Josh Owens

We're thinking of astronaut Jim Lovell today as we remember him on his birthday. As one of the first three astronauts to travel into deep space on Apollo 8, we reflect on his words: "I put my thumb up to the window and completely hid the Earth. … everything I ever knew was behind my thumb."

His GoFundMe page is here, with an even sweeter note gofundme.com/f/leukaemia-co…

It is 50 years today since the painter Lawrence Stephen Lowry passed away at the age of 88-He was born on 1st November 1887

I'm a week late to this, but damn it's so good

Hiroshi Yoshida - Color woodblock prints from the series United States of America.

Always remembered. Never forgotten. The Flowers of English football. The Flowers of Manchester. 🌹❤️

This is big and true

The vast and rusty acreage of Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It staggers the mind to realize that this place helped build the modern America we see today.

TIME’s new cover: Artemis II is poised for the first lunar mission since 1972 time.com/7346146/artemi…

"Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you—all of you on the good Earth" Astronauts orbited the Moon for the first time in history on Christmas Eve, 1968. On their fourth orbit, they captured the sight of the Earth rising over the Moon's horizon, a photo dubbed "Earthrise."

O Christmas tree, o cosmic tree 🎄 Located about 2,500 light-years from Earth, NGC 2264 is a cluster of young stars between one and five million years old. The stars appear as blue and white lights surrounded by swirls of gas—the “pine needles” of the tree—with green representing light in the visible spectrum. Learn more:go.nasa.gov/3MN1xdX

100 years since the birth of the great Richard Burton. One of the finest Christmas interviews ever filmed. If you’ve never seen it you’re in for a treat. If you have seen it, it’s now a perfect festive tradition. Nadolig Llawen.

🍾Well there it is! 1,000 new members in three weeks Endless thanks to the new readers who have subscribed, and the hundreds of existing members who have helped us handing out print editions and spreading the word

Turner’s sketchbook, the size of a small wallet, in the tremendous Turner Constable ⁦@tatebritain⁩

Wrote for @spikedonline about how Christmas just randomly seems to start in November now. spiked-online.com/2025/11/23/do-…

75 years ago, my friend Ronald McNair was born. Denied books as a child at his segregated South Carolina library, he later became the second Black American in space. And today, that library bears his name. Happy Birthday, Ron. Your legacy continues to inspire us.

I teach adults seeking their high school diploma. The first question I ask them, is if they like to read. Their answer to that one question is usually the biggest indicator to me as to whether they will succeed or fail. Today, I had a young man come in to take a placement test with me, and he knocked it out of the park. He is 100 percent college ready, in spite of dropping out of school in the 9th grade. Before he tested, I asked him about his reading habits. He told me he had just finished “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells. I knew he would do just fine. When I taught at the high school level, it was the same. My readers were my best students. So I exhort you, read to your kids, read on your own, buy your nieces and nephews books for Christmas. It makes all of the difference in the world.

The Right Reverend Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, has issued this statement in response to the attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue this morning. “I am deeply shocked and saddened by the violent incident that has taken place this morning at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected –  the victims, their families, and the wider Jewish community – especially on this sacred day of Yom Kippur. “Such acts of violence have no place in our communities. Manchester is a city built on diversity, mutual respect, and unity. As we showed after the horrific terrorist attack of 2017, the way we defy those who seek to sow seeds of hatred in our community, is to draw closer to one another in love. Hate can never defeat hate, only love can conquer hate. “Today, we stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbours and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace and safety for all. I commend the swift response of the emergency services and offer my full support to those working to bring healing and justice in the wake of this tragedy. “Let us continue to pray for those injured, for the community in grief, and for the courage to stand together against hatred in all its forms.” +David @BishManchester

Sentiment we might usefully see more widely adopted (from Frank Marryat’s journal of the California gold rush).