Martin Sims #BishopsOut

Public support for an end to religious privilege is consistent across the various constitutional arrangements that offer the Church of England unparalleled access to the levers of political power. It's time for #Disestablishment.

@mondoterremoti I really want to have a go at collecting lava samples.

#PitondelaFournaise: nel pomeriggio è arrivato anche un terzo braccio a tagliare la RN2. Intanto i vulcanologi dell'IPGP ne hanno approfittato per prelevare alcuni campioni da analizzare in laboratorio e capirne meglio la composizione (e quindi la storia).

Enormous admiration for @sam_carling_ who is using his own background to argue that religious institutions should not be allowed to handle abuse allegations privately and that the law should require mandatory reporting to police or safeguarding authorities. Mandatory reporting of child abuse should simply not be controversial. • Children’s safety must come before institutional reputation • Religious organisations cannot be above safeguarding law. • Internal disciplinary processes are not a substitute for the police. • Faith communities should welcome transparency, because protecting the vulnerable is a moral obligation before it is a legal one. If mandatory reporting helps ensure abuse is reported earlier and victims are protected, then it is the right thing to do. Safeguarding is not anti-religion. It’s simply putting children first. Jesus would don’t we!?!? @NatSecSoc bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@utahgeological No specimen photo?

Barite—named from the Greek “barys” meaning heavy—is known for its unusually high specific gravity for a non-metallic mineral. It’s widely used in industry and in barium for medical tests and X-rays. Buckhorn Mine, Tooele County, UT.

🛑🛑𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡🛑🛑 Many people in our area are feeling overwhelmed by the number of other energy projects being planned or built in the area at the same time. We are already experiencing 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 from 𝗦𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗖 construction and 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿’s landfalls connected to the substation at Friston (now called 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲). At the same time, we are also currently fighting plans for 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 and 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸. There appears to be little to no coordinated thinking at government level about where energy projects should be located, or 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁. This concern has also been raised in Parliament by Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell Carpenter. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 — 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 To push this issue onto Parliament’s agenda, a petition has been launched on the UK Parliament website. It took several months to secure approval, and we now have until the 3rd of August to gather as many signatures as possible. 🔹️At 10,000 signatures, the Government must respond. 🔹️At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ⬇️⬇️ petition.parliament.uk/petitions/7523… You can also 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 and spread the word. Alternatively, you can download and share the campaign image yourself. Thank you for your support. 🗣𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀🗣 Consultations on the proposed LionLink interconnector close on 10 March. We will soon publish guidance on how to respond. In the meantime, two further public consultation events are scheduled for those able to attend: SATURDAY 21ST FEBRUARY 11am - 4pm Westleton Village Hall, The Street, Westleton, Saxmundham, IP17 3AD SATURDAY 28TH FEBRUARY 11am - 4pm Yoxford Village Hall, Old High Road, Yoxford, IP17 3HN

@amazingmap They seem to have disproportionately targeted England.

Every city founded by the Roman Empire outside Italy

One big step for the Isle of Man....Twenty Six still to go in Westminster!

26 bishops are given seats as of right in #HouseOfLords. This is unfair, undemocratic and undesirable. Join our campaign to scrap the #BishopsBench. 👇👇👇 secularism.org.uk/scrap-bishops-… #LordsSpiritual #SeparateChurchAndState

If a foreign adversary snuck into our Federal budget and cut Education and Science Research the way we’re cutting it ourselves — strategically undermining America’s long-term health, wealth, and security — we would likely consider it an act of war.

Calling our supporters! Following the NI Supreme Court judgement, we need your help to advocate for an end to the archaic laws governing RE and collective worship across the UK. Write to your MP 👇 secularism.org.uk/mp-letter-comp…

New Ofsted figures reveal a third of independent faith schools it inspected did not meet standards this year. We know many such schools keep on failing because they put religious dogma ahead of children's needs. We can't keep turning a blind eye to this. secularism.org.uk/news/2025/11/o…

The progress of a bill in Manx parliament to remove the bishop's vote in its upper chamber is an encouraging step towards a fairer, secular democracy. It's time for Westminster to take note and scrap the bishop's bench. secularism.org.uk/news/2025/11/s…

Yet another example of an independent faith school openly stating they have no intention of complying with the law. The Government must address a system in which schools repeatedly disregard legal requirements and face little to no consequence. secularism.org.uk/news/2025/10/w…

11 years since it was first announced and 3 years since it issued its final report, we have to acknowledge that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) has been a complete failure. None of its recommendations has been implemented. mandatenow.org.uk/iicsa-has-fail…

🧵: The Coskun appeal judgement contains some landmark statements for freedom of expression. Some highlights👇

On #BlasphemyDay, we #StandWithBetty and call on the Moroccan authorities for her release. Laws which restrict freedom to criticise or ridicule religion can never be compatible with democracy or human rights.

A new poll shows 74% of the public don't care who the next archbishop of Canterbury is, inc. 62% Christians. The CofE is irrelevant to the lives of most people - yet it continues to enjoy a privileged status our society. It's time for disestablishment. telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/2…

@Frabericks @aurorawatchuk The end of the graph is the time the post was sent, 13:36 UTC.

@aurorawatchuk Is that for tonight or last night?

Amber alert: possible aurora. Issued 2025-09-15 13:36 UTC (14:36 BST) by @aurorawatchuk. #aurora

@NatSecSoc We clearly need to disestablish the CofE and get the bishops out of their unfairly privileged position in our democracy.

The bishop of Manchester, who holds an automatic seat in the House of Lords, has tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would effectively exempt schools that offer only religious education from regulation. secularism.org.uk/news/2025/09/b…

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States. Sincerely, Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)