I'm live at the pro-traffic rally in Oxford city centre. Ostensibly a protest against LTNs, or low-traffic neighborhoods, it's an intoxicating mix of far-right conspiracy slogans, antisemitism and really terrible hip-hop.
There's a fairly hefty police presence, and turnout occupies about a third of Broad Street at its widest. There's about an equal contingent of confused tourists.
Some of the many inventive signs at the rally. There's a great deal of information about chemtrails, the WEF and the Rothschilds.
Climate denial is a strong theme. The gentleman holding this sign is a cab driver from Swansea. He says that while local pollution does exist, global pollution is an invention of the WEF, and climate change is a hoax.
The man with this sign told me that the Rothschilds control all governments, and told me that "Ashkenazi Jews aren't like us"; "no one knows where they're really from"
When media organisations like GB News claim 15-minute cities are a plot to take away our freedoms, these are the people they're appealing to. It is a coordinated campaign to weaponize low-information paranoia and fear.
Accompanied by a heavy police presence, the marchers are headed out of town to Cowley Road.
The Oxford LTN protest is now headed across Magdalen Bridge. I've seen at least three Welsh flags, for some reason.
Some confusion at The Plain roundabout, with LTN Oxford protestors on loudhailers saying they won't go where the police tell them to go.
The crowd is now going where the police are telling them to go. #ltn#oxford
The rally is, at heart, a climate denial protest. This man says carbon is good because we're made of carbon. "When they talk about reducing carbon they mean they want to reduce you." #oxford#ltn
Traffic on Iffley Road will remain at a standstill for some time. #oxford#ltn
Some stickers and signage from the protests. A large proportion equate 15-minute cities to slavery and talk about the WEF. #oxford#ltn
My friend and colleague Vero was handed this leaflet, which summarizes numerous climate science denial myths in one handy pamphlet #oxford#ltn
Incidentally - here's a great video explainer on what 15-minute cities _actually_ are:
"A mountain which is nothing but lithium": Zimbabwe has banned all exports of lithium ore - a significant move in the context of global decarbonization, Chinese energy security and African economic development. 🧵
Here's Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa talking on Dec 4 about his reasons for drawing up the ban, which came into force Dec 19: miningzimbabwe.com/watch-nomore-r…
In his speech, Mnangagwa says a ton of raw lithium can fetch $220 on the global market, whereas processed lithium goes for well in excess of $1,000 per ton - meaning Zimbabwe is losing a huge amount of money by simply exporting the raw ore, rather than processing it domestically.
Hi @Expedia@ExpediaHelp. I've just been informed that the car hire company that failed to provide me with a car is refusing to refund me, and that there's nothing Expedia can do about it. I've already wasted a day on this. Please let me know how you're going to fix this.
To recap, I booked a car through Expedia with a hire company called Priceless. I arrived at the Priceless office in Jersey City to discover there is no office; just an Exxon gas station. The gas station attendant was strangely aggressive when I asked where the office was.
So I waited outside the gas station on a busy highway. I phoned Priceless, who put me on hold for over 20 minutes. After that time the line went dead. I tried to call back and the call went to voicemail.
Disinformation vendor Toby Young says doubts are being raised over record UK temperatures seen in July 2022. "Whose doubts?" you ask. Turns out the doubts are those of Young's very own Salacious Crumb, Chris Morrison, who's written them down in a blog post.
As usual, Morrison begins by talking about a topic wholly mysterious to him - this time, air temperatures. He pontificates about what caused the high of 40.3°C seen at RAF Coningsby, citing a plane spotter's website as evidence that jets caused it. thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/spotting/conin…
Morrison then says "This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about Met Office claims of a temperature record" - the sole person cited as having concerns being ... Chris Morrison.
Musk has begun suspending left-leaning accounts and journalists from Twitter, in a purge of those he regards as his political enemies. Meanwhile, he is reinstating the accounts of far-right activists.
Toby Young acolyte and hapless pseudoscience grifter Chris Morrison has asked me to promote his latest squirt of science-illiterate climate denial. Sure, why not?
Morrison has breathlessly claimed on his blog that two scientists have "revealed" that satellite data show 50% less warming over 50 years across the eastern US. To prove this he's provided 1x link to the extremely normal blog of Roy Spencer.
And before you ask: yes, _that_ Roy Spencer, the fundamentalist Christian who promotes Intelligent Design and is employed by fossil fuel lobby group the Heartland Institute. The other scientist cited, John Christy, is also regularly employed by Heartland. heartland.org/about-us/who-w…