Alun Salt
Web thing for @botany.one. Reluctant tech adopter. Dysgwr Cymraeg.
he / him / fe
- Reposted by Alun SaltIf you wouldn't accept "we are at risk of becoming an island of strangers" from Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage you probably shouldn't accept it from Keir Starmer. Don't pretzel yourself trying to explain why it's ok from the guy in the red tie.
- You can have a free newsletter on WordPress regardless of subscriber numbers, though you can't use that newsletter to advocate violent conduct if you do. wordpress.com/newsletter/ Working with a host that promotes Nazis is a choice.
- Reposted by Alun SaltLike let’s say someone, you don’t know who, gives a giant, beautiful wooden horse.
- If you have no ethics, ethics seems stupid. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
- Reposted by Alun Salt#otd National Day of the #Limerick. The 1st Welsh limericks appear in an 1824 collection by John Blackwell: 'Bugeilgerdd'. This predates Edward Lear's 1st book 'A Book of Nonsense' published in 1846 by 22 years. Get that on English Wikipedia cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limrig
- It's National #Limerick Day, This Monday in the UK, I thought I'd make time, To write a short rhyme, But alas I've got nothing to say. siarchives.si.edu/blog/happy-n...
- Reposted by Alun SaltAn excellent thread. If you put what Niall brings up alongside the persistent polling of Reform + Tories at just over 50+ and the inability of Labour to publicly acknowledge realities, we all know exist, the true direction of travel of the UK becomes all the more evident. The UK is drifting away.
- Woke up thinking I should drop out of my PhD, because there's no way I can keep my job and still pass. The PhD I finished over a decade ago. At least the job getting in the way was my current job, so I'm moving on.
- Reposted by Alun SaltIt has occurred to me that y'all might not know who Mayor Ras Baraka is. So I'm going to take a moment out of grading to do my duty as a Jersey girl and teach you a thing. Mayor Baraka is the 40th mayor of the Newark, NJ, the city that will forever be Jersey's heartbeat.
- Reposted by Alun SaltThe juvenile #kakapo Tuarima was released back onto Whenua Hou today after 5 weeks' treatment for the #disease cloacitis ("crusty bum"). Big thanks to the team at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for their excellent care. #conservation #parrots #birds
- Reposted by Alun SaltThis cannot be enforced solely for English since by law the UK has other languages. The legislation explicitly says that you have to prove "knowledge of A language". But the requirement already exists anyways 🤷♂️ I did the citizenship test in Welsh for example www.bbc.com/news/uk-wale...
- The "big announcement" he said he was planning, when Mark Carney was in the room - this is it, isn't it? I do wonder how much pushing it would take to persuade him to rename Washington as Trump City, "to avoid confusion with the state".
- Byddaf i'n cwrdd â Americaniaid y mis nesa, felly dw i'n dal i fyny gyda brechiadau. Mae braich tost gyda fi.
- Add a tariff and ruin a movie Fee Willy
- Did someone tell him a lot of the people in the audience at the Oscars were in fact actors?
- www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... Well this is nuts
- Reposted by Alun SaltThe petition has gained over 5,000 signatures in the first 3 days, so a big thank you to everyone who has signed, liked, or reposted. Likes don't really do anything on Bluesky, so if you support the petition, please do consider reposting and sharing elsewhere. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
- Reposted by Alun SaltThe thing about substack, which is different from other morally compromised publishing, is that you can create a comparable newsletter on a less evil platform in about an hour. You cannot create the equivalent of the NYT, or a Big 5 publisher, or even the Daily Mail.
- Reposted by Alun SaltPos i’r penwythnos - a tipyn o wahaniaeth barn rhwng Sefydliad San Steffan a phobl gwledydd “llai” Ewrop.
- Mae'r #MonacoEPrix yn heddiw. Mae'r ras yn rhywle ar ITV neu ITVx yn y DU, dw i'n meddwl. www.youtube.com/live/OuvOFJw...
- Reposted by Alun SaltMewn oes lle mae bywyd gwyllt o dan fygythiad difrifol, edrycha Iolo Williams ar gyflwr natur Cymru. 🦅 🌳 Iolo: Natur Bregus Cymru ⏰ HENO | 21:00
- Reposted by Alun SaltBrown hare amongst the mole hills yesterday If you think hares should be protected during their breeding season, please sign and share the petition: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72... #UKwildlife #mammals
- We've spotted a #hedgehog that seems to have had trouble eating. I've put out some cat food. In the past they've ignored it, and it attracts flies. This one has been going at it for around half an hour. #ukwildlife
- Reposted by Alun SaltPublication day - I am off to Haddenham Community Library at 1pm and Hungerford Bookshop at 1pm - then across the UK including Hexham, Edinburgh and Tunbridge Wells Robinince.com here is what two of my favourite songwriters and my favourite astronaut have said about the book
- Reposted by Alun SaltDid you know that hares can legally be shot in the breeding season in England and Wales, leaving young leverets to starve to death? It's estimated we've lost 80% of the brown hare population. Scotland already has a close season. Please sign the petition: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72... 1/2
- I might vote Reform. After all it's always possible that I might suffer horrific brain damage between now and voting.
- Had a helpful chat with @robinince.bsky.social at Mostly Books in Abingdon today. If you can get along to his book tour, I highly recommend it. robinince.com
- Even Fox has forgotten the glorious February 9.
- Reposted by Alun SaltTHE BIGGEST NEWS! Rob and I are offering up a hand-signed hardback, first edition/first printing copy of Monstrous Regiment straight from the Pratchett archives. Those who know the story will know why it’s a pertinent one for this cause. (More pics to come.) www.32auctions.com/organization...
- In a world of AI 'hallucinations' calling the veracity of what we read into question, Bernard Bale may be the hero we need. www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
- Reposted by Alun SaltIt's always fun at the circus 😉 🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC
- Had an election leaflet today. Apparently, only the @conservatives.bsky.social are capable of fixing the problems caused by over a decade of systematic cuts by the err... Can anyone remember who it was who was responsible for austerity?
- Search result for 'has Google search gone mad?'
- Reposted by Alun SaltCitizens don't get deported, they get exiled. Be honest
- Reposted by Alun SaltHe'd be a surprise choice and I'm not saying he'd be a good pope, but if Trump could be tempted with a job for life that comes with global power, cheering crowds, infallibility and a gold house it would solve a lot of problems.
- Reposted by Alun SaltOur last, best hope...
- Reposted by Alun SaltNew paper: “Mental health in autistic adults: Key stages in the journey from experiencing psychological distress to recovery”. This will be available in the June 2025 edition of Research in Autism, but is free to access before June 8th following this link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1kyo2ArevI... 🧵/1
- Draenog cynnar heno. Chwarter awr i machlud. #ukwildlife
- Mae pawb yn jocio am sut maen nhw'n chwilio i rywun arall o Fox News, ond dw i ddim yn meddwl bod hi'n realistig. Dw i'n meddwl bydd e'n Tucker Carlson. Mae ganddo fo'r gysylltiadau.
- Reposted by Alun Salt“Why do we even plan on doing great things if, on a whim, we can just decide ‘nah’?” the senior space scientist says. “These things take a generation to build and enable multiple generations of scientists. They should not be blithely thrown away.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
- Mae fy mhen yn mor drwg. Dw i'n dihuno bob awr dros nos ar hyn o bryd. Dw i ddim yn gwybod os mae'r tywydd yn achosi meigryn ar hyn o bryd.
- Reposted by Alun SaltThe US constitution: a guide From the new Private Eye, out now.
- I wondered why this would be. I suspect that the US goal isn't trade, because they show no understanding of it. Instead it's about using trade as a way to get other concessions, in this case, preferential treatment for nutters on the pretence of free speech.
- Reposted by Alun SaltAt some point we need to have a discussion about the ethics of participation in press releases as scientists. From today’s K2-18b saga, Nikku Madhusudhan in the press release says ‘The signal came through loud and clear’ (1/n)
- Reposted by Alun SaltDear UK, A trade agreement with the US doesn't really mean anything under Trump because he doesn't honour even the ones that he signed. Hope this helps. Sincerely, Canada
- RFK the last time I looked, Had opinions that quite frankly sucked, In his lousy polemics, He'd espouse eugenics, Please tell him to go and get f ar away from public life where he can do less harm.
- I suspect my phone number has been spoofed. I've had two phone calls this morning, including one random human who thought I'd called earlier.
- This is partly a test to see if I can mute myself. In moderation I have set "substack.com" as a muted phrase for seven days. Substack have said they're not going to stop promoting and profiting from Nazis, so I'm not interested in seeing their links. Anyway since I've said the phrase am I muted?
- Reposted by Alun SaltA brown hare in the early morning sun a few days ago. A big contrast to today's grey mist. Look closely and you can see a couple of strands of cobweb streaming from its ears! Cumbria, UK #UKwildlife #mammals
- Reposted by Alun SaltThe Harbinger of Doom has signed Trump’s political death warrant.
- Reposted by Alun Saltnow *this* is the anecdote of the day
- Reposted by Alun SaltI have had some time of late to pull some thoughts together and write a few things down. This is already behind the curve with latest steel issues!! but a few thoughts on #Indywales ahead of the Barry match. 5 min read. Nice to see @hiraethpod.bsky.social www.walespolitics.com/the-review/w...
- Mae hwn yn ddiddorol ar dysgu iaith yn India. Ieithoedd fel modd rheoli gwleidyddol. Gallai rhywbeth yn debygol yn esbonio'r safbwynt Ceidwadwyr ar Gwynedd? www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/...
- Among his problems is that you can't make a deal with him. Any deal you make will be broken on his whim, and any new 'deal' will assume any concessions you made were part of your original position. Aside from his other issues, the man is simply incapable of making a deal.
- Reposted by Alun SaltShameful work, everyone. Might as well just call in the imagineers and repopulate ecosystems with animatronics. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
- Reposted by Alun SaltMy etsy shop will be opening this evening at 8 for a limited number of Victorian ink bottle posy kits designed to dial down fight or flight & lift mood👇🏼🌿
- British people: America's fooling itself if it thinks the world will trust them after this, when they're always just one election away from a nutter. Also British people: Why don't we rejoin the EU? A majority are in favour of it today.
- Reposted by Alun Saltthis is a thoughtfully executed piece on a tricky subject, the replies to which, are, ah, frequently committed to proving the thesis
- I did not believe this was true. www1.folha.uol.com.br/internaciona...
