Yeah, dude. Being holier than thou is sort of the job description for being Pope.

Yeah, dude. Being holier than thou is sort of the job description for being Pope.

This is lovely. Happy Christmas everyone.

If Hollywood wasn't full of cowards they'd have made a Muppet Fitzcarraldo where the only human was Kinski

Ahhhh, simple pleasures…

Among the many shocking and disgusting revelations in the Epstein files: the discovery that the Andrew formerly known as Prince had a valet from the age of TWO. As Hemingway said, the rich are different: they’re batshit insane.

Very adorable Christmas closing post by the Rijksmuseum's library: www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/stories/s...

David Remnick slowly peeling off the 'educated NY liberal' mask. Soon there are going to be the first-person articles about how this long-time anti-POC, misogynistic 'liberal' has 'now found himself politically homeless'.

The French (French Canadian?) term for egg nog (= “chicken milk”) is such a delight.

Just received an invitation to appear on Fox news' streaming channel. Granted, to talk about the history of Christmas, but I'm guessing they don't check historians' social media posts before issuing invitations. I gave them the polite version of 'Thank you, but I'd rather set my hair on fire.'

Hey, UK journalists, time to look at the Prince formerly known as Andrew’s relationship with Peter Nygard, Canada’s own paedophile sex-trafficker. Looks like a whole new avenue of depraved acts in the Epstein release to be examined. www.ledevoir.com/monde/etats-...

9 of the remaining 10% is recruitment and supplies, which are entirely dependent on society and have massive consequences for society, and must be justified/legitimized by culture. You cannot make war if you don’t have troops, weapons, or food. Also, gender. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Glad to see what is happening to the BBC Written Archive getting a bit more coverage. Can I suggest people use the public consultation for the BBC Charter Review to raise this issue www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/9febe15...

Despite frequent remonstrations from digital archivists, Persephone never accepted that she could not photocopy a whole book in one go.

My new favourite video of all time.

Anyone know why the @mainemorningstar.com , which I'm guessing is based in *checks notes* Maine, is using a photograph of a UK street (see both bus shelter that says 'Nine Elms', a district of London, and UK post box)?

Not now, haunted Victorian shoes

WATCH: Seriously, if you’re following ANY bike-lane debate, you HAVE TO WATCH this news story. You actually can’t make this up. Ford claims without evidence that bike-lanes are bad for small business, and THE ACTUAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION obliterates him with data. Safe bike-lanes mean business.

For the World Cup preparations, Canada has derogated to FIFA the right to hand out work/residency papers to 1000+ workers from abroad. With such an honourable, upright institution as FIFA, what could possibly go wrong? www.ledevoir.com/sports/94362...

This thread is the best possible response to: 1. Isn’t everything you need digitised? And 2. Can’t AI do the research for you?

Found an envelope in the British Library, addressed in full to ‘Rudyard Kipling, England’. Next to that was written, ‘Try Bateman’s, Burwash, Sussex’. That was indeed Kipling’s address. I suppose it’s less a crazy archive story, more an impressive post office story.

The British Library has the copies of all plays submitted to the Lord Chamberlain for censorship. Before going to the BL, they lived in the coal cellar of St James’s Palace. Reading them means your hands are perpetually covered in coal dust. System: Read 10 pages Return folder to go to loo to… 1/3

Not my story, but the daughter of Bela Horovitz, the founder of Phaidon Press, told me that during WWII her father was was working on a book of Leonardo drawings. Each day he’d take the train to Windsor, sign in as an enemy alien at the police station, then have the run of Windsor Castle archive.

I would just like it on the record, m'lud, that I did NOT say Clement Clarke Moore wrote *checks notes* The Nightmare before Christmas. @the-independent.com

But you do still have to apologise for being JD Vance.

Every Xmas, @patrickleary.bsky.social shares w his Victorian buddies how Kate Wiggins (of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm fame) met Charles Dickens. It's a joy, & should be better known, especially when she kindly tells him not to worry about the 'very dull parts' in his books. Happy holidays, all!

‘I spoke to’, not ‘I listened to’. Doesn’t even use the US standard ‘I spoke with’.

If you have used 23AndMe, you are advised by California’s AG to delete your DNA right now from the company’s database as it has declared bankruptcy

AI is for Eejits. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Well, now I have something new to shout when startled.

The complete Bayeux Tapestry has finally been released and proves that Bishop Odo had absolutely nothing to do with the illegal Norman invasion of England.

“Be sure to set me to ‘delicate,’ Alison. It’d be a shame to ruin that sweater, you know, in case it ever comes back in style.”

And check out the ‘art’ (I use the word loosely) at 37 and 66.

Katherine Rundell’s biography of John Donne, Super-Infinite, is every bit as good as everyone says. On the same page:

Excellent summary of the miserable mismanagement of the British Library: dosh for the execs, dregs for the workers. Oh, and a series of CEOs with no library background, and -- no chief librarian? Why yes! That sounds like a brilliant set of priorities. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

3yo: “daddy’s phone is in his pocket!” me: “that’s true!” 3yo: “why isn’t mummy’s phone in her pocket?” me: “… buckle up, kiddo, we’re gonna discuss five hundred years of fashion and misogyny”

This thread. The lack of acknowledgement of luck is a constant in the humanities. I have had a really successful career, made a living as a writer. And I am a pretty good researcher, I can present interesting ideas in a way people want to read them. Is that why I'm successful? 1/3

I love this

No, the 19th century was perfectly normal, thank you. Why do you ask?

The rehab tour by the Coldplay kisscam lady? Pah! I give you the white male 'artist' who (no, I am not making this up) smeared dog shit on the face of a newspaper critic (yes, actual dog shit, that he went & collected), and still got another job! Do we think Marco Goecke has learnt anything?

A new holiday tradition? A Santa, accompanied of course by his elves, robbed a major supermarket chain— and deposited $3,000-worth of food at the local food bank. www.ledevoir.com/actualites/9...?

This time of year we're thinking of the time Saint Nicholas allegedly punched Arius right in the face during the Council of Nicaea. Merry Christmas.

slow day in the office so figured we'd start some beef with museums

I have no plans to read more than the headline, but I’d be willing to bet it wasn’t the inanimate 16 seconds that ruined her life, it was the decision made by two married coworkers to have an extra-marital affair. But hey, that’s just my take.

Look at this guy!

The WSJ was given an AI vending-machine by Anthropic. Hi-jinks and hilarity ensued. Until you realize they actually want this malfunctioning, easily conned technology to run all our lives. So long, and thanks for all the fish. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...

I'd commend this, except that it suggests there are acceptable levels of racism and violence.

JFC. A monument in Canada part funded by Victor Orban, *checks notes* Nazi hate groups and *really, checks notes again and again* a contribution dedicated to the founder of the Ustaše. Where to even begin. www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/12/17/c...