And that's a wrap. Mandatory training all completed and re-certified for another year. Back in the green on my ESR compliance matrix. Me after getting through the role-playing with that one colleague who always commits a little too much to the scenario...

“What used to be something people wouldn’t say, now the rhetoric has changed” ...

NHS radiographers report rise in overt racist abuse by patients

Survey reveals medics were called ‘monkeys’ and ‘dirty foreigners’, and patients refused to be seen by black or Asian staff

theguardian.com

Day 1 of my 2-day Positive and Safe training update today. I took a few minutes to visit the memorial garden. Jill's rose bush is in full bloom, and it was lovely to see. Losing a colleague hits hard. It's been a few years now, but we still talk about her. She's not forgotten. 🌹

"Mr. Flibble's very cross." - Red Dwarf, Quarantine

Most "horror" movies aren't even scary. A lot of them are just male-centred fantasies filtered through the male gaze: women's bodies as spectacle, violence as entertainment, and suffering as aesthetic. The real horror is often what they normalise. Give me a good horror game any day.

"Being on the beach, and looking for fossils, and being kind of really focused on one specific task... it has been a tool for me to kind of process things" ...

Fossil hunter discovers rare 'sea dragon' at Lavernock Point

Matthew Myerscough swapped mountains for fossil-laden beaches after becoming trapped in snow on Yr Wyddfa.

bbc.co.uk

“There’s so much of it broken, I wouldn’t know where to start.” “It’s a big nightmare of a subject because they’ve let it get so bad it’s going to take a lot of work to put it into order.”

I quit my job to care for my wife who has Alzheimer's - the system is a nightmare

Andy Burnham has pledged to reform the social care system which has left so many without support

inews.co.uk

'So often, nurses rise to the challenge in an emergency. From delivering CPR on a plane at 38,000 feet to stepping in to help victims of terror attacks, sometimes with tragic consequences, we have seen examples of nurses stepping in to help save lives' ...

CPR in Lidl: the off-duty nurse who saved a life at the checkout

Good Samaritan acts can be lifesaving but weighing up the risks of administering first aid outside of the workplace is important

nursingstandard.substack.com

'The rare celestial event will be the most dramatic eclipse visible from the UK since 1999, with Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Bristol among the best places in the UK to watch it' ...

Where to see the biggest solar eclipse since 1999 in the West Country

The UK's biggest solar eclipse since 1999 arrives on 12 August. Here's where to see it safely.

bbc.co.uk

'Emma and Kelsey, along with Stefan Johnson who first pulled the three year-old from the water, have been nominated by South Wales Police for a bravery award from the Royal Humane Society for their courage in saving his life' ...

Quick thinking nurses leave wedding to save toddler found in pond

Nurses Kelsey Pirie and Emma Brown were among guests at a wedding in Bridgend when they were alerted to shouting in the adjacent country park and rushed out of the celebrations to help.

walesonline.co.uk

She said: "I've been deleting old apps... Then I thought I'd delete some photos…" Never leave your phone unattended in the staff room. Your colleagues WILL take selfies on it, put it back where they found it, and carry on as if nothing happened. Only took her 2 days to discover our masterpiece 😏

"Well, the thing about a black hole - it's main distinguishing feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, the colour of space, your basic space colour - is it's black. So how are you supposed to see them?" - Red Dwarf, Marooned

This ancient star cluster should be filled with black holes from exploding stars. Astronomers just found the first one | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

oMEGACat BH-2 is a black hole and star binary system located with globular cluster Omega Centauri. This is the story of its discovery.

skyatnightmagazine.com

'"Corridor care" is defined as treatment administered outside a clinically appropriate and safe environment. Such suitable settings should guarantee fundamental patient rights, including privacy, access to essential amenities like food, water, and toilets' ...

Elderly patients twice as likely to endure A&E waiting times of more than 12 hours

Patients aged 81 and above frequently endure significant A&E delays and often experience so-called ‘corridor care’

independent.co.uk

'Regardless of whether you are a believer in paranormal phenomena, or prefer to pursue a more logical and scientific explanation, Screaming Beach remains one of Cornwall’s most mysterious, tragic and beautiful places to visit' ...

Discover the Haunting Legends of Cornwall's Screaming Beach

Explore the haunting legends and beauty of Screaming Beach in Cornwall, a place where ghostly tales and tragic shipwrecks intertwine.

mysterioustimes.co.uk

Nice beach. Cornish pasties. Cider. 🌊🥧🍻 Now we have the music sorted. 🎵 I think we're nearly ready for first contact. 👽 "It's time we had a pipe band in space" … www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jack Lee: World Champion Bagpiper Live on Maui '06

YouTube video by dreamtymefilms

youtu.be

“The vulnerable pay with everything and it can completely leave them with nothing” ...

‘You have to sit quietly until you die’: The families failed by England’s social care system

Carers tell of their struggles to get loved ones the support they need, and the emotional and financial toll caring takes on their own lives

theguardian.com

"For decades no-one listened, dementia became the poor relation to cancer and yet it’s our biggest killer" ...

Fiona Phillips smiles in rare photo 4 years after Alzheimer's diagnosis

The former ITV presenter was first diagnosed in 2022.

metro.co.uk

youtu.be/M2VBmHOYpV8?... #BlueBeats 🎸🔥🎤✨ @alice58.bsky.social @mostlyobserving.bsky.social @blackcheeseburger.bsky.social @geetnerd.bsky.social @loman805.bsky.social @newtongrunnion.bsky.social @callmemare.bsky.social @hillwomans.bsky.social @romeothedog.bsky.social @ladybear.bsky.social

Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth (Official Video)

YouTube video by DepecheModeVEVO

youtu.be

Ageing doesn't bother me. I've known too many people who never got the privilege. So I'll wear my face proudly - not as something to fight, but as proof that I'm still here. (And apparently, with better instincts about people.)

For too long, health and social care have been political footballs - election promises made, reforms announced then abandoned when costs and challenges become clear. Years of delay and short-term thinking have left NHS, care workers, families and those relying on services bearing the consequences.

How adult social care in England works – and how much it could really cost to reform

Andy Burnham will host a summit with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey to discuss social care reforms

independent.co.uk

I haven't worn eyeshadow since The Dark Days… 20 years ago. I was a guinea pig for a student studying hair and make-up. Full makeover: blusher, lashes, the works. I looked in the mirror and cringed. Not a bad job - just not me. I'll keep my own face - blemishes, wrinkles, crooked teeth and all.

The ‘unfashionable’ beauty trend that makes Gen Z think you’re ancient

Millennials, I think we missed the memo...

metro.co.uk

"Hey, who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Have some fucking respect, man." My kids' dad was that man in our group. He stood up for the women around him, and he had the confidence and authority to make people listen. His presence made it clear: disrespect wasn't going to be tolerated.

"It doesn't really matter how women respond or react, things like catcalling, insulting women, or making jokes about their appearance is never to impress women - it's to impress men." Nothing says "alpha male" quite like desperately seeking validation from Dave outside Wetherspoons ...

Newcastle Women's Street Watch group says it faces abuse from men

Women's Street Watch founder Charlie says men need to "call out" their friends' behaviour.

bbc.co.uk

'a consistent picture is emerging from the evidence: singing can stimulate your hormones, quieten your nervous system, improve your immune system and boost your feeling of belonging, all at the same time' ...

Why does singing feel so good? And is it good for your health?

Singing does something measurable to your body and brain, whether you are alone, harmonising in a choir, or singing with your friends at a karaoke bar.

theconversation.com

Lamarckism suggests that organisms can acquire traits during their lifetime in response to their environment, and that some of these acquired traits can be passed to their offspring - helping future generations cope with similar demands ...

Updating Darwin: biologists are returning to an older theory to explain anomalies in evolution

To make sense of some characteristics that species exhibit from birth, you have to turn to an old discredited theory known as Lamarckism.

theconversation.com

Me: I only know the chorus. My second-born: I only know "trouble in the Suez." Me: Random Person, Random Person, Random Person, Random Person. Him: Random Person, Random Person, Historical Errr-vent. Us: "We didn’t start the fire." 🔥