Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 8h

Zactly!

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Mrs. Detective PikaBOO, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social · 10h

Listen sometimes the situation simply requires a Catholic

Tumblr post from confusionofconfusions-deactivat
i love that 17th century jewish poltergeist story where the family living in the haunted house calls a catholic priest for help before they contact a rabbi, because yeah, i think that would be my call too; id be like, oh? a demon in my house speaking latin and drawing inverted crosses on my wall in sulfuric bile? then without even questioning my faith i'd call up the catholic church and be like yo father, one of your boys loose come get him

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Justin LaLiberty @jlalibs.com · 14h

What an absolute treasure Diane Keaton was. Her wit never tired, nor did her style.

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 17h

It's almost enough to make you think that Trump and RFK Jr really just want us all to die as much as possible

Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 22h

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

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Reposted by Michael Israel

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 20h

Portland is toadily opposed to the violent cruelty of the Trump Administration.

Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 1d

Portland Frog gets it

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Reposted by Michael Israel

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 20h

Why isn't there more reporting about how Donny Trumptoinette followed up his doctor's visit with a Friday Night Massacre of CDC, ridding of us of more of our experts in charge of public health and epidemic intelligence? There's a great story to tell here!

Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 1d

Illegally firing the CDC experts while he gets the latest COVID vaccine is really beyond the pale.
Marie Antoinette level of vibes.

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Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 1d

Illegally firing the CDC experts while he gets the latest COVID vaccine is really beyond the pale.
Marie Antoinette level of vibes.

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 21h

I am hereby putting a 200% tariff on all fauns dryads and talking beavers as well as turkish delight. Narnia has been very bad to us.

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Rose Lerner @roselerner.bsky.social · 2d

This made me so happy

Screenshot of Claire's last skeet with one from the Frog and Toad bot underneath of Frog saying "don't be silly"

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 1d

"Nobody can prove me wrong" might not be the best way to defend a good idea. Depending on your audience, of course.

Reposted by Michael Israel

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 1d

Knowing who to be mad at truly is praxis.

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Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 2d

Just to underscore: VA Senate Dems brought the 🔥, but it’s very clear the text of their letter was directly inspired by public writing from @sivav.bsky.social, a UVA faculty member. Each party worked with the tools at hand, be they brain and words or force of law.

Resistance is an ecology.

Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 3d

Virginia State Senate Dems just brought down fire and fury regarding the “Compact,” notifying the President and Rector that UVA would lose ALL STATE APPROPRIATIONS if it signs and cedes the University to “federal political control.” Notably, their letter directly restates points made here by @siva.

Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 3d

The “compact” for higher ed is an unserious document written by unserious people from a position of spectacular ignorance. No one should take it seriously. Sadly, my bosses are taking it seriously.

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

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Reposted by Michael Israel

Lieven Vandelanotte @lieven.bsky.social · 2d

Poetry of the ordinary, eh

Patrick Hill @overhere.bsky.social · 2d

Gulls shitting musical notes on our windows.

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 3d

This is what Antifa looks like.

Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 3d

Let’s check in on the warzone in Portland.

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 3d

So cool

Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 3d

So cool that whenever someone asks the president, “did you eat the Lindbergh baby” he’s like, “no but I’d be allowed to, I have the right to, I might do it later”

Reposted by Michael Israel

Nick Fleisher @nickfleisher.bsky.social · 4d

See also: people who say we must "restore trust in higher ed"

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 4d

I keep waiting for the powers that be in media to grasp the concept of bad faith, realize how often "restore trust in news" and similar statements mean "stop doing journalism, lie more in ways I like," come from people ideologically committed to destroying trust in news, and can never be satisfied.

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 4d

I too am keen to "restore trust in news" by turning a major broadcast network into a 24/7 slurry of right wing culture war propaganda and engagement trolling

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Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 4d

George Orwell’s Animal Crossing

Someone in a frog costume facing down a line of police in riot gear

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 5d

People still take lots of umbrage. But this gets taken as evidence of anger, or even madness, rather than a prompt to maybe think about the genuine outrageousness of the glaringly outrageous thing at which the umbrage was took.

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Brooke @brooklynmarie.bsky.social · 5d

Actually it did begin with a parade of tanks

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: The militarization of American cities isn’t happening with a parade of tanks. It’s a slow drip of troop deployments that are probing courts’ willingness to give unlimited deference to the commander in chief — and testing workarounds when they don’t.

www.politico.com/newsletters/...

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 8d

the lumpencommentariat!

LOWρUF🐸 🇵🇦🇬🇱🇨🇦🇲🇽 @lowrhoufo.bsky.social · Apr 26

This corner of the take sphere is called "the lumpencommentariat" now

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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 8d

When you take a leadership position, that means that when people have complaints, they will lay them at your feet. Calling that “harassment” is an announcement of incompetence and weakness.

You want people to populate your site/protocol where people share opinions, Jay …

Jay 🦋 @jay.bsky.team · 8d

Harassing the mods into banning someone has never worked. And harassing people in general has never changed their mind.

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Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 8d

🧵 Today is International Day of Non-Violence* [1]

Please read the small print*

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 9d

Where can I get one?

Anjali Dayal @anjalikdayal.bsky.social · 9d

Can’t decide whether these Statue of Liberty rubber chickens that say “squeeze me to hear me scream” are a little too on-the-nose for these times or if they’re perfect

A yellow cardboard carton on a CVS shelf with brightly colored letters that say “squeeze me to hear me scream” and “statue of liberty chicken.” Inside the carton are hot pink, teal, and royal blue rubber chickens with googly eyes rendered like the Statue of Liberty, with their faces distressed and frozen in a shriek. They have tags around their necks that say “squeeze me to hear me scream”

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Michael Israel @subcontrarian.bsky.social · 9d

Not "never after", but "ever after" is always there.