What a gorgeous, special picture of the most photographed couple in the world, having (probably) climbed a 1607ft hill near Balmoral at the age of 82 and 77, respectively.
Good morning, UK brothers and sisters. Today our national grandpa is laid to rest. #ThankYouPhilip🇬🇧🇳🇿
The above pic would've been taken around August 2003 (the annual visit to Balmoral.)
Behind the cam was their favorite daughter-in-law Sophie Wessex, who would give birth to Louise on 8 November that year. Do you remember? Mum & baby could have died. Eternally thankful.🙏
Now Louise is all grown up and viewing the floral tributes displayed inside the castle grounds. Staff moved them each night from the gates, to try to discourage people from gathering during the pandemic.
Windsor Castle and the River Thames this morning.
Message on a wreath from the Prime Minister. Commonwealth countries have sent wreaths too. They're on display inside the castle grounds today.
Four hours to go. Current time in Windsor is almost 11am.
Young parents beaming with pride, 1949.
(Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, born 14 November 1948.)
The state broadcaster's TV coverage here in New Zealand will have two and a half hours lead-in time. My feelings about sitting through all that are a bit like Prince George's when he arrived in New Zealand in 2014:
This poem, and the photos, are simply brilliant.
I love it when the Poet Laureate writes something special for a great event such as this. Long may the post continue.
I'm currently watching the BBC live feed at this link. ITV is another excellent channel.
Twitter crashed for me just as the funeral preamble was getting underway. Probably for the best, since I opted to focus solely on watching the funeral and not tweeting about it.
Lots of tears, here. But impressed by the deeply moving service.
The modified Land Rover hearse was great, and quintessential Prince Philip.
I'm sure he knew that the rumbling of a diesel engine in otherwise silent moments would evoke happy family memories of time off and out of the public eye.
The day after Prince Philip's funeral has me in a reflective mood, about all he accomplished in his long life. I knew more about him than most, as an avid royal watcher from way back, and I've now learned a lot more.
We shared the same values... he had more energy, though.😉
In Thread 3 I will write about the values that drove Prince Philip to achieve so much for his country, and how we can continue the work, wherever we live.
When you learn about his mother's life story, you start to see why he was such a remarkable individual.
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(1) Thread 2: FedEx Indy mass shooting April 15, 2021
I use threading to keep track of my tweets on a subject. My threads about this incident include breaking news about what happened, and my thoughts on wider policy issues.
(2) Of course, gun laws ARE relevant when discussing a mass shooting incident. It's just that most of what is said is factually inaccurate and/or irrelevant concerning why the shooting occurred, and how best to reduce the risk of future harm.
(3) Examples of typical factual inaccuracies:
Automatic or "machine" guns are illegal outside the military. If you think you heard one, it was probably a SEMI-automatic gun.
"Assault rifles" don't exist. Use other terms for them.
Police say at least 8 people are dead in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility near the airport. At least 8 others were transported to area hospitals, while multiple others went to other hospitals. The alleged shooter is now dead.
(1) Video released in the last hour. Lori Lightfoot "calling for peace" in this way will lead to the opposite result. Actions speak louder than words. Will the police be properly equipped & supported tonight?
RIP Adam Toledo. IMO the case that said it all was Elijah McClain...
(2) Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying one tragedy is more important than another. Whichever side of this issue you're on, it's advisable to learn about as many recent cases as you can. The details might surprise you.
IMO we all want to see less violence in the aftermath.
(3) The far left want to "burn it all down" & in some cities they partly achieve that, at least figuratively. The far right also want to figuratively burn it all down, in terms of the country's institutions like the DOJ, FBI.
The more violent you are, the less support you get.
(1) Thread: The left and right are talking past each other concerning racism, by not defining terms at the start.
IDK about you, but I had it drummed into me at high school and college that the first thing you do in an essay is ensure you have understood and defined the terms.
(2) I'm listening to this song as I write. The truth is: Toby Keith is not and likely never was a Trump supporter. Mainstream country music is like mainstream Hollywood: Liberal. Sure, there are a few that fight the stereotype, but not many.
(3) I remember watching the video of the event & concert at the Lincoln Memorial ahead of the Trump inauguration in 2017. Toby Keith & band performed a great set, & when he said "President Obama, thank you for your service" the 2017 me bristled a little. I shouldn't have worried.
"[Democrats are] genuinely terrified of an anti-political hero like Andrew Yang actually making politics transparent, user friendly, and real again."
Honey, this is exactly the kind of lie that got Trump elected in 2016. Learn from...
(2) Learn from the mistakes of others so you don't have to learn from your own mistakes.
An "anti-political hero" comes in many forms. None of them can ever deliver on such a promise. Trump didn't. Bernie Sanders didn't. Rand Paul didn't.
(3) The main reason I chose political science as my college major was to learn what makes a politician, party, or country successful and what does not.
Comparative Politics is a really fascinating sub-discipline of pol sci. You learn about lots of different countries & systems.