The heteronormative bias of AI? Looking up more details on their cat (for reasons) and google's AI function labels Strachey as the 'partner' of Carrington. The queerest of queer couplings in Bloomsbury (in every sense) and the AI model can only see their relationship in terms of romantic partners.

If you're in Cambridge tomorrow do join us for the final Israel Studies Seminar in Cambridge this term at 17:15 at FAMES, to hear @stevenbwagner.bsky.social talk about Israel's intelligence failings prior to October 7th 2023. Promises to be a fascinating talk!

You may think you have a cool academic profile picture, but none of us can ever live up to this!

More bizarrely, there was a whole debacle over what to feed a Kosher premier. Messages flowed back and forth over this issue. The Gov. were keen to avoid repeating the faux pas of feeding the Israeli Economic Delegation the very un-kosher treat of... prawn cocktails.

There were huge security concerns as the FCO feared someone might try to attack Begin for his terrorist past. FCO officials and the PM's office received many angry letters about the visit. One letter required a special response, coming from the last High Commissioner of Palestine who condemned Begin

The visit of Menachem Begin to Britain in Dec.'77 is truly fascinating. Previously barred & then discouraged from visiting Britain, when Begin became Israeli PM, the Callaghan Gov. scrambled to decide how to deal with his visit. All sorts of madness in the files, not least this comedic 'transcript.'

Just seen Palestine36 at the cinema & there's a momentary nod to current Palestinian symbols during a scene at a wealthy Arab dinner party where the camera lingers for a moment on a large chunk of watermelon. But fascinatingly, during the British Mandate the watermelon was often a Zionist symbol!

Two years ago this month I started stained glass as stress relief between thesis writing. My 1st piece was a mess. But this Mon. I completed the latter pieces which will be a surprise gift for two friends not on here. Sometimes progress is only visible in hindsight.

Today in reassuring library signs...

Fascinated to find that, despite strict rules about building in Jerusalem, & attempts to inculcate certain ideas about 'local' materials, the carvings at the Rockefeller Museum, representing historical rule of Palestine by different civ.s, are made from Hopton Wood Stone from Derbyshire.

I tried (and failed) to design and paint this window of St Cecilia to look serene and have a soothing effect. Instead she judges me every time I'm in the office. I somehow made her the patron saint of resting bitch face...

Ohhanessian seems to have liked the design and concluded it was commercially viable. We can see copies of the casts of the Dome (near top right) awaiting painting alongside other designs in the background of a picture of a member of the studio working on painting a vase.

It appears the initial design came from a piece created by Ohannessian for the British town planner and Arts & Crafts enthusiast C.R. Ashbee and was designed as a gift for Queen Mary upon her wedding in 1922 from the Arab's of Palestine.

Going through archival photos I stumbled across this picture I took of a charming Dome of the Rock model produced in the 1920s in the workshop of Tavit (David) Ohannessian just off of the Via Dolorosa. These were commercial products, which could be bought from Ohannessian's workshop.