Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 1h

It's not that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, it's that the left hand doesn't even know what the left hand is doing

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Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social · 4h

Some of these people have now been fired and rehired TWICE since January. The current state of dysfunction is mind boggling.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 6h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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cow tools daily @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social · 1d

it's not FOR us

edited comic panel. Batman is breaking a lump-with-handle cow tool over his knee and saying "this is the tool of the cow. we do not understand it. we will not use it."

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Cars are still bad @jondoesnotexist.bsky.social · 1d

“Everyone who is rich enough or close enough to reactionary politics is effectively in a cult with beliefs loonier than the median Heaven’s Gate member” is a relatively straightforward description of the current moment. I don’t know how we live like this

Craig Harrington @craigipedia.bsky.social · 1d

I dunno, man... I dunno. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 1d

This is shoot-yourself-in-the-kneecaps level lunacy from a maladministration which is determined to see ideology triumph over logic, over prudence, over everything.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 1d

Extremely bad news if true (and unlikely this reporter would run with it if not). The MMWR has been the earliest warning bell for outbreaks since it announced the first US cases, in 1981, of what was later identified as AIDS.

This will be a grievous shock to what remains of US public health.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Vanessa is the name of the Doctor! @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 1d

Checking my 'great ideas' notes from the pub last night and the one new item is "Dr Butter's Boardroom Bones" - a velvet bag of scrying bones, for you to throw on the table and consult yourself every time a colleague says they "asked chatGPT and..."

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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 1d

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a frog with a cape over there
Tellin me, I got to beware

You better stop, children
What’s that sound?
Everybody look, they’re croaking now

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

I want you to listen to this song, 'Feel Good', released on their eponymous debut album, 49 years after they started.

And please remember the Ace of Cups, the next time someone comments that it's pointless to try for something once you're past a certain age.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KqP...

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Ace of Cups – Feel Good [Official Video]

YouTube video by High Moon Records

www.youtube.com

Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

The Ace of Cups disbanded in 1972. Life went on.
Then they were offered another recording deal.

In 2016.

This time, they accepted the contract. They reformed, with four of the five original members: Mary Gannon, Mary Ellen Simpson, Diane Vitalich, and Denise Kaufman.

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

How did it go for the Ace of Cups?
They had some local success, sometimes headlining, sometimes as support acts, and they did some spots on local TV and radio.
But they didn't want to get tied into nationwide touring, so they turned down the recording deals offered to them.

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

The Ace of Cups was a five-piece rock band that formed in San Francisco, in 1967.
I've seen reports stating that SF, at that time, had well over 1500 bands, all trying to ride the crest of the Summer of Love.
But the Ace of Cups was a bit unusual: all five musicians were women.

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

A thread:
I went down a YouTube/Wikipedia rabbit hole yesterday, and learnt an interesting piece of sixties musical history, about the Ace of Cups.

(And yes, there will be a music clip at the end of this.)

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Kaleidotrope @kaleidotrope.bsky.social · 2d

“You don’t understand, AI levels the playing field, allows anyone to create.”

No. You know what actually does that? Being alive.

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

'bad escalator' was projection

Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 2d

In the spirit of trans-Tasman camaraderie, I can confirm this is also best practice in Australia

Hayden Donnell @haydendonnell.bsky.social · 3d

experiencing a swell of patriotism over our officials repeatedly losing secret government documents at second hand stores

RNZ: Confidential Wellington council documents found by man in mayoral desk bought from dump

Newsroom: Secret defence notes pointing to sensitive China preparation left at op shop

Nothing happened for a year. Then in August 2025 a shopper browsing through a pile of op shop goods made a most surprising discovery. The trove of secret documents from the Portsmouth meetings had been accidentally donated to a Hutt Valley Salvation Army store.

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Stu Barrow @functionary.bsky.social · 3d

If the industry can be killed by asking permission from artists it should be killed by asking permission from artists.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 3d

can't even get twelve-month years any more, because of woke

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 3d

um hang five that's not a word

Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Fred Kiesche 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 🇩🇰 @fredkiesche.bsky.social · 3d

I apologize in advance for the stupid ads on the site, but, hey, SF types…

phys.org/news/2025-10...

General relativity could make life possible on planets orbiting white dwarfs

In the hunt for extraterrestrial life, we usually look for planets orbiting sun-like stars and icy moons. But there is another possible candidate—planets circling white dwarfs, the hot, dense remnants...

phys.org

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 3d

Sibelius, whose first compositions were written in the 1880s, could conceivably have heard Buddy Holly's 'That'll Be The Day', released in July 1957.

KJ Charles @kjcharleswriter.com · 3d

Thomas Hardy did watch the first movie version of Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson could have written some of his poems with a biro.

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Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Monster-Theory Medium Dave @azzageddi.myatproto.social · 4d

This is AJ Link, known here as Łink. He's awesome. He's been permabanned for basically just making the CEO, Jay Graber, mad. This was a monumentally stupid decision that, AFAICT, may result in the collapse of Bluesky due to a loss of trust, but we'll see. The smart thing to do would be to #FreeŁink

Thinking Person's Guide to Autism @thinkingautism.com · 5d

“As a neurodiversity advocate and as an autistic person, I’m really grateful for so much of the work that’s been done that allows me to be myself and to be successful being myself.” Link, who has been *banned*!?!? from this platform?

thinkingautismguide.com/2025/06/spac... #AutisticWhileBlack

Space Law, Race, and Neurodiversity: Autistic Advocate AJ Link

We live in a country & society that is built on racism. The neurodivergent community isn't free of that racism—per Autistic advocate AJ Link.

thinkingautismguide.com

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Reposted by Simon Petrie (he/him)

Liam Hogan @liamhogan.id.au · 4d

One of the conspirators who helped Gavrilo Princip shoot Archduke Franz Ferdinand survived to see the breakup of Yugoslavia. He could conceivably have watched the Neighbours episode where Scott and Charlene got married

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 4d

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 4d

An all-time classic!

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Simon Petrie (he/him) @fomalhaut451.bsky.social · 4d

It's so distinct.
There aren't that many recordings where just a two-second sound-grab is enough for full identification, but this would definitely be one of them.

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