Or are people getting really bad at managing themselves in public spaces?

I have more than once bewailed people who do not get escalator etiquette or the fact that other people are also standing in the Tube and would like to be able to hold onto that pole you are monopolising/lean against that surface you are sprawled across etc.

There are also the ( Read more... )

Yes, on the whole one may concur with Gandhi that
There is more to life than increasing its speed.

However, I don't know whether to laugh or be irritated when I see this sentiment expressed, under a drawing of the Mahatma, on a poster issuing forth from the Mayor of London -

Posted opposite one of the platforms in Euston Tube Station.

Because, ( Read more... )

Or maybe I am just exceedingly cranky today.

After all, this guy is more or less On Our Side, except, so much Point Thar, U Hav Misst It.

No, he's not the last surviving palaeographer - there are still a few people about with the relevant skills, but they're not employed in a fulltime university chair to teach palaeography. My own skills are fairly ( Read more... )

Announcement on a (US-based, but in theory international) listserv I'm on, concerning a local history forum with a Facebook page (apparently in connection with a publisher which specialises in that particular area).

While it could be fascinating and productive to have a cross-cultural forum for local history studies, this appears to be entirely ( Read more... )

Go sister go sister go sister go sister! I declare this woman a Crabby Old Bat Emeritus, and award her the Order of the Golden Cod (articulated, the better to slap up themselves male writers with).

***

What is it at the moment with male gropers coming out of the woodwork? Along with hundreds of others I watched a set during which Johnny Vegas, ( Read more... )

Realise I do not know the formula for conveying Solstice wishes to those who celebrate. Please take this as conveying the appropriate good wishes for this festival.

***

Apropos of which, found myself earwormed by Ginger Rogers singing 'Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, start all over again' while getting ready this morning. While this may ( Read more... )

Email from correspondent (whom I may have mentioned before) who seldom if ever gets in touch except to ask me for a favour, responding to mine sending editorial suggestions on article, expressing a certain amount of miffiness (at least, it seems like miffiness) that these were not accompanied by a chatty email about what I've been up to lately. ( Read more... )

My name is -- and I am currently writing my dissertation at [well-reputed academic institution] on the [legislation] of [decade after this legislation was, in fact, repealed]. During my research I happened across a [radio programme] which you comment on how effective [legislation was ( Read more... )

Queries dealt with this morning:

One from person in USA who is researching a topic which it is vanishingly unlikely would be represented in our collections given that we are a specialised library. Have feeling person is spamming all London repositories, however irrelevant, in search of highly specific material. Has been working at [institution in ( Read more... )

This seems a virtuous and well-meaning thing, but it still manages to irk me in several ways. I for one (and maybe this is an English thing?) really cringe from these 'post [precrafted noble sentiment] in your lj', where the purpose seems to be 'show what a right-on okay person you are' with the corollary that 'if you don't do it, you're not'.

I ( Read more... )