Boris Johnson wants to put in a swimming pool at his Oxfordshire house, but there’s a problem. The Great Crested Newt is in his way.

The UK’s largest newt, which takes its name from the striking jagged crest that males display in the spring breeding season, is a protected species under British law.

As such, an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison could await anyone found guilty of disturbing the newt’s resting places and breeding sites, or taking their eggs.

Johnson launched an application with South Oxfordshire district council in June for the construction of an outdoor pool, measuring 11 metres by 4 metres (36ft x 13ft).

But Edward Church, a local government ecologist who reviewed

Originally a comment by Sastra on Hemantsplaining biology to a biologist.

In a way, trans ideology resembles a religious Accomodationist argument. Trans people, like the devoutly religious, are seen as a uniquely vulnerable, needy group utterly dependent on their belief. It provides them with their foundation for meaning and sense of self. Without the reassurance that there is this one thing they can know and depend on, their life shatters.

It comes back to New Atheism, which as I saw it was a reaction not so much against religion, but against Accomodationism. In Accomodationism, arguing for the truth of atheism was insensitive at best, a cruel intellectual exercise which ignored the grieving widow in need of a future heavenly … Read the rest

Phoenix has smashed all the records – not in a good way.

A historically intense and long-duration heat wave has spent weeks baking the South and Southwest, bringing dangerous triple-digit temperatures to 70 million Americans. Phoenix, at the epicenter, just logged its hottest month on record — and the hottest month ever observed in a U.S. city.

Phoenix’s average temperature for July was a blistering 102.7 degrees, taking into account average daytime high of 114.7 degrees and overnight low of 90.8.

…

While the heat in Phoenix eased just enough on Monday to end its record-shattering streak of 31 straight days at or above 110, the hot weather is forecast to recharge later this week. Excessive heat watches are in

Librarians hiding the naughty books:

Works by authors sceptical of transgender activism became the subject of an internal “grievance” within the library service of Calderdale Council, a local authority affiliated with the controversial LGBT charity Stonewall.

The Telegraph can reveal that books critical of gender ideology have been removed from public view by staff at council libraries, and stashed out of sight in an off-limits storage space.

…

Calderdale Council has stated that no books are expressly banned by library services, but information from the local authority has revealed that “following consideration of a formal grievance internally” a number of titles were “placed in the lending store”.

The council has confirmed that while these books could be found

Originally a comment by Eava on Showing members how to gain children’s trust.

To play devil’s advocate, our laws about consent are legal fictions, not brain development. Legally minors can consent to sex in most states in the US. Depending on the ages of the minor and the adult, in some states a 14 year old can consent to sex with an 18 year old. In some states a minor can consent to vaginal intercourse, but not oral or anal sex, or the penalties are different, creating a disparity between gay and straight minors. There was a big blow up over a State Senator in California who put forth a law to equalize the penalties so a 21 year … Read the rest

Ah yes, “clucking” – women don’t talk or argue, we “cluck.” Why is that? Because we’re stupid like chickens, obviously; because when we try to talk all that comes out is an irritating repetitive noise.

I’m being taken to federal court by a male who claims to be female because I say he is not female. pic.twitter.com/FY16f5Ktwe

— Sall Grover (@salltweets) August 1, 2023

Also, of course, his claim is just wrong. Lots of trans women do insist – with menaces – that they are women in every sense, that they are women period end of story, that they are women and we had better not say otherwise if we don’t want our lives ruined.… Read the rest

Snerk

A jeopardy winner is about to tell Richard Dawkins what he's got wrong about biology. https://t.co/06U2u630hr

— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) August 1, 2023

… Read the rest

I remember when advertising relied heavily on women as both consumers and models. Now it’s…mastectomies?

Dear @CostaCoffee,

Could you kindly explain why you are glorifying irreversible surgery performed on healthy breasts of women for a mental health condition? pic.twitter.com/9NyFPYj9J3

— James Esses (@JamesEsses) July 31, 2023

What’s even the connection? What’s the hook? If your mastectomy scars are bothering you, knock back a coffee to go while surfing?… Read the rest

This is from 23 years ago, but I don’t think I was aware of it until now.

ACLU represents NAMBLA

Citing the First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union is defending a group that supports pedophilia against a civil suit filed by the family of a molested and slain Massachusetts boy.

The parents of 10-year-old Jeffrey Curley filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking damages from the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) for the 1997 rape and murder of their son…

The suit accuses NAMBLA of inciting Jeffrey’s murder and rape at the hands of Charles Jaynes and Salvatore Sicari through its literature and Web site — which is now offline. Both men were convicted of killing Jeffrey in separate

“Why do you even care??!” he shouts.

We don’t. We don’t care in the slightest. Who wears makeup and who wears a muscle shirt is not what we care about. It doesn’t take all that much effort to find out what we do care about. I guess Neil Tyson is too important to bother though.

“Today I feel 80% female, 20% male. I’m going to put on makeup”

Neil deGrasse Tyson defends the pseudoscience of Woke gender studies. pic.twitter.com/4G8KxnTaEs

— Mythinformed (@MythinformedMKE) July 31, 2023

… Read the rest

So this is something we’re doing now? Men in huge expensive climate-destroying cars are swerving to run over migrant workers?

A man driving an S.U.V. plowed into a group of six migrant workers outside a Walmart in Lincolnton, N.C., on Sunday in an “intentional assault,” the police said.

The attack took place just after 1:15 p.m., when the man, who was behind the wheel of a midsize black S.U.V. with a luggage rack, steered toward the group, according to a statement released on Sunday evening by the Lincolnton Police Department.

As one does. One minute you’re placidly driving down the street, and the next you’re barging across the median in order to crash your car into a group of people. … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Laurent on No you’re not.

@YNNB,

It must be mentally exhausting.

Only if you care about reality. My guess is that it’s not mentally exhausting to trans identified folks as it is to naive “allies” or even more to gender critics. Gaslighting is not mentally exhausting to abusers, only to their victims.

If there’s one thing I remember quite well, it’s that becoming gender critical was such a relief. It stopped overloading my brain and confusing my own thoughts over very tedious dissonant details at every step. The transition was immediate and at first sight, so my guess is that the whole thing simply reflects the fact that a dramatic majority of people is simply … Read the rest

Hmmm. I wonder if all the people who send money to Trump’s PAC realize he’s spending a lot of their money on his personal legal bills.

Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee, Save America, has spent more than $40 million on legal fees since the start of this year, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The PAC, which raises most of its funds through small-dollar donations from Trump’s supporters, is expected to report to the Federal Election Commission on Monday that it spent $40.2 million on legal costs in the first half of the year – more than double the amount the group spent on legal fees in all of 2022.

…

Trump’s team argues

Unbelievable. “For trans and non-binary applicants, interview panels can be intimidating.” So here’s an idea: how about you show them the questions ahead of time. Obviously interview panels are not intimidating to anyone except trans and non-binary applicants, so it would be perfectly fair to let trans and non-binary applicants see the questions in advance while no one else gets such assistance.

Much, much more than simple equality. This ideology has pervaded and distorted policies throughout society, causing conflicts of rights.
Why should trans and nonbinary people be allowed to cheat in interviews for NHS jobs? They alone are given questions before the interview: pic.twitter.com/svyMgMg6Dx

— Sally 💚🤍💜 (@DearRebelAda) July 31, 2023

People in healthcare don’t need to answer complex … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on Those who hold a certificate.

You know, if there’s a law saying that Xs are Ys when the reality is that Xs are not Ys then that’s the fault of the people who passed the law.

I guess these people need to read up on Canute’s little demonstration to his courtiers of the limitations of human command over material reality. His story is often botched in the retelling, being held up as an example of the hubris of a monarch rather than flattering lackies being taught that the king’s powers are finite. Here we have lawmakers believing that if they say something, it becomes reality.

The stupidity of this with … Read the rest

You know, if there’s a law saying that Xs are Ys when the reality is that Xs are not Ys then that’s the fault of the people who passed the law. It’s useless telling people who continue to know that Xs are not Ys that there’s an Act saying Xs who have a certificate are “legally Ys.” Laws aren’t magic. Laws should definitely not be used to coerce the populace into accepting (let alone repeating) a lie.

Stella Creasy please note.

Getting abuse and grief about this from commentators around the world (and here too)so a statement of fact – UK's Gender Recognition Act clear that those who hold a certificate are legally women or men. It does not require

Miracles are real! HRT teaches men to pooch out their lips by way of signifying their dramatic new womanitude!

6 months on HRT!!🥰 pic.twitter.com/M5r3gPEszX

— Kris (@kristyson_) July 30, 2023

Ok he looks silly as fuck but we MUST NOT SAY SO.

Unless…

Six months on HRT! pic.twitter.com/ikPgYOa0f3

— Graham Linehan (@Glinner) July 30, 2023

… Read the rest

Underneath the Telegraph’s sloppy report on the sinister “investigation” of Louise Chivers is a think piece by Chivers herself titled Social workers must be allowed to think critically. It should have its own url but it doesn’t. It should because it makes an important point.

Every week, social workers have to make decisions on whether people have “capacity” in a whole range of choices.

They then have to make “best interest decisions” if the person doesn’t, which requires critical thinking skills.

Social workers who do not think critically and follow the affirmation dogma will set vulnerable adults on false affirmation pathways.

I’ve heard of social workers in children’s services threaten child removal if parents don’t follow gender ideology and of

So part 2 of Louise Chivers told she can’t apply for social services jobs pending an investigation after her comments on trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney:

Ms Chivers, a lesbian from Northamptonshire who works in adult social care, said: “On this particular occasion, we had been discussing gender-neutral toilets and I said I wasn’t comfortable using them because statistics show women are eight times more likely to be raped in one.

We don’t know who the “we” there are because the Telegraph never says. The conversation went on to climate protests and Nike clothes and Dylan Mulvaney modeling sports bras and mocking women.

“Afterwards, I was contacted by my managers who demanded to know what I had said. I was

Gender-critical social worker ‘blacklisted’ for trans views

A social worker with 25 years experience has been told she cannot apply for more work after she questioned whether transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney was the right person to model sports bras for Nike.

Mother of two Louise Chivers, 52, has been told she cannot apply for social services jobs pending an investigation after a manager at Leicestershire County Council suggested there was a risk she “might misgender someone”.

Has been told, has been told – who told her that? Why the passive voice? Why not say up front who did the telling? I do wish news outlets would not be so coy with the basic facts.

She has now been referred to