You may have seen reports of the devastating cuts that I & my colleagues in history at Exeter are facing. Thousands have already signed a petition to try & stop this attack on the humanities. But we need more help. Please consider signing the petition & share as widely as possible. c.org/wW5jZVLSJR

Sign the Petition

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

c.org

I wish I had grounds to be more optimistic than the author, but there aren't any, really. Still, if faith is the evidence of things not seen, then I have to have faith that the wonderful work done by students and colleagues will not be entirely in vain. www.arguably.uk/p/the-quiet-...

The quiet collapse of British universities

One of our great triumphs and economic advantages is fading away

arguably.uk

Link here: chuffed.org/project/1854...

Support people and groups impacted by racist attacks

We are raising funds to support people who have been attacked, displaced and traumatised in racist attacks in Belfast.

chuffed.org

We used to call them ‘race riots’ now we call them ‘anti-immigration protests’.

Big life/work news alert klaxon! After fourteen very happy years in Scotland, it is time to move on. I am joining @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social to take up an Associate Professorship with track to Full Professorship in Cultural Studies from September.

I wonder what my phone makes of my culinary abilities given when I type “food nearly r…” it finishes the sentence not with “ready” but with “ruined”.

The Onion remains undefeated 🤣🤣🤣

The Onion@theonion.com · 3mo ago

“It really is a shame with these undergrads these days,” said the 63-year-old Lowell Sterbenz

#AI - anti-intellidence

Jawdropping decision from the UK Supreme Court. "The Court implies that individuals with profound cognitive disabilities cannot be "deprived" of liberty because their condition limits their ability to experience it—a view that devalues their fundamental rights." www.mind.org.uk/news-campaig...

A long read, but one of the better pieces of analysis of British Higher Education. What I find remarkable is the knowledge gap - very little of this will be news to anyone studying or working in universities, but I suspect much of it will come as a surprise to others. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Stefan Collini · Squadrons of Pigs: Bonfire of the Universities

The problems with Britain’s universities are systemic and deep-rooted, not just local or contingent. Yet political and...

lrb.co.uk

As multiple UK universities make hundreds of staff redundant, senior management figures are posting about the privilege of attending the garden party at Buckingham palace. Truly has the class character of management never been more evident.

British Higher Education continues to be binfires of so many different kinds. libertyinvestigates.org.uk/articles/bri...

British universities paid security firm to monitor pro-Palestine students - Liberty Investigates

Horus provided reports about student protesters' social media use and undertook background checks on a Palestinian guest speaker

libertyinvestigates.org.uk

The regret rate for knee and hip replacements is between 8% and 14%, and 7% and 10%, respectively. www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S088...

Moxie Meow@moxiemeow.bsky.social · 5mo ago

For some reason, transgender medicine and surgeries are the ONLY medical interventions for which the public demands a perfect 0% regret rate. Look up the regret rate for heart surgery some time. It's A LOT higher than that for any gender affirming treatment. bsky.app/profile/hlee...

Why would the civil service want Peter Mandelson to be Ambassador? Whatever else this was, it was most obviously a political appointment - which surely implies it was only ever in politicians' interests to ignore the failed vetting.

I did this on Twitter years ago and got some amazing answers. Let's see if we can get #LibrariesChangeLives trending and show what amazing things can grow from properly funded public services and the value of providing free access to books, reading and educational resources for all.

Ali@lisomac.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Tonight's positivity, let's all give a bit of love to libraries #Libraries Stu is spot on here, they save lives, I was saved by my local library and Librarians, how about you?

When I was a teenager I took public transport to and from school and waited in the local library afterwards for my dad to finish work and collect me. I read, I did homework, I borrowed books and tapes, I was safe and warm. I work in libraries now and getting that job felt like coming home.

A friend took her toddler to our local church messy play and they made Easter biscuits that included small Jesus figurines. The prominent JESUS IS NOT EDIBLE sign over the craft table unintentionally kicking off the next Christian schism.

rosiedoes@rosiedoes.bsky.social · 6mo ago

It's not quite the spelling chaos here, but a church near my old house had a sign that read: TRY OUR HEALING SERVICES - you won't get better

Pssst! Pass it on… Myself, @drrobertchapman.bsky.social and @emilywebz.bsky.social are looking to set up a radical bookshop in Newcastle! Follow us over at Instagram www.instagram.com/p/DVve2wlDXh...

Excellent review in @medindonews.bsky.social of A Cultural History of Vertigo: Unbalanced by @dranindyar.bsky.social www.medicalindependent.ie/life/book-re... #medhums

When the world spins  - Medical Independent

vertigo. It is understandable that the busy clinical schedule of medics might disincline some from setting aside time for...

medicalindependent.ie

One day these lines will no longer be relevant.

Not that it says anything about my state of mind at the moment or anything, but that's the second time today I've typed "food" instead of "good". Luckily spotted it both times before pressing send...

An abhorrent policy which inevitably leads to people seeking asylum being denied necessary medical support. People seeking asylum don't receive enough financial support to pay for taxis, or often public transport, themselves, but still need to travel to appointments 1/ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ban on asylum seekers using taxis for medical appointments comes into force

It comes after a BBC investigation which showed people travelling long distances at high cost.

bbc.co.uk

it's not great when the consultation landing page continues the labour habit of just making things up where immigration rules are concerned. SETTLEMENT IS NOT GRANTED AUTOMATICALLY. absolute joke of a government

Carla Denyer@carladenyer.bsky.social · 7mo ago

PS. Not too late to tell the government what you think about their proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain - the public consultation is open until 12th Feb. www.gov.uk/government/c...

Why must you ask such difficult questions, British Library?

“Until recently, I thought it was a term best avoided. But now white people are getting shot.”

Say what you will about the uselessness of my work - at last no one will ever use it to terrorise poor and vulnerable people. www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/m...

Maharashtra govt with IIT-Bombay building AI tool to ‘identify’ illegal Bangladeshis

During the launch of the Mahayuti manifesto on January 11, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “We’ll free Mumbai from Bangladeshis.| India News

hindustantimes.com

Here’s a thing that too many people seem to forget. One doesn’t need to be innocent to have the right to live. There are very few crimes that justify execution without trial.

We need to pick up this Overton Window and throw it as far as we can. Stop waiting for shit to “be popular” and start advocating for what is transparently right.

The reactionary centrist logic is simple: if the left does something bad it’s the left’s fault, and if the right does something bad, it’s also the left’s fault for making them do it. It’s a simple formula and once you see it every one of their arguments is the same