I'm old enough that I thought *immediately* of the time Summers, as president of Harvard, said we should look to biology to explain a proportional lack of women in science.

The value of reading history is you know that in 1860 there were abolitionists who were so demoralized that they thought chattel slavery would be permanent. 5 years later those still alive had lived to see its end.

Washington DC is very evil but

Not enough modern movies have a scene where a guy gets hit in the eye and somebody gives them a raw steak to put on it

I’m at the conference about Victorian literature I’m at the conference about national security law in honor of Judge William H. Webster, former head of the FBI and Director of Central Intelligence I’m at the combination etc.

People keep failing to learn the lesson of Cato the Elder, who repeated “Carthage must be destroyed” so often that finally the Romans went ahead & did it, just to shut him up

O’Hare has a quiet lounge hidden above the G concourse

These really influenced teen me: 1) Eric by Terry Pratchett. Got me into reading for fun. 2) Utopia by St. Thomas More. Got me into philosophy. 3) The Black Jacobins by CLR James. Shaped my politics. 4) Paradise Lost by Milton. Shaped my literary taste. 5) Confessions by St. Augustine. I felt seen.

Seeing a lot of people notice that Trump called Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile” the “Miracle Mile” The actual Miracle Mile is in Manhasset, LI: that’s the one he’s thinking of I have made this mistake myself 😔

Oh hey I'm quoted in the History Channel talking about Stephen King! www.history.com/articles/ste...

My alma mater did something ... good?

This is correct

There are so many more possible deep histories than we know or might most readily (conditioned by the present and the victors of the recent past) imagine.

yes yes we all know about the Edmund Fitzgerald, rest her soul, but did you know about the ship laden with explosives that sank in the mouth of the Thames in 1944 and could explode at any minute and which attempts to disarm keep failing

It was the snow, right?

JCO: not just a true poaster but — today — a true patriot 🫡

Gales of November tonite 👀 Gales of November tonite Queen?? Gales of November tonite 👀

every one of these ass-kissing sessions has the cadence of the deathbed

If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/

wait until JCO finds out about how he doesn't even actually play video games

A specific brand of Small Business Guy that has flourished in the past few years even in fully criminalized states is about to get nuked by this.

In better news, Marc Andreessen is getting canceled by Grimes on X for attacking the Pope 🤷‍♀️

Hey, these are people who ask me for money all the time! My donation list just got simpler

I skipped this article for a while because I figured I'd read enough about the NYT's Mamdani coverage. I don't want to say the headline does the article a disservice - it is also very much about that - but goes well beyond as well

Am I right that the WaPo called Zohran a “generalissimo” and we’re not supposed to hear that 6-syllable sneer in the accent of a British Tory hack 😂

Autumn sunset in Florence

Airports used to have an illustrated map of the terminal. This was an effective solution to the information problem. I do not want to put my fingers on a touchscreen that thousands of people use everyday, directly after they exit the restroom, in order to know where the bookstore is.

What a queen

😬 seems normal

Extremely reassuring stuff to actually see Trump 2024 coalition fall apart

Somehow, the Puritans returned

There's a little business near us that roasts and sells fancy coffee for coffee snobs like me. Just visited them. "The tariffs are killing us... We held out as long as possible but now we're raising them by $2/lb and we're still losing... Even the big guys are getting slaughtered."

☹️ www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

This would be great--and I don't mean "Here's why that thing you like is actually terrible and bad for The Cause," which is what it too often slips into. You can offer a progressive take on culture without being the giant scold who ruins every Thanksgiving!

New College is a good metaphor for the whole MAGA project

Literally every "I think the govt is overspending" take is a really dishonest way to say "they should give that to me instead"

Today’s hate-read: why Austro-fascism appeals to JD Vance. 🤬Modern authoritarianism established by divine right 👑

Mental experiment: what happens if you cancel 10% of private flights

This week was the Trump regime taking loss after loss after loss. Just a steady stream of humiliation. I don't have anything to add, I just wanted to remind you.

Get ready for this issue of @victorianpoetry.bsky.social — it’s coming soon and it’s fantastic. Featuring this incredible work by @rcolesworthy.bsky.social as well as equally extraordinary essays by @lerikscline.bsky.social @carolinelevine.bsky.social and Ruth McAdams.

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

Trump would also definitely eat this man if left alone with the body.

proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation

I was thinking about Zohran’s transition team and today’s anti-feminist piece in the New York Times, and my mother’s book on the first generation of women to work in the city government in New York City. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

You don't want to be the Trump administration when the judge starts with a wind-up like this

I'm tired of socialism for corporations but they get to keep their profits. I hated the 2008 bailouts. I still hold a grudge.

good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx

the one good thing about online is that if you use it well, it can become a new republic of letters

This is a good headline. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...