Pauline Stafford
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pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford
@pstafford.bsky.social
1.6K followers 340 following 400 posts

Historian of early Middle Ages, Grandmother, Leftwing, Labour, Leeds, British, European. Emerita Prof University of Liverpool

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Pauline Stafford is Professor Emerita of Early Medieval History at Liverpool University and a visiting professor at Leeds University in England. Dr. Stafford is a former vice-president of the Royal Historical Society. .. more

History 50%
Philosophy 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

helengittos.bsky.social
Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 15h
Eric Cambridge on the Jarrow Hall podcast talking about the career of Dame Rosemary Cramp @durham.ac.uk. Time to go back to Bede's World... @ascorpus.bsky.social.
youtu.be/kso-ZcxfoVk?...
Dame Rosemary Cramp's Extraordinary Archaeological Career - The Jarrow Hall Podcast Ep. 4
YouTube video by Jarrow Hall
youtu.be

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
Oh well, we know the defence lines now.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Mike Johnson expresses concern that requiring the Epstein files to come out "could ruin the reputations of completely innocent people, such as those who may just have known Epstein but knew nothing of his crimes or whose names he exploited and used to try to get close to his intended victims."

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Michael E. Mann, Shannon Vallor , and 51 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Mike Johnson expresses concern that requiring the Epstein files to come out "could ruin the reputations of completely innocent people, such as those who may just have known Epstein but knew nothing of his crimes or whose names he exploited and used to try to get close to his intended victims."

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
The man-child - except that’s unfair to most men and children.

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford, Catherine J. Frieman

francescatinti.bsky.social
Francesca Tinti @francescatinti.bsky.social · 1d
The serpent head of the Oseberg Viking ship, carved in 820, and shown for the first time to the public in the Oslo Historical Museum

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d
'It was found that access to STEM subjects in all-girls schools remain low, with only 5% having construction studies and six having engineering. This is compared to 84% and 74% in mixed schools.'

Maybe focus on rectifying that anomaly, not one-off 'I Wish' festivals?
New partnership will give girls from NI chance to pursue STEM dreams
The First and deputy First Minster have welcomed the partnership between Translink and I Wish ahead of an anticipated STEM festival for girls in Dublin next year.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
If you want to keep up-to-speed on what’s happening outside Westminster follow @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social
jenwilliamsft.bsky.social Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 1d
A good eg of the financial reality facing Reform in local govt

Durham is looking at hiking parking charges and permits, litter picking/weed killing/summer planting reductions and the “rationalisation” of libraries, leisure centres and tips, as it tries to hold down council tax

on.ft.com/4oPaVvI
Reform council cuts back on litter picking and gardening in bid to fill shortfall
[FREE TO READ] The measures underline the financial realities facing the party after its first six months in local government
on.ft.com

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
As usual a well-informed thread from @sundersays.bsky.social on asylum, U.K. compared with Europe.
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d
So UK is *not* "destination of choice in Europe" [despite inaccurate ministerial claims]
BUT UK claims are rising as Euro claims fall
- EU cooperation now reduces/prevents 2ndry applications EU to EU
But UK lacks similar data-sharing mechanism to reduce/prevent 2ndary applications EU state then UK

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

jenwilliamsft.bsky.social
Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 1d
A good eg of the financial reality facing Reform in local govt

Durham is looking at hiking parking charges and permits, litter picking/weed killing/summer planting reductions and the “rationalisation” of libraries, leisure centres and tips, as it tries to hold down council tax

on.ft.com/4oPaVvI
Reform council cuts back on litter picking and gardening in bid to fill shortfall
[FREE TO READ] The measures underline the financial realities facing the party after its first six months in local government
on.ft.com

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
Just love this admission by Google of knowingly having information- providing products that are not grounded in providing accurate information.
eicathomefinn.bsky.social Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d
'"This is why people also use Google search, and we have other products that are more grounded in providing accurate information."'

That's alright then, a Google search or other Google products will fix it. Problem neatly sorted.
Don't blindly trust what AI tells you, Google boss tells BBC
Sundar Pichai candidly acknowledged concerns about inaccurate answers generated by Google's models.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d
'"This is why people also use Google search, and we have other products that are more grounded in providing accurate information."'

That's alright then, a Google search or other Google products will fix it. Problem neatly sorted.
Don't blindly trust what AI tells you, Google boss tells BBC
Sundar Pichai candidly acknowledged concerns about inaccurate answers generated by Google's models.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d
'The early internet was dominated by...and western institutions...leaving whole worlds of human knowledge and experience undigitised. Now, with the rise of GenAI – which is trained on this available digital corpus – that asymmetry threatens to become entrenched.'
What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Deepak Varuvel Dennison
The long read: As GenAI becomes the primary way to find information, local and traditional wisdom is being lost. And we are only beginning to realise what we’re missing
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d
So UK is *not* "destination of choice in Europe" [despite inaccurate ministerial claims]
BUT UK claims are rising as Euro claims fall
- EU cooperation now reduces/prevents 2ndry applications EU to EU
But UK lacks similar data-sharing mechanism to reduce/prevent 2ndary applications EU state then UK

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 2d
When will we as a society start to take the plight and future of our young people seriously?
lewisgoodall.com Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 2d
Chilling piece on employment effects of AI on early careers. Includes this line, which will probably become the norm for many firms: "Managers at Shopify must now justify hiring a human by first explaining why AI can’t do the job."

nymag.com/intelligence...
‘There’s Just No Reason to Deal With Young Employees’
AI is taking entry-level jobs. What happens when Gen-Z-ers can’t start their careers?
nymag.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

josiah.writes.news
Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 2d
Via No 10 today (obviously overshadowed by the asylum announcement): "Schools across England will save millions on energy bills as Great British Energy installs solar panels on over 250 sites, cutting costs and reinvesting into education while powering classrooms with clean, homegrown energy."

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

tricksterprince.bsky.social
Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 2d
I've been thinking about those microbiographies in relation to older traditions of social history.

They reflect that enduring & important ethical emphasis on recovering experience and listening to voices of ordinary people.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Mary Rice, Justin Lewis , and 3 more

lewisgoodall.com
Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 2d
Chilling piece on employment effects of AI on early careers. Includes this line, which will probably become the norm for many firms: "Managers at Shopify must now justify hiring a human by first explaining why AI can’t do the job."

nymag.com/intelligence...
‘There’s Just No Reason to Deal With Young Employees’
AI is taking entry-level jobs. What happens when Gen-Z-ers can’t start their careers?
nymag.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Patrick Dunleavy, Stephen Jones , and 1 more

drjennings.bsky.social
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 2d
This is very much the majority/median position in the Labour Party, among Labour voters and the general public.
simonforstroud.bsky.social Simon Opher @simonforstroud.bsky.social · 2d
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.

Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

simonforstroud.bsky.social
Simon Opher @simonforstroud.bsky.social · 2d
Failing to deliver there is what leads to people looking for scapegoats and being persuaded by the dangerous rhetoric of those who don't care about equality or improving the life chances of ordinary working people. (5/6)

Reposted by Steve Peers, Tom Griffin, Pauline Stafford , and 2 more

sarahowen.org.uk
Sarah Owen MP @sarahowen.org.uk · 2d
A strong immigration system doesn't need to be a cruel one.

It shouldn't need saying - but refugees & asylum seekers are real people, fleeing war and persecution.

This daughter of an immigrant is proud of our British and Labour values of respect and not turning our backs on people in real need.

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

disappoptimism.bsky.social
Disappointed Optimist @disappoptimism.bsky.social · 2d
The rate of global deforestation is slowing rapidly - with China now in fact leading the way on planting more forest than it cuts down:

www.carbonbrief.org/un-report-fi...
UN report: Five charts showing how global deforestation is declining - Carbon Brief
The amount of forest lost around the world has reduced by millions of hectares each year in recent decades, says a UN report.
www.carbonbrief.org

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 2d
‘the students don’t lack belonging. The institution lacks inclusive structures that make belonging feel normal. There’s a profound difference between “you need help fitting in because you’re different” and “this is how we all do things here – welcome to the crew.” ‘

Reposted by Ashish Arora, Rosemary A. Joyce, Martin Paul Eve , and 8 more

adapalmer.bsky.social
Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 3d
British and Australian chemists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, hiding in a well-known soil bacterium. This molecule kills drug-resistant bacteria without triggering resistance. buff.ly/YlXaONo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Scientists find hidden antibiotic 100x stronger against deadly superbugs
A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It…
buff.ly

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford

helengittos.bsky.social
Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 3d
John Blair: Why Killing Vampires Makes People Happy

press.princeton.edu/ideas/why-ki...
Why killing vampires makes people happy
John Blair is the author of Killing the Dead, a riveting history of vampire panics across cultures and down through the millennia—and why killing the dead is better than killing the living.
press.princeton.edu

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

pseudo-isidore.bsky.social
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 3d
wonkhe.com/blogs/effort...
Efforts to build belonging may get the problem the wrong way around
Despite sector-wide consensus on how to tackle belonging gaps, Jim Dickinson explores how the latest APPs risk entrenching disadvantage by misreading the social psychology behind inclusion
wonkhe.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

helontheweb.bsky.social
HEL (History of the English Language) on the Web @helontheweb.bsky.social · 3d
Dorothy Whitelock Lecture 2025: Guthlac: what the early medieval records tell us
3 December 17:15
St Peter’s College chapel, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford
@ox.ac.uk

Join the event in person or online.
www.english.ox.ac.uk/event/doroth...
Dorothy Whitelock Lecture 2025: Guthlac: what the early medieval records tell us
www.english.ox.ac.uk

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

markjacob.bsky.social
Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 3d
Trump's new autopen scandal. Every accusation is a confession.
Justice Department quietly replaced 'identical' Trump signatures on recent pardons
President Donald Trump is facing new scrutiny over the use of a replicated signature on several recent pardons.
apnews.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

jeffjarvis.bsky.social
Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 3d
Corruption at unprecedented levels with a murderous regime, a mark of totalitarian fascism but: "Blending family and governance" makes it sound like a harmless avocation. #BrokenTimes

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, David H. Kaye, Daniel W. Drezner , and 3 more

michellegoldberg.bsky.social
Michelle Goldberg @michellegoldberg.bsky.social · 4d
Watching right-wingers suddenly discover that Trump is a bad person is wild