Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 16h

There’s actually a mountain range dividing the eastern and western parts of San Francisco, they don’t need a line and some bullshit about Pop music, they just need a topographical map.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 16h

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/is-a...

Is a River Alive?

Check out Is a River Alive? - <p><b>From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book – which answers a resounding <i>yes</i> to the question of its title.</...

uk.bookshop.org

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 16h

The most important and interesting book I have read this introduces this mind-bending concept, “Is a River Alive?” … I was and remain convinced.

Saunieindiego @saunieindiego.bsky.social · 16h

Colorado River Indian Tribes may grant personhood rights to 'living' river

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

Colorado River Indian Tribes may grant personhood rights to 'living' river

The Colorado River Indian Tribes may soon give their eponymous river personhood status, following moves by other tribes and Indigenous peoples.

www.azcentral.com

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 16h

Just like with the bill of rights, they like to pick and choose which commandments matter most. Nevermind that Jesus answered that question in plain language.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 17h

There’s that meme graph about the chasm of “cringe” that one must walk to reach awesomeness

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 18h

“Freedom is a pure idea” is the principle, based on incredible truth, that will bring us through this moment. Frog costumes spring up as a creative expression of the pure idea of freedom.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 18h

This is disgusting

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19h

"30-year-old conservative lawyer and activist who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which deals with federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination" cancelled his colleague's hotel room so she would be forced to stay with him.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room.

Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

Reposted by Jake Wertz

The NewsGuild-CWA @newsguild.org · 22h

NEW: L.A. Times journalists just voted to authorize the newsroom’s first open-ended strike.

Eighty-five percent of the @latguild.bsky.social voted to support the strike. Just over 200 workers — 98% of members — took part in the historic vote.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

This is not even getting into rap lyricism, which is a different ballgame but if you’re calling someone greatest living lyricist you need to recognize that “key that opened my thighs” is boring crap compared to stuff teenage basement rappers produce.

Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

Also if you think she’s a songwriter please read the Wikipedia page on Max Martin.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

Top 5 living songwriters are all over age 60 (Dylan, McCartney, Young, Mitchell, King, several other contenders).
If we’re talking about the newer generation, I put Sam Fender, Jason Isbell, Josh Ritter, Kathleen Edwards, and Ryan Adams well ahead of Taylor.

Emily, a Two-Shoes-Gooder @rebelmusicteach.bsky.social · 4d

I also need to know: I am fairly middle-of-the-road on Taylor Swift but someone I know called her the Greatest Living Lyricist. She is not.

Who is yours? Either the greatest or your favorite?

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

If 2/4 of your broadcast lineup consisted of a mediocre Yankee shortstop and the Yankee poster child of illegal steroids, solely on account of them being famous because they played for the Yankees, your program and your lineup deserve all the disrespect.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

Biggest moments of Wertz visibility? Vic Wertz hitting a deep drive to center field that Willie Mays chased down to make famous “The Catch” and the crooked cop who turned Harvey Dent’s family over to the Joker. One day we will be a winner and a good guy.

Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

Farewell to crooked Gotham cop, detective Wuertz. Always loved hearing my last name in that movie, even if he was a bad guy and Christopher Nolan spelled his name a different way.

Music Box Theatre @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social · 1d

RIP actor & Chicago native Ron Dean.

He interrogated Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE, he dropped Andy off at detention in THE BREAKFAST CLUB, he was shot by Harvey Dent in THE DARK KNIGHT, he was Marty Crane's poker buddy on FRASIER, and so much more.

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Reposted by Jake Wertz

Music Box Theatre @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social · 1d

RIP actor & Chicago native Ron Dean.

He interrogated Dr. Richard Kimble in THE FUGITIVE, he dropped Andy off at detention in THE BREAKFAST CLUB, he was shot by Harvey Dent in THE DARK KNIGHT, he was Marty Crane's poker buddy on FRASIER, and so much more.

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 1d

How’s Weiss/CBS spinning it?

Reposted by Jake Wertz

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.

This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

“College town” is an apt description of about 10% of Madison, an urban area that is home to 500,000 people, a state capital, and big industries in biotech, insurance, and healthcare

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

Having lived in Madison and Chicago, I would say that Chicago feels much more culturally akin to Madison than just about any other city in its “region”

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

Gotta stop phrasing Supreme Court affairs as questions of judgment before a court, and recognize they’re questions of action before a political body. They won’t even pretend to deliberate!

Maureen Kelleher @maureenkelleher.bsky.social · 2d

"The Supreme Court will no doubt have the last word. And the question is going to be whether the president can use a contrived crisis as a justification for sending troops into our cities."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...

Opinion | No, Trump Can’t Deploy Troops to Wherever He Wants

www.nytimes.com

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

Virginia Spiderwort growing up from the edges of my goldfish pond and blooming into mid-October 🌱

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

Real old guys recognized these buildings when they first appeared on the Wilco album even though they aren’t from Chicago.

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Reposted by Jake Wertz

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 2d

Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.

For the crime of … complaining about government policy.

Core 1A speech.

With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 2d

Here’s video of the incident

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Jake Wertz @jakewertz.bsky.social · 2d

The rainbows I see in nature are much more subdued than what’s typically represented in the art + fashion worlds. Would love to see more of this.

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Reposted by Jake Wertz

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 3d

The scenes out of Chicago should outrage us all. These federal agents are out of control, committing senseless acts of violence & putting everyone at risk.

American citizens are being detained & brutalized.

This kind of immigration "enforcement" shouldn't be acceptable to anyone.

Immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

www.pbs.org

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