In case anyone has abnormally low blood pressure, this steaming pile of orientalism from the NYT should clear that right up: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/28/w...

I really wasn’t expecting this to be my most popular post ever…

Make a Bond Movie Academic: Die Another Day: Perceptions of Reincarnation and the Eternal Soul among Yoga Practitioners in Orange County

An evangelical pastor asked me what my “worldview” was. When I said my family is Greek Orthodox, he responded in the same tone I would use if a student turned in homework soaked in Kool-Aid: “Well. I guess that’s a form of Christianity.” I’m not religious at all, but that pissed me right the ** off

And many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, remembered the day that his father took him to discover ice.

So here is how my brain works. I passed a poster for an “international festival of the organ” and (after briefly considering which kind of organ) I wonder how that works. It’s not like people can bring their organs with them. They’re not portable. I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this.

I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it. A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...

Ok, then.

As a Jew, it’s fun watching the administration post Christian nationalist messages while also saying they are doing everything they can to curb antisemitism.

It’s that time of year where the same movies on the “best of 2025” lists are on someone else’s “worst of 2025” list, so basically I still don’t know what to watch. Also, House of Dynamite was awful.

The number of times I’ve tried to say mariscos (seafood) and it’s come out moriscos (Muslims forced to convert to Christianity in Spain post 1492) is embarrassing, but I feel like @homophonous.bsky.social can at least appreciate it.

Read this absolute banger of an article by Michelle Wang in the new issue of Speculum! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Special shout out to the American couple walking through the grocery store in Morelia loudly discussing their opinions of president Sheinbaum on the assumption no one could understand them because they were speaking English. You realize this is why no one likes us, right?

Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.

University administrations are really comfortable overturning internal processes to aid the far right, both because they are terrified of them and also because the far right has captured so many state legislatures that they can, in fact, kill the universities if they don't.

Related, the kids are now calling both OU and Texas A&M “clown colleges,“ in case you’re wondering how this anti-intellectual BS is playing with the youths

I’m afraid I cant fit this in a single post… christophersrose.com/2023/01/28/m...

Sometimes I amuse myself by imagining the reaction if the US government started naming streets like Mexico: Constituents Insurgents Solidarity Reform Revolution Child Heroes National Forces

Working on something about what Twitter meant to historians - what was good/not good about it for the profession, in relation to the general crisis of academic history / the profession, etc., the cratering of the university. What was #twitterhistory at its best? What were its failures? 🗃️

Academic heaven. (Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City).

🚨PSA🚨 A government restricting what scientists are allowed to study has NEVER been a sign of a society moving towards a more free, more just, or more enlightened future. A thriving scientific ecosystem is a core pillar of a healthy democracy.

Historian friends, I'd be thrilled if you'd check out my article on how colonial planners wielded emerging medical knowledge to reinforce land commodification and social segregation in Egypt's Port Fouad, ca 1920s, co-authored with Mohamed Gamal-Eldin. #HisSci #HisMed #EnvHis #EnvHums #UrbanHist

Making a rare appearance on my own TL.

Just got into a taxi in Mexico City and they’re talking about this on the radio. People who think he’s making America respected again are sorely mistaken.

Also, I would like to thank Aeromexico for forcing me to listen to the Mariah Carey Christmas album on repeat.

The woman who is apparently seated behind me on this flight sat in four different seats first. She’s either very confused about the rows being in numerical order, or doesn’t understand the concept of assigned seats.

It’s that time of year where I get headlines on my feed like (not making this up) “7 things you probably missed on your last trip to Luang Prabang!” There’s a whole lot of assumption going on there. I’ve never even been to Vermont.

WELL NOW, would you look at that? A massive, 24-YEAR-LONG study of MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION people in Denmark found NO LINK between aluminum in childhood vaccines and autism, asthma, OR chronic disorders. Aluminum is an ADJUVANT. It ENHANCES your immune response to a vaccine. That’s it.

In addition to the obvious, I am still waiting for someone to explain how this alleged massive conspiracy was supposed to work. They picked a random infant and somehow manipulated him into being the first Black president fifty years later? Like…how?

“I’m not really an expert on historical Nazi genitalia” is a sentence I just used… and how’s your Friday going?

I’m not sure “love wins” is the takeaway from the Supreme Court refusing to hear Kim Davis’s case. Legally, it rested on a pretty weak argument and an illogical premise. I’m not convinced someone (Ken Paxton) isn’t looking for a stronger case to argue upwards.

You can always count on the Dems not to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

🎮CALLING ALL EDUCATORS! Check out our FREE Archaeogaming Education Module (#AEM) - Urbanism in Egypt and Mesopotamia This AEM was created in collaboration with Dr. Kate Minniti and Dr. Briana Jackson. ➡️saveancientstudies.org/archaeogaming-modules#AEM) #SASA #GameStudies

After nine years of coming up with a “better plan” … he’s invented Obamacare.

Ok, creeping fascism is one thing but publishing a photo of the winner of GBBO before the episode had aired in the US is a step too far, NYT. (Yes, this is sarcasm.)

I think it’s hilarious that MAGA is flipping out over the election of a Muslim as mayor of NYC since most of them believe we already elected one as president 💅🏼

If he didn’t die screaming while being dragged by hellhounds into a gaping cavity filled with lava while clawing at the earth in desperation, I don’t see any need to discuss it.

The term “internalized colonialism” is running around my head for no reason at all…

I am all for freedom of expression but, after two days with toddler nephew, if Pinkfong were to be suddenly and irrevocably banned worldwide I would be okay with it.

Greg Abbott wants to force cities to use taxpayer money to undo crosswalks paid for by private donations, or he’ll endanger public safety by withholding money for roads.

I learned that the collective noun for a group of historians is an “argumentation.” I rather thought it would be a well, actually.

I love watching the freak outs about the EU introducing biometric data collection for entering travelers as if the US hasn’t been doing it for years.

working on a new unified theory of american reality i'm calling "everyone is twelve now"

My web browser just suggested that I ask AI what an astronaut does every day and I am so confused right now.

By Friday: “we didn’t save health insurance, but the Republicans gave us these magic beans…”

Everyone at this shopping center had their brains factory reset overnight. Or I’m impatient, but I suspect it’s them.

The people who said the Rapture was going to be yesterday are now saying they meant Wednesday, but they seemed really sure on Saturday when they were telling the Wednesday people they were wrong, and it’s like who are you kidding you aren’t going anywhere even if it is Wednesday 💅🏼

You know it’s bad when even the front page of the New York Times is depressing me.

Since the world is on fire, I would like to share Edwin, whose favorite thing in the world is wine corks. Except for hair scrunchies. He’s beside himself with joy right now. #catsofbluesky

All teh gayz are upset because Gaga’s cameo in Wednesday was a cameo…but can we talk about the sheer brilliance that is Joanna Lumley as Grandmama? Why, she’s … dare I say it … absolutely fabulous!