Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · 2d

A Plea From Doctors: Cool It on the Supplements www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/w...

A Plea From Doctors: Cool It on the Supplements

www.nytimes.com

Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · 3d

It’s Just a Virus, the E.R. Told Him. Days Later, He Was Dead. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/w...

It’s Just a Virus, the E.R. Told Him. Days Later, He Was Dead.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

The Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 17d

Alberta’s new tax on “high value wine” from British Columbia marks the latest clash in the two provinces’ long-running wine war. @cfrangou.bsky.social, The Walrus regional correspondent for Western Canada, reports on the fallout: thewalrus.ca/the-wine-wars-ar...

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · 18d

"Now an extraordinarily successful scientific research system — one that took decades to build, has saved millions of lives and generated billions of dollars in profits for American companies and investors — is being dismantled before our eyes." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Demetre Daskalakis @drdemetre.bsky.social · Aug 28

Enough is enough. The health of the country is in danger. Read our resignation letters: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails.

The end of an era.

insidemedicine.substack.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 25

"To notice, we must care. And to care, we must be willing to be changed by what we see." Eric Markowitz required high-risk brain surgery. In its aftermath, he discovered a new way of seeing life. bigthink.com/business/bra...

What brain surgery taught me about the fragile gift of consciousness

After the trauma of brain surgery, Big Think writer Eric Markowitz discovered a kind of consciousness that lives in presence.

bigthink.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · Aug 22

Alberta announced today the COVID-19 vaccine this fall will cost us $100 per dose.

So for my family of four, that'll be $400.

Alternatively, we could spend $400 on an overnight trip to Golden or Fernie, B.C., get immunized for free, and make a little mountain vacation out of it.

Updated fall vaccine rollout
August 22, 2025 Media inquiries
Alberta’s fall immunization program will roll out in two phases to help protect those most at risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19.

Alberta’s government is updating its fall COVID-19 vaccine program into a new two-phase plan starting in October to streamline access to immunization. Phase 1 provides free vaccines to eligible Albertans, while Phase 2 makes vaccines available to everyone else for an administration fee.

“We are striking a balance between protecting vulnerable Albertans and preventing vaccine wastage. We remain committed to ensuring Albertans who are at a higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 have access to vaccines.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services
Health care workers are now also eligible for COVID-19 immunization as part of Phase 1. Offering the vaccine to health care workers helps protect vulnerable patients and maintain a strong workforce, ensuring the health system can continue delivering safe, effective care.

Those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine free of charge in Phase 1 includes:

all residents of continuing care homes and seniors supportive living accommodations
home care clients
individuals six months of age and older with underlying medical conditions and compromised immune systems, as recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
health care workers
individuals experiencing homelessness
individuals 65 and older receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit
All Albertans can use the Alberta Vaccine Booking System at alberta.ca until Sept. 30 to register for COVID-19 immunizations. Those who pre-order will receive a text or email notification in October to book an appointment and confirm eligibility. Pre-ordering for the 2025-26 season also allows Albertans to pre-order their vaccine for the 2026-27 season. Albertans who do not pre-order by Sept. 30 can still book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment once vaccines become…

Albertans can get COVID-19 vaccinations for free in B.C.
Most Albertans will have to pay for COVID vaccines this fall
Michelle Bellefontaine · CBC News · Posted: Aug 21, 2025 4:41 PM MDT | Last Updated: August 21

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 22

I'm one of the people who's lost access to their Strava account: all my training logs gone. 😭

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · Aug 21

UCP government MLAs have submitted proposals to Alberta's independent electoral boundaries commission to redraw several urban ridings and blend them with rural areas:

Proposal to redraw Alberta election boundaries draws 'gerrymandering' claim in Lethbridge | CBC News

A proposal from United Conservative Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf to carve Lethbridge into four new constituencies is being blasted by his Lethbridge counterpart in the legislature, NDP Lethbridg...

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Jen Lee @jenleecbc.bsky.social · Aug 21

Renewed calls for Alberta to offer the COVID-19 vaccine for free to all who want it, after the government reinstates coverage for health workers
Latest from me👇

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Doctors renew push for free COVID shots for more Albertans, after coverage reinstated for health workers | CBC News

Doctors are renewing their call on the Alberta government to offer the COVID-19 vaccine for free to anyone who wants it, now that the province has agreed to cover health-care workers.

www.cbc.ca

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 21

Excellent work here from @nicktsergas.ca: Some scientists say that SARS-CoV-2 can have a lasting immune effect, and the global surge in non-covid infections after pandemic restrictions were lifted should not just be written off as "immunity debt”.

Nick Tsergas @nicktsergas.ca · Aug 20

The most important part of this article, to me, is the end.

It challenges a false binary between “long COVID” and “everyone else.”

Maybe it's a spectrum... 🧵 (1/5)

www.bmj.com/content/390/...

Why scientists are rethinking the immune effects of SARS-CoV-2

“Immunity debt,” a theory to explain the global surge in non-covid infections since pandemic restrictions were lifted, is increasingly being challenged by emerging evidence. Nick Tsergas reports Myco...

www.bmj.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Alberta Magazine Publishers Association @albertamags.bsky.social · Aug 20

Break the mid-week slump with Feature Writing Long finalists @cfrangou.bsky.social & Rachel von Hahn in Summit (@mountroyalu.bsky.social‬), @klaszus.bsky.social for @sprawlcalgary.bsky.social, & Evan Osenton, Euan Thomson & @‪monicakidd.bsky.social‬ in @albertaviews.bsky.social tinyurl.com/2j7ubp75

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 15

The 2025 federal election was likely the “most poorly covered election in modern Canadian history” due to the erosion of local news and Facebook’s news ban, according to a report from @ppforumca.bsky.social. www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/why-...

Why the 2025 election was the “most poorly covered election in modern Canadian history”

A poll found 70% of Canadians said more local news in their area would have made them better informed about the election.

www.niemanlab.org

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 14

This story is so sad and shocking. Meta's standards for conversations between AI and kids would be unacceptable between human adults and kids.

Reuters @reuters.com · Aug 14

A cognitively impaired New Jersey man grew infatuated with a Meta chatbot originally created in partnership with celebrity influencer Kendall Jenner. His fatal attraction shines a light on Meta's guidelines for its AI chatbots reut.rs/45DQIRj
@jeffhorwitz.bsky.social

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 12

The Courage and Death of Anas al-Sharif: newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...

The Courage and Death of Anas al-Sharif

The Palestinian journalist’s life was devoted to truth and dignity, and his death lays bare Israel’s impunity in Gaza

newlinesmag.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 7

As Trump Administration Plans to Burn Contraceptives, Europeans Are Alarmed www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/w...

As Trump Administration Plans to Burn Contraceptives, Europeans Are Alarmed

www.nytimes.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 6

What Happened When I Tried to Replace Myself with ChatGPT in My English Classroom: Piers Gelly on a Semester-Long Dive into the AI Discourse. lithub.com/what-happene...

What Happened When I Tried to Replace Myself with ChatGPT in My English Classroom

My students call it “Chat,” a cute nickname they all seem to have agreed on at some point. They use it to make study guides, interpret essay prompts, and register for classes, turning it loose on t…

lithub.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 6

Kennedy Cancels Nearly $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Contracts www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/h...

Kennedy Cancels Nearly $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Contracts

www.nytimes.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 5

👏 to Anne-Marije Rook at @cyclingweekly.com for calling out the double standard in the coverage of the TDF Femmes this week. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot climbed into history and all we talked about was her body www.cyclingweekly.com/news/4kg-the...

4kg: the weight of a double standard. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot climbed into history and all we talked about was her body

The scrutiny of Ferrand-Prévot’s body and the ongoing double standard in sports

www.cyclingweekly.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 4

When young adults use Tiktok to keep up with current events, what kind of information are they getting? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

This Is the News From TikTok

When young adults use the social-media outlet to keep up with current events, what kind of information are they getting?

www.theatlantic.com

Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 4

Many people don't understand what journalism is or how it works, as the Jeffrey Epstein case shows. That's a big problem. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

MAGA Influencers Don’t Understand What Journalism Is

As the Jeffrey Epstein case shows, right-wing internet personalities prefer “just asking questions” to getting answers.

www.theatlantic.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Aug 4

Photojournalist Heidi Levine of the @washingtonpost.com captured rare aerial images of Gaza from a Jordanian Air Force aid flight. www.washingtonpost.com/world/intera...

Rare aerial imagery shows displacement and destruction in Gaza

Airdrop flights offered a vantage over the closed-off Gaza Strip.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · Aug 3

"One of the reasons the epidemic of violence against women is so unacknowledged is because cases like these are talked about individually, and often treated as though they are shocking aberrations rather than part of a pervasive pattern that operates at all levels of society."

The problem is far bigger than Jeffrey Epstein | Rebecca Solnit

Treating the scandal as an aberration misunderstands the global epidemic of violence against women

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Christina Frangou

HELLody SchreiBOO @melodyschreiber.com · Jul 30

As science becomes increasingly politicized and federal officials change policies on vaccination, sometimes reportedly overruling their own scientists, independent scientific groups are now stepping into the gap for evidence-based recommendations. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US medical groups fill gap with own vaccine guides amid ‘information crisis’

As official health guidance changes, scientific groups are stepping in with evidence-based recommendations

www.theguardian.com

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Christina Frangou @cfrangou.bsky.social · Jul 30

Last fall, I saw the A++ film For Winter at Banff Mountain Festival. It's about a queer climate scientist who leads a team up 🇨🇦's highest peak to capture a record-setting ice core. National Geographic has now pulled this film. @evaholland.bsky.social with the goods: defector.com/why-did-nati...

Why Did National Geographic Disappear Its Own Documentary About A Queer Climate Scientist? | Defector

If you’re not a particular kind of mountain sports nerd, you might not be familiar with the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour. But for people who live their lives in the overlapping circl...

defector.com

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