Reposted by James MiddletonDan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 22hHere's our scoring of the growth impact of recently proposed tax cuts. The Conservative proposal is right at the bottom. Depressingly, all the tax cuts recently proposed by politicians are at the bottom of the chart. 3619
Reposted by James MiddletonPeter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 1h🔴NEW: Ben Delo has given Reform £44MILLION Delo’s money comes from his now-closed crypto exchange BitMEX In 2019, a BitMEX investor asked about the status of his investment Delo responded by sending this meme, according to court documents. There’s more, a lot more (new investigation🧵) 7182129
Reposted by James MiddletonIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 1hHolborn and St Pancras byelection: Polanski is an utter failure and it's time for him to go iandunt.substack.com/p/holborn-an... 4113326
Reposted by James Middleton#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 08/10/2026*"Adversarial poetry malware." Yeah: it's infected poetry. Evil poetry that powns machines and mines crypto. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to malware hijinks, but that's plenty weird www.theregister.com/security/202...theregister.comPoetry is the new AI security threat as PoeLLM malware infects 3K+ serversQuoth the LLM, 'More and more' 107638
Reposted by James MiddletonJames Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 3hIt would be lovely to think that on discovering an error of this magnitude it would prompt the Tories to stop and ask themselves if maybe we can afford net zero after all. Sadly, there is zero chance of that happening. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comTories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet errorExclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data 411031
Reposted by James MiddletonDr Huw Groucutt @huwgroucutt.bsky.social · 3hAnd nice comment piece: www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgNeanderthals were skilled woodworkers, first-of-its-kind tool trove revealsFind in Spanish cave provides rare window into the domestic lives of our closest relatives 18820
Reposted by James MiddletonWildDartmoor @tonydartmoor.bsky.social · 3hWe’re often told there’s a rural “culture war”. That nature recovery and rewilding is an urban agenda imposed on an unwilling countryside. But what happens when you ask people what they want? National Parks polling offers some striking evidence. 🧵 1168
Reposted by James MiddletonMongabay @mongabay.com · 15hPoland is using "WarWilding" to turn the ancient Białowieża Forest into a natural border defense against potential attacks. Known as the Green East Shield, this nature-based barrier avoids concrete, but scientists warn road construction still threatens the delicate ecosystem. By Marta Kasztelan.mongabay.ccCan WarWilding defend Poland’s borders and save Europe’s last ancient forest?BIAŁOWIEŻA, Poland — Michal Żmihorski, deputy director of the Institute of Environmental Protection, will never forget the morning of Aug. 1, 2023. Two Belarusian helicopters entered Polish airspace,… 12011
James Middleton @jaimiddleton.bsky.social · 15hThe food industry has predicted double digit inflation and called on the government to act. Dan Saladino asks what lies behind the gloomy forecast, who would be most affected by price increases and if anything can be done to avoid the worst case scenario?bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme, The Price of FoodThe food industry is predicting double digit inflation. What can be done? 000
Reposted by James MiddletonJeff Greene @jeffgreene.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Good podcast by @dkthomp.bsky.social on how #GenAI has affected creativity in college student admissions essays. One thing to add: we need to account for the fact that many students see essays as a box to check, aligned w/ a societal shift toward devaluing higher education in general. (1/2)theringer.comWhat 400,000 Essays Reveal About AI and Creativity - The RingerToday, neuroscientist Adam Green joins the show to discuss how AI is changing the way we write, think, and generate ideas. His research finds that while AI can make our language more polished and soph... 1154
Reposted by James MiddletonEzra Klein @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social · 05/06/2026Today's episode of The Ezra Klein Show. The Right’s Pre-Modern ‘Masculinist’ Fantasy Helen Lewis examines the ancient, angry gender politics of the New Right. open.spotify.com/episode/1yu0... youtu.be/YK1aj39y55k?...youtu.beThe Right’s Pre-Modern ‘Masculinist’ Fantasy | The Ezra Klein ShowYouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show 11556
Reposted by James Middleton404 Media @404media.co · 08/08/2026Scientists discovered a crab that had spent months at sea stuck in a bottle, subsisting on algae and fish that wandered into its plastic lair. The lonely mariner offers a warning about the impacts of human pollution on wildlife worldwide.404media.coCrab Odyssey: Crustacean Wandered the Seas in a Bottle for Months, Scientists FindScientists discovered a crab that had spent months at sea stuck in a bottle, subsisting on algae and fish that wandered into its plastic lair. The lonely mariner offers a warning about the impacts of... 417554
Reposted by James MiddletonNic Wilson @nicwilson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026A mysterious case of the appearing rosemary beetle in today's @theguardian.com country diary by Susie White. We've had them here for years and I've never noticed any real damage. I'm interested to know if others have found them problematic. #countrydiary #naturewritingtheguardian.comCountry diary: A gleaming beetle that could be bad news for my garden favourites | Susie WhiteAllendale, Northumberland: On a hot autumn day, I see rosemary beetles here for the first time. This could be a problem for many thriving plants 7154
Reposted by James MiddletonJason GRIZZLED Bittel @bittelmethis.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Spotted Lanternflies… should you squish ‘em? 🧪 45628
Reposted by James MiddletonK M Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social · 05/06/2026fascinating Word of Mouth @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social & Simon Roper on how people spoke thru history. E P Thompson on the Luddite letter writer also provides some clues bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... wp.me/p15p2Q-6Dabbc.co.ukWord of Mouth - How did people speak throughout history? - BBC SoundsMichael Rosen meets popular YouTuber Simon Roper, who tries to recreate how people spoke. 072
Reposted by James MiddletonThe Guardian @theguardian.com · 06/10/2026‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bombtheguardian.com‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bombThe long read: On 14 January this year, army and navy squads faced an unprecedented challenge: one bomb on a Plymouth building site, another floating on a dredger in Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock started ticking 434611
Reposted by James MiddletonAdam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Knowingly doing crime to develop your product. 08118
Reposted by James MiddletonNPR @npr.org · 06/10/2026Jim Bakker, along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes. n.pr/3VsAFUVn.prJim Bakker, who built 'PTL Club' televangelism empire, has died at 86Jim Bakker, along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a sex scandal and financial crimes. 5521437
Reposted by James MiddletonChatham House @chathamhouse.org · 06/10/2026Nepal’s recovery from August’s catastrophic glacial flood will test the efficiency of the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. It will also resurface questions about the responsibilities of the greatest carbon emitters.chathamhouse.orgNepal’s floods put the global loss and damage system to the testNepal’s recovery from August’s catastrophic glacial flood will test the efficiency of the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. It will also resurface questions about the responsibilities of th... 164
Reposted by James MiddletonLuke Turner @luketurner.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Love this by @morwennaferrier.bsky.social on the joy of butter (tho not sure about the sweet flavoured ones). I adore butter, as ever the French do it better, their supermarket selections are first class. I get through tonnes of of President, treat it like cheese www.theguardian.com/food/2026/oc...theguardian.comThe butter boom – how the world fell back in love with the glorious golden spreadIt’s being sculpted for fashion parties, collected by tourists and hoarded in freezers. There are even entire shops devoted to it. What’s behind the revival of the much-maligned foodstuff? 11366
Reposted by James MiddletonInfectious Diseases @infectiousdz.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Florida has reported 252 locally acquired dengue cases in 2026, plus one of chikungunya. At this point, mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases are a choice. Governments don't have to let these diseases spread. worksinprogress.co/issue/mosqui...worksinprogress.coMosquitoes are a choice - Works in Progress MagazineThe technology to eradicate mosquito-borne disease already exists. We just have to be brave enough to use it. 043
Reposted by James MiddletonZia Weise @ziaweise.bsky.social · 05/10/2026A climate nightmare lurks in the Atlantic. Europe is starting to pay attention. Just out — my long read on European governments waking up to the threat of a possible collapse of the AMOC, the ocean currents that keep our continent's climate mild: www.politico.eu/article/clim...politico.euA climate nightmare lurks in the Atlantic. Europe is starting to pay attention.A slowdown of ocean currents that would disrupt life on the continent on an unthinkable scale. 0212112
Reposted by James MiddletonSteve Rosenberg @bbcstever.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Today one Russian paper claims “Russia’s military has been given political blank cheque to carry out full demilitarisation & deindustrialisation of Ukraine.” But nothing in the papers from Irkutsk, where there have been reports of a potentially “dangerous infection.” #ReadingRussiayoutu.beWhat are Russian newspapers saying about reports of a potentially "dangerous infection" in Irkutsk?YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg 1225078
Reposted by James MiddletonLynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Is 'oblong' the new 'frown'? Does it sneakily have different meanings in US and UK? New blog post! with thanks to @benzimmer.bsky.social and @ruthwarewriter.bsky.social separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2026/09/oblo...separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.comoblong (and a bit about ovals) 72510
Reposted by James MiddletonJohn Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026From the archive, 8 years ago: "Dog" in European languages (colouring by etymology); map by Jakub Marian jakubmarian.com/dog-in-europ... 4146
Reposted by James MiddletonLynne Murphy @lynneguist.bsky.social · 03/09/2026The name of this "test" makes no sense. It's literacy that creates mispronunciation! Reading gives you lots of great words and no reason to know how other people pronounce them. I've just heard 'hadjiography' in an erudite conversation on a podcast. 6203
Reposted by James MiddletonSam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration. 602405852
Reposted by James MiddletonSunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Vg and clear analysis: the Greens can do well where they have a credible chance of winning (in the most progressive seats that are progressive v progressive) but most voters who would vote Green would back other parties where Greens not in serious comtention 3114
Reposted by James MiddletonMatt Steinglass @mattsteinglass.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Perfectly believable that the Element Pro alternative is bad, but finding a couple of officials who call it crap is not a convincing appraisal. 3101
Reposted by James MiddletonElectronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 01/10/2026AirTags make that noise "because you cannot make a tracker that does not alert a thief without also making ... a tool for stalking,” EFF’s @evacide.bsky.social told @sixcolors.com. “I think these people have, in fact, considered the implications and decided that they don’t care.”sixcolors.comSilencing AirTags enables stalkers and domestic violenceElevationLab has released an AirTag product I find appalling, and I strongly urge they immediately withdraw it from sale and recall all inventory. The AirTag Silencer is a simple device: remove the… 118076
Reposted by James MiddletonTarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 30/09/2026He is not burning cash. He is investing money to shape political discourse and public opinion in line with his ideology and interests. And it's a successful strategy. Also, for a billionaire losing 10 million is like losing 1000 pounds for a middle class person. 111132
Reposted by James MiddletonDavid Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Turns out we don’t have to invoke weapons of mass destruction when talking about ocean heat uptake. The ocean absorbed a record-breaking 23 zettajoules of heat last year, equivalent to 40 times the energy used by humanity. It’s not going to end well.theguardian.comWorld’s oceans absorbed record heat equal to 40 times annual global energy useThe injection of thermal energy comes amid an increasing rise in sea levels and continuing acidification 151211611
Reposted by James MiddletonIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Burnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitment iandunt.substack.com/p/burnham-sp...iandunt.substack.comBurnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitmentIt’s easy to be cynical, but it would be false. Something extraordinary is happening here. 54905252
Reposted by James MiddletonEmpire: World History @empirepoduk.bsky.social · 13/08/2026At Rhynie the Picts built a huge city. Excavations uncovered fortified enclosures, elite metalworking, Mediterranean wine amphorae, French glass and a Pictish cemetery. Rhynie was no isolated backwater. It was a wealthy royal centre connected to a world far beyond Scotland. 1233
Reposted by James MiddletonNorth Ages @northages.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Pictish royal 'power base' uncovered near Rhynie - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukPictish royal 'power base' uncovered near RhynieRhynie in Aberdeenshire has been the focus of a 10-year archaeology project. 0338
Reposted by James MiddletonNPicts @northernpicts.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Great piece by the Guardian on the wonderful Moray coast with mentions of Burghead and the Pictish fort: www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/...theguardian.comWhy Scotland’s cinematic Moray coast made it a perfect location to shoot The Odyssey‘Legends cling like barnacles to these shores,’ says our local writer, who reveals how the lore of these craggy cliffs and beaches resonates with the Homeric classic 0133
Reposted by James MiddletonThe Public Domain Review @publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026A few of the seven etchings that comprise Käthe Kollwitz's Peasants’ War series (ca. 1901–1908) about the innate dignity, courage, and strength of the poor. More in our latest post here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/k… 06719
Reposted by James Middletonian bremmer @ianbremmer.com · 02/06/2026on china and iran, trump has a big punch but a glass jaw. and now he’s backing down. talking about the patterns of trump’s foreign policy with @ezraklein.bsky.socialyoutube.comIan Bremmer on the Risks America Poses to the World | The Ezra Klein ShowYouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show 75616
Reposted by James MiddletonChannel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:channel4news.substack.comExclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donationsUndercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 46794593997
Reposted by James MiddletonDavid Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This new tool, the Carbon Impacts Tracer, which translates carbon emissions into real-world climate impacts like heat exposure and coral bleaching, looks super useful. ➡️ carbonimpactstracer.comtheguardian.comNew tool directly links carbon emissions to amount of environmental and economic damage causedCarbon Impacts Tracer can be used to estimate climate impact from emissions across eight different factors, including lost food production 424095
Reposted by James MiddletonSemafor @semafor.com · 28/09/2026Half of all countries in sub-Saharan Africa are relying more on diesel generators than on grid power, leaving countries with less reliable energy infrastructure particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Iran war. www.semafor.com/article/09/2... 123
Reposted by James MiddletonThe Bunker podcast – Your daily news Deep Dive @bunkerpod.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Democratic rights and freedoms have expanded for a century or more, yet the super-rich have never been richer and wealth has never been shared less fairly. Why? Political scientist @profjeffreywinters.bsky.social talks to @nndroid.bsky.social about how to fix it. ➡️ linktr.ee/bunker_pod 044
Reposted by James Middleton404 Media @404media.co · 07/06/2026A Canadian company has seen that demand and came up with a radical thought: What if they made a new, repairable, “no-tech” tractor to solve what has become a gigantic pain point for farmers? Now, demand is booming. www.404media.co/demand-is-bo...404media.coDemand Is Booming for New No Tech, Repairable Tractor"There is consumer pressure to back away from technology that is unnecessary to perform everyday tasks." 6363111
Reposted by James MiddletonTom Heap @tomheap.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Are we entering a new energy age and seeing the beginning of the end of fossil fuels? @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social, Prof Helen Thompson, radical farmer Stuart Oates and @helenczerski.bsky.social BBC Radio 4 Rare Earth today 1106
Reposted by James MiddletonThe Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 29/05/2026Geologist Scott Montgomery tells The Conversation Weekly podcast how strategic oil reserves work and why the U.S. keeps oil in underground salt caverns.tcnv.linkHow and where global 2 billion barrels of strategic oil reserves are stockpiledGeologist Scott Montgomery tells The Conversation Weekly podcast how strategic oil reserves work and why the U.S. keeps oil in underground salt caverns. 035
Reposted by James MiddletonThis Is Not A Drill @thisisnotadrillpod.bsky.social · 28/05/2026The world is in chaos, but who's thriving despite the turmoil? @gavinesler.bsky.social is joined by @markhleonard.bsky.social to discuss an era of "un-order" and how it's warping geopolitics. Listen ➡️ linktr.ee/drillpod 0137
James Middleton @jaimiddleton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Are states responding quickly enough to “global un-order”? Mark Leonard distinguishes between “architects” such as the US and Europe, which try to reimpose their established blueprints, and “artisans” such as China, which adapt, improvise, and repurpose what already existsyoutu.beIs Geopolitics Becoming More Chaotic?YouTube video by Foreign Policy 000
Reposted by James MiddletonJohn Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026What on earth is happening? 23833111338
Reposted by James MiddletonGuy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Ministers and unions seem to be finally getting to grips with the existential threat to our democracy from billionaire donors - but whilst tighter residency rules & *spending* limits are good (& may nix the £72m), why can’t we just have a donations cap?! www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comAmendment to bill in Lords could test legality of £72m Reform donationsPlans to strengthen legislation already going through parliament might mean donors having to meet stricter UK residence requirements 58219
Reposted by James MiddletonAdam Shatz @adamshatz.bsky.social · 27/05/2026On the @lrb.co.uk podcast this week, I speak with @muhammadshehada.bsky.social and @jehadabusalim.bsky.social about Gaza since the “ceasefire.” www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and...lrb.co.ukPodcast: Adam Shatz, Muhammad Shehada and Jehad Abusalim · Gaza after the Ceasefire 01111