For centuries, Christmas was associated with rowdy street celebrations of feasting and drinking, and for many Christians, it “was not in good standing as a holiday,” said Thomas Ruys Smith, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in England. buff.ly/gVoeMpw

So much “AI” is underpaid and exploited gig workers.

At his first Vatican Christmas Mass, "Pope Leo XIV called for peace in his 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing, emphasizing the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza."

Merry Christmas, to all who are celebrating! To all who are not, please enjoy some splendid singing. m.youtube.com/watch?v=rYAR...

I love how Linda Ronstadt sings this song. More wistful than melancholy, m.youtube.com/watch?v=4TrC...

For many of us, sadness and grief are inescapable at this time of year. Knowing that millions of other people feel the same way isn't particularly comforting. But at least we know that there's nothing wrong with us.

The voice. Nat King Cole. m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eW...

I can’t wait until Virginia has an AG who will fight for all Virginians.

God Rest Ye Merry, Funky Gentlemen. 😄 m.youtube.com/watch?v=3SUr...

How the climate crisis looks in France in late December. "A white and cold Christmas in an increasingly warm country: 'The younger generations have hardly ever experienced snowy December 25ths.'"

He's also wrong empirically. Elite admissions counselors select Black folks who they think aren't going to rock the boat--not progressives or activists. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

NEW via me and @alejacorazonhm.bsky.social: As Christmas approaches, clergy, churches and other religious organizations are wrestling with how to mark one of the most important Christian holidays while also serving an immigrant population in crisis. religionnews.com/2025/12/24/w...

Even with broad public support, no major museum has taken up the genocide in Gaza. No large institution I know of has put on an exhibition about Palestinian artists or Palestinian lives. www.equator.org/articles/how...

Late entry for the Worst Headline of the Year. (A stunningly ill-informed way to frame the issue.) www.bbc.com/news/article...

104 years ago bsky.app/profile/100y...

It's always Ella season. m.youtube.com/watch?v=DUyx...

Remember kids, Parmesan rinds are 24 carat gold. I put one in the big pot of collards that I cooked tonight (along with onions, garlic, & salt). It's like adding an umami bomb. Pure magic. My neighbors were amazed. And happy.

And do not get it twisted these publicly funded stadiums are scams for taxpayers. Very rare to see this investment meaningfully get a return on the investment. $3 billion dollars is greed; these owners are greed personified.

You know what's insane? Thinking that going to Wegman's at 3 pm on December 23rd is a good idea. That's insane. Mindbogglingly insane. Don't ask me how I know.

I miss the old twitter days, when you could post Instagram clips directly. In any case, these two have been having holiday fun. They'll put you in the holiday mood, even if you hate Christmas music. www.instagram.com/reel/DSnU2qV...

Why is anyone who's not a Nazi?

Sounds like the Trump admin deported an American citizen with no criminal record basically because of her ethnicity, over the ruling of a judge. She is 22

These are the criminal words of a gangster regime: “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.” – Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Dec. 21, 2025, accepting his appointment as DJT’s “special envoy” to Greenland. ...

#Charlottesville FLOCK camera map (can be found at deflock.me) There are 10 active cameras reported in the City limits. They need to all be promptly removed by city maintenance staff.

I wrote about Severance for FLOOD’s Best TV of 2025

If you like jazz & are looking for something different, yet comforting, check out the duo album Galliano made with bassist Ron Carter. Two of the best, enjoying each other's musical company. It's streaming everywhere.

You don't have to know much South African history to see that this photo is a lie. To put it another way, it conceals much more than it reveals. (Alt-text: A color photo made on a bright, sunny day shows gleaning modern office buildings & a busy city street. Everything seems very clean & orderly.)

In the '50s someone asked, what would happen if we brought googie design to busses?

Just watched a bootleg of the 60 Minutes CECOT segment, which is very well done. Will more people will watch it now than if CBS had just ran it as originally planned? archive.org/details/60mi...

All archives create futures

I really hate being the person in rooms full of liberals who has to point out over and over that the images of atrocities might not have the galvanizing effect they anticipate, there remains an appetite for witnessing racialized degradation

Bless the Internet Archive. Also, donate to the work they do.

They're caroling in Fifeville, accompanied by a ukulele, and they all sound pretty darn good!

CBS didn't run the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT, but over here at @propublica.org we've been working on the story since March, including finding out who each and every man sent to that maximum security prison was. You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...

Exactly what we expected

The Cavalier Daily strikes again. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 "Scott Beardsley’s appointment [as UVA president] epitomizes a semester defined by absence, secrecy and institutional disregard." www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

City councilor Michael Payne on this appalling decision to invite data-scavenging private equity into Charlottesville city government. Bring back the parking attendants

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

My French phrase of the day is grim. It comes straight out of the news: le nettoyage ethnique = ethnic cleansing

While the international community has largely moved on, Palestinians are still living in a nightmare world. www.bbc.com/news/article...

When a regime is white nationalist, reckless, & foolish.

The dumb mfer is fixed on this & can't let go. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Lots of my arguments with them are basically me screaming that to White racists we will always be less than. They might use us and our yearnings for Whiteness, but they do not think of us as ‘white’ and we need to have a little self respect and solidarity with other racialized groups.

When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.

A question for US soccer fans. How much coverage is the Africa Cup of Nations (2025 AFCON/CAN 2025) getting in the US media?

My Spanish-born grandfather and black Venezuelan grandmother had 9 children. He neglected his brown children and said he wouldn’t pay to educate those “negros”, but supported the white-passing aunties. It turns out wanting sex with ethnic minoritised people doesn’t mean you love or respect them.

Great new episode of Inside Appalachia, an NPR podcast. Opens with a look at our healthcare crisis, focusing on a county with just one (very dedicated) doctor. Then a profile of documentary photographer Roger May, who came home to tell his people's stories. Good stuff. play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...

Like politics, anyone can (usually) weigh in on religion. But FWIW: Harvard, where Pinker teaches, also has a divinity school. It has lots of scholars who study religion for a living. Pinker isn't one of them — in fact, they've publicly criticized him: www.commonwealmagazine.org/enlightenmen...