Farah Mendlesohn
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effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn
@effjayem.bsky.social
5.9K followers 2.7K following 1.7K posts

SF fan, writer etc etc. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Author of The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein and Rhetorics of Fantasy. Publishing a book on Joanna Russ's The Female Man with Luna Press in 2026. Pre Order now! Supporter of 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸 Pronouns: Farah/they .. more

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Farah Jane Mendlesohn is a British academic historian, writer on speculative fiction, and active member of science fiction fandom. Mendlesohn is best-known for their book Rhetorics of Fantasy (2008), which classifies fantasy literature into four modes based on how the fantastic enters the story. Their work as editor includes the Cambridge Companions to science fiction and fantasy, collaborations with Edward James. The science fiction volume won a Hugo Award in 2005. Mendlesohn is also known for books on the history of fantasy, including Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction, co-written with Michael Levy. It was the first work to trace the genre's 500-year history and won the World Fantasy Award in 2017. .. more

Art 30%
Philosophy 18%
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effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 1d
I lived through Thatcher's "privatisation = savings" schtick and Public, Private Enterprise partnerships. The amount of money drained from the state is an under talked about scandal. And now U.K. private utilities are collapsing from under investment.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 1d
As I just noted: Read the Beveridge Report
mcuban.bsky.social Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · 1d
I'm here willing to read anything someone puts together that details how we can get from here to there

I'm all for universal healthcare. Tell me how we get there.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 1d
Read the Beveridge Report

Reposted by Richard M. Carpiano, Farah Mendlesohn

mcuban.bsky.social
Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · 1d
I'm here willing to read anything someone puts together that details how we can get from here to there

I'm all for universal healthcare. Tell me how we get there.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, John Horgan, Steven French , and 16 more

texastribune.org
Texas Tribune @texastribune.org · 1d
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M won’t reinstate fired lecturer despite findings
A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
www.texastribune.org

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
Nope. See Jimmy Saville in the U.K. that issue was never secrecy. The issue was no one to tell and a society and legal system that saw prostituted children as predators of innocent men. Girls who complained got banged up.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 3d
Are we surprised?
upshot.nytimes.com The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 3d
On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. But is still led to cuts that closed offices, canceled programs and deprived people of food, medicine and other aid.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Benjamin Mason Meier, Eric Goldman , and 10 more

upshot.nytimes.com
The Upshot @upshot.nytimes.com · 3d
On DOGE’s watch, federal spending did not go down at all. It went up. But is still led to cuts that closed offices, canceled programs and deprived people of food, medicine and other aid.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Jonathan A. Eisen, Tuomas Mattila , and 5 more

eladn.bsky.social
Elad Nehorai @eladn.bsky.social · 3d
These are concentration camps. No other way to describe them. Truly horrific, and none of it surprising in the least.
akivamcohen.bsky.social AkivaMCohen @akivamcohen.bsky.social · 4d
30 minutes. Some deportees described sexual assault. Detainee describes the guard sexually assaulting most detainees. Lights left on all day. Prisoners not given clean water.

Now the DHS tour. Nobody spoke to the detainees. Noem's video was in a different area of the prison.

Reposted by Naomi Klein, Ann Bartow, Karen L. Cox , and 1 more

paleofuture.bsky.social
Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d
And now someone has uploaded a version that wasn't filmed off a TV.

There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.
Pulled 60 Minutes segment on CECOT : CBS : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
This is a screen recording of a 60 Minutes segment about the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison in El Salvador, which was intended to be...
archive.org

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, David S. Cohen, Janet Murray , and 6 more

chrisdeleon.bsky.social
Chris DeLeon Ⓥ DevPods.gg gamedev community @chrisdeleon.bsky.social · 3d
here's the 60 minutes cecot video part 1 of 5 - recorded/uploaded by and all credit to @jasonparis.bsky.social

I just reduced background noise, chopped the 14 minutes into 3 minute segments each compressed under 100 mb for bsky's limits, cropped and rotated a few degrees for easier viewing on here

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 4d
This is exactly how one prepares original research. And it's ongoing. But the more you read the easier and faster it gets.

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

aliettedebodard.com
Aliette de Bodard @aliettedebodard.com · 5d
Deep breath
Ok I'm going to try and stay calm
But I'll point out that AI translation is literally causing translators to be fired (see the whole Harlequin line in France)
(1/?)

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 5d
The problem is that some citation systems don't support this. I find it terribly annoying.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, John L. Provis, Peter Thorne , and 12 more

ryancordell.org
Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 7d
I think this post nails the actual problem, for researchers at least—AI hallucinations would simply not be a problem in academic work if we’d not normalized citation-as-signaling rather than actual engagement—you can only cite a fake paper if you’re not in the habit of reading the papers you cite

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

asls.org.uk
Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 7d
The @newscientist.com Book Club is reading the #scifi masterpiece THE PLAYER OF GAMES by Iain M. Banks. In this video, Iain’s friend & fellow author @amendlocke.bsky.social discusses Iain’s schooldays, his literary influences, & his idea for a final Culture novel
💙📚
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7OW...
Ken MacLeod on the life and work of the late sc-fi legend Iain M. Banks
YouTube video by New Scientist
www.youtube.com

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
One just, kinda, gets on with it. What else are we for if not for service?

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
Yup. Horrible to teach, I stuck to clips. People were picketing it.
jamellebouie.net jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7d
one thing that is important to know is that BIRTH OF A NATION is so racist that people at the *time*, in 1915, were like, “holy shit this is racist”
moviessilently.bsky.social Movies Silently @moviessilently.bsky.social · 7d
When the slightest bit of research shows he was consistently racist and a daddy issues Confederate fanboy.

People try to paint BIRTH OF A NATION as a masterpiece with some unfortunate racism. The whole movie is racist, the “masterpiece “ thing was backfilled to excuse it.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, James Goodwin, Andrew Rudalevige , and 2 more

jamellebouie.net
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7d
one thing that is important to know is that BIRTH OF A NATION is so racist that people at the *time*, in 1915, were like, “holy shit this is racist”
moviessilently.bsky.social Movies Silently @moviessilently.bsky.social · 7d
When the slightest bit of research shows he was consistently racist and a daddy issues Confederate fanboy.

People try to paint BIRTH OF A NATION as a masterpiece with some unfortunate racism. The whole movie is racist, the “masterpiece “ thing was backfilled to excuse it.

Reposted by Catherine Baker, Laura Kelly, Farah Mendlesohn , and 1 more

rosavcampbell.bsky.social
Rosa Campbell @rosavcampbell.bsky.social · 7d
Here, for @historyworkshop.org.uk I discuss the history of a refuge for trans women.

I show women’s shared experiences of violence across the spectrum of cis and trans.

I highlight histories of solidarity against male violence by feminists and trans women.

academic.oup.com/hwj/advance-...
Reconsidering Violence Against Women through the History of a Refuge for Trans Women
Abstract. Both right-wing forces and gender-critical feminists currently frame cis and trans women’s needs as fundamentally different and conflicting. Viol
academic.oup.com

Reposted by Philip Nel, Farah Mendlesohn

simonpegg.bsky.social
Simon Pegg @simonpegg.bsky.social · 7d
A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas.

Be a love, and pay it today.

effjayem.bsky.social
Farah Mendlesohn @effjayem.bsky.social · 7d
Ooo

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Farah Mendlesohn

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 7d
If you've ever visited the Migration Museum in London or participated in its activities and would like to celebrate the achievements of its inspirational founding CEO while contributing to the realisation of its new, permanent home in the City, this is a chance to contribute to Sophie's Table.
Thank you Sophie!
Join us in thanking and celebrating the achievements of Sophie Henderson, the Migration Museum's founding CEO, by contributing to a very special gift.
www.justgiving.com

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

15thcgossipgirl.bsky.social
Mary Flannery @15thcgossipgirl.bsky.social · 7d
I’m so glad I started my day by reading about Melissa Hortman. What an incredible woman she was.

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Melissa Hortman Died in a Shocking Act of Political Violence. This Is the Story of Her Life
Melissa Hortman died in a shocking act of political violence. This is her story
www.rollingstone.com

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

lunapress.bsky.social
Luna Press Publishing @lunapress.bsky.social · 7d
Pre-order Luna Novella 2026! In This City, Where it rains by
@lyndseycroal.bsky.social In an alternative Edinburgh, Maggie is haunted by ghosts that only appear in the rain - and it always rains in this city. ☔︎
www.lunapresspublishing.com/lunanovella
The house cannot exactly remember how it came to wake, but it has heard the tale many times on quiet and lonely nights, told through the cracks in its walls, words creeping in with the cold and dark, until this tale has become almost like a memory itself. In This City, Where it Rains Lyndsey Croal

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

mel.bzky.team
yaoi gagarin @mel.bzky.team · 7d
even if it were true its wild to go "you'll just have to accept it's here to stay" about AI to a generation whose sole uniting feature is hating a bunch of things that have been here to stay for a century

sorry dude but I was raised on hating cars and america, this shit ain't nothing to me, man

Reposted by Steve Peers, Katrina Navickas, James Connelly , and 1 more

willtullett.bsky.social
Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · 7d
Oh no the Governor of the Bank of England compared AI to the Industrial Revolution

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

jeremyhsu.bsky.social
Jeremy Hsu @jeremyhsu.bsky.social · 8d
Before satellite mega-constellations began taking off in 2019, satellites used to go months without risking a collision in orbit.

Now they have less than a week to take evasive maneuvers, and the window keeps shrinking. My @sciam.bsky.social story below.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/sate...
Satellites Used to Have Months to Avoid Collisions—Now They Have Days
In the era of mega constellations, spacecraft typically have less than a week to avoid crashes
www.scientificamerican.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Fabián Muniesa, Farah Mendlesohn

motherjones.com
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 8d
Today, Trump declared that the nation will host the first-ever “Patriot Games,” an “unprecedented four-day athletic event” featuring high school athletes, one boy and one girl, from each state and territory.

If you think this sounds like The Hunger Games, you're not alone.
Trump just announced his own Hunger Games
In case you needed a reminder that we're living in a fascist hellscape.
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Farah Mendlesohn

mxthemfatale.bsky.social
Them Fatale, Krampus Edition @mxthemfatale.bsky.social · 8d
British Quakers are refusing room bookings from terfs as policy.
If you were waiting for an org to stand up for LGBTQIA+ rights, and unflinchingly withstand bullying and lawfare, here you go, friends.
Good luck to the raging bigots, they'll get nowhere with threats.