Sign in

Mark Nixon

@fatbadger442.bsky.social
1K followers 731 following 5.5K posts

historian of Victorian culture & politics (esp w material culture); curator & public historian; education advocate. Obsessed with 1884. Otherwise, on a bicycle. he/him

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Mark Nixon
gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I am so tired of Jonestown being a stock reference for “haha, you’re in a cult.” 918 people died, most against their will, and still it has become shorthand for how stupid you think someone is. It's the McDonald's hot coffee incident of mass death — universally referenced, entirely misremembered.
38980236
Reposted by Mark Nixon
🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.
122122485210
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social · 5h
"After measles swept through her household, the young woman wanted to get vaccinated. Her doctor said she couldn't because she had leukemia and the treatments had weakened her immune system" @bachynski.bsky.social
inquirer.com
A 20-year-old Amish woman with leukemia got measles and died in Pa.’s largest outbreak in three decades
After measles swept through her household, the young woman wanted to get vaccinated. Her doctor said she couldn't because she had leukemia and the treatments had weakened her immune system.
22389173
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 11h
“Civic nationalism is not, nor ever should it be, a matter of blood or filiation, but freedom and affiliation.” A wonderful piece @peterjukes.bsky.social and also expressing tennents of Scottish civic nationalism so threatened now by casual Racism, intimidation balaclava-ed nonsense and violence
1249
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Feena van @feenavan2099.bsky.social · 11h
"Before Stonehenge was raised, before Egypts first pyramid broke ground,before the Nazca people drew their famous lines across the Peruvian desert,someone in what is now southern Arizona shaped a 272-foot fish into the earth On April 23,2026,"a border-wall contractor drove heavy equipment across it"
gadgetreview.com
Trump's Border Wall Construction Destroys 6,500-Year-Old Arizona Geoglyph – Older Than Stonehenge
Arizona's 6,500-year-old Las Playas Intaglio, the oldest dated geoglyph in the Americas, was irreparably damaged by border wall construction in April 2026.
34627
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 12h
Side-eye from multiple #LowlandLeague and #HighlandLeague champions. Euer System ist krank, Scotland. #SFA #SPFL www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
German football: The leagues where champions aren't promoted
German football is grappling with a sum that doesn't add up - four promotion spots for five league champions.
000
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 12h
"The life you can look forward to after the dozen or so years of destructive grind of school is the 50-year-long destructive grind of making the wealthy wealthier." #schools #work #capitalism www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Employers should teach primary-age children about work, Milburn says
The author of a major report into youth activity in the UK says children as young as four should be learning about careers.
010
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Seona 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (she/her) @seona3.bsky.social · 13h
All text, white on black. Reads:
"Fifty years of 'trickle down' has turned millionaires into billionaires and the working class into the working poor."
031
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 13h
If you support this government, you support the elimination of the trans community. #DontVoteLabour
020
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I've been a member of the lobby for well over a decade. Not a single one of my lobby colleagues has said a word about the Conservatives banning me from their conferences, without any explanation. Contrast with the US where even Fox News stood in solidarity when Trump banned news outlets he disliked
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
841504615
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 13h
The Labour government's cruel targeting of disabled people has not halted under Burnham. Their hatred knows no bounds. #ableistLabour #DontVoteLabour
01910
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland @theahss.bsky.social · 13h
If a building could speak, what might it say? Our latest magazine takes us from Mavisbank and the Bernat Klein Studio to Portobello’s George Cinema, exploring the people and partnerships working to protect places that matter. Which story will you turn to first? buff.ly/xuORZEb
144
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · 02/10/2026
Israel is preparing to give settlers access to a main Palestinian thoroughfare in Ramallah, a move that would bring checkpoints and gates to one of the West Bank’s last spaces of free Palestinian movement and affordable urban growth. mondoweiss.net/2026/10/isra... #Palestine #Israel
mondoweiss.net
11826
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Issa Amro @issa-amro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Israeli settlers are stealing olive harvests in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron, targeting Palestinian farmers and their livelihoods. #hebron #palestine #palestine🇵🇸 #apartheid
077
Reposted by Mark Nixon
4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
She deserves justice 👇
388122682661
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Philadelphia Gay News @phillygaynews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“I create for Black trans men. That’s why I create my art,” Beverly said. “That’s my targeted audience — and for them, I just hope they can see themselves in these paintings, and I hope they can walk away with a sense of joy and sense of pride.” epgn.com/2026/09/29/p...
epgn.com
Philadelphia-based artist Jah Beverly showcases Black trans masculinity at inaugural GLAAD exhibition - Philadelphia Gay News
The work of Jah Beverly, a Philadelphia-based contemporary and figurative artist, will be featured in GLAAD’s first-ever visual art exhibition.
053
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Toby Buckle @polphilpod.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
modern fascists aren't posturing, or saying stuff for some other purpose—they mean it my latest with @liberalcurrents.com www.liberalcurrents.com/fascists-rea...
liberalcurrents.com
Fascists Really Believe It
Millions could die because of ideas intellectually and morally equivalent to the ‘lizard people’ conspiracy theory.
441553528
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Mr and Mrs Trellis @thenorfolkcoast.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Finland Drained Its Peatlands. Now Tero Mustonen has led a successful effort to restore roughly 80 areas of ecologically critical peatlands across his native Finland & talks about the importance of bringing Indigenous knowledge to rewilding initiatives.. e360.yale.edu/features/ter...
e360.yale.edu
Finland Drained Its Peatlands. He’s Helping Bring Them Back
Tero Mustonen has led a successful effort to restore roughly 80 areas of ecologically critical peatlands across his native Finland. In an interview, he talks about the importance of bringing Indigenou...
0133
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Cholula @cholulaconamor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Without the online friends I’ve made over the years, some of whom have become offline friends (even recently!), I would be a much, much lonelier person. Social media feels evil sometimes, but it makes some miracles too.
520252
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 23h
It really does show how hollow centrist-liberal thinking is right now that Burnham appears radical. *shrugs*
120
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
According to Braverman, I (born in Ely to parents born in Birmingham & Solihull) am not English, due to Irish grandparents. My partner (born in Coventry to parents born in Burton & Liverpool) is not English, due to Welsh grandparents. Tbf, our kids (born in Scotland) would hate to be called English.
020
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Apollo @apollo-magazine.com · 02/10/2026
‘Writing alt text is not only an exercise in close looking and tackling certain cultural assumptions but also something of an art form in itself.’ Emma Cieslik on how descriptions intended for low-vision users can change the way everyone looks at art
buff.ly
How to describe a work of art
Alt text in museums doesn’t benefit only low-vision users – it helps all of us think more deeply about how to understand an artwork
074
Reposted by Mark Nixon
The Palestine Project @palestineproject.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
❝ The film shatters ‘respectable’ Israelis’ illusion of moral superiority: The most prestigious, highly educated soldiers are the primary culprits of genocide ❞ — Sebastian Ben Daniel (John Brown)
972mag.com
Why ‘NAZA’ terrifies Israel's liberal elite
The film shatters ‘respectable’ Israelis’ illusion of moral superiority: The most prestigious, highly educated soldiers are the primary culprits of genocide.
12011
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A classic white liberal take on #culturalrestitution. Unsurprising from Jenkins, of course, archetypal white racist that he is. Europeans should have their stuff back, but not a word about Africa, Asia, the Americas, or Australasia. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Should we refuse to give the Bayeux tapestry back to France? Of course not! So why are we keeping the Parthenon marbles? | Simon Jenkins
It is simply wrong for the British Museum to hoard what doesn’t belong to Britain. Let the squabbling end and the sculptures be returned to Greece, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
000
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Ste Jormur @stejormur.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I'd never seen this Roy Lichtenstein painting before, but it's incredible how he manages unfailingly to make his copies worse than the original comics he's ripping off.
A drab pop art painting of a sinister man driving a car, watching a stoic blonde in leopard print fur. The proportions of the guy's face are offThe original image, from Girls' Romances 78 by Tony Abruzzo. The guy has a more sinister leer, while the woman has heavier mascara and feels both sadder and more determined. A caption reads "I vowed to myself I would NOT miss my appointment -- that I would NOT go riding with him--yet before I knew it..."
361282251
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Garrett Gilchrist @garrettgilchrist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Roy Lichtenstein, a talent-free dipshit who did nothing but plagiarize much better artists, adding only his sneering contempt for them
312620
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Lichtenstein wasn't even mid, technically OR conceptually, and I'll die on that hill without hesitation
224837
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The timidity of young Britons - and, yes, my generation was terrible, too - is truly depressing. We are destroying the lives of young people, and they are juat shrugging their shoulders. Not in France, though. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Fires, fury and hundreds of arrests as France gripped by student protests
Government struggling to deal with worst crisis in months after being taken by surprise by massive demonstrations
010
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Universities cannot expect researchers to take risks if they are repeatedly at risk of redundancy while losing professional services support, grappling with the gratuitous vagaries of home and international student number swings and both teaching and assessing in an age of unregulated AI.
520577
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A much better use of space, to be sure.
010
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Jojo she/her @jojofe24.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
CW/YW cornell Fucking facebook Trying to search for relevant posts and 2nd recommendation is fucking MATT FUCKING WALSH get to fuck, god i hate nazi site
122
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Priyamvada Gopal @priyamvadagopal.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I promise you if I tried this even once I'd be hauled up into a disciplinary. But Dr Orr? Little research, no teaching, no problem. www.varsity.co.uk/news/32175
varsity.co.uk
Orr’s lectures covered by a postgrad
James Orr had a postgrad cover approximately seven lectures, allegedly without the Divinity Faculty’s knowledge
1216176
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Racists - and, yes, I include Burnham and Starmer, Mahmood and Cooper in that - are going to destroy our #universities, killing off access to higher education for working-class kids and local communities in the process. 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
University of Sunderland seeking £40m cuts amid visa refusals
Staff are told Sunderland University is planning huge and permanent budget cuts by next year.
110
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Lorna Richardson @lornarichardson.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
And still crickets from the government
bbc.co.uk
University of Sunderland seeking £40m cuts amid visa refusals
Staff are told Sunderland University is planning huge and permanent budget cuts by next year.
052
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Dr Dan Shugar 🇨🇦 @watershedlab.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
🚨New paper about the second largest tsunami ever recorded, just published in @science.org A short 🧪⚒️🌊 thread #EGU26 @ucalgary.bsky.social @ucalgaryscience.bsky.social doi.org/10.1126/scie...
doi.org
A 481-meter-high landslide-tsunami in a cruise ship–frequented Alaska fjord
Early in the morning of 10 August 2025, a >64 × 106 m3 landslide struck Tracy Arm fjord in Alaska. The landslide was preconditioned by glacial retreat caused by climate change. The resulting 481 m run...
16256105
Reposted by Mark Nixon
flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Remember how that guy said: it’s all about creating a permission structure for cuts? He didn’t mean “get it past you, the public”, he meant “convince Labour MPs to vote for it”.
EXCL: Ministers are working up sweeping plans for welfare changes including scrapping key disability benefit for under-25s & replacing it with multibillion pound package of support to get into work.
Whitehall sources said changes under debate were much bigger than previously thought, as Andy Burnham's government hopes to persuade more people on benefits back into work.
But the move could be fraught with political danger after last year's dramatic welfare rebellion by Labour MPs. Ministers have spent | weeks trying to persuade them the plans are about reform not cuts & feel confident opposition has waned.
By @rowenamason @patrickjbutlerRobert Peston Y
@Peston
X.com
Sometimes I miss important nuances of new policies, in the political mayhem. Here is one such. When I heard Andy Burnham say the triple lock would not be reformed until 2030, l assumed it would be a battle for the next general election campaign. But in fact the government has committed to legislate for the change in this parliament (see attached Downing Street statement). That will cause an almighty parliamentary row, which the UK's creditors will be watching - but should counteract the charge that Burnham has no fiscal backbone, because in theory the cost savings will be guaranteed long before the huge costs of his social care ambitions are being incurred
The current Triple Lock will be maintained throughout this Parliament, increasing the State Pension by over £2,000. From April 2030, the adjusted Triple Lock will mean the State Pension continues to rise by 2.5% or inflation - whichever is higher - and by even more if that is required to maintain its value relative to earnings. This will ensure the living standards of pensioners keep up with the rest of the population. For example, if the value of the State Pension is around a third
310833
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
@intifadabatata.bsky.social spoke with queer Arab writers Tareq Baconi and Saleem Haddad on their latest books – FIRE IN EVERY DIRECTION and FLOODLINES – in this interview from our latest issue, Wasafiri 127: Solidarities. Read the full interview for free throughout October: buff.ly/BKYlzyp
123
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Free Movement @freemovement.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Public attitudes to free movement are more nuanced than 2016 suggested. British Future's research finds support grows when it's framed around trade benefits and opportunities for UK citizens. Heather Rolfe explores what that means for future EU relations.
freemovement.org.uk
Free movement gains support where it brings benefits to trade and opportunities for UK citizens - Free Movement
Research has found almost half of those surveyed (46%) would vote to rejoin the EU, which would mean accepting free movement.
001
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Disability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The BBC has failed to explain why the host of its flagship current affairs programme Question Time has repeatedly pushed the idea that social security spending must be cut, while ignoring official figures that debunk claims it is “spiralling”. #BBCQT www.disabilitynewsservice.com/bbc-fails-to...
disabilitynewsservice.com
BBC fails to explain why Question Time host repeatedly fails to debunk the lie of ‘spiralling welfare’
The BBC has failed to explain why the host of its flagship current affairs programme Question Time has repeatedly pushed the idea that social security spending must be cut, while ignoring official …
15231
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Jesse Sheidlower @jessesword.com · 01/10/2026
Attention everyone I know! Perfectly accurate, no notes. (Forwarded to me; ultimate source unclear.)
Image headlined "WHAT YOUR FAVORITE OBSOLETE ENGLISH LETTER SAYS ABOUT YOU", with thumbnails of MSS focusing on thorn, eth, wynn, yogh, ash, insular G, and long S; each one has the label "You are a nerd."
14477187
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Juliane Witte @julianewitte.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
So I've had a speaker drop-out last minute from the session dedicated to Old Norse female networks and communities! I still need to figure out next steps but is there coincidentally anyone who'd like to present in this session? #MedievalSky #OldNorse
11724
Mark Nixon @fatbadger442.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A few days ago, I had someone insisting to me that Burnham isn't a racist. Here is Burnham, being racist. In an interview with GBNews. #racistLabour #AndyBurnham.
021
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Local HERO in Kansas gets arrested for slashing ICE agent's tires. In an effort to deescalate the surrounding crowd, the cop arresting him yelled that the Kansas man is being arrested for slashing tires. The crowd cheered in response to that and basically gave the man a standing ovation.
16636201059
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Scottish Transport & Industrial Collections & Knowledge Network @sticknetwork.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Join us on 13 November to celebrate 200 years of Scotland’s railways Booking is live for our autumn conference at the Engine Shed, Sirling. Topics include viaducts, signalling & how the railways created the fish supper! Sign up here www.eventbrite.com/e/stick-conf...
eventbrite.com
STICK Conference: 200 Years of Scotland's Railways
STICK's autumn conference will explore Scotland's rich railway heritage.
044
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is what genocide looks like in the early decades of the 21st century www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
New Google Maps images reveal massive scale of devastation in Gaza
Satellite imagery shows further destruction of homes, businesses and places of worship since fragile ceasefire
38845
Reposted by Mark Nixon
NPicts @northernpicts.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Super pleased to see this out (and open access!). Moluag was clearly an important figure in Pictland, here we got to help the team who made such important discoveries at Moluag's monastery get the word on the street about the importance of Lismore and the new findings! tinyurl.com/5cb9vf3p
tinyurl.com
A major monastic centre? Rethinking Lismore’s place in the ecclesiastical landscapes of early medieval Britain | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
A major monastic centre? Rethinking Lismore’s place in the ecclesiastical landscapes of early medieval Britain - Volume 100 Issue 413
07731
Reposted by Mark Nixon
J @iammrj.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Fun fact: "Leave" still wins in polls as soon as any of the obvious requirements of joining the EU (I.e. full Schengen, Euro, etc) are included and this has been consistent for years. yougov.com/en-gb/articl...
yougov.com
What do Britons think of Brexit, 10 years since the referendum?
57% of Britons believe the UK was wrong to vote to leave the EU, and 55% want to rejoin... unless the UK can’t keep it’s previous opt-outs
33215
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Monica Byrne @monicabyrne13.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Oh look another "terrorist attack" that Zionist butchers will now use to justify expanding their genocide
232
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Dr Ian McCormick @wokestudies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“No one goes into academia to drive a Ferrari or live in a mansion. They do it because they love it. They don’t want to be striking. They just want a little bit of job security,” --- Theo Warshaw, Edinburgh University #HigherEd #teaching #student #strike #cuts www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Edinburgh joins UK universities heading for strikes as cuts spread through entire sector
Students at Edinburgh, Dundee and Nottingham face a term without any teaching as sector struggles with rising financial uncertainty
23115
Reposted by Mark Nixon
Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Anyone who, in 2026, is already saying “I don’t want to vote for Newsom but I will” is part of the problem. This man is a fucking monster and has betrayed everyone imaginable. He is unacceptable in every possible way. There is no world in which this piece of shit should be trusted with power.
28676186