Researcher & Visiting fellow Essex (Computer Science #Fuzzy) & Reading (Agriculture #Regen) Uniβs, ExOracle DataBase & Knowledge specialist #Traveller My Views
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Joined March 2009
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Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
π βThis is no longer a warning for the future; it is a diagnosis of the present.β Our 2026 State of the Climate report finds 7 of 16 planetary vital signs at record extremes. The planetary emergency is already here.
doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biag1β¦
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
BREAKING: Billionaire Sir Richard Branson unleashes a SCORCHING attack on Trump and his disgusting cozying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that gets under Trump's skin...
"I thought Iβd never have to say this in my lifetime, but this is 2026, and sadly nothing is what it used to be," Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, wrote on LinkedIn. "The Trump administration has become an appeaser to autocrats and dictators, putting their personal whims before the best interests of the American people and those of the free world. What is it about Putin that President Trump fawns over?"
"How will Americaβs allies ever be able to trust this administration again when they are now turning against them at a time of war and suffering?" he asked.
Trump has repeatedly betrayed our Ukrainian allies in recent days. First, he announced a stunning deal with Putin to allow millions of barrels of diesel into the global markets, a move that will directly pump money into the Russian war machine. Then, he began a concerted smear campaign against President Zelenskyy and said that Putin is easier to deal with.
The backstabbing escalated when Washington failed to provide its usual early warning to Kyiv of an incoming Russian ballistic missile attack. Now, it appears that the White House ordered a temporary disruption of Starshield, a military version of Elon Musk's Starlink that the Ukrainian armed forces rely upon.
"The slowdown of Starlink/Starshield and the inexplicable lack of advance warning of Russian missile launches have already caused Ukrainian civilians to die unnecessarily," wrote Branson. "How much worse can it get?"
"If one thing is clear itβs that European leaders must overcome the initial shock about Trumpβs recent actions and step up to the plate. Itβs as much about Europeβs freedom as it is about Ukraineβs sovereignty. Both are worth fighting for," he continued. "All options should be on the table now, from the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to the delivery of advanced weapons systems such as Germanyβs Taurus."
"Why oh why is this happening? We cannot let the free world be dismantled before our very eyes," Branson concluded.
We couldn't agree more. Trump is an enemy to Ukraine, an enemy to democracy, and an enemy to the American people. When Democrats retake power, we have our work cut out for us. Every last trace of this monstrous man's legacy must be erased.
Please β€οΈ and share if you think that Trump is Putin's puppet!
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
So, a Trump supporter told me that, βnobody gives a sh*tβ about Indigenous Peoples Day. Please, tell me, do you care about Indigenous Peoples Day?οΏΌ
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Vegetables are now half as nutritious than 60 years ago. Experts have worked out why
Fewer than a third of wheat varieties used in bread released since the 1960s meet the recommended zinc target, due to poor soil quality
independent.co.uk/news/uk/hoβ¦
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
At last! Big congrats to all esp @carolecadwalla As MP I was proud to join a court case to try to force ministers to hold an inquiry into the impact of Russian interference on the Brexit vote & other recent elections - their lack of curiosity was stunning
observer.co.uk/news/nationalβ¦
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Shoutout to @realDonaldTrump for doing the heavy lifting and writing Democratsβ campaign ads! πͺπΎ
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
The wellness expert Liz Earle is βfitter than everβ at 63, and sheβs not alone. Alison Cork, also 63, on whatβs involved, and why itβs worth it
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Iβm obsessed with this film.
Itβs fascinating that the media hated this and the other big film about climate change and how our culture is destroying us, Dont Look up, which tells you everything you need to know.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Claude Malhuret Was Right about Trump.
On Friday, at Trump's direction, the US Treasury issued a license waving Russian diesel back onto the world market, days after Russia killed dozens of Ukrainians, many of them children. It seems a good moment to revisit the speech in which a French senator told us exactly who these people were.
Claude Malhuret took the floor of the Luxembourg Palace and delivered what may be the most surgical dismantling of the Trump administration ever spoken in a legislative chamber. There were no diplomatic niceties, only a point-by-point indictment from an ally who had clearly had enough.
"A year ago, here in France, I compared Trump's presidency to Nero's Court. I was wrong. It's the Court of Miracles. An anti-vaxxer, former heroin addict as Minister of Health," he began, meaning RFK Jr.
Then came the rest of the cabinet: "A climate-skeptic Minister of Economy. An alcoholic TV host, Minister of the Armed Forces. An old Qatar agent, Minister of Justice. A groupie of Putin, Minister of National Security." That would be Scott Bessent, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Tulsi Gabbard.
"A Turkish proverb says: when a clown settles in a palace, he does not become king, it is the palace that becomes a circus."
The circus has been busy. Trump came off a phone call with Putin and announced on Truth Social that Russia would send millions of tons of diesel to the world market, promising in capital letters that prices "will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!"
Bessent's Treasury promptly made it legal, barely a month after Trump signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law, as NPR points out.
The motive is not hard to find. Diesel prices in America have doubled since the war with Iran began in February and the midterms are weeks away, so the man who set the fuel market on fire is now buying the extinguisher from Vladimir Putin and sending the bill to Ukraine.
According to Axios, Kyiv was blindsided while Witkoff and Kushner were sitting with Ukrainian officials to discuss ending the war, and an analyst told the outlet the volumes are too small to fix the shortage anyway.
So Putin gets revenue and respectability, Americans may or may not get cheaper diesel, and Ukrainians get more missiles. Zelensky called it weakness from partners who are supposed to be strong, which is the polite version. Malhuret gave us the impolite one long ago, and he has been proved right down to the last clown.
Watch the speech and share it loudly.
Stay connected,β¨Follow Gandalv @Microinteracti1
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Please be the first amongst the thousands to like, comment and repost this message if you believe that our remaining forest in the Amazon and in the Congo basin must be protected for climate action and environmental sustainability. No to deforestation and ecocide.
Lets see if Lord Watson will agree - my money is on he wonβt π€β¦
Former Labour Deputy Leader Lord Thomas Watson, now Senior Vice President at Palantir Technologies UK Limited, wrote to me defending the firm after I raised concerns about his role and its public contracts.
Instead of trading endless letters, Iβve challenged him to a public, openly chaired debate.
He can defend Palantir's ethos, while I set out the case for democratic control and public accountability.
The public deserves to hear both sides and judge for itself. Will you accept, @tom_watson ?
ALT Letter challenging tom to a debate about Palantir.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Weβve lost an icon. Margaret Hamilton, a computer science pioneer best known for her work at MIT leading development of the flight software for the Apollo missions to the moon, has died at 90. Read about her legacy via MIT News: news.mit.edu/2026/margaret-hβ¦
ALT Margaret Hamilton is reclined inside a NASA spacecraft module, surrounded by control panels and switches.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
This summer @JeremyClarkson was complaining about the terrible yields on his farm because of the record temperatures.
Itβs going to get hotter.
Yet heβs supporting a party which wonβt even try to fix it.
Donβt complain again Jeremy.
Donβt pretend you care about farmers when you KNOW this is happening.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
In 1967 Britain had more electric vehicles on its roads than every other country on earth put together, and they were all delivering milk.
There were tens of thousands of them. The milk float: open sided, battery under the floor, top speed of about 15 miles an hour, and a whine you could pick out in your sleep. It was charged overnight at the depot and was back there by lunchtime.
It carried glass bottles. Each one was collected from your step the next morning, washed and refilled. A bottle went round like that 20 or 30 times before it broke. The foil cap went for scrap. There was no other packaging.
The milk had come from farms within a few miles, through a local dairy, and was on the step before 7.
So here is what the country had. A zero-emission delivery fleet. Reusable containers with a return rate any modern scheme would kill for. No plastic. A supply chain you could cycle the length of. A man who noticed if an old lady's bottles were piling up, and knocked.
It was dismantled in about 15 years, because a supermarket could sell milk a few pence cheaper in a plastic jug as a way of getting you through the door.
Every piece of that system is now the subject of a government target for 2040.
It was running in 1967, silently, in the dark, and nobody thought it was worth a mention.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Loose Women today are discussing βwhy peas are falling out of fashionβ:
Would be great if they could tell readers about how scientists are warning the uk could collapse within decades.
Rich Pitts πΊπ¦πββ¬π΄ββ οΈπ¬ retweeted
Campus is back to its buzzing best. A big welcome to all our new students and those making their return to Essex.
We're kicking off another exciting Welcome Week with plenty on offer from our Students' Union, Essex Sport and the incredible Colchester community.
