Dr Una McIlvenna

Ha ha yes a friend sent me this and I was absolutely thrilled because im writing about the songs about the Messina earthquake of 1908!

Singing the news: the story of Italy’s last ‘cantastorie’ – still performing in his 90s Famous for combining true crime and political scandals into songs – and antagonising Silvio Berlusconi – Franco Trincale keeps the tradition alive in his nursing home

Saw this headline and thought @unamcilvenna.bsky.social has made the news! Apparently not, but it's part of the same tradition.
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/m...

BREAKING:
The State Department has approved a $151.8 million emergency ammunition sale to Israel, bypassing Congress entirely.

Oh.

“We have agreed” — how nice of them! Surely they’re doing this work pro bono right?

I don’t understand: I read about this weeks ago. How is this ‘newly released’?

I don’t know, that seems like an excellent development to me

Nice. Can you get Patrick to come to Bluesky? We miss him!!

He’s already agreed that the Yanks can use British military bases in the region so I wouldn’t go singing his praises. He’s a useless coward

You think the American and Israeli governments separate religion from government?? My goodness, that would be wonderful but they are also theocracies

I totally understand why Iranians would celebrate the end of the Ayatollah, but thinking that the US and Israel give a damn about Iranians is naive in the extreme

These people were holding up pictures of Pahlavi, Israeli flags, and signs saying ‘thank you Trump’

Watching the Iranians celebrate here in Australia is so jarring.

A PSA from Thomas Massie:

Except the French. The Lyonnais specifically. Lyon is called ‘the gastronomic capital of France’, but then you realise that it’s all the traditional dishes of the 16th-century silk weavers who could only afford offal. Totally disgusting 🤢 🤣

this is what they said it would be like under socialism

Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros. - About Netflix

Netflix won't counter Ellison's offer.

Ladies and gentleman, the full right wing power grab is here and will now be beamed into every home on CBS, CNN, HBO, movies from Warner and Paramount.

about.netflix.com/en/news/netf...

The Handbasket 100% independent journalism by Marisa Kabas

Now that CNN and WBD are set to become state media in a sale to Paramount/Oracle/TikTok, it is especially important to support independent media.

Off the top of my head:

www.thehandbasket.co
404media.co
www.garbageday.email

Add your favorites in the replies. Fuck state-backed media monopolies.

Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover

The richest man owns X.

The second and third richest men control Google.

The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post.

And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros.

See the problem here?

Here is my opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today.

This is a very cool story, about how art historians, curators, mathematicians, and palaeographers work together to restore masterpieces: www.quantamagazine.org/using-mathem...

Having seen the aurora multiple times, I understand why people believe in deities and extraterrestrials 💕

It’s all about finding the right kind of book club. Mine is all ladies who are v educated but also really enjoy drinking, so for us, whether you’ve read the book or not, it’s all good. Find your people 💕 📚 🍷

Cover-Up. What a fantastic documentary about Seymour Hersh, the investigative journalist who broke the story of the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam war and Abu Ghraib.
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...
This one line near the end really stood out to me:

Dear Women’s USA Olympic Hockey Team — First, congratulations! Second: I drove race cars for 19 yrs & the amount of misogynistic crap I put up with in the garage was insane. The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team has now shown you their true colors. Believe them. They’re not friends of your team or women in general. I’m so tired of this misogyny in sports & everywhere else in American life, to be honest. The patriarchy sucks. Grow the fuck up or hand the keys over to the ladies. Maybe it’s time we drive.

Leilani Munter, y'all.

BREAKING

Former ICE agent:

On my first day training new cadets, I received secretive orders to teach them to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant.

Prince Andrew, photographed in a car leaving the police station after his arrest, looking like he was simultaneously hit with a tranquilizer dart and a shock to his testicles, with one red eyeball for good measure. Congratulations to Reuters's Phil Noble for getting this shot.

I laughed out loud. I'm sorry. This picture is going to defy my attempt at alt-text. I know I overuse this word but...astonishing.

Prince Andrew's Arrest Across the pond in Britain, justice and accountability is a serious matter

Never in a million years did I ever fathom when I resurrected the Epstein story in 2018 that it would lead to first arrest of a British Royal in four centuries. Not since King Charles I was arrested in 1647.
open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

Instagram Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.

RIP Jesse Jackson , one of the greatest 💔
www.instagram.com/reel/DU3kniA...

As I explained to my overseas friends when Brexit happened, one should never underestimate the stupidity of the English general public.

Restored Peatlands Could Become Carbon Sinks Within Decades - Eos That’s much faster than what most scientists thought.

Restored Peatlands Could Become Carbon Sinks Within Decades eos.org/articles/res...