The birds that never sang

I was really disturbed to read that Britain has lost 73 million birds over the last 50 years, pretty much my lifetime.

That's 73 million birds who never sang: cuckoos, turtle doves, song thrushes, some of the most distinctive, beautiful songs, honed over millennia, never to be heard. It made me so sad to read this. Here's how you can help.

Be woke, kids

The word "woke" troubles me. It troubles Kathy Burke too and she had a little rant about it the other week. (Apologies, contains swears).

"Being woke" as a term came from African American slang meaning becoming aware of injustice. Here's an interview with Lead Belly about his 1938 song Scottsboro Boys. Lead Belly uses the phrase "stay woke" right at the very end of the interview. The song is about the infamous miscarriages of justice against a group of young black men, falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama in 1931. More info about this case here.

But the term is now banded about as an insult. Remember the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating, wokerati?

Anyway, here's an article about the genesis and evolution of the term you might find interesting.

Interesting and useful links 🖇️

Some useful tips for moderating a panel.

Some really good tips here for tackling uncomfortable conversations.

Day of the Week 📆

As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week, I moderated a panel about improving end of life care, how we talk about death and loss, how care is funded, and how all the different bits of care can work better together.

It was a really positive discussion and I'm looking forward to doing more work on this with Marie Curie. Thank you to all the panellists.

What am I reading? 📚

I'm reading a lot about participation and lived experience for a project I'm working on at the moment. Here are some materials from Turn2Us. I'd welcome any other suggestions of good practice.

What am I watching? 👀

A round table conversation with LGBTQ+ young people. It's very moving and educational to hear these stories.

What am I listening to?👂

Marcus Ryder discusses the SNP's new leader and attitudes to disability on The Shelina Show.

Joy-giving things 😍

Exploring world heritage sites from your armchair on UNESCO'S website.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Lucy

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