Conan Doyle

I had a moment today that reminds me why I teach. A student told me "I started reading that Ann Oakley book, and I started to get mad, because she's so right about everything."

Dear reader, Sex, Gender and Society was published in 1972!

You can take the altarboy out of the catholic church, but you can never take the catholic guilt out of the altarboy!

I'm decoding some manuscript fragments and I realised I recognised <Aga>tha, Luci<a>, A<n>na , Cecelia
as part of the Eucharistic prayer,
but then I scanned it again, and I thought
The TRUMPETS...
and that's why I'm going straight to hell!

Please tell me Disney/Marvell are going to sue!

And yes, I did manage to sneak a passing Doctor Who reference into my first monograph ;)

Time does get quite wibbly wobbly (and timey wimey!) I sometimes find myself getting far too invested in the persona of a given chronicler before remembering that I'm supposed to be reading critically!

It's early 5th century! Your student is correct.
420 BC would be late 5th.

If anyone is wondering, this is the Kosmas 900 exhibit at NKČR Prague. They asked us not to photograph the manuscripts, most of which are on loan.

75 kg? What's that in adult badgers?

As a fellow autistic, I can only say: SHOW ME THE PEER REVIEWED STUDIES!

First they came for the autistics and I said nothing because I was too busy clutching my pearls about paracetamol being demonised.

Everyone should have the right to go to University. Not because it's superior. Not because a degree should be required for every job. But because everyone should have the opportunity to spend a few years learning how to think critically about a subject they are really interested in.

I wonder if that has something to do with the idea behind Theriac as a universal antidote.

Non amo te, skibidi, nec possum dicere quare

I'm not sure whether to compare the current UN summit to the July Crisis or the Munich Conference, but my inner historian is curled up in the corner sobbing.

I lose sleep over lotsa stuff— but not that!

The sad thing is that I recognise that this is true even though I haven't used Excel in years!

And yet not They Might be Giants!? O my god, what is coming to this world!?

Are we not over the fact that a Fox News host suggested that unhoused people should be summarily executed...
The stochastic terrorism that is fueling outrage after outrage is just going unchallenged!

Jobs For Medievalists

Tenure-track Assistant Professor of English: Medieval Literature

Review of applications will begin 10 November, 2025

The English Department at Trinity University seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor in medieval
www.themedievalacademyblog.org/jobs-for-med...

“It was teachers that threw themselves in front of kids — not just saying that they would do anything to save their kids' lives, but actually doing it. And so we are forever grateful for our educators.”

I thank Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D. CO) for these words!

Right now the only two constitutionally recognised candidates are Connelley and Humphreys. I would respect either of them in the role. The hype about Andrew Tayto is just that: hype. He means it as much as Dustin the Turkey!

Catherine Connelley aligns far closer to me politically, as a former labour TD and vocal campaigner in favour of women's reproductive rights.

I don't know much about Heather Humphreys, but having an Ulster Presbyterian in Áras an Uachtaráin would be a symbolic win for cross community cohesion. The sash her father wore was always meant to be part of the tricolour!

In some ways I'm sad that Leo Varadkar refused to run. He was a voice of highly educated reason and calm during the COVID crisis as Taoiseach. We could do a lot worse than either of the two currently confirmed candidates.

A lot of people who 'announced' candidacy dropped out when they realised the amount of political campaigning they would need to do among elected representetives... Some (like Mr Riverdance, may never have been elligible to run in the first place).

Dustin the Turkey: 'I will run for the presidency' Dustin the Turkey has said that he intends to run for the presidency of Ireland and has claimed that out-going President Michael D Higgins has endorsed him for the role.

So a certain Andrew Tayto is probably less likely to end up on the ballot as Dustin the Turkey: a literal puppet from daytime childrens TV:
www.rte.ie/entertainmen...

A nominee can only appear on the ballot if supported by 20 sitting members of the Oireachteass, or 4 county councils.
Each county council has to vote at a special meeting of all of its elected members.

There's a lot of international handwaving about the fact that certain people have announced their intention to run for the Irish Presidency, however, the likelyhood of [that one] actually achieving nomination is infinitessimally small.

If you ever had doubts the Dunning-Kruger effect is a real thing, just watch the RFK Jr Senate hearing.