A very offline cousin sent this to fam group chat. This story is breaking containment.

Have we forgotten that even the joker hates Nazis?

Went to a prayer service tonight at St. Mary of the Lake, where they have cardboard cutouts throughout the church representing parishioners afraid to come to Mass because of ICE.

My article on the use of “Render unto Caesar” to support secularism and exclude Islam is published in Critical Research on Religion (open access): doi.org/10.1177/2050...

Fabulous job opportunity for someone with education administration experience. calibre.careers/opportunitie...

BBC Radio 4 just referred to Putin’s ‘indescribable aggression’. I immediately thought of ‘dangerous’ and ‘intense’, but Margaret more sharply asked, ‘If you call Putin’s aggression “indescribable” are you not… in fact… describing it?’

'Recruits "are supposed to attest" they can pass the physical-fitness test, which requires them to run ... 6 mph.' Oh, wait a minute, I can pass that exam!

What an inexcusable waste of research staff’s time, badgering them to seek grad or which the payoff is 2% at best!

After submitting a FOIA request UKRI, I obtained success rates by three grant call scheme and I can only say that I am disheartened by the results: - AHRC Responsive Mode 2025: 2% - ESRC New Investigator Grant 2025: 1% - ESRC Research Grant Round 2025: 1%

Just came across a note I made of this exchange (on the other place — not Cambridge), and was delighted that it stuck in @isaactsoon.bsky.social’s memory…

“The man who lives under a threat of death needs no pity. From the depths of that cool shadow he looks out on life as on a burning bush. Color, form, and desire are all heightened; he ‘looks his last on all things lovely every hour.’” — my grandfather…

Why does everyone keep calling it “The Epstein Ballroom?” Please stop repeating “The Epstein Ballroom” because it is not called “The Epstein Ballroom!” Don’t tell the news that it’s called “The Epstein Ballroom” and please don’t repost this!!!!!

Looks as if Trump is saying no Democrat will be allowed to win another national election—and he will use the FBI, the DOJ, and the CIA to make sure of that. This is a full-scale attack on American democracy, and every Republican, CEO, and conservative mouthpiece who doesn't object is complicit.

“The man who lives under a threat of death needs no pity. From the depths of that cool shadow he looks out on life as on a burning bush. Color, form, and desire are all heightened; he ‘looks his last on all things lovely every hour.’” — my grandfather…

Back in Trump 1, somebody on Twitter said, "Wait... you mean this whole time the government has been operating on the honor system?" To which I, a Fake Constitutional scholar, said: Yes! Here's an explanation of why what the framers did in fact call "honor" is essential:

Nelson's Victory crew included a Brazilian and a Russian, 2 Indians, 2 Swiss, 2 Portuguese, 3 Danes and 3 Norwegian sailors. There were 3 Germans, 4 Italians, 6 Swedes, 7 Dutchmen, 9 West Indians and an African, as well as 21 Americans, 63 Irish, 64 Scots, 441 English.... oh, and 3 French men, too.

In case inhabitants of the US are like fish swimming in water they can't perceive, let an amphibian on the beach* be explicit: ‘This is nothing like normal, not even abnormal. It's revolutionary, & not in a good way. When your head of state does stuff because “Who’s gonna stop me?”, that’s tyranny.’

Jesus. My state rep getting held at gunpoint by CBP. They even knew who he was.

The White House is asking people not to share pictures of the East Wing because it’s even worse today.

Hmmmmm… www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

There's an exciting new 4-year postdoc in New Testament at Oxford/Keble College. The deadline for applications is 28 November. I'm happy to try to answer questions/offer encouragement for those considering an application. www.keble.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/

Applications are invited for a Junior Research Fellowship in New Testament Studies at Keble College, Oxford, tenable from early April 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. This is a fixed-term four-year position. www.keble.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/

The arguments for the foundation of the NHS were as much about eliminating ‘money worries’ about medical bills as about improving health. Needs to be kept in mind when evaluating health care systems.

On 21st of October 1966, 116 children and 28 adults were killed in the horrific Aberfan disaster, caused by the failure of the National Coal Board. Today, we remember those who lost their lives and stand with the community of Aberfan now and always. Never again.

I am beyond excited to share that I am receiving this year’s Brooten Award from the Society of Biblical Literature for my paper, “The Monster at the End of This Essay: Incestuous Whores, Trans Monstrosity, and Genesis 38.” www.sbl-site.org/news/announc...

IT’S ALIVE! today i received my advance copies of 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 ahead of publication next month. it just dawned on me last week that people might actually buy and read this book. which is mildly terrifying. yay?

learned recently that the guy who wrote "The Night Before Christmas," clement clarke moore, also wrote a takedown of thomas jefferson's proto-scientific racism in "Notes on the State of Virginia," basically accusing him and others of making it up to justify slavery. which, that's right.

Seriously think about it - nine months from not even having any plans to finding an architect, having designs created and approved, plans created, all the engineering thought through, all the inspections and checks for a *highly* secure building done, builders found, paid and work started?

shocked to learn that the president lied about this and also this is a horrible defacing of a building that belongs to the people of the United States, not donald trump

Are we doing "The ACA Sucks" Discourse again? I'm going to guess most people hating on it from the left have never received a hospital bill the size of book; I put the apple there for scale. That's the $1.3 million bill my kid incurred in his first ~94 days. Why does that make me respect the ACA?

How many classes today were canceled because a whole suite of EdTech services are built atop AWS? You know what platform never crashes?

the kids are alright

The president of the United States posted a video of him defecating on the American people. Many in my profession normalized it. This is a big reason why we are where we are.

We discovered that the dogs, who scorn the new megakibble they’ve been prescribed for their teeth, will gobble them down if we grate a little Parmesan over their meal. So now I feel like a supporting character in a bizarre alternate version of The Bear…

Under Over Over - West Hampstead So it's taken a while, but I've finally found a location where you can clearly see London Underground trains traveling over London Overground trains. The vantage point is at West Hampstead Overground station at the end of the platform.

This is a deeply shameful story. I knew nothing about it until I visited the Liverpool Maritime Museum a couple of years ago.

I've been litigating cop cases for almost 20 years so it is rare that I see law enforcement behavior that truly shocks me to my core, but this is it. CBP searches for undocumented people. Dog is contained. CBP *let the dog out and then shot him.* Unbelievable.

Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only.

My older kid is doing a term abroad and living near Royal Albert Hall, and said they saw sumos in their local.

In one video the president shared on social media, Trump wears a crown and flies a fighter jet with "King Trump" written on it.

DJT tells JDV, ‘Hold my beer’… bsky.app/profile/benc...

🥲 Alt text

The only thing that scales in an AI is its costs, directly above its revenues, always outpacing them. Your most passionate users are your most expensive. The more curious they are, the more they cost you. LLMs will go down as one of the single-worst business models of all time.

A tool built on the stolen labor of others will not liberate you as a worker. A tool built on the stolen ideas of others will not liberate you as a thinker. You are not using AI; AI is using you. Stop it.

🚨 Just published! 🎉 Thrilled to announce "Empire Criticism of the New Testament," a volume (with cutting-edge research, but also suitable as a textbook!) I had the pleasure of editing, is now out - and available OPEN ACCESS via @mohrsiebeck.bsky.social! 🥳 www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/empi...

Omg

What every Vice Chancellor should be offering with genuine contrition 21percent.org?p=2757

Liturgical ‘choreography’ is usually no more choreographic than is dithering over where to put the spinner with notecards of stained glass windows.