I imagine them thinking more along the lines of a Roman galley, with ranks of slaves chained to the oars, someone with a drum, and then a fat bloke holding the rudder.

Gold has passed $4,000 a troy ounce, a measurement that was clearly invented for a laugh by bored Middle Ages people

"The troy grain is equal to the grain unit of the avoirdupois, but the troy ounce is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce, and the troy pound is lighter than the avoirdupois pound."

When, lets face it, no one in Keeenya would have let them in the club, and they probably would have ended up in Rhodesia anyway...

It feels a bit like "let's model ourselves on the UAE" argument. The people making it always intend their own kids to go to university rather than clean the library's toilets, just like they intend to be sitting by the pool in Dubai, rather than working in 50 degree heat to build luxury hotels.

Accept Russian oligarchs' money without question?
bsky.app/profile/rola...

Joyous GWR moment last year when our train was so delayed that it left at the exact time the train after it was supposed to leave. The conductor was trying to explain to an older woman: "you see you've got a ticket for the 1043. Yes, I know this train left at 1043, but it's not the 1043, etc etc"

It's good news if it is. Presumably if he's being woken up by jackbooted council employees, he'll have made it back in again at least?

Prominent American political pundit person.

Technological wonders never cease!

A question I was already asking myself about quarter of the way through, but by that time I felt I'd invested too much time to stop.

Typing iN tHaT sTuPiD wAy definitely comes under the heading of high-effort low-reward, tbh.

aMeRiCa AnD bRiTaIn ArE dIFfErEnT cOuNtRiEs
bsky.app/profile/matt...

It always slightly amused me that, in Russia, the term for an expert in Asia was востоковед (an "east-knower") considering that the place being studied is directly south of Russia all the way along.

Perhaps he just really hates the radio programme? If so, it could be his first ever sign of decent taste.

There's some imagined slight behind this "kitchen cabinet" thing, but I think I'm too weary of his bullshit to try and find out what it is. Does anyone know?

After he explained (at length) the kafka-esque process of trying to rent a flat without a utility bill to prove his identity, when the only way he could have obtained this utility bill would have been by renting a flat, I began to wonder whether an ID card would not in fact be a better solution.

When I lived in Moscow I was having a drink with a Russian mate who'd studied in London and favourably contrasted the UK (no ID cards/home of FREEDOM!) with Russia (ID cards/basically serfdom), and he said: "are you kidding? You have ID cards, you just call them utility bills".

In the eternal battle between hope and experience, I just bought my tickets for Wales' home six nations matches.

John F. Kennedy: The Soviet plan to encircle West Berlin with a giant concrete wall guarded by men with guns, dogs and searchlights is unfunded, unworkable and falling apart.

As Winston Churchill so famously said: the Nazis' not even half-baked plans to invade France and the Low Countries are unfunded, unworkable and falling apart.

Pussy Riot and Led By Donkeys on stage together! It's a super-group of direct action,
bsky.app/profile/alte...

Thank you!!

I've got a new book coming out.

Everything you wanted to know about why the world is so bad at stopping money laundering, with a surprise side detour to Bicester Village.

You can pre-order it here: geni.us/OliverBullough

I like the way you think. Though I also thought Ria Lina was really good this week, and would very happily hear more about ear wax from her.