This is devastating for universities - it will be devastating for British culture and society - and I think it will finally be devastating for the Labour government itself, stupidly and shortsightedly destroying our successful cultural sector for shits and giggles

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 6d ago

Creative & performing arts subjects received £16.8 million SPG 2024-25; £12.9 million in 2025-26; £ O million in 2026-27. The University of Creative Arts will thus lose half of its government funding this year; Art University Bournmouth 40.7%, Norwich U of Arts 40.4% and Leeds Arts U 30.3%. 1/2

Hot take: the villain Karswell is the goodie, he's a perfectly reasonable man who never does anything bad over than try to get people to stop hassling him. #Horror

David Ibitson@arry-k-arry.bsky.social · 3d ago

The absolutely magic Hyde Park Picture House knocked it out of the park again with a showing of Night of the Demon this eve with EoH.

The absolutely magic Hyde Park Picture House knocked it out of the park again with a showing of Night of the Demon this eve with EoH.

EOH Network@evolutionofhorror.bsky.social · 3d ago

Tonight at at the beautiful Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds

Is it more acceptable now to admit that that was a shocking world cup, & that all the journos saying that it was a pretty good tournament actually were confusing sport with the fact that they had a nice holiday in the americas.

Absolutely yes. I was obsessed with this film as a kid, and with Talos especially. Terrifying and fun at the same time.

Joel Morris@gralefrit.bsky.social · last wk.

Here's my Odyssey review. It's about Jason and the Argonauts. joelmorris.substack.com/p/jason-and-...

And, as there were people on my dinner table who didn't believe me about young hot Tennyson, I'll leave this here #BAVS26

David Ibitson@arry-k-arry.bsky.social · last wk.

Farewell to this year's #BAVS26. It is a far, far better CONFERENCE that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better PERIOD OF REFLECTION ABOUT MY OWN RESEARCH that I go to than I have ever known.

Farewell to this year's #BAVS26. It is a far, far better CONFERENCE that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better PERIOD OF REFLECTION ABOUT MY OWN RESEARCH that I go to than I have ever known.

A highlight of #BAVS2026 was the panel by @victorianhand.bsky.social, a mind bogglingly rich project, which reminded me of these ambiguous (long?) 19th Century hands by the unpleasant Charles Dana Gibson.

I was talking about some letters between Zangwill and Clifford Sharp of the New Statesman! The only way to describe them is tetchy, but Zangwill just can't not be funny. #BAVS2026

Marie Léger-St-Jean@marielsj.bsky.social · last wk.

The third author to which @arry-k-arry.bsky.social turned was Israel Zangwill (1864–1926). He was writing about WWI, but I missed the text David analysed... #BAVS2026

In which Barr had to deal with some particularly embarrassing holiday planning drama (arrested by the Ottoman government). #BAVS2026

Marie Léger-St-Jean@marielsj.bsky.social · last wk.

To round off this first #BAVS2026 afternoon, @arry-k-arry.bsky.social looks into the humour of Robert Barr (1849–1912) in *The Unchanging East* (1900): ‘He had not implicit belief in the efficacy of the English flag’

A stunning Will Luxton knock in the Metro Bank One Day Cup 🔥 Well batted, sir 🫡

My baseball caps: Unaffiliated tiger cap & Toronto BlueJays cap: left in childhood Isle of Wight cap: stolen by a Frenchman while playing petanque Italy cap: left at a Red Chilli Red Stripe cap: missing at Uni of Leeds open day Boston Red Sox 1: stolen by a Dublin gravedigger BRS 2: left on Eurostar

Cassie Ulph@crulph.bsky.social · 2w ago

For any baseball cap aficionados out there wondering, @arry-k-arry.bsky.social is sporting a Melbourne Tigers 2009/10 members cap and no we don't know why either and actually I have now remembered third interest which is HAT

Our toddler has two main interests currently and those are planes and cricket so congratulations to me on giving birth to a retired accountant anyway we're back at the airport cafe this morning

Does the chair of Centrica give a fuck what customers want? No, of course he doesn’t. What are you doing to do, freeze to death at him? Nope: you’re going to pay up instead and if you don’t, they’ll set lawyers on you. Fuck you.

Gabby: What was your highlight of the half time show? Wayne Rooney: When it finished. I thought it was crap. 10/10 punditry. No notes.

Jack Butter (1900-1944)

kim@kimmymonte.bsky.social · 3w ago

your baseball pitcher name is your grandfather’s first name and the last thing you bought i’ll go first mine’s Dominic Sandals

I realise that the narrative that Tuchel decided to 'park the bus' after the goal has set in now, but it's just not true. Konsa was brought on to free up the wingers to attack alongside a back three. Kane even said that the messaging from the bench was to go for the 2nd goal. #WorldCup26 #England

Bastille day ready! Bon 14 juillet à tous! Unless we play France in the final, in which case they'll be taken down to avoid confusion. Ca ira.

Cassie Ulph@crulph.bsky.social · 3w ago

Bastille day-ready! (aka the day the Easter decorations finally came down 🙃)

My favorite Sam Neil fact will always be that he designed a future Australian flag that replaces the union jack with the aboriginal flag for Event Horizon and insisted the film use it.

Yep

Nothing worse than public commentators who dont understand sport. The point is to hope, to load your emotions, with a community, onto a team, trust them with it, & imagine what might be. Pundit brains treating sport like realpolitik. I hate it. It's not hubris to enjoy yourself. #WorldCup26

1. The wonderful room I got to present in. 2. I talked about how checked shirts are a sign of vulgar lowness before clocking that I was, in fact, wearing a checked shirt.

Great time at #VPFAPublics this week. And amazing to hear from @ebutler-way.bsky.social, @ccapancioni.bsky.social , & @helenaesser.bsky.social that papers at next year's conference in Aberystwyth will exclusively take place in bathing machines & on funicular railways, as unlikely as that sounds.

Relieved to be finally at the @vpfa.bsky.social conference & have Victorianist info & ideas piped into my brain. 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the Victorian Popular Fiction Association.' #VPFAPublics

Currently on my way to Liverpool for #VPFAPublics like Lady Audley on her way to burn down an Inn. Can't wait.

Emma Butler-Way@ebutler-way.bsky.social · last mo.

Delightful that as we gear up for #VPFAPublics, the new issue of VPFJ is out, featuring yours truly in some great company! Have I been wanting to write this since my MA? Quite possibly. Alcott, sensation, Genette, Goethe ... What more could you want? doi.org/10.46911/YER... @vpfa.bsky.social

One of many jewels in Ben Stokes' crown. Headingley 2019 still gives us goosebumps.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba... As my OH pointed out, it's bold of Bielsa to claim that "I'm not a model", when he looked like this. #WorldCup2026

I once saw John Simm spend an entire curtain call violently glaring at a man whose phone went off during Fortinbras's speech at the end of Hamlet at the Sheffield Crucible. Im sure that man was sent to his account with all his imperfections on his head.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Oi! You in the stalls! Put that phone away and surrender to the art | Nadia Khomami

Belgium once again doing inspired work. I didn't think it was possible to surpass their Tintin shirt from two years ago, but this is wonderful.

Doug Mack@douglasmack.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Just need everyone to know that the Belgium men's soccer team has new jerseys based on the art of Rene Magritte and this is the official photo shoot

Proud and smug to have bought what is surely history's best World Cup Wall Chart, made by the Hans Holbein of football.

No Score Draws ✍🏻⚽@noscoredraws.com · 3mo ago

Hooray, our World Cup 2026 Wall Chart is FINISHED 🥳 It's our biggest wall chart ever, an A1-sized shambles sullied by SIXTY wonky doodles. Dunno if competitions fly on Bluesky, but if you share this we'll send a couple of freebies out to some (un)lucky RTers x 🛒 noscoredraws.com/products/wor...