Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jen

Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 9d

Now. And always.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 10d

Zack Polanski: ‘It’s time for a party to stand in unconditional solidarity with our LGBT community’
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/zack-polanski-green-party-uk-lgbtq/?utm_content=1759143618&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

Green leader says party stands in 'unconditional solidarity' with LGBTQ community

New elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski speaks exclusively to PinkNews to make clear what his, and the Green Party's, policies on LGBTQ+ rights are.

www.thepinknews.com

52 320 1.5K

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

Oh, that's not necessarily good either!

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

Do you know of any industries that encourage people to be confident/ expressive though?

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

The oats make them basically a health-food, too!

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

Dragon Rider was my favourite as a kid!! It felt very kind-spirited (in comparison to some other notable fantasy books of the 2000s)

2

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

We don't have those in the UK!
We have penguin biscuits, and I think they were in the earlier stages of the bracket, but I think they were too melty in tea to get far enough through the competition.

We also don't have "Tim tam slams" over here (what would we even call them??)

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 15

I checked my sources, and it was *bourbons* that were disqualified for cheating!

They were disqualified because someone removed all the votes for Jaffa cakes, because they believed (correctly) that they are cakes, not biscuits.

The presentation at the finals was heckled very passionately.

a presentation of "The big biscuit bracket" quarter finals. Hobnobs have won against custard creams. Chocolate digestives have won against Garibaldi biscuits. Stroopwafels have won against jammy dodgers. Bourbons have been disqualified against Jaffa cakes.

Slide reading "how to punish a dirty filthy cheating biscuit" with lengthy text excerpts from "Crime and punishment in greek athletics". An olympic statue of a disc thrower's nudity has been censored with a custard cream

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Hugely controversial question!

According to our final vote (Christmas 2024), the winner was Stroopwafels. If you even consider stroopwafels to be biscuits.

If you don't, it's chocolate hobnobs. (That is, if you accept the November ruling on chocolate digestives being disqualified for "cheating")

2 4

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

In my uni department (yes in the UK) we have a yearly "Big Biscuit Bracket" where we vote and argue for months about which biscuit is best to dip in tea.

I think it unifies us, too (or, maybe, it divides us, not sure yet).

1 3

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

We also now have this post summarising the State of the UK Climate report here: www.rmets.org/metmatters/s... #RMetS #RMetSJournals

State of the UK Climate 2024

Extreme weather events are now expected each year as a regular feature of our climate, bringing real impacts to communities across the country.

www.rmets.org

1

Reposted by Jen

Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · Jul 14

The Met Office State of the UK Climate Report for 2024 shows that record breaking and extreme weather has become increasingly commonplace in the UK as our climate has changed over the last few decades

Published today by @wiley.com in @rmets.org

Learn more 👇

Annual climate stocktake shows weather records and extremes now the norm in UK Climate

Record breaking and extreme weather has become increasingly commonplace in the UK as our climate has changed over the last few decades.

www.metoffice.gov.uk

5 110 150

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Want the full details?
Read the full State of the UK Climate 2024 report here:
👉 rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#ClimateChange #MetOffice #UKWeather #SciComm #StateOfUKClimate #RMetSJournals🧪

State of the UK Climate in 2024

This report provides a summary of the state of the UK's climate in 2024. It is one of a series of annual reports published in the International Journal of Climatology (IJC) since 2017. It provides th...

rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Extreme heat:
The number of UK days with temps >5°C above average has doubled in a decade.

Days >10°C above average have quadrupled 🌡️🔥

That heat is deadly, and it’s straining the NHS, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Nature has shifted:
Spring 2024 arrived 7–11 days early for many UK species.

Longer growing seasons, early budburst, and extended mowing periods are the new normal.

Harvests are earlier, making it harder for hibernating animals like hedgehogs and dormice to stockpile properly.

1 1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Warmer winters:

2024 had the fewest frost days on record.

Even with the big November snow, the long-term trend is clear: less snow, fewer hard frosts.

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Wetter winters:

Rainfall is rising, especially in winter.

Winter 2023–24 was the wettest on record, and 2024 had 9 named storms. Storms are stormier: more gusty, more rainfall, bigger impacts.

Interestingly, the Thames Barrier closed 11 times in 2024, mostly due to sea level rise, not storms.

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

Warming overall:

The UK is warming at 0.25°C per decade.

The last 10 years were 1.24°C warmer than 1961–1990.

2024 was our 4th warmest year on record, with record spring warmth, and the warmest May ever.

The last 3 years have all been in the UK's top 5 warmest on record.

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

The UK climate is changing so fast that the climate of 2024 is now considered significantly different to that of 2015.

Extreme weather is now expected each year as a regular feature of our climate.

These are the two key headlines you'll likely see this morning.

1

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 14

The UK’s climate is no longer what it was just 10 years ago.

The State of the UK Climate 2024 report is out today. Here are the key takeaways and why they matter.🧵

#RMetSJournals #StateOfUKClimate

1 1

Reposted by Jen

Duncan Yellowlees @dyellowlees.bsky.social · Jul 3

If you don't know the answer to a question in Q&A you have 2 options...

1. say you don't know

2. try to make something up and bluff

the 2nd is really dangerous cos someone in the audience WILL know, the first honest and humble...

Guess which to go for?

1 4

Reposted by Jen

Dr Ned Williams @nedcwilliams.bsky.social · Jul 2

It was great to give an overview of my research so far at the RMetS Early Career conference earlier today! And great to hear about the variety of other research from early career scientists in the field.

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 2

Congratulations to @nedcwilliams.bsky.social for his excellent Malcolm Walker Award winning lecture at the #RMetSearlycareers conference final talk!

We had a queue outside the door to see him, and the overflow delegates were watching live from another theatre. #RMetS @rmets.org @metoffice.gov.uk

1 2 7

Reposted by Jen

Royal Meteorological Society @rmets.org · Jul 2

The RMetS Annual Weather and Climate Conference has begun! We hope you enjoyed hearing from Liz Bentley Chief Executive of the Society, as she reflected on the Society’s remarkable legacy in shaping the science of weather and climate.

To another 175 years!

#weatherandclimate #meteorology

2 6

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 2

The #RMetS Annual Weather and Climate Conference is now open!

Thank you to @proflizbentley.bsky.social for her comprehensive keynote opening speech on the "175 Years of the Royal Meteorological Society", including past lessons, present potential, and future horizons.

@rmets.org 🧪🌥️🌞

Liz Bentley smiles at the camera, ready to give her opening speech!

A photo of Liz and Brian Golding at the front of a lecture theatre, viewed from the audience. The slide says "175th Anniversary: Overview of the history of the royal meteorological society"

1 3

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 2

Congratulations to @nedcwilliams.bsky.social for his excellent Malcolm Walker Award winning lecture at the #RMetSearlycareers conference final talk!

We had a queue outside the door to see him, and the overflow delegates were watching live from another theatre. #RMetS @rmets.org @metoffice.gov.uk

1 4

Jen @jenstoutwx.bsky.social · Jul 2

Yesterday we had a fantastic workshop from @dyellowlees.bsky.social on how to design slides that work for everyone! "No more Death by PPT!"

The quality of slides at the @rmets.org ECR conference have been great throughout, but I did see people editing their slides afterwards! 👀🧪🌥️🌞

Room full of approx 15 round tables and 90 people, watching an excitable presenter gesturing towards a slide that says "You'll read this first" (and then, "you'll read this second, and this third" in different positions on the screen).

1 4