In February 1777, General George Washington ordered the first mass immunization campaign in American history by mandating that his troops be inoculated against smallpox. He protected the Continental Army from an epidemic that was deadlier than British forces.
249 years later, we have this idiot.
'“You will have nothing left,” he declares in one voiceover, as the camera pans across a landscape of shattered buildings. “We will flatten you and destroy you.”' www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Deliberately silly answers should count as passes, doubled.
Alert reporting by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social
When are the BBC Green Rooms getting renamed so Farage can better enjoy his pre and post show nibbles?
"This way Mr Farage to the Teal room.. oh you know the way..
key as well..marvellous!"
Bravo to @sturdyalex.bsky.social for the spot! 👏
NEW | On an odd choice…
WHY DID BBC BREAKFAST GIVE REFORM UK A SPECIAL GRAPHIC?
A small detail in a brief report sparks some big questions about what the national broadcaster is doing during the run up to local and national elections.
brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/why-did-bb...
Thank you.
Michael Buerk throwing away his dignity flogging royal coins.
Shaun Wallace for Jane Plan is cringeworthy too.
How Wagner would have laughed. "Name the composer of this" [extract from Die Walküre]. Buzz. "Meyerbeer?" #UniversityChallenge
It’s very hard not to give up…
The media outlets that we should be able to trust to hold power to account are in the pockets of power. They undermine our democracy every day.
I despair, I really do.
OMFG I had to go and check that this ACTUALLY happened.
Since when does the BBC ever do chyrons with a political party's branding, rather than their own? Not to mention this is during a pre-election campaign purdah.
(h/t @iainsol.bsky.social)
This is a little more personal than what I usually post; the death of Paul Waldman - artist, bodybuilder, character - prompted me to think about my teenage self and the twisted politics of manhood.
paulwaldman.substack.com/p/rip-to-the...
'I did not have cognitive relations with that vetting process'
@joshih.bsky.social Do you think you could get your "support" (info@) team to answer emails?
It's going to be even worse the next time they appoint Peter Mandelson
Gil Duran tweet: TLDR: Fascism in response to Palantir's long fascists screed on X.
"Your Account is Suspended" Message on X
The CEO of Palantir posted a fascist manifesto on X.
I pointed out that it was fascist—which resulted in a permanent suspension from X (my second time!).
So, when you hear the tweeters complaining that BlueSky is intolerant, remember why many of us came here in the first place.
Why I'm going... My POV on the dinner is summed up well by Eric Deggans on Substack. "Yes, the optics of such an event can be terrible," he writes. But the gatherings themselves are "extremely useful" for reporters: "It's not often, when covering a beat expansive as media or politics, that you get to attend an event which brings together loads of people from your coverage area in one spot on one night. I always view such events as opportunities for source-building, vetting of coverage ideas and networking." That's why I will be there this weekend. (Thank you, CNN, for the invite.)
I'm disappointed that @brianstelter.bsky.social is going to the appalling WHCD dinner. It is *not* at all useful for anything journalistically defensible. It's a celebration of smug clubbiness and, this year, of submission to disinformation and fascism. view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/177...
Articles about Jared Kushner's diplomatic role with Iran that mention Kushner has received billions from the Saudi government (2/28-4/19):
NYT: 5 of 58
WashPost: 1 of 43
WSJ: 0 of 40
AP: 0 of 26
CNN Wire: 0 of 18
NY Post: 0 of 17
Chicago Tribune: 0 of 4
LA Times: 0 of 4
Boston Globe: 0 of 2
Significant increase on here in those daft "I don't care" replies, by those who care enough to make a point of replying.
And "what does it matter?" from those to whom it plainly does matter.
A lesson that even @liverpoolpost.bsky.social has yet to learn. Waiting to hear from "support" about how I can cancel my subscription when it expires (no obvious way on the website) to be able to use that money to support other independent journalists who haven't lost their way.
"no one is more angry than me!"
He announced that a ball would be played with but he's now shocked that the ball was, indeed, played with even though sources were advised it would be unsafe, because he wasn't told it would be unsafe so, really, he's just as surprised as everyone else, even those who thought everyone knew it.
So not only are people who have come to the UK seeking safety placed in fear and limbo by the current government, but also with the potential of Reform winning the next election.
Not only is this proposed policy utterly racist and inhumane, it is also batshit crazy.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Today the Prime Minister will assure Parliament that there was no window, or if there was a window it did not break, and if it broke it was not from a ball, and if there was a ball there was no kick.
He will add that he is "furious" about the window that broke from a ball that was kicked. (By him.)
How everything changed on 19 April 1775.
Heather Cox Richardson @hcrichardson.bsky.social heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/april-19-2...
Steve McGookin @stevemcgstates.bsky.social Safe At Home.
Baseball celebrates its day of all days. stevemcgookin.substack.com/p/safe-at-ho...
Frances Coppola @francescoppola.bsky.social Land is not permanent - but we think it is. Entire civilizations depend on something that is subject to change and over which humans have no control. coppolacomment.substack.com/p/land-is-no...
Jessica is never cheerful, but neither was Cassandra. @jessicawildfire.bsky.social The World After Trump.
And what it might look like. www.survivalillustrated.io/p/the-world-...
New university free speech complaints system to come into force this year S hours ago Branwen Jeffreys > Education Editor A new freedom of speech complaints system for England's universities will come into force for the next academic year, the government has said.
The freedoms of racists and transphobes must be defended at all costs in Starmer's Britain
If cruelty, hate speech and the academic browbeating of vulnerable communities cannot run free across the corridors and lecture halls of our universities - well, what is education even FOR?
