Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 12d

Reading Rainbow is coming back and definitely the demographic most excited is ages 30-42.

bookriot.com/new-host-of-...

Meet the New Host of Reading Rainbow: Mychal the Librarian

After 20 years, Reading Rainbow is back! The new host is Mychal the Librarian, who has been spreading library joy online for years.

bookriot.com

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 14d

“War ravaged Portland”

wapo.st/4pL60N2

9 45 310

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 14d

"A wave of South Asian diasporic artists, writers and filmmakers ... have taken up stories of how and why their ancestors ended up in unexpected places around the world, and the cultures they experienced and created there."

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/a...

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 19d

More fallout from the $100K H-1B fee. The @nytimes.com on how some startups are responding: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/t...

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 20d

myshake.berkeley.edu

Home

MyShake delivers ShakeAlert across California! Have earthquake information at your fingertips, see damage reports shared by citizen scientists like you, help us build a global seismic network. Earthqu...

myshake.berkeley.edu

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · 20d

Bay Area #earthquake … highly recommend the MyShake app. Got a kind of dystopian verbal warning/notification that woke me up about 10 seconds before shaking began in SF but it worked.

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Sep 5

This is the book I've been most eagerly anticipating all year... can't wait to read Kiran Desai's new novel when it publishes in a couple weeks...

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/b...

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Aug 27

I am officially I-can’t-believe-this-has-to-be-explained-in-a-news-article old.

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Aug 21

“Becoming a single dad by choice can be empowering. It means not waiting for a partner to complete your life, knowing what you want to prioritize, actively creating the life you want, even if it’s not what anyone expected of you.”

www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

The Growing Cohort of Single Dads by Choice

For some men, fatherhood is an answer to questions about modern masculinity.

www.theatlantic.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Aug 10

"Another property has been used for the past few years as a private school for 14 children, even though that is not an allowable use of a house in the neighborhood under city code. Six adults, including four teachers, worked there this past school year."

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/u...

What Happened When Mark Zuckerberg Moved In Next Door

www.nytimes.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Jul 27

"There is the delicate matter of ridding the jet of any hidden electronic listening devices that U.S. officials suspect may be embedded in the walls."

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/u...

What Will It Cost to Renovate the ‘Free’ Air Force One? Don’t Ask.

www.nytimes.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Jul 11

It has been 10 years since I tried peas in guacamole — and survived:

medium.com/@vigneshr/i-...

I tried peas in guacamole and survived

A culinary experimentation with The New York Times’ controversial recipe

medium.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · May 26

Settle the word debate:

Is it a BBQ/barbecue OR a cookout?

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · May 19

Start your Monday with 30 seconds of bliss…

youtube.com/shorts/mvo6s...

Golden Retriever and Pacific Ocean bliss

YouTube video by Sweet Golden Laddoo

youtube.com

Reposted by Vignesh Ramachandran

Laddoo, the golden retriever @sweetgoldenladdoo.com · May 5

This dog supports local news.

#dogs #goldenretrieverlife #goldenretriever #englishcreamgoldenretriever #journalism #supportlocalnews

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Apr 7

“Piper, noooo.”

The name Piper rose in popularity for U.S. girl babies born in the 2010s, peaking in 2016, and then has been subsiding in the 2020s — according to Social Security data.

With the cultural moments #WhiteLotus had has this year, I wonder if more American babies will be named Piper.

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 30

Many headlines have focused on Trump's #tariffs as taxes on foreign car companies, when in reality it's a tax on almost every car company, including American brands.

Many Hondas are more "American" than Jeeps. Many Subarus and Nissans are more "American" than GMs:

www.axios.com/2025/03/27/t...

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 27

With 25% #tariffs on all imported vehicles (www.bbc.com/news/article...) wonder how 4Runner fans feel about this — and eventually likely price increases?

Trump announces 25% tariffs on car imports to US

The US President says the tariffs on cars will come into effect on 2 April and car parts a month later.

www.bbc.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 27

One of Americans' most-loved body-on-frame SUVs is the Toyota 4Runner, which 4Runner owners often proudly say is solid and lasts for decades because Toyota has long made them in Japan with high-quality standards. (The latest-generation 2025 4Runner is built in Toyota's Tahara plant in Japan.)

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Reposted by Vignesh Ramachandran

Laddoo, the golden retriever @sweetgoldenladdoo.com · Mar 25

One of Laddoo's favorite hobbies is sunbathing — especially on sunny San Francisco spring days.

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 25

"It is worth noting that Donald Trump, as a candidate for president (and as president), repeatedly and vociferously demanded that Hillary Clinton be imprisoned for using a private email server for official business when she was secretary of state."

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Mar 24

American war planning usually takes place in highly secure facilities. But the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, @jeffreygoldberg.bsky.social. theatln.tc/AmsjsuT6

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 24

“The N.I.H. pays for large clinical trials in fields like cancer, heart disease and diabetes that have changed medical practice and saved lives.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/h...

‘Chaos and Confusion’ at the N.I.H., the Crown Jewel of American Science

Senior scientists at the National Institutes of Health fear that research on conditions like obesity, heart disease and cancer will be undermined by President Trump’s policies.

www.nytimes.com

Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 23

Despite persistently high grocery prices...

Spotted at the Diamond Heights Safeway in SF on a weeknight last week: All the pasture-raised eggs were sold out, while the cheapest eggs were almost fully stocked.

sfstandard.com/2025/03/22/g...

Bougie grocers boom as giants flee San Francisco

While Safeway and Whole Foods close locations, chains like Bi-Rite and Luke's Local find success with shoppers who don't sweat prices.

sfstandard.com

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 16

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is what the U.S. had used for locking up Japanese Americans in detention camps during World War II.

NPR @npr.org · Mar 15

BREAKING NEWS: In a presidential action Saturday, Trump invoked the wartime authority Alien Enemies Act, targeting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to immediate detention and deportation.

Trump enacts a 1790s law to target 'alien enemies' for detention and deportation

In a presidential action Saturday, Trump invoked the wartime authority Alien Enemies Act, targeting members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to immediate detention and deportation.

www.npr.org

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Vignesh Ramachandran @vignesh.bsky.social · Mar 14

Unique Zillow find of the week: This cathedral-style house in Denver with crazy ceilings and rows of windows.