Tony Gallagher
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tgeducation.bsky.social
Tony Gallagher
@tgeducation.bsky.social

Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University Belfast. Interested in the role of education in divided societies, the civic role of higher education and AC Milan.

Education 56%
Political science 18%

New report from @acadsocsciences.bsky.social on the importance of EDI and progressing inclusivity in the social sciences acss.org.uk/publications...
Progressing inclusivity in the social sciences – Academy of Social Sciences
acss.org.uk

On 9 November 1938 the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath was assassinated by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris. The Nazis used this as an excuse for launching Kristallnacht, an assault on Jews in Germany.

Reposted by Tony Gallagher

Russia has launched a "massive" drone and missile attack on Ukrainian energy facilities, as President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed calls for a mutual halt to aerial attacks on critical infrastructure.
u.afp.com/S3Vg

Reposted by Tony Gallagher

I am becoming more and more convinced that this is all an insider trading grift
Pause to consider what this means: The Trump administration will audit admissions data by race, color, and test score.

RACE AND COLOR. COLOR. That’s exactly what Columbia agreed to do.

When’s the last time that someone asked you what color you are? Are you sure the Trump admin agrees with you?
Columbia University has handed over its undergraduate admissions process to Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, who will now decide at their sole discretion whether the university has admitted enough white people. It's no longer an independent institution.
Columbia University has handed over its undergraduate admissions process to Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, who will now decide at their sole discretion whether the university has admitted enough white people. It's no longer an independent institution.

In Trump’s America I assume Reagan’s last speech as President would be banned for its ‘woke’ sentiment youtu.be/2R8QxCD6ir8?...
The last speech of Ronald Reagan as president was on immigration
YouTube video by Montclair Immigration Network
youtu.be

Fascinating conversation with Kristina Kallas on Education in Estonia on Teachers Talk Radio. Key to the system's success: set high standards for entry to teacher education, but then trust teachers with high levels of autonomy. Listen at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=McVQ...
The Estonian Education System - with Kristina Kallas
YouTube video by Teachers Talk Radio
www.youtube.com

Brooke Nichols, a Boston University health economist, is calculating the consequences of Trump’s cuts to humanitarian aid across the world. Currently the level of additional deaths is 340,000 and rising.

'I embrace you with all my heart.' When Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize he wrote a letter to his first teacher. Worth remembering on #thankateacher day.

Inflammatory language by Trump and his acolytes as he directly challenges the elected leader of California. Is this the start of an assault on Democrat-controlled States? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/u... via NYTimes
Trump Jumps at the Chance for a Confrontation in California Over Immigration
www.nytimes.com

NASA engineer Ed Smylie died last month. He was most famous for using bits and pieces of materials, all held together by duct tape, to save the lives of the Apollo 13 crew. He firmly believed this stick-fast wonder could fix anything (from The Economist) economist.com/obituary/202...
Ed Smylie knew this stick-fast wonder could fix anything
The NASA engineer who saved the crew of Apollo 13 died on April 21st, aged 95
economist.com

Three FT articles today - 1) international students speak anonymously out of fear of Trump’s ban, (2) questioning the defunding of public radio and (3) criticism of crypto-currency. Trump’s response: ‘Apparently the Financial Times has dumb writers listening to even dumber sources.’

Reposted by Tony Gallagher

UNRWA @unrwa.org · May 25
Children in #Gaza are enduring unimaginable suffering.
According to @unicef.org, over 950 have reportedly been killed in just two months.

They are starving, displaced, and exposed to indiscriminate attacks.

This must stop.
Children must be protected.

Wonderful article suggesting we set aside Kurt Vonnegut’s advice and celebrate the semicolon. ‘A comma brings a pause; a semicolon brings the drama.’ www.ft.com/content/80c3...
Semicolons bring the drama; that’s why I love them
Neither full stop nor comma, they symbolise a nuance that is disappearing in a polarised world
www.ft.com

On May 22, 1998, the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement was endorsed by referendums in both parts of Ireland

‘Democracies don’t turn into autocracies overnight. There has to be a critical mass of true believers [and] of appeasers.’ @fotoole examines how some US universities are bending to Trump and thereby threatening democracy. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
Fintan O'Toole: If you want to see how democracies cede to autocracies, watch as US universities bend to Trump
If a rich and famous institution such as Columbia doesn’t stand up for itself, what chance have millions of ordinary people?
www.irishtimes.com

Reposted by Tony Gallagher

A pretty significant concession from the EU that likely helped the breakthrough. The UK has granted the EU full access to British waters until 30 June 2038 - a 12-year extension. But UK gets the SPS deal indefinitely, so not tied to fishing.

Good news ftom Romania! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/18/w...
In Upset, Centrist Wins Romania’s Presidential Election
www.nytimes.com

Great to see the Fighting Words supplement in today’s Irish News, showcasing the power and joy of creative writing by young people across the island of Ireland.

Interesting article claiming to provide insight on the voting patterns in the Papal Conclave, with three main candidates emerging early on. One thing it doesn’t explain is why Cardinal Tagle’s candidacy appears not to have taken off. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/w... via @NYTimes
How a Quiet American Cardinal Became Pope
www.nytimes.com

The state of things in the USA. Hard to believe it has come to this so quickly. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/o...
Opinion | There Is a Way Forward: How to Defeat Trump’s Power Grab
www.nytimes.com
Europe’s choice is clear.

To put science at the heart of its economy.

To become the home of scientific freedom and collaboration.

And to welcome talent from all over the world.

I’m glad to present the first elements of our Choose Europe Initiative.

europa.eu/!TTbWbJ
“Estamos quebrando os corpos e as mentes das crianças de Gaza. Estamos fazendo as crianças de Gaza passarem fome. Porque, se não fizermos nada sobre isso, seremos cúmplices do que está acontecendo diante dos nossos olhos”

— Michael Ryan, Chefe de Emergências da OMS

First report from a Salzburg Global project looking at polarisation and violent threats against democracy. www.salzburgglobal.org/fileadmin/us...
www.salzburgglobal.org

Trump Ends $1 Billion in Mental Health Grants for Schools. The funds were authorized by Congress in the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed after 19 students and two teachers lost their lives in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. www.edweek.org/policy-polit...
Trump Ends $1 Billion in Mental Health Grants for Schools
The Education Department told grantees that their awards reflected the Biden administration's priorities.
www.edweek.org

Reposted by Tony Gallagher

Love when @nicolemockler.bsky.social drops truth bombs. “Respect matters. Valuing what teachers actually know and do, and recognising that it’s complex…would be a pathway to reinstating trust in the teaching profession.”
blog.aare.edu.au/just-because...
Just because you went to school doesn't make you an expert on teaching
Reinstate trust in the teaching profession. That might just be the perfect place to start in fixing the teacher shortage.
blog.aare.edu.au

Today’s Irish Times