John Brissenden
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brissenden.bsky.social
John Brissenden
@brissenden.bsky.social
420 followers 760 following 440 posts
Grandfather. Jack Russell Terrier survivor. Senior lecturer in the [REDACTED] at the University of [REDACTED].
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Reposted by John Brissenden
monahijazi.bsky.social
If you love Palestine and Gaza, please sign here – we’d truly appreciate it! ❤️🇵🇸✍️
mommunism.bsky.social Molly Shah @mommunism.bsky.social · May 24
We were hoping that this letter to @bsky.app could first be shared by a Gazan, but we were too worried that doing so would get their account deleted so we are sharing first.

You can sign on to the letter about the unfair treatment of Gazans on Bluesky here:

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
[CLICK here if you would like your name added to this letter] النسخة العربية من هذه الرسالة متاحة أدناه. Open Letter to the Bluesky Team About Their Treatment of Palestinians in Gaza The signatories of this letter are all members of the Bluesky community, many of us have actively participated on the platform since its inception. We came to Bluesky because it was a breath of fresh air, a place that felt different from many of the other social media platforms. The lack of a central algorithm, the ability to build and use custom feeds, and the lack of penalty for link promotion contributed to an environment that allowed diverse and interesting voices to find their footing and community on Bluesky. While some of the signatories of this letter have had no issues with speaking their mind publicly on Bluesky, unfortunately that is not true for all the signatories because many are Palestinians currently living in Gaza. These Palestinians are journalists, artists, engineers, teachers, grandmas, entrepreneurs, a man who owned an ice cream shop, a pediatrician who has been featured on CBS Morning News, aid workers, architects, waiters, pharmacists, students–and perhaps most essential to the backbone of Bluesky, posters. All of these people provide unique and interesting voices to the Bluesky community. However, unlike the other signatories of this letter, these Bluesky community members have struggled to keep their accounts on the platform. Most of them have lost multiple accounts and/or have had their accounts labeled as spam. Some cannot even make an account without it immediately being removed from the platform. Gazans undertake immense efforts to simply be on Bluesky. Sometimes, they walk for miles just to have access to the internet. They scale rooftops where they are exposed to potential military attacks just for the opportunity to get better cell signals–one signatory of this letter tragically lost her brother this way. They use what little money they have to pay … Gazans have also been aggressively targeted and unfairly reported by bad actors. Many accounts openly encourage the reporting and targeting of any Palestinian. Several groups exist for the express purpose of looking for Palestinian accounts to report. We believe Bluesky owes Gazans, and the entire community who benefits from their voices, a greater duty of care especially in the context of the horrors they are enduring. We ask Bluesky to implement the following changes: Provide information on all Bluesky-affiliated websites in Arabic that explains the rules and expectations of the site in clear language. Investigate the accounts that are mass-reporting Palestinians on Bluesky. The mass reporting of Palestinians on Bluesky is a group effort to render the platform a hostile place for a community based on their ethnicity. As such, it is racism, and should be understood as such. Reports against Palestinians who have broken no community guidelines must be understood as racism, and the accounts that submit those reports should be disregarded in the future. Many Bluesky users encourage Gazans to tag or reply to them, and this is not always understood as unwelcome behavior. If an account is reported as Spam for tagging or replying to others, treat only reports from the tagged/mentioned account as legitimate, seeing as they were the only ones who received a notification. Send emails regarding disciplinary action every time it is taken. Gazans do not always get an email explaining what they did wrong, and those that do are required to parse a language they do not speak in order to understand their violation. Have these emails contain an easily visible link to information about their violations in Arabic. Respond to appeals in a timely fashion, many Gazans simply never hear back from Bluesky after they appeal a decision. In addition to removing Gazans for alleged spam behavior, Bluesky has also sometimes indicated that they are deleting an account for being a scam or … End IP bans on any account from Gaza and allow them to make new accounts where they can comply with Bluesky rules and continue to be valued members of the community. We understand that even if all these changes are made, many Gazans may still violate Bluesky rules in the future, but we hope that Bluesky will abandon their punitive approach to these violations and instead embrace an attitude of education, cooperation and community care– one that works to ensure people in Gaza can participate in a way that keeps their voices heard. We also call on the Bluesky community to help and support these accounts however they can. We want to continue to build a healthy community with better community members and this cannot be done if Gazans continue to be shunned. We can use this as an opportunity to show how to protect all vulnerable groups in the future. We hope that Bluesky does not follow the path of other social media platforms and instead forges ahead with a different philosophy. After all, that is the reason so many of its users are there. Bluesky's ethos of "No Caesars” should apply to all members of its community. [To add your name to the list of signatories, click here.]
May 25, 2025 at 4:23 AM
brissenden.bsky.social
Fetterman is no worse and no better on the #Gazagenocide than thousands of other western politicians and media leaders. If only they could all undergo the same long, humiliating decline as him.
May 3, 2025 at 10:53 AM
brissenden.bsky.social
This is like a Cindy Sherman joint
ohrobin.bsky.social gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · May 2
I’ve been holding on to these photos of figures from a small wax museum in Brazil.
A goitered Marilyn Monroe grits her yellowed teeth against the glare of a flash. Her traps are absolutely fucking massive, and she has the shapeless stoic puss of a failed prize-fighter. Also her lace front is showing. His Holiness Pope Francis, looking exceptionally nourished and very blond, smiling blandly at the camera. There appears to be a dead fly on his cheekbone. Albert Einstein after an horrific accident that left his upper limbs fused and swollen, and his left cheek horrifically distended. He, too, is very blond, and he has a touch of microcephaly.
May 2, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
flyingrodent.bsky.social
They’re both 100% behind an ongoing genocide
May 2, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
edwinhayward.com
It's interesting that Reform's councillor gains almost exactly equal Tory losses, and LibDem and Green gains almost exactly equal Labour losses.
May 2, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
premthakker.bsky.social
UPDATE from the attacked Gaza aid ship:
They're trying to enter Maltese territory because of damage to the ship, and fears of a possible second attack.

The Maltese Coast Guard is allegedly blocking them.

"I am just following orders from higher authorities," an officer is heard over the radio.
May 2, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
agc1985.bsky.social
@laboursatvir.bsky.social Here's another example of the hatred and distress being unleashed against trans people. Please act with compassion and get your government to change direction urgently before it does more harm.
May 2, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
goodlawproject.org
Message in my inbox on trying to be a good and loving parent in this hostile world @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social and @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social have created.
Private social media message reading: "So far this week, one day my child got harassed and humiliated in school changing rooms. Another day her English lesson covered the debate over trans rights where she listened to ignorant class mates outline how trans women can make women uncomfortable, and came home asking whether they have a point and whether her existence actually is a big problem (she hadn't heard that transphobic argument before). She didn't feel able to speak at all in that debate lesson. She came home in tears both days. What a spectacularly shit country we have."
May 2, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
reproutopia.bsky.social
Cisness brutalizes us all. The border guards of sex are the enemies of human liberation, and we fight them best by refusing to debate the fairness, let alone the accuracy, of their borders in the first place. thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-trans-ruling-analysis-uk/
The UK's Anti-Trans Ruling Is a Defeat for All Women
Even the self-described feminists celebrating the Supreme Court's attempt to banish trans people from womanhood will pay a heavy price.
thenation.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
sandeepbak.bsky.social
Please share in your networks. Goldsmiths, UoL are offering 5 scholarships in Undergrad & MA courses for Palestinian students. The scholarships include: tuition fee waiver, £19,550 allowance, return trip to & from the UK.
Eligibility details & further info at link👇🏽
www.gold.ac.uk/fees-funding...
Palestinian Scholarship
www.gold.ac.uk
April 12, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by John Brissenden
annabull.bsky.social
See Anna Bull's blog post for the Good Law Project. Sexual misconduct strikes at the heart of university life.

goodlawproject.org/sexual-misco...
Sexual misconduct strikes at the heart of university life | Good Law Project
Too many professors are pursuing their students and causing untold harm, says Anna Bull.
goodlawproject.org
March 24, 2025 at 5:24 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
April 3, 2025 at 4:39 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
I’m off to announce wide-ranging tariffs. Anybody want anything?
April 2, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
sirnorman.bsky.social
Thought for the day.
Fascism Arrives as Your Friend - Michael Rosen.
March 27, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
mommunism.bsky.social
Okay this sort of infuriates me- I am an individual person and I paid to have a guide translated into Arabic so that Gazans can navigate this site better which as you can see they WANT TO DO. But there’s no Arabic information anywhere on this website which is run by a company.
Accounts from Gaza Bluesky Information (This information is from the Bluesky community, not Bluesky the company) ALT حسابات من غزة معلومات بلوسكاي لا (هذه المعلومات مقدمة من مجتمع بلوسكاي، وليس من شركة بلوسكاي) ALT This guide is helpful I watched it and followed the instructions. I will try as much as possible to reduce the comments. It seems that there is a fierce campaign against Palestinian accounts. Yes unfortunately there is I will be very careful in the coming days. I will develop a plan to keep my account safe without being closed. That is a good idea friend Now
March 27, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
ketanjoshi.co
This is a good read on why AI generated art is so beloved by fascists

newsocialist.org.uk/transmission...
March 27, 2025 at 8:37 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
A reminder that if you’re hoping for a big family, it’s not too late to name the kids from the NATO phonetic alphabet. Charlie, Delta, Echo, India, Juliet, Lima, Mike, Oscar, Papa, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Victor, X-ray, Zulu.
March 27, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
breakify.bsky.social
Turns out that consumer economies implode when people lose their jobs on a mass scale and can't spend money. Who knew?
‘The Big Short’ investor who predicted the 2008 crash warns the market is 'underestimating’ the economic impact of DOGE’s mass firings
The cost-cutting spree isn’t limited to government—billions in private-business contracts are affected, Danny Moses told Fortune.
fortune.com
March 22, 2025 at 7:32 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
I’ve tried watching #Severance but it’s too depressing watching a show about work. Change my mind
March 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
leilakawar.bsky.social
In light of the current events in Israel-Palestine, a large number of filmmakers have made their films available online for free. (see thread below)
March 20, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by John Brissenden
dsquareddigest.bsky.social
look at the date on this. as Tracey Emin said, we are stuck! stuck! stuck! our attention economy is absolutely stagnant, it's a bad open mic night, dominated by a crew of morons who will not leave the stage and cannot get new material.
March 20, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
semafor.com
Chinese EV company BYD’s recent announcement of new fast charging tech catapulted its market value to more than $160 billion — far above that of established Western automakers.

US EV darling Tesla, by contrast, has seen its shares fall precipitously since December.
www.semafor.com/article/03/2...
Global EV market faces major shakeup as Tesla recedes, BYD ascends A chart labeled "BYD and Tesla stock price performance, year-to-date" shows BYD rising 57% and Tesla dropping -39%
March 20, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by John Brissenden
gbuttars.bsky.social
Please support ending UCU's dispute with UCU Unite and uphold the union's commitment to equality. We need Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary to end the dispute and act on the union's commitment to equality, especially to Black staff and members tinyurl.com/UCUUniteSoli...
UCU - End the dispute with Unite and embody the union’s commitment to equality
Dear Jo Grady, We, the undersigned UCU members and members of the community, urge you to do everything in your power to resolve the dispute with UCU Unite as soon as possible. UCU proudly signed up ...
tinyurl.com
March 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
I need an Ennui Coordinator
March 19, 2025 at 8:34 PM
brissenden.bsky.social
How it started etc
Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura in some Ace Ventura film Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett in THE WHITE LOTUS S3
March 17, 2025 at 8:14 PM