Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Andrew Downie

Matt Davies @mattdaviescartoon.bsky.social · 4d

Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 6h

While trying to work out why that mess of a film One Battle After Another got such great reviews I found the perfect answer from Brett Easton Ellis.

variety.com/2025/film/ne...

‘One Battle After Another’ Is a Hit with Critics Because It ‘Aligns with a Leftist Sensibility,’ Says Bret Easton Ellis: ‘There’s a Liberal Mustiness to This Movie’

Bret Easton Ellis says critics love 'One Battle After Another' because it has 'leftist sensibilities.'

variety.com

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 17h

This is one of those stories you'd never have read even 5 years ago, a major newspaper openly touting one manager for the job of a colleague who is still in the role.

George Mann @sgfmann.bsky.social · 18h

Telegraph Sport: Dyche in frame for Forest #TomorrowsPapersToday

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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 18h

The least surprising news ever. But also thank you to @robevansgdn.bsky.social & @direthoughts.com for shining a light on how two Silicon Valley lobbyists have joined forces to advance their billionaire-funded techno-accelerationist agenda into the heart of UK govt.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1d

Tony Blair and Nick Clegg hosted dinner giving tech bosses access to UK minister

Exclusive: Six tech leaders dined with investment minister, documents reveal, underlining growing influence of ex-PM’s consultancy Tony Blair and Nick Clegg hosted a private dinner earlier this year at which a select group of technology entrepreneurs were given access to a key minister, official documents have revealed. The former prime minister, who is a champion of the tech industry, held the dinner in an upmarket London hotel in his capacity as the head of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) political consultancy. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 2d

Brazil's left is having a meltdown over the Nobel award. Too many of them still think Maduro is a legitimate leader. Too many of them see Machado as a tool of the right (and the Americans) rather than someone fighting a vicious dictatorship that has destroyed Venezuela.

Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 2d

Venezuelan opposition leader is awarded the Nobel peace prize.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado on.ft.com/4nTWp5l

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 2d

Venezuelan opposition leader is awarded the Nobel peace prize.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado on.ft.com/4nTWp5l

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to María Corina Machado

Win for Venezuela’s main opposition leader dashes the hopes of US President Donald Trump

on.ft.com

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Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 3d

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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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 2d

The madness of America in one sentence.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

Floridians will be able to openly carry firearms while shopping at Publix, the largest supermarket chain in the state, the company said on Thursday. The announcement came after a state appeals court ruled that a Florida ban on people openly carrying firearms was unconstitutional.

Customers May Openly Carry Firearms in Florida’s Publix Stores, Company Says

The supermarket chain said it was complying with state law, including a ruling last month that overturned a ban on openly carrying firearms.

nyti.ms

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 2d

Good news of the day

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library’s children and young adult sections was awarded $700,000 in a settlement on Wednesday.

Librarian Fired in Books Dispute to Receive $700,000 Settlement

County officials in Wyoming fired Terri Lesley, a library director, after she refused to purge children and young adult books that contained sexual content and L.G.B.T.Q. themes.

nyti.ms

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d

Breaking News: The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the Hungarian novelist, for his “visionary oeuvre.”

Laszlo Krasznahorkai Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

The award comes with prize money of almost $1.2 million.

nyti.ms

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Juan Arango @juangarangotv.bsky.social · 4d

This event in India in December will have people spend a day with Leo Messi. This will cost you about US$15,500

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Reposted by Andrew Downie

Greg Jenner @gregjenner.bsky.social · 6d

Realised that I’m now treating funny viral videos in the same way footballers celebrate goals —

1) initial joy,
2 sudden panic it might be AI/offside
3) lengthy investigation as joy saps away
4) conclusion, joy modulated through fatigue if proven legit/onside, but angry and gutted if AI/offside

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 7d

Macron is right, as he so often is...

Defend Democracy @defenddemocracy.bsky.social · 8d

President Macron: “Europeans, let's wake up!

We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.”

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

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Jonathan Watts @jonathan-watts.bsky.social · 10d

“You remind me of my favourite chimp, David Greybeard.”

I will never cherish a compliment more than this one from Jane Goodall.

RIP to an extraordinary human being and an inspiring campaigner for nature.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Jane Goodall: 'Change is happening. There are many ways to start moving in the right way'

The primatologist and ecological activist on why population isn’t the only cause of climate change, and why she’s encouraging optimism

www.theguardian.com

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 11d

Excited to introduce Vibes from Meta. Eat your slop, piggies!

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 13d

This is excellent from
@bryanagraham.bsky.social

US fan ugliness at the Ryder Cup was merely a reflection of Trump’s all-caps America | Bryan Armen Graham www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...

US fan ugliness at the Ryder Cup was merely a reflection of Trump’s all-caps America | Bryan Armen Graham

European players were subjected to slurs and crude insults about their families. They were no surprise as public discourse in America has broken down

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 13d

This is excellent

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 13d

All this controversy and infighting could have been avoided if Ezra Klein had simply said nothing about Kirk's murder. That silence didn't seem like an option is a sad illustration of how social media and the constant pursuit of clicks corrodes good sense and much else).

Ezra Klein @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social · 14d

Today’s episode of The Ezra Klein Show

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines

Ta-Nehisi Coates joins the show to discuss how the left should think about the work of politics and persuasion in this moment.
open.spotify.com/episode/4jQE...

youtu.be/UaeoDlLNnok?...

Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ezra Klein Hash Out Their Charlie Kirk Disagreement

YouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show

youtu.be

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Evan Dorkin @evandorkin.bsky.social · 14d

"You'll laugh your heads off!"
Look at these fucking assholes.

A roster of asshole stand up comedians doing the fucking Riyadh Comedy Festival, many of them jerkoffs who piss and moan that they can't say anything anymore because they're too lazy to be actually funny, meanwhile , there's a list of things these bullshit artists can't say in the contract from the absolute ruler of Saudi Arabia, a country that crushes free speech, tortures, murders journalists and executes nonviolent criminals, has the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the arab states, etc etc. Fuck these hypocritical individuals.

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 15d

Same with Pelé in 1962. He was afraid to tell coaches about a sore groin before the tournament started because the rule was, if you're not fit enough to train, you're not fit enough to play. He kept quiet, pulled the muscle in his second game and missed the rest of the tournament.

Reposted by Andrew Downie

Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 15d

Repression of free speech is no laughing matter.

Comedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which falls during the seventh anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder, should use their platform to defend free speech in Saudi Arabia.

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 16d

And the best ever duet is Hall & Oates and The Temptations live at the Apollo Theatre in NYC
www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Rf...

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 16d

EVEN BETTER DUETS 2 - Check them out.

Mark Knopfler and Van Morrison - The last laugh
Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin - Sisters are doin' it for themselves
Elton John and Kiki Dee - Don't go breaking my heart
Phillip Bailey and Phil Collins - Easy lover
Olivia Newton-John and the E.L.O. - Xanadu

Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 16d

EVEN BETTER DUETS. Check them out.

Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil - Filhos de Ghandi
Rufus and Chaka Khan - Ain't nobody
Big Country and Kate Bush - The seer
Paul Heaten and Jacqui Abbot - I don't see them
Sharon Shannon & Steve Earle - Galway girl
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

It takes two: the best pop duets – ranked!

As Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue’s Where the Wild Roses Grow turns 30, we count down pop’s finest two-handers, from career-revivers to celebrity meta-texts

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Andrew Downie

Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 16d

EVEN BETTER DUETS. Check them out.

Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil - Filhos de Ghandi
Rufus and Chaka Khan - Ain't nobody
Big Country and Kate Bush - The seer
Paul Heaten and Jacqui Abbot - I don't see them
Sharon Shannon & Steve Earle - Galway girl
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

It takes two: the best pop duets – ranked!

As Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue’s Where the Wild Roses Grow turns 30, we count down pop’s finest two-handers, from career-revivers to celebrity meta-texts

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Downie @adowniebrazil.bsky.social · 16d

But the NHS has our data on the app. The passport office has our data. And then there's the driving license, etc, etc...

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