Five police forces who’ve been trying a Palantir surveillance tool are set to drop it: https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-five-police-forces-to-drop

Revealed: Five police forces to drop Palantir surveillance tool

Exclusive: Palantir's UK policing ambitions take a hit as East Midlands forces end their involvement in a controversial data pilot.

democracyforsale.substack.com

‘Maize yield rises 19.6% at Amance’ Even though: ‘crop faced severe weather stress during a spring and summer marked by exceptional drought and heat…rainless April coincided with maize emergence, followed by hot, dry conditions during the final stages of stem elongation and flowering’

“We’ve lovingly reimagined an entire building to create something special,” says Moira Huggins of South Quay Gallery. Inspired by Kettle’s Yard, they’re crafting a calm, inclusive space where people can drop in, linger and feel part of something creative. Bridget Heriz tells us more

An elegant new gallery and community facility in Great Yarmouth

A period house in the heart of Great Yarmouth has been lovingly brought back to life as an inviting art gallery, community space and café

eastangliabylines.co.uk

‘18 radiation sensors, 14 weather stations, 14 soil temperature & moisture probes…Grain specific weight, an indicator of quality, 3% higher than in control plot…On the coldest nights, temperatures beneath the canopy were up to 3 C higher…reduced the average daily temperature range by about 1.5 C’

French agrivoltaic trials cut water loss, lift maize yields by 19.6% - pv magazine Global

TSE’s agrivoltaic trials in France recorded barley yields of up to 96% of those in a control plot and reduced seasonal evapotranspiration by 20%. At a separate site, maize yield beneath the canopy was...

pv-magazine.com

There are so many things wrong in this article, let me focus on two: on the perverse logic argument against sanctions, and on the betrayal of Israel's human rights and anti-occupation activists. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This Israeli election could be the country’s last – this week I saw that for myself | Jonathan Freedland

Spend time on the ground and you see how high the stakes are for next month’s contest – for Israelis and Palestinians alike, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

theguardian.com

Freedland is fully aware that anti-occupation actvists support sanctions. Yet he does not mention their views. Instead he uses their heroic activism as an argument AGAINST sanctions. No sanctions please! Just root for the good guys! This is not the behaviour of an ally or a friend.

Well Shaul and the entire community of human rights, anti-occupation activists are begging the international community to stop its complicity in the settlement project by meaningful sanctions on any trade and investment in the settlement. That's the allyship they need, not compliments or likes.

Israel retaliated predictably by closing down the British consulate in East Jerusalem, the main mechanism of British aid to Palestinians. Ergo the sanctions made things worse. Let me rephrase: The UK must not uphold international law, because Israel could and did get even nastier to Palestinians.

It is an affirmative, positive choice by those in charge to use this method. To have it behave this way. They have seen the results and they accept them. It is THEIR CHOICE.

The truth was that if United Health had an AI that was accepting a shitload of claims with a 90% error rate, United Health would stop using the AI in about 0.2 seconds.

The AI industry wants you to say "the AI just did that thing on its own!" Like, United Health's AI that's denying a shitload of claims with a 90% error rate? They wanted you to think it's just the AI.

Going down!!! We started our new "Coast Ghosts Pilot" project today funded by @ournorfolkcoast.bsky.social. This coastal #ghostpond was filled in during the 1980s & we had to dig down 2.8 m to find it below all sorts of infill. Norfolk nearly has 1 more pond back! @timholtwilson.bsky.social

Yes ... Aberdeen Southism prevails in Labour. Not a good look before the Holborn & St Pancras by-election - Burnham was trying to keep oil & gas out of the news More 👇 bsky.app/profile/dran...

#CarbonReckoning (Andrew Boswell)@drandrewboswell.bsky.social · 11h ago

First, we had "pragmatism" from #Burnham; now we have "more rational" from Scottish Labour leader #Marra Neither get that the least pragmatic, less rational thing to do in the face of climate breakdown is to drill more. @andyburnham.bsky.social @michaelmarra.bsky.social See scientists👇

🟡 MAGAZINE Nathan Cofnas and America’s Protection for Anti-Black Racism By Karam Bales Read below. ↓

Nathan Cofnas and America’s Protection for Anti-Black Racism

The reinstatement by Ghent University of a key figure in the Jason Arday affair followed pressure from Trump’s State Department. It reveals a wider ideology of ‘injustice as illusion’. Karam Bales reports

subscribe.bylinetimes.com

I think it should be a source of deep embarrassment – and perhaps even shame – that Rishi Sunak has spoken out on this before Andy Burnham has.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 8h ago

Former PM Rishi Sunak in the Sunday Times challenges the rise of ethno-nationalism in British politics, as an argument within the right about Britishness being about ancestry, DNA and ethnicity www.thetimes.com/article/e89d...

The Stanford Department of Sociology is hiring! We have an open rank search and a senior search. Open rank position: facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/appoint... Senior position: facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/senior-...

Appointment in the Department of Sociology at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. - Stanford University, California, United States

Appointment in the Department of Sociology at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor.  The Department of Sociology at Stanford University seeks applicants for a faculty app...

facultypositions.stanford.edu

Asshole Osborne speaks Never says a word about the 100,000s he killed because of his filthy lying that ‘austerity’ was necessary - really ensuring biggest transfer of public money to greedy oligarchs He should be in prison for malfeasance in public office Scum www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

George Osborne ‘thought Peter Thiel’s Bayeux tapestry visit would be secret’

British Museum chair tells Big Brue festival he thought no one would find out about the private viewing

theguardian.com

Join us for conversation on Big Oil’s efforts to avoid climate accountability and how communities are fighting to protect their right to seek justice. Learn more: https://act.ucs.org/4gZ2Zqh

When we go into an NHS hospital, we want to be able to trust that our health is the number one priority - not a private company's profits Tony Sullivan is absolutely spot on. It is time to end NHS privatisation

More crazed "pragmatism" & "rationality" from Labour leaders who don't get even the basics of climate breakdown, see 🧵 below 👇👇 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Scottish Labour’s new leader backs Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields

Michael Marra supports development of the North Sea sites, calling for a ‘more rational’ approach to energy policy

theguardian.com

#CarbonReckoning (Andrew Boswell)@drandrewboswell.bsky.social · 11h ago

First, we had "pragmatism" from #Burnham; now we have "more rational" from Scottish Labour leader #Marra Neither get that the least pragmatic, less rational thing to do in the face of climate breakdown is to drill more. @andyburnham.bsky.social @michaelmarra.bsky.social See scientists👇

Is it too much to ask for water companies to have more actual engineers than financial engineers? Labour MPs are speaking out for public ownership of water It is time for Andy Burnham to bring our water into public hands

Oh FFS. Increases in a few species is not a positive from climate change It is a signal that communities & ecosystems are under threat from rapid change Please, BBC, don’t do this simplistic reporting, feeding complacency about climate breakdown www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hummingbird hawk moths and ivy bees: The insects growing in number as temperatures rise

Hummingbird hawk moths - often mistaken for small birds - are being spotted in the West Midlands.

bbc.co.uk

my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...

Another woman on the right side of history being targeted with comments "suggestive of violence" by the thugs who claim to be "protecting women and girls". The RNLI exists solely "to save lives at sea". That is their purpose. ALL LIVES. When will this hatred stop?

Ceredigion councillor faces 'hatred' online after sharing RNLI video

Elizabeth Evans, who shared a video of an RNLI training exercise, says the comments were "really, really bad".

bbc.co.uk

Stomachs exposed to #plastic contracted more strongly and were heavier. This was unexpected, so…what’s going on? Chronic irritation from the plastic caused inflammation & ‘smooth muscle hypertrophy’: the bird’s stomachs became stiffer & didn’t undergo normal mass reduction This is a problem!

Of Mahmood's vile policies, Europe, sandals & the #Norfolk PCC, this week's @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social is a thoroughly engrossing start to the w/end.

East Anglia Bylines@eastangliabylines.co.uk · 20h ago

Our irascible Pecksniff wonders why Westminster still treats Brexit as the terror that dare not speak its name * Ian Dunt lets rip over immigration policy * Kemi Badenoch discovers 80 years of history rather late...

Excellent article from Kevin Anderson from 2011 that I'm citing in my dissertation. Worth a reread. 'Put bluntly ... most policy advice is to accept a high probability of extremely dangerous climate change rather than propose radical and immediate emission reductions'

Beyond ‘dangerous’ climate change: emission scenarios for a new world

Abstract. The Copenhagen Accord reiterates the international community’s commitment to ‘hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius’. Y

royalsocietypublishing.org

I bring worse news. That poor woman who lives in Piddington & who @vicderbyshire.bsky.social interviewed after that ridiculous election has had her address leaked to Tommy Robinson & the Pink Ladies & she’s been doxxed by both of them. Wtaf is going on. These people all need to be proscribed now.

This guy was booted out of the Reform Party for saying that he wanted to shoot Starmer. Now running as an independent in the by election that he caused by his non attendance

Snigdha@snig.bsky.social · 16h ago

John Allen, former Reform party councillor who lost his seat after failing to turn up to a single council meeting for six months, was paid £18,888. He may be able to earn the same again after putting himself forward to stand in the by-election he triggered. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Note that the BBC fails to point out that immigration has dropped considerably, or to obtain a quote from someone from a different perspective

Tom Clark@tom-clark.bsky.social · 19h ago

The BBC has decided that this constitutes news… A man who left for Monaco several years ago declaring he’s ’lost confidence’ in the UK His qualification for making the headlines? Owning £15bn Broadcasting like democracy already died! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...