1. A thoughtful piece for Engelsberg Ideas by Rob Macaire, the only UK ambassador to be arrested in recent times that I know of, Iran and the perils of fighting the last war https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/iran-and-the-perils-of-fighting-the-last-war/

Away from the rarified atmosphere of international relations theories, in the mundane conference rooms and shabby offices where diplomacy is practiced daily, one cast-iron law seems to govern how we conceive of conflicts. It is not that history repeats itself, rather that we are doomed to focus on learning the lessons of the last crisis, not recognising the new lessons that are hurtling towards us. So the pain and guilt from Iraq prevented the US and Europe from defending the Syrian opposition against Assad a decade later (leaving the field to Russia). In turn, the UK role in that Iraq invasion was shaped by Tony Blair’s experience that controversial interventions in the Balkans and Sierra Leone had been successful and vindicated. We learn from our past experience, and then we try to squeeze current events into that mould.

2. What is emergent language, and why is it becoming increasingly relevant to the ELT classroom? is the title of the latest Talking ELT videocast from Oxford University Press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yITp2e7Ds3o

Emergent language experts Danny Norrington-Davis and Richard Chinn join Andrew Dilger and Ed Dudley to explain the concept (of emergent language) and how these moments of spontaneous, unplanned language that appear organically in the classroom often lead to some of the most powerful learning opportunities. The conversation explores what emergent language is, how it differs from target language, and its connection to the Dogme movement in ELT. It also looks at why these moments matter for engagement and motivation, and shares examples from real lessons along with practical ways to make the most of them.

3. Here’s Kelly Webb-Davies of the Oxford University AI Competency Centre’s take on The Question of AI Detection https://oerc.ox.ac.uk/ai-centre/ai-centre-news/the-question-of-ai-detection

This is why our position at the AI Competency Centre is clear: we do not recommend the use of AI detection tools in academic decision-making.

Thanks to Ben Knight for that one!

4. Plundered from LinkedIn, here’s an idiosyncratic list of the professions that can approve one’s UK passport application https://www.gov.uk/confirm-identity-online-for-passport-application

Chiropodist? Yes! Doctor? No! Pharmacist? Yes! Plumber? No!

5. And, finally, an NYT gift article from Naples, Is This Man the Last Living Number Painter in Naples? The numeraio Pasquale De Stefano’s handmade market signs are a dying breed of everyday beauty in a baroque city https://tinyurl.com/3zbjx6w9