Feminist great-granny. Armed with opinions and the knowledge that facts are awkward little barstewards...
The armpit of England
Joined March 2009
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The pedestriaisation of Oxford Street isn't finished - the final plan is to flatten out kerbs, install planters and- yes! - seating. By all means, critise the planners for opening it up too early, but don't whinge about its accessibility problems just yet.
People with disabilities are now struggling to access Oxford Street at all
teapawt.net/MikScarlet/status/2114…
Val Dobson retweeted
I’ve had some criticism for publishing this man’s picture. As I’ve had with similar stories.
Apparently, reporting on someone’s publicly stated views and activities is now considered ‘outing’ them.
But these men have already ‘outed’ themselves.
They’ve published their own names, photographs and details of their activities online. For anyone to see.
And when information about their profession or place of work is also publicly available, it hardly takes a detective to join the dots.
I haven’t gone digging into their private lives or uncovered some great secret. I’ve reported information they’ve chosen to make public.
But here’s the more important point. These are stories of legitimate public interest.
In this case, a man publicly announced plans to organise a group to turn up at a parkrun event to give people he calls ‘transphobes’ a fright.
In other words, to give women campaigning for fairness in female sport a fright.
I recognise he may not be aware that many of these women have already experienced abuse, threats and intimidation. But that doesn’t make his plans any less newsworthy.
I also understand this man is employed as a science teacher. Which, if correct, raises further questions about his judgement.
As a journalist, my job is to report the facts accurately and give people the opportunity to respond. He was offered the chance to comment. He didn’t take it.
Suggesting that legitimate public-interest reporting is somehow unethical is just another way of trying to silence journalists.
Are we supposed to anonymise people who have already publicly identified themselves to protect their ‘feelings’? Or simply not report the story?
This is how you create a chilling effect on journalism.
And that should concern anyone who believes in a free press.
The purpose of journalism isn’t to protect people from scrutiny. It’s to report matters of public interest - even when the people involved would rather we didn’t.
That’s how a free press works.
Read story below 👇
Man seeking love travels 2,000 km to meet an AI-generated woman malwarebytes.com/blog/scams/… via @Malwarebytes
Val Dobson retweeted
An oldie but a goodie. In 1968 a bunch of entitled hippy bastards sent a letter detailing their specious demands to the Warden and Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford. This was their letter of reply, which speaks to how far the academy has since fallen.
Val Dobson retweeted
TV producers. When the rozzers escort VIP’s the principles car doesn’t have blue lights activated. The back up car will only have rear lights activated.
A VIP rider will only ever put their left foot down. Right foot to cover the brake so both hands are free to direct traffic.
Val Dobson retweeted
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we introduce James “Fergie” Chambers, an American communist, tankie and heir to the Cox fortune. He’s best known for bankrolling revolutionary causes, cheering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and supporting Hamas.
1/24
Val Dobson retweeted
Elon Musk claims that Ukraine allegedly violated Starlink's terms of use and used the system on combat drones.
As someone who was inside the process at the Ministry of Defense, I can say with certainty that this is not true.
In February of this year, whitelists were introduced. Stationary terminals could be registered by both military personnel and civilians.
But for any satellite terminal to work while on the move, it had to be added to a special list and connected to the military Starshield system. Otherwise, no satellite communication terminals in Ukraine would work.
In other words, using civilian Starlink for drone missions was technically impossible. All drone missions that required satellite communication could only be carried out using Starshield.
We are very grateful to the United States and SpaceX for access to critically important satellite communications. Ukraine did not violate the terms of use.
Val Dobson retweeted
Trump: "Somalia -- 98% of the people here now from Somalia don't work. They don't have to work because they steal so much. They all have a Mercedes Benz. Low IQ and they live better than you do."
Val Dobson retweeted
It’s that time of the year again where all the extra plinths get placed in front of shelving for Xmas, which coupled with general poor & thoughtless management of shop floor space means that unless you can shape shift you are royally #DisabledByTheSupermarkets
ALT A cadburys plinth sits in front of shelving and on the other side of the aisle, a restocking trolley full of boxes blocks the aisle.
Val Dobson retweeted
academic twitter, can we make something happen?
a biomedical engineer from gaza just completed his first master’s application for 2027.
now i need to find scholarships.
who should i talk to? 🇵🇸
Anyway, off to watch another ep of Stranger Things. (Though researching "Rowling Studies" tonight threw up some pretty strange things....
JFC - is it just me or is prolonged exposure to Twitter making some people even more stupid than they already are???
(No, J, I'm not referring to you.)
The date is a typo. Please stop sharing this. tickettailor.com/events/lond…
This quoted post is unavailable.
Went looking for info about the next Strike book and fell down a long, long rabbit-hole, culminating in this:
hogwartsprofessor.substack.c…
Val Dobson retweeted
Ned Rorem (b. 23 October 1923) was an American composer, pianist, diarist, and one of the most openly gay figures in 20th century classical music. Celebrated for his exquisite art songs, candid literary voice, and unapologetic sexuality, Rorem lived at the intersection of music, literature, and homosexual culture for nearly a century.
Born in Richmond, Indiana, and raised in Chicago by Quaker parents, Rorem studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School. He spent much of the 1950s in Paris, moving among artists, writers, and musicians, including Jean Cocteau and Francis Poulenc. His lyrical compositions, particularly his more than 500 art songs, established him as one of America's foremost composers of vocal music. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1976 for Air Music, an orchestral work.
Rorem was equally renowned for his provocative diaries, beginning with The Paris Diary of Ned Rorem (1966), which scandalized literary and musical circles with its frank accounts of homosexual encounters, romantic entanglements, professional jealousies, and celebrated acquaintances. At a time when most prominent artists concealed their homosexuality, Rorem wrote about his sexuality with extraordinary candor, refusing to apologize for his desires or disguise the identities of many of his lovers.
Among his romantic relationships were encounters with prominent cultural figures, including Noël Coward and Leonard Bernstein. His most enduring attachment was to James Holmes, an organist and choir director who became his companion for more than three decades. Holmes's death from AIDS in 1999 devastated Rorem and profoundly influenced his later writings and compositions.
Elegant, witty, vain, and occasionally merciless in his judgments, Rorem cultivated a reputation as both a musical romantic and a literary provocateur. His diaries revealed a man preoccupied with beauty, sex, aging, mortality, and the inseparable demands of art and desire.
Rorem died at his Manhattan home in 2022, aged 99. He left an extraordinary musical legacy and an equally remarkable written record of gay artistic life in 20th century America and Europe. 🏳️🌈
