Britain’s surnames in map form. Mozart in edits. Journalist takes a year off the net. Surprising. Cosmarxpolitan Amazing interactive article on...

An elderly couple visited my flat today. The estate agent told them about the local amenities, the opportunities for development, the parties the local residents’ association holds in the square every month. The old man looked out of the window onto the back garden, and as he did so a blanket of sunlight burst through the grey clouds. He...

Abandoned mansions Live trains on the underground Beautiful post on doves Heartwrenching experience Dog bomb Analysis of song patterns Fascinating Danny Baker interview A Bit of Fry and Laurie...

Photos of abandoned ruins. Tory MP tells it how it is on justice. Photos of North Korea. Life advice from a six-year-old, taken literally. 10 mysterious lost treasures. Tegan and Sara’s album worth a listen. Most amazing high school project ever. Colour photo of French troops, Verdun, 1916. Heaven’s Calling, Alaska Norway Sky...

Haven’t done this in aaages… NOTE: these links have got fucked up somehow. So think of it as a lucky dip. Or not. Amazing list of longreads (via @marxculture) Dull news in local newspapers Changing tube map.  Amazing sleight of hand skills Authors just hanging out. The most powerful photos ever taken. Excellent Caroline Crampton...

Recently Alex Andreou asked people on Twitter about their experiences of poverty. I sent a short reply, but I wanted to expand on it. - Poverty is sickness. A constant, nagging itch somewhere in your brain; a ball of rage and sadness in the pit of your stomach. - Poverty is logging into your online bank account with sweaty fingertips, the...

This letter was submitted to Melanie Phillips through her website on 2nd November. Re-posted and open for comments at New Statesman online. Dear Ms Phillips, In a piece published on 21 October (“Jimmy Savile and how the liberal left encouraged the sexualisation of our children”)  you bring to the public’s attention the shameful...