Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 5h

Wonderful to hear the Tallis Scholars at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday - I got there by ferry from a friends house in Balmain for a glorious concert

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 6h

I can still remember the landline phone number I had fourteen years ago…

bleary @bleary.off-the-records.com · 13h

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Did people really memorize phone numbers before cell phones, or is that just a movie thing?
2? Questions
I was watching some old shows from the 90s and noticed people would just dial numbers from memory - like they'd call their friends or family without looking anything up.
Made me wonder if that was actually normal back then? Did people genuinely have all their important numbers memorized, or did most folks keep a little address book or written list nearby?

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 7h

This shocking deal is a gross betrayal of millions of voters - The Australia Institute australiainstitute.org.au/post/this-sh...

This shocking deal is a gross betrayal of millions of voters

I've been lucky enough to complete a few multi-day hikes overseas in the past few years. Every morning, I woke up in my tent with the feeling that

australiainstitute.org.au

Reposted by Marilyn C

David Tomkins @davidctomkins.bsky.social · 20h

Researchers in Leeds have joined experts from across the world in warning that Earth is reaching the first of many climate tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm without urgent action.
#climatecrisis #tippingpoint #auspol www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...

‘New reality’ as world reaches first climate tipping point

Researchers in Leeds have joined experts from across the world in warning that Earth is reaching the first of many climate tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm without urgent action.

www.leeds.ac.uk

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Jonathan Green @greenj.bsky.social · 23h

This is a choice we make as a society. What does that say about you and me?

Penny Allman-Payne @pennyallmanpayne.com · 1d

🚨 BREAKING: Brand new @ACOSS report finds 1 in 7 Australians are living in poverty, including 757,000 children. Millions of families are struggling while our leaders sit on their hands and let it happen.

Poverty in Australia 2025: Overview – Poverty and Inequality

povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au

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1EarthMedia @1earthmedia.bsky.social · 22h

Naturalist Charles Darwin first spied a platypus in the Cox's River, leading him to question the idea of a single creator.

Locals say the shy creatures have disappeared from the area, where "unnaturally high" salinity levels are being recorded.

#auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

Platypus vanish from river where Charles Darwin pondered evolution

Almost 190 years on, in the place where Charles Darwin first spotted a platypus, the egg-laying mammal seems to have disappeared.

www.abc.net.au

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 1d

I never thought of microfibre cloths being dangerously : but of course! Will stop using them

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Abigail Spanberger @abigailspanberger.com · 1d

My opponent voted against protecting the right to buy birth control.

Virginia, as Governor, I will sign the Right to Contraception Act into law.

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The Resister Linda Cardwell 🦋💙 @cardwell4u.bsky.social · 1d

This arrived in Idaho where the Qatari base is located.

It reminds me of the Trojan Horse.

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Just ‘Steve’ 💙 @steveplou.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, what to do, what to do…

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 1d

Scary stuff - it’s possible you have a teaspoon of microplastics in your brain

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2d

How microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds.

“The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do.”

Microplastics like those from car tires. The bigger and heavier the vehicle, the more microplastics shed.

The plastic inside us: how microplastics may be reshaping our bodies and minds

The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do

www.theguardian.com

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 4d

Sometimes we need a moment, but if you tune out completely, they win. Fascism doesn’t need your support, just your silence.

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

More than 23 million Americans are currently enrolled in Obamacare plans, and nearly all of them will face higher health care costs next year if extra federal funding for subsidies expires, as scheduled, on Dec. 31.

Obamacare Enrollment by State: Most Enrollees Live in Republican Areas

Millions of Americans depend on Obamacare. Here's where they live.

nyti.ms

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 3d

Or spelling WORLD backwards

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Rachel Withers @rachelwithers.bsky.social · 4d

Imagine kicking the former national rugby captain out of your sports club instead of the gambling lobby.

To paraphrase Groucho Marx, who'd want to belong to a club that would accept Responsible Wagering Australia as one of its sponsors?

Bill Browne @browne90.bsky.social · 4d

Making his point for him -- just asking about the power of the gambling lobby gets Senator David Pocock booted from sports club the Prime Minister heads. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Former Wallabies star David Pocock booted from parliamentary sports club

Exclusive: Senator accused of bringing social club into disrepute after raising concerns about its association with betting lobby

www.theguardian.com

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Paul Bongiorno @paulbongiorno.bsky.social · 4d

Source: The Monthly
The appointment of Bretton to the NACC candidates on many levels and just not the conflict of interest issues.
A black letter lawyer who is unwilling to name and shame corruption, the very essence of a corruption commission.

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Hayden Starr @haydenstarr.bsky.social · 4d

After five years at the @australiainstitute.org.au, I'm hanging up my posting gloves.

It's been a privilege working with such an incredible bunch of brave and brilliant people. Thanks to you all for making it so special.

For my last newsletter, I put in a few words of my own ⤵️

Gas exporters pay no tax (again) | Between the Lines

The Wrap with Hayden Starr For the last five years I've worked behind the scenes, helping communicate the Australia Institute's research online and on

australiainstitute.org.au

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Nadia @nadiagrtt.bsky.social · 4d

An Australian chemist just won the Nobel prize. Here’s how his work is changing the world
theconversation.com/an-australia...

An Australian chemist just won the Nobel prize. Here’s how his work is changing the world

Richard Robson was struck by an idea in 1989. Decades later, his story shows the importance of fundamental science.

theconversation.com

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 4d

I just don’t understand why the ANU claimed it was having a financial crisis !

The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 4d

New Australia Institute analysis reveals there is no financial crisis at the Australian National University.

Audited accounts show the ANU made a $90 million surplus in 2024 and increased the value of its net assets.

#auspol @richarddenniss.bsky.social

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 4d

Hard to see how Trump meets the criteria

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 4d

As we wait for the announcement tonight, let's unpack how the awards work.

Who decides the Nobel Peace Prize?

As we wait for the announcement tonight, let's unpack how the awards work.

www.abc.net.au

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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 4d

"The green paper argues Australia’s heavy reliance on income tax revenue is placing an unfair and growing burden on younger working Australians."

Except...err we are not overly reliant on taxing income
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Graph showing Australia is the 7th least reliant on personal income taxes in the OECD

Chart showing Australia is at the avge in the OECD for reliance on personal and company income taxes.

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 4d

Fascinating that you have to go underground to search for dark matter in the universe

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 4d

Deep underground in an old gold mine in regional Victoria, scientists enter a worldwide race to understand the composition of dark matter.

Inside the experiment that could change our understanding of the universe

Deep underground in an old gold mine in regional Victoria, scientists enter a worldwide race to understand the composition of dark matter.

www.abc.net.au

Reposted by Marilyn C

Stilgherrian @stilgherrian.com · 4d

“In an escalating cat-and-mouse game, job hunters are trying to fool AI into moving their applications to the top of the pile with embedded instructions.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/b... (gift link)

Recruiters Use A.I. to Scan Résumés. Applicants Are Trying to Trick It.

www.nytimes.com

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ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 5d

Dolly Parton has taken to social media to hose down speculation about her health after a comment from her sister sent fans into a tailspin.

'Do I look sick to you?' Dolly Parton reassures fans after scare

Dolly Parton has taken to social media to hose down speculation about her health after a comment from her sister sent fans into a tailspin.

www.abc.net.au

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Marilyn C @lyrebird1.bsky.social · 5d

Love it

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · 5d

A lifetime sailor says his experience problem-solving with limited resources helped figure out how to rescue a galah trapped in an 8-metre-tall power pole.

Mates take matters into their own hands to rescue trapped galah

A lifetime sailor says his experience problem-solving with limited resources helped figure out how to rescue a galah trapped in an 8-metre-tall power pole.

www.abc.net.au