JD Vance: "What we told the Iranians yesterday is that when you guys engage in what us millennials might call trash talk, you can't expect the president of the United States not to respond and not to correct the record." (Trump threatened to assassinate Iran's negotiators yesterday ... )

For #MosaicMonday, an unexpected trip to Caerleon yesterday where these examples are on display in the museum and bath house.

On Day 25 of the Tai Po fire hearings, Senior Counsel Victor Dawes outlined the experts' findings from the government's interdepartmental investigation task force on the cause of the fire. It's a bit of a thread, below

Re. Bergvall looking to leave: I told you this would happen, and it's not simply about finishing 17th. In fact it wasn't an issue the first time we finished 17th. It's about unambitious football and incompetent leadership. profspur.substack.com/p/you-cant-h...

Then charge them with contempt of court , Judge Lok. ‘Lok, a High Court judge, said that substantial evidence had already been collected and witnesses’ cooperation might not be guaranteed, even if they are summoned, local media reported’.

"I hear you're sending me a seventh prime minister"

If rumours are to be believed I'll be living with a seventh different Prime Minister shortly. If it carries on like this I'm going to stop making the effort to learn their names.

I miss the old door.

I did a talk for a city on why they needed to go to mechanical wastewater treatment instead of lagoon expansion and it started with two slides: 1. Fertilizer on grass = green grass. 2. Fertilizer in water = green water.

Since I did do my PhD in cyanobacteria growth and treatment optimization modeling AND work in the water treatment industry, I’m gonna share my theory as to what’s happening here and how to fix it. People are focusing on the painted bottom of the pool increasing residual heat, and while that 1/19

Today's the feast of St Thomas More and St John Fisher, English Reformation martyrs, here by Margaret Rope at Kesgrave, Ipswich. In Hilary Mantel's brilliant 'Wolf Hall' More comes across as a heartless zealot and Fisher as unworldly and gullible, perhaps not unfairly but both were more complex.

‘China is not only exporting substandard products but also its draconian governance culture. The death of Hong Kong’s rule of law and civil society is not only about Hong Kong and China; it’s affecting the political landscape in Taiwan, East Asia and even globally’.

lost in translation: Schrödinger’s toilet

#AncientSiteSunday & feels like we should have a look at Butrint, in the south of Albania 🇦🇱 a 🧵👇

Robert Besley, the Clarendon Typeface and the Longbow. Today’s new post at alondoninheritance.com

Reuters: China tightens indium export checks as AI demand increases – ‘leading some buyers to fear the niche metal, sought after for next-generation data centers, may be ​added to the export control regime that has become one of Beijing's most ‌potent trade weapons.’

And when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want. What do you call it: freedom or loneliness?

The Rhos Rydd Shield is a large, exceptionally well-preserved Yetholm-type shield dating to the Late Bronze Age (c. 12th–10th century BC). Found in a peat bog (called Rhos-rydd, near Glan Rhos Farm), Wales. Photo is my own, 2022. For #ArtefactSunday

Eiswein, icewine or ice wine: here's everything you need to know about the delicious dessert wine made around the globe.

A couple of frescoes from Pompeii depicting muscled cuirasses with pteryges, providing the sort of coloured information that cuirassed statues seldom supply. These have now been added to our galleries romanmilitaryequipment.co.uk/galleries-of...

At the masquerade, ‘the British Empire put itself on display with outfits ranging from Indian rajahs to chimney sweeps, which collapsed boundaries of gender, class and race.’ Daisy Hay on 18th-century revelry: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Things are definitely picking up. #NowPlaying #StudioOneSka

Joseph Ibn Hayyim marks the beginning of the Torah portion Chukat (חֻקַּת), which tells of the laws of the red heifer, with this beautiful beast. #ParashahPictures Bodleian Library Kennicott 1; 'The Kennicott Bible'; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.88v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Sunday sounds like… #NowPlaying #StudioOneFunk

Daddy will explain about these stones.

#DavidsMonthOfMusic #MusicChallenge Day 21: a slow song. Carlton & The Shoes ‘Better Days’.

Happy Summer Solstice everyone! #StandingStoneSunday This amazing photo by Callanish Digital Designs shows two prominent stones at Calanais (51 & 52) forming a window for the rising midsummer sunrise sun that lights up first as the sun appears. There's a close up next... 1/

ALWAYS stop to fuss a cat. If said cat accepts fusses and head bumps you, you will feel glorious all day.

I would say that it isn't that immigration has halved which should be the focus, but instead countering misleading rhetoric that cutting immigration is of benefit to those voters who have been told migrants are to blame for all the ills of the world. Otherwise, no amount of cuts will placate people.

Italian PM Meloni said of Trump's continued insults, "My popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours. These constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless." She slammed his "fabrications" & insisted. "As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it."

Currently on sale for just £7.99, instead of the usual £40.00 RRP.

Oh, I've heard of it! And if you've followed me for any length of time, you have too! But here's a rather good article about it

Coluche, 40 ans déjà. Ce numéro spécial de Libé, souvenir du 20 juin 1986, ressort en tirage limité. https://l.liberation.fr/tG1

Now up to number ELEVEN on the @blackwells.bsky.social bestseller chart. With one more push, can we move past various books about Michael Jackson, "dark hockey" romances and having sex with elves, and get into the top ten?

#DavidsMonthOfMusic #MusicChallenge Day 20: a fast song. The Ramones ‘Wart Hog’.

‘Buying whatever vehicle we like, and driving it wherever and whenever we please without having to think about the consequences for other people, has become normalised and ingrained across our society over decades’.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what is happening in the UK. ‘A UK Border Force officer and a Hong Kong trade official based in London have been jailed for spying for China in the first such conviction in British history’.

Do vaccines save lives? Yep! Does antivaxx BS kill? Yep. 👇 Cervical cancer deaths for vaccinated young women fall to zero in England: study www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...

I’m all for ‘dropping hints’ ✋ 🗳️

All must have prizes. Peng Chau dragon boat races nearing end...

WHO MADE THIS 💀!

A brilliant observation. As an author, once your words are out in the world between the covers of a book, your readers will infuse them with lives of their own. Step back and let the magic unfold. #booksky

Diverse objects from the Bronze Age settlement of Xiaeryamakebu, in the Qaidam Basin of north-west China #FindsFriday They indicate the site was a hub on the ancient Silk Route, connecting central China with Xinjiang and the central Tibetan Plateau. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

World's Richest 10% Are Costing Earth Trillions, Study Finds www.sciencealert.com/worlds-riche...

A remarkable discovery at Aspendos: archaeologists have uncovered a Roman mosaic showing the river god Eurymedon. Dating to the 3rd century AD, it adds a new highlight to the city’s rich ancient heritage. 👉 www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/rare...

#FrescoFriday & was thrilled to catch this last weekend: the 'Bayeux tapestry of England' at All Saints Church, Claverley spectacular c13 wall paintings though their meaning is not entirely agreed upon

Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.

Starting soon!