Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Julie Blommaert

Doug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 11h

the most delightful version of logging on to see what news you've missed

Dr Ramsdell, whose phone had been on airplane mode when the Nobel committee tried to call him, told the BBC's Newshour Programme that his first response when his wife said, "You've won the Nobel prize" was: "I did not."

To which Ms O'Neill replied that she had 200 text messages that suggested he had.

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Stephanie... In New Zealand @bootstheory.bsky.social · 12h

This has been the vicious fucking thing about the "Jobseeker Benefit" ever since Paula Bennett coined it in 2013

In addition to keeping people in poverty it's been a term of propaganda forcing us all to accept the frame of welfare as economic obligation instead of social support

Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 12h

Fucksake. It's quite clear now that they only looked at this benefit policy as political marketing and took no advice on who it would impact – which includes young people with serious health issues and disabilities. Just feckless and cynical. Shame on them. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Hundreds of teens with a health condition, disability may be cut from Jobseeker benefit

The government is ending Jobseeker payments to 18- and 19 year olds whose parents earn more than $65,000.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Ni-cola Ga-stan @nicgaston.bsky.social · 12h

When the PM says ‘we don’t owe them a living’, we should be clear that this is not a metaphor.

A living is life. And I want to live in a society in which it is clear that this is the least we owe each other, and are owed. 💞

I’d like us to aim for lives lived in dignity and with joy, personally 🤷‍♀️

Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 12h

Fucksake. It's quite clear now that they only looked at this benefit policy as political marketing and took no advice on who it would impact – which includes young people with serious health issues and disabilities. Just feckless and cynical. Shame on them. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Hundreds of teens with a health condition, disability may be cut from Jobseeker benefit

The government is ending Jobseeker payments to 18- and 19 year olds whose parents earn more than $65,000.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 9h

I think this was what I read. Or it was from this research group anyway

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The potential risks of opening the mind’s eye with psychedelic therapies

Psychedelic therapy is on the rise, as its legalisation is ongoing in multiple countries. Here, we write a note of warning regarding recent reports th…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 9h

By it I mean taking hallucinogenic substances 😅

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 9h

Yeah, and a while ago I read a paper on how aphantasia interacts with hallucinogens, but they only tested it on people who had lost mental imagery. They found that sometimes, mental imagery came back. So they suggested that I’ve you’ve always had aphantasia, it might be a bit risky on that regard

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Reposted by Julie Blommaert

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 16h

Never forget that Dolly Parton gave a million bucks for covid research at the *very start* of the pandemic—including money that helped fund the development of the Moderna vaccine.

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 9h

I have almost completely aphantasia, from no mental imagery to no internal monologue. Turns out people like me are less likely to develop PTSD and similar responses to traumatic events

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Jordan Rivers @jordanriversnz.bsky.social · 10h

Just for clarity, the unemployment numbers under this government may look terrible, but keep in mind, Luxon has driven tens of thousands of Kiwis overseas as well, so its actually far worse. These numbers are just the ones that couldnt leave.

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Russell Brown @publicaddress.bsky.social · 12h

Fucksake. It's quite clear now that they only looked at this benefit policy as political marketing and took no advice on who it would impact – which includes young people with serious health issues and disabilities. Just feckless and cynical. Shame on them. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Hundreds of teens with a health condition, disability may be cut from Jobseeker benefit

The government is ending Jobseeker payments to 18- and 19 year olds whose parents earn more than $65,000.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 12h

I’m not over Jane Goodall yet

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 12h

She’d better be just fine

Or I’ll have to have words with whoever is responsible

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 15h

Dolly Parton ‘going to be just fine’, singer’s sister says as she calls for prayers amid health problems

Freida Parton says she has been ‘up all night praying’ as singer continues to deal with unspecified ‘health challenges’ Dolly Parton’s sister says she has been “up all night praying” for the singer as she continues to deal with unspecified health problems. Freida Parton wrote that her 79-year-old sister “hasn’t been feeling her best lately”, two weeks after the singer postponed a Las Vegas residency scheduled for December, citing “health challenges”. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 13h

So expensive tbh

Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 13h

I tried that last year but they keep sending me reminders so they finally won

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 13h

That’s really mean of them

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 13h

Not to brag but I just went to the dentist and didn’t get told off for not flossing

Turns out the way to avoid that is flossing

Who could have guessed

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Ni-cola Ga-stan @nicgaston.bsky.social · 16h

Prayers and the fucking best the world has to offer in evidence-based healthcare, she has been a warrior for that for all of us 💞🙇‍♀️

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 18h

listen. when dolly parton’s sister says it’s time for us all to be prayer warriors for dolly. you fucking pray for dolly

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Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa @psna-otautahi.bsky.social · 21h

8.40am NZ Time

The Conscience, with Will Alexander and Ava Mulla from Ōtautahi onboard, are nearing where previous flotillas have been attacked by Israel

Keep amplifying Gaza
Help keep us safe
Tag media and politicians

@philtwyford.bsky.social

#NZPol

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Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 17h

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Foxy @foxylustygrover.bsky.social · 18h

Literally the first 2 paragraph of the article she was gifted to her to appease her are policing language #NZPol

OPINION: Having the C-word directed at me by a journalist in a mainstream publication wasn’t on my bingo-list for Mother’s Day 2025. Nor was being accused of “girl-math”.

But there you have it, that’s what was thrown at me and my female colleagues in a recent newspaper column as hopelessly devoid of facts as it was heavy on sexist slurs.

We can look past the childish insults – what really bothers us are the deeply misleading statements being made by many following the Government’s changes to the process for progressing pay equity settlements.

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Stu Fleming @thebasement.nz · 18h

This is incorrect. The phrase “who let the dogs out? Who? Who?” is more properly attributed to the Baha Men

Alex @shakingstick.bsky.social · 18h

Heh.

Willis told Morning Report the phrase often cropped up in politics and dated back to the time of William Shakespeare, who referred to calling off the hounds in his play Julius Caesar.

The actual quote from Julius Caesar is: "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war."

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Michael Lakeman @suitedscience.bsky.social · 18h

Oh jeepers here I was thinking this was a post about Aotearoa New Zealand

utopia deferred @utopia-defer.red · 18h

It truly is the government of landlords and used car dealers because anyone familiar with either of these occupations knows that they are the last bastions of men who, for no reason but their own sloven incompetence, seek out imagined excuse to violate basic contract law and routine regulations.

Ryan Mattson @rmattson.bsky.social · 19h

Not to discount the enormous damage they have done, and still can do, but this really might be one of the dumbest governments in the history of the world.

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Zoë “Baddie Proctor” Quinn @unburntwitch.com · 18h

someone call the etsy witches this is a fucking emergency

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 18h

Dolly Parton's sister is asking fans to "pray with me" amid the country music icon's health issues

Dolly Parton’s Sister Says ‘I Was Up All Night Praying’ Amid Country Icon’s Health Issues and Asks Fans to ‘Pray With Me’

Dolly Parton's sister Frieda is asking fans of the Queen of Country to "pray with me" amid Dolly's continued health struggles.

variety.com

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 17h

If Nicola Willis thinks we “shouldnt be so precious that we can’t use metaphorical speech” can we go back to why Chlöe Swarbrick was punished so heavily for her comments on the government’s spinelessness?

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Julie Blommaert @drjulieb.bsky.social · 18h

I also have personal experience with Toyota’s safety ratings. Glad it did its job protecting you!

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