Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 3h

Wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt this way. Scratch a libertarian, almost always find a closet fascist.

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Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens @csmfht.bsky.social · 4h

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Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 9h

I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.

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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 17h

To be fair, it would've been difficult for the writers to come up with _any_ aftermath following the narrative atrocities committed during ME2 and ME3. And that's assuming they'd have understood the original story material, which they didn't, or actually cared about it, which they also didn't.

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Jonny Nexus @jonnynexus.bsky.social · 21h

Latest set of book purchases from @waterstones.bsky.social. Who Will You Save, an SF short story collection by @garethlpowell.bsky.social, and Damascus Station, the debut spy thriller novel by ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey (found via the excellent @restisclassified.bsky.social podcast).

Two books on a book shelf. Who Will You Save, by Gareth L Powell. Damascus Station by David McCloskey.

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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 22h

It's Edward J. Goodwin's Indiana pi bill, except dumber and with more desire to perform fellatio.

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🕷️Gory Thing🕷️ @korybing.bsky.social · 2d

This is the best news I've heard the entirety of 2025.

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING

In a new video, Dolly Parton, the Queen of America, says she’s going to be ok.

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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 3d

There was certainly something recently which monopolised all public debate and paralysed all policy initiative in the UK for the better part of a decade, and I dont think it was trans rights.

Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 3d

"While Britain was redefining what a woman is, China was building five nuclear reactors," says Kemi Badenoch.

I cannot be the only person curious about how these two things are related

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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 3d

Because those fields of knowledge are what makes humans human. And we can't be having with that, isn't it.

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Turist În Țara Mea @exif.ro · 3d

Pescăruș râzător - Chroicocephalus ridibundus - Hudești, Botoșani , 2022-05-29 #Nature#Photography#Travel#TravelPhotography#Romania#Wildlife

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 3d

It’s really neat that for awhile pundits like this were saying “why can’t Zohran clearly and directly denounce the violence of Hamas?” and when he clearly and directly denounces the violence of Hamas they go “but he didn’t do it with any poetry! It wasn’t beautiful! I demand panache!”

Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 3d

Ah, let's check in on what the war crimes proponent has to say

David Frum This is a genuinely useful statement. The chilly formulaic language about the 10/7 atrocity ... the intense angry passion of the denunciation of Israel's self-defense ... together they arrestingly reveal what the author cares about and what/who he does not care about.
Quote
Zohran Kwame Mamdani
@ZohranKMamdani
·
1h
My statement on the two year anniversary of October 7, 2023.
Two years ago today, Hamas carried out a horrific war crime, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping 250 more.
I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities.
In the aftermath of that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government launched a genocidal war: a death toll that now far exceeds 67,000; with the Israeli military bombing homes, hospitals, and schools into rubble. Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language.
I mourn these lives and pray for the families that have been shattered. Our government has been complicit through it all.
This must end. The occupation and apartheid must end.
Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account.
These last two years have demonstrated the very worst of humanity. We must answer it by modeling the very best: a relentless pursuit of our higher ideals and an unwavering commitment to universal human rights.

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Paul Nadeau @pauljnadeau.bsky.social · 4d

The emeritus dean of Japan politics studies in the U.S. has thoughts about Takaichi:

Gerald Curtis: Takaichi victory hastens LDP's collapse; 'not if, when'

Veteran Japan watcher worried about what comes after the 'most boring election'

asia.nikkei.com

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Steve Saidemonster @smsaideman.bsky.social · 5d

I have been talking about US autocracy but @dhnexon.bsky.social lays it out more clearly-- the American system has failed. The checks and balances didn't work, so we will need a new constitution and new institutions once the regime is eventually toppled www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/10/the-...

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Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social · 4d

I guess if we are doing Dumb Fascism, we might as well go whole hog and do Dumb Stalingrad.

ghost malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social · 5d

not sure how long they were planning on keeping this going but just hypothetically do we think Texas National Guard owns Chicago-grade winter coats

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Sean T. Collins @seantcollins.com · 4d

CHATGPT: I understand where you're coming from. You worked really hard to get here, and now it's time to enjoy the fruit of your labors.

ISILDUR: So I should keep it? Elrond says I shouldn't

CHATGPT: The ring is precious. Sometimes friends don't have your best interests at heart.

ISILDUR: true

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Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · 4d

GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a new mRNA vaccine that has been shown to suppress abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina, offering hope to MILLIONS of patients with age-related vision loss. The vaccine triggered strong antibody responses that REDUCED retinal damage by UP TO 85%.

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🍄Just a Mushroom🍄 @mycotae.bsky.social · Mar 13

Smilodon

Smilodon't

Old coloured sketch of two smilodon heads facing right. The top one is smiling happily, the bottom one is not smiling and looks annoyed.

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Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 5d

Indeed

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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 5d

Yup. I have many, *many* reservations about Idiocracy (first and foremost because of the eugenics stuff, and nope, not buying the "it's satire" line), but I will *not* have Camacho badmouthed :)

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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 5d

Also because Camacho was a *good president*; politically savvy and ruthless but ended up doing the right thing. We don't get many of those.

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Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 7d

This week’s short Europe Dispatch with @phillipspobrien.bsky.social:

Deterrence by denial doesn’t work in hybrid warfare because denying effect doesn’t stop Russia from continuing the attacks. What a nice life we all could have had if Russia had just become a normal country after the Cold War. Alas

The Resilience Dilemma

In this week’s Europe Dispatch, Minna Ålander reflects on the fact that deterrence by resilience clearly does not work.

open.substack.com

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Del - Martian Observer @martian-observer.art · 6d

Ooh

Eos @eos.org · 6d

Mars’s solid inner core revealed by seismic data, opening new questions about the planet’s past and its lost magnetic field.

Scientists May Have Finally Detected a Solid Inner Core on Mars - Eos

Seismic clues from NASA’s InSight mission suggest that Mars hides a solid inner core, and raise new questions about why the planet’s magnetic field disappeared.

eos.org

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Chris Terry-Enescu @cjterry.bsky.social · 6d

People like to claim at times that the Czechs are somehow magically more immune to authoritarianism but here they've essentially voted for a coalition of three far right parties led by a man who explicitly views Orban as his model. No one is immune.

Europe Elects @europeelects.bsky.social · 6d

Czechia, 89,14% polling places counted:

National parliament election

ANO-PfE: 36.02% (+8.9)
SPOLU-ECR|EPP: 22.22% (-5.6)
STAN-EPP: 11% (n.a.)
Piráti-G/EFA: 8% (n.a.)
SPD-ESN: 8.02% (-1.5)
Auto-PfE: 7% (new)
Stačilo!-NI|S&D: 4% (n.a.)
...

+/- vs. 2021 election

➤ europeelects.eu/czechia

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Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 7d

The mystery of medical diagnosis!

Anyone: Why are there suddenly so many AHDH diagnoses?
Dr. Jen: Same reason there are suddenly more stars after we built telescopes.

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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 8d

Please join me in congratulating Woman on her appointment

Sky News @news.sky.com · 8d

Woman named as new Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first

Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, a former nurse, has been named as the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the first time a woman has been appointed to the role in the Church of England's history.

news.sky.com

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