This is so great. What a project to have been part of. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Honestly also the brass neck of this paper, which cheered this asymmetric trade deal at the time and advocated that Liz Truss, the Cabinet minister who signed it should become *prime minister*.

Interesting piece re: heritage-led local regeneration, specifically West Yorkshire mills, and this caught my attention: "... since its foundation as a "club mill" by a weavers' collective in 1829." Can anyone recommend further references/resources re: 'club mills'? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reminder that Henry Hoovers are made in Britain by a unionised workforce

godspeed you, perry, was a joy to see you again after so many years! you will be missed 🖤 #ripperrybamonte #thecure

Lots of shops in my home city just didn’t open today. And there were no bus services today either 🤷🏻‍♀️ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Volkswagen, https://botfrens.com/collections/19/contents/4091

i post this story every christmas, and will keep doing so until it stops making me cry merry christmas xx

We have so far to go with workers rights. Maternity and paternity rights are particularly paltry. www.theguardian.com/money/2025/d...

Can a kind word change your life? I know from experience that it can, writes FT columnist Tim Harford. on.ft.com/48Ilqdd

I did an UnderPile about the story behind Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and why the music touches us so deeply. There are also some words of wisdom from the record's potty-mouthed drummer.

I've got to be honest, we may as well call it a night #DuvetKnowItsChristmas

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

Tomorrow evening it’ll be my annual duty to vaguely shepherd the activity on the #duvetknowitschristmas hashtag and urge people to give small sums to charity. 7.30pm? Something like that?

CDs return to Christmas shopping lists as gen Z embrace ‘retro renaissance’

Happy Holidays from Sparks! 🎄✨

lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them

Remembering the legendary Joe Strummer on today's anniversary of his passing 23 years ago. A trailblazer, an icon, and the voice of rebellion. Though he may be gone, his music continues to resonate, inspiring generations to stand up, speak out, and embrace the spirit of punk.

Post Office and Fujitsu had deal 19 years ago to fix Horizon errors, paper shows

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.

This is my direct experience and it is why I think that many of the attempts to get *students* to use it formally are utterly wrongheaded, in that thus far, it has changed a lot of things to a job where you need to 'verify and edit' as it were.

The 2025 Festive 50 Part 1: 50 to 21 Press play and away we go! www.mixcloud.com/TheFestive50...

People put a nice fruit buffet on their doors and then complain when a goat shows appreciation for this....

St Withburga by Hugh Arnold, 1910, at Saxlingham Nethergate, Norfolk, a detail of his south aisle glass produced at the Glass House, Fulham. Arnold was a pupil of Christopher Whall and worked for Powell & Sons before setting up his own studio. He was killed in 1915 in the First World War.

I love this letter from a reader on why “we’re not doing presents this year!” is often a miserable, middle class pursuit. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

My 14-yo-son has recreated the climax of Back to the Future in gingerbread and I thought you should know.

This week on Wonkhe: A record number of students plan to stay at home, with new UCAS data exposing inequalities by income and location. Jim Dickinson explores what this means for access, and whether financial support is doing what it's supposed to

this is the greatest feeling, when the cord box proves its utility to a family member

Quite the chart. www.ft.com/content/30a4...

I mean, you don't have to convince me, I do what an LLM is supposed to do, but much better, much cheaper and fueled almost entirely on snacks and Coke Zero. But then I want pesky things like human rights and a salary, so

I also want to say thank you to the person who introduced me to the French word 'beaucoup' this year. It means a lot.

What if working fewer days actually works better? 4-day workweek trials show lower burnout, better work-life balance and no productivity loss. buff.ly/ptYH73X

Now give Bag Lord a knighthood

John Sell Cotman, Ruined Castle, Trees and Bridge, https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1130321

Just thinking how once upon a time this was all the cybersecurity you needed

These are a few of my favourite words …

And just like that, the historic Employment Rights Bill lands. Sick pay from day one. Day-one parental leave. Unfair dismissal rights after six months. Ban fire-and-rehire. Bereavement leave. Protections for pregnant women. Tougher redundancy rules. Fair Work Agency to enforce rights. #ukpolitics

NEW - The Employment Rights bill has finally passed, after a tortured time in the Lords. Christmas cheer for ministers and trade unions

British Academy's pioneering 'cold spots' work now replicated by HESA. 'University "cold spots" are developing in some parts of the country, new data analysis suggests, with courses in some subjects no longer available to students in certain regions.' 1/2

“‘We’ve got a library with no books, no readers, no digital content, no front-facing staff and absolutely no clue!’” By @anna-aslanyan.bsky.social, for @lrb.co.uk

Keep seeing posts about how the employment rights bill will be bad for jobs then I read this article 🤷🏻‍♀️ www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

For those who do not know Bert the Blackbird -He likes to fight cats -laugh at squirrels -launch kamikaze air strikes at pigeons -bathes like a Cossack dancer in an explosion -taps on the window when HIS bath or feeder are empty 1/3

Oh. Nice.

They could perhaps try to avoid losing jobs in the first place? (see the gloat over closing NHS England in the budget speech and the lack of interest in mass cuts in universities).

wtaf www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Edible thread. Thredible:

Young doctors and training places. Whats the problem? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

George Michael ladies and gentlemen.

As Dick Van Dyke turns 100, it’s important to give thanks to the sea creatures who made that possible.