emma short
@emmashort.bsky.social
thinking about hotels, gertrude bell, and the environment. not necessarily at the same time.
assistant professor of modern & contemporary literature at durham university.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-22129-4
assistant professor of modern & contemporary literature at durham university.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-22129-4
Reposted by emma short
‼️IMPORTANT‼️ LIVESTREAM from the Gaza flotilla as they near Gaza. This is now the most vulnerable time for these brave folks. We need as many eyes on them as possible. Please watch/stream when you can & spread this far & wide. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCAN...
LIVE: Global Sumud Flotilla Approaches Gaza
YouTube video by Novara Media
www.youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 9:57 AM
‼️IMPORTANT‼️ LIVESTREAM from the Gaza flotilla as they near Gaza. This is now the most vulnerable time for these brave folks. We need as many eyes on them as possible. Please watch/stream when you can & spread this far & wide. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCAN...
Reposted by emma short
This is great work. But this article in particular should be raising eyebrows and a LOT of questions
www.thenerve.news/p/tony-blair...
www.thenerve.news/p/tony-blair...
October 1, 2025 at 8:24 AM
This is great work. But this article in particular should be raising eyebrows and a LOT of questions
www.thenerve.news/p/tony-blair...
www.thenerve.news/p/tony-blair...
Reposted by emma short
Last week, a new North East AI Growth Zone was announced, with new data centres at Blyth & Cobalt. But what is at stake for resources & the environment? Prof Karen Lai (@karenpylai.bsky.social) of Durham University explains the issue in a guest blog. www.climateactionnewcastle.com/post/ai-grow...
LOCAL AI ZONES: what's at stake?2025-09-26T08:05:27.412Z
<<The Government’s announcement that Blyth in Northumberland and Cobalt Park in North Tyneside will become designated AI Growth Zones has prompted debate about the trade-offs we need to consider. Durh...
www.climateactionnewcastle.com
September 26, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Last week, a new North East AI Growth Zone was announced, with new data centres at Blyth & Cobalt. But what is at stake for resources & the environment? Prof Karen Lai (@karenpylai.bsky.social) of Durham University explains the issue in a guest blog. www.climateactionnewcastle.com/post/ai-grow...
Reposted by emma short
It’s gone so quickly from ‘boat people’ to all immigrants. So quickly from ‘I don’t mind if they come here legally and pay taxes’ to ‘actually it’s anyone foreign’. We are living in the ‘first they came for’ poem. All to give the population a scapegoat so the super rich can hoard yet more wealth.
September 25, 2025 at 7:38 AM
It’s gone so quickly from ‘boat people’ to all immigrants. So quickly from ‘I don’t mind if they come here legally and pay taxes’ to ‘actually it’s anyone foreign’. We are living in the ‘first they came for’ poem. All to give the population a scapegoat so the super rich can hoard yet more wealth.
Reposted by emma short
I have a new translation up at @thedialmag.bsky.social, Lauren Bastide's Courir l'escargot, which we're calling Consider the Snail. I loved this book & was so happy to get to translate some excerpts from it, about slowness, failure, grief, alterity, cycles, & goo www.thedial.world/articles/lit...
Consider the Snail — The Dial
“In writing about snails, I wanted to write about slowness and strangeness, solitude and death, hibernation and estivation.”
www.thedial.world
September 25, 2025 at 8:44 AM
I have a new translation up at @thedialmag.bsky.social, Lauren Bastide's Courir l'escargot, which we're calling Consider the Snail. I loved this book & was so happy to get to translate some excerpts from it, about slowness, failure, grief, alterity, cycles, & goo www.thedial.world/articles/lit...
Reposted by emma short
this is heartbreaking reading the shit we make these people put up with and the square root of fuck all we give them and at no point will the BBC reflect on how their own reporting helped create the unbelievably hostile environment they have to endure
Behind the doors of asylum hotels - what I found when I went inside
A BBC reporter goes into four hotels and speaks to asylum seekers and staff about what daily life is like.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 23, 2025 at 9:41 AM
this is heartbreaking reading the shit we make these people put up with and the square root of fuck all we give them and at no point will the BBC reflect on how their own reporting helped create the unbelievably hostile environment they have to endure
jesus christ.
“Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’.”
- business secretary, Peter Kyle.
What do they want knowledge for? Heaven forbid that students go to university to learn something!
- business secretary, Peter Kyle.
What do they want knowledge for? Heaven forbid that students go to university to learn something!
British students lack ‘drive’ of their American peers, says Business Secretary | LBC
The Business Secretary has defended comments he made at a meeting with investors where he said British students lack the ‘drive’ and ‘vigour’ of their American peers.
www.lbc.co.uk
September 19, 2025 at 10:05 AM
jesus christ.
Reposted by emma short
'"You can’t have hobbyist research that’s unfunded going on in institutions. We can’t afford it.”'
Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.
Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.
Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .
Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News
Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
September 12, 2025 at 6:57 AM
'"You can’t have hobbyist research that’s unfunded going on in institutions. We can’t afford it.”'
Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.
Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.
this is a great piece, in particular the point on students using AI to summarise critical material. as Fitzgerald so astutely observes,
“There’s a joy in comprehension, that moment of understanding something new. AI robs them of that.”
“There’s a joy in comprehension, that moment of understanding something new. AI robs them of that.”
I spoke to the Irish Times for this very good and rounded piece on the real-world effects of C***GPT in the humanities classroom: www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...
‘It’s a monster’: How generative AI is forcing university professors to rethink learning
As students turn to ChatGPT, educators warn that critical thinking, academic integrity and the future of the humanities are at stake
www.irishtimes.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
this is a great piece, in particular the point on students using AI to summarise critical material. as Fitzgerald so astutely observes,
“There’s a joy in comprehension, that moment of understanding something new. AI robs them of that.”
“There’s a joy in comprehension, that moment of understanding something new. AI robs them of that.”
Reposted by emma short
Academics are under unrelenting pressure to accept the narrative of the inevitability of #generativeAI & to embrace it in teaching & learning. We resist - because it is ecologically destructive, ethically corrupt, & because it undermines the thinking abilities that make us both human & intelligent.
Opinion: We are lecturers in Trinity College Dublin. It is our responsibility to resist AI
Opinion: We are lecturers in Trinity College Dublin. It is our responsibility to resist AI
Even if all the known issues were magically resolved, we would still not want our students to use GenAI
www.irishtimes.com
September 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Academics are under unrelenting pressure to accept the narrative of the inevitability of #generativeAI & to embrace it in teaching & learning. We resist - because it is ecologically destructive, ethically corrupt, & because it undermines the thinking abilities that make us both human & intelligent.
what a wonderful tribute. please share this cfp for a special issue dedicated to our brilliant late colleague, simon j. james.
Please help me share the CFP for this Literature Compass Special Issue dedicated to the work of Simon J James and covering key Victorian and Edwardian writers like H. G. Wells, George Gissing, Dickens, Wilde, George Du Maurier, and Conan-Doyle on behalf of Hadas Elber-Aviram.
September 4, 2025 at 10:38 AM
what a wonderful tribute. please share this cfp for a special issue dedicated to our brilliant late colleague, simon j. james.
Reposted by emma short
Brilliant leadership from Lush
Buy their stuff - it’s against genocide.
They have also support many excellent refugee projects I’ve been involved with over the years
And @scotnational.bsky.social for covering tenaciously.
These actions work as they build
www.thenational.scot/news/2543703...
Buy their stuff - it’s against genocide.
They have also support many excellent refugee projects I’ve been involved with over the years
And @scotnational.bsky.social for covering tenaciously.
These actions work as they build
www.thenational.scot/news/2543703...
Retail giant closes all UK stores in tax protest over Gaza
Cosmetics retail giant Lush has closed all of its UK stores in protest at Israel’s actions in Palestine ...
www.thenational.scot
September 3, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Brilliant leadership from Lush
Buy their stuff - it’s against genocide.
They have also support many excellent refugee projects I’ve been involved with over the years
And @scotnational.bsky.social for covering tenaciously.
These actions work as they build
www.thenational.scot/news/2543703...
Buy their stuff - it’s against genocide.
They have also support many excellent refugee projects I’ve been involved with over the years
And @scotnational.bsky.social for covering tenaciously.
These actions work as they build
www.thenational.scot/news/2543703...
Reposted by emma short
Seriously, with the whole university system on the brink, this is what the OfS and the BBC focus on? A dereliction of duty.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Be ready to be shocked and offended at university, students told
Guidance has been published by the Office for Students on new free speech rules coming into force this year.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Seriously, with the whole university system on the brink, this is what the OfS and the BBC focus on? A dereliction of duty.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by emma short
Jon Stewart is a legend & the way this show is trying to explain to a mainstream audience the gravity what is happening in the US is amazing. It was both thrilling & terrifying to be part of it. Thank you @TheDailyShow 👏
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7C...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7C...
Carole Cadwalladr - Broligarchs, AI, and a Techno-Authoritarian Surveillance State | The Daily Show
YouTube video by The Daily Show
www.youtube.com
June 3, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Jon Stewart is a legend & the way this show is trying to explain to a mainstream audience the gravity what is happening in the US is amazing. It was both thrilling & terrifying to be part of it. Thank you @TheDailyShow 👏
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7C...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7C...
Reposted by emma short
Please sign and share widely - Liverpool Hope is one of *the* centres for cultural Disability Studies research. This threat is a threat to the field itself and to its important commitment to challenging societal prejudices and advocating for social justice through cultural analysis.
For the morning crowd - please do sign and share. Every single one of my former #DisabilityStudies colleagues at Liverpool Hope is at risk of redundancy. This isn't just about individuals; it's a threat to the field itself.
Jill Pluquailec of Sheffield Hallam has organised an open letter laying out the impact on #DisabilityStudies as a field - please do share and sign [add a comment with your info]
May 22, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Please sign and share widely - Liverpool Hope is one of *the* centres for cultural Disability Studies research. This threat is a threat to the field itself and to its important commitment to challenging societal prejudices and advocating for social justice through cultural analysis.
Reposted by emma short
"In an earlier post, she wrote: "As for the inevitable death, if I die, I want a loud death, I don't want me in a breaking news story, nor in a number with a group, I want a death that is heard by the world, a trace that lasts forever, and immortal images that neither time nor place can bury."
Photographer Fatima Hassona killed ahead of Cannes documentary debut
The Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassona, killed along with ten family members in an Israeli air strike on her home in northern Gaza, is the star of a documentary due to be screened at the Cannes film festival next month.
www.euronews.com
April 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
"In an earlier post, she wrote: "As for the inevitable death, if I die, I want a loud death, I don't want me in a breaking news story, nor in a number with a group, I want a death that is heard by the world, a trace that lasts forever, and immortal images that neither time nor place can bury."
Reposted by emma short
again and again and yet again the privileged’s fantasies of oppression take precedence over the marginalised’s real, daily, violent oppression
April 16, 2025 at 9:06 AM
again and again and yet again the privileged’s fantasies of oppression take precedence over the marginalised’s real, daily, violent oppression
Reposted by emma short
'Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC ChatGPT is "burning through energy" and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries.'
Tech bros are sociopathic exintinction events aided by demented power-needy govs
bbc.com/news/article...
Tech bros are sociopathic exintinction events aided by demented power-needy govs
bbc.com/news/article...
ChatGPT action dolls: What are the concerns?
As online users create Barbie-like dolls of themselves, experts urge caution over AI's energy and data use.
bbc.com
April 12, 2025 at 5:34 AM
'Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London told the BBC ChatGPT is "burning through energy" and the data centres used to power it consume more electricity in a year than 117 countries.'
Tech bros are sociopathic exintinction events aided by demented power-needy govs
bbc.com/news/article...
Tech bros are sociopathic exintinction events aided by demented power-needy govs
bbc.com/news/article...
joining the vast ranks of people whose work has been pirated by LibGen, and then potentially used by Meta to build its AI. my book, journal articles, book chapters all listed..doesn't feel great, i have to say.
NEW: LibGen contains millions of pirated books and research papers, built over nearly two decades. From court documents, we know that Meta torrented a version of it to build its AI. Today, @theatlantic.com presents an analysis of the data set by @alexreisner.bsky.social. Search through it yourself:
The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem
Meta pirated millions of books to train its AI. Search through them here.
www.theatlantic.com
March 20, 2025 at 4:54 PM
joining the vast ranks of people whose work has been pirated by LibGen, and then potentially used by Meta to build its AI. my book, journal articles, book chapters all listed..doesn't feel great, i have to say.
Reposted by emma short
UK universities are in crisis.
Dave Hitchcock (@davehitchcock.bsky.social) on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be approached as an interdependent system.
www.historyworkshop....
Dave Hitchcock (@davehitchcock.bsky.social) on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be approached as an interdependent system.
www.historyworkshop....
A Decade of Crisis
The UK's universities are in crisis. Dave Hitchcock on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be understood as an interdependent system.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
March 13, 2025 at 7:08 AM
UK universities are in crisis.
Dave Hitchcock (@davehitchcock.bsky.social) on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be approached as an interdependent system.
www.historyworkshop....
Dave Hitchcock (@davehitchcock.bsky.social) on how the sector became 'broken' and why it must be approached as an interdependent system.
www.historyworkshop....
Reposted by emma short
It’s incredible that US academia is being eviscerated by hard-right ideologues while here in the UK our supposedly liberal government does nothing to save our world-leading universities from financial ruin. The vandalism is somehow even worse in the UK because it’s so shabby and unnecessary
The UK university sector is on fire. This is happening virtually everywhere -- job cuts, hiring freezes, department closures, PhD funding programmes... full blown crisis
Cardiff University confirms that in College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 699 jobs are “in scope” of redundancy with 86 in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion.
At the leading Welsh university in the capital of (checks notes) Wales 13 are in the (checks notes) School of Welsh.
At the leading Welsh university in the capital of (checks notes) Wales 13 are in the (checks notes) School of Welsh.
March 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
It’s incredible that US academia is being eviscerated by hard-right ideologues while here in the UK our supposedly liberal government does nothing to save our world-leading universities from financial ruin. The vandalism is somehow even worse in the UK because it’s so shabby and unnecessary
Reposted by emma short
The crisis in British higher education is acute + painful right now. If you are in it you already know this, but for those who are not I want to share what is going on. As strikes start at Newcastle Uni + others will doubtless follow, now is a time for solidarity + resistance
March 4, 2025 at 10:19 AM
The crisis in British higher education is acute + painful right now. If you are in it you already know this, but for those who are not I want to share what is going on. As strikes start at Newcastle Uni + others will doubtless follow, now is a time for solidarity + resistance
Reposted by emma short
🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."
Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.
I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9
Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.
I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9
February 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
🧵"So this is how liberty dies..."
Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.
I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9
Trump’s first 3 weeks have been a relentless flood of actions. It's incredibly hard to keep up.
I’ve gone through 69 actions & mapped out the pattern - showing how they fall within 5 broad domains consistent with authoritarian states 1/9
Reposted by emma short
“A new settlement is desperately needed – one that properly restores a sector that delivers a public good to the public realm. And which enables a sense of professional vocation, for those who work within it, to be renewed.” #EduSky
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial
Editorial: The government should not stand aloof as a crisis unfolds in our universities. A new settlement is needed
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM
“A new settlement is desperately needed – one that properly restores a sector that delivers a public good to the public realm. And which enables a sense of professional vocation, for those who work within it, to be renewed.” #EduSky
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...