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Ian M

@ianm70.bsky.social
477 followers 522 following 1.9K posts

computer geek, book person, Tolkien nerd, history researcher, science, occasional politics. He/Him.

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Reposted by Ian M
Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 1h
To light a candle is to cast a shadow.
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 1h
From this years Beyond Bree calendar
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Miriam Ellis @miriamellis.bsky.social · 1h
Today, the utterly magnificent, "almost angelic" Glorfindel sets out from Rivendell in search of the Frodo and drops a green beryl on the Last Bridge as a token of hope. Help is on the way. A day of awe! #thefellowshipofthering #Tolkien #LOTR
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h
Ossoff: "Tonight, a united Georgia will hear the trial the Mike Collins. Mike Collins has brought dishonor to our state through his personal bigotry and his widely documented ties to white nationalists. And he's sold out Georgia in his pathetic child-like devotion to Donald Trump."
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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 2h
Jesus H www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Palantir’s Tom Watson says ‘mob rule’ must not dictate awarding of government contracts
Former Labour deputy leader says tech firm would work with a Reform UK government on immigration crackdowns
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Scarred For Life Books @scarredforlife.bsky.social · 1h
TAKE CARE WITH CIGARETTES (1982): Doom-laden PIF about one woman's final bedtime. And the cat's too, unless it got lucky.
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Reuters @reuters.com · 1h
ICC prosecutor condemns US sanctions, says work will continue reut.rs/3VqM085
reut.rs
ICC prosecutor condemns US sanctions, says work will continue
US sanctions ​against the International ‌Criminal Court announced on Friday "must be ​condemned" and ​will not halt ⁠the tribunal's work, ​its deputy ​prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, told Reuters.
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Hoglorfen @hoglorfen.bsky.social · 8h
#Tolkientober Day 9 - Hope "It is true, of course, that Morgoth held the Orcs in dire thralldom; [...] and when Morgoth was at last removed from Arda the Orcs that survived in the West were scattered, leaderless and almost witless" ~ Morgoth's Ring #orctober
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 6h
Blasphemy laws can NEVER be justified. Sign our petition. Blasphemy laws are used to ban words or symbols that are ‘offensive’ to religion. They’re used to violently suppress and attack religious and non-religious minorities worldwide.
END BLASPHEMY LAWS

SAUDI ARABIA

*Saudi Arabia is one of 12 countries that maintains the death penalty for ‘blasphemy’ or apostasy.

SAVE ANOJAN

Sri Lankan Hindu sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for ‘blasphemy’ over a Facebook post

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and freedom of religion or belief, which includes the right to leave or criticise a religion.

No one should be criminalised or sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’ or religious offence. Humanists UK campaigns to abolish blasphemy laws worldwide, including in Northern Ireland.

*The 12 other countries that retain the death penalty for ‘blasphemy’ or apostasy are Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Mauritania, Somalia, and Yemen.

Humanists UK

humanists.uk
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 06/10/2026
Buy a small family home, no more than three bedrooms, for around 4 times my annual salary and not live in constant worry about the cost of shelter. That’s it. That’s the dream.
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#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 6h
*Oh, I hear you, all right *Because when I'm not in Ibiza, I tend to hang out in Piemonte in Italy, where elaborately-promoted heritage-food is one of their most profitable contemporary industries
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Ben Whitelaw @benwhitelaw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A silent Sarah Wynn-Williams bravely representing whistleblowers everywhere by appearing on stage at the Social Reckoning screening in London alongside @carolecadwalla.bsky.social, @mariaressa.bsky.social, @moonalice.com and @peoplevsbigtech.eurosky.social ‘s Ava Lee.
Panel discussion on Social Reckoning screening
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 6h
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Never Trust a Tory
theguardian.com
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
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Rachel Parris @rachelparris.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Hey folks. In total honesty my tour is NOT selling well. I’ve sold 30 tickets in a 400 seater in Birmingham, and not much more elsewhere. If you like musical comedy, if you like standup, then please come see my show! And spread the word! The Rachel Parris Songbook tour starts in Nov! Link in bio! 🎶
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“When we started looking into this, we were surprised that publicly available documents completely contradicted a major news story." www.theguardian.com/news/2026/oc... were they really surprised? 🤔
theguardian.com
‘I reside in Monaco’: billionaire said to have quit UK over potential wealth tax had already left
TaxWatch contradicts claims about David Reuben’s departure and questions stories of super-rich exodus
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I guess having one authority is a rare luxury.
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
There's no longer one definitive authority. I wonder what happens when the editors disagree. 🤔
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Duncan Jones @manmademoon.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🇪🇸 ESPAÑA! 🇪🇸 Way back when, SITGES was one of the first places to give our indie British sci-fi film MOON a chance on the International stage & Im delighted to say ROGUE TROOPER will be there NEXT WEEK! We love you, we love SITGES and we are coming BACK! 💪🏼❤️✌🏼 sitgesfilmfestival.com/en/film/2026...
sitgesfilmfestival.com
Rogue Trooper
19, a Genetic Infantry soldier, is accidentally dropped behind enemy lines in the middle of a secret military operation. With the identities of his fallen comrades stored on biochips that he carries i...
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"I'm going for a walk!" said Gandalf.
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Marcel R. Bülles 📚💍🌋🎉 @thetolkienist.com · 07/10/2026
All the Tolkien News you need - the Roving Ranger. Latest edition out now. Subscribe for free 👍 steady.page/en/thetolkie...
steady.page
The Two-hundred and third Roving Ranger
The Roving Ranger #203 brings you all the interesting things Tolkienian of the last week and the weeks upcoming, curated by the Tolkienist.
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James K. Tauber @jtauber.com · 07/10/2026
When asked what image would be appropriate for my Digital Tolkien class starting next week, there could be only one choice: Gandalf on a MacBook :-)
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Ian M @ianm70.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Now that CRRT is gone then who is the authority on JRRT texts?
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Digital Tolkien Project @digitaltolkien.com · 07/10/2026
New article! annotations.digitaltolkien.com/articles/upd...
annotations.digitaltolkien.com
Updating The Hobbit Base Text
An article by James Tauber and Jennie King on Tolkien Annotations.
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The Blogging Goth @theblogginggoth.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
On this day in 1983, #TheSistersOfMercy released the anthem that is "Temple of Love".
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Sophie Hurwitz @hurwitz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Got a weird one for you guys tonight www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Elon's fans erect 50-foot statue outside his company town
A studio promising "art so epic it will raise the birthrate" gifted a huge bronze Prometheus to Musk's Starbase.
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Kristof Smeyers @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
here, help yourselves to a book books.fupress.com/catalogue/pa...
books.fupress.com
Pain fragments
Pain Fragments explores the Catholic perceptions and experiences of pain in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Moving beyond traditional perceptions, it adopts a praxeological approach to analyse...
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Matt Binder @mattbinder.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
the tech industry is about to invent books
Andrew Yeung 
@andruyeung
X.com
We created gyms because modern day work no
longer required physical activity. Without exercise,
our muscles atrophy.
I predict we'll need gyms for our brains too, once Al
starts doing our knowledge work.
10:53 PM • 10/4/26 • 1.3M Views
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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
“An ABC News analysis found defense companies backed by the president's sons, including Anduril, have now raked in more than $6 billion dollars in active or promised government contracts since those investments were made, according to the government's official contract reporting.”
abcnews.com
Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election
The contract for a new plant in Baltimore is the latest linked to the brothers.
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Burning Shed @burningshed.com · 07/10/2026
BACK IN STOCK: Hugh Lupton Amongst many others CDs including The Odyssey, The Illiad and Christmas Champions by the acclaimed Norfolk-based author and storyteller burningshed.com/product/search&filt… #HughLupton #booksky #TheOdyssey #TheIliad #Beowulf
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 07/10/2026
Growing up in disadvantaged circumstances is linked to higher death rates decades later, according to a review of 102 studies involving 8.5 million people.
tcnv.link
The circumstances you grow up in are linked to how long you live
Growing up in disadvantaged circumstances is linked to higher death rates decades later, according to a review of 102 studies involving 8.5 million people.
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Fleet Street Fox @fleetstreetfox.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
They flew six times straight through a mushroom cloud, absorbing a century of radiation in just 12 minutes. Officials hid the truth to prevent "needless anxiety" - and tracked their blood in secret. Here's What They Don't Want You To Know:👇 whattheydontwantyoutoknow.substack.com/p/nuked-bloo...
whattheydontwantyoutoknow.substack.com
Nuked Blood: 12 Minutes of Hell, and a Lifetime of Cover-Up
They flew six times through a mushroom cloud, absorbed a century of radiation, and were subjected to secret blood tests while officials hid the truth to prevent "needless anxiety"
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Scarred For Life Books @scarredforlife.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
SURVIVORS (1975): Terry Nation's dystopian drama about a community trying to rebuild society after a plague wipes out 99% of the world's population...
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British Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Perfect rainy day activity if you ask us
Photograph of the King’s Library at the British Library. A large library spanning 6 floors, featuring shelves full of red and gold bound books. Text on top reads: ‘Oh no, it’s raining’ *immediately runs to the library, grabs a book and finds a cute corner for the afternoon*
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James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Its the online launch tonight! Bookings will remain open up to 7pm (UK time)... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-buildi... Failing that, I'll hopefully see you out on the road during the UK tour 🙂
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SMBC Comics @smbccomics.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
It's not a topical comic in that I suspect I'll be posting it every few years for a long time. COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/woops PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm... STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
3-panel SMBC comic update. A man is checking news headlines on his phone, with the first stating "president raises tariffs; deports workers; starts war." The man says "woops," still looking down at his phone. The final panel shows a scene from earlier, where the man is wishing on a monkey's paw: "Monkey's Paw, I wish people cared about basic economics." One of the fingers on the paw curls ominously.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Book on sale in supermarket book aisle shocker! Imagine becoming a journalist just so you can end up reporting negatively on a book which helps people. Next up the Telegraph's ongoing series "people use cookbooks to learn to cook".
The Telegraph



ADHD 'handbook' on sale in Waitrose

Guide to neurodevelopmental condition at upmarket supermarket amid soaring demand for diagnoses


ث

Laura Donnelly

Health Editor

Show biography

Published 06 October 2026 9:09pm BST

Guides to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have gone on sale at Waitrose checkouts amid warnings that soaring demand for diagnoses risks "crowding out" severe cases.
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Oxford Archaeology @oxfordarchaeology.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A ✨gentle✨ reminder Our next A66 Pop-Up Field Museum event is this weekend! Appleby Public Hall | 10-11th Oct | 10am-4pm See these finds and more for yourself 🔗👉 tr.ee/FvtWKU
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Mikki Brock @mikkibrock.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Excited to tuck into this one. It is very relevant for the book I’m writing just now (on an infamous infanticide case), but also: that title and cover!!
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ChronicleLive - The Chronicle @chroniclelive.co.uk · 07/10/2026
The two vertical lifts at the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclists Tunnels have been shut since September 25 after a survey found "a number of significant safety and operational defects"
chroniclelive.co.uk
'Significant safety defects' at Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclists Tunnels lifts
The two vertical lifts at the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclists Tunnels have been shut since September 25 after a survey found "a number of significant safety and operational defects"
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 07/10/2026
Save Anojan! Help us write to Foreign Secretary calling for Anojan's release. Sign our petition. Anojan Sivarasa has been condemned to die because of a post made on Facebook, and time is running out. humanists.uk/2026/10/07/s...
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 07/10/2026
One for skeptic fans of the BBC Uncanny podcast, surely! Deborah is a leading expert in the history of belief in all things spooky. By taking the 'human' aspects of paranormal beliefs seriously - be it witchcraft, ghosts, or werewolves - she uncovers a lot about human nature and human societies.
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 06/10/2026
This joyous and emotional musical also has a sombre literary and political background.
tcnv.link
Rebel Rebel the Musical stages David Bowie’s dystopian vision
This joyous and emotional musical also has a sombre literary and political background.
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Weird Christmas @weirdxmas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It's the Final Fantasy cactus!
A vintage Halloween postcard depicts a witch driving an anthropomorphic car with a jack-o'-lantern, corn, and squash as passengers, accompanied by a running pickle and a flying owl.
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Signum University @signumuniversity.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Put the kettle on and spend 20 minutes with Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger. ☕ Watch a preview of our documentary The Stories That Come to Us: youtu.be/VeEyVKFUfQo Pre-order the full conversation for $9.99 USD: collaboratory.signum...
An older woman, Verlyn Flieger, wearing glasses sits at a desk writing beside a vintage telephone and framed photo, with a window and bookshelf behind her. Overlay text reads “The Stories That Come to Us,” “A Conversation with Verlyn Flieger,” “Watch the 20-minute preview,” and “SIGNUM Studios.”
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Sara Gwyn Beam @saragwynbeam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Pleased to share the publication of my challenge to claims that Reformation Genevan authorities were skeptical of witchcraft! #hextag #earlymodern #16thC Check out: "Aggressive Prosecution of Witches in Reformation Geneva," Sixteenth Century Journal 57, 3 (2026): 639-655
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Sara Gwyn Beam @saragwynbeam.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Who knew there was a witch panic in Geneva in 1571? These incredibly rich and revealing witch trials have been hidden from view and deserve further research. #skystorians #earlymodern #hextag #16thC Check out www.journals.uchicago.edu/eprint/MFNVU...
journals.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent
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Dr Jo Edge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @hagenilda.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Talk coming up, yo #MedievalSky #Hextag joanneedge.co.uk/2026/09/08/t...
joanneedge.co.uk
Talk: Witchcraft, Necromancy, Politics -Eleanor Cobham’s 1441 Trial
The London Archives, 21 October 2026 Eleanor Cobham and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, from London, BL MS Cotton Nero D VII. I am doing a talk at the London Archives, 40 Northampton Road, Clerkenwel…
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Jan Machielsen @janmachielsen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Dutchies! I recently discovered this excellent (Dutch) #hextag podcast on the last witches of Schiedam whose trial brought the #earlymodern witch-hunt to an earlier end in the Dutch Republic. Definitely worth a listen! stedelijkmuseumschiedam.nl/podcast/podc...
stedelijkmuseumschiedam.nl
Heksen in Schiedam - Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
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Sarah Wride @srwride.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There’s got to be a second best bed joke in this somewhere. #earlymodern #Shakespeare @srsrensoc.bsky.social
A white lorry with "SHAKESPEARE Beds", "POCKET SPRUNG BEDS", and various contact details in blue on the side; the stem of the "K" in "SHAKESPEARE" is a quill.
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Mercedes Rochelle @authorrochelle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
'Good often does evil': JRR Tolkien on 'the most tragic moment' in The Lord of the Rings www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
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