From Barcelona to Paris, cities thrive with women in charge. It’s all about sharing public space | Melissa and Chris Bruntlett Female mayors have had notable successes in making transport in urban areas benefit everyone, write Melissa and Chris Bruntlett, co-authors of Women Changing Cities

From Barcelona to Paris, cities thrive with women in charge. It’s all about sharing public space | Melissa and Chris Bruntlett

Average fat cat pay surged to £5.9m last year - but firms say it's not enough Top bosses running some of Britain's biggest companies saw their pay and perks go up 4.5 times faster than a typical UK worker last year - but shareholders asked to approve new average 200% surge

Average UK fat cat pay surges to £5.9m, up 18%.

Exec pay and perks rise 4.5 times faster than a typical UK worker pay

Shareholders asked to approve new average 200% surge in CEO pay.

Govts preach pay restraint to workers, do nothing to curb fat-cattery.

“None of the Iranian delegation has arrived or even flown to Islamabad for negotiations with the US at the moment”
- Iranian State TV

Iranian channels also posted the Mr. Bean meme with JD Vance edited in to mock the situation.

In a nutshell, the ANES data shows:
📉 Social media use is shrinking; engagement collapsing
💥 Twitter/X posting has moved ~70 POINTS to the right
🧩 Platforms are splintering
🔊 Fewer people are talking — but those still talking are more politically extreme

As Twitter became X, use frequency has become strongly correlated with dislike of Democrats.

The more you hate Democrats, the more you post and visit X.

A good piece on incentives and how science gets distorted. It happens in many areas. Science can and does do amazing things. But it is not free from influence from politics or money and that often has a very human cost

As seen here or in other conditions, what gets funded and who chooses matters

Not to be seen on the BBC TV News, doesn’t suit their agenda .

Also not to be seen in the Telegraph, Express, Mail, Sun, etc.

And nowadays not in the Guardian either.

Women collaborating

Absolutely Starmer edging clear. Robins’ performance showed Philby-era Foreign Office arrogance in believing FO could ‘manage’ Mandelson vetting fail, when he was exposed on many fronts as a shyster vulnerable to blackmail.
& I don’t believe voters give a damn. Starmer’s error is priced in already

So more people are sick because covid is not seasonal and people can keep getting reinfected. While the vaccine is great at reducing risk of hospitalization and death, it doesn’t seem to be the greatest at preventing infection itself.

Plus covid appears to be reducing our immune systems’

2/7

It's certainly a bold approach to take to one of your party's core voting groups two weeks before elections.

The Unelectables: Meet the far-right candidates in the May 2026 elections – HOPE not hate HOPE not hate explores the assorted extremists representing the far right at the upcoming elections, including Holocaust deniers, crank conspiracists and Crusader cosplayers 7 May...

While Reform UK looks to dominate the right wing vote in the local elections in May, there is a variety of oddball reactionaries, fascist microparties, and independents competing for the sliver of support to the right of Reform.

Read all about them here: hopenothate.org.uk/2026/04/21/t...

I would also note that despite the (understandable) concern about youth unemployment/NEETs, the number of 18-24 years old on payrolls is actually *up* year on year.

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentan...

AI fails at primary patient diagnosis more than 80% of the time, study finds

🔗 www.euronews.com/health/2026/...

🌐 #DHPSP #DigitalHealth

Frontiers | Endothelial and cardiac dysfunction in long COVID With cardiovascular symptoms is associated with imbalance in the ADMA–DDAH–NOx pathway BackgroundPost-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) commonly feature lingering symptoms of persistent cardiovascular pathology, yet the mechanisms remain incomp...

www.frontiersin.org/journals/car...

Hmm 🤔

Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie Even the word pie is comforting. But then, it would be hard to deny the very real lure of pastry, especially when, as here, you know you're going to dunk it in gravied juices till its luscious lightne...

Chicken, Mushroom and Bacon Pie is #RecipeOfTheDay! Purists won’t consider these pies, though, as they’re unashamedly lid-only affairs. Luckily, the rest of us can happily revel in them. www.nigella.com/recipes/chic...

👏

A) 25 years is not a long time.
B) linking the code to a religious book is bonkers.
C) Test. him.

Maddow: "Do we think our servicemen and women are in good hands? Do we think that there is care being taken in terms of what they're risking their lives for?"

Al Gore:

“This is the most corrupt administration not only in American history, but more corrupt than I could ever have imagined a president would be able to get away with to the extent that he has. It’s shocking to me.”

Nigel Farage Has Personally Accepted £675,000 from Foreign Sources Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has accepted more than half a million pounds from foreign companies, governments, and donors while serving as an MP, DeSmog can reveal. Since July 2024, when he was elect...

“Farage rarely turns up to do his actual job. Yet he finds time to jet off around the world on his donor’s private plane and trouser half a million quid while families struggle. Reform are not on your side. They’re just in it for themselves”

It’s so obvious, it hurts.
www.desmog.com/2026/04/18/n...

UK unemployment rate sees surprise fall to 4.9% Most analysts had predicted the rate would remain unchanged at 5.2%.

UK unemployment rate sees surprise fall to 4.9% www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The economy was improving. They said unemployment would soar after RR changes, the opposite happened. Now the orange lunatic has blown our economy up. Labour, however, will get the blame.

Renewables have passed coal power globally,. Global electricity generation n TWh, 2000-2025.

Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’ | @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org @ember-energy.org

Read here: buff.ly/XtaYP1D

In other Ed Miliband news… the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (heat pump subsidy) is going up from £7,500 to £9,000 for homes in rural areas that rely on oil or LPG.

Given the spike in heating oil prices, and how good an option heat pumps are in rural areas, this is a good idea

I'm supporting the University of Minnesota Foundation! Help support academics and scholarships at the University of Minnesota.

I would greatly appreciate anyone amplifying this or contributing.

The Alex Pretti nursing scholarship is being created. An endowed scholarship awarded to a student with financial need. Preference will be given to students with an interest in supporting America's veterans. Link below. Thank you.

Alex Jones Predicts Donald Trump Will Be Impeached: ‘Guaranteed’

Right-wing commentator Alex Jones thinks President Donald Trump could face a rocky political road ahead.

Two other things: 1. The price of solar has come down a LOT over the past few years. It's a very competitive market and 0% VAT.

2. The smart tariffs on offer now can work out amazingly. You become your own little power station. Some v good overnight rates, and decent export rates available.