Old Rope

'It looked like rope, old rope'

[Rivkah Brown @rivkahbrown]

Get ready to hear a LOT in the next few weeks about how disinfo created the riots – new social media legislation, endless reports about Twitter and Telegram – and absolutely ZERO about mainstreaming of Islamophobia, social disintegration accelerated by austerity etc

[Shahid Kamal Ahmad @shahidkamal]

1975, I’m 9 years old, running through the playground at Gateway School on the Lisson Grove. It’s not my school, we’re there alone on some fun day for kids.

I'm running as fast as I can, gripping the handle of the wooden toy pram in which my sister is sitting, laughing.

I feel my legs taken from under me. I come down hard, still gripping onto the pram. All my knuckles bar the thumbs and little fingers tear down to the bone as they smash and scrape along the brutal concrete. My knees are next.

The pain is indescribable. I can't believe he tripped me up. We're not on the estate, where we live, but he still calls me Paki and laughs.

I'm bawling my eyes out, and eventually someone comes and tries to sort it out. Can't be done. The iodine makes me scream. I can't believe the pain. They call my mum. She comes over. She's utterly horrified and can't believe what's happened to me.

We go home. I can barely walk. I can't use my hands. The agony is relentless. It will be months before the skin grows back under the slow-forming scars. I still have them at 58.

She leaves us at home, then walks over to the neighbour's place, alone, and starts to shout at the mum.

"Come and look at what your son did to mine! Come and look! Do you think it is fair?"

Eventually, they come. I'm sheepish. I don't want to face this monstrous fucker who has made our lives hell (along with the others) in the year and a half we've been there. The one who knocks on our door and brazenly says to my mum "You're blocking the drains. You all smell of curry". That's it, that's the purpose of his visit. He gets away with it, but not this time. My mum is livid and when his mum sees the state of me, she tells him to say sorry.

Then, and this is insane when I think about it, somehow, the mums make us play together once my hands can hold a ball.

He's not racist when we play the one time. He's on parole.

Then a few weeks later, back to "Paki" and "Curry" and we are bullied by the whole estate for years.

I'm beaten up. My sister is beaten up. My brother is beaten up. Our door is smashed. The mobs are outside screaming, breaking windows.

A copper comes over during a particularly terrifying episode when we all think we're going to die and says "You're going to have to grin and bear it."

Don't you dare tell me about your fucking legitimate concerns. I took nothing from you. I tried to make peace with you. I forgave my abusers. No more.

Today I know the generosity of the vast majority of my country, and I know I'm not alone.

You're not backtracking out of this one, not this time.

You don't get to call me Paki anymore.

We are not going to grin and bear it.

This time, the copper is coming over and is putting you behind bars and you are going down.

Maybe when you come out, you'll be reformed. Maybe you'll be bitter. That's fine. I don't care either way.

I'll be living my best life while you think about what you've done.

And I'll be doing it with the vast majority of my country, who don't like fash any more than I do.

I refuse to be terrorised. I refuse to be afraid. I refuse to lose hope.

One day, before it's too late, I hope you realise what it means to make someone feel like they're not welcome in their own home, that they should burn and die. And I hope you feel ashamed. And I hope you feel remorse. And if you do, let's have a cup of tea and let bygones be bygones and get our country back on its feet.

Deal?

[Dilly Hussain @DillyHussain88]

Muslims that are DEFENDING their mosques and communities ARE NOT rioting.

Muslims are not attacking hotels that are housing migrants.

Muslims are not targeting places of worship.

Muslims are not burning Citizens Advice and libraries.

Muslims are not smashing up people’s homes, cars and businesses.

Muslims are not attacking police officers.

Muslims are not looting Greggs, Shoe Zone and phone shops.

Muslims are not chanting racist and religious slurs.

Mobs of far-right thugs and racist yobs are rioting, not Muslims.

Nice try, but no — this really isn’t a case of “both sides are rioting”.

[Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth]

#BBCBreakfast using the term "anti immigration demonstrations"

Are Ukrainians being attacked? Are white Aussies working in bars being targeted? Or is it black & brown people, regardless of where they were born? & if its the latter is there a better word that can describe that?

[Curiosity @MAstronomers]

From a million miles away, NASA captures Moon crossing face of Earth. (Yes, this is real)

Credit: NASA/NOAA

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@mattbartonwords Makes me expect a catholic style response: "...and also with you". Bet @built2will feels similar.

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort Make That Slider Touch the Money, Dave Clark's gangsta rap album?

[Jonathan Cook @Jonathan_K_Cook]

You might have assumed a Pulitzer Prize would go to the brave journalists of Gaza. More than 100 of them have been killed by Israel in the past seven months – the fiercest eruption of violence against journalists ever. But you'd be wrong.

Instead it was the New York Times that won an award for its 'revelatory' coverage of Gaza – presumably a reference to its widely discredited reporting of mass rape by Hamas that the paper has had to quietly walk back and which helped rationalise Israel's intensified assault on Gaza that resulted in so many Palestinian journalists in Gaza being killed.

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

Articulate, intelligent, informed and passionate. A masterclass in being interviewed and kind of bonkers it was on F*x.

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@JamieBowman77 @oasis Good to see that entire flyer still doing well. Especially No Gig, who have gone from strength to strength.

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort I'm pretty sure the 300+ Liverpool bands stat came from... Merseybeat (later quoted everywhere). They would be in a good position to know though, being their jam and all, but also not least due to the number of gig adverts they carried.

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@sbrowntweets @vickysaumell I'd say AI is altering teachers' workloads rather than reducing them. I.e. starting to change their working patterns. (Cf. Did the advent of the computer reduce teacher workloads?). Some things are faster I admit, but sounds like manager speak to say AI is reducing workloads 😉

[David@Nautilus @DavidNautilus1]

Family A goes on holiday in term time to Spain. This family has 3 holidays per year.
Both parents are together, with decent earnings, off-setting the cost of the fine. Both are able to pay within the time period. Family A can afford holidays outside of term time.

Family B goes on holiday in term time to a caravan. These children have never had a holiday.
Mum and Dad are not together. One estranged parent is not involved in the holiday and unexpectedly receives a fine. This family does not have any income other than benefits. Either or both parents are unable to pay the fine and so it quickly escalates. Family B cannot afford a holiday out of term time.

This is my experience of this system. This is not a judgement of family A or B.

A very difficult policy to uphold when you’re working hard to support the poorest families and communities.
https://t.co/ufY1d4fMAd

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@UniOfBuckingham this is pretty shocking.

[Zoe Gardner @ZoeJardiniere]

I guess @UniOfBuckingham are totally cool with this?

[Harry Jefferies @Jefferies_]

My grandpa who is 85 started making this rock map of Scotland in 1992.He collected rocks during amateur geology trips over 30 years. He says it had to be geologically correct and also aesthetically pleasing.He asked if I could share online as He wants to go viral so please share

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort @big_sort & in the UK it's your pals who get the honour (as per Wiki & UK Chart co). They also have the most, followed by... Elvis! Incidentally, in soul circles if both sides are bangers it's often called a 'double header' and extra helpful in terms of space in your DJ box. 3/3

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort Re Elvis's Little Sister, I grew up on the Ry Cooder version from 79 (via my dad, who I later learnt had the Elvis version). Even though it's very slick and proto 80s I still prefer it to the rougher Elvis one. I do love Latest Flame though. 1/3

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort Re double A sides, plenty of discs never specified which is A or B but labels would usually promote 1 side. There's loads of cases of a flip becoming the hit of course. The first promoted US double A-side was as early as 1949 by jazz Paul Williams (jazz saxophonist) 2/3

[Old Rope @theoldrope]

@big_sort Do you know about the George Double Birthday? He is my royal and head of state so it makes sense for me.