Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Catherine Fletcher

@cathfletcher.bsky.social

10K followers 1.6K following 1.6K posts

Writing history, usually in Manchester, when possible in Italy. 'Renaissance skulduggery' - The Guardian. THE ROADS TO ROME out now. Coming April 26: THE FIREARM REVOLUTION.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · Sep 1

SEPTEMBER SPECIAL!

Back to work today, but with the happy news that THE ROADS TO ROME is only 99p on Kindle all month so you can get away from it all in virtual fashion and enjoy the ancient routes.

www.amazon.co.uk/Roads-Rome-H...

Cover of THE ROADS TO ROME on a Kindle, with image of straight Roman road running between pine trees towards a distant city.

9 31 74

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 1h

In my experience pharmacists are often pretty flexible about the rules if you're a confused foreigner - it's worth dropping by a big city branch and seeing if they can help.

1 1

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 21h

MPs having a second job isn't a bad thing in principle, but there should be a limit of one day a week. Enough for someone to keep up with workplace tech etc if they get kicked out after 5 years.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 23h

Well the breakfast will easily absorb several of these

Absolutely massive plate of French toast with mixed berries and sausages (by Euro standards, for all i know this is normal in the US)

1 10

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 23h

At a conference and the hotel is offering Breakfast Cocktails and you know, with the state of academia today...

Small sign with images of cocktails advertising a Mimosa or Bloody Mary for $6

8 1 51

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 1d

Also been there, annoying British guy refused to rent us a motorbike because it was "off-season" (like hello, you are a winter sun resort) but we found a nice Greek garage owner who was happy to oblige.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 2d

I didn't know you worked on Bryce. I ran across him when I was writing Roads to Rome, approvingly comparing British roads and railways in India to their ancient predecessors.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 4d

gold-plated FOMO in action

2 5

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 5d

There's been a majority here in favour of bringing it back for almost the whole period since its abolition: www.amsr.org.uk/is-support-f...

Is support for capital punishment growing? - AMSR

Is support for capital punishment growing? AMSR Stories -

www.amsr.org.uk

1 2

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 6d

Okay but what if they really were the same person?

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 6d

Not sufficiently to get their act together and hire someone!

1 1

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 6d

When I had a very junior job at BBC News in Westminster 25 years ago, our bosses routinely complained that politicians did interviews with Sky before they came to us. We tried in vain to explain that this was not a Murdoch conspiracy but simply because Sky had a full-time make-up artist.

mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 6d

I think the biggest bang-for-your-buck on basically any video shoot is hiring a professional hair and makeup person. People spend money on all kinds of wacky shit that would be better spent on having someone dedicated to "does the person standing in front of the camera look ok"

Morgan Clendaniel @mclendaniel.bsky.social · 6d

A funny thing about the switch to increasingly high production video podcasts is they all invested in bright lights but no make up and everyone on a video podcast is the shiniest person you’ve ever seen. Even the Times’ podcasts!

2 1 28

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 6d

bargain price for our next miniatures show

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Is the answer 'have stacks of cash'?

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Enjoying the niche Tudor taxation joke in this FT illustration.

Investors could face a bonfire night surprise on Trump tariffs

The legal tussle over the president’s trade policy is a result of the way he wields power

www.ft.com

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

We have some, yes! We're hoping to donate them to the Baptist Missionary Society archive at Regents Park College which already has some of my grandad's more professional letters.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

He was in Calcutta as a missionary and she was in Halifax (UK). They'd met before but had a whole romance by correspondence before he proposed and she went out there (on a ship, in wartime) to get married having not seen him for five years!

1 1

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Properly kitted out to do some shooting with all his little powder cartridges strung across his chest.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Those hen parties in the rooftop pool can get quite out of hand.

Reposted by Catherine Fletcher

If you know you know @privatechand.bsky.social · 7d

We all suspected this but it’s incredible to see a systematic study on the automation of caste bias in GPT-5. The harm is immense, especially when we consider India is already OpenAI’s second largest market. Screenshots of findings that will haunt me below www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/01/1...

OpenAI is huge in India. Its models are steeped in caste bias.

www.technologyreview.com

1 19 32

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

probably because they're negotiating an exclusive product placement deal with a different arms manufacturer

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

The next time I watch a restoration comedy I shall expect to see the characters going for a kebab.

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

My grandparents did one of these in 1944!

1 1

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Read all about the history in THE FIREARM REVOLUTION, out in April 26 and now up for pre-order: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

The Firearm Revolution

A groundbreaking account of how firearms changed Europe and the world

press.princeton.edu

1 4 7

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Some of the earliest gun laws I've been reading from sixteenth-century Europe made a point of banning guns from markets, their equivalent of today's malls.

Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 7d

I was JUST THINKING the one thing that could improve my restaurant dining experience is more guns

Supreme Court takes case that could allow more guns in malls and restaurants | CNN Politics

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide if states may bar people from carrying guns on private property without permission from the property owner, wading into a thorny Second Amendment dispute that...

www.cnn.com

2 6 20

Catherine Fletcher @cathfletcher.bsky.social · 7d

Great to see almost 130 delegates registered for the @sochistorywar.bsky.social conference in Potsdam next month. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

1 3