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frankrennie

@frankrennie.bsky.social
1K followers 835 following 593 posts

Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Rural Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Islander, Scot, & European. Anything relevant to birds, geology, ecology & landscape, human ecology. Also Gaelic/Celtic culture, history & archaeology.

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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 7h
Global justice WILL survive. It is not uncommon for the USA to be different from every other nation on the planet and this would be just another step in their isolationism. ☹️
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 16h
The PM said 'all the options' for our future relationship with Europe are on the table. Our research shows that only EU membership makes sense. Newxt week, MPs will debate rejoining the EU. Ask your MP to attend: bestforbritain.org/take-action/tell…
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British Geological Survey @bgs.ac.uk · 16h
A historic watercolour has been unearthed on the back of a Dryburgh geological field map🗺️ The beautiful painting, believed to have been made by geologist Benjamin Neeve Peach while on fieldwork in the early 1870s has been discovered in the BGS archives. Learn more: www.bgs.ac.uk/news/histori...
The watercolour painting of the Dryburgh Suspension Bridge, believed to have been painted by Benjamin Peach whilst conducting field work in the 1870s. The image shows the bridge in the centre with trees covering the banks. In the background are mountains and in the foreground sit two rowing boats on the banks of the river.  BGS © UKRI.The front of the Dryburgh field slip used by Benjamin Peach when surveying the area in the 1870s. BGS © UKRI.
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4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Truth 👇
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The man is a moron.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Tories to hand free childcare to those earning more than £100,000, would cost £700m to the public purse. Previously, they pledged cuts to universal credit, housing benefit, support for the long term unemployed. Continuation of the Tory war on less well-off.
theguardian.com
Tories would expand free childcare to high earners, Badenoch says
Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than £100,000 should not be discouraged from working more
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Tom Booker @tbooker1.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 04/10/2026
⚡️'Very dangerous moment' — Russia sharing jet-powered drone tech with North Korea, Zelensky says. The president's comments come a week after he warned that Moscow is preparing to recruit another 10,000 North Korean military personnel to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.
kyivindependent.com
'Very dangerous moment' — Russia sharing jet-powered drone tech with North Korea, Zelensky says
The president's comments come a week after he warned that Moscow is preparing to recruit another 10,000 North Korean military personnel to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.
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Seb Schmoller @schmoller.net · 03/10/2026
Terrific piece by @paulmason.bsky.social: substack.com/@htsf/note/p... [With lots of detailed archival material.]
substack.com
From Cable Street to Jarama. Part One.
How British communism prepared the working class to resist Hitler - and how its modern equivalents betray that legacy
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Tanya Pia Starrett @tanyapiastarrett.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
You know what to do @britishmuseum.bsky.social Greece returns priceless relics – and suggests UK should follow suit with Parthenon marbles | Bulgaria | The Guardian share.google/yjU53wh7wwwu...
share.google
Greece returns priceless relics – and suggests UK should follow suit with Parthenon marbles
Greek PM hopes handover of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria will persuade Britain that time has come for ‘truth, reason, justice and morality’
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Codfather #FBPE 🇫🇷🇪🇺 @codfather.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I'm with Carl Sagan on this:
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
👍
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
😂😂
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European Movement in Scotland @euromovescotland.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Not rejoining EU could lead to Scots Labour MP "wipeout". #rejoin #UK #Scotland #scottishlabour
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Orknithology @orknithology.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"Why? Just Beak-ause" Puffin (Fratercula arctica) on Westray, #Orkney, in July. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BestBeaks. #OrkneyBirding #BirdingScotland #UKBirding #BirdsOfBluesky #BirdsSeenIn2026 #birdsoftheworld #Puffin #Auk 🪶
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ornate Saxon copper disc brooch decorated with gold and garnets, AD 650-670. It must have been a treasured possession! From Floral Street, Covent Garden, once the heart of ‘Lundenwic’, the early Saxon town of London. Museum of London 📷 by me #FindsFriday #Archaeology
My photo shows a circular Saxon brooch made of copper, the front of which is ornately embellished with gold and garnets. There are five raised, circular, gold bosses which are outlined with inlaid garnet slabs, and each set with a central, round garnet. Four of the gold bosses are arranged around a fifth, larger, gold boss in the centre of the brooch. The central boss sits within a star-like, four-pointed geometric shape composed of a mosaic of inlaid garnet slabs. The outer edge of the brooch is decorated with two rows of tiny inlaid polished garnets. The eight gold sections at either side of the four smaller bosses are decorated with raised gold filigree which looks like looped, braided cord. Parts of the brooch are worn, with some chipped edges, and missing garnet stones. The brooch measures approximately 7 cm in diameter. It is displayed on a clear glass surface. It was excavated from a woman's grave by AOC Archaeology in 2000 ahead of development construction works. This type of brooch was a fashionable status piece amongst wealthy aristocratic Anglo-Saxon women in the AD 600s. The woman's grave also contained glass beads and silver rings.
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Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Spent some time this morning drawing a raven. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Art. Black and white drawing made of abstract shapes and lines showing a raven or crow in flight. It's wing is above it, caught mid-flap, and it's feet trail beneath it. It's eye is fixed ahead, looking at the horizon and the future.
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European Movement in Scotland @euromovescotland.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
62% in Scotland voted to stay in the EU. That's a majority. #rejoin #Scotland #UK #Brexit
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Dawn Robertson 🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇫🇷 @hayloftbooks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
What a wonderful message from Germany. I for one voted to be part of EU & never wanted to leave. We are stronger together & Germany, you give Scottish people like me hope.
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darren32359.bsky.social @darren32359.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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Prof Col Macpherson @colinmacpherson.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The myth of Thatcher nursing the "sick man of Europe" back to fiscal health is an illusion based on North Sea tax receipts. Austerity coincided with the loss of that income.
Plot of UK tax receipts from oil and gas production 1970 to 2020.
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Miaganga @miaganga.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
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BTO Scotland @btoscotland.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Have you seen a ringed Ptarmigan? Volunteer ringers from Tay and Grampian Ringing Groups are now fitting small colour rings (under license) to Ptarmigan in the hills of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. 1/3 #BirdingScotland
A Ptarmigan in the hand, about to be released after being fitted with a uniquely coded ring. Image: Jacob Davies
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Brexit was a huge loss both for the British people and for the European project as a whole. If the United Kingdom were to make such a decision, Spain would welcome it with open arms and once again embrace our friends in Britain.” - President Sánchez
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 30/09/2026
Macron says ‘welcome back’ to Burnham suggestion UK could rejoin EU
theguardian.com
Macron says ‘welcome back’ to Burnham suggestion UK could rejoin EU
French president, speaking alongside Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, says EU bid would be good news for UK and Europeans * UK politics live – latest updates The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has reacted warmly to Andy Burnham’s suggestion that the UK could rejoin the EU. “Welcome back,” the French leader said in English with a smile. Speaking at a news conference in Madrid on Wednesday, Macron continued (in French): “If the British want to come back and if the prime minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans.” Continue reading...
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Richest 1% of Britons owns more wealth than the bottom 70% of the population combined. 50 richest families hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population combined. The concentration of wealth in fewer hands has not provided the necessary economic stimulus. Need redistribution.
leftfootforward.org
This is how the Chancellor can increase the personal allowance and lift millions out of hardship
Sustained economic growth can’t be achieved without a major boost to the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here's the full story that the Tony Blair Institute doesn't want to answer questions about, on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com
Tony’s minor tantrum: how Blair’s institute responded to fresh “cash for access” questions
We asked TBI about allegations of £500,000 corporate memberships and a logo that vanished at Labour conference. They said they’re not talking to us anymore
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EveryDoctor @everydoctor.org.uk · 30/09/2026
Our NHS belongs to the public, not private equity firms seeking guaranteed profits. Every pound siphoned off as profit is a pound taken away from frontline patient care. Stand up for our health service, send our letter to your MP today: everydoctor.eaction.org.uk/stop-private...
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Mr RobertBob @mrrobertbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The moral health of the British media will be judged by how many boycott Tory events and briefings in support of @bylinetimes.bsky.social
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Council of Europe @coe.int · 30/09/2026
“Respect for human dignity must be Europe’s compass” - addressing @pace.coe.int, President António José Martins Seguro called for an uncompromising defence of human rights, stronger democracy and social cohesion, and a Europe open to the world. www.coe.int/en/web/porta...
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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
V guardian MI5 issues spy alert to UK universities over Chinese front company stealing research www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
MI5 issues spy alert to UK universities over Chinese front company stealing research
Security service says academics should stop taking grants from and working with firm backed by China’s intelligence service
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Pie Thagoram @piethagoram.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We remember 😉
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James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The big lie peddled by developers about ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ is that that they can destroy natural places & somehow make it good by habitat creation elsewhere Ecological restoration is about reversing historical damage to nature It is not about justifying further destruction
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I had a similar experience almost exactly a year ago. I cannot overstate how good the NHS Golden Jubilee Hospital is, both the facilities and the staff. I’m currently enjoying a first holiday in the sun and exploring Bologna. I hope you make a full recovery soon. 👍
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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Please pass along: I’m recruiting PhD students to join our Macroecology Lab. We study physical ecology, macroecology, and biodiversity — spanning scaling, trait-based ecology, theory, comparative biology & ecoinformatics. Several avenues for funding. Please reach out if interested 🧪🌐🌾
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I hope you are making good progress.
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Your window on the world is always critical…
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Bologna really is full of wonderful surprises
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Greg Priest @gregpriest.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published OTD in 1962. “[W]e have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” 🌱🐋 # HistSTM 🧪🌎 #philsci #philsky #WomeninSTEM
Caricature of Rachel Carson by David Levine for the New York Review of Books.
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TheBossRoss 🧶 @thebossross.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At the UN this week, Radosław Sikorski, #Poland 's Minister for Foreign Affairs, gave the ultimate reply to #Russia, its propaganda, its attacks, and its war. Clear, firm, constructive. Unambiguous. "You can still kill a lot of people, but you cannot win." [re-posted after misattribution]
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"The president barred US reporters, while welcoming Chinese reporters who answer to the communist dictatorship in Beijing. This would be the same president who's running government-paid TV advertising vowing to stop the United States from becoming communist..." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
nytimes.com
In Trump’s White House, China’s Dictator Is Welcome. American Media, Less So.
The showdown over President Trump’s partial media ban played out as he welcomed President Xi Jinping, whose government is ranked among the most repressive in the world.
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authodizer @doktrock.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"My first reaction was total disbelief" - Kent Hups, the high school teacher who discovered T. Rex dinosaur tracks in the Hell Creek Formation, in western North Dakota. #FossilFriday
cnn.com
A high school teacher stumbled across two giant footprints — and marked a first for science | CNN
A science instructor discovered the first known T. rex trackway in North Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation, offering rare clues about how the dinosaur walked.
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This looks intriguing 😍
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Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity @anthropocenebio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We're looking for a postdoc to work on biodiversity and land use modelling. You will adapt and develop an existing land use and food system modelling and decision-support tool to incorporate biodiversity and land use. Find out more and apply by 14 Oct: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/post...
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Richard Corbett CBE @richardcorbett.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nonsense! Gas prices have risen across Europe, Africa & the Middle East. It’s not peculiar to Britain. What Monaco-based tax avoider Ratcliffe is trying to do is blackmail the UK govt to bung him some taxpayers’ money by threatening to close some his Hull plants www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Sir Jim Ratcliffe suspends production at key UK plants blaming high gas prices
Ineos said natural gas in the UK is twelve times more expensive than in the US.
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The Peregrine Fund @theperegrinefund.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A new study in Global Change Biology reveals how climate change reshapes Arctic falcon breeding differently by species. Our Gyrfalcon & Tundra Program's long-term data in Alaska contributed to this collaborative research. bit.ly/4hEYr8B 📷 Kiliii Yuyan #RaptorResearch #Ornithology
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frankrennie @frankrennie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This looks really interesting! 😍
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South-East London for Europe (Selfe) @selfe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Fantastic news Latest records show that #RNLI donations have increased by 5000% over the past couple of weeks after far-right backlash. The RNLI is on track to record its highest annual fundraising total in its almost 200-year history. Donate here rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just seen this map on Facebook (thanks Mary Colwell). Individual Curlews tend to repeat annual migration routes. Same story for Black-tailed Godwits: wadertales.wordpress.com/2019/07/29/g... Graphic from: www.nature.com/articles/s42... #ornithology
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Colin Dunn 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @indyposterboy.scot · 22/09/2026
And therein lies the problem. If the UK was a genuine democracy and a "union of equals" as we are told, Scotland wouldn't have to ask Westminster's permission to vote on its own destiny.
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