Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 20h

Stop the Amazon promotions!

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 1d

Dear Dr @andrewgant.bsky.social, I don't drive and I take the bus into Oxford every day. May I have free bus travel too?

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 1d

🐌 The little whirlpool ramshorn snail, one of the rarest creatures in Britain. 🪦

Alexa Culver: "There are lots of elements of nature that are essential to social and economic prosperity, and are microscopic, that we can’t see. Air for example, being one of them."
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer

Exclusive: Chancellor says 20,000 homes were being held up due to ‘some snails that are a protected species or something’

www.theguardian.com

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 2d

The Old Oak review – compassionate refugee drama from Ken Loach

"But there is also a plea for open-hearted compassion, even for bilious racists. The final message of hope is resolutely upbeat and desperately needed."

www.theguardian.com/film/2023/se...

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 3d

Already happens to some extent -- post-approval viability asssssments that reduce so-called affordable housing and section 106 contributions. Gotta keep those 20%+ profit margins (for goverment as well as developers -- why planning reform unlikely to result in genuinely affordable housing).

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 3d

Repeated protests against anti-protest legislation forbidding repeated protests sounds like it could get a bit recursive resulting in stack overflow.

Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: Home Office announces planned new anti-protest powers, mainly aimed at pro-Gaza protests like those for Palestine Action. Police will be able to consider the "cumulative impact" of repeated protests and potentially order that they be relocated.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 4d

Feeling out of place? How to beat impostor syndrome

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Feeling out of place? How to beat impostor syndrome

Do you struggle to take a compliment? Cringe at your own achievements? From celebrating your wins to embracing your failures, these top tips will help you banish self-doubt

www.theguardian.com

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 5d

The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally D.B.E., for election by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral as Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan.
www.gov.uk/government/n...

Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury: 3 October 2025

The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally D.B.E. for election as Archbishop of Canterbury.

www.gov.uk

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 6d

Fighting Reform by targetting refugees.

"Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, under landmark policy changes outlined by the Prime Minister today"
www.gov.uk/government/n...

UK to reform asylum offer to reduce the pull factor for small boat crossings

Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, under landmark policy changes outlined by the Prime Minister today.

www.gov.uk

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 7d

A flying what, you say?

A photorrealistic image showing an electric taxi plane flying between Oxford and Cambridge. The plane has the subtle appearance of a pig.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 7d

Jane Goodall, "My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees", National Geographic Magazine 124:2 (August 1963), pp. 272-308.
www.cuttersguide.com/pdf/National...

My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees, By JANE GOODALL

A courageous young British scientist lives among these great apes in Tanganyika and learns hitherto unknown details of their behavior.

SUN'S FADING GLOW ON Lake Tanganyika silhouettes the author, preparing for a lonely nightlong vigil among the chimpanzees.

Photographs by Baron Hugo van Lawick and the author

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 7d

Haggis, innit?

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 7d

Saw the headline and for some reason thought of you, @ciaranm.bsky.social.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 7d

A country road. A tree.

"There is no customary tree as part of the scenery, for one thing, and no country road."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/t... #WaitingForGodot

‘Waiting for Godot’ Review: Cue the Air Guitar

www.nytimes.com

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 8d

Yes!

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 8d

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities -- What's on in those fantastic new performance spaces?

Quite a lot! (From April 2026)

www.schwarzmancentre.ox.ac.uk/whats-on

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 8d

Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, looking up at the atrium dome. (Taken at about 0830 yesterday.)

Atrium dome of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 9d

Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford University, at 0630 this morning, in anticipation of its opening day.

Part of the Schwarzman Centre of the Humanities at dawn with navigation board in foreground.

Schwarzman Centre of the Humanities at dawn with Radcliffe Observatory site in foreground.

Part of the Schwarzman Centre of the Humanities highlighting inscription, "For the Humanities".

Schwarzman Centre of the Humanities at dawn with landscaping and figure walking to right of picture.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 10d

Next up: "Ministers are pushing through powers to photograph, name and shame offenders^wmigrants who have been ordered to complete unpaid community work in England and Wales."

#DystopiaUK #UKHomeOffice

Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 10d

"Migrants will have to carry out community work or volunteering to qualify to permanently remain in the UK, according to the Home Secretary." [Telegraph]

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 10d

"The government expects delivery bodies... to acquire land for #NewTowns development by compulsory purchase with a direction removing ‘hope value’ compensation, where affordable housing is to be provided... and the direction is justified in the public interest."
www.gov.uk/government/p...

Initial government response - September 2025

www.gov.uk

Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 10d

Twelve new towns, including, "Redevelopment of the former airbase at Heyford Park in Cherwell".

(Oh, and a "renewed" Milton Keynes.)

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Expert Taskforce recommends locations for new towns

The New Towns Taskforce has recommended locations for the next generation of new towns.

www.gov.uk

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 10d

You may have a point...

Image from estate agent listing showing open but lightless entrance to basement or morgue beneath the fixer-upper or tear-down property.

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 10d

"To classify these 51,000 social media posts we used #ChatGPT 4.1 via OpenAI’s API, iteratively testing prompts on a randomised sample of posts over 12 rounds until we consistently reached agreement of more than 90% between the model and three human reviewers..."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Reading the post-riot posts: how we traced far-right radicalisation across 51,000 Facebook messages

Tracing profiles of those charged with online offences in summer 2024 helped us map a thriving social ecosystem trading far-right sentiment and political disillusionment

www.theguardian.com

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 11d

Was curious

jeffgarden.com/new-damagebl...

Article: The Story Behind Black Hole Sun (Ultimate-Guitar) — Jeffgarden.com

Article:  Ultimate-Guitar Photo: Our photo of the Black Sun sculpture in Seattle 09/2017 Story behind the song The band is named after a sculpture in Seattle called "Soundgarden," and longtime...

jeffgarden.com

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Dr Michael Fraser @ffinlo.bsky.social · 13d

China is a decisive enabler of Russia's war crimes

"Credible open-source evidence details the scale of support that Chinese companies are providing to their Russian counterparts in the production of lethal equipment, directly violating China’s own export controls."
www.gov.uk/government/s... #OSCE

Without support from his enablers, President Putin would realise peace is his best option in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

Ambassador Holland explains that support from Iran, DPRK and - most decisively - China, are an important factor delaying President Putin's realisation that he needs to get serious about peace in Ukrai...

www.gov.uk