Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Dr Una McIlvenna

Slurmsadako MacKenzie @slurmsmackenzie.bsky.social · 4h

GenAI truly was the worst technology to come along at this moment.

An energy and water guzzler when we most urgently need to take climate action.

A disinformation machine as our journalism fails.

A bias machine as fascism takes root.

A job killer in a cost of living crisis.

Bria "tries to write a book" Horses @thevoidencore.bsky.social · 5d

The "cognitive decline and brain damage from repeat COVID infections" and "easy to use robot that makes slop and melts your critical thinking skills" is a hell of a combo in a post-fact media ecosystem

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˗ˏˋ Pete Trainor ˎˊ @petetrainor.fyi · 2d

The U.S. economy currently looks less like a free market and more like a carousel with the same seven companies shuffling money around to keep share prices inflated and the lights on… all Ai… Feels a lot like “Germany, Inc.” / the old Rhenish model all over again. It’s pretty scary.

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Clay Jackson @clayjak.substack.com · 9h

that lawyer was me.

open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...

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Microplastics Spookmelier @leastactionhero.bsky.social · 9h

today in "predicted by 30 Rock"

Edie Falco on 30 Rock:
I MISSED THE VOTE ON A BILL TO LEGALIZE RECREATIONAL WHALE TORTURE.

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David Milner @davemilbo.bsky.social · 6h

Massive crowd in Melbourne/Naarm today (in case you thought this movement was going to be placated with more colonisation). Until the occupation ends. Until Western war criminals and their enablers face justice. Until Palestine is free.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 5h

About a month ago, the Trump administration got rid of the de minimis exemption, whereby packages valued under $800 could slide in without import duties. Now there's a backlog as the government can't process all of this paperwork, leading to UPS just destroying packages

Business Insider headline reads: UPS is telling customers that their packages coming to the US are marked for destruction.

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d

Have you seen 3D animations from the IDF showing secret Hamas hideouts?

According to Israel's +972 magazine, many have "serious spatial inaccuracies or prefabricated assets—sourced not from classified intelligence but rather from commercial libraries, content creators, and cultural institutions."

How a Scottish maritime museum ended up in Israel’s 3D propaganda

An analysis of dozens of Israeli army animations discovered digital assets sourced not from classified intelligence but commercial libraries and content creators.

www.972mag.com

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Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 7d

I’ve received multiple death threats + doxing (including my home address) directly following harassment from Turning Point USA, Jack Posobiec, Andy NGO, + Fox News which called me an antifa ‘financier.’

I have been forced to move my classes online.

If journalists want to talk, DM me or reply here.

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Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 11d

I teach a history of antifascism course @ruhistorydept.bsky.social and figured I'd start an ongoing thread this semester to share some insights from course readings and recommend some great works on antifascism.

🧵

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3d

Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.

This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 3d

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 3d

Incredibly alarming—after the whole ridiculous antifa roundtable at the White House, as Mark was moving with his family to Europe after threats…

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Dr Una McIlvenna @unamcilvenna.bsky.social · 4d

I would love to know where Americans think all these academic jobs are in other countries. Do they ever speak to non-American academics about the global job market? It’s brutal

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4d

“.. Never before has so much money been spent so rapidly on a technology that, for all its potential, remains largely unproven ..”

@bloomberg.com $NVDA
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4d

NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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Alex Hanna-ween @alexhanna.bsky.social · 4d

I'm not an economist but seems worrying that the whole US economy is seven companies in a trenchcoat, passing the same $20 up and down

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 4d

NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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

Never forget that Dolly Parton gave a million bucks for covid research at the *very start* of the pandemic—including money that helped fund the development of the Moderna vaccine.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 4d

glad to be born at a time when i got to see what life was like before the internet and will be dead before AI completely destroys humanity

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 4d

Fascinating report just released by DropSite which reveals that David Frum, while working on a profile of an Israeli ambassador to the United Nations for the Atlantic, was also shadow-writing speeches for that same ambassador.

David Frum, Douglas Murray Secretly Drafted Speeches for Israeli Ambassador

Leaked emails from former Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor show David Frum, Douglas Murray offering to write his speeches and a CNN producer fundraising for Israel’s Iron Dome during Israel’s 2014 war

www.dropsitenews.com

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Crikey @crikey.com.au · 4d

Independent Senator David Pocock and Labor's Penny Wong clashed in Senate estimates yesterday over whether the Parliamentary Sports Club could be considered a lobby group, as reported in Crikey last week. The club is registered as such, and lists Responsible Wagering Australia as one of its clients.

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Rachel Withers @rachelwithers.bsky.social · 4d

The fact Wong thinks she can just snark her way out of this is a sign of how normalised the relationships between politicians and lobbyists have become.

Like, of course the PM shouldn't be president of a registered lobby group that sells corporate members access to politicians? No shit??

Crikey @crikey.com.au · 4d

Independent Senator David Pocock and Labor's Penny Wong clashed in Senate estimates yesterday over whether the Parliamentary Sports Club could be considered a lobby group, as reported in Crikey last week. The club is registered as such, and lists Responsible Wagering Australia as one of its clients.

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Liam Hogan @liamhogan.id.au · 4d

One of the conspirators who helped Gavrilo Princip shoot Archduke Franz Ferdinand survived to see the breakup of Yugoslavia. He could conceivably have watched the Neighbours episode where Scott and Charlene got married

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 4d

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

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The Journal @thejournal.ie · 4d

The boats were attempting to break the Israeli blockade and deliver desperately needed food and medical supplies to the Palestinian territory.
http://jrnl.ie/6838266

Latest aid flotilla bound for Gaza intercepted by Israel with two Irish on board

There are two Irish citizens aboard one of the flotilla boats, the Milad.

jrnl.ie

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Dr Una McIlvenna @unamcilvenna.bsky.social · 4d

bsky.app/profile/unam...

Dr Una McIlvenna @unamcilvenna.bsky.social · 4d

Gandhi and King were both assassinated, and the salt march and accompanying civil disobedience saw 100s of peaceful civilians shot dead in the Amritsar Massacre. I can’t imagine the bloodshed in the insanely armed USA

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Dr Una McIlvenna @unamcilvenna.bsky.social · 4d

Gandhi and King were both assassinated, and the salt march and accompanying civil disobedience saw 100s of peaceful civilians shot dead in the Amritsar Massacre. I can’t imagine the bloodshed in the insanely armed USA

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 4d

Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.

For the crime of … complaining about government policy.

Core 1A speech.

With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 4d

Here’s video of the incident

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