Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1h

Definitely not. Clammy Sammy has a history of over-promising and under delivering. Expect to ultimately lose money.

Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 2h

I also recommend this piece in The Guardian.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Money talks: the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia

The long read: Saudi Arabia’s investment in Twitter increased its influence in Silicon Valley while being used at home to shut down critics of the regime

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Martin Grasdal 🍁

George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 16h

"The bird gained global fame Oct. 7, when right-wing influencer Benny Johnson posted video of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stepping onto the ICE facility’s roof and staring down a handful of hecklers—and one chicken."

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 12h

Despite the fact that the Trump government is orchestrating a huge propaganda campaign to assert that the Dems are solely responsible.

Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 13h

Wow, the conduct of Rath & Freeman is bad. Not surprised the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is no longer a client. Rath must think the separatist shtick is a more lucrative gig, given the loss of a major client.

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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 1d

Must-read piece in @theguardian.com (h/t @dpcarrington.bsky.social). In #ScienceUnderSiege, we describe how petrostates Saudi Arabia & Russia leveraged Musk's buyout of twitter so they could weaponize it for climate denial propaganda & attacks on renewables.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Money talks: the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia

The long read: Saudi Arabia’s investment in Twitter increased its influence in Silicon Valley while being used at home to shut down critics of the regime

www.theguardian.com

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 17h

I was at an advance poll for a civic election and saw one of your wonderful volunteers collecting signatures. Great idea!

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 18h

Funding based on market demand is code to starve the humanities. After all, in this province, we don't want people being taught to think and write.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 18h

a black and white photo of a group of men standing in front of a large machine .

Alt: A back and white silent scene from Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. A group of men operate a vast clockwork machine, manipulating controls simultaneously, as if in time to vents of steam that are expelled around them.

media.tenor.com

Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 20h

Who cashed in on the short?

Reposted by Martin Grasdal 🍁

Maria Dunn Music @mariadunnmusic.bsky.social · 1d

Maria Dunn and musical friends in concert:
Nov 6, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Festival Place Theatre
100 Festival Way
Sherwood Park, AB
Box office 780-449-3378
Tix www.showpass.com/maria-dunn-2/
Celebrating my new/upcoming album "Hardscrabble Hope"
#folkmusic #rootsmusic #yegmusic

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 23h

Lol. Does he think we are all gullible fools? When has big money not distorted politics and created a greater voice for corporations over the citizens. If you're beholden to big money, you are going to dance to its tune. Sorry, that is just the reality.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

Not a good look for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d

Machado is trying to leverage her Nobel Peace Prize with an appeal for the military invasion of Venezuela by Trump. I wonder whether the Nobel Committee reckoned with conduct like this when they gave her the award.

Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

Danielle Smith knows this. But she can never pass up an opportunity to use taxpayer money to enrich the friends she will hire to create a useless document. Nor can she pass up an opportunity to use this corrupt grift to stoke further division with Ottawa and play the whiny victim card.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

When Nicolaides makes categorical pronouncements about the conclusions of research on these topics and presents one assertion as a settled fact, he shows us how unsuited he is to be the Minister of Education, at least as far as the citizens are concerned. Might be okay with the UCP agenda, however.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks for this perspective. The topic is complex and requires a nuanced approach. Adult or near adult learners have different requirements and the effects of classroom sizes or teacher/student ratio on academic outcomes might not be as apparent or easily measurable, but they still exist.

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Audric Moses 🇨🇦 @audricmoses.bsky.social · 1d

"I am not corrupt."
- Tim Cartmell

#yegcc

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

Lol.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

Did Nicolaides get his PhD from a diploma mill? It's a bit over the top for him to assert, based on the work of one academic, that class size has been "scientifically demonstrated to not have a positive impact on student academic performance." The UCP excels in gaslighting.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

So, the minister claims that "the research", "considerable research", and "all of the studies" demonstrate that class size has little to no impact on academic on student academic achievement, yet he cites only one academic. Even if Hattie's work was a meta-analysis, this is a bold claim to make.

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Reposted by Martin Grasdal 🍁

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 1d

while I acknowledge that LLMs do have some uses for stuff like “producing code with knowledgeable human supervision,” this perfectly reflects how I feel about using it for my own creative work

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 1d

If Nicolaides is going to make claims about academic studies that conveniently support government negotiation positions, he should provide the relevant citations. If he can't or won't, call him on his BS.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 2d

Alberta taxpayers will always be on the hook for any projects that benefit the fossil fuel industry. The industry has corrupted the government and convinced credulous voters that its theft of resources from the ground and the provincial treasury is a benefit that deserves public support.

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Martin Grasdal 🍁 @mgrasdal.bsky.social · 2d

Danielle Smith's threats are on par with this one. Sorry to say, though, someone did shoot Cheeseface, the dog used as the model in the photo, 3 years later.

A National Lampoon cover from January, 1973, showing a dog with a gun pointed at its head. The caption reads, "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog".

For the back story on this iconic cover and the sad fate of the model, Cheeseface, see https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/who-shot-mr-cheeseface-the-vermont-demise-of-a-famous-mutt-23671435/

Reposted by Martin Grasdal 🍁

The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 2d

Danielle Smith announces plans to hold her breath until she gets what she wants

EDMONTON – After meeting with Mark Carney to discuss pipeline construction, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has vowed to hold her breath until the Prime Minister gives her absolutely everything she ask...

thebeaverton.com

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