Katherine Arnold
@arnoldke.bsky.social
lecturer in environmental history @liverpooluni.bsky.social 🌿 || writing about #germans, #collecting, #plants & #empire in 19th c. southern #africa 🌵 || #nathist, #envhist, #collections, 🇬🇧-🇩🇪 || she/her || views my own ✨
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?
The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity
www.cityam.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:27 AM
I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
www.cityam.com/the-british-...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
'The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what "works," but art opens up what is possible' - Pope Leo
November 17, 2025 at 1:46 AM
'The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what "works," but art opens up what is possible' - Pope Leo
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:16 AM
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Joyce Carol Oates: Demonstrating the Value of the Humanities through Public Ownership of the Richest Man on Earth
November 11, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Joyce Carol Oates: Demonstrating the Value of the Humanities through Public Ownership of the Richest Man on Earth
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
So many good points in this thread but jeez one's a big one: it is remarkable how the left-punchers never wring hands about how much right-wingers talk about climate
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that our opponents (Trump and the GOP) talk about climate change all 👏 the 👏 time👏—always using relentless disinformation to make Democrats look bad. You HAVE to have a plan for that or else you're going to lose.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/enviro...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/enviro...
Democrats are letting Trump’s climate lies take hold
When extreme storms hit the United States, the Maga disinformation machine went into overdrive. Kamala Harris failed to counter it
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
So many good points in this thread but jeez one's a big one: it is remarkable how the left-punchers never wring hands about how much right-wingers talk about climate
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
William John Burchell https://bionomia.net/Q1397207 collected the holotype FABACEAE: Lotononis pungens in South Africa https://gbif.org/occurrence/912345494 #TypeSpecimenToday
November 5, 2025 at 8:30 AM
William John Burchell https://bionomia.net/Q1397207 collected the holotype FABACEAE: Lotononis pungens in South Africa https://gbif.org/occurrence/912345494 #TypeSpecimenToday
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Happy Monday! 🌵 We're glad to say that this rescheduled Reading Club session is happening this week! Join us on 6 November to discuss Appadurai's article, a fantastically rich piece to raise questions connecting museums & collections, coloniality & the global/planetary, & the age of Anthropocene ✨
@collecol.bsky.social is back! 🪲
We've put together a great seminar series - we hope you'll come along!
On 2 Oct 11am EDT/4pm GMT we're doing a reading club - Appadurai's "The Museum, the Colony, and the Planet: Territories of the Imperial Imagination".
All info ⬇️ www.chstm.org/group/collec...
We've put together a great seminar series - we hope you'll come along!
On 2 Oct 11am EDT/4pm GMT we're doing a reading club - Appadurai's "The Museum, the Colony, and the Planet: Territories of the Imperial Imagination".
All info ⬇️ www.chstm.org/group/collec...
Collection Ecologies | Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine
www.chstm.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Happy Monday! 🌵 We're glad to say that this rescheduled Reading Club session is happening this week! Join us on 6 November to discuss Appadurai's article, a fantastically rich piece to raise questions connecting museums & collections, coloniality & the global/planetary, & the age of Anthropocene ✨
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
#BOOKGIVEAWAY Follow @coldwarpod.bsky.social
then reshare & reply to this post to enter a chance to win a copy of this book.
T&C's & other ways to enter here coldwarconversations.com/giveaway/
#eastgermany #GDR #DDR #Berlinwall @DDROnline.bsky.social @GermanAtPompey.bsky.social
then reshare & reply to this post to enter a chance to win a copy of this book.
T&C's & other ways to enter here coldwarconversations.com/giveaway/
#eastgermany #GDR #DDR #Berlinwall @DDROnline.bsky.social @GermanAtPompey.bsky.social
November 1, 2025 at 8:45 AM
#BOOKGIVEAWAY Follow @coldwarpod.bsky.social
then reshare & reply to this post to enter a chance to win a copy of this book.
T&C's & other ways to enter here coldwarconversations.com/giveaway/
#eastgermany #GDR #DDR #Berlinwall @DDROnline.bsky.social @GermanAtPompey.bsky.social
then reshare & reply to this post to enter a chance to win a copy of this book.
T&C's & other ways to enter here coldwarconversations.com/giveaway/
#eastgermany #GDR #DDR #Berlinwall @DDROnline.bsky.social @GermanAtPompey.bsky.social
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
The higher-ups across American mainstream media are desperate to ingratiate themselves with Trump *and* many of them have also been itching to go full anti-"woke" since at least the summer of 2020.
The overall result is a pervasive rightward shift of the media and information landscape.
The overall result is a pervasive rightward shift of the media and information landscape.
CBS News has reportedly disbanded its race and culture unit, which was formed in the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020
NBC News eliminated its editorial teams for NBC Asian America, NBC BLK, NBC Latino and NBC OUT earlier this month
NBC News eliminated its editorial teams for NBC Asian America, NBC BLK, NBC Latino and NBC OUT earlier this month
CBS News Cuts ‘Evening News,’ ‘Mornings’ Streaming Shows in Newsroom-Wide Layoffs
The newsroom downsizing comes as Paramount Skydance lays off 1,000 employees throughout the newly merged company
www.thewrap.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM
The higher-ups across American mainstream media are desperate to ingratiate themselves with Trump *and* many of them have also been itching to go full anti-"woke" since at least the summer of 2020.
The overall result is a pervasive rightward shift of the media and information landscape.
The overall result is a pervasive rightward shift of the media and information landscape.
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
I can't get into the psyche of people who would cut off the world's best researchers from teaching their students because they happened to be born farther away from you than you are comfortable with. www.chronicle.com/article/flor...
Florida’s Public Universities Should No Longer Hire Foreign Employees, DeSantis Says
The Republican governor’s directive on H-1B visas comes as President Trump has initiated his policy of charging employers a new $100,000 fee to hire people from outside the United States.
www.chronicle.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:31 AM
I can't get into the psyche of people who would cut off the world's best researchers from teaching their students because they happened to be born farther away from you than you are comfortable with. www.chronicle.com/article/flor...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
DHS says our new piece is "dishonest, slanted, and fundamentally inaccurate" but won't say why. Here's the story where we show with evidence that DHS spliced together clips spanning years and multiple locations to create its own reality. Gift link wapo.st/4nuDGwf
October 30, 2025 at 3:26 AM
DHS says our new piece is "dishonest, slanted, and fundamentally inaccurate" but won't say why. Here's the story where we show with evidence that DHS spliced together clips spanning years and multiple locations to create its own reality. Gift link wapo.st/4nuDGwf
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
After three days spent with AI researchers from around the world, one thing is very clear to me: we need the humanities and social sciences more than ever.
We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/
We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/
October 30, 2025 at 5:54 AM
After three days spent with AI researchers from around the world, one thing is very clear to me: we need the humanities and social sciences more than ever.
We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/
We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Nobody in authority ever suggested that "Essay mills are just an inevitable part of modern life, you should change your teaching-methods to circumvent them". They fucking MADE THEM ILLEGAL.
It's useful to recognise that, just 3 years ago, the UK government made it a specific CRIMINAL OFFENCE to procure a live person to complete university coursework for a student, but that government, and all major institutions, are now saying the use of a machine to complete such work is inevitable.
October 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Nobody in authority ever suggested that "Essay mills are just an inevitable part of modern life, you should change your teaching-methods to circumvent them". They fucking MADE THEM ILLEGAL.
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Belgian AI scientists resist the use of AI in academia
Several AI scientists have published an open letter calling for a ban on AI use by students.
apache.be
October 24, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
In spite of the headline, there is the pesky legal matter that neither billionaires or anybody else can “give” money to “pay troops” or anything else. However, a great compromise would be for billionaires to pay more money into the general treasury through “taxes.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/u...
Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune
www.nytimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:56 PM
In spite of the headline, there is the pesky legal matter that neither billionaires or anybody else can “give” money to “pay troops” or anything else. However, a great compromise would be for billionaires to pay more money into the general treasury through “taxes.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/u...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
I've launched an investigation into the contracting and approval process for the demolition of the White House—and whether the corporate donors funding Trump's ballroom are seeking favors with the Administration.
The American public deserves answers. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
The American public deserves answers. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
Trump demolishes the East Wing — and White House norms
The East Wing's rapid razing bypassed a detailed process for major federal renovation projects in Washington. Now, Senate Democrats are demanding answers.
www.msnbc.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I've launched an investigation into the contracting and approval process for the demolition of the White House—and whether the corporate donors funding Trump's ballroom are seeking favors with the Administration.
The American public deserves answers. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
The American public deserves answers. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Wow.
It's comprehensive— tying together many of the incentives (grift) and implications of AI's infiltration in education— well-researched with plenty of links, and so well-written.
It goes from alarming to enraging to bleak and is way worse than I imagined. Glad it ends on a mildly hopeful note.
It's comprehensive— tying together many of the incentives (grift) and implications of AI's infiltration in education— well-researched with plenty of links, and so well-written.
It goes from alarming to enraging to bleak and is way worse than I imagined. Glad it ends on a mildly hopeful note.
October 25, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Wow.
It's comprehensive— tying together many of the incentives (grift) and implications of AI's infiltration in education— well-researched with plenty of links, and so well-written.
It goes from alarming to enraging to bleak and is way worse than I imagined. Glad it ends on a mildly hopeful note.
It's comprehensive— tying together many of the incentives (grift) and implications of AI's infiltration in education— well-researched with plenty of links, and so well-written.
It goes from alarming to enraging to bleak and is way worse than I imagined. Glad it ends on a mildly hopeful note.
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
Executives at world’s biggest datacenter owner grappled with disclosing information about water used to help power facilities
Amazon strategised about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its datacentres’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals.
The biggest owner of datacentres in the world, Amazon dwarfs competitors Microsoft and Google and is planning a huge increase in capacity as part of a push into artificial intelligence. The Seattle firm operates hundreds of active facilities, with many more in development despite concerns over how much water is being used to cool their vast arrays of circuitry. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
built on theft and at massive environmental cost and most importantly, numerous studies keep demonstrating that genAI tools often work a little better than by chance. how is it that we can’t expunge these slop machines out of our institutions and communities
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
built on theft and at massive environmental cost and most importantly, numerous studies keep demonstrating that genAI tools often work a little better than by chance. how is it that we can’t expunge these slop machines out of our institutions and communities
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Retired intelligence analysts confirm what the political scientists are telling us — and what the world outside is telling us — the goal of these people is the end of law, the end of democracy, and the end of a recognizable republic.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US ‘on a trajectory’ toward authoritarian rule, ex-officials warn
A network of former intelligence and security officers says democratic decline is accelerating under Trump’s rule
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Retired intelligence analysts confirm what the political scientists are telling us — and what the world outside is telling us — the goal of these people is the end of law, the end of democracy, and the end of a recognizable republic.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Calling all #skystorians! Does anyone have guidance that they give students on creating TikTok videos on historical topics as group projects? I'm considering doing this with first-year UGs as a switch up to my usual (a museum exhibition). Any advice is appreciated! ✨
#envhist #histstm #histsci
#envhist #histstm #histsci
October 24, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Calling all #skystorians! Does anyone have guidance that they give students on creating TikTok videos on historical topics as group projects? I'm considering doing this with first-year UGs as a switch up to my usual (a museum exhibition). Any advice is appreciated! ✨
#envhist #histstm #histsci
#envhist #histstm #histsci
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
The costs of the UK’s Global Talent Visa looks a trifle high in comparison to competitor countries - largely through the Immigration Health Surcharge (which critics say is a form of double taxation as they contribute to the NHS through normal tax on their earnings)
October 21, 2025 at 5:57 AM
The costs of the UK’s Global Talent Visa looks a trifle high in comparison to competitor countries - largely through the Immigration Health Surcharge (which critics say is a form of double taxation as they contribute to the NHS through normal tax on their earnings)
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
'The British Library...has taken years to recover from a major cyberattack that disrupted its services and restricted access to its collections. The walkout is set to take from 27 October to 9 November, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of the cyberattack.'
October 15, 2025 at 6:43 AM
'The British Library...has taken years to recover from a major cyberattack that disrupted its services and restricted access to its collections. The walkout is set to take from 27 October to 9 November, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of the cyberattack.'
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
To be clear:
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids
Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.
abcnews.go.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:54 AM
To be clear:
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.
The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.
This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.
Reposted by Katherine Arnold
Hate to be a 'ruin the kicker' guy but here's the amazing kicker:
“If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr.”
“If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr.”
EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.
Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇
Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇
‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
www.politico.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Hate to be a 'ruin the kicker' guy but here's the amazing kicker:
“If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr.”
“If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr.”