Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Kat McGowan

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

Your periodic reminder that you have the right to find out why your health insurer denied your claim.

We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim

You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...

projects.propublica.org

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Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 9d

Poster I made for the Great Midwest Crane Fest!

Flat, graphic poster of a Whooping Crane standing in the negative space of many Sandhill Cranes. The poster reads "The Great Midwest Crane Fest - Nov. 15-16, 2025 Baraboo, Wisconsin.

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 15d

As a child of the Reagan years, the fact that the *Republican Party* is expropriating shares in companies and shaking companies down while saying stuff like this is wild

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15d

BARTIROMO: The idea of government owning portions of public companies -- this is something that free-market have to get their heads around.

BESSENT: Maria, there are decisions that the US government makes that we believe are good for society

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · 15d

Good news! 🛎️
For decades, drug developers avoided Huntington's disease. The nihilism and negativity around it were stifling. No treatments, no hope.
Today's gene therapy results from UniQure look brilliant. It'd be the first ever therapy for HD! www.uniqure.com/investors-me...

Press Releases | Investors & Media

Reimagining the future of healthcare through the power of gene therapy.

www.uniqure.com

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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 16d

Health and science reporters should lead the coverage of all these health-related conspiracy theories & newsroom leaders should keep their both-sides political reporters out of their way.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 21d

I'll say it: against all expectations, the media are covering the Trump censorship story right. They're not pretending it's about Kirk, they're covering Trump as a broad threat to free press and speech, and they're speaking broadly about the stakes.

It can be done!

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Denise Brown @caregiving.bsky.social · Sep 7

Research from 1999 about #caregiving mortality has proven flawed. Why do we keep sharing it?

The Caregiving Research We Keep Sharing (And Why We Should Stop)

Research from 1999 about caregiving mortality has proven flawed. Why do we keep sharing it?

open.substack.com

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Sep 4

NEW: The beliefs & practices of religious "nones" in 22 countries: pewresearch.org/religion/202...

Related: The rise of religious "nones" as part of a global secular transition nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪

Large shares of “nones” in some countries say “there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.” For instance, 61% of “nones” in Mexico and 65% in Brazil express this belief.

Many religiously unaffiliated adults also express belief in God. This includes solid majorities of “nones” in South Africa (77%) and several countries in Latin America, such as Brazil (92%), Colombia (86%) and Chile (69%).3

Religiously unaffiliated adults in Europe and Australia are much less inclined to believe in God. Just 18% of “nones” in Australia, 10% in Sweden and 9% in Hungary are believers.

In the United States, 45% of “nones” say they believe in God, according to our 2023 survey.

Another relatively common belief among people who do not affiliate with any religion is that animals can have spirits or spiritual energies. In Greece and several Latin American countries, at least three-quarters of “nones” believe this.

In general, “nones” are somewhat more likely to say they pray than to say they light incense or candles. However, in most of the studied countries, the “nones” who pray tend to report that they do so infrequently – a few times a month or less often.

For example, just 23% of German “nones” say they ever pray. That includes 16% who pray a few times a month or less often, and 7% who say they pray weekly or more often.

Overall, “nones” are much less likely than religiously affiliated adults to engage in these practices. For instance, 72% of Christians in Germany say they ever pray, including 33% who pray at least weekly.

Many “nones” express negative views about religion’s influence on society.

For instance, in 12 of the 22 countries studied here, religiously unaffiliated adults are more likely to say religion encourages intolerance than to say it encourages tolerance. In Germany, nearly three-quarters of “nones” say religion encourages intolerance, compared with a quarter who say it encourages tolerance.

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Rabih Alameddine @rabihalameddine.bsky.social · Sep 3

Good morning, Gerhard Richter
Seestuck, 1969
oil on canvas
78 3/4 x 78 3/4 inches

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Boris Behncke @borisetneo.bsky.social · Aug 30

How does lava sound when it comes to the surface of the Earth? Listen to a lava flow oozing out of its effusive vent high on the southwestern side of #Etna, 28 August 2025. That day no visits by tourists were allowed on the site, which permitted this (relatively) clean recording

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Jay @duniagamemaster.bsky.social · Aug 25

It's Minnesota State Fair time! It's time for Minnesotan folk art! Here, for example, is Saturn Devouring His Corn, in the seed art category!

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 27

People with brain damage (strokes, dementia) make up plausible-sounding justifications for their bizarre experiences. My mom would tell me we weren't at home--clearly, somebody had moved all her stuff into this new house. I had the same feeling listening to market experts discuss Lisa Cook today.

Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 27

Don't know what you all are complaining about. AI is terrific!

A screenshot that says "AI Overview: The phrase "judge box of wine" is most likely a misspelling of Judge Jeanine Pirro, a former New York judge, prosecutor and current TV host and author. THe phrase may also refer to the act of a judge ruling on or sentencing someone regarding a box of wine..."

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Ideas Roadshow @ideasroadshow.bsky.social · Aug 25

🦒 For #mosaicmonday an early Byzantine mosaic of a giraffe & other animals, fruits & vases (?), c.450-550,

⛪ Petra, Jordan

Read/watch fascinating details about Byzantine art & culture, here: ideasroadshow.substack.com/p/byzantium-...

🗃️ #arthistory #art #Byzantine #mosaic #medievalsky #culture

An early Byzantine mosaic of a giraffe, c.450 - c.550,

An early Byzantine mosaic of animals, fruits, vases and other objects, c.450 - c.550,

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Soumya Rangarajan, MD, MPP @soumya-goblue.medsky.social · Aug 21

Much like #agriculture, where fruits and vegetables are rotting on trees, I'm waiting for the line of Americans willing to provide basic hygiene to older adults and clean infected rooms.
...but unlike the former, which causes 40% price hikes, the latter means you can't access medical care and die

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Wendy Miller @burrowingowl.bsky.social · Aug 21

Good morning! 🪶

Mom burrowing owlet glaring at the camera while three of her goofy kids stand next to her. One kid has his head tilted 90 degrees to the side and two kids are panting because it's so hot.

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 21

I love this time of year for the high levels of #bird derp—scruffy half-grown juveniles and molting adults that look like they were at the bar too late. Mr. Peanut is normally a dazzling fellow, but now he looks like a scrub

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · Aug 20

🚨Journalism job alert🚨

We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...

Senior Writer, Investigations

WIRED is where a better future is imagined. For three decades, we have been the indispensable guide to a world in constant transformation. We cover humanity’s biggest challenges, from climate change t...

condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 20

Not for nothing, but the way some of the press releases in my inbox are written, I long for the day AI replaces these knuckleheads.

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 19

North Carolina proposes 10% cuts in Medicaid payments to nursing homes in the wake of the reconciliation bill. Nationwide, Medicaid pays for 63% of long-term nursing home stays. Four out of five *middle-class* people who need care >5 years will go on Medicaid.
www.mcknights.com/news/nursing...

Nursing homes face 10 percent rate cut as states begin to grapple with federal Medicaid rollbacks

Providers are facing a 10% decline in state reimbursement as NC leaders grapple with a $319 million Medicaid shortfall.

www.mcknights.com

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 18

For young adults, caregiving can put a big strain on their relationships with their siblings. Who is responsible for what? How much help does mom/dad/greataunt Rose really need? Some new research probes what's going on: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 18

The successes of the VA caregiving support programs shows that improving the lives of caregivers isn't rocket science: Loop them in to the care. Train docs and others to talk to caregivers. Train caregivers and provide them with support.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

Family Caregiver Support Must Be A Public Health Priority: Lessons From The VA | Health Affairs Forefront

The national Caregiver Support Program implemented in the Veterans Affairs more than a decade ago offers a roadmap for health care systems nationwide.

www.healthaffairs.org

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Ai-jen Poo @aijenpoo.bsky.social · Aug 18

Powerful article in @nytimes.com about the hidden impacts of Medicaid cuts on care for disabled people & older adults in the home & community.

t.co/Z88K8vpwfX

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/magazine/medicaid-cuts-home-care-disabilities.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

t.co

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Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 18

This study tackles a hidden issue: caregivers who lash out at their person with dementia. Caregivers stretched beyond their limits can be short-tempered, and people with dementia can try anyone's patience. This explores a way to improve that dynamic: formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e73778/

Kat McGowan @mcgowankat.bsky.social · Aug 18

Never thought of this before but W really belongs with T and U, and V belongs with XYZ. Why isn't it TUWVXYZ.

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