The Trump Regime Smear Machine is now a taxpayer funded venture that smears victims of state violence by justifying their killing. This should be familiar, it is a common practice in the aftermath of police shootings of black people (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Today in Proximities: - Burkina Faso says foiled plot to assassinate Ibrahim Traoré - Iran says “no leniency” for protesters, blames U.S. and Israel - Chinese foreign minister begins annual Africa tour As always, you can read it in under two minutes. www.proximities.news/p/burkina-fa...

"Whitlock didn’t steal scenes as much as he elevated them, becoming a part of the fabric of storytellers like David Simon and Spike Lee, who knew exactly how to use this stealthy genius,” writes @briantallerico.bsky.social in his tribute to the late Isiah Whitlock Jr.

A piece about Martin Chivers: unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/thank-you-...

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‘The US occupation of Iraq happened in part because no one learned the lessons of Vietnam, and it seems that whatever happens in Venezuela, no one has learned the lessons of Iraq or Afghanistan – forever wars against which Trump campaigned.’ Forrest Hylton on the blog: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...

🫡 @jonathanliew.bsky.social

Today in Proximities: - At least 50 killed in Nigeria market attack - Syrian government and Kurd-led SDF fail to reach deal - Myanmar releases 6,100 prisoners in amnesty As always, you can read it in under two minutes. www.proximities.news/p/nigeria-my...

On Maresca, Amorim, Nancy, head coaches, managers, and the difference between the last of those two. open.substack.com/pub/unexpect...

A Jackson Pollock painting or England's bowling?

Saturday turned out to be a freeze-out across the non-league game, but I didn't have anything like a wasted Saturday. But we do need to talk about what feels like a lack of process when it comes to matches being postponed. unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/the-weeken...

In 2026, we must stop letting techbros decide what art is and how it should exist.

Was just saying in a group chat how in the past year she stopped being an exciting young talent with a world class ceiling. She’s now just world class.

Seated!

A bit of a review of 2025. Not much of one, I have to admit. unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/the-best-o...

I stg if a single one of you non-New Yorkers try and tell us New Yorkers that we’re not allowed to criticize or yell at Mamdani I’m gonna lose my entire shit at you. Part of the reason we WANT people like him in office is we can tell him when he fucks up.

A rare and joyful example of watching a film and me straight DiCaprio meme going “I know that place! I’ve been there! And there! My sister lives 15 minutes from there!”

Isn’t this basically the plot of Mickey 17?

A timely new book published this year by the cultural critic Philippa Snow observes how the female celebrity magnifies the experiences of her everyday civilian counterparts, using examples from Pamela Anderson to Amy Winehouse.

By restricting jury trials, removing protest rights and expanding surveillance, Labour is entrenching an authoritarian legal infrastructure that a far-right government will not hesitate to exploit.

My last match of 2025 ended up in the pitch dark. A second abandonment of the season. Here's what went on at Whitehawk vs Lewes, yesterday afternoon: unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/the-weeken...

Monty Python's Black Knight as cricket.

With Animal as captain.

Also think Australia would win this if they declared now.

*checks to see if any Ashes series has had two Tests end in 2 days before*

Even funnier that they've corrected the sync on the replay, as if that will erase what we all heard the first time.

And that may not even be the thing about the coverage I've liked the least.

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new poem 🐾 ayeshaasiddiqi.substack.com/p/poem-change

👀👀👀 CHECK IT OUT! All donations to @calaisappeal.bsky.social are being DOUBLED RIGHT NOW!! 🤩🤩 Double your impact today! www.justgiving.com/campaign/tog...

‘The activist Tom Beanal, who died in 2023, once asked if West Papua was colonised by Indonesia or by the entire world.’ New on the blog: Douglas Gerrard on ‘the world’s most unequal war’. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/de...

Surgery is 12/31. I expect to be in bed for week at minimum during recovery.

All you have to do is look at the "self-care" industry to see how this works. People are literally being schooled to not give a fuck about anyone but themselves. I blame decades of turbo-consumerism. "The customer is always right" became "I am a customer therefore I am always right" years ago.

Think part of the problem is it doesn't even work as a surprise, simply because it's not surprising. It was broadly expected we'd see him in Doomsday. So even the crude thrill of "wait, what??" doesn't even come through.

So, I bought a new sofa. Well, a *different* sofa. And then I bought the only cushion covers that I felt it deserved. unexpecteddelirium.substack.com/p/single-par...

Grant Scott leaves Hibernian for Celtic as Sadiku exits stage left. A Christmas present for some, a lump of coal for others. The start of a winter break that looks like it will be full of drama. Read all about it 👇 howsyourtouch.substack.com/p/manager-mo...

May be recency bias, but Matthew MacFadyen in The Assistant.

@blackamazon.bsky.social has given me so many light bulb moments it's only right I give back. gofund.me/a5ee0064

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Yale report unveils RSF attempt to cover up Sudan atrocities, mass burials https://aje.io/9ibu83