys okaye to have big plannes that seem exhausting. It ys okaye to be a mess. Take care of thyself. Thou art amazinge.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Nailed it. 🎯
#Edinburgh: “As car usage grows and the city expands, it magnifies a lot of the challenges we face and increases the number of times we have to invest just to stand still.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Edinburgh: “As car usage grows and the city expands, it magnifies a lot of the challenges we face and increases the number of times we have to invest just to stand still.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Bus journey times being 'killed by congestion' in cities
The industry warns that traffic jams are slowing average bus speeds and are calling for more priority measures for buses.
www.bbc.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Nailed it. 🎯
#Edinburgh: “As car usage grows and the city expands, it magnifies a lot of the challenges we face and increases the number of times we have to invest just to stand still.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
#Edinburgh: “As car usage grows and the city expands, it magnifies a lot of the challenges we face and increases the number of times we have to invest just to stand still.”
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Maybe you are tired of all the old familiar Christmas songs?
Well here is my favourite 90s Slovak rock Christmas song from #Tublatanka.
youtu.be/hb7q5aEY_q0?...
Well here is my favourite 90s Slovak rock Christmas song from #Tublatanka.
youtu.be/hb7q5aEY_q0?...
Tublatanka - Poďme bratia do Betléma
YouTube video by kissman188
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Maybe you are tired of all the old familiar Christmas songs?
Well here is my favourite 90s Slovak rock Christmas song from #Tublatanka.
youtu.be/hb7q5aEY_q0?...
Well here is my favourite 90s Slovak rock Christmas song from #Tublatanka.
youtu.be/hb7q5aEY_q0?...
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
However, a good laugh is a mighty good thing, and rather too scarce a good thing; the more’s the pity.
December 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
However, a good laugh is a mighty good thing, and rather too scarce a good thing; the more’s the pity.
In the supermarket, singing gently to myself “I’ve got a bag for life” to the tune of “Lust for Life”
December 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
In the supermarket, singing gently to myself “I’ve got a bag for life” to the tune of “Lust for Life”
Quite an author’s note at the end of “The Empusium” by Olga Torkarczuk.
I’ve read some great books this year; but this, just at the right time, the dark tail-end, might just be the best of them.
I’ve read some great books this year; but this, just at the right time, the dark tail-end, might just be the best of them.
December 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Quite an author’s note at the end of “The Empusium” by Olga Torkarczuk.
I’ve read some great books this year; but this, just at the right time, the dark tail-end, might just be the best of them.
I’ve read some great books this year; but this, just at the right time, the dark tail-end, might just be the best of them.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Five hunger strikers being held on remand are in a critical state, after protesting prison conditions. The government has chosen not to engage, reports Anandita Abraham
‘The British state will let them rot in a prison and die’: The Palestine Action supporters on hunger strike
Five people being held on remand are in a critical state, after protesting prison conditions. The government has chosen not to engage
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Five hunger strikers being held on remand are in a critical state, after protesting prison conditions. The government has chosen not to engage, reports Anandita Abraham
Woeful “reporting”. Completely one-sided. Most people I spoke to in Portobello welcomed the plans. These traders just want to park for free next to their workplaces.
Local residents can walk to these shops, or they have a blue badge.
Residential areas now stay free for parked commuters and taxis.
Local residents can walk to these shops, or they have a blue badge.
Residential areas now stay free for parked commuters and taxis.
Business owners and locals in Portobello have said they are 'over the moon' after controversial plans for a Controlled Parking Zone were thrown out by Edinburgh Council.
Edinburgh locals overjoyed after 'victory' as Portobello parking plans scrapped
www.edinburghlive.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Woeful “reporting”. Completely one-sided. Most people I spoke to in Portobello welcomed the plans. These traders just want to park for free next to their workplaces.
Local residents can walk to these shops, or they have a blue badge.
Residential areas now stay free for parked commuters and taxis.
Local residents can walk to these shops, or they have a blue badge.
Residential areas now stay free for parked commuters and taxis.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
🚨Live updates as protesters demand an ambulance is sent to HMP Bronzefield as Qesser Zuhrah is on her 46th day of hunger strike
MP Zarah Sultana says she won't leave until medical help arrives
www.thenational.scot/news/2570490...
MP Zarah Sultana says she won't leave until medical help arrives
www.thenational.scot/news/2570490...
Live updates as protesters demand hunger strike action at HMP Bronzefield
All the updates as a protest is held outside HMP Bronzefield demanding urgent action for hunger strikers
www.thenational.scot
December 17, 2025 at 12:44 PM
🚨Live updates as protesters demand an ambulance is sent to HMP Bronzefield as Qesser Zuhrah is on her 46th day of hunger strike
MP Zarah Sultana says she won't leave until medical help arrives
www.thenational.scot/news/2570490...
MP Zarah Sultana says she won't leave until medical help arrives
www.thenational.scot/news/2570490...
Reading this a day after a Lib Dem ex air industry politician from the west of Edinburgh stopped parking control in Portobello.
Pavement-less “shared streets” will remain car parks for five-a-side players and out of service taxis.
Pavement-less “shared streets” will remain car parks for five-a-side players and out of service taxis.
Most planners I know are familiar with this playbook, and will also point out that democratically mandated public consultation processes are often manipulated to play into this, which is how we get watered down (or non existent) rather than transformative project outcomes.
Have you heard of “The Populist Playbook?”
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
December 17, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Reading this a day after a Lib Dem ex air industry politician from the west of Edinburgh stopped parking control in Portobello.
Pavement-less “shared streets” will remain car parks for five-a-side players and out of service taxis.
Pavement-less “shared streets” will remain car parks for five-a-side players and out of service taxis.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
For your collective delectation this holiday season:
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Jingle Bells (Batman Smells): an incomplete festive folk-rhyme taxonomy
Gather round the fire, everyone, and let me tell you a story. It has everything you could want in a Christmas blockbuster: superheroes and villains, a car crash, children singing, a mystery to solv…
loreandordure.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
For your collective delectation this holiday season:
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Quite possibly the silliest thing I've ever written (and definitely the most ridiculous graph I've ever made!)
loreandordure.com/2025/12/16/j...
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Polar night vs. midnight sun in early/mid-December...
Animation looks downward at the North Pole (left; 🌙) and South Pole (right; ☀️) over a 24-hour period.
Animation looks downward at the North Pole (left; 🌙) and South Pole (right; ☀️) over a 24-hour period.
December 16, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Polar night vs. midnight sun in early/mid-December...
Animation looks downward at the North Pole (left; 🌙) and South Pole (right; ☀️) over a 24-hour period.
Animation looks downward at the North Pole (left; 🌙) and South Pole (right; ☀️) over a 24-hour period.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
SSTA BALLOT ON INDUSTRIAL ACTION – VOTE YES TO BOTH QUESTIONS!
Your voice matters. Your vote makes a difference.
Why vote YES?
- Strengthen our collective voice.
- Secure better conditions for teachers.
- Show solidarity across Scotland.
Ballot closes: Friday 23 January '26
Your voice matters. Your vote makes a difference.
Why vote YES?
- Strengthen our collective voice.
- Secure better conditions for teachers.
- Show solidarity across Scotland.
Ballot closes: Friday 23 January '26
December 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM
SSTA BALLOT ON INDUSTRIAL ACTION – VOTE YES TO BOTH QUESTIONS!
Your voice matters. Your vote makes a difference.
Why vote YES?
- Strengthen our collective voice.
- Secure better conditions for teachers.
- Show solidarity across Scotland.
Ballot closes: Friday 23 January '26
Your voice matters. Your vote makes a difference.
Why vote YES?
- Strengthen our collective voice.
- Secure better conditions for teachers.
- Show solidarity across Scotland.
Ballot closes: Friday 23 January '26
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
I will send you to hell.
December 14, 2025 at 9:47 PM
I will send you to hell.
Currently finding Tangerine Dream the best soundtrack to prelim marking.
December 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Currently finding Tangerine Dream the best soundtrack to prelim marking.
The intergenerational trauma of pubs closing far too early.
Almost all of British culture is the trauma of WWI expressed in different forms
December 13, 2025 at 8:46 PM
The intergenerational trauma of pubs closing far too early.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Radar-estimated 24-hour accumulations show a classic footprint for an 'atmospheric river' setup where moisture-laden air is crossing the UK & Ireland while heading east or north-eastward.
On west-facing slopes, the totals increase sharply with elevation. To the east, they're small or nil.
On west-facing slopes, the totals increase sharply with elevation. To the east, they're small or nil.
December 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Radar-estimated 24-hour accumulations show a classic footprint for an 'atmospheric river' setup where moisture-laden air is crossing the UK & Ireland while heading east or north-eastward.
On west-facing slopes, the totals increase sharply with elevation. To the east, they're small or nil.
On west-facing slopes, the totals increase sharply with elevation. To the east, they're small or nil.
When I saw Schindler’s List in Bratislava cynical laughter filled the cinema at the line “you have been liberated by the Soviet army”.
It struck hard after a mostly silent showing.
It struck hard after a mostly silent showing.
Got me thinking.. What's the strongest reaction you've seen an audience member have to a scene in a cinema?
During the birthday party scene in SIGNS I saw a whole row of young women literally throw their popcorn in the air like a cartoon.
During the birthday party scene in SIGNS I saw a whole row of young women literally throw their popcorn in the air like a cartoon.
Someone in my audience had a very audible negative reaction to the dog scene in TOGETHER. So that was fun!
December 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
When I saw Schindler’s List in Bratislava cynical laughter filled the cinema at the line “you have been liberated by the Soviet army”.
It struck hard after a mostly silent showing.
It struck hard after a mostly silent showing.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Silurian erratic boulder travelling from Thuringia to England
www.paleo.pan.pl/files/mate/i...
#geologia #paleontologia #paleontology #paleobiologia #paleobiology
www.paleo.pan.pl/files/mate/i...
#geologia #paleontologia #paleontology #paleobiologia #paleobiology
December 12, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Silurian erratic boulder travelling from Thuringia to England
www.paleo.pan.pl/files/mate/i...
#geologia #paleontologia #paleontology #paleobiologia #paleobiology
www.paleo.pan.pl/files/mate/i...
#geologia #paleontologia #paleontology #paleobiologia #paleobiology
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Proximity to seabird colonies and water availability shape moss distributions in Antarctica vist.ly/4fqxk #SDM #Mosses #Biogeography
November 24, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Proximity to seabird colonies and water availability shape moss distributions in Antarctica vist.ly/4fqxk #SDM #Mosses #Biogeography
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
Birds in European mountains are moving uphill as temperatures rise. A study in Global Ecology and Biogeography finds 63% of species now live higher, with the fastest shifts in Scandinavia and the Alps. #ClimateAdaptation #Birds #GlobalWarming
DOI: doi.org/10.1111/geb....
DOI: doi.org/10.1111/geb....
Climate change drives birds toward Europe’s upper elevations • Muser Press
These findings reveal how climate change is reshaping bird distributions across Europe’s mountain landscapes.
www.muser.press
December 7, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Birds in European mountains are moving uphill as temperatures rise. A study in Global Ecology and Biogeography finds 63% of species now live higher, with the fastest shifts in Scandinavia and the Alps. #ClimateAdaptation #Birds #GlobalWarming
DOI: doi.org/10.1111/geb....
DOI: doi.org/10.1111/geb....
It’s a Waverley / Voyage to Arcturus universe crossover.
December 12, 2025 at 8:11 AM
It’s a Waverley / Voyage to Arcturus universe crossover.
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
New Scottish Parliament poll, Ipsos 27 Nov - 3 Dec (vs 12-18 Jun):
List:
SNP ~ 28% (+2)
Lab ~ 18% (-4)
RUK ~ 17% (+1)
Grn ~ 17% (+2)
Con ~ 12% (+2)
LD ~ 7% (-1)
Constituency:
SNP ~ 35% (+1)
RUK ~ 18% (+4)
Lab ~ 16% (-7)
Con ~ 11% (+1)
Grn ~ 9% (nc)
LD ~ 9% (nc)
List:
SNP ~ 28% (+2)
Lab ~ 18% (-4)
RUK ~ 17% (+1)
Grn ~ 17% (+2)
Con ~ 12% (+2)
LD ~ 7% (-1)
Constituency:
SNP ~ 35% (+1)
RUK ~ 18% (+4)
Lab ~ 16% (-7)
Con ~ 11% (+1)
Grn ~ 9% (nc)
LD ~ 9% (nc)
December 10, 2025 at 12:13 PM
New Scottish Parliament poll, Ipsos 27 Nov - 3 Dec (vs 12-18 Jun):
List:
SNP ~ 28% (+2)
Lab ~ 18% (-4)
RUK ~ 17% (+1)
Grn ~ 17% (+2)
Con ~ 12% (+2)
LD ~ 7% (-1)
Constituency:
SNP ~ 35% (+1)
RUK ~ 18% (+4)
Lab ~ 16% (-7)
Con ~ 11% (+1)
Grn ~ 9% (nc)
LD ~ 9% (nc)
List:
SNP ~ 28% (+2)
Lab ~ 18% (-4)
RUK ~ 17% (+1)
Grn ~ 17% (+2)
Con ~ 12% (+2)
LD ~ 7% (-1)
Constituency:
SNP ~ 35% (+1)
RUK ~ 18% (+4)
Lab ~ 16% (-7)
Con ~ 11% (+1)
Grn ~ 9% (nc)
LD ~ 9% (nc)
Reposted by Alan Nobleman
SSTA Ballot for Industrial Action to Go Ahead
"The SSTA remains open to discussions, but any revised framework must ensure that professional time remains genuinely at teachers’ discretion and directly supports their core duties...”
ssta.org.uk/ssta-ballot-...
"The SSTA remains open to discussions, but any revised framework must ensure that professional time remains genuinely at teachers’ discretion and directly supports their core duties...”
ssta.org.uk/ssta-ballot-...
SSTA Ballot for Industrial Action to Go Ahead - Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association
SSTA response to Scottish Government ‘A National Deal for Scotland’s Teachers’ The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee reviewed the Scottish Government ‘A National Deal for Scotland’s Te...
ssta.org.uk
December 5, 2025 at 10:22 AM
SSTA Ballot for Industrial Action to Go Ahead
"The SSTA remains open to discussions, but any revised framework must ensure that professional time remains genuinely at teachers’ discretion and directly supports their core duties...”
ssta.org.uk/ssta-ballot-...
"The SSTA remains open to discussions, but any revised framework must ensure that professional time remains genuinely at teachers’ discretion and directly supports their core duties...”
ssta.org.uk/ssta-ballot-...