There are half as many health visitors as there were in 2010...

The real reason child vaccination rates are falling

As child immunisation rates fall across the UK, one clinic in west Yorkshire is taking aggressive steps to boost immunisations

bbc.co.uk

From Toni Morrison's "The Site of Memory." #ToniMorrison

Fortunately there's been a lot of attention in the press recently on the importance of thorough academic peer review and examination standards, so I'm sure the same newspapers doing that reporting will be calling for more funding for it 🙃

Owen Davies@odavies9.bsky.social · 23h ago

As thousands of research academics are made redundant the whole system of free/cheap peer review will collapse.

"Many people are like Lisa and Lily: they are providing eldercare not because of the lack of social care, but because their ageing relatives will not accept external help, or at least not without a years-long fight." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

What if older people refuse help outside the family? This is the taboo that could wreck care reform | Emily Kenway

Many fear losing their independence if they agree to care workers looking after them. Any social care review must take this on board, says Emily Kenway, a social policy doctoral researcher

theguardian.com

"they didn't die OF cyclospora, they died WITH cyclospora" incoming

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2d ago

Breaking News: Two deaths in Michigan have been linked to cyclospora. Both people who had the parasite also had underlying health issues.

The Forward Prizes have teamed up with Marjorie’s Table to put on a series of workshops exploring the work of this year’s shortlisted poets. It’s really amazing to think of my poems being studied alongside so many brilliant voices from contemporary poetry ❤️

Marjorie's Table x Forward Prize - Ten Workshops on the 2026 Shortlist

Ten midweek workshops from 7:30-8am (+ recordings) from 31st August -11th September, exploring the 2026 Forward Prize shortlist

eventbrite.co.uk

🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12

"You must know—" said the Judge: but the Snark exclaimed "Fudge!" That statute is obsolete quite! Let me tell you, my friends, the whole question depends On an ancient manorial right.

We're running a short online survey to inform development of the Curran Index. If you're interested in Victorian periodicals, whether or not you've used the Curran recently, please complete the survey! Survey closes 10th August. Please retweet. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Curran Index User Survey

Thanks for being willing to complete this short survey. Whether or not you have used the Curran Index recently (or at all) we are looking for opinions on how the Curran can best be improved and develo...

docs.google.com

The latest in 'literature & the creative arts are irrelevant in modern life and also poor investments'.

Every Film Now@everyfilmnow.bsky.social · last wk.

‘THE ODYSSEY’ has surpassed $639M at the worldwide box office and is now tracking for a $1.2-1.5B finish. The film was made on a $250M budget. #TheOdyssey #ChristopherNolan

Some of the vibrant and unusual stained glass at beautiful Buckden Abbey, Cambridgeshire 😍

futurism.com/artificial-i...

AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale, Even If Almost No Copies Remain

AI companies are quietly obtaining rare books, ingesting their contents, and then destroying them -- even if they're exceedingly rare.

futurism.com

“The first minister of Scotland has asked for military aid from the UK government as more than 500 firefighters continue to tackle a fire that has raged in the Cairngorms national park for the past 10 days and forced the evacuation of homes in the remote region.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Swinney requests UK military aid as 500 firefighters tackle Cairngorms wildfire

Scottish first minister hopes aerial support will help quench 10-day fire that has forced evacuation of Highlands village

theguardian.com

You mean he wins? Jesus, Grandpa, what did you read me this thing for?

Please do take 30 seconds to complete this sustainability survey if you haven’t already! This helps release funding for our lovely conference #RSVP2026 @rs4vp.org

Thank you Jennie! It’s so heart-warming to be shortlisted by my peers amid such a wonderful field ❤️

Jennie Batchelor@jenniebatchelor.bsky.social · 2w ago

It was genuinely thrilling to see close-up just how vibrant the field of periodical studies is. Congratulations to the two other wonderful shortlisted authors and books Maria Damkjær, Fiction on the Page(OUP) and Anne-Julia Zwierlein, Lecturing Women (Routledge). 2/2

Some sensible soul has started a petition on banning the sale of disposable BBQs. Given the number of wildfires we've had in the UK and have seen over in Europe, this is an absolutely obvious thing to do.

Petition: Ban on sale of disposable BBQs

We want the Government to introduce a nationwide ban on the sale of single-use disposable barbecues. Disposable BBQs are increasingly linked to preventable wildfires, which poses a serious risk to pu...

petition.parliament.uk

Oh, look. Another example of literature being totally irrelevant and contributing nothing to the economy, &c &c.

Ignacio Gallup-Diaz@igallupd.bsky.social · 2w ago

“A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.” “West Philly's Emily Wilson, who penned a highly acclaimed translation of the epic poem in 2017, is having a big summer.”

"The problem isn’t with me or you or anyone else who relies on the safety of our food supply. It’s on the companies and the government agencies who manufacture and regulate what we eat." Okay, who's going to tell him about production and regulation of red meat?

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2w ago

I tried so hard to become a salad eater. Now cyclospora is sending me back to burgers | Dave Schilling

Am I the only one watching devastating wildfires break out across Europe while our governments green light data centres, more fossil fuels and more. Great swathes of materialistic humans building huge monster homes, buying jets and cars that just pollute. And none of them seem to care. ☹️

We've been here before. 'Regional economic inequalities in the UK are currently wider than they have been since the inter-war years, despite almost a century of regional policy experimentation in this area by successive governments.' Topical open access policy history from the British Academy.

Lessons from the History of Regional Development Policy in the UK

This regional development policy history offers a socio-historic analysis of a number of key regional policy developments from the past century, with a view to harnessing insights and learnings from t...

thebritishacademy.ac.uk

“We want our kids to be thinking,” she said, “and perhaps some struggle is good.”

INDY Week@indyweek.bsky.social · 2w ago

In late May, Granville County teachers and administrators met around a U-shaped table to review the results of an experiment that had pushed the small district north of Raleigh outside the mainstream of public education in 2026.

Good old Dolly! #BookSky

The Mona Lisa room at the Louvre has got to be the most preposterous aesthetic experience on earth.

Existing care workers could be exempt from UK’s tough new immigration rules

Existing care workers could be exempt from UK’s tough new immigration rules

Exclusive: Andy Burnham thought to be considering waiving stricter right to remain rules for people already working in the sector Hundreds of thousands of care workers could be exempted from the home secretary’s plans to toughen up the immigration system under proposals being considered by Andy Burnham as he looks for ways to relieve pressure on the social care sector. The prime minister will give a speech next week spelling out his determination to start creating a National Care Service before the next general election as he looks to accelerate the process set up by his predecessor, Keir Starmer. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

www.reddit.com/r/WritingWit... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHHAHAHAHAHH *wheezing sounds* HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

From the WritingWithAI community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the WritingWithAI community

reddit.com

Illustration by Florence Harrison for Christina Rossetti's 'The Ghost's Petition' "We are trees which have shed their leaves." #PhantomsFriday

today in destroying higher education is economic sabotage newrepublic.com/post/213446/...

Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees

Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.

newrepublic.com

Overheard my child and their bff talking about swearing at school. Teachers apparently say 'language' to tell the kids off for swearing. 'Language'! Tell me again how the world isn't poetry!

Circumstances have forced me to take a part-time job as a small airport. Unpredictable hours and terrible pay. On the plus side, I get to meet a diverse and fascinating range of commuters.