Sign in

Sam P-F

@smhwpf.bsky.social
1.3K followers 287 following 1.3K posts

Research Coordinator at Campaign Against Arms Trade @caatuk.bsky.social. Leftist, Sci-fi/fantasy fan. Dundee-based, Londoner at heart. He/him.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Sam P-F
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 10h
"The current level of political animosity is exactly what one would expect to see if an extremist faction attempted to rescind the hard-earned rights of the vast majority of the country’s citizens." There are not enough exclamation points to convey how I felt reading this paragraph
Screenshot of article which reads: From this perspective, the “both sides” frame falls apart. The prob-
lem is not that the parties are divided. The problem is the existential 
threat that a reempowered ethnonationalist strain poses to pluralistic 
U.S. democracy writ large. The current level of political animosity is 
exactly what one would expect to see if an extremist faction attempted 
to rescind the hard-earned rights of the vast majority of the country’s 
citizens. The only way to re-oppress most of a country is to use anti-
democratic and authoritarian tactics. And the only way to oppose those 
tactics is to push back as a population and clearly reject them. This is 
the argument happening in the United States, and its pathology is not 
anger—it is the movement to undermine a generation of rights.
3984393
Reposted by Sam P-F
Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 11h
Today, 8 years ago, my friend, Saudi Journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered.
16971442276
Reposted by Sam P-F
Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 16h
Dividends paid to UK citizens taxed at rates of 8.75% to 39.35%, lower rate than wages. Dividends mostly go to the top 1%. £6bn a year raised if dividends taxed at the same rate as wages. More if NIC levied. Unlike the US, France, Germany, no UK tax levied on dividends paid to foreign investors.
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
8224113
Reposted by Sam P-F
CorrinaLeeB 🇨🇦 @corrina.sheshed.rocks · 13h
🚨TRIGGER WARNING🚨 Discussion of rape/sexual violence & strong language. ☑️ Bear ☐ Man This spoken word poem stopped me in my tracks The bear was never really the point. The point is why so many women understood the answer immediately Listen to her words. They matter. —Claire Donohoe🐻💜 #SheShed
50945456
Reposted by Sam P-F
Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 11h
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 The NHS is trying to silence us for criticising Palantir, but we’re not bowing down to the pressure goodlawproject.org/is-this-the-firs…
goodlawproject.org
Is this the first ever SLAPP by our own Government? | Good Law Project
The Department for Health and Social Care has written to us demanding we take down our video criticising Palantir’s NHS contract – we won’t
316686
Reposted by Sam P-F
Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Things Gavin Newsom has vetoed this week: -A ban on secretly recording people with smart glasses -A ban on ICE agents working for the state government -A ban on websites selling your data -A bill giving native tribes more say over water rights -A bill protecting transgender healthcare providers
290109333993
Reposted by Sam P-F
Maya Schenwar @mayaschenwar.bsky.social · 10h
“They are looking for our thoughts... They want to see who I’m messaging. They want to see what WhatsApp groups I am part of.” -Jalal Shehadeh on searches of pro-Palestine folks' phones at the border truthout.org/articles/bor...
truthout.org
Border Agents Are Randomly Seizing Phones of US Citizens Who Support Palestine
Miami lawyer Jalal Shehadeh is the latest supporter of Palestinian rights to be hassled after returning from abroad.
02419
Reposted by Sam P-F
Senator Tim Kaine @kaine.senate.gov · 12h
Eight years ago today, the Saudi government directed the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Virginia resident and journalist dedicated to shining a light on the truth. As we honor his memory and courage, we must fight for accountability and defend press freedom worldwide.
17608168
Reposted by Sam P-F
M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 16h
Naomi Klein Is Spot On.......
14173202883
Reposted by Sam P-F
Inkstick Media @inkstickmedia.com · 15h
"He writes how he found it bizarre, naive even, that as a student and then as a permanent resident in the US, he was told that speaking out was a protected right, that there were certain legal principles that couldn’t be violated. Then one day masked men showed up at his house."
inkstickmedia.com
In New Memoir, Mahmoud Khalil Takes on Immigrant Detention
In his new memoir, Palestinian refugee and activist Mahmoud Khalil writes of his time locked away in immigrant detention.
0239
Reposted by Sam P-F
Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 02/10/2026
DISCLAIMER: This post contains graphic photos. Men, women, and families are being abused in lawless, cramped, mold-choked facilities in Florida. A horrific new whistleblower report has pulled back the curtain on the dangerous and lawless practices operating inside two federal facilities in Florida.
Conditions inside of the Miramar Holding Facility sally port where more than one hundred detainees are being detained for days and forced to sleep on the ground.Piles of trash have accumulated outside of the Miramar Holding FacilityHuman waste has overflowed onto the ground outside of the portable toilets placed outside of the Miramar Holding Facility sally port.Detainees brushing their teeth using water from a hose attached to a jug outside
15421276
Reposted by Sam P-F
David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 15h
I share Braverman's Indian-Mauritian background. And if a family member of mine ever came out with this horseshit I would tell them, "yes, you are indeed being racist against yourself, and against us. Have some self respect".
623748
Reposted by Sam P-F
Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 12h
🚨🎥 “We will finally give them the most basic human right: to honor them and lay them to rest.” Hundreds gathered in Gaza City on Thursday for the mass funeral of 105 Palestinians killed on Oct. 25, 2023, when Israeli forces dropped at least 20 bombs on the Al-Taj residential block & surrounding...
🚨🎥 “We will finally give them the most basic human right: to honor them and lay them to rest.”

Hundreds gathered in Gaza City on Thursday for the mass funeral of 105 Palestinians killed on October 25, 2023, when Israeli forces dropped at least 20 bombs on the Al-Taj residential block and surrounding buildings in Yarmouk Square.

Nearly three years later, it took Civil Defense crews, aided by Egyptian teams, 20 days of searching and digging through the rubble to recover the remains.

“We were able to recover 105 martyrs: children, women, the elderly, patients, engineers, doctors, nurses, and academics,” Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told Drop Site’s Mohamed Ahmed. 

Basal said some 8,000 victims remain beneath destroyed buildings across Gaza and called for the entry of equipment and logistical support needed to recover them. “If things remain as they are, we are talking about many years in which these families will remain beneath the rubble.”

Sumaya Bakhit, who lost 15 members of her family beneath the Al-Taj building, said the remains of three of her brother’s children, ages 9, 5, and 2, were among those finally recovered.

“We have mixed emotions—sorrow, pain, but also joy,” Bakhit said. “The feelings of loss are impossible to describe.”

🎥 Mohamed Ahmed
15928
Reposted by Sam P-F
Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 18h
This can't be talked about enough. "President Donald Trump's move to cut most of the US funding towards foreign humanitarian aid could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal." www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Trump's aid cut risks causing 14 million deaths, report finds
The figure from the Lancet, a leading medical journal, includes 700,000 child deaths globally a year.
9221146
Reposted by Sam P-F
Maggie Chapman (she/her) @maggiechapman.bsky.social · 18h
Dundee Uni staff are taking strike action to fight compulsory redundancies and cuts. I stand firmly with them. Staff and students did not cause this crisis, but they’re being asked to pay the price for it. Solidarity with Dundee UCU, UOD Students Against Cuts and all those standing with them. ✊
Graphic advertising a Dundee picket to oppose higher education cuts. It gives the time as 8–11am on Monday 5 October 2026, at the Tower Building, University of Dundee, 3 Perth Road, Dundee. The graphic features a map of Scotland and a row of illustrated people holding hands at the bottom.
085
Reposted by Sam P-F
Jewish Voice for Liberation @jvl.org.uk · 17h
Recent lobbyist for Palantir had key role in helping Andy Burnham become PM Martha Dalton worked closely with Burnham’s team on byelection that secured his return to parliament www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Recent lobbyist for Palantir had key role in helping Andy Burnham become PM
Exclusive: Martha Dalton worked closely with Burnham’s team on byelection that secured his return to parliament
174
Reposted by Sam P-F
Politics Theory Other @poltheoryother.bsky.social · 16h
"In Yemen you've got Royal Saudi Air Force jets, flown by Saudi pilots, but the pilots are trained by Britain. The bombs are supplied by Britain. The maintenance is supplied by Britain... And that British support sustains the aerial operations..." - @davidwearing.bsky.social
11413
Reposted by Sam P-F
Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 17h
"Ed, do the right thing, do it this week: lift the ban on Palestine Action, agree with UN Enquiry, the ICJ, the many lawyers all over the world: Israel is guilty of genocide. Stop all arms sales, use all diplomatic & economic powers to show that we're no longer complicit in this horrific genocide"👇
323776
Sam P-F @smhwpf.bsky.social · 15h
The reason Andy Burnham went easy on Man City. UAE seen as a vital source of investment. The UAE is literally sponsoring and arming a genocide in Sudan, but you won't gear any UK official breath a word about their role. The government is going to be putting LOT of pressure on the EPL to be lenient.
171
Sam P-F @smhwpf.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sometimes #SlowHorses has the best lines. "You'd burn a city down to save face, wouldn't you?" "Depends what city."
010
Reposted by Sam P-F
The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 01/10/2026
The Trump administration has moved to cripple Title IX protections against sexual assault and harassment on the same day New York prosecutors reopened the investigation into heinous allegations of a fraternity gang rape at Cornell University. trib.al/QewniBV
trib.al
Trump Weakens Title IX Rules Amid Cornell Gang Rape Investigation
The Education Department has just weakened protections for sexual assault victims in schools.
57667385
Sam P-F @smhwpf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
That sounds like a bad idea
010
Reposted by Sam P-F
Jimmy Thomson @jameswsthomson.com · 01/10/2026
Carney begins his announcement of a new oil pipeline by acknowledging the climate-linked wildfire that came close to levelling the town where he's announcing the new oil pipeline. A flat circle.
14512194
Reposted by Sam P-F
Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New from @timnitgebru.blacksky.app and me: "It is high time for us to regulate usage of systems sold as “AI”, not because they are magical machines, but because they are error-prone products that shouldn’t be used in high stakes scenarios." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender
The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals
11936398
Reposted by Sam P-F
Prism @prismreports.org · 30/09/2026
“It is extremely difficult to see a patient in pain & know that you cannot provide the treatment they need because the materials are unavailable or too expensive.” As Israel blocks healthcare supplies & anesthesia, patients like Esraa Abo Qamar are forced to struggle with debilitating tooth pain.
prismreports.org
Dental care is in crisis in Gaza due to Israel’s blockade on supplies
As Israel blocks healthcare supplies and anesthesia, patients are going without the dental care they need or living with debilitating tooth pain
39145
Reposted by Sam P-F
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Omigod, this is the most heartwarming story possible! Backpack (bear 89) is the son of the 2019 winner of Fat Bear Week, Holly (bear 435). In 2007, he injured his foot & a practice of riding on momma's Holly's back had a new meaning: he was mobility-restricted while it healed. So Holly moved him.
From DISCVR blog's Facebook page, a momma bear & a yearling cub on her back in the shallow water.  I think the background has been swapped out, and I can't rule out some AI use there?  God, Facebook has become the social media for AI slop : (

The title of the article, which I link below, is "How Bear 89 earned the name Backpack"
2847461596
Reposted by Sam P-F
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
You can see the genocide from space. Yet still it is widely denied.
361353606
Reposted by Sam P-F
Christian Keitel @ckeitelsci.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Incredible scenes at our university. Way too rich to receive further support from ScotGov but management hellbent on cutting more staff to save money? Make it make sense. #SaveUoD #StopTheCuts
11310
Reposted by Sam P-F
Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 01/10/2026
I'm not sure if y'all saw a CNN report on how the US had almost started WW3 with China based on fabricated information generated by a chatbot, claiming that a Chinese vessel was carrying components of nuclear weapons. That was an "existential threat" to humanity www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender
The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals
8403165
Reposted by Sam P-F
Taylor Barnes @tkbarnes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A needy school in Ohio quietly greenlit decades of tax breaks to an autonomous weapons company – all while hitting up local taxpayers for more! Our @inkstickmedia.com exposé dives into the role of Anduril's lobbyist + backlash against a related data center deal inkstickmedia.com/an-ohio-scho...
inkstickmedia.com
An Ohio School Needs Funds. It Voted to Cut Anduril’s Tax Bill, Anyway
In smalltown Ohio, the defense manufacturer Anduril is receiving tax breaks even as locals are left to foot the school bill.
254
Reposted by Sam P-F
Nick Turse @nickturse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Pentagon’s Secret Budget Trump’s proposed budget hides $1 trillion in military spending from the public by spreading it across disparate government agencies. theintercept.com/2026/10/01/t...
theintercept.com
The Pentagon’s Secret Budget
Trump’s proposed budget hides $1 trillion in military spending from the public by spreading it across disparate government agencies.
13724
Reposted by Sam P-F
Right Livelihood @rightlivelihood.org · 30/09/2026
The 2026 Right Livelihood Award goes to women and women-led organisations challenging entrenched power structures: 🏆 Jalila Haider @jalilahaider.bsky.social 🏆 Rural Women's Assembly 🏆 Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association 🏆 Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app rightlivelihood.org/2026-announc...
28239
Reposted by Sam P-F
The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Social media users have been sharing Google Maps satellite imagery of Gaza over the past day. The damage visible on the map reflects the scale recorded by UN assessments. "It doesn't need scholars, it doesn't need anyone to justify this as a genocide because you can see it from Google Maps."
36945
Reposted by Sam P-F
Right Livelihood @rightlivelihood.org · 30/09/2026
What happens when an AI researcher challenges the direction of the industry from within? Meet @timnitgebru.blacksky.app, one of the 2026 Right Livelihood Laureates — a pioneering researcher confronting concentrated power in artificial intelligence. rightlivelihood.org/the-change-m...
110139
Reposted by Sam P-F
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Kemi Badenoch condemned Reform's ban on critical journalists covering their conference as "authoritarian", saying her own party would never do the same as "we believe in free speech. We believe in a free press." Now the Conservatives have banned Byline Times from their conference
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Ban Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
641057533
Reposted by Sam P-F
Bob Berwyn @bberwyn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There were about 16,000 heat-related deaths in Germany last summer, about double the mortality during the first Covid wave in early 2020. Extreme heat needs to be treated as an ongoing public health emergency.
insideclimatenews.org
Mass Heat Wave Deaths in Europe Show Climate Extremes Are Outpacing Adaptation Efforts - Inside Climate News
As preparedness lags, many regions around the world could be overwhelmed by rising temperatures, climate experts warn.
18055
Reposted by Sam P-F
Casey Explosion @caseyexplosion.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The Heritage Foundation laid out how they were going to rescind Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, by first targeting trans people's participation in sport. Capitulating on the human rights of transgender people is catastrophically falling at the first hurdle.
92025709
Sam P-F @smhwpf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wow.
011
Reposted by Sam P-F
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”.
201238445
Reposted by Sam P-F
War on Want @waronwant.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says those who were "outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people: we hear you. You were right." If this is true, the UK government must stop stalling & end all UK complicity in Israel's atrocities. Stop arming Israel. Stop trading with Israel.
164
Reposted by Sam P-F
Maggie Chapman (she/her) @maggiechapman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I met members of Christian Climate Action outside Parliament to hear their concerns about Rosebank and Jackdaw, and the future of oil and gas in the North Sea. As a North East MSP, I want to see our region’s incredible skills and expertise put to work creating good jobs for the future. 1/3
Graphic for Climate Week 2026 featuring a photo of Maggie Chapman MSP and Cara McKee MSP with Christian Climate Action activists outside the Scottish Parliament, holding banners calling for Rosebank to be stopped. Text reads: “People need skilled, well-paid, secure work and investment that lasts. That means building up the clean industries of the future, not more fossil fuels that do nothing to secure that future.” The Scottish Greens logo and Maggie Chapman MSP’s name appear at the bottom.
165
Reposted by Sam P-F
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is among the most under-covered stories in America — Israel is now holding *THREE* young Americans in prison, and no mainstream media is touching it
017999
Reposted by Sam P-F
Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-accu...
middleeasteye.net
UK accused of 'fuelling' Yemen war as Saudi jets receive British support
Academics and civil society groups warn British military assistance to Riyadh risks complicity in further violations as fighting escalates
021
Reposted by Sam P-F
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
BREAKING: Israel snatched an American teen from his West Bank home in the middle of the night — just days before his birthday and during his critical national exams. He's now been held for 3 months, with no charges. Netanyahu just came to the US for the *eighth* time since Trump took office.
zeteo.com
First Draft: Israel Has Kidnapped Another American Teenager
Abdalkareem Issa Ahmed Safi has Texas roots but languishes in a notorious jail, one more victim of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cruel impunity. Donald Trump, meanwhile, is losing some of his most ardent fans.
8762378
Reposted by Sam P-F
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
SCOOP A Pentagon influencer called liberal women a "pestilence" who will end western civilization. He's also: • Praised dictators like Franco and Pinochet • Said people without kids should not be allowed vote • Called immigrants "semihuman savages" www.wired.com/story/a-pent...
wired.com
A Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western Civilization
Kurt Schlichter was part of a task force rooting out so-called woke ideologies at the military’s war colleges. He has called to bar childless adults from voting.
54727315
Reposted by Sam P-F
Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 29/09/2026
A key component of the Cambridge Analytica outrage was your friends subjecting you to data theft without your consent or knowledge. Facebook is running the same playbook on your text messages. Even if you’re not on Meta properties, they’re ingesting your interactions.
Aten installed Muse on both his iPhone and a Mac mini that he uses to test out various Al agents and tech. It took Meta a single day to begin "helpfully" pitching article ideas based on texts he'd sent to a podcast co-host.
When he asked Muse how it got the information, it said that it read banners from incoming texts. But that's not true, either.
After doing a little digging, Aten says Muse synced 187,000 lines from his Messages database, despite Full Disk Access being Off.Unless Aten is the most popular person on the face of the planet, I sincerely doubt he'd gotten 187,000 lines of text in roughly 24 hours. What happened is that, without permission, Muse went into the app and downloaded the information.
He had not given Muse permission to access Messages, and full disk access was not enabled. It just went ahead and uploaded those texts anyway.
Muse can take "unexpected actions" indeed.
141210615
Reposted by Sam P-F
Global Justice Now @globaljusticenow.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
When big corporations can sue governments for BILLIONS for protecting people and the climate, we all pay the cost. It's time to put an end to this. Join the global movement against ISDS. 15-17 October 2026: stopisds.global/en/
0125
Reposted by Sam P-F
Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Israel wiped Gaza from the face of the earth.  Everyone knew exactly what they were doing!  A crime more confessed to as it happened than any other in history. A crime more documented as it happened than any other in history. There are no excuses. None at all
16558341
Sam P-F @smhwpf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This really ought to be bigger news. An AI hallucination almost led to US planes attacking a Chinese ship, potentially starting a US-China war. Fortunately some US official dug a bit deeper and realised the AI-generated report was wrong.
010
Reposted by Sam P-F
Karam Bales @karambales.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Why is discussing lack of Covid vaccine access taboo in the UK? Guardian article criticises RFK JR while ignoring greater restrictions in the UK Other ignored issues includes IPC Guidance, Long Covid, clean air counterdisinformationproject.substack.com/p/why-is-dis...
counterdisinformationproject.substack.com
Why is discussing lack of Covid vaccine access taboo in the UK?
Guardian article criticises RFK JR while ignoring greater restrictions in the UK
36633