B.S.W. Barootes
LightNews LightNews
banner
barootes.bsky.social
B.S.W. Barootes
@barootes.bsky.social
480 followers 380 following 2.3K posts
Medievalist. Asst. Prof. of English at MUN, Grenfell.
Articles on final -e, the Pearl-poet, and monkish burps. Wm Beauchamp fanboy. Cursed by Artemis. (he/him/his)
bswbarootes.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
barootes.bsky.social
B.S.W. Barootes @barootes.bsky.social · Jun 3
I'm absolutely heartbroken.

Farewell, Stinky.

Goodbye, my sweet girl.

I love you, Biscotte.
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
journodale.bsky.social
Carney continues not get past the lesson about being a leader and not a boss.
November 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
brucearthur.bsky.social
The man has principles
rachelgilmore.bsky.social Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 8h
Trudeau-era environment minister Steven Guilbeault has published a resignation letter detailing the reasons for his departure from Carney's cabinet.

He directly cites today's MOU:
Statement by Steven Guilbeault This afternoon, it is with great sadness that I submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister of Nature and Parks Canada, as well as his Lieutenant in Quebec. As you know, I chose to enter politics to champion the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment. Over the past ten years, our country has made historic progress in reducing climate pollution, protecting nature and the environment, while our economy continued to grow. I believe I have contributed to these advancements, and I remain deeply proud of the achievements I have helped bring forward: • Standing up to tech giants and major polluters • Implementing Canada's first emissions reduction plan, slowing their growth and placing them on a downward trajectory • Establishing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation • Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act • Developing the country's first national climate adaptation strategy to protect our communities • Eliminating harmful single-use plastics • Implementing the most ambitious nature conservation plan in the country's history • Continuing the modernization of the Official Languages Act • Making historic investments in arts and culture, including during the COVID-19 crisis and in the most recent budget Changes in our relationship with the United States have led to profound disruptions affecting the global order, diplomatic relations, and the economy. I understand and share the Prime Minister's efforts to ensure our country First, there was no consultation with the Indigenous nations of the West Coast of British Columbia or with the provincial government, who would be greatly affected by this agreement. Furthermore, a pipeline to the West Coast would have major environmental impacts, particularly as it could cross the Great Bear Rainforest, contribute to a significant increase in climate pollution, and move Canada further away from its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Lifting the tanker ban on the West Coast would also significantly increase the risk of accidents in the region. This moratorium was established in 1972 following a unanimous vote in the House of Commons, notably because navigation in the Hecate Strait is highly dangerous. Its removal would also hinder the creation of a marine conservation area in the Great Bear Sea, a project our government has been actively developing with Indigenous partners and the government of British Columbia for several years, protecting more than 100,000 km of this ecologically sensitive region. We cannot hope to decarbonize our economy without decarbonizing the electricity sector. The proposal to exempt Alberta from the Clean Electricity Regulations in exchange for stricter industrial carbon pricing rules and the Pathways project is, in my view, a serious mistake. As shown in the analysis submitted to the House of Commons, without this regulation, the electricity sector-which has halved its pollution over the past 20 years-would return to an upward emissions trajectory. This regulation also saves lives by reducing air pollution, generates over $3 billion in healthcare savings, and ultimately reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 182 million tonnes. Finally, over the past few months, several elements of the climate action plan I worked on as Minister of the Environment have been, or are about to be, dismantled: the consumer carbon pricing, the Zero Emission Vehicle standard, the oil and gas sector emissions cap, the framework to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, and the Clean Electricity Regulations. In my view, these measures remain essential to our climate action plan. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the citizens of Laurier-Sainte-Marie for the trust they have placed in me since 2019. I will continue to represent them as their Liberal Member of Parliament with dedication. I also thank the Prime Minister for the honor of serving in his cabinet and as his lieutenant in Quebec. When I entered politics, it was because I had a deep conviction that I could make a difference in fighting climate change and protecting our environment. My commitment to leaving a better world for the future of our children and our planet remains unchanged. Steven Guilbeault Member of Parliament for Laurier-Sainte-Marie
November 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
eatthatbee.bsky.social
telling my students that AI will damn their souls
vulture.com Vulture @vulture.com · 1d
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
ashleighweeden.bsky.social
Dan Levy openly says that Schitt's Creek would not have survived anywhere except the CBC because it was weird and took a season or so to find its feet... Just for reference if you wanna know the ROI on this approach to supporting creative things.
coelasquid.bsky.social Kelly Turnbull @coelasquid.bsky.social · 1d
Canada made weird tv shows because it was all being done with government funded art grant money so they fell in this wacky middle ground between “shoestring budget” and “no expectation to generate shareholder value” which is really the best way to make art
November 27, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
lauropea.bsky.social
why is it called titular duke and not burner herzog
November 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
juliawalworth.bsky.social
There is still time to apply for the position of Fellow Librarian at All Souls College Oxford (deadline is 5 December).

Read more: www.asc.ox.ac.uk/fellow-libra...
Please spread the word--this is a special opportunity!
Fellow Librarian | All Souls College
www.asc.ox.ac.uk
November 24, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
illdottore.bsky.social
my most butlerian jihad coded belief is that we should probably make it illegal – and more importantly, we should work toward a cultural consensus that it is immoral – to design a computer program whose interface uses the first person
November 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
ladyhistorian.bsky.social
I'm so tired of people telling me to have students critique LLM outputs. I'm just going to print this on little cards and hand them out
sonjadrimmer.bsky.social Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 3d
I will add the following: our students lack the research skills required to audit an LLM essay for errors. They don’t arrive on campus with these skills; we teach it to them over four long years. So throwing freshmen in the deep end and saying “swim your way to a shore of rectitude” is folly.
November 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
tryangregory.bsky.social
Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science.
Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science.
Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science.
Fund the scientists who are already here. Fund basic science.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Is this the moment Canada gets serious about science and the economy?
The federal budget includes $1.7-billion to attract international researchers and support Canadian R&D and IP protections
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
rbreich.bsky.social
Socialism is what they called public power.

Socialism is what they called social security.

Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.

Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.

—Harry Truman, 1952
November 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
yvanspijk.bsky.social
The English word ‘blue’ is a horse of a different colour.

While ‘blue’ is related to the words in its Germanic sister languages, such as German ‘blau’ and Swedish ‘blå’, it took a different route.

Its Germanic ancestor was loaned to French, where it became ‘bleu’, and then borrowed into English:
November 23, 2025 at 5:36 PM
barootes.bsky.social
Your own.
Personal.
. . .
November 23, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
emmettmacfarlane.com
Fucking idiotic. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta government eyes AI to write legislation for 1st time | CBC News
The Alberta government is considering using AI technology to write a law for the first time, eyeing a forthcoming piece of whisky legislation as its test case.
www.cbc.ca
November 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM
barootes.bsky.social
A query for my DOE and general Early English scholar friends:

Are the Trinity Homilies (Trinity Coll. B.14.52) considered OLD ENGLISH? They're cited in the MED, too.... They're 12th-c, right?

Bit confused here. (I blame Richard Morris, in part.)
November 23, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social
I am pretty sure that when Merv Leitch and Peter Lougheed first created the notwithstanding clause, they didn’t mean it to be deployed to bully and oppress literal school children. #ableg #abpoli #TransRightsAreHumanRights #Alberta #notwithstandingclause
Alberta to invoke notwithstanding clause to shield 3 transgender bills from court challenges | CBC News
The Alberta government has tabled legislation that seeks to invoke the notwithstanding clause to shield a suite of bills that affects transgender youth and adults from legal challenges.
www.cbc.ca
November 18, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
acyn.bsky.social
AOC: Should this AI bubble pop, we should not be entertaining a bailout of these corporations while healthcare is being denied to Americans and SNAP is being denied to Americans —
November 18, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
sonjadrimmer.bsky.social
Indeed we are!
yaelrice.bsky.social Yael Rice @yaelrice.bsky.social · 9d
UMass-Amherst is hiring “a specialist in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world” !
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Details - Assistant Professor - History of Art & Architecture | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 18, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
theturner.bsky.social
Let’s be clear on this: Danielle Smith is ripping up the Charter of Rights & Freedoms to take away rights from the most vulnerable people in Alberta. And she’s doing it to protect herself from the militant wing of her own party, nothing more. Hope it’s all she’s ever remembered for in the long run
November 18, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
yaelrice.bsky.social
UMass-Amherst is hiring “a specialist in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world” !
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Details - Assistant Professor - History of Art & Architecture | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
meakoopa.bsky.social
AI slop now making up saccharine Bible verses that do not exist
HOLY BIBLE Holy Bible © @Holy_Bible1 Follow Matthew 18:19 MATTHEW 18:19 "He prayed for her, she prayed for him and God smiled knowing that their names are already written next to each other."
July 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
anamariecox.bsky.social
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
jackjenkins.me Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 13d
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
journodale.bsky.social
Alberta premier says loss of measles elimination status concerning, urges vigilance
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
November 14, 2025 at 11:30 PM
barootes.bsky.social
I'm grading (probably) my favourite HEL assignment right now, "The Roots of the Mountain: An Etymological and Lexicographic Assignment," and the words the students have selected are great:

Evil
Discourse
Gross
Travel
Pirate
Film
Girl

and more
November 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by B.S.W. Barootes
linkletter.org
I have been dreaming of this day for over five years. Proctorio’s lawsuit against me is forever over. I’ve won my life back!

linkletter.org/update-33-th...
Update #33: The lawsuit is over! | Stand Against Proctorio's SLAPP!
linkletter.org
November 13, 2025 at 11:49 PM