Jay Carter

I didn't think it was possible to make Bill Belichick a sympathetic figure....

!! PUBLICATION DAY !!

My book on Pink Floyd is released in paperback today.

See thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/...

China's disastrous first president What can we learn from democratically elected Yuan Shikai, who appointed himself emperor?

"A man is successful…He’s made his way to the top of his field, accumulating personal loyalty, and more than a few enemies, on his way to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the country.

Unexpectedly, he decides he wants to be president…"

New Rhyming Chaos with historian James Carter:

This Is Officially The Most Popular Soda Brand Among Teens & It’s Not Coca-Cola SHOCKING.

www.delish.com/food-news/a6...

The sheer awfulness of the snf “Sunday night anthem” is proof that money doesn’t guarantee quality

A remarkable trend that will come as a shock to you if your only info about NYC is from this Fox News.

Homicides in NYC...
1990: 2,262
1993: 1,927
1998: 629
2001: 649
2013: 335
2019: 320
2021: 488
2024: 382
2025 (as of 12/28): 302

A forlorn landscape of layered rocks in the foreground, with hills fading into the background haze. At upper top right, a small crescent moon, and a bright star.

Open up this picture fully.

Then look at the surface of Mars.

Then look up to the top right.

Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.

Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.

That's Earth.

Stop.

Read the post below.

Do what it says.

Look at Earth - our home world - from the surface of Mars.

You are a terranaut on that fragile planet.

This moment brought to you courtesy of NASA Science.

A gallant effort to revive peak-era Twitter!

Merry Christmas!

Book Cover: Coldplay War on Five Continents: A Global His6of Empire and Espionage by Alfred Wm McCoy.

Just started reading an advance copy and you should gift yourself this book for the holidays.
Alfred McCoy,
Cold War on Five Continents @haymarketbooks.org HaymarketBooks.org share.google/cAM9ZXObq9Pi...

The Harvard-Yenching Library is now accepting applications for 10 travel grants up to $2,000 each. Open to non-tenured faculty and Ph.D. candidates who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

#sinology

A screenshot of a search input in the British Library's interim Explore Archives and Manuscripts catalogue.

An interim version of the Explore Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue is now available through the BL website: searcharchives.bl.uk

It contains all the catalogue data from the eve of the 2023 cyberattack, and features embedded links to all currently available digitised content within the records.

Not directly related but if you haven’t yet encountered it I strongly recommend Thinking Like Your Editor, by fortunato and Rabiner. Invaluable advice. Best to read it early in process.

Happy to answer any specific questions you might have if they come up

Highly recommend. If working with a trade press (or wanting too) it’s really essential. Also the agent gives great advice on proposals etc and advocate for you

I wrote a This Week column on this earlier this year...but it seems to have disappeared into the ether. Or perhaps kidnapped by Mongols? Anyway...shall investigate!

Any named George Pickens?

Long Island is lacrosse-mad!

This is AI don’tcha think?

Thinking about this more, perhaps you could ask Love Of Your Life the same question of freshly prepared food. Do you a) put it on its own plate, or b) on the plate you used for yesterday’s dinner?

A, unless you’re out of containers

Can barely remember getting a shloske for less than ten bucks. Good times

Headline: Why Trump’s cuts to scientific research are a big win for China Subhed: China is attracting American scientific talent, especially in STEM fields, partly due to funding cuts and immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump.

This is what every single person with any experience in China has been warning about from the start.

Very good WaPo story by Katrina Northrop and Rudy Lu. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1... And good, clear headline!

Nice dawn in central jersey!

The world’s largest outdoor mocktail party?

Rian Thum will be at UCLA Nov 10 talking about his impressive new book, Islamic China: An Asian History www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/event/1...

Seal suffrage gets very little attention on this side of the pond!

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour Rescue crews airlift hundreds out of rural Alaskan villages after powerful storm

Last week, western Alaska was hit by the powerful remnants of a typhoon. Recovery is just beginning for communities an airplane away building materials & other support. PBS has a good overview of this social-climate disaster. Ways to support linked below. m.youtube.com/watch?v=t5kz...