@mcchris85.bsky.social
Political & cultural history & memory, national identity. Lots on sport, food & travel. Some disability stuff. Polish/Polski speaker. Views my own.
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With Bayeux Tapestry mania mounting, I thought it worth pointing out that my book about the Norman Conquest begins with a description of the famous embroidery and explains why it's uniquely important. You can read it for free here: shorturl.at/vjjay
September 8, 2026 at 12:44 PM
With Bayeux Tapestry mania mounting, I thought it worth pointing out that my book about the Norman Conquest begins with a description of the famous embroidery and explains why it's uniquely important. You can read it for free here: shorturl.at/vjjay
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I knew what Hamas' views on the roles women in society really are, bit I didn't know that they gave one as a prize to golloway...
September 18, 2026 at 8:29 PM
I knew what Hamas' views on the roles women in society really are, bit I didn't know that they gave one as a prize to golloway...
This is a better advert for Poland than anything the government-backed Polish tourist board can come up with.
Jesse Eisenberg & Robert Lewandowski, who?
It's also a use for AI I wholly approve of www.instagram.com/reel/DdHUVrE...
Jesse Eisenberg & Robert Lewandowski, who?
It's also a use for AI I wholly approve of www.instagram.com/reel/DdHUVrE...
Konrad Bąk • AI • produkcja filmowa • spoty reklamowe on Instagram: "Ludzie mi piszą, że im to się lepiej oglada niż nowy spot za 7mln promujący Polskę ;). Nie mam zdania w tej sprawie ale tak czy si...
3,770 likes, 103 comments - carton.king on September 10, 2026: "Ludzie mi piszą, że im to się lepiej oglada niż nowy spot za 7mln promujący Polskę ;). Nie mam zdania w tej sprawie ale tak czy siak zap...
www.instagram.com
September 17, 2026 at 7:03 PM
This is a better advert for Poland than anything the government-backed Polish tourist board can come up with.
Jesse Eisenberg & Robert Lewandowski, who?
It's also a use for AI I wholly approve of www.instagram.com/reel/DdHUVrE...
Jesse Eisenberg & Robert Lewandowski, who?
It's also a use for AI I wholly approve of www.instagram.com/reel/DdHUVrE...
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A Cuban dance instructor living in Russia coordinated arson attacks in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Lithuania on behalf of Russian intelligence, reports @deutschewelle.dw.com.
He recruited so-called "disposable agents" among Latin American migrants.
He recruited so-called "disposable agents" among Latin American migrants.
Cuban dance teacher ordered EU sabotage attacks from Russia
In 2024, a Cuban man coordinated a series of arson attacks in four EU countries while operating on behalf of Russian intelligence services. DW Investigations tracked him back to a Latin dance studio i...
www.dw.com
September 15, 2026 at 9:17 AM
A Cuban dance instructor living in Russia coordinated arson attacks in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Lithuania on behalf of Russian intelligence, reports @deutschewelle.dw.com.
He recruited so-called "disposable agents" among Latin American migrants.
He recruited so-called "disposable agents" among Latin American migrants.
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VIDEO: An eight-metre embroidered "Beer Tapestry" tracing the history of brewing through the ages has been unveiled at The Museum Tavern pub opposite the British Museum, as London welcomes visitors to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition.
September 10, 2026 at 7:02 PM
VIDEO: An eight-metre embroidered "Beer Tapestry" tracing the history of brewing through the ages has been unveiled at The Museum Tavern pub opposite the British Museum, as London welcomes visitors to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition.
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Of all the Bayeux Tapestry parodies, this is surely the greatest.
September 7, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Of all the Bayeux Tapestry parodies, this is surely the greatest.
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90 years ago, Parliament responded to the rise of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts by passing the Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms, private militias and the threat of force for political objects.
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
September 7, 2026 at 9:45 PM
90 years ago, Parliament responded to the rise of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts by passing the Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms, private militias and the threat of force for political objects.
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
Oddly missing from the BBC homepage at the moment.
Extreme right-wing protesters are in a stand-off with the RNLI in Portsmouth. The group, led by Danny Tommo, are waist-deep in the sea and threatening to go "under the water" if police try to arrest them. Six lifeboats monitoring. Volunteer rescuers giving up their evening for this.
September 6, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Oddly missing from the BBC homepage at the moment.
Nigel Farage's Napoleon Complex.
Damning silence from Labour on their Napoleon III exhumation policy
September 5, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Nigel Farage's Napoleon Complex.
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Damning silence from Labour on their Napoleon III exhumation policy
September 4, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Damning silence from Labour on their Napoleon III exhumation policy
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What an image of 'managed decline' - good luck, VisitBritain
September 5, 2026 at 12:26 PM
What an image of 'managed decline' - good luck, VisitBritain
How will this not be career ending for all involved?
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
channel4news.substack.com
September 3, 2026 at 8:46 PM
How will this not be career ending for all involved?
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The idea of Farage trapped in an eternal cycle of resigning & fighting by-elections against a bin like some shit Sisyphus is immensely appealing
September 3, 2026 at 8:12 PM
The idea of Farage trapped in an eternal cycle of resigning & fighting by-elections against a bin like some shit Sisyphus is immensely appealing
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Today's BBC radio drama about the Bayeux Tapestry sounds arrestingly original.
September 3, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Today's BBC radio drama about the Bayeux Tapestry sounds arrestingly original.
Entente Amicale?
Not for John. Never...
Not for John. Never...
September 3, 2026 at 6:49 AM
Entente Amicale?
Not for John. Never...
Not for John. Never...
This will be news to the Kremlin which has made a lot out of how the UK is Russia's biggest enemy & poses an existential threat to its very existence.
September 2, 2026 at 10:13 PM
This will be news to the Kremlin which has made a lot out of how the UK is Russia's biggest enemy & poses an existential threat to its very existence.
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OTD in 1939 Adolf Hitler began his special military operation to protect ethnic Germans from persecution by Poland.
Imagine such a bullshit excuse today.
Imagine such a bullshit excuse today.
September 1, 2026 at 9:10 AM
OTD in 1939 Adolf Hitler began his special military operation to protect ethnic Germans from persecution by Poland.
Imagine such a bullshit excuse today.
Imagine such a bullshit excuse today.
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They're all dead, Dave.
September 1, 2026 at 7:03 PM
They're all dead, Dave.
82 litres of beer & 82kg of meat seems an entirely reasonable annual diet to me.
Poles are eating more meat but drinking less alcohol, continuing a long-term trend, new data show.
The average person in Poland ate 82 kg of meat last year, up 7.5% from 2024 and 22.7% since 2005.
They also drank 82 litres of beer, down 4.9% year-on-year and 18.7% since 2018.
The average person in Poland ate 82 kg of meat last year, up 7.5% from 2024 and 22.7% since 2005.
They also drank 82 litres of beer, down 4.9% year-on-year and 18.7% since 2018.
Poles eating more meat but drinking less alcohol
notesfrompoland.com
September 1, 2026 at 7:30 PM
82 litres of beer & 82kg of meat seems an entirely reasonable annual diet to me.
On the one hand, a lot of Poland's promotional campaigns always feel as though they are talking to other Poles & it's often Poles themsleves who talk about them.
On the other, international coverage often appears to be selective, misrepresentative, & designed to address its own specific interests.
On the other, international coverage often appears to be selective, misrepresentative, & designed to address its own specific interests.
Two recent incidents have shown how state-led efforts to promote Poland abroad often fall short. Yet the country has never had better international press.
Politicians should let Poland’s achievements speak for themselves, and support those already telling its story, writes Daniel Tilles.
Politicians should let Poland’s achievements speak for themselves, and support those already telling its story, writes Daniel Tilles.
Poland is terrible at promoting itself – but has never had better press
notesfrompoland.com
August 31, 2026 at 7:54 AM
On the one hand, a lot of Poland's promotional campaigns always feel as though they are talking to other Poles & it's often Poles themsleves who talk about them.
On the other, international coverage often appears to be selective, misrepresentative, & designed to address its own specific interests.
On the other, international coverage often appears to be selective, misrepresentative, & designed to address its own specific interests.
Sad week for Serbia
🎾 Coup de tonnerre sur le court Arthur-Ashe: Novak Djokovic, en grande difficulté physiquement, a été éliminé dimanche dès le premier tour de l'US Open, une sortie précoce en Grand Chelem qu'il n'avait pas connue depuis 20 ans.
August 31, 2026 at 6:37 AM
Sad week for Serbia
I know, I know it's really about sending a contemporary message, but the peasants weren't really the ones revolting during the Peasants' Revolt anyway.
Marketing meltdown: why has Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly added Robin Hood? www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au...
Marketing meltdown: why has Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly added Robin Hood? www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au...
Marketing meltdown: why has Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly added Robin Hood?
Paul Greengrass drama The Uprising was supposed to be a historical epic about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 – but a strange new campaign has inserted a surprising figure
www.theguardian.com
August 29, 2026 at 7:34 PM
I know, I know it's really about sending a contemporary message, but the peasants weren't really the ones revolting during the Peasants' Revolt anyway.
Marketing meltdown: why has Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly added Robin Hood? www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au...
Marketing meltdown: why has Andrew Garfield’s new film suddenly added Robin Hood? www.theguardian.com/film/2026/au...
I guess it worked.
Researchers investigating an unusual 17th-century burial in Poland, in which the remains of a teenage girl were found with a padlock on her toe and a sickle across her neck, believe the "anti-vampiric" measures may have been intended to stop her returning from the dead.
Polish "vampire" burial sheds light on 17th-century efforts to keep the dead in their graves
notesfrompoland.com
August 29, 2026 at 9:43 AM
I guess it worked.
Because of course. Serbia is still on the path to EU membership.
Has Djokovic said anything yet?
Has Djokovic said anything yet?
Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic to be buried with 'state honours'
Serbian war criminal Ratko Mladic to be buried with 'state honours'
Former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, known as the “Butcher of Bosnia" for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, will be given a funeral with “military and state honours”, Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic said Friday. Mladic died Thursday in The Hague where he was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
f24.my
August 28, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Because of course. Serbia is still on the path to EU membership.
Has Djokovic said anything yet?
Has Djokovic said anything yet?
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