I think the fact that it has taken me 8 months to finish these books (on average) says something about how little I have been reading for the last year or so.

If anyone is free tomorrow evening, I am speaking at the Reconsidering Soviet Studies seminar series in Cambridge about depictions of "gypsy" characters in late Soviet youth cinema. It is a hybrid event, please message me for the Zoom link if you would like to join online.

These are lovely

So students are abusing the asylum system because *checks notes* they participate in an extremely competitive scholarship system that requires them to return to their home country for at least two years and come from countries in the midst of extreme suffering? Incredible logic from the Home Office

I follow several parenting and community-focused Substack newsletters and it is amazing how quickly that means that Substack will repeatedly offer me anti-abortion content.

Have been commenting "Alt-text, please" when big accounts post images without alt-text. No one has eaten me alive - yet. In Bluesky settings (gear icon, bottom left), click Accessibility, check the "require alt-text before posting" button and it will remind you to add it if you forget. 1/

Enjoyed a brief moment of A accepting to wear the hat I knitted him. (He rejected the mittens, despite it being freezing, and ten mins later handed me the hat and asked for his bike helmet. Still counts as a success I think.)

The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...

I absolutely agree with this in that - if you're thinking about doing a PhD, you need to be okay with that even if it's just the PhD. The odds are, there will not be an academic job at the end. However, we also need to be very clear on the realities of the PhD. It is not a good early graduate job.

We have until the 12th February to respond to the government's proposed changes to the right to settled status. You can respond as much or as little as you want, and it is really vital - it includes things like whether victims of domestic abuse maintain their rights. www.gov.uk/government/c...

PS. Not too late to tell the government what you think about their proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain - the public consultation is open until 12th Feb. www.gov.uk/government/c...

One of my goals for the year is to read 2 physical books that I own, so I'm making my way through this. You would think this would be a very achievable goal but I haven't managed it the last few years.