Reposted by Michael CholbiTim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 11/10/2026As my dad used to say, "Surprise, surprise!"theguardian.comChristian nationalism in Britain driven by people who seldom go to church, says reportResearch challenges the notion that the growing visibility of crosses and other symbols reflects a revival of Christianity 2229852
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 10/10/2026aeon.co/videos/manha...aeon.coManhattan’s evolution over centuries captured via meticulous animation | Aeon VideosFrom Lenape land to sprawling metropolis, this detailed timelapse animation captures the making of Manhattan 010
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 10/10/2026Nidal Hasan shot 35 people at an American military base because he believed the US is a savage, depraved nation not worth defending. In subjecting him to a grotesque public execution, what will Trump & Co. prove except that Hasan was right? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...theatlantic.comPublic Execution Won’t Have the Effect Trump IntendsLivestreaming Nidal Hasan’s death would only credit the Fort Hood shooter’s argument that this country is barbarous. 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiJake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854 151150536479
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 06/10/2026So exactly when can we expect a collapse of the purpose built student accommodation sector in the UK? You've got rental providers going belly up, very low occupancy rates in a lot of cities -- and cites keep approving new builds! www.theguardian.com/education/20...theguardian.com‘I didn’t know what to do’: collapse of providers of high-end digs leaves students in shockCost of living crisis and drop in international students hits market for purpose-built accommodation 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiAntigone @antigoneinthebes.bsky.social · 03/10/2026People don’t realize how serious the situation is. 391530373
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026All hail conquering robot hero Orifice the Awebot www.inquirer.com/life/orifice...inquirer.comOrifice the Awebot is Philly’s ‘magical’ response to Uber Eats robots"She’s part of our bringing delight and surprise and letting it ripple through the city." 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiCatherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Economist analysis of more than 3,000 US counties finds that in reliably GOP counties, annual deaths now exceed births by 0.4 per 1k residents, while in reliably Democratic counties, births exceed deaths by 2.8 per 1k. Population growth in the GOP counties is largely driven by internal migration.economist.comIn MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being bornOur analysis suggests Trump country is only growing because of migration 45774229
Reposted by Michael CholbiDr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Hope your day was better than Darwin’s, on this day 165 years ago 202100362461
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 30/09/2026washingtonmonthly.com/2026/09/30/t... What will happen when America's prisons are empty?!washingtonmonthly.comThe Unheralded End of Mass IncarcerationAmerica’s prison population is plummeting thanks to lower crime rates. The consequences are extraordinary. 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiShane Glackin @eltorosolo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026In case people are not fully across the Fairford story: What appears to have happened is that five men from London went to a small country village in the middle of the night to siphon fuel for resale. In small country villages, people notice things, especially at 1am. A farmer called the police. 35235
Reposted by Michael CholbiThe Onion @theonion.com · 28/09/2026What’s Rustling In That Leaf Pile? 211579299
Reposted by Michael CholbiDan of the Year @downwithdan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Ah yes the circle of life 14098491643
Reposted by Michael CholbiJW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This is the master key to deciphering contemporary debates about free speech. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se... 3334131271
Reposted by Michael CholbiCentre for the Sciences of Place and Memory @memoryplace.bsky.social · 24/09/2026For postgraduate researchers working on place, memory, heritage, anthropology & difficult histories Methodologies for Place and Memory Loss 📍 University of Stirling 📅 11 November ⏰ Apply now tockify.com/sgsah/detail... @uoe-sps.bsky.social @uofgges.bsky.social @standrewssgsd.bsky.socialtockify.comMethodologies for Place and Memory Loss: Advanced Postgraduate TrainingThis one-day intensive training offers advanced methodological support for postgraduate researchers (PhD and MA) working at institutions in Scotland at the inte 0106
Reposted by Michael Cholbinoam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 18/09/2026there's always money in the bananas 0314
Reposted by Michael Cholbimindflakes @mindflakes.bsky.social · 15/09/2026The difference between a catacomb and a basement is skulls. Catacomb without skulls? Thats a basement. Skulls in your basement? Thats a catacomb. Tired of having to keep saying this 491814443
Reposted by Michael CholbiHassinator @hassinator.bsky.social · 13/09/2026a great letter in the times today. perhaps worth sharing in these troubled times. #RNLI #heroes 4059872392
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 11/09/2026www.noemamag.com/why-is-every... Paging David Graeber! Because Workism is nearly always a dead end, and people are thristy for vocations -- AI is just the spotlight herenoemamag.comWhy Is Everyone In Tech So Sad? | NOEMAA lot of people seem to be realizing that knowledge work is mostly pointless. AI might give us the pleasure of finding out what happens if an entire class of workers loses faith in their careers. 020
Reposted by Michael CholbiMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026'Students are attending less, reading less, participating less, and often treating university as one commitment among many.'wonkhe.comStudents are not disengaged, they are adapting to a thinner universityFor Fredrick Agboma and Andrew Doyle, the question isn't whether students are less committed, but what culture they're asked to inhabit 38337
Reposted by Michael CholbiBarry Lam @hiphination.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I wrote for the Boston Globe about the scandalous higher-ed spending on digital infrastructure that has increased inefficiency. globecollegetown.substack.com/p/higher-ed-...globecollegetown.substack.comCollege campuses need to be liberated from their administratorsHigher ed is being strangled by absurd and costly rules. What message is that sending to students? 072
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I was living in New York City on 9/11, am sometimes asked what I remember. This captures nicely my most powerful memory www.newyorker.com/news/the-led... 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiOlúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 04/09/2026starting to get more scam emails from fake publishers/book clubs about my books. targeting authors with fake publicity seems like a very niche scam - anybody else gotten these? what's the endgame for them? 361239
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026This is fantastic - 'Rhapsody in Blue' with some ragtime, post midcentury swing thrown in, terrific soloists www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...bbc.co.ukBBC Proms - 2026: Rhapsody in BlueA trio of soloists play Gershwin’s jazz infused classic like you've never heard it before. 010
Reposted by Michael CholbiShane Glackin @eltorosolo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Don't have confirmation from all affected departments, but... #Philosophy at #Exeter has avoided compulsory redundancies, and so have the other disciplines I've heard from so far. They've wrecked our summer, and bullied beloved colleagues into "voluntary" redundancy. But we're still here. 2537
Reposted by Michael CholbiPicture This Scotland @74frankfurt.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Vietnamese boat people in Pollok, Glasgow. (1980) 1379
Reposted by Michael CholbiPrinceton Audio @princetonaudio.bsky.social · 30/08/2026August 30 is #NationalGriefAwarenessDay, a moment to pay attention & extend a hand to those dealing with loss. We hope these works help you feel less alone and provide some strategies & assurances as you navigate grief—your own, or that of a loved one. Available wherever you listen: buff.ly/7KHjy5a 101
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026I strongly endorse these research findings phys.org/news/2026-08...phys.orgBright people know more about wine: How higher intelligence is reflected in deep domain knowledgeIntelligent people tend to perform better at school and at work, as numerous studies have shown. But what happens in domains where incentives such as good grades or financial rewards don't apply and w... 000
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026newrepublic.com/post/214749/...newrepublic.comConscientious Objectors Trying to Flee Military Skyrocket Under TrumpU.S. troops are reaching their breaking point as they say recent orders challenge their moral beliefs. 000
Reposted by Michael CholbiPicture This Scotland @74frankfurt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Dolly Parton at Glasgow Airport in May 1977 before the Royal Variety Show at the King’s Theatre. 111022
Reposted by Michael CholbiBishop Steiner @bishopsteiner.bsky.social · 24/08/2026still one of the greatest conversations ever put on TV. 226116373033
Reposted by Michael CholbiBrooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 22/08/2026absolutely not 5848466
Reposted by Michael CholbiThe Onion @theonion.com · 23/08/2026Study: Not Many Disco Songs About Daytime theonion.com/study-not-many-disco-s… 251862174
Michael Cholbi @thatwhichischolbi.bsky.social · 22/08/2026newrepublic.com/post/214562/...newrepublic.comTrump Hates the Troops. The Troops Are Taking Notice.The administration is desperately trying to spin the hopeless war in Iran as a success, but our service members and their families are telling a different story. 021
Reposted by Michael CholbiOlga Byrska @obyrska.bsky.social · 22/08/2026This might be, unironically, the best LinkedIn post I have ever read: 06721
Reposted by Michael CholbiChris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 21/08/2026So yes, young men need to be persuaded into "caring" careers, which is hard but possible as @jburnmurdoch.ft.com says. I suspect recipients of care will also need to be persuaded to accept it from men, in many cases.ft.comFeminism didn’t kill the male breadwinner model, the economy didYoung non-graduate men face unique setbacks 0163
Reposted by Michael CholbiThe Onion @theonion.com · 20/08/2026Analysts Warn U.S. Economy Becoming Overly Dependent On Anne Hathaway 261050124
Reposted by Michael CholbiJDG @cottonmather.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Ted Williams: **hits home run, returns to dugout** Teammate: Nice one, here’s a giant foam dinosaur helmet for you to wear now Ted Williams: **murders teammate on dugout steps** 5670972
Reposted by Michael CholbiMerriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 19/08/2026People who don’t know the difference between ‘entomology’ and ‘etymology’ bug us in ways we cannot put into words. 567197923679
Reposted by Michael CholbiAnon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Can we stop using the word 'pensioner' as a synonym for a struggling elderly person. 1/4 of pensioners have a net worth north of £1m. Lots are doing just fine. They don't need triple lock pensions or a winter fuel allowance, or any other state help. 231302
Reposted by Michael CholbiFuturism @futurism.com · 16/08/2026They're even more unpopular than data centers.trib.alYoung People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It's Almost Hard to BelieveA new survey of 1,000 young adults in the US found that nine of the top tech executives are deeply loathed. 2683776921
Reposted by Michael CholbiJen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 17/08/2026“A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it would replace, according to a new preprint study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.” ysph.yale.edu/news-article...ysph.yale.eduUniversal Health Coverage Could Save $1 Trillion and 114,000 Lives Every Year, Yale Study ProjectsA single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it 594165437122
Reposted by Michael CholbiNew Humanist @newhumanist.bsky.social · 16/08/2026"The discourse around The Odyssey has been gruelling ... The movie-star casting, vernacular dialogue and American accents have all wound up somebody or other, as if English actors speaking archaically in RP would have been more authentic." Check out our review of Christopher Nolan's epic:newhumanist.org.ukThe Odyssey we deserveChristopher Nolan delivers a frighteningly relevant epic on a civilisation ripping itself apart 162