Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson on How America’s Story Should Be Told

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 8d

“I don’t want any defendant sitting in my courtroom without counsel. You get back out there in the hallway”
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"I’m a lawyer who has argued before the Supreme Court and I’m still required to laugh at my own humiliation to get justice for my client" - Bryan Stevenson
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

The dawn of the post-literate society

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 9d

"If the reading revolution represented the greatest transfer of knowledge to ordinary men and women in history, the screen revolution represents the greatest theft of knowledge from ordinary people in history." jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-dawn-o...

And the end of civilisation

jmarriott.substack.com

Let's reclaim our vision for the amazing society we can build from the ashes

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 13d

"We need to restore our imagination...reclaim our vision, constantly ground ourselves in these visions. And we need to be loud and vocal about them all the time." #nonprofit

NonprofitAF @nonprofitaf.bsky.social · 13d

“I don’t want the asshole tech-bros' sad dystopian visions to be the dominant ones. I want the visions I’ve read about on countless nonprofits’ websites.”

Hi everyone, I’ve been stress-eating chocolate, so I’m not sure how coherent this post will be. Besides the general state of the world, I also have my book launching next week with an in-person event ...

www.nonprofitaf.com

Leadership Through Common Humanity – Coaching for Leaders

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 16d

Small actions can deliver great change
Empathy builds resilience
Unity does not require uniformity
Compassion not as a passive idea but a practical strength
Start with acknowledging what someone is feeling
Humanity before dogma

Timely words from Neil Ghosh

coachingforleaders.com/podcast/lead...

Neil Ghosh says, “Never let age or ideology come between learning and growth.” He shares how to build great leadership through our common humanity.

coachingforleaders.com

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2025 General Elections - Bolts

Reposted by GothamTim

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 18d

NEW: November general elections are around the corner, so it’s time to launch my cheat sheet of what’s on the ballot this fall!

I guide you thru the *185* elections I'm watching, & why: lawmakers, governors, judges, DAs, mayors, school boards, & dozens of ballot measures.

Explore, share, save:

Four contests have come to largely define the 2025 elections: the elections to lead New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City, plus California’s redistricting measure. But there’s so much else... Read M...

boltsmag.org

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GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 19d

"When you die there’s either nothing which is fine or there’s something which I happen to believe and if there’s something beyond our death then I cannot think of a greater adventure than finding out what that something is." Remarkable Jane Goodall on a recent podcast. Her grand adventure continues.

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 20d

So joyful 💕

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · 22d

We need community more than ever to share and to lift each other up. Meetups, conferences, forums are wonderful opportunities to do just that: reconnect with friends, make new ones, learn from each other. And the rich side conversations of shared experiences, genuine inquiry, and exchange of ideas.

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Sep 19

Such a wonderful display of respect for a mentor - listening, learning, honoring their legacy. And with such joy and enthusiasm and caring for the communities they serve. This should resonate with everyone across political affiliations.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · Sep 17

Before he was a Senator, a candidate for President, and our greatest champion in the fight against oligarchy, Bernie Sanders was the four-term Mayor of Burlington, VT.

I sat down with Bernie in Astoria to talk about the lessons he learned—and the work ahead.

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Sep 16

Evolution of the influencer: "I don't read a lot of journal articles anymore...I read a lot of Substacks and things like that." - Nate Silver

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Sep 14

Democracy is built on the idea that the way to change the world around you is to try to change others’ minds. Instead of civic contempt we must show that you change things by changing people. That we can live together despite difference and choose the future together. @anandwrites.bsky.social

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Sep 14

It’s not fighting that proves fatal to a relationship. It’s contempt. What America is living through is not just disagreement, division, polarization. It's swelling civic contempt. A culture losing its faith in the democratic method of changing things @anandwrites.bsky.social the.ink/p/who-killed...

The Strange Beauty of New York’s Bodega Ramps

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Aug 31

Book recommendation: Michael Bungay Stanier's "The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever," an accessible and actionable read that you can put into practice in your everyday life. We should all have a coaching mindset: as leader, mentor, colleague, friend.

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Aug 17

Amid the relentless chaos of the world around us this piece is a balm for us New Yorkers who still love our city, capturing "deadpan, modest love letters to messy little avatars of the urban compact...that illustrate the care a community shows for its residents." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/a...

Opinion | I’m a Therapist. ChatGPT Is Eerily Effective.

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Aug 3

Lovely essay from an 81-year old practitioner.

ChatGPT offered an active extension of my thinking process. I became more precise with language, more curious about my own patterns. It didn’t replace my thinking...It gave me a way to re-encounter my own voice. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/o...

The Bitter Lesson versus The Garbage Can

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GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Jul 28

The effort companies spent refining processes and building institutional knowledge might matter less than they think. If AI agents can train on outputs alone, any organization that can define quality might achieve similar results. @emollick.bsky.social www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-bitter...

Does process matter? We are about to find out.

www.oneusefulthing.org

Are These the AI Agents Legal Was Looking For?

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Jul 20

Central Park with my crew. More than ever, we need to be intentional about spending time with our circles and lifting each other up.

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Reposted by GothamTim

Jordan Furlong @jordanfurlong.com · Jul 18

Excellent overview and explanation of AI agents, both generally and within the legal context: www.legaltechnologyhub.com/contents/are... by @stephaniewilkins.bsky.social

“Agent” is the hottest word in legal tech right now. So why can no one agree on what it means?

www.legaltechnologyhub.com

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GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Jul 17

"He understood that thriving does not mean standing alone but rather helping those around him flourish...I learned there is no more fulfilling job than enriching the lives of others as he did every day." ✨ hls.harvard.edu/today/rememb...

Remembering Richard Fallon, ‘a pillar of Harvard Law School’ - Harvard Law School

Richard H. Fallon, Jr., an eminent scholar in constitutional law, constitutional interpretation, and the federal courts, and a revered member of the Harvard Law community, died July 13.

hls.harvard.edu

GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Jul 9

Economic growth is downstream from something important yet intangible: the human desire for flourishing and to set one’s own path in life. Migration is an act of faith, fundamentally, kindled by the fire of human aspiration. @polgreen.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/o...

Opinion | Something Extraordinary Is Happening All Over the World

Opinion | The World’s Best and Brightest Are Moving, but Not to America

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GothamTim @timbaran.bsky.social · Jul 9

“Maybe the future is just participation, not belonging. Maybe we’re done putting down roots and we’ll just keep moving.” What does it mean when immigration, in some cases, ceases to be about belonging, but instead is this transactional participating?
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/o...