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Paul Cowling

@picowlo.bsky.social
1K followers 885 following 2.9K posts

Far from the madding crowds... Politics, society, culture and stuff. Views from the shores of the Baltic

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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 15h
Sweden: cuts to benefits for long term unemployed intended to get people into work faster.. didn't have any effect (apart from making people poorer of course).
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Rasmus Hansson @rasmushansson.bsky.social · 18h
Tidöstaden: • BILAR ÖVERALLT 🚗🚗 • INGA JÄVLA SOMMARGATOR OCH SOMMARTORG ❌❌ • INGEN TVÅNGS!!!BLANDNING ✋🏻✋🏻 S-, V-, MP-staden: • Vill riva fysiska barriärer i staden för att minska segregation • Fler sommargator och sommartorg • Öka takten i klimatomställningen och satsa på välfärd
skanesfolkblad.se
Mellan Skånes största städer skiljer jordens omkrets minus fem mil
Det tar bara drygt en halvtimme att resa mellan Malmö och Helsingborg. Men de kommande fyra åren kommer det vara som att befinna sig i två olika världar, skriver Rasmus Hansson.
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 17h
If you, btw, would like an example of a place where data centres are *actually* being restricted by legislation, go look at Denmark - where they are now last in the grid connection queue, prioritising socially valuable load growth (like electrification, heating, cooling, new homes) first
servola.de
Denmark Puts Data Centers Last in New Grid Law
Denmark's emergency grid law puts data centers last behind households and green-transition projects, formalizing rationing that began in February 2026.
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Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 18h
At least 21 members of my extended family were arrested and sent from Lithuania to camps or exile colonies in this 1951 act of repression by the Soviet occupiers.
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Mentalt handikappat boskap @toebias.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Bara 12 % av riksdagsledamöterna har någon gång haft ett arbetaryrke. Det är riktigt jävla dåligt för demokratin att så många är så långt ifrån den verklighet dom sitter och bestämmer över.
Så många arbetare har partierna iriksdagen
Socialdemokraterna: 24 av 99 ledamöter - 24 %
Vänsterpartiet: 5 av 30 - 17 %
Sverigedemokraterna: 10 av 62 - 16 %
Kristdemokraterna: 1 av 22 - 5 %
Moderaterna:1av70-1%
Centerpartiet: 0 av 25 -0 %
Miljöpartiet: 0 av 22 - 0 %
Liberalerna: 0 av 19 - 0 %
Totalt: 41 av 349 ledamöter - 12 %
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s a mark of the corruption of our whole way of thinking about the world that trying to meet a planetary emergency is routinely described as “ideological”, while continuing to accelerate it is presented as “pragmatic” and “economic”.
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Carina Blomcrantz @blomcrantz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Minns ni den ”omvända tonårsutvisningen”? När sonen som föddes här blir vuxen - körs föräldrarna ut. Efter 22 år i Sverige är pappan nu utvisad. Mamman vårdas inom psykiatrin. (för mer bakgrund - läs i mina tidigare inlägg)
st.nu
Sonen tvingas montera ner familjens liv
”De har rivit isär våra liv.”
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It's worth anybody's time to translate and read this thread on how badly media have covered the ongoing genocide in Gaza... To be silent is to be complicit
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Staffan Landin @staffanlandin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Det finns inga överord...
Bilder som jämför förödelsen i Nagasaki 1945 med bilder från Gaza idag.
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Advice for parties negotiating for the next Swedish government? "Who starts a negotiation with a list of what you don't want -apart from a toddler?"
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Ola Spännar @olaspannar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Forskning visar att minskad avverkning ger den bästa klimatnyttan Skulle vi minska avverkningen till nivån 1995–2000, begränsas koldioxidutsläppet med 14 miljoner ton per år. Det motsvarar det årliga trafikutsläppet www.aftonbladet.se/debatt/a/OkV...
aftonbladet.se
Avverkningen i våra skogar måste minska
Avverkningen i våra skogar måste minska
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 29/09/2026
The rush to speculate that asylum seekers are responsible for every crime in the news is a sort of opportunistic informational terrorism. Until it’s disproved it stokes fear and hatred. When it is disproved there are no adverse consequences and they know that they only have to be lucky once.
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T&E @transportenvironment.org · 28/09/2026
As EU hauliers face soaring diesel prices, our new analysis shows that electric trucks are cheaper to operate than diesel for almost half of trucks sold in the EU. Electrification remains the only realistic option to protect against future oil crises. More from our new TCO calculator 👇
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 27/09/2026
Google finally updated some of its satellite images of Gaza and my god, it's horrific. The entirety of Rafah has been demolished. The majority of Khan Younis is in ruins. Entire towns completely leveled and erased of the map.
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
So this means we're going to push for Net Zero earlier right? Right?
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Moley𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕄𝕠𝕝𝕖 @moleymole.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Stone row and kistvaen (stone cist) at Lakehead Hill, Bellever Forest, #Dartmoor yesterday for #StandingStoneSunday. (and a bit of early #TombTuesday)
Row of stones leading to a small stone burial chamber in rough grass with tall forestry commission evergreen trees beyond.
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Steve Bullock @guitarmoog.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Citizenship should never have been allowed to become a conditional and impermanent gift from the state to the individual. It is a permanent status, universal and equal to all that have it, that brings obligations of care and protection *from* the state as well as to it.
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Carsten Timmermann @ctimmermann.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It’s striking that so many otherwise smart people aren’t willing to argue for enlightenment: fears about immigration are unfounded. Available evidence, e.g. re crime, education, jobs, healthcare suggests that concerns about immigrants are, by and large, not legitimate concerns but irrational fears.
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Blast from the past.... Europe play an excellent cover of Deep Purple's 'Highway Star' on the Swedish quiz show 'På Spåret' youtu.be/gH87IZULDqQ?...
youtu.be
Europe & Erik Grönwall "Highway Star" - På Spåret, SVT - September 25, 2026
YouTube video by Europe Fan Media Corner
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Nick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Memorial in Oxford to the 31 volunteers from Oxfordshire who fought for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War, 6 of whom were killed:. In stone, the clenched fist crushing a scorpion, symbolising the poison of fascism and the 3-point star of th International Brigades 📷 BulgeUwU (Wiki)
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Ola Spännar @olaspannar.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Nattågen, en av många frågor där oppositionen är eniga och behovet stort. Tidö har hällt pengar över fossilflyget och skurit ner på tågen. Nattåget Göteborg–Jämtland lades ner. Likaså Göteborg–Umeå. Stockholm–Narvik halverades. Kom igen nu! klimatgranskaren.se/hopp-for-nat...
klimatgranskaren.se
Nattågen förenar S, V, MP och C – alla vill återupprätta trafiken
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Reducing carbon footprint just by shuffling the menu...
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
From what I've read, it's well evidenced that making plant-based dishes the default, i.e. predominant on menus, works very well. For instance: morethanmeatstheeye.substack.com/p/plant-base...
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The latest in 'He who pays the piper'... When the piper is not for sale
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Did you know that producing one pound of beef is 25-50x worse for climate change than burning a pound of coal? In fact, it’s one of the most polluting things we can consume. And grass-fed beef is usually *even worse* — thanks to its much higher land use and methane emissions.
Bar chart showing greenhouse gas emissions for different food items. Beef is the worst, by far.
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🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.
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Ola Spännar @olaspannar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Bra artikel i @etc.se om Tjärna Ängar – Jag röstade på Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, säger 18-åriga Yassir stolt – Varför? – Tillit. Det är vad det handlar om. Han har varit här och kampanjat. Lovat positiva saker, att förbättra saker i förorterna och Sverige och sånt www.etc.se/inrikes/han-...
etc.se
”En neighborhood hero” – i Tjärna ängar tror ingen på valfusk
Vänsterpartiets kryssraket populär i Borlänge: ”Han har arbetat hårt för sina röster”
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Bitte Hammargren @bitteham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Johannes Lindgren, analytiker på FOI: ”Vi vet att ett antal påverkansnätverk med koppling till Ryssland riktat in sig mot det svenska valet och jag vore oerhört förvånad om de inte gett sig in i den här debatten [om påstått valfusk], för dem är det en jackpott.” www.dn.se/sverige/efte...
dn.se
Efter Borlänge – rasism och misstro mot valsystemet sprids
Nyheten om misstänkt röstfusk i Borlänge har gett skjuts till rasism och ifrågasättande av valsystemet, i sociala medier. Falska konton driver på.
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Ola Spännar @olaspannar.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Varför pratar vi om andra saker än detta?
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Inside Climate News @insideclimatenews.org · 24/09/2026
Over 10 million people in nutritionally vulnerable countries are missing out on key vitamins and minerals because industrialized bottom-trawling fleets are vacuuming up their waters.
insideclimatenews.org
Foreign Fishing Fleets Are Robbing West African Countries of Key Nutrients - Inside Climate News
Foreign-owned bottom trawlers are emptying African waters and taking the continent’s biologically valuable nutrients with them.
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Hannah Daly @hannahdaly.ie · 24/09/2026
The extra incentive is welcome. Retrofitting is the only way to address energy security, affordability and security all at once. Cuts on fuel taxation - including the carbon tax - are weak, temporary and ineffective, and will mainly benefit richer households.
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
An under-discussed issue in reducing emissions is cutting fossil fuel use in domestic heating. Its great to see Ireland taking steps to tackle this.
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
No, the 2026 drought isn't over yet! Historically low flow in the river Rhine, where it enters the Netherlands: 640 m³/s now, and expected to drop below 600 by the weekend. The lowest ever measured this time of the year was 750 m³/s. Unprecedented, again. waterberichtgeving.rws.nl/owb/watervei...
waterberichtgeving.rws.nl
Online Waterberichtgeving | Rijkswaterstaat
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Seems the difference between ‘protestors’ and ‘terrorists’ is that protestors wear balaclavas while terrorists hold placards.
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Aarne Granlund @aarnegranlund.eurosky.social · 23/09/2026
”While intelligence may emerge, technological civilizations are typically short-lived, succumbing to self-destruction through ecological collapse, conflict, or other systemic instabilities." Deal with inequality, respect Planetary Boundaries and restore nature. www.sciencealert.com/a-1000-year-...
sciencealert.com
A 1,000-Year Simulation Reveals What Could Save Civilization From Collapse
The Fermi paradox asks: If there are other civilizations in the Universe besides ours, why haven't we yet made contact?  Researchers who study this paradox – also called the Great Silence – generally ...
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just as well those committing wrongs against the RNLI are not holding placards supporting a proscribed organisation, else they would really be in trouble.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Endangering another during a journey by sea; criminal damage; carrying an offensive weapon; possession of a bladed article; conduct endangering ships or individuals; unlawfully and intentionally destroying a ship breaching section 11 of the aviation and maritime security act;
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I wouldn't consider myself a particular expert in national security, but it is absolutely obvious what the problem is and what needs to be done. The failure of the UK government to respond to disorder over a sustained period is egregious.
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rdjonsson @rdjonsson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Det här är en vädjan till C att riva av plåstret och sitta med i en fyrpartiregering. Jag tror att vi av en bisarr slump har hamnat i ett läge där de fyra partierna som nu ska göra upp är en så perfekt kombination vi kan önska oss i det här läget. (varning för partikarikatyrer nedan)
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Young people growing up in persistent poverty are more than three times as likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) at 17 or 23. Less likely to transition out of NEET status. Childhood poverty handicaps people throughout life. Equitable distribution of income/wealth is the key
phys.org
Growing up in poverty triples young people's likelihood of becoming NEET
Young people who grow up experiencing persistent poverty are more than three times as likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET) at 17 or 23 (3.3 and 3.4 times, respectively), accord...
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"self-centred men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car such as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes."
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
People do have "legitimate concerns" about things like housing, rising cost of living, NHS waiting lists etc. That's absolutely fair. Despite political and media rhetoric, absolutely none of those concerns are solved by attacking asylum seekers and other migrants. 1/
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
And in this week's episode of "Ignorance is bliss"
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
German governments announce another €0.17/litre tax break for petrol and diesel. They claim it provides relief to citizens and companies, but it's a money transfer from those who use little or no fuel to those who use a lot, helping to keep demand and prices high. www.tagesschau.de/eilmeldung/e...
tagesschau.de
Bund und Länder einigen sich auf Tankrabatt und Spritpreisdeckel
Bund und Länder haben sich wegen der hohen Spritpreise auf einen Tankrabatt und einen Spritpreisdeckel geeinigt. Insgesamt sollen Bürger und Unternehmen um rund 2,5 Milliarden Euro entlastet werden.
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Lowering fuel taxes when supply is tight is stupid policy: it keeps demand and prices artificially high, most of it ends up with those who don't need support, and in the end, it's a money transfer from people who use little or no fuel to people who use a lot, e.g. SUV owners.
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Juha Videman @juhavideman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
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fluids_guru @fluidsguru.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I don’t understand the hand-wringing reaction to claims that nueral networks have a 10% chance of destroying civilisation. Fossil fuel companies have a 100% chance of initiating a mass extinction event. Maybe we could address that?
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Ola Spännar @olaspannar.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
10 klimatbeslut från Tidöregeringen – en påminnelsetråd 🧵 1. Miljödepartementet lades ned Tidöregeringen nedmontering av Sveriges klimat- och miljöpolitik symboliseras kanske tydligast med att det första de gjorde var att stänga Miljödepartementet www.di.se/hallbart-nar...
di.se
Miljödepartementet skrotas – ”förödande konsekvenser”
Ulf Kristerssons nya regering lägger ner miljödepartementet. Istället ska frågorna inordnas under klimat- och näringslivsdepartementet.
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Paul Cowling @picowlo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
At what point are they expecting their turnover to fall because all their customers are dead? #KillingThePlanet
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