Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · May 14

How do people (how did I?) put on a WIRED bra, sit in their car for an HOUR, are forced to SOCIALIZE, work for NINE hours (because lunch isn’t respected), and then sit in their car for ANOTHER hour? WFH has RUINED me for the better.

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · May 8

Is anyone else getting targeted with wacko "health" ads on content they consume? I've heard ads for methylene blue which, based on my research, could be used for several medical purposes, but "currently there is no scientific consensus on, and no FDA approval for, its effectiveness and safety.” 🙄

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Apr 30

Late to the party because my Podcast backlog got away from me, but very impressed so far with True Crime Garage’s series on homemade terrorists called, “Hate American Made.” We can be truly vile humans, but there is some comfort knowing these terrorists were brought to justice.

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Apr 27

My neighbor has mowed his lawn about twice a week since the beginning of April. I mowed for the first time today (so the city code compliance people don’t crawl up my ass about the grass being too long) and now he’s out mowing yet AGAIN. Why can’t white men just give up on the idea of the lawn ffs.

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Apr 22

Happy Earth Day to those who celebrate!

And if that’s not you, you need to reconsider how you live your life.

a picture of the earth with the word shoebox on the bottom right

Alt: A picture of the earth with a cat rising from behind it. The branding of “shoebox” on the bottom right.

media.tenor.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Apr 15

I can’t recommend dividing your herbaceous perennials enough. Digging something up and then stabbing it with a shovel to break it up is…wow, cathartic.

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Mar 1

Happy Black History Month! Dr. Charles Drew was the father of the modern blood bank. He developed methods for long term blood storage before WWII, which is mind blowing. This was also at a time where he himself was unable to donate due to racism.

Charles Richard Drew - American Chemical Society

Learn about Dr. Charles Richard Drew, who discovered a method for long-term storage of blood plasma and organized America's first large-scale blood bank.

www.acs.org

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 27

Happy Black History Month! Bessie Coleman was the first African American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot’s license. Due to racism, she learned how to fly in France and came back to America. She was truly a barrier breaker during her time.

Biography: Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American, woman pilot.

www.womenshistory.org

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 26

Happy Black History Month! Jane Bolin was a true trailblazer for women in the judicial sphere. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School and became the first black, woman judge in NY. She was the only black, female judge in the country for 20 years.

Historical Profile: Jane Matilda Bolin ’31

Jane Matilda Bolin made history as the first Black female judge in the United States and the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School.

law.yale.edu

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 25

Happy Black History Month! The Fisk Jubilee Singers were founded in 1873 to raise $20,000 for the Fisk School (later University). Later disbanding 1878 and then re-establishing in 1879, they were instrumental in the preservation of African American spirituals.

The Fisk Jubilee Singers: Preserving African American Spirituals

By Mario Rups This post was originally published on the Smithsonian Libraries blog, Unbound.

music.si.edu

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 24

Happy Black History Month! Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born a slave and eventually became a friend and seamstress to Mary Todd Lincoln. She had a long and complicated life that was far from easy.

Episode 72: Elizabeth Keckly

She was born a slave, built a successful business and eventually bought her freedom...and that was all before she met Mary Todd Lincoln.

thehistorychicks.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 23

Happy Black History Month! Euphemia Lofton Haynes was the first African American PhD in mathematics. She was integral to desegregation efforts in schools after Brown v. BOE.

Euphemia Lofton Haynes, Ph.D. 1943 | Catholic University Advancement

Euphemia Lofton Haynes, Ph.D. 1943, the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics, was a prominent educator and an alumna of Catholic University who helped reform the segregated ...

engage.catholic.edu

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 22

Happy Black History Month! Edmonia Lewis was the first BIPOC American sculptor to be widely known internationally. Her work “Death of Cleopatra” can be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Biography: Edmonia Lewis

Edmonia “Wildfire” Lewis is considered the first professional BIPOC sculptor in the United States and the first to achieve international acclaim.

www.womenshistory.org

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 21

Happy Black History Month! A previously unknown figure to me is Benjamin Banneker. A farmer who is most well known for making almanacs, he was also a land surveyor and tinkerer. He was born free and advocated on behalf of his race at a time that, I can only imagine, was difficult to do so.

Benjamin Banneker: 18th Century Almanac Publisher

Benjamin Banneker was a largely self-educated mathematician and astronomer who used his skills to create a series of almanacs.

www.biography.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 20

Happy Black History Month! Alma Woodsey Thomas was an American painter who started out in the representational style and eventually evolved into abstract expressionism. Her works are color filled and wonderful. I’m hoping to visit some of her works in nearby museums soon!

Alma Woodsey Thomas | Artist Profile | National Museum of Women in the Arts

nmwa.org

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 19

Happy Black History Month! I wanted to highlight a true patriot: Air Force veteran, NASA scientist, engineer, and inventor. He is probably best known for the invention of the Super Soaker! A true classic.

Lonnie Johnson – Inventor of the Super Soaker

lonniejohnson.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 18

Happy Black History Month! David Williston was the first professionally trained landscape architect who started from humble beginnings to design many HBCU campuses. As a LA myself, I love learning about pioneers in the field!

David Augustus Williston | TCLF

Born in a rural farm community outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, Williston was the second of twelve children in a supportive and educated middle-class family. He was the first professionally train...

www.tclf.org

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 17

Happy Black History Month! Going back to The History Chicks to recommend their episode on Zephyr Wright. She kept the White House running during the Johnson administration.

Episode 151: Zephyr Wright

Not all civil rights activists marched and gave speeches, this one cooked.

thehistorychicks.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 16

Happy Black History Month! I wanted to highlight the “What Remains” three-episode series developed by @outsideinradio.bsky.social for NHPR. It discusses the history of scientific racism and the efforts to repatriate the skulls of enslaved individuals that are housed at Penn.

What Remains — Outside/In

outsideinradio.org

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 16

Happy Black History Month! Reimagined (formerly Anti-Racism Daily) has been a great resource for me to learn about history and current events.

Reimagined | Committed to Changing the News for Good

News, actions, and education to end racism in your community, office or university.

www.reimagined.news

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 14

Happy Black History Month! @staceyabrams.com is an excellent resource about how we can work towards bettering all of this (*gestures wildly about*).

Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams | Crooked Media

A weekly podcast from All-American polymath Stacey Abrams focused on connecting the people and pieces in order to make our union a little more perfect.

crooked.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 13

Happy Black History Month! Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to congress and she also ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1972. @thehistorychicks.bsky.social did an excellent podcast about her and her life.

Episode 78 : Shirley Chisholm

We finish our series about women who ran for the US Presidency before Hillary Clinton with the life of Shirley Chisholm!

thehistorychicks.com

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 12

Happy Black History Month! I listened to this episode of @ologies.bsky.social about the Constitution by expert Franita Tolson. It’s an evergreen listen!

Nomology (THE CONSTITUTION) with Franita Tolson — alie ward

If you've never read The Constitution, you're like most of us. What does it even say? Most of Americans aren't law scholars, which is why we sat down with a Dean of USC's Gould School of Law, Professo...

www.alieward.com

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Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 11

Happy Black History Month! Ann Lowe was a fashion designer who came from humble beginnings. Her work is well known, but she is less spoken of. The Podcast Women Designers You Should Know did a great episode about her!

012. Ann Lowe: A Trailblazing Black Couturier (w/ Elizabeth Way) | Women Designers You Should Know

Discover the captivating and untold story of Ann Lowe, the brilliant designer behind Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, as we delve into her legacy with fashion historian and author, Elizabeth Way, who h...

women-designers-you-should-know.simplecast.com

Andrea @amstirton.bsky.social · Feb 10

Happy Black History Month! After the Super Bowl last night, I’m assuming there will be some hot opinions about the game and halftime show. I’m excited to hear this week’s Keep It pod hosted by Ira Madison III and Louis Virtel. They report on the culture, which we all know is black culture.