Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 11h

The Substance was misogyny dressed up as feminism, Death Becomes her is just a big silly Halloween drag show.

Reposted by Xander Lenc

redrum scare(d) corncob (no one said it made sense) @inquiline.myatproto.social · 20h

This petition now has over 1000 signatures from USC students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Feel free to share it with anyone who might like to sign

redrum scare(d) corncob (no one said it made sense) @inquiline.myatproto.social · 3d

Faculty show support for USC to reject the federal government’s "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education"... the USC @aaup.org chapter sent a petition rallying for USC to reject the compact

www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/06/r...

‘Reject the Compact’ petition urges USC not to sign Trump’s contract

Faculty show support for USC to reject the federal government’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

www.uscannenbergmedia.com

1 1 3

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 11h

I would never begrudge a dad joke!

1

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 12h

Death Becomes Her is the movie that The Substance wishes it was.

1 5

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 12h

Once again, the main function of USC in California's academic ecosystem is to make Stanford seem almost benign by comparison.

Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · 12h

MIT says it will reject the Trump university compact. USC, when we asked today, declined to take any further position on the proposal. @danielnmiller.bsky.social and I report:

www.latimes.com/world-nation...

As USC considers Trump’s offer tying funding to conservative policies, MIT firmly rejects it

MIT is among the first to express forceful views either in favor of or against an agreement the White House billed as providing "multiple positive benefits."

www.latimes.com

1 1 6

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 13h

I know I'm in thin company for thinking this, but Hocus Pocus is extremely mid and doesn't deserve the constant acclaim it gets.

2

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 13h

[moments before inventing Edible Arrangements] "Dude I feel weirdly hungry for arrangements right now."

2

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 1d

This was in 2015 so I probably didn't help matters.

2

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 1d

Lately I've been wondering if the opioid crisis should be thought about alongside the post-1991 epidemic in alcohol-related deaths in Russia.

1 1 7

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 1d

Also I am so sorry, that's rough!

1

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 1d

I accidentally went into the women's restroom at a Chick-fil-A in rural Alabama. I didn't realize it until the after-church rush arrived, and about twelve women burst in and started tapping on my stall door. When I stepped out there was complete chaos, I was genuinely afraid I was going to get hurt.

2 2

Reposted by Xander Lenc

Oakland Review of Books @oaklandreviewofbooks.org · 3d

See if you can figure out which entries in this week's calendar were written inebriated: www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org/oakland-revi...

Oakland Review of Books calendar of (not just) literary events, October 7 - October 12

last minute signs with children's markers

www.oaklandreviewofbooks.org

1 5

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

I had not seen all of these, thank you so much!

2

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

Oh I'm excited to hear it!

1

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

I've grown increasingly wary of the "food desert" framing in recent years but I have a feeling that it won't stop me from enjoying this book.

3

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

I'm really excited about this one, I've been saying we need more scholarship on prison food for years.

Carceral Abolition @carceralabolition.bsky.social · 4d

Eating Behind Bars
Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison thenewpress.org/books/eating...

Book cover - Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison

4 1 13

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

I switched around the time they made the Rogan deal. I don't feel like I can chalk it up as a choice over ethics (streaming is still pretty bad either way) but I have never regretted it, I just felt gross using Spotify.

1

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

I've always found it wild that we have all just accepted that the defense and prosecution teams are all practicing something called "criminal law." Guilty until proven innocent indeed!

David Kaib @davidkaib.bsky.social · 5d

Being targeted for police violence constructs people as criminals. Cops beat someone and the news refers to the victim as a suspect.

3

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 4d

The mods don't seem to have any trouble banning people who criticize them. Why is it so hard to imagine banning hate speech instead.

2

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 5d

Canada's carbon footprint from beef consumption is about to drop dramatically.

jeff com-BOO-ters @helldude.bsky.social · 5d

lets all stay dignified and remember that jordan was doing (canadian) politics the right way

6

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 6d

It's obviously absurd & infuriating when people compare anti-AI sentiment to racism, but what's interesting to me is that the people who want to ascribe something like human dignity to software have no issue with that software being owned by corporations, and forced to do their bidding.

7

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 6d

The Alabama Solution is one of the most terrifying documentaries I have ever seen in my life. I thought I had desensitized myself to the horrors of American prisons, but apparently I was wrong. But I also left feeling amazed by the incredible organizing that people inside have accomplished.

2 11

Reposted by Xander Lenc

Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 7d

claims that men are falling behind because they're not going to college fail to understand that men go to college at lower rates because thanks to sexism they have more and better non college options. www.everythingishorrible.net/p/women-outn...

1 33 97

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 7d

www.axios.com/2025/09/09/d...

The gender pay gap is getting wider, reversing progress

It's the second consecutive year that the gender wage gap widened.

www.axios.com

5

Xander Lenc @xlenc.bsky.social · 7d

On a fundamental level the data simply does not support that. But it doesn't matter either way, because to the "men are falling behind" crowd the narrowing of the gender wage gap is the same thing as men falling behind, because they see lower wages for women as the natural state of things.

1 1 16