Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sophie Cooper

@sophcocooper.bsky.social

2.2K followers 1.4K following 400 posts

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · Oct 24

Very happy that 'Blue Sunglasses and New Habits: Female Correspondence Networks and the Irish Religious Diaspora' is now out as part of a great double issue
@iehs.bsky.social Journal of American Ethnic History ed. by Cian McMahon & Darragh Gannon
scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jaeh/iss...

Abstract. During the nineteenth century female Irish religious orders
established missions across the Irish diaspora which were designed
with flexibility and adaptation in mind. The Sisters of Mercy’s personal letter networks allowed these women, who were often very
young, to continue their religious and technical “apprenticeship” while
abroad. These letters enabled women in the diaspora to maintain a
sense of consistency and belonging across the oceans: with their sisters
in Ireland and elsewhere in the world on an ethnic and institutional
level. Engaging with these letters as both intimate conversations and
professional reflections presents opportunities for investigating how
long-distance institutional memory was developed and a continuing
connection to Ireland and Irishness maintained. This article moves
the focus of ethnic culture brokers from the priest and bishop to the
formal and informal networks of women religious who worked within a
system designed for men. In doing so, it demonstrates that these letters
provided an important extra layer to public global Irish networks, a
layer which acted as both a whisper network and an opportunity for
reflection on efficient methods for varied work in large, fluctuating,
and cross-class ethnic communities

3 11 35

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 7h

Incredible.

Jack Posobiec references the earliest version of antifa -- the anti-fascists in the Weimar Republic who were opposed to the Nazi Party -- as the bad guys.

280 1.6K 4.8K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Jay Roszman @jayroszman.bsky.social · 2d

As the History Representative for ACIS, I have the distinct privilege to chair the Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book. If you, or someone you know, has a book copyrighted in 2025 in Irish Studies please do consider submitting! Details here. 🗃️ #speirgorm

Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book | American Conference for Irish Studies – An Chomhdháil Mheiriceánach do Léann na hÉireann

Don Murphy, husband of ACIS Past President Maureen Murphy, was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and died in New York on March 2, 1986. He received his bachelor of electrical engineering degree and his…

acisweb.org

20 14

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

800 17K 37K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

N16Breda Corish @n16breda.bsky.social · 4d

Looking at this fascinating example of a dual-language Scottish headstone makes me reflect upon how few Irish-language headstones I've seen in the many & various old graveyards I've explored in Ireland over the years. And how the absence of material culture can be as telling as its presence...

Scotland's Churches Trust @scotchurchestrust.bsky.social · 4d

Day 4 of #31DaysOfGraves - Languages

This stone has a Gaelic inscription on one side and English on other. It's located in the ancient burial ground behind former Free Church at Ballyhennan, near Arrochar.

Gaelic was in retreat here by mid 19thC so such inscriptions are a comparatively rare sight.

4 6

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Amy Hoy @amyhoy.bsky.social · 5d

wake up babe, a new (old) paper on "artificial intelligence" just dropped!

it's got that extra tasty vintage typography too (1976)

fulltext: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MEETS NATURAL STUPIDITY
Drew McDermoH
MIT At Lab Cambridge, Mass 02139
As a field, artificial intelligence has always been on the border
of respectability, and therefore on the border of crackpottery.
Many critics <Dreyfus, 1972>, <Lighthill, 1973> have urged that we
are over the border. We have been very defensive toward this
charge, drawing ourselves up with dignity when it is made and
folding the cloak of Science about us. On the other hand, in private,
we have been justifiably proud of our wil#ingness to explore weird
ideas, because pursuing them is the only way to make progress.
Unfortunately, the necessity for speculation has combined with
the culture of the hacker in computer science <Weizenbaum, 1975>
to cripple our self-discipline. In a young field, ,~elf-discipline is not
necessarily a virtue, but we are not getting any younger. In the
past few years, our tolerance of sloppy thinking has led us to
repeat many mistakes over and over. If we are to retain any
credibility, this should stop.
This paper is an effort to ridicule some of these mistakes.
Almost everyone I know should find himself the target at some
point or other; if you don't, you are encouraged to write up your
own favorite fault. The three described here I suffer from myself.
I hope self-ridicule will be a complete catharsis, but t doubt it. Bad
tendencies can be very deep-rooted. Remember, though, if we can't
criticize ourselves, someone else will save us the trouble.
Acknow~dEmer~t-- I thank the AI Lab Playroom crowd for
constructive play.
Wishful Mnemonics
A major source of simple-mindedness in AI programs is the use
of mnemonics like "UNDERSTAND" or "GOAL" to refer to programs
and data structures. This practice has been inherited from more

7 60 160

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Abby Jane 🌙 🏳️‍⚧️ @abbyjane.cloverdalelane.com · 5d

Connery looks like you just said something mean about Cher

Rufus jones @rufeydoof.bsky.social · 5d

Amazon have removed the guns from their Bond posters, giving the tantalising impression that Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan think you’re a wanker.

11 60 260

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Laurie Stras @lauriestras.bsky.social · 5d

"She's the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Archbishop of Canterbury, but she's Mrs Mullally to you."

Felicity Hannah @felicityhannah.bsky.social · 5d

This article manages to name her husband before it names… her.

Article reads:
Woman named as Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first

The 63-year-old archbishop-designate is married to Eamonn Mullally, with whom she has two children. Originally from Woking in Surrey, she was the UK's chief nursing officer from 1999 to 2004.

6 27 100

Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · 5d

😂

Releasing it on a Thursday night when a large proportion of your fan base is in their 30s is cruel.

1 2

Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · 5d

This was my thought. I also saw a quote from her saying that protests should be called off because "how would you feel if it was your father who had been killed?" and the purposeful disconnect of families in the UK with those living outside of the UK was so frustrating.

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Brendan Palmer @bapalmer.bsky.social · 5d

RIP Manchán Magan

This was my first introduction to him. I recommend giving it a listen before you go home today.

shows.acast.com/blindboy/epi...

4 15

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 6d

Our horror at the genocide in Gaza, at the mass murder of civilians on Oct 7 2023, and at today's atrocity in Manchester, comes in each case from the same, inherent part of our shared humanity. We need to assert that shared humanity as loudly as possible, and in as many practical ways as we can.

69 190

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Gregk Foley @gregk.co.uk · 5d

Today I am full of sadness, in a manner intimately and immanently bound to my politics, something that only becomes more constant (which I cannot stand), but I am tired of having my belief in the sanctity of all human life exploited at whim by a politics which violently refuses that same sanctity.

flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 5d

I urge you to note that “The government today arrested 400 anti-genocide protestors, The Ministry For Crackdowns said those committing terrorism would be crushed by the full force of the state” is the kind of thing you see in background news reports in scifi movies about future dystopias.

1 35 110

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 6d

Our president is an international punchline, and so are we.

🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 @specialkhersoncat.bsky.social · 6d

The Prime Minister of Albania came up to Macron and Azerbaijani President Aliyev and joked about how Trump had resolved the conflict between Albania and Azerbaijan.

44 600 2.7K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Caroline Russell @carolinerussell.bsky.social · 6d

Horrified by the news about the violent attack at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Thinking about the people who have lost loved ones or are injured and Jewish communities across the country.

1 4 17

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 7d

Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist, has died. She was 91

1.3K 7.7K 29K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 7d

Published this month: 'Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940', by Gareth Roddy bit.ly/48Hkjfu

The next in the Society's 'New Historical Perspectives' book series, available from 30 October: Open Access and paperback print @uolpress.bsky.social #Skystorians

Cover of new Royal Historical Society monograph published on 30 October 2025: 'Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940' by Gareth Roddy

28 46

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 7d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

650 8.2K 25K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

NPR @npr.org · 7d

Today marks the first day in public media’s history without federal funding. And we’re not going anywhere.

Listeners like you keep our mission alive. Protect one of the last places where America comes together to hear itself.

Stand with us today. Donate at this link: n.pr/46wamAj

690 9.7K 31K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 8d

Pope Leo in remarks to journalists tonight: "Someone who says I am against abortion but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don't know if that's pro-life.” www.reuters.com/world/pope-l...

Pope Leo criticizes 'inhuman' treatment of immigrants in US

Pope Leo on Tuesday appeared to offer his strongest criticism yet of U.S. President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, questioning whether they were in line with the Catholic Church's pro-life teachings.

www.reuters.com

17 310 1K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Charlotte Garden @charlottegarden.bsky.social · 8d

I'm skimming, but this paragraph stood out:

And there’s the issue of masks. This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking- up and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant Todd Lyons, Acting Director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence.

23 660 2.3K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Evi Chatzipanagiotidou @evichatzi.bsky.social · 8d

Wonderful to receive the hard copies from @edinburghup.bsky.social today! Long in the making and so many people to thank in #cyprus, the #diaspora, @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social, @edinburghup.bsky.social and more!

4 2 9

Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · 8d

Ooo congratulations, Evi!

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 8d

The military cares about climate change because they understand it's setting the ground for more conflicts, and because their bases are underwater. Seems like having your bases underwater might affect military readiness.

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 8d

Hegseth: “No dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more gender delusions.

“We are done with that shit.”

27 240 1.3K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 8d

actually it's ok to look things up in the dictionary instead of blaming the author for using a word you didn't know

learning is good

66 260 2K

Reposted by Sophie Cooper

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 8d

These generals are going to be so happy to be summoned from serious work around the globe to be told they’re fat and useless.

26 72 630