Yes, he does play it.

What the KENNEDY Center used to be… Remember that time Aretha Franklin performed at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, paying tribute to Carole King, who co-wrote “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman,” and it brought a tear to Obama’s eye and everyone to their feet? And Carole King’s reaction. Wow.

Respect!

Tressa Burke is one of my oldest friends and I have had so, so many reasons to be proud of her over the years — never more so than today. I hope the UK government is listening. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

I kept seeing Terry Waite. Once in Glasgow (buying undies in House of Fraser) and twice in London. No idea why he was stalkkng me.

You don't know what day it is. You're eating countless meals a day with lots of snacks in between. You're napping throughout they day. Either it's the time between Christmas and New Year or you're a cat.

When I am queen, only the Willcocks arrangement, and always all four verses. #Word

Second anniversary of our Apple TV’s spectacular attempt to understand me asking for “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas”

When working in the archive of St Mary’s Church in Chennai, I opened a large volume of burial records only for some white-ish powder to sprinkle out on the floor. Later I described it to one of the archivists. Oh, that’s arsenic powder, he said. They put it in to kill bugs that might eat the pages.

It's very tiring being asked if I can recommend good books when someone hears I'm a librarian. For some reason they don't like the answer of "sure, what crime is it you've been charged with then?", as I work with law materials.

'You're on standby for Lockerbie' - volunteers recall their role after Pan Am bombing www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🎶 She wore an Itsy bitsy teeny weeny…

AI-assisted writing in 1716. #skystorians

Merry gentlefolk, it is time. Today is the day. Today is comma-mas. Today is the day where we contemplate the correct placing of the comma in 'God rest you merry, gentlemen'. And if we are lucky, we can have a row about it. >

As someone who recently found I am intersex it turns out what letter was written on my birth certificate would give you at the very least a pretty incomplete understanding of my anatomy. I think we can expect better from our health service than these dangerous and inaccurate generalisations.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 32178: You don't need to set a daily word count. You simply need to make your words count. 300 well-chosen words are better than 3000 banal ones.

Also for all fans of centrally positioned drums in early modern art #niche

YASSSSSSS #Erasmus

Advent candle lit, and thinking about all celebrating Hannukah.

Part of the Chanukah tradition is to place the light menorah either outside or in a window where outsiders can see it. This is supposed to advertise the miracle of Chanukah. These days, it is also a way of saying, “This is a Jewish home.” Every year I think about how it is also an act of bravery.

My most fundamental belief is that we do not have to live like this.

The political desire to define women solely in terms of their reproductive capacity is, and always has been, a way to control their bodies. This is why affirming trans rights is also affirming women’s rights. Feminism disrupts patriarchal logics that seek to police people according to their biology.

Honoured to be included in Vic Galloway’s Festive 50 – Favourite Albums of 2025 ✨ So grateful for the support for Gates Of Light II this year. Thank you for listening 🙏🏻❤️

There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom

Wouldn't be a Girlguiding event without a sing-along 🎶

The Room Next Door - Exploring Africa

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

Your annual reminder that “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer” is about celebrating diversity and calling out bullies.

Halal butchers in Newham are advertising their “festive Halal turkeys”. Tommy Robinson is scared of Newham but it’s most a place that shows what happen when lots of different faiths and cultures live happily alongside each other.

Made a site comparing the sizes of living things :) The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used > neal.fun/size-of-life/

I know the world is full of complicated people but I’m not going to volunteer my labor for any academic journal run by people who reside at the bottom of the barrel of bad behavior. I just won’t. And one of the things I tell mentees is to check out the editorial team before you submit your work.

SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going— SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti— SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE

HAPPY HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (?) www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2... www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

he knows when you are seeping...

An important point to come out of the Sandie Peggie case is that 'gender critical' employees can't take matters into their own hands and confront trans employees. If they do that it is likely to be harassment/ bullying/ a hate incident.

The founder of the What Every Woman Wants department store has died aged 87. Vera Weisfeld launched the women's fashion chain with her husband, Gerald, in Glasgow in 1971 before expanding across the UK. 📷 Newsquest

well this is really going to complicate things in Scotland www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/sn...

Coming next spring! ”The Business of War in the Early Modern Baltic Sea Region 1530–1765” Description in comments @profmurdoch.bsky.social @anulah.bsky.social

Depressing. As the article says, the SNP has repeatedly made the case for immigration, but here we are.

I just caught myself saying “I’m going to watch the knitting.” #GameOfWool #YarnSport

Say what you like about the National Trust: they look after their members.

The Society currently invites applications for its 'Workshop Grants' programme 2026: bit.ly/3MlbX46 Grants provide funding for groups of historians to come together for a day event to work collaboratively on a shared project. Closing date for applications: Friday 23 January 2026 #Skystorians

xylophone sound

all academic applications should have consolation prizes. doesn’t have to be much, like a mug that says “i applied for leverhulme 2020” or a t-shirt “UKRI reject 2023”

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Cameroon’s opposition leader, Anciet Ekane, has died in detention. Ekane was taken into custody days after 92 year old Paul Biya was declared the winner of the presidential election and the country was rocked by protests. The family has been offered no explanation about his cause of death.

'The media has not yet picked up on the fact that Northumbria University has also now quietly closed applications to its Music degree. This is a new course, which admitted its first students only five years ago. Staff with excellent research profiles were appointed'. 1/3

Question:

Do these VCs imagine that rivals won't mention this to prospective students in our recruitment efforts? It's an absolute gift.