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smillin.bsky.social
@smillin.bsky.social
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australiainstitute.org.au
"You have to take it seriously.

"Just like you have to take the threats against Canada seriously."

@profsaunders.bsky.social tells @emmashortis.bsky.social that after Venezuela, nothing would surprise her when it comes to Trump's actions in Greenland.

🎧 theaus.in/4qlvnoy
January 16, 2026 at 5:28 AM
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alisonfisk.bsky.social
Read about Roman glass products which ended up some 12,000 km away in the ancient Silla Kingdom, Korea:

www.koreaherald.com/article/2865...
[Visual History of Korea] Roman treasures buried with Silla royals at the end of Silk Road
Korean burial tradition includes burying treasured items of significance with the deceased. Most valued objects in the Korean antiques trade are treasures which
www.koreaherald.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:56 PM
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malkydungeon.bsky.social
I know this would just have most likely have been a curiosity at the end of a long trade route and may have taken up a new meaning for its Norse owner but I still can't help but imagine what a Norse saga about Buddha would have looked like ...
alisonfisk.bsky.social Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 2d
A small and exotic Buddha found far from home in #VikingAge buildings on the Swedish lake island of Helgö.

Probably made in the Swat Valley, the Buddha travelled some 5,000 km from its place of origin, encapsulating the idea of long-distance trade during the Viking Age.

#Archaeology
My photo shows a bronze Buddha statuette sitting on a double lotus flower against a grey background in a glass display case. The bronze is now light green in colour, but would originally have appeared like burnished gold. The Buddha is sitting cross-legged with feet upturned. His right hand rests against his knee and his left arm is raised holding his monastic robe. A raised dot on the forehead represents Buddha’s third eye. His expression is serene, with smiling lips, and eyes gazing ahead. His facial features were highlighted with silver, tin, and black niello. There is glass residue in the eyes and the raised dot on the forehead was highlighted with a layer of gold. Height 8.4 cm, width 6.4 cm. It was probably made in the Swat Valley (present-day Pakistan) in the late 500s-mid 600s. It was excavated from Viking-age settlement buildings dated AD 800. It isn’t known how it arrived at its final destination but this exotic object travelled far, hinting at far-flung trade routes. I saw the Helgö Buddha on display at the British Museum’s ‘Silk Roads’ exhibition in October 2024, on loan from Historiska Museet, Stockholm.
January 15, 2026 at 7:06 PM
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social
Japanese artist Narumi Takada's 2021 textile piece, "Stepping on Fresh Snow" with snow created using punch needle and straight/satin stitches for the boot and paw prints #Womensart
Textile artwork showing what realistically resembles a boot print in snow surrounded by a dog's paw prints
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 AM
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admirablewomen.bsky.social
#OTD in 1955, Marian Anderson--considered one of the greatest-ever contraltos--became the first African-American to perform a lead singing role (and solo) at the Metropolitan #Opera. She sang the role of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's 𝘜𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘢 (A Masked Ball).
A stunning kodachrome photograph of singer Marian Anderson taken on 14 January 1940 by Carl Van Vechten. This photo along with most of her work is public domain and belongs to Yale University Library. She is seated and shown from the waist up against rich golden draped curtains, wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder black satin gown with dramatic puffed sleeves that fall off the arms. A prominent cluster of silk roses in shades of deep red, pink, and cream is attached to the bodice at the center. Her short, dark hair frames her face, and she gazes to the right of the camera with a calm, composed, and dignified expression, exuding grace and poise.
January 7, 2026 at 11:06 PM
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admirablewomen.bsky.social
Celebrating Dame Maggie Smith's unmatched versatility--from fantasy to mystery, comedy, period drama & Shakespeare. Commanding presence, wicked wit & her legendary arched eyebrow could convey withering disdain or twinkling humor without needing a single word of dialogue.

She was born #OTD in 1934.
A four-image collage showcasing the legendary range of Dame Maggie Smith in some of her most memorable roles: Top left: Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, wearing a tall, pointed black witch's hat and dark textured robes with a high collar. A large ornate pendant hangs at her neck as she gazes forward with calm authority. Top right: Maggie Smith as Miss Bowers in Death on the Nile (1978), dressed in a formal black tuxedo-style suit with a crisp white shirt and black bow tie. She adjusts her bow tie while looking intently ahead with a composed, slightly stern expression. Bottom left: Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston in Murder by Death (1976), seated in an opulent interior with carved wooden details. She has glamorous, voluminous reddish-blonde curled hair, wears a light-colored chiffon scarf draped elegantly over her shoulders, with a serious, focused expression. Bottom right: Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, seated outdoors on a white garden bench surrounded by greenery. She wears an elegant wide-brimmed straw hat with a purple ribbon and flower accent, a burgundy velvet coat over lace, and delicately holds a cane while offering a subtle, wise smile.
December 29, 2025 at 12:08 AM
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alisonfisk.bsky.social
Labour strikes aren’t new!

The first recorded strike in history took place in Egypt some 3,200 years ago!

The ‘Strike Papyrus’ records that tomb workers of King Ramesses III downed tools over pay and conditions circa 1157 BC!

Museo Egizio, Turin 📷 by me

#Archaeology
My photo shows the front side (recto) of an ancient Egyptian administrative document written by the scribe Amunnakht in hieratic script (cursive writing of hieroglyphics). It is written in black ink on papyrus by the scribe Amunnakht. The papyrus is now a yellowy-brown colour and is worn in places. The document is known as the ‘Strike Papyrus’ and recounts that in November of Year 29 of the reign of Ramesses III, the royal tomb workers of Deir el-Medina stopped work for the first time and spent several days at the Theban necropolis in the temples of Tuthmosis III and Ramesses II. They demanded that the grain ratians for their work be distributed, and the authorities subsequently disbursed the grain rations. However, a few days later, the workers went on strike again, this time finding refuge in the temple of Seti I. Their refusal to retum to work stemmed fram the precarious working conditions, a situation they wanted to bring directly to the pharaoh. The last strike documented here was in January of the following year.
December 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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alisonfisk.bsky.social
Gold octopus-shaped ornaments from Bronze Age Mycenae, Grave IV, Grave Circle A.

The curled tips of the arms create eyelets for stitching the ornaments onto a garment or shroud some 3,500 years ago.

National Archaeological Museum, Athens. 📷 by me

#Archaeology
My photo shows a display of octopus-shaped funerary gold ornaments excavated from Grave IV, Grave Circle A, at ancient Mycenae, Greece. Each octopus is 6.8 cm wide and has seven writhing arms with suckers. The curled tips create small holes enabling them to be sewn onto fabric. They were probably sewn onto a funerary garment or shroud. Dated 1,500 BC. On display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens
December 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM
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parismarx.com
big thanks to the Google AI Overview for informing me that Buffer starts with an F
The most prominent social media management tool starting with 'F' is Buffer, known for scheduling posts and managing multiple accounts, while Flockler is another option focused on creating social feeds, and of course, Facebook itself is a platform that has management tools built-in, but Buffer is the primary management tool name starting with F.
December 14, 2025 at 3:54 PM
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elleisanisland.bsky.social
trying to write a hallmark christmas movie but I've just finished act 1 and six people are already dead
October 30, 2024 at 12:07 AM
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social
'40 Below 0' painting by painter, singer and musician Joni Mitchell #WomensArt
Painting of a gold dawn breaking over an icey track with bare shrubs in snow either side
December 7, 2025 at 5:42 AM
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muppetpictures.bsky.social
December 6, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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drnwillburger.bsky.social
One of my most favourite glass vessels: A marvellous Roman vessel in the form of a pig, made of blue glass. It was used to hold ointment or perfume.
Found in a burial in Cologne. Dating late 2nd/early 3rd century AD

📷 Römisch-Germanisches Museum Köln

🏺 #archaeology
Deep blue glass vessel shaped like a stylized animal with four legs, a pointed snout, and decorative ridges along its back, resembling a whimsical pig.
December 5, 2025 at 9:10 AM
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thetyee.ca
“I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a landlord pursue quite such a campaign against its own tenants.”
A Vancouver Landlord Keeps Being Allowed to Evict Tenants. Why? | The Tyee
Residents want to know why BC’s Residential Tenancy Branch keeps siding with Plan A.
thetyee.ca
December 5, 2025 at 2:50 PM
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newyorker.com
A cartoon by Trevor Spaulding, from 2018. #NewYorkerCartoons
November 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social
Mio Asahi, contemporary Japanese printmaker who creates artworks inspired by folklore often including powerful women #ReframingWomenPrintmakers
Print with image of a mythical woman steering a small boat travelling left on waves framed by orange blossom plants in the foreground and under a cresent moon
November 30, 2025 at 9:42 AM
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social
The paper artworks of Asya Kozina who also designs life-sized sculptures, wedding dresses and masks, 100% out of paper #WomensArt
Photo of a white woman, upper half facing left, wearing a huge head piece created with white paper resembling an enlarged 18th century wig with a ship with sails on top
November 28, 2025 at 6:35 AM
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admirablewomen.bsky.social
English mathematician & writer Ada Lovelace died #OTD in 1852.

Widely considered the first computer programmer. In the 1840s, she wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine.

The First Tech Visionary: www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-... #WomenInSTEM
Collage of four historical portraits of Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), the world’s first computer programmer: Top left: c. 1836 engraving as a young woman wearing a pearl necklace and off-the-shoulder gown Top right: c. 1840 pencil sketch with curly hair in an updo Bottom left: 1830s watercolor showing her with elaborate floral headdress and lace mantilla Bottom right: 1852 Margaret Carpenter oil portrait with delicate tiara and serene expression
November 27, 2025 at 3:24 PM
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csmfht.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Wow! www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mumbai's glorious Art Deco legacy at 100
Mumbai is home to one of the world's largest collection of Art Deco buildings, but many are unprotected.
www.bbc.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:40 PM
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catsofyore.bsky.social
Your phone cannot tell you if your cat is a certain breed. My phone thought Fergus and Francie were a shih tzu. If you got your cat from a shelter or picked it up as a stray it is OVERWHELMINGLY likely that you have a standard mixed breed cat and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Screenshot from an iPhone photo information result it is identifying my two cats Ferguson Francy lying together as a Shih Tzu dog.
November 18, 2025 at 8:15 PM
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admirablewomen.bsky.social
Frances Marion--perhaps the most renowned female #screenwriter of the 20th century--was born #OTD in 1888.

A trailblazer in the male-dominated film industry, she wrote >300 screenplays & was the first person to win two Academy Awards for writing. #WomenInFilm #film

time.com/4186886/fran...
Black-and-white photograph. Left: a young Mary Pickford, smiling brightly, wearing a dark sweater with light trim and a long necklace, her bobbed hair softly curled. Right: acclaimed screenwriter Frances Marion, also smiling, dressed in a dark coat and large velvet cloche hat pulled low over one eye, a pearl necklace visible at her collar. Their canvas chair backs read “Mary Pickford” and “Frances Marion” in bold lettering. Behind them, blurred ladders and film equipment hint at the bustle of early Hollywood. The image captures the warmth and creative partnership between America’s sweetheart and the highest-paid screenwriter of the silent era—pioneers who shaped cinema when few women held such power behind or in front of the camera.
November 19, 2025 at 1:49 AM
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ketanjoshi.co
thank you vince gilligan
"I hate AI," Gilligan says with a chuckle. "Al is the world's most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine. I think there's a very high possibility that this is all a bunch of horseshit. It's basically a bunch of centibillionaires whose greatest life goal is to become the world's first trillionaires. I think they're selling a bag of vapor."
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
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parismarx.com
i’m laughing but honestly it’s sad how much the government is pushing this largely useless and materially harmful technology in the false hope it delivers productivity benefits.

mark carney wants companies to adopt generative AI, but only 2% are seeing a return on investment. this cannot last.
Just 2% of Canadian businesses got return on generative AI investments, survey shows
KPMG poll finds only a handful of businesses seeing benefits from technology despite widespread adoption
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social
Japanese paper artist Chie Hitotsuyama creates sculptures of animals using a technique involving rolled strips of wet newspaper #womensart
Life size sculpture resembling the upper part of a hippo emerging from water with mouth open showing tusk like teeth, presented in a studio
November 12, 2025 at 8:11 AM