"Hello. My name is Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor. You killed my mother. Prepare to die."

This is accurate. Russia has succeeded very well in convincing media in Europe and the UK that the conflict is far more one-sided in Russia’s favour than is genuinely the case - and that contributes to the assumption that it should be settled in Russia’s favour sooner rather than later.

Proper *chef’s kiss* of a gag, this

At a cosmic level, it is surely hilarious that the current in US politics that generated McCarthyism is now in hock to man who is an actual Russian asset. On a day to day level, of course, it’s a tragedy, and a disgrace and the man should be on trial for treason.

“I left my shoes and socks there / I wonder if they’re dry”

America’s strength isn’t rooted in power alone, but in our allies across Europe and around the world. Weakening those ties weakens us. In a world of rising authoritarianism, partnerships remain one of our greatest strategic advantages.

Perhaps the most important stage of Christmas now arrives: the watching of The Muppet Christmas Carol — the greatest Christmas movie, second-greatest Michael Caine performance, only cinematic chance to see a rabbit physically abused with a wreath.

Putin: ‘Russia is ready to keep fighting until the last Ukrainian dies.’ Committing the genocidal intention on the international stage West:”we must pursue a diplomatic solution”

This is approximately the same as someone saying “the Mafia assassins of JFK on the grassy knoll tried to destroy me”. No one who says this should be allowed to operate heavy machinery, let alone go round the world giving the benefit of their experience as Prime Minister.

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be with the Wizard” “Wicked: For Goodfellas”

Madcap hijinks as Daniel Day Lewis leads an all star cast in a race across America to save his loved ones from a vengeful Huron war party. “The Last of the Mohicannonball Run”

Sentimental Oscar bait with a fantasy twist as Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda play elderly Vikings forging new bonds with their offspring who have adopted flying lizards in “How to Train Your Dragon: Golden Pond”.

Disturbing sci-fi sequel, in which a digitally de-aged Jeff Bridges must help his son defeat a computer virus manifested as the enormous face of Hattie Jacques “Carry on Matron: Legacy”

Harrowing thriller in which Sean Connery’s improbably accented Soviet sub captain fights in Vietnam with some Pennsylvania steel mill workers: “The Deer Hunter for Red October”

See Dolly Parton vs Leatherface in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

The Lord of The Rings - the Dark Lord Sauron seeks to conquer Middle Earth with magical evil VHSes; is defeated when it turns out Gondor shifted the Bluerays.

Runaway Brideshead Revisted

Amazing story highlighting the fine line between art and science. Ultimately it's all just ideas and creativity of thought.

Trump and Witkoff seem to believe that all Americans care about is making money. When it comes to Ukraine, however, polls show clearly that American care about right and wrong. Trump is out of step with American people on Ukraine/Russia.

Also. Next time someone tells you Ru is invading Ukraine preemptively to stop it from joining NATO, show them this and laugh in their face. Blaming these genocidal politics on Ru feeling insecure is peak ignorance or gaslighting.

The Russian army is exhausted too. Russia is taking far higher casualties than Ukraine, and after 3.5 years has barely moved the front line. The idea that Russia is “winning” is simply not supported by the evidence. As I told DW News.

The right step and an indication that Ukraine’s anticorruption institutions have reached a level of maturity absent in many European democracies. This happened thanks to Ukr civil society and ordinary people who rallied in the middle of war this summer to protect the institutions’ independence.

So. , #WickedForGood — as before Ariane Grande is great but it Cynthia Erivo investing the whole thing with the grandeur of Shakespeare, which makes it glorious; if she doesn’t get the Oscar nom (at least) this time, she’s been robbed. Also, last shot deserves a joint Oscar/Tony award of its own.

Also, isn’t the point of the BBC that it does things others can’t? So we can get 24 hour news pretty much anywhere, but not the kind of summary material Stephen mentions here, so why isn’t the BBC doing that instead of funding a generic ticker-tape news service?

When human civilisation inevitably blasts itself back into the Dark Ages, one can only hope a suitably garbled version of this story will be the foundation stone of a new religion.

On Holodomor Remembrance Day, Ukrainians light a candle at 4 pm and place it on the windowsill to honor the millions who died in the 1932-1933 famine. 🕯️4 pm in Ukraine

The US-negotiated (for which read: “Russian dictated”) peace deal is no such thing—it is Ukraine’s suicide note as a sovereign power, to be disposed of by Putin at his leisure. It is repulsive that any US administration would push this on to any free state. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

People who have been incredibly academically successful often do not consider that the education system is not designed around them (tho, as their success illustrates, it is good for them).

It has been an enormous honour to serve as Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students. Now that all-new access and participation plans are in place across the sector, I have decided not to seek a second term. www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-an...

It has been an enormous honour to serve as Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students. Now that all-new access and participation plans are in place across the sector, I have decided not to seek a second term. www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-an...

John Blake, the OfS’ director of fair access and participation, has announced he will leave the English regulator this year after deciding against staying for another four-year stint #AcademicSky #EduSky

Never really certain if anyone sees these things on here, but for those who do and are interested, I am shortly stepping down from my role at the Office for Students -- full statement here: www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-an...

#celebritytraitors is the greatest television since the Wire.

FWIW, I think Klein's piece is unnecessarily complimentary about Kirk's achievements. Just as it undesirable to speak ill of of the recently dead, it is not obligatory to be nice about them. But the fundamental truth in that final line is what matters.

"We are all safe, or none of us are." And that goes for Washington DC as much as it does for Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Let’s go with the idea that these drones over Poland mistakenly ended up there. All the more reason for NATO to announce a no-fly-zone over Western Ukraine in order to prevent such unfortunate mistakes in the future. Simple. Close the skies.

HOW STEPHEN. HOW HAVE YOU MADE THIS ABOUT HARRY POTTER

My video about how LLMs are not search engines has led to many, MANY comments telling me that I should be using Perplexity. Some insisting that Perplexity does not hallucinate. Out of a list of 26 papers it just provided me (in "Research" mode) 4 were real. FOUR. 85% hallucination rate.

This They Might Be Giants TONIGHT SHOW performance of "Birdhouse In Your Soul" from 1990 remains firmly lodged in my noggin thanks to the Tonight Show Band's full commitment and Doc Severinsen's incredible trumpeting... It took an already great song and made it transcendent.

Possibly the best reason to tune into Bluesky is Stephen Bush’s insatiable (and obviously entirely correct) demand for someone at HBO to talk us all through their thinking here.

In the latest post on our Substack I try to make sense of the mutual incomprehension between teachers & students about the role of AI. Is it OK for students to use AI to write their assignments if that's the most efficient thing to do? If not, why not? substack.nomoremarking.com/p/what-is-th...

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

Re: stripping citizenship, look. There is no legal mechanism for him to do it. The very fact that he is talking about it tells you, yet again, what he is. He’s an aspiring totalitarian who wants absolute power over people’s lives and to use it to reward friends and punish enemies. That’s really it.

New York Times editors as they're handcuffed and sent to a concentration camp: "Experts say this is a bad thing to happen."

This kind of smart, walkable, mixed-use development is illegal to build these days.

Hugh Muir recalls the response of London Mayor Ken Livingstone to 7/7 from Singapore. I agree that, despite his flaws & failings at other times, that this was an important message www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Tuesday