#oxford — Public Fediverse posts

If you live in or near #Oxford & are interested in #screenwriting, my husband is teaching in-person weekly evening class for the University of Oxford's Lifelong Learning 😊

For full details and to book: https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/screenwriting-getting-started-with-your-new-draft-o26p478crw/

#WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #writing #film #TV #cinema

Balliol College’s Sept 2025 announcement mentioned that a bookshelf and other allusions remained to be added before a dedication ceremony in spring 2026. Do any readers have photos?
https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/september/new-dervorguilla-galloway-sculpture-installed 🧵 2/2

#Balliol #Oxford #Dervorguilla

Dervorguilla of Galloway, who wrote the 1282 statutes & ‘did the practical work’ to establish the Oxford college named after her husband John Balliol, is commemorated in a statue unveiled last year. This article shows the interesting process as well as the outcome:
https://theoxfordsausage.com/a-new-public-statue-for-oxford/ 🧵 1/2

#Dervorguilla #Balliol #Oxford #stonecarving #sculpture

24 August 2026
Campaigners calling for action on chemical contamination at a former RAF base said they have spent more than £10,000 on independent testing.

Gallos Brook Community Group said it has carried out more than 14 tests near RAF #UpperHeyford, which show unsafe levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (#PFAS), referred to as #foreverChemicals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6dned18nro

#science #environment #pollution #Oxford shire

#Oxford we had lower than usual water pressure in OX3 this morning at around 8:30, but it seems to have recovered now ...

The theologian John Owen, who died OTD in 1683, was an academic administrator at the University of #Oxford https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/uk/oxford-lewis-tolkien/?s=mb #travel #England #history

12 Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed

https://streetartutopia.com/2026/08/25/12-sculptures-you-probably-didnt-know-existed/

Heads up, fellow writers!

It's come to my attention some Australian universities are teaching staff to spot the use of AI in student writing by checking for Oxford commas on the grounds that "humans don't use Oxford commas."

Is this it? Has Cambridge won?

First they came for our words, then they came for our punctuation...

I'm not sure where we go from here. If they think we're using AI due to commas, what else are they 'catching' us out on?

#writing #writersofMastodon #AI #Comma #Oxford

The fact that the "completed" Eynsham park-and-ride is facing a further delay in opening, because administrative issues mean the access road can't yet be built, is a seemingly endless source of amusement for the political opposition.

But something struck me recently as I read this comment by a member of the public:

"Don't know when the managers at Oxfordshire County Council learnt their economics but in my day when involved in projects there were three sins that impacted the economic outcome: over cost, under spec and completing late. By far the biggest sin is being late because it loses income at the start and shortens the life of the product so you never recover the lost income."

What's great about this seemingly erudite comment is that it exposes a common mistake in the way capitalism has taught us to think: the idea that everything should be run like a business.

Here's an extract from a great review of this mentality posted recently by a councillor in Worcestershire:

"Public services lose money, so that you can make money. They lose money so that businesses can grow and thrive. They lose money so that you can afford to travel to work and shop and live. They lose money so that the private sector doesn't have to. Government is, in a nutshell, an exercise in losing money in creative and productive ways - ways that support the growth of communities and businesses - which then pay that money back via tax. That's how it's meant to work."

Now, I'm not saying that what's happened at Eynsham is ideal. But perhaps we should stop always passing judgement through the lens of business. I believe we're capable of it — I mean, I don't think anyone's ever said "Never mind the education, I hope this primary school is managing its finances to maximise profit!"

#capitalism #economics #oxford #PublicSector #ukpol

#Oxford #events: open #folksession happening at the #FlorencePark bandstand #today from 4pm.

A reminiscence from my Oxford undergraduate days: Watching J.R.R. Tolkien summon Henry.

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/writing-2/2026/03/day-i-saw-tolkien-summon-henry

#Tolkien #Memoir #Oxford #Merton

I think the #bandstand session on Sunday 23rd is on. https://michaelgrr.wordpress.com/2026/07/25/bandstand-session-sunday-26-7/

#Oxford #FlorencePark #folksession

DRC Ebola Outbreak Passes 5,200 Cases, 2,478 Dead

WHO warns of 'exceptional pace' as Bundibugyo Ebola strain spreads across six DRC provinces with no approved vaccine available

https://pulseofnations.lol/drc-ebola-outbreak-passes/

#DrCongo #Ebola #EbolaVaccine #Health #Oxford #Pandemic #Who

We joined Albert Lauber, Owner + Chocolatier at Neuchatel Chocolates, on his factory floor in #Oxford, Pa. Surrounded by the irresistible sights and aromas of #chocolate being made, we spoke with Albert about the craft + business behind it all. He explained how he transforms Swiss chocolate into delicious truffles – and how he makes his own chocolate from Philippine cocoa beans. We explored industry trends, challenges of managing a factory + sourcing local ingredients.

https://startlocal.co/making-the-finest-chocolates-with-albert-lauber/

Reform’s new economic adviser - another #Oxford alumnus - has called for end of pensioners’ triple lock.

That'll go down well with the hard of thinking geriatrics who support the Farage 🐸 Fan Club.

So will his previous advocacy of privatising the #NHS.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/20/reform-economic-adviser-mitchell-palmer-end-pensioners-triple-lock

#ReformUK #UK_politics

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🐝🌸 #Pollen is #plant reproductive material more than bee food, so its amino acid mix doesn’t match #honeybee needs.

Bees adjusted how much they ate to keep nutrients balanced. In the hive, nurse #bees blend diverse pollens into bee #bread and royal #jelly, a #diet far closer to what #larvae require.

👉 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041237.htm

#science #nutrition #biodiversity #nature #biology #pollinators #animals #insects #wildlife #research #oxford

#Oxford #recycling RedZone: turns out that the year plan we printed in April contained an error offsetting the cycle from the first week of August onwards. Council quietly corrected it online without telling us ... https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/4098/recycling-and-waste-collection-guide-for-april-2026-to-march-2027 Will probably catch out others as well when coming back from hols and out of the habit of the two-week cycle.

REVIEW: Megan’s by the Spires opens in former Jamie’s Italian on George Street with a vibrant Eastern Mediterranean offering. We popped in for breakfast! https://www.diningandcooking.com/restaurants/12418/ #GeorgeStreet #MediterraneanRestaurant #MediterraneanRestaurants #Megan's #Megan'sByTheSpires #oxford

REVIEW: Megan’s by the Spires opens in former Jamie’s Italian on George Street with a vibrant Eastern Mediterranean offering. We popped in for breakfast!

#dining #cooking #diet #food #Breakfast #Italianbreakfast #breakfast #Georgestreet #Italia #Italian #italiano #italy #Megan's #Megan'sbytheSpires #oxford
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2776174/review-megans-by-the-spires-opens-in-former-jamies-italian-on-george-street-with-a-vibrant-eastern-mediterranean-offering-we-popped-in-for-breakfast/

REVIEW: Megan’s by the Spires opens in former Jamie’s Italian on George Street with a vibrant Eastern Mediterranean offering. We popped in for breakfast! https://www.diningandcooking.com/2776174/review-megans-by-the-spires-opens-in-former-jamies-italian-on-george-street-with-a-vibrant-eastern-mediterranean-offering-we-popped-in-for-breakfast/ #breakfast #GeorgeStreet #Italia #Italian #ItalianBreakfast #italiano #italy #Megan's #Megan'sByTheSpires #oxford

Zero context curiosty question for UK / English peeps:

"Orion by the Sea"

Mean anything to you?

REVIEW: Newly opened Sicilian bakery and pizzeria Aromi in Oxford packs a pizza punch https://www.diningandcooking.com/restaurants/11873/ #Aromi #oxford #Pizzeria #Pizzerias #Sicilian #StMichaelsStreet

What the fuck #oxford? Nobody with a sane mind can watch this and say this is a normal debate.