I've realized that I've never explained widely why I try to refer to Tolkien as John Ronald as frequently as I do. We often put him up on this pedestal (such as referring to him as The Professor, and even people wanting him to have Sainthood which is truly wild), and I like to undo that a bit.
“It feels to me like they are responding to political pressure rather than to science” – Dr Hilary Cass
https://goodlaw.social/y7d0
Perhaps Tolkien was indicating Merry's lack of education or perhaps his poor state of mind which led to this lapse in language use.
Parliamentary Committee urges UK govt to quash convictions arising from the Post Office's Capture software, the predecessor to the faulty Horizon IT system.
Around 100 postmasters were also prosecuted by DWP. After 30 years still no investigation.
Need justice for all.
It’s Friday, the weekend’s here, so time for me to sign off socials. And of course I’ll be celebrating Pi Day tomorrow. After all, I can be known to go on and on too!
Have a good one. See you Monday.
No evidence Iran has mined Strait of Hormuz, Pentagon's Hegseth says reut.rs/4t3MpsD
Not even the Nazis expressly announced they were committing war crimes. Indeed, at Nuremberg war crimes were denied.
But here, openly, the US Secretary for Defense is explicitly admitting to committing war crimes.
1/2
This is crucially important point.
1) "No quarter" is indeed specifically war-crime term
2) Under Geneva Conventions, after sinking an enemy ship, the attackers must "take all positive measures" to find and rescue any survivors. Text in next post
No evidence US sub did so after attack, AFAIK
but Laws are for other people not the #Trump administration
(1) The accused declared, ordered, or otherwise indicated that there shall be no survivors or surrender accepted; (2) The accused thereby intended to threaten an adversary or to conduct hostilities such that there would be no survivors or surrender accepted; (3) It was foreseeable that circumstances would be such that a practicable and reasonable ability to accept surrender would exist; (4) The accused was in a position of effective command or control over the subordinate forces to which the declaration or order was directed; and (5) The conduct took place in the context of and was associated with hostilities.
✋ Former USG war crimes lawyer here.
Apropos of SecDef's remarks this morning:
Denial of quarter—even the declaration of no quarter—is a war crime.
And recognized as such by the US Government.
From DoD's Manual for Military Commissions.
Michigan synagogue attack was 'hate, plain and simple', says governor
We were honoured to be part of Trans Mission Live and to stand in solidarity with the trans+ community.
Thank you to the organisers, incredible talented artists, & especially the trans people who filled the arena with such powerful trans joy. The energy, warmth & community in the room was electric.
Reason #349583 why education is essential: nothing put the fear of nuclear war in me like seeing footage of what happened to the people of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in 8th grade history class. Its burned into my brain. We shouldn't be seeing it constantly, but we do need to see it young & in a classroom.
Announcing GIFCon’s next keynote speaker: Oliver Langmead!
#Fantasy #FantasyConference #KeyNoteSpeaker #GIFCon #GIFCon2026
A picture of Maha Atal announcing her as a keynote speaker for GIFCon 2026, presenting on “The oligarchs who would be kings: technology and fantasies of global order”
Announcing our first keynote speaker for GIFCon 2026: University of Glasgow’s Dr Maha Atal!
Hello party people! For those who don't know, I'm doing my PhD part time & work part time, but because of both phd and disability, I can't work more than I already do. Funds are very tight, so if you like what I do want want to support me, I have a few options for that! Links in the comments!
Fascinating blog by @matthewcreasy.bsky.social disussing the choice of cover image for his edition of George Moore's Confessions in the MHRA Jewelled Tortoise series:
matthewcreasy.substack.com/p/judge-a-bo...
#bookhistory
Well, we rightly return art taken from Holocaust victims; the law recognizes that theft, however long ago, does not transfer title; and some debts, like mortgages, do survive death.
And, in any event, reparations are about compensation not criminality.
The end of the sort of progress on living standards that used to be regarded as automatic should be alarming, but there is a dreadful sense in which it has become Britain’s ‘new normal.’ A few years ago, the Resolution Foundation’s Economy 2030 report highlighted just how much worse off British families of modest means were than their Dutch, German and Canadian compatriots. The chart confirms that, after adding five years of new data, the international shortfall continues to afflict middle Britain as well as the bottom.
Squeezed Britons are worse-off than international counterparts.
And the international shortfall continues to afflict middle Britain as well as the bottom.
Read more in 'Unsung Britain' ➡️ buff.ly/7vTev3R
Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 states that "it is especially forbidden [...] to declare that no quarter will be given".
Hegseth: "We will keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies."
No quarter is the refusal to take prisoners and instead just execute everyone. It's been considered a war crime for over a century.
See also:
"Digitization is the beginning of your problems, not the end of them"
"If you really want long-term stability, print it out on acid-free paper. No, I'm not kidding"
"Fair use is a legal defense. They can still sue you"
"Have you tried turning it off and on again"
Many are the repositories whose digitized collections are held together by paper clips & twine paid for with an uncertain budget that may not get renewed in the next fiscal year because there’s long been a zeal to “just” digitize things but not to invest in their careful documentation & maintenance.
See Paul Corfield Godfrey's work www.paulcorfieldgodfrey.co.uk/tolkien-base...
Our Biological Flora on Wood Crane's-bill is out in @journalofecology.bsky.social. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... A team effort w/ @ruthsk.bsky.social @sandravarga.bsky.social @spp-rich.bsky.social @duncanwestbury.bsky.social, irina Tatarenko & artist Lucy Hulmes on pen and ink.
If you're interested in my electronic/post punk side project CODENAME:LOLA then you might know that I released another track last week called 'HOUDINI'.
However, here's a video I did for the track, the Bandcamp link is in the comments if you want to buy it (which you might want to, who knows).
Early Victorian font with a rather nicely designed cover, at Steeple Ashton #Wiltshire
#FontsonFriday
