Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 16h

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Dr Karaitiana Taiuru MITP, MInstD @ktaiuru.bsky.social · 13h

Sovereign computers, software and servers for home and office. Come and join me for this live webinar with an Open Source expert, noon October 22, Nau mai, haere mai koutou!

sovereign-computers.eventbrite.co.nz

Sovereign computers, software and servers for home and office

I talk with Tangata Tiriti Rob Elshire about his journey over decades setting up sovereign computers and data storage facilities.

Sovereign-Computers.eventbrite.co.nz

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 13h

I don't know who needs to know this (besides me) but Kmart NZ is going HAM for Halloween stock this year (including cat items, and yes guess whose cats have matching costumes now) 🎃🐈‍⬛

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 16h

Snacks were demanded upon return, not even kidding, he went right to the cupboard and stared daggers at me 😂

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Aotearoa Covid Action @covidactionnz.bsky.social · 16h

Wellingtonians - Are you interested?

An hour of unlimited play on the machines at Ye Olde Pinball Shoppe before regular opening hours on a Sunday from 10-11 am. N95 or better masks to be worn at all times and there is an air purifier. $20/person and we need 25 people to make the event happen.

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 16h

Really looking forward to this #horror film made by an old friend, yay! Congrats Johannes!

Johannes Grenzfurthner @grenzfurthner.bsky.social · 3d

The streaming release on SOLVENT is in five days. Drop me some love (or hatelove or lovehate or whatever combination you like -- I’m not picky, I’m just doing combinatorics here) on Letterboxd. It helps.

letterboxd.com/film/solvent/

Solvent (2024)

While searching for Nazi documents in an Austrian farmhouse, a team of experts uncovers a hidden secret buried in its bowels. American expatriate Gunner S. Holbrook becomes obsessed with solving the m...

letterboxd.com

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 17h

Author of The Anti-Fascist Handbook, death threats at his house after TPUSA targeted him and his family.

newrepublic.com/post/201448/...

Professor Flees to Europe After Turning Point USA Calls Him Antifa

Rutgers University professor Mark Bray no longer feels safe at home.

newrepublic.com

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 18h

From this morning: Apple and Google's platform gatekeeping at nation-state request, a Discord age-verification "experiment" data breach, cyber-scam compound ringleaders sentenced to execution (!), RNZ's tight journalistic OPSEC, how to turn off a few AI tools, more:

www.patreon.com/posts/cybers...

Cybersecurity: October 7, 2025 | Threat Model

Get more from Threat Model on Patreon

www.patreon.com

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 18h

Noooooooo

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Covid-Safer SF/Bay Area @covidsafersf.bsky.social · 18h

(Oakland)The organizers are seeking volunteers for this Fri., 10/10 masked concert, for free admission! E-mail rebirthxcanal (at) gmail (dot) com for info.

Covid-Safer SF/Bay Area @covidsafersf.bsky.social · 7d

(Oakland) Fri., 10/10, 7-8:30: Rebirth Canal & Dong Lan's "Red Moon" in concert. KN95s or better required & provided for audience members. Unmasked performers test with molecular tests prior to show.

Tickets: $30. Wyldflower Arts, 809 37th St.

Tickets, more details: www.viewcy.com/event/dongla...

Viewcy | Đồng Lan's "RedMoon" + Rebirth Canal: A Covid-Conscious Concert

**Join us for an evening of original Vietnamese-French-American jazz featuring internationally acclaimed singer Đồng Lan and genre-defying ensemble Rebirth Canal. A masks-required concert.** Artists ...

www.viewcy.com

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 18h

Guess who is doing medical mystery shenanigans again! Thought Sam had something stuck in his nose. Instead we find a swollen spot in his mouth and mild ear inflammation... Meds and a revisit next week.

Selfie of a white woman with black hair and green eyes wearing an orange pastel sweater and black vest, with a black respirator mask. In a veterinary office with a gray cat backpack and a gray and white tabby cat looking out the backpack's bubble window.

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Aotearoa Covid Action @covidactionnz.bsky.social · 19h

Our mask bloc is well funded and now available at the Newtown Library in Wellington but we could use some more volunteers, specifically people with a bit of storage space who can help with restocking this collection point.

Let us know if you can help!

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Kay in the End Times 🏳️‍🌈 💗💜💙📚 @jennykaynz.bsky.social · 1d

#Murderbot as a trans journey:
🤖💗🤍💙🏳️‍⚧️
"Life Lessons From a Murderbot"
By Anya Johanna DeNiro
Published on June 26, 2023, about the #books
🪐📚
reactormag.com/life-lessons...

Life Lessons From a Murderbot - Reactor

I was tearing up at the end of All Systems Red, and I wasn’t sure why. Yes, it was sad that Murderbot was leaving its friends and colleagues, and a promised life of safety, behind. But there was somet...

reactormag.com

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David Buchanan @retr0.id · 1d

how to deactivate torment nexus

torment nexus deactivation tutorial

torment nexus deactivation tutorial working 2025

deactivate torment nexus no survey

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Kate Violette @kateviolette.com · 1d

I don't think people who aren't the target of such laws realize how upsetting it is to simply read headlines like this

it adds up over a lifetime, you know

to know you are so hated, to have to always be on the lookout for creeps and chuds who would do you harm given the chance

it's tiring

Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 1d

3 MAGA extremists have re-intro'd a bill that allows South Carolina to execute women who receive an abortion. If you haven't heard about S 323, it's because corporate media has completely ignored it.

Here's the overview, the sponsors, & how to fight back:
www.qasimrashid.com/p/s-carolina...

S. Carolina RE-Intros Bill To Kill Women For Getting An Abortion

Here's what's in the bill, why it is so dangerous, and the meaningful steps you can take to fight back, support women's health, and help block this bill from becoming law

www.qasimrashid.com

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Tory Whanau @misswhanau.bsky.social · 1d

If you’d like to hear my final council speech (with some sass), feel free to come to council tomorrow morning. DM for more details.

Final council speech
Image of Tory whanau
Wed 8 Oct
10am

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Covid-Safer SF/Bay Area @covidsafersf.bsky.social · 1d

(Berkeley) Sunday, 10/12, 12-3 p.m.: Mask-required shopping hours at The Escapist / Dark Carnival books. 3086 & 3090 Claremont Ave., Berkeley.

Flyer with a purple and white background and different graphics, including one of an N95. Text reads: “Masked shopping hours! Sunday, October 12, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. The Escapist Comic Bookstore & Dark Carnival. Help us help all our customers. 3086 Claremont Ave. & 3090 Claremont Ave., Berkeley, CA, 94705.”

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 1d

🤣

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 1d

It's sooooo ugly (and I own a decent-sized challenge coin collection so I *know* what nice ones look like).

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 1d

Countries around the world and the UN Human Rights Council all need to consider what it means that a single totalitarian government now controls Google and Apple’s app store content.

apnews.com/article/appl...

Apple and Google block apps that crowdsource ICE sightings. Some warn of chilling effects

Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken do...

apnews.com

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 1d

😂

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Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 1d

I mean what do we even say at this point? This is the abolition of the free press and first amendment for the “privilege” of reporting on the people’s government currently carrying out extrajudicial executions of random civilians at sea.

A PFAC may be denied, revoked, or not renewed if a person is reasonably determined to pose a security or safety risk to DoW personnel or property, in accordance with the standards and procedures outlined in Appendix A. Such an initial determination may result in an immediate suspension of your Pentagon access while the procedures preceding a final determination are pending.
This in-brief and its Appendices address DoW policy and the potential bases for such a determination and do not prohibit you as a PFAC holder from engaging in constitutionally protected journalistic activities, such as investigating, reporting, or publishing stories.

Such determination may be based on factors including, but not limited to, the unauthorized access, attempted unauthorized access, or unauthorized disclosure of CNSI or CUI, convictions for national defense offenses, threats, or unsafe activities (as listed in Appendix A). Such a determination is based on a reasonable assessment informed by the unique facts and circumstances of each case--such as whether the conduct is willful or repeated, versus isolated and unintentional—and incorporates due process (e.g., written notice of the basis, a 30-day appeal period, an opportunity for personal appearance, and a final, reviewable determination).
For clarity, the receipt of unsolicited CNSI or CUI and its subsequent publication is generally protected by the First Amendment and would not, on its own, normally trigger denial, revocation, or non-renewal of a PFAC. However, if you solicit the disclosure of such information or otherwise encourage DoW personnel to violate laws and policies concerning the disclosure of such information, such conduct may weigh in the consideration of whether you pose a security or safety risk.

There is a critical distinction between lawfully requesting information from the government and actively soliciting or encouraging government employees to break the law. The First Amendment does not permit journalists to solicit government employees to violate the law by providing confidential government information. The press's rights are not absolute and do not override the government's compelling interest in maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive intormation. Soliciting or encouraging government employees to break the law talls outside the scope of protected newsgathering activities.
Solicitation may include direct communications with specific DoW personnel or general appeals, such as public advertisements or calls for tips encouraging DoW employees to share non-public DoW information. For example, an advertisement or social media post by an individual journalist or media outlet that directly targets DoW personnel to disclose
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non-public information without proper authorization would constitute a solicitation that could lead to revocation.
Additionally, publication that recklessly endangers American lives could factor into an assessment of whether continued unescorted access to the Pentagon poses a security risk.

(a) The use of cameras or other visual recording devices on the Pentagon Reservation is prohibited, unless the use of such items are approved by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Installation Commander, or the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs.
(b) It shall be unlawful to make any photograph, sketch, picture, drawing, map or graphical representation of the Pentagon Reservation without first obtaining permission of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency or the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs.
Note that this prohibition applies to the use of apps on mobile devices that utilize the front-facing camera lens, such as "FaceTime" or the taking of "selfies."
News media visiting the National Pentagon 9/11 Memorial in their personal capacity, not as a member of the press, may take photos using their personal devices. Filming or photography in the Memorial for a news media interview or to obtain b-roll requires an exception, as described below under Filming/Photography Exception Requests.

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Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 2d

THE FLESH KING will be out this Tuesday! It continues Ford, Neuland, and Tilda's story back home in New York, where they are blackmailed into hunting down an immortal killer. Also, my cat says please buy it because we're out of chicken and chicken is life. 😿

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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 1d

And now we know what came with the "challenge coin display stands" that included illegal 3D printed guns (temporarily disabled) that Patel gave to "three of New Zealand’s most powerful law enforcement figures" and "two senior elected officials."

apnews.com/article/kash...

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Jared Holt @jaredlholt.bsky.social · 1d

This really makes it sound like a Border Patrol agent tried to kill an anti-ICE activist in Chicago and DHS lied to cover for him

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 1d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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