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Lou Roper

@roperlou.bsky.social

6.2K followers 1.9K following 7.3K posts

Historian of the Anglophone world in the very long seventeenth century: https://go.bsky.app/BtkNcRq. ORCID 0000-0001-8375-0939 #earlymodern

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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · Aug 17

Self-promotion warning: @manchesterup.bsky.social will issue paper edition of our essay collection on #earlymodern European overseas empires in Jan '26 for pre-order @ GBP 30 @carrington-farmer.bsky.social manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526195791/

Manchester University Press - Agents of European overseas empires

Agents of European overseas empires - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Agents of European overseas empires by Elodie Peyrol-Kleiber

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

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William Dalrymple @willdalrymple.bsky.social · 4h

Don't miss our new @EmpirePodUK double bill on:

OTTOMAN GAZA:

From Selim the Grim to Allenby & the WW1 Battles of Gaza
With the great Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Oxford
podcasts.apple.com/il/podcast/2...

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Karen Graubart @kbgraubart.bsky.social · 1h

Moving quickly to a world where students use AI to complete work, profs use AI to grade it, no one learns anything and we will live in a world of mediocrity and incompetence where only the billionaires benefit.

John Warner @biblioracle.bsky.social · 23h

I strongly urge everyone to not just read this warning from @marcwatkins.bsky.social, but heed it, and be vocal and forceful pushing back against using AI to grade student writing. This must be anathema if we're going to have a world where learning means something. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

The Dangers of using AI to Grade

Nobody Learns, Nobody Gains

substack.com

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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.bsky.social · 17h

The Daily show also interviewed "father" of effective altruism William MacAskill & promoted his book.

The billionaires gave him millions to promote his book so a PR person probably got him on the show.

All mainstream media shilling propaganda for the corporations claiming to build machine gods 🙄

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social · 1d

In this week’s new #TheWeeklyShow episode, Jon & Geoffrey Hinton discuss ⬇️:

>> AI 101
>> AI Threats & Regulation
>> Ping, Ping, Ping
>> Always Angry Trump & Pardons

NEW YouTube video out now.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrK3...

AI: What Could Go Wrong? with Geoffrey Hinton | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

www.youtube.com

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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 17h

a small one!

Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 18h

Lizzie is better, if I may observe 😁

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Ben McAdams Memorial Act. but on BlueSky @purrtah.bsky.social · 20h

Yea fuck this keep it closed down come hell or high water

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trump is destroying the country @sooriclover.bsky.social · 20h

www.newsweek.com/new-trump-go...

New Trump golf course, $5.5 billion beachside project announced for Qatar

The announcement of a golf resort in Qatar underscores the deepening ties between Trump's affiliated company and Gulf nations.

www.newsweek.com

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Tom Cutterham @tomcutterham.bsky.social · 22h

In 1776, a Scottish housepainter called James Aitken set out on a secret mission to destroy the British navy and win the War of Independence for the United States. His story is the core of my book, EMPIRE ABLAZE: The American Revolution and the Atlantic Working Class, out next summer with Verso!

The cover of "Empire Ablaze: The American Revolution and the Atlantic Working Class," which features an image of an eighteenth-century building on fire, with small sailing boats visible on a river in the foreground.

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Patrick walsh @speakerconolly.bsky.social · 20h

This was an excellent two days, some really thoughtful and stimulating papers and conversation. a great mix of papers from a wonderful range of speakers. Much to think about. Brilliantly convened by @joelherman.bsky.social and @timvrti.bsky.social.

Patrick walsh @speakerconolly.bsky.social · 2d

Off to @tlrhub.bsky.social for what should be a fascinating conference on Ireland and the American Revolution organised by @joelherman.bsky.social and @timvrti.bsky.social with support from @historytcd.bsky.social and @virtualtreasury.bsky.social

www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...

Ireland and the American Revolution - Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute | Trinity College Dublin

A-two day conference exploring the role of Ireland and its people in the American Revolution, will take place in Trinity Long Room Hub on Thursday, 9 October and Friday, 10 October.

www.tcd.ie

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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 21h

Junior D*ckhead hard at work again demonstrating the value of a @yalelawschool-yls.bsky.social education and confirming his status as a right putz

Religion Dispatches @religiondispatches.org · 21h

Joel Swanson on VPOTUS' casual, horrifying antisemitism

religiondispatches.org/jd-vance-tri...

JD Vance Trivializes Jewish History by Referring to ICE Criticism as 'Blood Libel' — But Reveals What this Admin Thinks of Jews

Last week, in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Vice President JD Vance accused critics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of committing “blood libel” against ICE agents. As Va...

religiondispatches.org

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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshksi.bsky.social · 21h

What if @umassamherst.bsky.social just gave faculty time, space, resources to actually do research?

Screenshot of email advertising an “AI in Research Accelerator” program

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Jason Herbert @herberthistory.bsky.social · 1d

This is your every now and then reminder that if you got to @uncpress.bsky.social website and enter 01HATM30 you’ll get 30% off of any title. I don’t get anything for it, but it’s a nice thing for my readers and the #HATM community.

uncpress.org

Home - The University of North Carolina Press

uncpress.org

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deborahhamer.bsky.social @deborahhamer.bsky.social · 22h

A friend gave me these images of this married couple with English East India Company connections. I don't know too much about John Parson, other than that he was commander of an EIC ship, and Rebecca Chitty, but looking forward to learning more!

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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 22h

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

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Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 23h

👀⚖️ 💵 Please don’t save this man from his own malice: www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup... #alexjones

Alex Jones asks Supreme Court to block massive defamation judgment

Jones says the court must act immediately to prevent his site, InfoWars, where he has spread conspiracy theories, from being handed over to the satirical news site The Onion.

www.nbcnews.com

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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 22h

Just in today: hawksites.newpaltz.edu/fdc/event-ar...

Reposted by Lou Roper

Karen Graubart @kbgraubart.bsky.social · 23h

The Nobel Committee really threaded a needle here, choosing an person who opposed certain kinds of authoritarianism while requesting aid from authoritarians in her attempt to overthrow her own government, including Netanyahu and Trump.

Shawn's Socialist Slipstreaming（宇祥）- he/him/他/dia @shawnybantzy.bsky.social · 1d

Apparently our newest Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote to fucking Netanyahu for help in overthrowing the government of her own country dawg

The population of Venezuela needs international protection against the widespread and systematic attack to which the Venezuelan regime subjects it. This is demonstrated by the report dated May 29, 2018, submitted by the Organisation of American States to the International Criminal Court. This has served as the basis for nine states, including Argentina, to file complaints against the regime before that international body. We deeply appreciate this effort, which is decisive for the outcome of the Venezuelan tragedy.

I am convinced that the international community, in accordance with the responsibility to protect doctrine, is called upon to provide Venezuelans with the necessary support to bring about the regime change that is urgently needed to restore national and international security. Therefore, I have recently sent letters to several of the world’s leading figures to promote before the United Nations Security Council the adoption of effective protection measures for Venezuela by fostering regime change, a step that necessarily entails strengthening international security. Today I want to ask Israel and Argentina to contribute their expertise and influence to advance a sound and urgent decision-making process in the Security Council.

Such measures are imperative in the face of a hemispheric security hotspot like the one currently posed by the regime oppressing Venezuela. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration have certified that the current refugee crisis of people fleeing Venezuela is the largest in the history of the Americas. Argentina is an example of this crisis, having welcomed hundreds of thousands of our compatriots—a gesture for which Venezuelans will always be grateful. However, we must be aware that without a change of regime in our country, hemispheric and global security will be at risk.

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mr. beans for lunch @higham.bsky.social · 23h

Yeah! This guy knows what he’s talking about. She’s a REAL champion of democracy!

Tensions between Venezuela and America soared following the attack, but Machado insisted to The Sunday Times that Trump was right to bomb the boat.
"I totally support his strategy," Machado said.
"And I've said on behalf of the Venezuelan people that we are very grateful. I think it is the right thing to do. It's courageous. It's visionary”

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Lou Roper @roperlou.bsky.social · 23h

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Federal judge issues TRO following a second day of hearings, blocking the Trump administration from “ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois” from now through Oct. 23. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
STATE OF ILLINOIS, a sovereign state; and the CITY OF CHICAGO, an Illinois municipal corporation,
Plaintiffs,
Case No. 25-cv-12174
Judge April M. Perry
V.
DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States; DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; KRISTI NOEM, in her official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security;
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; PETER B.
HEGSETH, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Defense; UNITED STATES ARMY; DANIEL P. DRISCOLL, in his official capacity as Secretary of the Army,
Defendants.
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
This Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order, Doc. 3, and
ORDERS as follows:
1. Defendants,' their officers, agents, assigns entered, and all persons acting in concert with them, are temporarily enjoined from ordering the federalization and deployment of the
National Guard of the United States within Illinois.
2. This Temporary Restraining Order is at 5:55 P.M. central time on this 9th day of October
2025 and expires on October 23, 2025 at 11:59 P.M.
'President Trump, one of the name Defendants, is not enjoined by this Order.

3. Within two (2) calendar days of entry of this Temporary Restraining Order, Plaintiffs
shall post a nominal bond of $100. The bond shall be filed in the Clerk's Office and be
deposited into the registry of the Court.
4. Defendants' Request to Stay or Administratively Stay the Temporary Restraining Order,
Doc. 62 at 58, is DENIED.
5. A telephone hearing will be held on October 22, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. to address whether
this Temporary Restraining Order should be extended for an additional fourteen (14)
calendar days.
Dated: October 9, 2025
Coul MPeray.
APRIL M. PERRY
United States District Judge
2

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The Texas Signal @texassignal.bsky.social · 23h

"This is the latest in a string of cases where Paxton, as the state’s top lawyer, has not only declined to defend a state law, but actively campaigned for the courts to strike it down."

Paxton sides with Texas GOP, against secretary of state in lawsuit seeking to close primaries

Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a filing that Paxton’s office gave her less than an hour’s warning that they’d be siding against her agency in court.

www.texastribune.org

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Dan Friedman @dfriedman.bsky.social · 23h

A tiny firm with no experience, but lots of Trumpworld ties, got a massive contract from DHS. A rival says the award was rushed and "unlawful."

Massive DHS "self-deportation" contract challenged as secretive and "unlawful"

The “rushed” deal worth up to $915 million was handed to a firm with “no track record” as a federal contractor, a rival's lawsuit alleges.

www.motherjones.com

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Christy Wagner @com1ty.bsky.social · 23h

"Trump clearly not in control of the administration...Russell Vought and Stephen Miller are."
youtu.be/8UK-zptXyXE?...

Why Are They Pretending Major Cities Are War Zones? | Explainer

YouTube video by Heather Cox Richardson

youtu.be

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Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 23h

University of Texas Austin: what say you?

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 23h

MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

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Matt Green @mattgreencomedy.com · 1d

The thing about AI is that although it looks like a bubble and is obviously a bubble and anyone who thinks about it for a moment knows it’s a bubble, unlike all other bubbles in the past I’m sure it will just be fine. I’m investing in tulips.

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 1d

“Concerns over an AI bubble bursting have grown lately, with analysts recently finding that it’s 17 times the size of the dotcom-era bubble and four times bigger than the 2008 financial crisis.”

Hang onto your butts. This “correction” is gonna hurt.
futurism.com/artificial-i...

Bank of England Warns of Impending AI Disaster

The Bank of England has sounded the alarm, warning of an intensifying risk of a "sudden correction" due to an AI spending frenzy.

futurism.com

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