Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 17h

Their idea of God is quite small.

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 21h

You have so many angles. You went with big white offensive line pun. Nicely done.

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 22h

No Child Left Behind left most of the children behind.

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 23h

Jealous!!!

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

White male video game players are now the Reaganite welfare queens.

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Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

JoJoFromJerz @jojofromjerz.bsky.social · 1d

And they say the perfect cartoon doesn’t exist.

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Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

The Lincoln Project @lincolnproject.us · 1d

Trump hates this photo of him. Definitely don't share it far and wide today.

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Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

Ted Lieu @tedlieu.bsky.social · 1d

Today is Day 14 of the Republican shutdown. Your regular reminders:

1. Republicans control the White House, Senate and House.

2. GOP making deep cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and ACA.

3. Democrats are fighting to lower costs, cancel the cuts and save healthcare for Americans.

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Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

Fred Guttenberg @fredguttenberg.bsky.social · 1d

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Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

anita72.bsky.social @anita72.bsky.social · 1d

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Fred Guttenberg @fredguttenberg.bsky.social · 1d

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State of St. Louis @stateofstlouis.bsky.social · 1d

Looking at you City of St. Louis and Lambert International Airport

Are you showing this political propaganda?

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 1d

Multiple airports are now announcing they will refuse to play Kristi Noem’s government-funded video blaming “Democrats” for the government shutdown.

“We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” one airport said.

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Damn golfers.

Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 1d

On AI & water usage, it looks like all US data center usage (not just AI) ranges from 628M gallons a day (counting evaporation from dam reservoirs used for hydro-power) to 200-275M with power but not dam evaporation, to 50M for cooling alone.

So not nothing, but also a lot less than golf courses.

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Im waiting for St. Brendan and Leif Erikson day.

Euronews @euronews.com · 2d

The US president has reinstated Columbus Day as a national holiday to honour the explorer's legacy but the move has also reignited the debate about the origins of Columbus and the importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

'America's original hero': Trump makes Columbus Day a national holiday

The US president has reinstated Columbus Day as a national holiday to honour the explorer's legacy but the move has also reignited the debate about the origins of Columbus and the importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

l.euronews.com

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

This is the most laughable joke if it were not so serious. It looks like a cross between a game show and the Jerry Lewis telethon.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "I don't know what it is. I like the tough people better than I the soft, easy ones. I don't know what the hell that is. That's a personality problem I suspect. But this gentleman from a place called Turkey has one of the most powerful armies in the world... I want to thank President Erdogan"

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

A very important post. I keep trying to explain to people that AI as a technology moves ahead at known pace, and that pace is swift. The consumer who uses AI benefits without having to contemplate the massive geopolitical implications if China were to surpass the US in this technology.

Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 2d

This relatively short essay by Jack Clark (from OpenAI & Anthropic) is a good indicator of the attitude of many people inside the AI labs, and what they think is happening right now in AI.

You do not have to believe him, of course, but it is worth noting: importai.substack.com/p/import-ai-...

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Well. We historians typically are very cautious about drawing historical parallels because the contexts are rarely the same. American is not the Roman Republic. Yet, there are useful reasons for drawing comparison. Covid was not the Black Death. Medievalists could easily see the problem in 2019.

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 2d

This post, while attempting to be clever, actually reveals the problem here: Because people do not understand war crimes, and why genocide is a higher bar, they have only two words in their vocabulary to describe armed conflict: "War" (some guys, good or bad) and "genocide" (bad guys)

Craig @craiglee.bsky.social · 2d

Just one of those average, everyday war crimes then?

Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

Euronews @euronews.com · 2d

Two ancient castles in the Croatian region of Istria have been renovated and refurbished to give them a second life. This is how old stones are creating jobs and boosting local economies.

#SmartRegions w/ @ec.europa.eu DG REGIO

EU castles become strongholds of sustainable cultural tourism

l.euronews.com

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Its simple. The world has figured out that the way to get on his good side is to blow as much smoke up his ass as possible.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

The Egyptian leader refers to Trump as "your excellency"

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

I will say this. It will hit you at times in ways that you simply cant anticipate. Stiff upper lip on it. But I really dont like Lion King...

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Dang. Im so jealous. My older brother had cool Daniel Boone or Davy Crockett lunch box. I got this in the 1970s. Hey, let's celebrate the zip code! encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/shopping?q=t...

Reposted by Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA

Mari 🏳️‍⚧️ @mari-paige.bsky.social · 2d

For Indigenous People’s Day, I’d like to infodump about the Cahokia mound. Built near present day St. Louis around 1000 CE, it was a vast trade hub with a population of about 20,000. This made it the largest city north of Mexico on the continent, bigger than London and Paris at the time!

The Cahokia mound, located outside modern day St. Louis, Missouri. It is a large hill which is now covered in grass, under a clear blue sky.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Sounds like another interaction I recently had. Must be that we historians think a little differently.

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Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

Finally, for the moment...you cant change the minds of unreasonable people. Reasonable people are teachable people.

Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA @tjfinan.org · 1d

I am an expert too, in a radically different field that has little to do with contemporary world problems per se; I can still admit that Im wrong if Im wrong. That doesnt make me not an expert. it means I have humility, and not hubris, which tends to be the downfall of experts and empires alike.