Recently updated blogs

Those who follow my blog have heard of Travis Tygart, the guy with the ridiculous hair-style whose unique desire is to see Russia disappear from the international sports arena. He is the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency and a great expert in condemning Russia (and, on occasion, China) while explaining and justifying his acquitting decisions when it comes to american athletes. If you don't remember what I am talking …

The White MollFrank L. PackardNew York: Doubleday, Doran, 1931306 pagesWalt Disney failed to interest NBC in Jimmie Dale, Alias the Gray Seal. His biographers haven't made much of this, but evidence suggests it irked. He'd first read Jimmie Dale's adventures in adolescence, and would act them out with childhood chum Walt Pieffer. What roles they'd played are unknown. I like to think one of the Walts played Marie Lasalle, the …

1st October 2024 In the main courtroom of the Supreme Court there are the benches – really desks – where the Supreme Court judges sit, and at each place there is a microphone for each justice, with a button they can press when they want to speak. But at the head of the bench, at the centrally placed desk, there are two buttons: one for the presiding justice to press …

CSX Railroad Brakeman. This is a 40mp image. If it were 20mp, no one of could tell the difference.(click to enlarge)Fujifilm X-T5; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 23mm; 1/500th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 640 I'm of the opinion that for the vast majority of us photographers, 20-24mp are enough (need vs. want) for almost everything we want to do with our images. There are exceptions, of course. Several years ago, as …

I assume by “reviewers” you mean random people rating your book on goodreads or Amazon or whatever? Not like ACTUAL REVIEWERS who are paid to write reviews for an actual publication? Hate to be the one to tell you, but most random people are thick as hell, and not in a good way.

If you've taken probably even the most casual look at this blog, then one thing will perhaps have become very clear - I have a very great interest in the history of the BBC. It's a subject I find deeply fascinating, and something I very much enjoy researching, writing about and, when I get the opportunity, making radio features about.So when my colleagues at Look East, the regional TV news …

I haven't been very inspired to photograph trains, so I try to jump on any inspiration I do have. On June 26, 2024 I noticed that the eastbound Canadian was coming, I saw it was a lovely evening, and I decided to make some pictures.

Join us on Friday 15 November 2024 for the ‘European Political Refugees in the UK from 1800’ conference taking place in Pigott Theatre, Knowledge Centre at the British Library. This one-day in-person event will explore the rich history of political refugees from Europe who sought asylum in the UK from...

If you really want to visit Gas Alley today, you’ll have a bit of an adventure. Less than 300 feet in length, Gas Alley runs south from Longworth Hall to Mehring Way. It is paved with cobblestones interrupted by patches of gravel and surrounded by warehouses, a couple of light industrial sheds and a Duke Energy substation. There’s a street sign at the southern terminus.No evidence remains of the little …

Barbara Stanwyck enters the 1930 film "Ladies of Leisure" -- and film history -- in a rowboat. The oars squeak. Her face is marked by mascara-streaked tears and she's clutching a broken dress strap. She's Kay, a party girl who just left a wild one on a yacht.On shore is Ralph Graves as Jerry, who's also left a wild party, this one at his Manhattan penthouse. He's gone for a …

New article from Special Needs Jungle: Are we missing the point when looking at the so-called “attainment gap” in academic achievement of some disabled pupils? A recent article in the Guardian (19 September 2024), reported an … The post Should we ‘mind the gap’ of disabled pupils’ attainment? Or is it really an indictment of how success is measured? appeared first on Special Needs Jungle. Sharon Smith ⓒ Special Needs …

In the San Francisco Bay Area, the regional transportation planning body, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), has launched a major effort to improve the coordination between the region’s 27 transit agencies. One element of this, just unveiled, is a regional standard for transit network maps. The goal is to have all of the region’s maps evolve toward the same style, so that it’s easier to explore the entire region’s network. …

Ramin Karimloo and Anoushka Lucas in A Face in the Crowd at the Young Vic Theatre, London. Picture: Ellie Kurttz A Face in the Crowd continues at the Young Vic Theatre, London until 9 November 2024. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Politics as entertainment. Celebrity trumping competence and decency. The fine line between American patriotism and bigotry. It’s not hard to see why playwright Sarah Ruhl, …

It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with writers Bloom has featured in the past—especially when they reach a career milestone. Returning bloomer Meg Pokrass spoke with us about First Law of Holes (Dzanc Books), a selection of stories from the past fourteen years of her career, which is out now. Meg Pokrass Leah De Forest: First, congratulations on First Law of Holes. Meg Pokrass: Thank you so much. LDF: How …

Whilst the launch day of the 2024 Coffee and Crime Classic Crime Advent Calendar is not as highly anticipated as the release of Taylor Swift concert tickets or of a new iPhone, it has been encouraging to receive quite a few emails in September asking me if the advent calendars were going to be sold again this year. So, yes, I can confirm that not only will they be happening, …