Nick Johnston

I knew someone (admittedly that's a lot of people) smarter than me would be able to numerate the crises - thank you!

An article “More than one million foreign nationals are receiving benefits” (March 17, 2025) referred to the number of “foreign nationals” receiving benefits, and gave the rate of benefit claims for various nationalities. In fact, the particular DWP data on which the article was based recorded the nationality of claimants when registering for a National Insurance number, rather than the nationality at the time they were claiming benefits, so that some claimants might have since acquired UK citizenship, and would not be foreign nationals at the time they were claiming benefits. This correction has been published following an upheld ruling by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. Advertisement

Fully *one year later*, the Telegraph has been forced (by @ipso.co.uk) to admit that it was lying about foreign nationals claiming benefits.

I went to one in Skegness Butlins 16 years ago! (It was for my brother's stag party during the time of the ash cloud so I had to get the overnight ferry from Belfast to Liverpool to make it it time.)
It was brilliant - Bad Manners and Musical Youth! (And Keith Harris and Orville and Cuddles...)

I took a deep breath to finish the second part even as I was reading it!

Victim. Definitely victim.
Or inmate - I know anything I've attended in that vein has always seemed like punishment (often cruel and unusual).

Karl Weick (organizational psychologist, foundational work on sensemaking) had a great refrain: “How can I know what I think until I see what I say?” I often think about this in relation to how AI can interfere w/ thinking by substituting its words for ours. This experimental study offers evidence.

I'd be even more delighted to learn that this means the same chiefs are going to put hands in pockets and pay to implement this epiphany...

Plus I agree, which is a bonus

Anything with a Jonathan Richman lyric for an account name will always get a like from me!

🖖

How is this not the first thing they asked him about?
And even then, why didn't they tell him to jog on when he gave this pathetic answer?

Our new section for critical ceviews of key concepts is now available, including an Editorial of how to submit proposals for this new article type

#Academicsky #greensky

It's no longer OK for you to sit in the house of Lords because your dad did.
But if your mate put you there?
That's fine.
Neither of these really feel like democracy to me.

Report: Bridging the gap between climate concern and climate action. ClimateXChange

New report 📚

Focusing on installing a heat pump, switching to an EV, and using public transport more than driving, this report looks at how people respond to different communications to prompt them to take the first steps toward climate action.

www.climatexchange.org.uk/projects/bri...

Which is what I don't understand about all the "AI will mean you can sit by the pool sipping cold beverages while it beavers away doign your work" boosters - if you have to spend the time looking for needles in haystacks (which is essential) why not do the work in the first place?

Thank you for covering the other possible metaphors - I got scared having to choose between a bus and wolves!

Bookmarking this just in case MSCA DN assessment is in our favour next month... 🤞

Thanks to @emptywheel.bsky.social for the alert - this is an incredible feat by @randyhermanlaw.com to keep typing when his eyes must have been trying to roll like a Catherine wheel firework through most of it.

Worth reading the whole way to see how brazen people can be

Etymology is going to take decades to recover from his reign of error I mean terror

That was amazing - great job on your part

Is this the legal equivalent of throwing someone to the wolves? (Or did Renfer throw himself, if that's a thing?)

Bingo!

There's no question about his position - he's always a tw@t

Absolutely. There’s a political programme on BBC called question time. This was the other night. It cuts out too soon, rapturous applause followed.

Just signed a small stack of GreatBigUniverse.net books @vromansbookstore.bsky.social - go get them!

I wonder if scholars are going to look back and blame these clowns for the practice of etymology resembling a drunk uncle for a decade

Nothing stuck in the main questioning and the end of time insult was just being deployed when the clip ended, but it's a shame we didn't get to see that fall flat on its face as well.

This is amazing.

When the government kills a crucial report, independent scientists decide to write it anyway and release it outside of government channels.

That’s science serving society, even when our political leaders don’t.

Yes! It must be crushingly disappointing to realise that money can't buy you happiness if you're a terrible person in the first place, but I don't get why you'd lean into being terrible even more instead of changing!

And "stop using me to make decisions"