Then call senator Duckworth and inform her that you have lost faith in Schumer’s leadership. That you cannot vote for ANY Democratic senators as long as he remains in a leadership position. Explicitly link your actions to Schumer’s failure of leadership and the capitulation.

So @durbin.senate.gov is hiding from his constituents today—no one answering phones and no voicemail option last night and again this morning. Craven and feckless.

Another shameful decision from a throughly discredited Supreme Court

i want to repeat this: mamdani and spanberger have run similar campaigns tailored to their respective electorates and it is maddening to watch political journalists attempt to create some broad contrast where none exist

Today is an absolute rebuke of anti-transgender politics, and a real sign that the anti-trans panic is fading. From VA Gov to Loudoun County to New Jersey to New York City and Pennsylvania, anti-trans Republicans are falling left and right.

GOTV, New Yorkers! It's Mamdani time!

Let's gooooo, Virginia!

Frankly, this explains A LOT about where the US is right now.

Monday blues? Taking positive action can boost your mood. Give your elected reps a call today.

@tressiemcphd.bsky.social nails it: “Real working-class politics does not assume the worst of working-class people’s impulses. It does not launder their concerns for political points. It certainly does not argue, directly or indirectly, that a little racism is a good thing for reaching them.”

The Election Assistance Commission is considering a proof-of-citizenship rule that would block millions of eligible voters, including Americans voting from abroad. Push back - submit your comment today! #ProtectTheVote #DefendDemocracy

There is exactly one way to rapidly cut pollution at scale, save money both at the govt and household level, and do it without federal help. The best fastest thing to do on climate is to just make cities safer for walking and biking. That's it. Every climate person should be working on this.

It’s here! Fantastic stuff in this special issue of Medieval Perspectives (including some musings by yours truly). Words matter, history matters, and philology is alive and well.

Today the Church of England remembers Theodore of Tarsus, second Archbishop of Canterbury, who had never set foot in these isles before being appointed, and who had to learn the local tongue on the journey here. There would be no British Christianity without immigrants.

The digital version of God, Slavery, and Early Christianity is officially out! If you're interested in ancient Mediterranean slavery's effects on Christian thought and practice, this is for you. www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...

Just note that if you click through and watch the video, you will see a person being thrown to the ground—and, if you have sound on, it's even more sickening. Excessive force at a minimum.

I bought peaches at the farmers market today and it was a Good Choice

This is all he said.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, worth reading (as always) "...the most telling detail in Klein’s column was that, for all his praise, there was not a single word in the piece from Kirk himself."

The data on political violence have been clear for a long time.

History is cool!

I'm thrilled to have a small piece in this exciting special issue of Medieval Perspectives on "Medieval Words for 2025," edited by Britt Mize and Johanna Kramer, and I can't wait to read the rest of the contributions.

30 seconds to make your voice heard. Call now.

wrote about the “national conservative” vision for america

I am officially "I hurt my knee cleaning the bathroom" years old.

📨You are warmly invited to our next annual conference at University College Dublin @ucddublin.bsky.social 📅 Saturday, 25 October 2025 📜The theme is "Education and Early Medieval England" and our programme is available to view online. 📲Registration is now open: www.eventbrite.ie/e/1631647263...

Billy Doth Bragg

Just got a book from an academic press where every third page is uncut. Good think I have a paper knife! Feeling very C18 up in here

“Service doesn’t just happen when young adults don a uniform in health care, fire protection or a climate corps. It happens every day when they absorb inflated housing costs, heavier taxes and mounting environmental debts so their elders don’t have to.”

The #AHR is seeking proposals for a special issue on methodological approaches to archival silences in early history. Visit our website to read the full call for proposals and learn more about the guidelines for submission. Proposals are due September 16.

"He tempts you with the promise that every cruel, fearful, punitive impulse you have aligns with The Way Things Are Supposed To Be, and that it is even your grim duty is to indulge them. In this respect, James Dobson was very much like Satan."

"Building alternatives EASIER TO DO Bring community together. Organize a potluck or clothing swap. Get folks together to talk about what they fear or hope in the times ahead. MEDIUM TO DO HARDER TO DO" docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Many congratulations to our CMS Faculty who have received SSHRC Insight Grant Funding! Shami Ghosh, James Ginther, Riccardo Macchioro, Chris Nighman, Sebastian Sobecki (@sebsobecki.bsky.social), and Renée Trilling (@rrtrilling.bsky.social)! www.medieval.utoronto.ca/news/cms-fac...

Medieval Studies MA/PhD to be cut among others.

Armed military in the nation’s capital does not scream “democracy”

This administration is such a clown show

Seeing this again and thinking of all the MAGA men whining that they're afraid to walk down the street.

Many people I knew did not appreciate the food scene in C-U, but they had not spent six years living in South Bend, Indiana in the 1990s. It’s all about perspective

Huh, so I guess it wasn’t about political bias in government-funded media after all. /s

In 2021-22 I wrote an essay called “The Holocaust and the Challenges of Representation” for the Cambridge History of the Holocaust, a 4-vol. collection masterfully ed. by Mark Roseman (& Laura Jockush & Devin Pendas) that has just appeared. I’m honored to be included in very impressive company. 1/x

New from @smotus.bsky.social: "...just one party behaving irresponsibly is bad for the whole system in the long run, and creates no path for things to return to functionality. You can’t make a party feel more reverent toward institutions and norms; you can raise the costs of irreverence."

There are signs all over my gym locker room saying “Cell phone use is not allowed.” This should be a no-brainer everywhere.

Visual metaphor for what’s happening to American democracy rn

It’s not everyday you turn on CBC Radio and hear someone talking about Bald’s Leechbook, but I guess today is that day.

Update on the great discovery of archived BL manuscript metadata: I started putting together a page at my website to host PDFs of the archived pages I retrieve. ruffnotes.org/british-libr... #medievalsky

Important academic PSA!

Who would have thought that the Ivies would turn out to be a bunch of craven bootlickers? (Spoiler: everyone did.)

"The Thought Police that libertarians have been warning us about for decades have finally arrived. And it’s not coming from “woke” or “politically correct” faculty and administrators stifling speech and punishing students for saying conservative talking points — that was never really a thing."

The antidote to doomscrolling (with even more real-world impact): calling your reps. Call about: Genocide in Gaza LGBTQ+ rights Reproductive freedom ICE kidnappings Gun violence Climate change CDC Education 1st Amendment rights and anything else important to you. Add it to your daily calendar!