Mark Elliott @MarkElliott@qoto.org

“There is a plastics tsunami already happening on the ground” in Africa, says Leslie Adogame of SRADev Nigeria. #PlasticPollution is exacerbating global inequalities at every stage of its life cycle. My latest in @Nature@twitter.com. @plasticpollution https://buff.ly/3Gy1Mo2

Welcome to the official Butterfly Conservation Mastodon profile 🦋

We're looking forward to seeing how this works!

Say hello if you fancy 👋

#SaveButterflies #MothsMatter

*** POLL ***

How would you describe yourself politically?

Please vote, comment, and BOOST (very important)

Thank you.

Exciting wildcat news! And I recommend clicking the link as the picture is very cute, if you don't mind me saying https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/25/wildlife-trusts-consider-reintroducing-wildcats-to-england

I'll be using this account slowly as I get used to it so do bear with me. All hints and tips appreciated

European Research Group Loses Two-Thirds of its Paid-Up Members. The hard-Brexit lobbying group, which produces research paid for by taxpayer-funded expenses, appears to be losing support.

Article link --> https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/21/european-research-group-loses-two-thirds-of-its-paid-up-members/?utm_source=POLITICO.EU&utm_campaign=b63d7b4d83-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_22_03_40&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-b63d7b4d83-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

👎 Fired: the Twitter human rights team, those working on lies, bias and online harm, the people responsible for privacy, security and safety…

👍 Welcome back: the anti-semites, liars, conspiracy theorists and all-round crazy people.

Don’t say Elon Musk has no idea of where to take Twitter.

It is VERY clear and VERY dangerous !

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kanye-west-twitter-account-returns-elon-musk/

Chris Bryant wants to make it a "criminal offence for an MP or Peer to work for a foreign power that has been specified by the govt to be a danger to the country.. why would the govt oppose such a measure.. this is an open door to treachery & treason.. we should close that door."

You’re not the product anymore. You’re a community member in your host’s ad-free server they pay for. There’s no venture capitalist payday coming for them. Everything you do here costs your host a little bit of money. Find out how you can chip in.

So incredibly sad & angry that #COP27 has ended yet Alaa has still not been freed. The British Government has failed him & must be held to account. How can he, as a British citizen, still not even be allowed consular access? How hard did they try? #FreeAlaa @FreedomForAlaa
RT @FreedomForAlaa: WATCH: "This is the first time I didn't update the British Embassy: I've lost faith in them"

Following the family's 1st visit to see A…

🐦🔗: https://nitter.eu/CarolineLucas/status/1594262150176034816

Jeremy Clarkson isn’t someone I usually share, but he’s written an interesting piece on how he’s decided to become a regenerative farmer https://t.co/14v8VjBcWz

A reminder that in the last two years alone this school was handed an estimated £1.4 million tax subsidy by the government due to its status as a charity. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-63683667

Figured I should explain this here in case folk are wondering why my finger is often in my photos - I have scale bars tattooed on my index fingers, the lines and dots are 5mm apart and they’re super useful for quick field photos 😅 Demonstrated here with some gorgeous crinoidal limestone from Fife 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

First of all we thank you for your response to the presence of the Memorial in the #Fediverse. Thank you for amplifying our voice.

One of the issues raised was using the CW option. We use it with disturbing images, but...

It is challenging, but should all history of #Auschwitz be a CW? Most of our posts remind people, victims of the camp. We show their names, faces, individuality & commemorate them on their birthdays. Marking them with a CW seems somehow wrong.

What do you think?

Here's your irregular reminder that:

Twitter was a multi-billion dollar company with thousands of employees.

Mastodon is a niche hobbyist product run by volunteers

The fact that we're being seen as a viable alternative to them is an admission that a federated, decentralized future is not only possible, but desirable.

Mastodon is not one thing, or one place. It's a network of many things and many places. We don't have a spokesperson (I mean, there's me. I'm the official spokesperson for 💯 of the fediverse, but beyond me there is no spokesperson) we don't have consensus on moderation or blocking or tools or what is good and what is bad. Some of us are professional SREs and Sysadmins, some of us aren't. Some of our instances have been around for 5+ years, some won't be here in six months.

And that's good! All of it, every last bit of it is good.

We're wrestling power away from the billionaire class, in real time, and reclaiming it for the People.

Lot of enthusiasm about an article by Neil in the Mail listing all the reasons why Hunt’s budget kills Brexit. I guess it’s progress of sorts. But woven through every paragraph are the delusions and lies that brought us to this inevitable point where the Brexit fantasies have to be admitted and the only way they can do that is by blaming others for frustrating them, instead of acknowledging that they were always contradictory, arrogant, damaging and ultimately unworkable.

Each day is brand new struggle between staying informed and maintaining some form of functional mental health.

How do algorithms decide what content you see online? Is there really no way to prevent the misuse of social media to spread disinformation and hate?

Online platforms must be transparent and accountable for what their algorithms decide to promote. It's time we make this happen.

Starting today, we're setting up a European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency in Sevilla, Spain. This is one of the many measures in our new #DigitalServicesAct.

More info: https://algorithmic-transparency.ec.europa.eu/index_en

#DigitalEU