iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Exmoor National Park @exmoornp.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

So proud of our Young Rangers! They teamed up with Plastic Free Exmoor for an extreme Beach Clean at Glenthorne Beach. Nathan, one of our Exmoor National Park Rangers helped clear the haul-Thank you to all the volunteers!

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A.I. and corporate lingo are dragging language ynto drugged realmes of vague, airy, plastic nothingnesse: glitz and hyperbole wythout meaning. Language must have fur and clawes, make the floorboardes creake and leave wet dirtye footprintes. Wordes are rayne and fyre and stone. Wielde them. Save us.

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Ian Birrell @ianbirrell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Big NYT investigation into how Russia uses shell companies and Tether, a crypto coin, to evade sanctions and buy arms www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/b... One of the key shareholders in Tether is Christopher Harborne - the Thai-based man who is Reform's biggest donor and bunged £5m into Farage's pocket

nytimes.com

The ‘Monster’ Behind Russia’s Global Effort to Evade Western Sanctions

A Moscow firm uses shell companies and cryptocurrency to launder money, and a custom app to forge trade records, to help Russia bypass sweeping financial restrictions.

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Nigella Lawson @nigella.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Perfect Sunday ahead: on the sofa all day with @naomialderman.bsky.social’s utterly compelling, brilliant new novel, The Strangers. I love her writing, I love her mind. Feel I’m gushing rather inarticulately, but I’m in a hurry to get back to the book!

Photograph of The Strangers by Naomi Alderman

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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Man who migrated to another country to avoid taxes says Britain's problem is migration and taxes that he doesn't pay. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

theguardian.com

Jim Ratcliffe: UK is ‘on the slide’ from days when it had world’s ‘greatest empire’

Co-owner of Manchester United says Britain is in decline because of high taxes and immigration

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This is where the stuff really goes off the rails. If you want to make a charitable donation, trying to rigorously figure out where your money is likely to save the most lives over the next couple years is a tractable problem. Charting the future of humanity over centuries is not.

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Thanks to BT for switching my 91 year old mother’s phone line to ‘digital voice’ without warning, thus cutting off her landline until I was able to work out what had happened. BT says her husband ordered it…three days after he died…

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Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

New post: Racism and xenophobia are not 'legitimate concerns' mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/09/raci... When politicians/media describe groups like those in black wearing masks as protestors against asylum seekers in small boats, they presume the motive is 'legitimate concerns' rather than racism.

mainlymacro.blogspot.com

Racism and xenophobia are not 'legitimate concerns'.

During the 2010 election campaign, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was questioned by a member of the public about immigration. Shortly afterwa...

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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

NEW Why holding a placard is a terrorist act, while causing disruption in a balaclava is not The mess caused by ministers and the police not taking terrorism law seriously By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

Recent events in England now reveal the practical difference between terrorists and protesters. It would seem that terrorists peacefully hold placards and get immediately arrested, while protesters wear black uniforms and balaclavas and disrupt infrastructure and do not get arrested.

How did we get into this mess? How have we placed ourselves in the position where terrorism legislation is used to detain and prosecute peaceful protesters, while those adopting the terror tactics of private armies seem to be free to do as they wish?

The reason is that for some time British politicians have not taken terrorism legislation seriously, and that ministers have got into the habit of misusing terror laws for easy targets.

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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

As I keep pointing out, does no one understand Ricardian comparative advantage anymore. FACT: China produces over 1 million engineering graduates per year FACT: To date, China has not produced a single internationally marketable game show format Where does it look like our advantage lies?

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Was I hallucinating or did Nick Robinson just interview Art Laffer as if he was a serious economist? Even Laffer can’t explain the Laffer curve, cos it’s either nonsensical or so superficial it’s meaningless.

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Good framing of how to interpret ‘legitimate concerns’ about immigration by @stephenkb.bsky.social The comments BTL do not (I hope) reflect the usual views of FT readers. But they provide many useful examples of ‘illegitimate concerns’…

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onlycans @onlycans.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

just stop oil protesters got five years in jail for *planning* to do this to the M25.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I think maybe we should have called this "why Iran could be America's Suez"

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Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

We should put this sign on every politician's desk

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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

On the very day Sam published this, one of the most empathetic people of the last century died. And the response among every side of the political spectrum to her death suggests to me that empathy still has some miles left in it.

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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Powerful and important letter about artificial so-called intelligence from Sheila Hayman from Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, in the FT today

$Margaret McGirr’s letter (“AI can lend a hand, but it will struggle to replace one”, July 21) and Chine McDonald’s guest column (“This retro revival is more than a longing for the past”, Opinion, August 7) both touch (sic) on something that should be obvious, but is carefully ignored by almost everyone in the tech world. Namely that our intelligence is embodied, evolved and biological, and inseparable from our bodies. The brain’s job is to control the body in the world; it is the last organ to develop. Every square centimetre of our hands (and of the rest of our skin) contains about a 170 touch sensors or nerve endings, sensitive to different kinds of touch: a slap, a burn, a caress, a hug — each of which travels to different parts of the midbrain, prompting the appropriate response. Quickly to the autonomic nervous system for something dangerous; more slowly via a different channel for something carrying meaning. In addition to the hand’s limitless versatility, it is self-repairing, regulates its own temperature, knows without being programmed how much pressure to exert on an egg, a tennis ball or a day-old chick, and can fuse neurologically to whatever it holds. So when we put a glass down on the table or slide a knife through an apple, we feel the table, or the apple, not the glass or handle in our hand (try it!). Finally, and most urgently, the entire human body — including the hands — does everything on 25 or so watts of completely renewable energy: a tiny fraction of what a humanoid robot, even one of the current primitive iteration of robots, needs. The “retro revival” is thus not cultural nostalgia. It’s millions of years of evolution crying out to be heard, before we suppress it totally in the service of an automated — and dead — planet. Sheila Hayman Member of the Advisory Board, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, London NW1, UK$

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Exmoor National Park @exmoornp.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

1/2 High up on Exmoor’s dramatic sea cliffs sits Kipscombe, an 880-acre landscape with a rich history As it enters a new chapter, cared for by the @nationaltrust.org.uk our exhibition at our Lynmouth National Park Centre 4th September to 31st October looks at this special place...

Kipscombe, an 880-acre landscape with a rich history over thousands of years.

As it enters a new chapter, cared for by the National Trust, our exhibition at our Lynmouth National Park Centre looks at this special place and the people who have helped bring it back to life for nature and community.

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Bizarre and unwittingly hilarious article in @financialtimes.com by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promising an ‘economic D-Day’ for Iran. Includes a weird use of Pascal’s wager, which seems to imply that Trump is God. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

giftarticle.ft.com

Scott Bessent: an economic D-Day is coming for Iran

Countries that calculate appeasement of the regime to be a safer choice should reconsider

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Jon Phillips @jowiph.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Given all the discussion of Cofnas et al these last few days, seems like a good time to remind people that I have a starter pack of people who work on (and against) scientific racism you can use to find more relevant people to follow

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Worth reading the thread that led up to this.

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Just received bluetongue test results from APHA that we submitted 3 weeks ago (they are positive). Just as well we didn’t wait and vaccinated anyway. That’s why most farmers aren’t bothering to report cases or get tests done. So UK will learn nothing from the outbreak. Genius.

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Rootless Cosmopolitan @brennick.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

In a world full of Trumps, Musks, Jenricks and “Tommy Robinson”, choose to be a Hannah Arendt.

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Rowan Hooper @rowhoop.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Brilliant use of FOI request here

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Attacking net zero as a religious obsession "is gaslighting of the highest order. The truth is, it requires dedicated ideological belief to argue against the scientific evidence that net zero is needed to stop ever more expensive and destructive warming" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

giftarticle.ft.com

How to stop global warming

The answer is obvious to all except the real climate change zealots: the anti-net zero movement

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Bluetongue virus update from the farm. So far 20% of the flock needing treatment. 18% of cases resulting in death. Half the patients now well enough to return to flock. Rest in the shed needing constant care. We understand we are more fortunate than most farms here in N.Devon…

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Great news about the eagles returning to Exmoor. Can’t wait to see them flying over the farm!

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Any media folk interested in reporting on the Bluetongue pandemic in Devon (out of control among sheep, especially) then get in touch. The reporting and testing system is creaking and farmers are in despair. This is a rural crisis in the making. @dpcarrington.bsky.social

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

How did the Green Party lose its way so badly? Moderate environmentalists used to feel at home there, even if they disagreed with some of the radicalism. But now the party is repelling reasonable people, which will not go well for them.

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Despite wildfire risk in National Parks, some campsites still promoting ‘open campfires’ & barbecues on social media. NPAs have no powers to ban open fires, even today. But if you want to dig a pond, you’ll need planning permission… @georgemonbiot.bsky.social

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

We need @themerl.bsky.social to adjudicate this discussion. I reckon the ‘Absolute Unit’ could handle Matt Damon in full armour.

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Robin Wigglesworth @robinwigglesworth.ft.com · 23/07/2026

If you know who Richard Sylla is you'll know why I'm beyond giddy about this.

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Brad Simpson @bradleyrsimpson.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

This is a great series on Indonesia for anyone teaching modern Southeast Asia or Indonesian History. A group of terrific young Indonesian scholars and great prep and questioning by Denvir. @asianstudies.org @avick.bsky.social @tompepinsky.com @anu-chl.bsky.social

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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

NEW: JK Rowling and other gender-critical campaigners have reacted furiously after a report from Amnesty International called them 'anti-rights' organisations The author has accused human rights group Amnesty of believing women don't deserve rights in response

thenational.scot

JK Rowling claims Amnesty 'don't believe women deserve rights' in report row

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Exmoor National Park @exmoornp.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

1/3 We’ve really enjoyed working with Ilfracombe Friendship and Social Group Well Combe and Ilfracombe & District Community Transport Association this Summer to run creative workshops to help people connect to Exmoor’s nature and landscape – as well as make new friends and improve their wellbeing

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Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Very useful report about climate change impacts in SIDS. Timely, too, as we are increasingly being asked to support Indigenous communities in small islands.

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Alastair McIntosh @alastairmci.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

In Scotland, our position with natural heritage is a little better thanks to the Gaelic concept of "duthchas" that integrates people & place, to which some conservation bodies have started to pay heed. See scholar @gaelicmichael.bsky.social Michael Newton: gaelicmichael.substack.com/p/duthchas-a...

gaelicmichael.substack.com

Dùthchas: An Archaic Gaelic Term Gets New Attention

Some personal reflections on Gaelic scholarship and human ecology

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Alastair McIntosh @alastairmci.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Former Exmoor NPA board member Dominic Elson @73foundation.bsky.social - “What strikes me, living and working with these communities, is that they begin from a place of emotional and spiritual connection to their landscape. They articulate what the land means to them.” www.cnp.org.uk/blog/renewal...

cnp.org.uk

Renewal requires reflection: How NPAs can be more effective stewards

A former Exmoor NPA board member Dominic Elson reflects on how governance reform needs to sharpen the definition - and expectations - of expertise.

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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Great piece, Dominic. 'Connection to place' and 'emotional and spiritual connection to their landscape' critical to fostering care of NPs

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Dr Rose O’Neill @roseoneill.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Love this piece Dominic, thank you for writing it. This nails it: “A board that has never collectively articulated its own connection to the landscape it governs will struggle to weigh trade-offs well, recruit the right people, or explain its decisions in terms that resonate with the public.”

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Reform UK plans to jail candidates for using Irish, Gaelic Or Cornish on their election leaflets. Nigel Farage’s party propose amendment to the elections Bill which would mean candidates using Irish and Scottish Gaelic would face up to six months in prison bylinetimes.com/2026/07/13/r...

bylinetimes.com

Reform UK Plans To Jail Candidates For Using Irish, Gaelic Or Cornish On Election Leaflets

EXCLUSIVE: Nigel Farage's party propose amendment to the Government's elections Bill which would mean candidates using Irish and Scottish Gaelic would face up to six months in prison

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

This piece on the "load-bearing internet people" and how AI-code writing is overwhelming the web's unheralded maintainers by @samlearner.bsky.social is absolutely terrific: brilliantly accessible without being patronising:

ft.com

Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party?

Our obsession with AI code-writing tools is overwhelming the web’s unsung human caretakers

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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 07/07/2026

Calling a by-election over the sovereign right of every MP to take secret gifts from a convicted criminal. What a time to be alive.

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