Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 7h

It used to be common but not anymore. smartpeopleiknow.com/2023/08/26/w...

Whatever happened to Marechal Foch wines in Ontario?

I often wondered whatever happened to wines based on the Marechal Foch varietal in Ontario. In the 1980s it was quite common to find winemakers selling it. As wikipedia describes it: Marechal…

smartpeopleiknow.com

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 11h

Glad Malivoire still uses this varietal: not many do anymore though it used to be common in Canada. Really good too

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 11h

I’ve gotten mustard and hot sauce in my takeout bag before. I just decided to improve it! 😊

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 16h

Worth watching.

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 19h

Federal agents aren’t trying to keep the peace. They want violence to escalate so that Trump can declare martial law.

They shot a reverend in the head with pepper balls while he was praying in front of an ICE facility. If that doesn’t tell you where we are as a country, nothing will.

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 17h

Ty for that. From the halcyon days of my young adulthood.

Reposted by Bernie Michalik

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18h

Among the long list of political adversaries President Trump has targeted in his second term are several Black women in powerful positions. Attorney General Letitia James of New York, who brought a civil case against Trump and won, is the latest.

Letitia James Is Among Prominent Black Women Targeted by Trump

Fani T. Willis, a district attorney who brought election interference charges against Mr. Trump, and Lisa Cook, who serves on the Federal Reserve Board, have also been investigated.

nyti.ms

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 17h

Whether it’s the frogs or this, Portland protesters have successfully met the moment.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18h

#WarRavagedPortland

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 18h

ha! I was thinking that same thought!

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 18h

Some billionaire is going to create a American/Word/Universal Peace Prize and give it to him somehow. It will be bigger and have lots of gold.

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 18h

Once more having Cholula, Dijon and soy sauce on my dumplings and it is great.

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 18h

Paul Krugman nails it best, I believe, here paulkrugman.substack.com/p/bailing-ou...

Bailing out Bessent’s Buddies’ Bets on Argentina

Trump bails out hedge funds’ failed bets on Milei while his foreign aid cuts will kill millions of children

paulkrugman.substack.com

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 19h

I've been thinking of this argument that @pkrugman.bsky.social put forward for why the U.S. is bailing out Argentina. It's appropriately cynical, and Occam and his razor would approve paulkrugman.substack.com/p/bailing-ou...

Bailing out Bessent’s Buddies’ Bets on Argentina

Trump bails out hedge funds’ failed bets on Milei while his foreign aid cuts will kill millions of children

paulkrugman.substack.com

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 20h

It's a minature version of the Paperclip Problem!

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 20h

Good to see MIT standing up like this.

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · 20h

BREAKING: MIT Rejects Trump’s Sweeping ‘Compact’ Offering Colleges Funding Advantages

* The school became the first university to reject the terms, saying they would undermine independence

* UT Austin, on the other hand, has indicated enthusiasm for the proposal

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

MIT Rejects Trump’s Sweeping ‘Compact’ Offering Colleges Funding Advantages

In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the proposal—called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”— would restrict freedom of expression and MIT’s independence.

www.wsj.com

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 20h

Incredible.

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 21h

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 22h

Good thread. I've been to the Fisher once and it brought upon me the feelings I get going to a great cathedral. (You could argue it too is a cathedral of a different kind.)

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 22h

Yesterday I took my students on a field trip to the mothership: the Thomas Fisher rare book library at U of T (the head of Roberts’ brutalist peacock). Cool open to the public display drawing from collection. Atwood’s original Handmaid’s draft et al.

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 23h

Ha! Yes.

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 23h

It’s striking to see the Silicon Valley recycle UK politicians.

Tom Warren @tomwarren.co.uk · 1d

former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken on a "senior adviser" role at Microsoft and Anthropic www.theverge.com/news/798092/...

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 23h

For more on her, see this small thread by Doug 👇🏻

Doug Saunders @dougsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

I mean, listen to how the jury explained the prize. Not simply talking about Venezuela

bsky.app/profile/reut...

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 23h

AI is an accelerant but they’re unlikely to achieve that. That’s more like an unachievable target to be used later to justify getting rid of people.

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 23h

New from 404 Media: an internal Meta message we obtained tells employees on its metaverse team that they should be using AI to “go 5x faster”. That's 5 times faster, not 5 percent more.

www.404media.co/meta-tells-w...

Meta Tells Workers Building Metaverse to Use AI to ‘Go 5x Faster’

Meta says that its coders should be working five times faster and that it expects "a 5x leap in productivity."

www.404media.co

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 23h

Perfect. Just perfect.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 23h

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who has become a symbol of democratic resistance against an increasingly authoritarian regime, even as she has been forced into hiding and barred from holding public office. https://wapo.st/42AcHaX

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 1d

He’s building Germania en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germani...

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 1d

I am glad I live in the universe where Cash is cool. I feel sorry for the person in the alternative universe who wrote this about his uncool Johnny Cash.

Benjamin Hoffman @bhh.bsky.social · 1d

Ah yes, famously uncool singer Johnny Cash. I am glad noted arbiter of cool the Wall Street Journal is willing to reconsider his case.

Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 1d

Well at least these penguins are happy.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

Bumi the 1-year-old rockhopper penguin played during a bubble enrichment activity at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Southern rockhopper penguins, like Bumi, are listed as a vulnerable species by the World Wildlife Fund.

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Bernie Michalik @berniemichalik.ca · 1d

Good grief.

Toronto Star @thestar.com · 1d

#NEW: Ontario declares measles outbreak over after more than 2,300 infections

Ontario declares measles outbreak over after more than 2,300 infections

The spread started on Oct. 18 last year after exposure to someone who got measles in New Brunswick.

www.thestar.com