Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 4d

An essential listen for those who need to hear it (or be reminded) from Timothy Snyder of the insidious games that the Tr*mp administration is playing with historical awareness and facts.

snyder.substack.com/p/when-anti-...

When Anti-antifa means Pro-Nazi (video)

Notes from a Presidential "Roundtable"

snyder.substack.com

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 5d

"Now all we need is a cosmetics range that smells like Muckefuck and we're in business..."

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Reposted by Dr Hugo Fagandini

German Embassy London @uk.diplo.de · 12d

35 years ago, Germany was reunified.

German reunification celebrations in front of the Reichstag on 3 October 1990

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 12d

"What you fail to see, Mr Pope - if that *is* your real name"

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 18d

If I was to put a finger on it, I would say it's a combination of a British love of individualism (see also our fetishisation of property ownership) with an equally British cynicism that says they're unnecessary (read: suspect) when passports, driver's licenses etc already exist for ID purposes.

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 20d

Whaaat, did not realise this had happened 😢 I won a ticket to see Hermeto Pascoal at the LJF a few years back having never heard of him before, and it was one of the most life-affirming gigs I've ever been to: he seemed to spend half the time hugging people on stage. He will truly be missed.

BBC Radio 2 Now Playing Bot (Unofficial) @bbcradio2bot.bsky.social · 21d

BBC Radio 2
The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum

Jamie pays a small tribute to Brazilian great Hermeto Pascoal who has passed away at the age of 89. He also has an archive session track from Cherise and a classic from Joe Pass.

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 20d

There really needs to be a GIF of Max Giermann as Klaus Kinski saying "Soll das ein Witz sein?" precisely for this sort of occasion, but this will have to do for now (ignore the captions at the top): youtube.com/shorts/UXvQA...

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 20d

I thought I had seen her name mentioned on here a couple of days ago and wondered if something had happened, but it seems to be official now, so: RIP #ClaudiaCardinale - anyone who can take on Klaus Kinski for screen presence earns my immediate respect

www.theguardian.com/film/2025/se...

Claudia Cardinale, glamorous star of The Leopard and Once Upon a Time in the West, dies aged 87

The husky-voiced, chain-smoking actor had a reputation as a fiercely independent, free-spirited woman

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 21d

Loving the prominent ORWO logo in the background!

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 21d

They seem to be banking on the German electorate being so gullible as to believe that the SPD would be capable of organising anything anywhere *near* this convoluted (the words "puss-up" and "brewery" spring to mind)...

Reposted by Dr Hugo Fagandini

German at Portsmouth @germanatportsmouth.bsky.social · 27d

‘Resistance is when I put an end to what I don’t like’: The rise and fall of the Baader-Meinhof gang www.theguardian.com/news/2025/se... via @theguardian.com @jasonburke2.bsky.social

‘Resistance is when I put an end to what I don’t like’: The rise and fall of the Baader-Meinhof gang | Jason Burke

In the 1970s, the radical leftwing German terrorist organisation may have spread fear through public acts of violence – but its inner workings were characterised by vanity and incompetence

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · 26d

Interesting how this MI6 promo opens literally with the SIS Building at Vauxhall in a crosshairs - is it that no one remembers the rocket launcher attack in 2000, or are they just riffing on it...?

www.linkedin.com/posts/foreig...

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 10

Up the road in *Magdeburg*, I should say! Although I think I changed trains at Dessau-Rosslau once so within touching distance, at least...

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 10

I've always regretted not taking the opportunity to visit while just up the road in, but wanting to make up for it now after reading this - love those lines 😁

German at Portsmouth @germanatportsmouth.bsky.social · Sep 10

'It landed like an alien spaceship’: 100 years after Bauhaus arrived, Dessau is still a magnet for design fans www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/... via @theguardian.com @kate-mann.bsky.social

‘It landed like an alien spaceship’: 100 years after Bauhaus arrived, Dessau is still a magnet for design fans

The German city is celebrating the renowned art school’s centenary with exhibitions, digital tours and bike and bus routes connecting landmark Bauhaus buildings

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 10

It's actually a little spooky rereading Roszak's foreword to the 1995 edition and seeing so much foreshadowing of what we're now experiencing 30 years later, indeed as it was seemingly happening back then all in plain sight:

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 10

I was reminded seeing this post (and I admit, I did read the article and thus contribute to the algorithm) of Theodore Roszak's comments on talk radio in "The Making of a Counterculture" as simultaneously democratising and disempowering as a false means of "protest" enabled by late capitalism:

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 7

I've often thought how big tech and AI display totalitarian attitudes towards the individuality invested in identity, creativity etc (ie breaking down to build up again), and @leaypi.bsky.social hits the nail on the head just how key dignity is to this - or rather its denial in the name of profit.

Lea Ypi @leaypi.bsky.social · Sep 6

My weekend essay for @financialtimes.com on grandmothers from lost worlds, dignity and surveillance (then and now)…

Lea Ypi: How to think about surveillance

A picture of her grandmother posted on social media sent the author to the archives of Albania’s former security services — and raised difficult questions about who watches us today

on.ft.com

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 5

Hear hear - it was a welcome reminder as well a) that how academics actually interact with their subjects is so much more than the stereotype of impenetrable jargon, and b) of the value the listener/learner can gain by being met only part-way, and being encouraged to finish the rest themselves.

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Sep 4

Sad news to hear obviously, but a (semi) retirement well deserved after years of service and dedication to what continues to be a fantastic show and a fixture of my listening week.

All the very best and thanks to Melvyn, and excited to see how the programme will evolve under a new host!

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Sep 3

‘It’s been quite a ride!’ Melvyn Bragg to step down from Radio 4’s In Our Time after 27 years

The broadcaster is leaving the hit BBC programme after presenting more than 1,000 episodes and having ‘enriched the lives of millions’ Melvyn Bragg has announced that he will be leaving BBC Radio 4 show In Our Time after hosting it for 27 years. He launched it in October 1998, after being asked to present a programme during what was known as “the death slot” because of its low Thursday morning audience figures. The show, which explores the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world, has proved extremely popular. It celebrated its 1,000th episode in 2023 and is regularly one of the BBC’s most listened to on-demand programmes worldwide. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Aug 29

"Gunterdammerung", anyone?

German at Portsmouth @germanatportsmouth.bsky.social · Aug 28

'Ganz unten': Mehmet Ergen and Sabri Tuluğ Tırpan's new docu-opera tells the story of how German journalist Günter Wallraff posed as a migrant worker in the 1980s. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a... via @theguardian.com @philipoltermann.bsky.social

Opera tells story of German journalist who posed as migrant worker for two years

Docu-opera explores encounters and ethics of Günter Wallraff’s undercover work in 1980s, which he now describes as an existential necessity

www.theguardian.com

Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Aug 27

Ganz zu Beginn dieses Film-Interviews spricht Roland Klick gerade uber eine Tendenz unter deutschen Filmemachern (und auch deutschen Zuschauern) "das Risiko des Unbekannten nicht eingehen zu wollen" - stimmts vielleicht noch heutzutage...?

youtu.be/_H6kHjYNpc4

Das Kino des Roland Klick - Interviewfilm - 73min., 1997 - with English subtitles

YouTube video by Filmgalerie 451

youtu.be

Reposted by Dr Hugo Fagandini

Daniel Trilling @trillingual.bsky.social · Aug 26

I wrote this with the aim that it would be a durable piece, relevant every time there's a flare-up of far right violence or as far right ideas make further advances into the mainstream. Hope people find it useful.

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · Aug 25

‘Are we, as Richard Seymour suggests, “in the early days of a new fascism”? In 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, Seymour argues that in trying to understand the new far right, we have been looking in the wrong places.’

@trillingual.bsky.social on far-right populism:

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Daniel Trilling · Is this fascism?

Are we, as Richard Seymour suggests, ‘in the early days of a new fascism’? In Disaster Nationalism, Seymour...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Reposted by Dr Hugo Fagandini

Bezirksamt Mitte @ba-mitte-berlin.bsky.social · Aug 23

Die Mohrenstraße ist Geschichte. Seit heute gibt es mitten in Mitte die Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße. Unter den Augen vieler Menschen wurden die neuen Straßenschilder feierlich enthüllt. Zahlreiche Redebeiträge, Diskussionen und musikalische Beiträge erinnerten an den langen Weg zur Umbenennung.

Text: Straßenumbenennung in Mitte
Zu sehen ist das neue Straßenschild der Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße. Darunter ein durchgestrichenes Straßenschild der Mohrenstraße.

Schild "Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße" das an einer Gebäudefassade hängt.

Redebeitrag von Sharon Dodua Otoo bei der feierlichen Enthüllung des Straßenschildes.

Bezirksbürgermeisterin Stefanie Remlinger, Sharon Dodua Otoo und weitere Menschen bei der Enthüllung des neuen Straßenschildes.

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Aug 19

Understandable outrage in Germany as the last surviving member of the NSU terrorist cell - and the only one to face justice for their crimes - is being considered for a rehabilitation programme that may bring forward their release, despite still withholding key details about the group's activities.

Amadeu Antonio Stiftung @amadeuantonio.bsky.social · Aug 19

Kein Ausstieg für Zschäpe! Angehörige und Betroffene bezweifeln, dass die NSU-Mörderin ehrliche Absichten hat. Keine ihrer Fragen hat sie beantwortet, Reue zeigte sie nie, die Abkehr vom Rechtsterrorismus kauft man ihr nicht ab. 1/2

Kein Exit für Nazis!: Angehörige fordern Ausschluss Zschäpes von Ausstiegsprojekt

Die inhaftierte NSU-Terroristin nimmt an einem Aussteigerprogramm für Nazis teil. Angehörige von Opfern fürchten dadurch ein vorzeitiges Haftende.

taz.de

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Dr Hugo Fagandini @sonetlumiere.bsky.social · Aug 18

Some definitions/explanations here - just don't look up "goonen": www.giga.de/tech/sybau-w...

So how long until "skibidi" becomes "Jugendwort des Jahres" too...?

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