Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Matthew Sullivan @sulli864.bsky.social · 9h

“Wonderful things can happen when you plant seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes.” Elmore Leonard, ‘Glitz’.

‘Glitz’ by Elmore Leonard, Penguin UK paperback, 1986.

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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 11h

Hindsight is 20-20, but I really think they should have taken Maxwell's silver hammer away before the trial.

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Nick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 12h

Angel Viñas, among most erudite Spanish historians:
"I'm careful in my writings not to insult [...]anyone. When I point out Franco was a liar, a murderer and a crook, I demonstrate it with supporting documents. I have not seen so far anyone contradicting this with other documents"

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Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 1d

This from @francescasimon.bsky.social reminds me of what @bridgetemob.bsky.social used to say about her philosophy degree when ppl asked what kind of job that'll lead to: "Oh, I think I'll just sell out and join one of the big philosophy firms". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Kemi Badenoch wants to end ‘rip-off degrees’ – but I wouldn’t have created Horrid Henry without mine | Francesca Simon

I studied Old and Middle English. Although I didn’t know it, I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to train me to become a children’s author, says author Francesca Simon

www.theguardian.com

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Lawrence Allan @writelarrywrite.lawrenceallanwrites.com · 22h

1. None of the stupid things I did was a teen or young adult involved loving Hitler.

2. These weren't kids. They are adults with jobs inside the Republican Party.

If Republicans don't want to be called racists and fascists, then they should stop doing racist and fascist shit.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

JD Vance dismisses Young Republicans who in a group chat said "I love Hitler" and joked about slavery and rape as "a bunch of kids" who "told stupid jokes" and adds that "most of the stupid things I did when I was a teenager and young adult, they're not on the internet."

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Matthew Sullivan @sulli864.bsky.social · 1d

Washout wannabe cops tear-gassing real cops.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

Wow. Trump's masked federal agents tear-gassed a crowd in Chicago and ended up gassing a bunch of local Chicago cops who were there to *deescalate tensions.* One local cop was captured on film washing out his eyes with a hose:

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

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Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 1d

So, people are going to have to pass A level english to live here are they? I hope they study what I did at A level, Translations by Brian Friel, about the colonial evil of the English forcing people to adopt the English language

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Jon Savage @jonsavage.bsky.social · 1d

Bought OTD in 1971: ok one day we had a contest at school: who had the heaviest record? My peers brought in Purple and Sabbath and smirked until I put on Sister Ray - cleared the room. Love this record - the insane bass on White Light, the guitar explosions on Call My Name and still Sister Ray

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Matthew Sullivan @sulli864.bsky.social · 1d

Made 2 runs at it. Still didn’t like it enough to finish it

Penguin Classics paperback edition of John Le Carre’s ‘Little Drummer Girl’. The illustrated cover shows a faceless man holding a bouquet of flowers sitting in an empty theatre.

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Matthew Sullivan @sulli864.bsky.social · 1d

Holy God, had forgotten we watched this little more than a year ago after watching the relatively recent Brit mini series. The only Le Carre novel (not that I’ve read all of them yet) I have found myself unable to happily engage with. But have enjoyed both screen adaptations

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

This film is my pick for Diane Keaton’s most underrated role.

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

Stunning covers

Mark H @blackhole.bsky.social · 4d

Completed my trilogy of Peter Haining ‘unknown horrors’ from New English Library/Mews Books. Apparently rare.

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

As BlueSky has slapped a content warning on this post, any help spreading the word would be appreciated.

Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

My latest Substack post is live.

andrewnette.substack.com/p/under-the-...

'Under the tinsel and glitter - something ugly.'

Australian pulp fiction's Spanish connection

andrewnette.substack.com

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Bill Cunningham, MPB @madpulpbastard.bsky.social · 4d

Read, and better yet, subscribe... your pulp culture education demands it.

Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

My latest Substack is live. Free to read and subscribe at the link below.

andrewnette.substack.com/p/under-the-...

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 3d

If you read my Substack but don’t subscribe, it would be great if you did. Either paid or the free option, whatever suits your circumstances.

Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 4d

My latest Substack is live. Free to read and subscribe at the link below.

andrewnette.substack.com/p/under-the-...

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Dani Díaz @diazcarrete.bsky.social · 2d

"The cover art on these books were just part of a far bigger transnational market for Spanish pulp art that existed in 1960s and 1970s"

Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 2d

Yes, maybe. I sort of addressed this in my most recent Substack post

andrewnette.substack.com/p/under-the-...

'Under the tinsel and glitter - something ugly.'

Australian pulp fiction's Spanish connection

andrewnette.substack.com

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 2d

Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 2d

Immigrants Make Up More Than 30 Percent of Nobel Science Winners Since 2000 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

More than 30% of this century’s science Nobel prizewinners immigrated: see their journeys

The most common destination for eventual Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 2000 is the United States, Nature has found.

www.nature.com

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 1d

I just made an intervention in the culture.

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Andrew Nette @pulpcurry.bsky.social · 1d

Another important film poster artist has passed, Drew Struzan. Again, more than likely you won’t know his name, but looking over his work l am amazed by how closely l associate his work with the aesthetic of the 1980s.

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Faber Books @faberbooks.bsky.social · 5d

‘Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding.’

Listen to Seamus Heaney read ‘Scaffolding’
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNYB...

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Ryan Broderick @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social · 28d

In the 2010s, this country's elites were thrown onto social platforms with everyone else and could finally read what we all think about them and it caused them so much psychic damage that they decided to destroy both the internet and democracy to make sure nothing like it ever happened again.

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 28d

If this is what it took for you to be pushed into fascism you were probably already there

This predates the social media wars of the late 2010s: One Trump appointee told me that a radicalizing experience was being booted out of the Gawker comments section, way back in the day. But as progressive movements swept through social media, others were tossed off Twitter and Facebook for stepping over a variety of lines, from allegations of harassment to claims of election misinformation. Pandemic era public health rules and fevered enforcement cost others their accounts.

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Susan Lanigan @susanlanigan.bsky.social · 2d

Speaking as a *current* Green Party member, the flaw in the “why don’t you stick to the environment” canard is, pace Greta Thunberg, you cannot honour the environment if you don’t see your neighbour as human. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

Brian Leddin: Why I resigned from the Green Party over its decision to back Catherine Connolly

Party’s decision to support Connolly’s presidential campaign only deepened my concerns about its current direction

www.irishtimes.com

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Mairéad Hearne (Swirl and Thread Book Blog) @maireadhearne.bsky.social · 1d

#BookReview

#ThePlantersDaughter by @susanlanigan.bsky.social

Book 1 in a new series feat. 2 Cork based detectives, Keane & Xiao

Dual timeline (today & Ireland's War of Independence)
Relevant societal themes
Intriguing & emotionally potent

www.swirlandthread.com/the-planters...

#booksky

Cover of The Planter's Daughter by Susan Lanigan

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Hark! The 87th Precinct Project @hark87podcast.bsky.social · Sep 10

Watched a fantastic comedy heist movie last night; Bill Forsyth's That Sinking Feeling from 1979. It's not a slick, flashy thriller - it's a near-zero budget Scottish film in a very deprived "Glasgow" of the 1970s, but it's brilliant.

If you watch it, make sure you choose the original audio track!

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Hark! The 87th Precinct Project @hark87podcast.bsky.social · Sep 10

Interesting to see how the trades were advertising the novel Mothers and Daughters by #EvanHunter. Especially as it never made it to the screen in the end.

Has anyone read it? It's 900 pages in it's original edition and it's staring at me from the bookshelf, looking intimidating.

Bookseller advert for Evan Hunter's £100000 novel. Plus more to come, the advert says, breaking down the money for the various rights involved in the publication.

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