Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Why Every Strawberry Traces Back to a Secret Spy Mission in 18th-Century South America

Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 6d

Fun as it is, this fascinating article isn't all #spycraft & #strawberries. It also takes a deep dive into how we get to enjoy (relatively) fresh fruit whenever we want. Let's hear it for science! www.zmescience.com/feature-post...

In pursuit of the perfect fruit.

www.zmescience.com

Estate Planning for Authors and Creatives - SFWA - The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association

Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 9d

@brendaclough.bsky.social's new blog on @sfwa.bsky.social's PLANETSIDE is a useful reminder for something ALL creatives need--right now, if not sooner: an Estate Plan. Check it out! www.sfwa.org/2025/09/23/e...

by Brenda W. Clough. Facing your own mortality isn’t fun, but if you’re a writer or creative, ignoring it could leave your intellectual property in chaos. This article walks you through the essential ...

www.sfwa.org

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 13d

Will you be there for the #kitties on National Feral Cat Day? I will, in the pages of A FUTURE FOR FERALS from eSpec Books. Check it out! www.facebook.com/share/p/14LG...

Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 16d

A big thank you to the con comm and volunteers for all their hard work on #Capclave2025. I had a lovely time & look forward to joining the staff & all my con friends next year. Until then, here are a few photos from Saturday's awards ceremony. Yes, there was cake. 😃 www.facebook.com/share/p/1AKx...

The Tragedy and Comedy of Don Quixote

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 16d

The things I never knew about #MiguelDeCervantesSaavedraCervantes--a withered hand from the #BattleOfLeplanto, 5 years imprisonment by #BarbaryPirates...I'm stunned. As Ed Simon, knowledge both enriches reading of #DonQuixote and makes it all too relevant to now. lithub.com/the-tragedy-...

Dali Mami, a renegado corsair who ruled as a pirate king in Algiers, where he was infamous for his household full of mutilated prisoners, was referred to as “The Lame” because of a leg injury susta…

lithub.com

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Reposted by Jean Marie Ward

Chris Barkley (He/Him) @cmzhang42.bsky.social · 21d

I STAND with Jimmy Kimmel, his writers and production crew...🌞
variety.com/2025/tv/news...

SAG-AFTRA, WGA Blast Decision to Suspend Jimmy Kimmel: A ‘Type of Retaliation That Endangers Everyone’s Freedom’

The Writers Guild of America West and the Screen Actors Guild have released statements in support of Jimmy Kimmel.

variety.com

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Reposted by Jean Marie Ward

The Borowitz Report @borowitzreport.bsky.social · 21d

Jimmy Kimmel should have stuck to acceptable comments, like suggesting that homeless people be executed

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Reposted by Jean Marie Ward

Greg Uchrin/IVCaffeine @gregoriusu.bsky.social · 20d

#Kimmel #Colbert Who's next? #ABC #Disney #CBS #Paramount have knuckled under to the #Trump #Regime. Will the #NYTimes suspend any of their columnists? The #washingtonpost ? #NBC ? The #firstamendment is dead unless you're so #farright , you're off the chart.

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 21d

My schedule for #Caplave 2025, happening this weekend at the Hilton Conference Center in Rockville, MD, is now live. Join me there. You'll be glad you did. :D jeanmarieward.com/2025/09/17/j...

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 22d

At a time like this, you can't have enough funny fiction, and Alex Shvartsman's UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS #anthologies always deliver. Check it out! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufo...

Unidentified Funny Objects 10

After a three-year hiatus, a new volume of this iconic anthology series of humorous science fiction & fantasy is finally in the works!

www.kickstarter.com

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 23d

All righty then, let's get this week started WEIRD. Giant lizards invade Bangkok! There's a movie in this, I swear! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘You’re going about your day and suddenly see a little Godzilla’: Bangkok reckons with a giant lizard boom

Viral videos have shifted public opinion about water monitors, long held in contempt in Thai culture, even as rising numbers of the reptiles pose problems for residents

www.theguardian.com

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · 25d

So much for the #FirstAmendment. And people wonder why it's the "elderly white hippies" taking to the streets. We're the only ones who can afford to. My country, I weep for you. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Several people fired after clampdown on speech over Charlie Kirk shooting

Teachers, firefighters and military personnel among those who lost jobs after posting their opinion on social media

www.theguardian.com

Posts on fandomstuckportal tagged as art

Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Sep 8

Long-time #DragonCon friend Angel Lowery has graduated college with a degree in art. She draws, she develops games, and her art would be perfect for today's cartoon-style #bookcovers. If you're interested, check out her work at fandomstuckportal.tumblr.com/tagged/art . You won't regret it.

art

fandomstuckportal.tumblr.com

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Sep 5

You know, that department was renamed Defense by the badasses who won #worldwarii. Ain't nobody fiercer. Ever. #departmentofdefense #gulfofmexico

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Sep 4

Who says #MotherNature isn't sentient? www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

'It's a way of the sea returning the trash to us': Why plastic-filled 'Neptune balls' are washing up on beaches

As tiny pieces of plastic clog our oceans, natural meadows of seagrass are bundling up microplastics and spitting them back out onto beaches in the form of "Neptune balls".

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Jean Marie Ward

Gini Koch @ginikoch.bsky.social · Sep 3

The READ THIS! Book of the Month, I'm done with DragonCon and off to BoucherCon, and more at the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog! ginikoch.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-... @jbgarnerwrites.bsky.social @marcmonroe.bsky.social @jeanmarieward.bsky.social @lianabrooks.bsky.social @bebebayliss.bsky.social

Blah, Blah, Blah...: The READ THIS! BotM, New Book, & More!

ginikoch.blogspot.com

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Aug 27

How do we do research outside of AI? What does AI mean for search engines? #ConTinualConvention 's The Panel Room 201 explores all this and more with Elizabeth Davis, Emily Leverett, Lisa Macklem, Bob Possum McGough, and host @jpnettles.bsky.social ! www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cdq...

Spain celebrates 80 years of ‘Tomatina.’ Here’s what to know

Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Aug 26

Something silly to brighten your Tuesday. #Tomatina, the festival we didn't know we needed. :D apnews.com/article/toma...

Thousands of people are set to paint a Spanish town red with tomato pulp during the famous "Tomatina" festival.

apnews.com

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Jean Marie Ward @jeanmarieward.bsky.social · Aug 26

It's time for Hot Off The Press 140 with new releases in #SciFiAdventure, #scifibooks, #fantasy, #superheroes, #MangaStyle, & more from Samantha Dunaway Bryant, Melissa Olthoff, Aaron Rosenberg, Mel Todd, Marisa Wolf, & host @jpnettles.bsky.social on Con-Tinual. www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jsh...