It's Matthew Paris time! That's right: 13th century England's premier mapmaker and monk! A friend to kings, & the kind of man who could draw an elephant right. He drew the first maps of England (like the one below) and he's the subject my December bonus newsletter: www.patreon.com/posts/144769...

If “The Canterbury Tales” were written today it would be called “The Airport Chili’s Bar Tales” and I think that’s beautiful

⚓ the perennial "im pretty sure there's some @earthandaltarmag.com articles about this"

Rabbit rabbit! December 1st came early, thanks insomnia! Here's a White-spotted Salamander (Plethodon cylindraecus) from central North Carolina this fall. #herps #salamanders #NaturePhotography 🌿

thinking 'bout misandry :)

🦌 Animal portraiture London: Frederick Warne & Co., c1912. [Source]

fighting for my life against the persistent and insistent intrusive thought

biblically accurate angels

New research brings hope for one of the Southeast’s most imperiled amphibians! In this month's Science of Scales, Houston Chandler breaks down how habitat restoration is helping Reticulated Flatwoods Salamanders rebound on Eglin Air Force Base: www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-s...

I don't think I'll be making more brass work this season so if you've been waiting on picking one up now is the time. pamwishbow.com

Always a joy to work with Morgan's map of London (1682), especially the wonderful drawings of ships. 🗃️ www.layersoflondon.org/map/overlays...

🐸Dyeing poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius). Some variants will grow to 7 cm (2.8"). Females tend to be larger than males. Found in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and in the northernmost part of Brazil. Considered Least Concern by the IUCN. 📷by Christoph on Pixabay

I feel like the original photo perspective does not appropriately convey that this @mcsweeneys.net is a full-ass binder

When I lived in Central America and had to hike to where I caught public transit to the capital after the first 2-3 times I just walked instead of borrowing or renting a horse because it was less of a hassle.

Fat cat Friday

A Terror Bird in seven-league boots. Brown pencil, 68 × 89 mm. From 2020.

To be explicit, we executed a German U-Boat commander who said he had to sink lifesaving gear / “inadvertently” kill survivors because it might give away his position, thereby potentially resulting in the loss of his submarine. We executed multiple members of that crew.

OK, who narced?

Aza just being handsome and maybe also wants to share the Knowledge of Good and Evil 🍎 ? Dominican Red Mountain Boa (Chilabothrus striatus), juvenile male #herps #drmb #boa #devil #snake #iridescence #red #genesis #chilabothrus

What happens when you pick an American Pope: he builds an entire international trip around a Thanksgiving Turkey pun

The Turkey Takes As Long As It Takes is the sacred adage of our order. as is Bring An Extra Bottle Because You Never Know

I am in the Midwest and I’m about to experience something for the first time ever. I am from New Mexico. This is exotic and it is thrilling

RIP Martin Luther, you would have loved Papal Audience Black Friday deals.

No. He would die for YOU

Fifteen Years xkcd.com/3172/

Wait this is actually my family

Pointed out by my friend @carloshasanax.bsky.social . There's something weird and unsettling about a fairly homogeneous culture spread out across Europe that then collapses into an orgy of genocide. www.science.org/content/arti...

I love the Emperor Jahangir's description of the turkey, then a completely novel creature to the Mughal Court. English translation from the original Persian by Alexander Rogers and Henry Beveridge. 3/3

Ustad Mansur, Turkey cock (Meleagris gallopavo), Mughal, c. 1612. Opaque watercolour and gold on paper, 12.2 × 12.8 cm, full page 26.4 × 39 cm. Happy Thanksgiving, US friends! 🦃 1/3

Thankful to my Bluesky feed for giving me these two posts from @mamavitelli.bsky.social and @baronduki.bsky.social back to back

go ahead and destroy the financial district Pac-Man. make the people happy

Happy Chompsgiving!

the 40 fastest pitches by starting pitchers in the 2025 world series

We're thankful for the birds and so much more! Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at IBP. 🪶

i’m so happy for him

Pie is done Bread is torn and drier than the Mojave Butter is herbed and resting Stock is thawing

Just in time for one of God's Lost Hours (3-4pm the Wednesday before Thanksgiving on the West Coast)

Fort Peck Community College on Tuesday announced it received an $11 million donation from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation — the largest gift in the tribal college’s history.

I've lived in countries the US has actively done regime change in and never met folks pretending they weren't American. I think that is a relic of a particular type of GenXer during the Bush II years.

Weird duck season has arrived! Dribbling Wood Duck drake. #birds

New holiday Normal Men! Gobbling mail with male goblin @golikehellmachine.com. @rickywlmsbong.bsky.social sticks to his guns on stuffing, @ed3d.net has the historical pie perspective, @peark.es gets your goose, and everyone solves drunk-uncle racism. www.podbean.com/eas/pb-u3xxn...

I think this is an underrated source of the extent to which Bluesky is in a false consensus about public AI hatred. If you are a power user on a microblogging site you are basically by definition not going to see the "take the effort out of reading and writing" machine as being useful

there’s a reason ken burns titled his national parks documentary “america’s best idea”

ME: now I don't use this item very often, but when I need to use it it's very important that it's easy to find. why dont I put it in a special location, just for it. oh, I know. I'll put it in [FOOTAGE MISSING]

... fuck, you're right

IMPORTANT: ASSLESS BIRD

I’m so sorry Michael Shannon but you have to play John Brown

I NEED TO CHECK MY MAILBOX

When I decided the Thanksgiving Week Music Vibes were early 90s female country stars I didn't appreciate how many Concerned Looks I would get from the spouse.