I’m so impressed that Burnham is the one finally tackling this. In my mother’s last years, care costs were £100k per year and finding a care home that would accept her complex needs (dementia) a nightmare. I hope he can create something fairer and more functional. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Andy Burnham doesn't rule out tax rises to fix social care

The prime minister holds cross-party talks as he speeds up review of social care in England.

bbc.co.uk

I had never heard of a “duress password”, which may be an advantage of living in a low crime city. And a country that still respects freedom of expression.

The Verge@theverge.com · last wk.

The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a “duress password” that wiped his phone when they tried to seize it at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport.

What a dystopian image.

Every tree that burns adds more CO2 to the atmosphere while simultaneously reducing the capacity to take CO2 out of the atmosphere, which increases the risk of fires. It’s terrifying to think that it may already be too late to reverse this. And that some still won’t even try.

Jane Mayl🍷n 🍇@janetrad.bsky.social · 2w ago

Over 140,000 people evacuated now. The smoke has even reached us on the other side of the country, in Aude ☹️

I’m a BlueSky elder and this is absolutely controversial. Skeet makes zero sense other than as a rhyming reference to the place many of us totally rejected. Just call it a post and let’s not be weird about this.

Anna O. Law@unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 2w ago

If you are a Bluesky elder or early adopter, this view is not controversial

I'm hurriedly having to make taxonomical sense of gin and I had no idea that London gin is a quality / style designation and not even remotely a geographic indication (Gordon's London Gin sold in the US is made in Canada, for example). Someone missed a trick there back in the day.

Day Four of the Burnham premiership and the hospitality commentariat are already saying that he is simultaneously not helping enough while spending too much. Maybe have a day off, guys, and stop whingeing at the first PM in forever to show any interest in this industry.

Fat Boy Slim is a really good egg and the Music Venue Trust is doing brilliant work to save grassroots venues. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Brighton music venue bought with Fatboy Slim investment

The DJ is among investors including Andy Burnham helping to buy the Brighton home of The Pipeline.

bbc.co.uk

I seem to have been added to the emailing list of Abatni Wines, a company I have never even heard of, let alone had contact with. Quite apart from clearly contravening EU and UK GDPR legislation, it’s such a poor quality approach to sales and marketing. And they are using my junk hotmail account.

Well done Spain. A victory for football and a defeat for cheating. Argentinians should hang their heads in shame. Messi is a disgrace.

James Watt never tires of finding new ways to show how loathsome he is. He built a business with the support of 200k Equity For Punks small investors, diluted their stakes with private equity, ran a toxic business into the ground, sold them out and then stole their data to contact them again.

Find my ebooks for a promotional price at @Smashwords as part of their Annual Summer Sale. You can find all my on-sale books at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ThomasPellechia hashtag#SWSale2026 hashtag#Smashwords

Thomas Pellechia

Thomas Pellechia has been a winemaker and wine seller. He has written seven books, five of which cover food and/or wine. He has a background as a magazine feature writer, newspaper columnist and was a...

smashwords.com

Moving on from my disappointment at England’s tactics last night, English football is in a remarkable place. One quarter-final, two semi-finals and two finals in the World Cup and Euros is an unprecedented run. The current team is world class and the young players coming through will make it better.

Oh well. A sad end for England. Far too negative and just invited trouble. Argentina deserved to win.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

If anyone so much as looks at Messi a bit funny, all of the Argentinian players go completely crazy.

"Anyone got an article with an appropriate drinks angle we can publish on the day of the England Argentina match? Oh yes, that will do nicely."

The Drinks Business@teamdb.bsky.social · 3w ago

Gin made from hand-foraged berries and kelp has put the Falkland Islands on the spirits map, but founder Richard McKee says tourism remains the lifeblood of the business. He explains why exporting from one of the world’s most remote distilleries is easier imagined than achieved.

Too soon?

maura quint@mauraquint.bsky.social · 3w ago

I respect France's commitment to not working on a holiday.

Sad to see France play so well in so many matches and then not turn up for the semi-final. And then there were three…

Of course I had to try all seven emphases to check.

Felicity Hannah@felicityhannah.bsky.social · 3w ago

My son just told me is favourite sentence is: “I didn’t say we should kill him” because if you emphasise each different word it changes the entire meaning

All of the semi-finalists are beatable, as Spain are showing. But I still hope France make the final.

‘She adds that it is specifically younger drinkers asking for chilled reds. "It's the [same] guests that were asking for an orange wine last year."’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Why Gen Z chilling red wine is socially acceptable, especially in the summer heat

Drinking a red at room temperature only is a common belief but the heatwave might have changed that.

bbc.co.uk

Sweet Jesus this is good.

The US fight back against fascism has begun! Step 1 is criticising visiting foreign footballers forced to represent their countries in a failing state. There are unconfirmed reports that step 2 will involve no longer actually voting for fascists or supporting fascism around the world.

Mike Madaio@lifeattable.bsky.social · 4w ago

Wow you must really be upset about your boy Harry’s betrayal. Sorry to have touched a nerve.

England manager Tuchel is clearly absolutely furious with that performance. I love it!

I wonder if the English might have found the way to deal with fascists: laugh at them. While foreign-funded frog-faced fascist fraud Farage flees scrutiny by resigning his seat and seeking re-election before the facts are established, his only significant opponent is a man with a bin on his head.

Having been a bit lukewarm about this World Cup at the beginning, I’m now a bit obsessed. Allez les Bleus!

I’m off to bed now but I fervently hope to wake up to the news that Belgium has saved football for the world by beating the USA.

Jordan Henderson was both booked and stretchered off without actually being on the pitch during the game. It’s been an outstanding performance from the whole squad.