Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 4h

To be clear:

LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.

The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.

This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.

abcnews.go.com

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 4h

“Five months before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, tearing many houses off their foundations, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from such extreme flooding.” Of course they did. Gift article.

Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant

www.nytimes.com

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 8h

If they don’t see the obvious point that its use undermines the most important aspects of education, campus admins should at least be attuned to the blatant exploitative profiteering of these companies.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 8h

Had two cases of plagiarism by AI this week. And while the students are accountable for their actions (since my policy is crystal clear), the exploitative nature of the tech itself and its proselytizing overlords is very much part of the equation.

Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 29d

This technology is so clearly designed to profit off cheating and struggling students--its insidious. And yet universities keep announcing how they're allowing this company into its midst, to exploit and incapacitate our students even more

A photo from Jamie Keller Davis for the NYT: a color photo of a Chicago skyline showing three buildings photographed from street level. The one in the center has brown brick-like walls, and a very large poster advertising ChatGPT. The poster shows a conversation between a hypothetical student and ChatGPT: "Can you quiz me on the muscles of the leg?" "Can you build me a first time marathon training plan?" The text at the bottom of the poster reads: "ChatGPT Plus is free during finals.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 9h

Wordle 1,578 5/6

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Skill 97, Luck 22

About right

Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

The Lincoln Project @lincolnproject.us · 2d

Speaker Johnson: "People’s faith in the government is at an all time low"

Republicans control all 3 branches of the government.

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

NPR @npr.org · 12h

The army in Madagascar seized power on Tuesday, days after the president fled the African island nation saying he feared for his life after several weeks of massive anti-government protests. n.pr/4qfA9Vk

Military seizes power in Madagascar following anti-government protests

The army in Madagascar seized power on Tuesday, days after the president fled the African island nation saying he feared for his life after several weeks of massive anti-government protests.

n.pr

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 12h

"I dedicate this prize to president Trump" - winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2025.

Philip Bump @pbump.com · 12h

So this time the boat *wasn't even moving*.

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 12h

Whether it's young Democrats expressing their support for DEI or young Republicans saying "I love Hitler,' both sides have expressed controversial opinions.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 16h

And…this is coming 10 mos later than promised, & after basically the same deal was rejected even earlier. Still… however, & why-ever, & by whomever, I’m glad for the alleviation of suffering & hope it does hold. (with no offense meant to squirrels or anyone else - it was my coach who said it)

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

NPR @npr.org · 21h

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scenes and not accepting wholesale what any government or administration says. n.pr/4q87Jwb

Opinion: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon press pass

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scenes and not accepting wholesale what any government or administration says.

n.pr

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17h

It’s amazing how all the reporting is just memory-holing this part

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

Bonnie Honig @bonniehonig.bsky.social · 19h

Hamas agreed to this same deal by Dec 2024. But “Baskin would soon learn that the Israelis had no intention of striking any agreement before a change of administration in Washington…”
Reminiscent of Reagan/Carter and a different hostage release…

The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 4d

Gershon Baskin says he got the plan on to the president’s desk but then learnt the Israelis were waiting for a change of administration in Washington

Biden and Netanyahu were offered same deal a year ago, says negotiator

Gershon Baskin says he got the plan on to the president’s desk but then learnt the Israelis were waiting for a change of administration in Washington

www.thetimes.com

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 17h

What’s certain is that it wasn’t done because of a sudden moral awakening, or concern for justice or human life. As the piece also notes, it’s not just a bad man stumbling into a good thing, but bad *men* - Bibi, Hamas, ME dictators, Jared, etc - which makes its success that much more precarious.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 17h

As my high school baseball coach used to say, brutally but truthfully, “even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.”

Of course, as the piece rightly notes, only time will ultimately tell if the bad man happened to do a good thing.

David Rothkopf @djrothkopf.bsky.social · 1d

When a bad man does a good thing, he does not cease to be a bad man. This is a complicated moment in the Middle East. Each of us must work to make sense of it. My latest. open.substack.com/pub/davidrot...

Joy. Sorrow. Fury. Disgust. And Hope. All at Once.

Reacting to this disorienting, misrepresented, misperceived moment in the Middle East.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

David W. Congdon @dwcongdon.com · 1d

A liturgy for the masses.

John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 1d

“No Kings” is great , but we really don't get a functioning democracy back until we internalize, bone deep, the instinctive response to this and every other statement like it: “I don’t care what that rich guy thinks.”

Make it your morning affirmation. Say it ten times at the top of every hour.

The Independent @the-independent.com · 1d

Elon Musk calls for US troops to be sent to San Francisco for war on drugs: ‘It’s the only solution’

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

The Pleasure Vice Principle (he/him/his) @hannibaltabu.bsky.social · 3d

I saw the dot coms crash from a front row seat. AI is running out of money way faster.

The evangelism is insecurity from people who made the wrong bet. I’ve seen it before. futurism.com/future-socie...

AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought

An investment manager realized he made a crucial mistake — and that his grim prediction about AI investments may not have been cynical enough.

futurism.com

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 1d

Religion scholars: One week left to apply to be my colleague in the small but mighty Religion Department at my small liberal arts college. We are hiring a TT professor of Religion in the US. Right now we have four religion professors, and you could be number five! slc.peopleadmin.com/postings/2425

Religion in the United States Tenure Track Position

Sarah Lawrence College seeks candidates for a tenure-track position in Religion in the United States, to begin in fall 2026. We seek scholars from the fields of religious studies, area studies, and hi...

slc.peopleadmin.com

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 1d

Following up b/c of a few odd responses. Of course scholars set parameters. Not everything is "Salafism" or "evangelicalism"; that's where an evidence-based, historically-informed, stipulative definition comes in. Insiders also set boundaries of course, but on a different basis & for diff purposes.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 1d

In a way, it's unfortunate that, to get clicks, every story about Great Lakes freighters *also has to* be a story about the EF. I'm as taken by by the story of the wreck as any other, but 50 yrs on, it's okay to just write about the Wilfred Sykes and the changing industry.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 2d

A photo I took of the Sykes not long ago. Interesting fact: the Sykes was loaded at the same dock opposite the Edmund Fitzgerald on the day the latter went down in Lake Superior. But the Sykes took a different route.

SS Wilfred Sykes coming into a Lake Michigan port as the sun sets behind her

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 2d

This is terrific. A great profile of Great Lakes shipping (and mandatory reminiscence on the Edmund Fitzgerald) featuring my all time favorite freighter, one I’ve seen dozens of times, the still hardworking “antique” steamship Wilfred Sykes. Gift article.

In the Wake of the Edmund Fitzgerald

www.nytimes.com

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks for this. Helpful.

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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 2d

It was a beautiful fall day for our annual tradition of going Concord (and Niagara) grape picking. Yum!

Huge clusters of Concord grapes beneath the grape leaves on the vine.

A bucket full of fresh picked Concorde and Niagara grapes

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Reposted by Matthew J Kuiper

Nathan K. Hensley @nathankhensley.bsky.social · 2d

flipped classrooms & the unquestioned shift toward “student-led learning” were also part of the deprofessionalization->adjunctification->mechanization program whose ultimate goal was a fully administrative university

John Downes-Angus @johndownesangus.bsky.social · 2d

The over-reliance on standardization as the mechanism for writing instruction really was a pretty unbeatable context to produce de-professionalized teachers okay with using AI to grade

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