Word of the Day is ‘theic’ (19th century), defined as ‘one given to immoderate tea-drinking; a tea drunkard’.

Loved this song.

Thank you.

Well said Steve. What a loss!

The music and the painting are quite wonderful.

Something I never thought I would see ...

On my way home from their London gig. Works well live as well, especially People.

The world needs more erumpence.

A screen capture of the article linked above stating that “there will be an additional death from TB every seven minutes“.

@johngreensbluesky.bsky.social have you seen this counter, tracking how many people have likely died from tuberculosis since USAID funding was cut? www.bu.edu/articles/202...

“Tesla’s aren’t woke!” Tesla UK rep speaks out. YouTube video by Rosie Holt

“Teslas aren’t woke” insists UK Tesla rep and urges us to stand up for Elon Musk youtu.be/kuY_ywICSZs?...

Sad news.

Bravo.

There are severe delays on the Elizabeth Line.

Exclusive: Catholic Relief Services lays off staff, cuts programs after USAID shakeup An internal email says CRS is likely to be cut in half this year from Trump's freeze of U.S. foreign assistance. Cuts will "cost people's lives and livelihoods," a former bishops' conference official ...

Trump and the GOP just gutted a major Catholic charity but apparently it’s liberals and Democrats who are anti-Christian and anti-Church

Tech Broligarchs Want Jesus Out of the Way - Christianity Today From Russell Moore: When the Living Word speaks, the ambitions of every would-be “master of the universe” stand exposed.

What matters are ones & zeroes, not bodies & souls:

“one of the curiosities of the early twenty-first century is the way so much power over social relations came into the hands of young men with more interest in numbers than in people." @drmoore.bsky.social
www.christianitytoday.com/2025/02/tech...

UK family visa application rules 'a tax on love' As the government reviews its migration policy, families say they are being torn apart by current rules.

Minimum Income Requirements leave families ripped apart, often with huge impacts on children. It makes falling in love and having a family a "pay to play" system, and causes so much harm. They are an unjust "tax on love" and devastate lives. MIR needs to be scrapped.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

My favorite new year hymn/song/poem. Realism fused with hope and a deep spirituality.

Great news.

The Home Office would like to facilitate the return of refugees to Syria, a minister has said, saying about 6,500 asylum claims had been suspended as the government waited to assess the fallout from the end of the Assad regime. The immigration minister Angela Eagle said many refugees had been fleeing from the persecution and torture inflicted by Bashar al- Assad's regime and said that if people wished to return to Syria from the UK “we'd certainly like to facilitate that".

The organisation which just deposed Assad is a proscribed terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda. Parts of Syria are being bombed back to the stone age, the whole country risks descending into civil war, but sure, let's try and get rid of people seeking safety.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

The Empty Bench "A place to sit and ponder"

I've written about lots here. Not so much stories but reflections on Christmas songs. theemptybenchblog.wordpress.com

Just about to spend the next 60-90 mins moving furniture!

According to Spotify Wrapped ...

January was my Psychodelic Ritual Stoner Rock Phase
February was my Romanticisim Concert Band Classical Phase
March was my Victorian Polyphony Choral Phase

Spotify seemed to give up after that ...

Top Song: Shaboozey
Top Artist: Johannes Brahms

#Confuzzled!

Palliative Care Doctor, Dr Rachel Clarke,

"If we had robust palliative care, then many many fewer people might feel as though this is their only option"

"Wes Streeting has said patients will be coerced to take their life due to a lack of care"

"Wes Streeting,what are you now going to do about it"

Hmmm
Maybe time to stop serving biscuits with our post-service tea and coffee.

My son Noah talking about the partnership between the orchestra he plays in and global strategic advisory firm Hakluyt
www.instagram.com/reel/DC1I9ig...
www.orchestrasforall.org/.../partners....
#ProudDad

Super excited to see Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit tonight. Must be getting towards double figures now and every concert has been a gem. Music which embraces the glory and brokenness of being human and ends up life-affirming and hopeful as well. He plays a mean guitar as well.

And under a fiver in the UK.

Wow, thank you.