Frank Finlay

A previously unknown species of butterfly which had been discovered in Peru in 2024 is now officially named "Vanewrightia borussiadortmund" after a BvB fan called Peter Klausmeier, struck by its colouring, spent 2,800 euros sponsoring its scientific naming.

British Academy response to the Department for Education's technical consultation on the Interational Student Levy 18 February 2026 Background The Department for Education is consulting on the proposed levy on international student income, due to be introduced in England in August 2028.

‘We remain deeply concerned that universities will be unable to absorb the cost of the levy’s
introduction. The loss of cross-subsidy for domestic teaching & research will harm
universities’ ability to deliver their core functions’
Our response to the levy
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/60...

Man kann übrigens das menschenverachtende Regime im Iran ablehnen, es für verbrecherisch halten, und dennoch auf Einhaltung des Völkerrechts pochen, und zwar aus prinzipiellen Gründen und historisch-praktischen, da solche Interventionen in der Regel alles schlimmer machen...

Matthew Goodwin, Reform and the politics of resentment The ‘heterodox intellectual’ turned populist is a morbid symptom of the digital age

A great morning to revisit @jamesbloodworth.bsky.social's profile of Matt Goodwin, who now isn't the MP for Gorton and Denton www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philos...

European Sites of Holocaust Memory (ESHEM) is a new network for Holocaust sites to strengthen their role in research, education, and commemoration and is seeking members. Apply by 31 March. holocaust-memory-sites.ec.europa.eu/members_en?p...

Where next for Labour after a bad by-election defeat? Labour needs to learn that a rebrand only works if the substance of what you are offering genuinely changes

Where next for Labour after a bad by-election defeat?

Labour needs to learn that a rebrand only works if the substance of what you are offering genuinely changes

By Andy Brown
@andybrown1951.bsky.social

"Nestbeschmutzer" Thomas Mann wird in Lübeck für die "Buddenbrooks" beschimpft Als Thomas Manns "Buddenbrooks" am 26. Februar 1901 erscheint, sorgt das Buch vor allem in Lübeck für Unmut. Viele sehen in Mann den "Nestbeschmutzer". Doch im Dezember 1929 erhält er für das Werk den...

26 February 1901: Thomas Mann's novel 'Buddenbrooks' is published and causes an uproar in Lübeck www.ndr.de/geschichte/c... via @ndr.de

Researchfish is dead. Good. A private parasite with all the wrong principles about intellectual value, knowledge as metrics and poor design.

It was a bloody stupid name as well.

Research Fellow (French-Language Print Publications in England to 1685) at University of Birmingham An academic position as a Research Fellow (French-Language Print Publications in England to 1685) is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job ...

Job! A 21-month postdoc at Birmingham on French-language print publications in England to 1685 led by the marvellous team of Peter Auger and Suzanne Jones. International applicants are welcome and Birmingham can support a visa application where required. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQN896/r...

A very necessary PhD project! Deadline 30 March.

Absolute shocker of a rights grab - academics may want to push back hard

Early Modern News Podcast Episode · The LRB Podcast · 18 February · 45m

‘News has a much more capacious definition across early modern Europe. It’s news if there washes up in Denmark a giant fish that looks like a bishop – that’s news, in just the same way as a recent battle.’

@earlymodernjohn.bsky.social on the podcast.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

York History Department - Academic Jobs Uncover the past to define the future. We are seeking research-led historians to join our world-class, collaborative community. Discover career-defining opportunities within one of the UK’s most disti...

We are advertising 4 jobs at York for historians (1 year medieval, 2 years modern Britain and public history, 3 years modern China, and open ended modern Middle Eastern) features.york.ac.uk/history-jobs/

A graphic with a focal image of a man with blue eyes and a blue shirt. His book Culture is Not an Industry is seen next to him. Text reads "Culture is Not an Industry - so what is it? Online and Free. 25/02/26. 08:00-10:00 (UK time)."

Culture is not an industry… so what is it for?

Join Professor Justin O’Connor (University of Adelaide), author of Culture is Not an Industry, for a live talk and conversation that challenges the default story in cultural policy.

UK folks: grab your coffee and feel free to join: bit.ly/4aX4Dpf

Ouch!

@maxrushden.bsky.social

Misconduct in public office. Gets you a fired or jailed in the UK. Gets you re-elected in the US.

🚨 The deadline for submitting papers for the AGS conference is fast approaching 🚨

If you are intending on submitting an abstract, do so by Friday!

David Squires on … Jim Ratcliffe’s comments and his need for some home truths Our cartoonist reflects on the Manchester United co-owner’s recent statements and electioneering, via the prism of Cracker’s DCI Bilborough

David Squires on … Jim Ratcliffe’s comments and his need for some home truths

Real Madrid, Man Utd and a World Cup: Football’s wild coaching landscape and hiring dilemmas Big jobs will be available this summer and big names are on the market. But the decision-making of clubs feels more complicated than ever

www.nytimes.com/athletic/704... Real Madrid, Man Utd and a World Cup: Football’s wild coaching landscape and hiring dilemmas

Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?

Taking the opportunity of a winter break to catch up on some “long reads” features. Far from vanishing, millions of Maya people and cultures endure today — recasting the story not as apocalypse, but as continuity long obscured by colonial historiography.
www.theguardian.com/news/2026/fe...

Real Madrid, Man Utd and a World Cup: Football’s wild coaching landscape and hiring dilemmas. Excellent piece by @jameshorncastle.bsky.social

As a former external examiner I know Heriot-Watt to be a national centre of excellence for many years in interpreting and translation. Please consider signing.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 10 February 1923. German-born Wilhelm Röntgen died (aged 77). He produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range known as X-rays which earned him the 1st Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. It’s one of the greatest diagnostic medical advances of all time.

Two grant schemes from the School of Advanced Study are now open for applications: Being Human Festival 2026 and the Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities’ new Collaboration and Innovation Grant.

Go to bit.ly/3ZoolUq for details on how to apply

YOU SIGNATURE MATTERS! Help us save Modern Languages at Leicester.

Sign the petition: www.change.org/p/save-moder...

A study at U Mass Amherst finds that Elon Musk manipulated Twitter to bolster the voice of the Neo Nazi Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) before the German 2025 parliamentary elections. No surprises here. groups.cs.umass.edu/equate-ml/20...

An excellent film!

Worlds Apart: German author Julia Franck visits Leeds to discuss her new novel Author Julia Franck, together with her English publisher, Monique Charlesworth, will be in Leeds on the 6th of February to give a reading from and talk about her new novel, Worlds Apart.

German at Leeds and International Writers at Leeds are thrilled that acclaimed author Julia Franck will be in Leeds on the 6th of February to give a reading from and talk about her newly translated novel, Worlds Apart.
ahc.leeds.ac.uk/languages/ev...

A practice much loved by generations of British exchange students in Germany — now getting an airing on Tik Tok #ShoutOutForGerman