Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by keri

Kristy Baxter @kbax.bsky.social · 2h

G'nite!

NYPL
1900/1930

postcard with a little girl in pink nightgown and red witch's hat riding a broom with a black cat on the straw part. Behind her is a low city skyline with starry sky stretching above, and a large full moon silhouetting the girl, with the words "jolly halloween". The message "may fortune smile on you" is in the bottom right corner.

keri @keristars.bsky.social · 9m

i really hate when it seems to be getting better? and then i lean forward very slightly to grab something and I'm suddenly in a violent coughing fit.

like, no, that's not a helpful way to fix the lack of air, lungs!!!

so very sympathies for you! it really sucks.

Reposted by keri

Leilani (she/her) @glittergremlei.bsky.social · 19h

#KeepEyesOnSudan & please direct funds to Sudanese civilian lead efforts. No one should be without medicine, (nourishing) food, clean drinking water, & safe accommodations.

Nisrin Elamin @nisrinelamin.bsky.social · 22h

The Sudan Solidarity Collective is doing a big fundraising push to support our partners in El Fashir to support food distribution, evacuation and medications.

Please help us boost our support. Please share and donate 👇🏾 .

sudansolidarity.com

Home - Sudan Solidarity Collective

Solidarity with Sudan! Support the Emergency Response Rooms doing life saving work in Sudan by donating to the Sudan Solidarity Fund. Workshops4Sudan is a new fundraising initiative of the Sudan Solid...

sudansolidarity.com

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 15m

i will NOT be adding salt to the pretzels, even if little packets were helpfully included in the box. we all know what happened last time (sliced a huge chunk out of the roof of my mouth) (those salt pieces need a safety warning!!!)

Reposted by keri

Kate Atherley @kateatherley.bsky.social · 12h

In which Ashleigh-ellan Kavanagh and I have a fabulous conversation about the mathematics of knitting, and my upcoming book. (You can read/listen with a free subscription) Podcast and article. ashleighellan.substack.com/p/counting-t...

Counting the Stitches: The Secret Poetry of Knitting Mathematics

What cheese sandwiches can teach us about counting stitches, solving problems, and finding beauty in knitting maths.

ashleighellan.substack.com

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 20m

i got some of those frozen pretzels yesterday, and I'm having a difficult time, because i don't have any cheese dip for them. 🥲 it's a terrible craving. can anyone go by auntie annie's and pick up a few. (lol, but also 🤔)

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 7h

I like how you put it: respectful to both faith and its absence.

I always say it's a movie that can't be made in Hollywood, where anything about religion is supposed to either demonize it or make it the purest good, no real chance for nuance or even just leaving the question open.

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Reposted by keri

Laura Bifano @bifanoland.bsky.social · 10h

They look very cute side by side.

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 9h

You're assuming Fred is the putative father, and not the hot grocery delivery guy?

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Reposted by keri

Bevis Musson @bevismusson.bsky.social · 13h

You know what, let's do the Annual Mister Global National Costume thread tonight after all. Usual rules apply - this is all in fun, this isn't about the contestants looks or making fun of them, it's about the costumes and appreciating them (or, you know, making fun of them...)

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Reposted by keri

Chris Farnell is behind you right now @thebrainofchris.bsky.social · 16h

You can only have so many tech billionaire supervillains before someone dresses up as their favourite animal to conceal their identity as they try to help people.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

“I’m worried about my community… I’m out here in a frog costume to show how ridiculous the notion that we’re violent terrorists is, and showcase how that narrative is wrong…”

Serious Q: is it too late to give this dude the Nobel Peace Prize? 🐸 🏆

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Reposted by keri

cupofmin @cupofmin.bsky.social · 15h

All of the teabag bookmarks from my September collection are still available! 🫖🍂 Mushrooms, animals, flowers... There must be one that is exactly your cup of tea! (pun very much intended).

Bookmark shaped like a teabag, with a red mushroom and hedgehog embroidered on it.

Bookmark shaped like a teabag, with acorns embroidered on it.

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 9h

also the synopsis about "Christine makes a pilgrimage in hopes of a miracle" is wrong! She is taking advantage of a Catholic pilgrims program to travel to different places, free and with nurses/carers.

that's part of what makes it interesting, the *business* of the church vs faith

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 9h

it's streaming on Kanopy, if you have access.

The frankness of the disability depiction, the way it shows Christine getting angry, but doesn't pity her or turn her into an inspirational model is something i really like.

mostly though, the whole Catholic Church/Lourdes shrine stuff is so good

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 9h

sorry to tangent at you, but are you able to watch movies/with subtitles?

because i was reminded of the French movie LOURDES this week, and I feel like you would appreciate it, too? if you've seen it? (it's one of my favorite movies ever) (the way it depicts Catholicism is 🔥, also disability)

The Kanopy listing for the movie Lourdes, from 2009. The top photo is of a woman in a red bucket hat in front of a row of prayer candles. She has a neutral expression, maybe even resting bitch face.

The synopsis:
Afflicted with multiple sclerosis, Christine makes a pilgrimage to the holy site of Lourdes in hopes of a miracle. Among thousands of ailed visitors, she proceeds through the well-oiled machinery of the religious tourist destination until the unbelievable happens: she is suddenly able to walk. As Christine becomes the object of wonder and envy, bolstering and testing the faith of her fellow pilgrims, the question remains whether all is as it seems.

A personal favorite of Martin Scorsese, Jessica Hausner's acclaimed third feature distills the central theme of her filmography: the contentious gray area between faith and fact.

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 15h

in the low, rainy autumn light, when i open or move my tablet, the paint i added to the cover shimmers a bit, and I'm so glad i did it. it's a nice little modification. Just a tiny sip of beauty when i see it.

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 16h

i just love the movie so much.

keri @keristars.bsky.social · 16h

LOURDES doesn't pity the MC or treat her as an inspiration. Her life is constrained by MS and pain/paralysis, but she still travels Europe! and she's allowed to get angry about her limitations without that defining her.

And it's all twirled up with the story of Lourdes, the shrine there. 🥹

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 16h

the first time i saw it, i was sick but not yet a wheelchair user or even bed-tethered. the second time, it hit differently. the only other depiction of disability I've seen that's as frank and real-feeling is the one about the returning WW2 veterans. (but maybe i need to see more!)

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 17h

the last time I watched it, I posted here about it. i felt very seen? both my disabled self and the cradle catholic one.

maybe that's why i want to watch again, for the feeling of seeing myself in the movies. plus I've been thinking about religion a lot this week.

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 17h

if you've never seen it, you should! it's French which may be a barrier, but is very worth it if you can manage the subtitles.

the way it depicts disability! the complex relationship with the catholic church! (it is very not the american movie dichotomy of fully pure or fully corrupt!)

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 17h

idk why but somehow this week has me feeling like i need to watch LOURDES again.

i mean, i know why it has come to mind, but idk why the need to watch. (i love that movie so much, but I'm not really someone who rewatches things!)

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 17h

oops-a-daisy

Le Monde in English @english.lemonde.fr · 17h

US government shutdown begins to undermine the country's economy

With no budget agreement being reached in the Senate, the US federal government has been shut down since October 1. Over 600,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and some could have back pay withheld.

www.lemonde.fr

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keri @keristars.bsky.social · 20h

There's a section about speech that i bookmarked specifically to screencap for y'all because it does not like the New Yorker accent lol

keri @keristars.bsky.social · 20h

the back of the Tyrol book actually had advertisements for other books for young people from Estes & Lauriat! i wish the LOC rebinding had also preserved the maps from the cover lining. BUT one book is "The Correct Thing" and if you need 1881 etiquette rules for making calls, i gotchu

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