This is the funniest thing I've seen today, possibly ever
Martyn Drake
@martyndrake.bsky.social
Works with some of the UKs most loved charities and social businesses. Consultant, coach, author of The Commercial Charity. www.binleydrake.com
Every week i get a "you might be interested in" email from Substack because i subscribe to @ldfreedman.bsky.social and @samfr.bsky.social. I never click any of the links. Today, five anti-Carney pro-Trump suggestions from authors I've never heard of. Maybe just random chance, eh?
A lack of agency is absolutely a big part of what’s going on for young people today. We spoke to 150 young people, who all had big aspirations but were struggling to realise them. This isn’t a character flaw. Agency is a skill that needs to be developed & practice. That requires opportunities.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 4w agoNew post: Young people are increasingly unhappy. It's a real phenomenon + nothing to do with "snowflakes". There are lots of standard culprits - social media, school, economy - but none can explain the long-term trend. So what is going on? (£/free trial) samf.substack.com/p/the-agency...
Be careful what you wish for... Especially if you're using AI agents. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...
How a simple request for AI to book a gym class exposed a major threat
When Andrew asked his AI personal assistant to book him a spot in a gym class, he had no idea he would accidentally initiate an autonomous cyber attack.
abc.net.au
I would say "that just about sums it up" on the AI bubble. Except this thread is actually a long (and very astute, insightful and interesting) set of observations. And not remotely a summary. Maybe "that just about covers it all" is a better description. Hat tip to @doctorow.pluralistic.net
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)@doctorow.pluralistic.net · 2mo agoThe greatest magic trick of them all is *lying*. The reason you can't figure out that coin vanish even after the conjurer performs it three times in a row is that they *didn't* do the same trick three times in a row! 1/
I'm interested in finding and potentially supporting people who are interested in doing long-form writing on the big efforts in global health: Gavi, Global Fund, PEPFAR, etc. If this is you or someone you know, please make yourself known!
A truly damning chart. Life satisfaction for young people in the most deprived areas is the lowest it has been since 2010, *and* the gap between them and young people the least deprived areas is wider than ever.
Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 3mo agoYoung people’s life satisfaction is in free fall. The proportion of young people who are satisfied with their lives has fallen from 62% in 2010 to 44% today. Read more here: www.ippr.org/articles/i-f...
How have we gone from a beautiful blend of Real Madrid and Man City, to a 1980's Arsenal in the space of a goal? Come on England.
Sobering to see in one chart how June temperature records have been broken this year in so many European countries www.ft.com/content/5f06...
My favourite verse in the New Testament is when the disciples marvel at Jesus’s shredded abs but not in a gay way
Right Wing Watch @rightwingwatch.bsky.social · 3mo agoPastor Martin Sedra fumes that "America has created this gay version of Jesus Christ": "Jesus was not effeminate. Jesus was a bold lion. I always tell people Jesus was not a soft guy. He had six packs. He was the most ripped guy you'll ever meet."
It is seriously alarming how many of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people are just screamingly mentally unwell in deeply toxic, dangerous ways.
Michael E. Carter@deckofcarterhist.bsky.social · 3mo ago"The Pope is the puppet of the Chinese authoritatian government" is a take you would make if you made billions by drinking paint.
I could be wrong, but it sounds to me very much like the Americans are about to invent the House of Lords.
Nathan Goldwag @goldwagnathan.bsky.social · 3mo agoJosh is one of the very few people who I think grasps the actual extent of the problem we're facing and the approach we need to address it.
No.1 son heading to work this morning: "Dad, can we meet at the pub after work?" After a beery weekend at the cricket my first thought was you must be joking Me (not wanting to be negative): "Erm, it's only Tuesday. Is there a reason?" Him: "My first wages came through" Me: "Pick a pub, son!" 😁
Holy sh!t In systems theory there is something we call "shifting the burden" Hard to think of a more visceral example.
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt@nadinebh.bsky.social · 4mo agoReform’s new violence against women and girls strategy just dropped When I saw my jaw hit the FLOOR - I thought it was AI at first
Resilience is a tricky word. Let’s take that as a given. It’s tricky because, on the one hand, it’s increasingly critical that leaders develop it. On the other hand, it’s an easy word for shifting responsibility @martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: How to develop resilience
Here is a simple framework that I’ve developed over the years
thirdsector.co.uk
Social media is no longer social. Most of it is passive viewing of videos and pictures from people we've never met. But we're still studying social media like it's 2010. We've entered the post-social media era — and research needs to catch up. osf.io/preprints/so... preprint w/ Richard Rogers
We will never speak with one voice as long as we’re arguing among ourselves, or worse, “agreeing to disagree”. So, the next time you find yourself at an impasse, try the question: “From what perspective should we be coming at this?” @martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: Why we must recognise there are other perspectives than our own
We will never speak with one voice as long as we’re arguing among ourselves or agreeing to disagree
thirdsector.co.uk
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"Among young American men, the strongest predictor of support for the tradwife lifestyle was not gallantry but hostility towards women" Apparently this is not what researchers "expected". Which makes one wonder: had these researchers thought about it for 30 seconds? www.thetimes.com/life-style/s...
Tradwife movement ‘attracts men who are hostile to women’
The strongest predictor of support for women staying at home and deferring to their husband is not, as researchers expected, chivalry but ‘hostile sexism’
thetimes.com
If you are in the UK Civil Service- a DD or aspiring DD - this is an opportunity to work with me, England’s Upland Communities and @DefraGovUK on system transformation - please share widely a fantastic opportunity for a brilliant candidate civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?j…
We have taken Travelodge off our list of accommodation providers for all staff and volunteers. I wasn’t impressed with their response. As a woman who travels a lot on my own & has experienced a man trying to get into my hotel room - I need to see some urgency and clear action!
Culture forms spontaneously whenever you put a group in a room and give them a problem to solve. But culture also endures; even when all the original people have left, the new ones will continue with the patterns they’ve inherited @martyndrake.bsky.social
Martyn Drake: Don’t underestimate how much work goes into culture change
It might be presented as a simple recipe but it’s not a case of just following a few steps
thirdsector.co.uk