Paul Collins

The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.

I suspect search firms reinforced the diminishing role of home-grown candidates and growth of an itinerant executive class in universities. It's in their interest to play up secretive national searches, as the open and patient development of internal talent might render their firms sort of useless.

Gatekeepers of the Ivory Tower Executive search firms have played a significant, often underexamined, role in the erosion of shared governance and the corporatization of American higher education.

New AAUP on NDA-driven prez search firms: "In 1975, <2% of ads, all from private colleges & universities, mostly church-related, mentioned a search firm." In 1995, it was 27%; by 2015, 92%. It has "a steep cost - weakening shared governance, reducing transparency, and undermining public trust."

Jordy created a website where visitors can contribute $35 to “provide an inflatable costume for a True American.™”

He initially hoped to collect enough to buy a couple dozen suits.

But as he put it -- “This whole thing has blown up a lot.”

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Federal agents barrel into band at Portland ICE protest, arrest clarinetist, accuse her of assault Oriana Korol, a 38-year-old child and family therapist, remains in Clark County Jail.

“Members of the Unpresidented Brass Band were playing the theme from Ghostbusters on a patch of gravel across the street from the U.S. ICE field office… [agents] appeared to be chasing a protester when the protester and officer collided with band members, most of whom were wearing banana costumes.”

The Portland ICE protest camp literally has a rack full of inflatable costumes for demonstrators who want to try one on...

"The Chronicle obtained the list of people advising [UVA President] Mahoney on the implications of the compact.... there is no faculty or student representative to the working group."

My pet book loves are the stamps from long-forgotten book shops you sometimes find in the front of old book. At Meininger & Co., you could buy envelopes, tennis balls, and a copy of Virginia Faulkner's Friends and Romans.

Portland's famous Unipiper was spotted at the Portland ICE protest where he played his bagpipes in front of Santa, Mr. Potato Head, Garfield and more -- all while surrounded by bubbles.

More on how the tone of Portland's protests has shifted: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

I hadn't heard about benshi before -- thanks for the link!

Screen shot of a passage from the article, reading: "The print of the film came from the Cinémathèque Française, and was accompanied with brio by a pianist, John Sweeney—but not by a pianist alone. Research suggests that some of Méliès’s work had been buoyed up by a boniment. The word is untranslatable, but it means something more than a commentary or a narrative. Rather, it’s a kind of ecstatic patter, near to the brink of Dada, and in the case of “Le Raid,” in Bologna, it was delivered with whoops, ululations, and ineffable glee by the actress Julie Linquette."

Fascinating bit about a 1905 George Melies film, in Anthony Lane's recent piece on film restoration. Strange to realize that "Captain Alex" and MST3K might hearken back to some of the earliest forms of cinema.

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

An Interview With the Portland Chicken Rachel Saslow

Jack Dickinson, 26, says “we’re winning this.”

When Nixon resigned, he still had a 24% approval rating, and I always wonder how that quarter of the country thought democracy was supposed to work — or indeed whether they wanted it to work at all.

Top 250 oil and gas firms own just 1.5% of the world's renewable power Despite public promises by many fossil fuel firms that they are investing in the green transition, it turns out that they have made little contribution to the growth of renewable energy

“The results were surprising, even for me,” says Llavero Pasquina. “I knew they were playing a very little role in the energy transition. I knew it was only for show. It was only for dressing their narrative. But I didn’t expect this low number.”

www.newscientist.com/article/2499...

One Town’s Quest to Find a Loving Home for Its Atom Smasher A decade after a landowner pledged to preserve the Westinghouse device, it still hasn’t moved. Now he says he has a buyer and a plan.

Buildable lot 4 sale, gr8 views, 5m vlt atm smshr

Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida Student outcomes and rankings are slipping at the liberal arts college while spending is up. Critics believe the college is at risk of implosion, and some are calling for privatization.

DeSantis gutted New College, stuffed it with political flunkies & jocks, & now spends *ten times* as much per student there - not a misprint - as at other Florida public colleges. And guess what? It's getting hammered on its outcomes.

That's what happens when you don't actually care about learning.

White and blue text: "Know Your Rights when interacting with federal agents, local law enforcement, or military troops: If you get stopped, ask if you’re free to go. If they say yes, walk or drive away. If you’re questioned, you can say, “I want to remain silent.” In some cases, you may be required to provide your name, address, immigration status, and/or ID. If an official asks to search you or your belongings, you have the right to say no, but do not obstruct access. They may have authority to conduct the search anyway. If they begin searching you or your vehicle, say clearly: “I do not consent to a search.” You do not have to unlock your phone or give government officials your password without a warrant. For additional security, turn off biometric identification such as Face ID. If law enforcement officers arrest you, you have a right to ask why. Otherwise, say you wish to remain silent and ask for a lawyer immediately. Don't sign, say, or agree to anything without a lawyer present. If you believe your rights have been violated, when you can, write down everything you remember, get contact information for witnesses, and take photographs of any injuries." Light blue ACLU logo. Blue arrow pointing to the right. Black background.

White and blue text: "Know Your Rights when witnessing federal agents, local law enforcement, or military activity in public: You have the right to talk about and publicize truthful information that you obtain lawfully, including about what law enforcement officers are doing and where they are doing it. You have the right to tell people their legal rights. If you are a lawyer, make clear you are not giving legal advice. You have the right to photograph or film anything in plain view, including federal buildings and law enforcement. These officials can’t confiscate or demand to view your photographs or video without a warrant, nor can they delete data under any circumstances. However, they may order you to move a reasonable distance away. If you think a command is unlawful, it’s safest to follow the order, document the interaction, and challenge it later. You can ask for officers’ names and badge numbers, as well as who to call if there are follow-up questions." Light blue ACLU logo. Black background.

Whether you're in Chicago or any other U.S. city, remember federal agents and military troops are bound by the Constitution.

Know your rights if you're approached by federal forces.
aclu.org/deployment_kyr

A Freeze on Medicaid Payments Is Forcing Cuts to Rural Health Care

By way of contrast, a Times piece today set in Maine, *also* by an out-of-town reporter, but who didn't have a glib point to prove & bothered to talk to people on the ground. It begins, from the first line, w/ someone directly affected.

The Times can do great work -- when it chooses to.

Gift link:

Also - as @taylorgriggs.bsky.social notes - the timing's irresponsible. DHS is musing about using the 82nd Airborne, & the Times runs this?

Maybe lots got cut/reframed, who knows. Could be bad writing, bad editing, or both. But the story editor should & MUST know better. The buck stops there.

What Happens When Socialists Are in Charge? Portland Offers a Glimpse.

Where to begin.

*Reporter parachutes in

* Gimmick lede + dopey quote

*Hothouse sourcing: councilors, consultants, Jordan Schnitzer. No, you know... VOTERS

*No context on city's (mixed, yes) recovery

Textbook example of how a story may technically lack errors & yet functionally be wrong

ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAINNN

The language of non-consent around AI is really telling. "It's too late to be scared." "It's here whether we want it or not." "You'll have to learn to work with it." "You can't fight the inevitable."

All just variations of "you're not allowed to say no." Creepy technology made by creepy people.

[Camera pan over a tintype of a uniformed soldier; faint banjos]

My dearest Clarabelle. How I miss you. Portland is a hell on earth. The water is disgustingly fresh, with only matcha-infused hardtack to eat. The land is devastated by greenery & the air filled with the awful cries of migrating birds

Live from "war ravaged" Portland

Currently a 25-minute wait for brunch in the crime-ridden hellhole of Portland.

Settlement of AI lawsuit gets tentative approval; some writers will get paid, but mostly only if they make claims | NWU On September 25, 2025, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California gave preliminary (tentative) approval to a proposed $1.5 billion settlement of some of the...

This is the most complete information I've seen about the Anthropic copyright settlement — dates of when things are likely to happen, what to do now, and what it all means for different types of writers. nwu.org/anthropic/

Hey, authors: make sure your publisher filed copyright for your book. The Anthropic case is turning up multiple publishers (including majors) who blew it off. Do a title lookup in the Copyright Office database below - if it's not listed, ask your agent, b/c your publisher has some EXPLAINING to do.

YouTube video by Pentangle Pentangle - Light Flight (In Concert), 4th January 1971)

It was only recently that I ever saw a live clip of Thompson, with his sinewy bass part underneath Pentangle's "Light Flight." If you like Nick Drake or Fairport Convention, it's really worth checking out.