Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 7h

Every time I come back to Europe it’s like a wind ripping through me of memories and the force of time. Old stone, cobblestone streets, hundreds of years of lives. I miss it, that belonging, that being part of a before and an after. North America feels rudderless to me without that line of time.

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 7h

“I’m old and I have to die sooner than you but goddamn I’m going to do everything possible to destroy your future so when I’m gone you have a miserable existence” is very boomer.

Derek Beres @derekberes.bsky.social · 1d

It's going to take generations to recover from RFK Jr.

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/c...

"CDC is over": RFK Jr. lays off over 1,000 employees in Friday night massacre

Amid the ongoing shutdown, the HHS secretary wiped out entire offices that investigate disease outbreaks, manage infectious disease responses and collect data.

www.msnbc.com

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 12h

Hey if that isn’t a good incentive to speed up for the next 3km, I don’t know what is!!

Reposted by Andy Fraser

FLAVOR FLAV ⏰ @flavorflav.bsky.social · 12h

I post this article too much,,,
But we have mass shooting too much

www.newsweek.com/2025/07/18/f...

Why Flavor Flav says the US must ban firearms now | Opinion

The lack of U.S. gun laws has created a violence epidemic unlike anywhere else on Earth. This is domestic errorism

www.newsweek.com

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 19h

It can be done if we start listening to the vast majority of citizens who want safer streets, better traffic, lower pollution, and greater freedom for children and stop running our entire cities in the interest of a very loud and selfish minority of Deathtruck owners.

Renee de St. Croix @reneedsc.bsky.social · 1d

“Fast forward to today, and the transformation is astonishing. Paris has quietly—and quickly—become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world” with pop-up bike-lanes during the pandemic evolving “into a permanent cycling network spanning hundreds of kilometres.” Via @momentummag.bsky.social

New Study Shows How Paris Pedaled Its Way to a Cycling Revolution

Cycling through central Paris meant weaving between buses and scooters—a bold choice reserved for the fearless few.

momentummag.com

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 20h

If my most famous scientific finding was actually made by an unrelated Andrew Fraser and misattributed to me, it’d suck!!

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 20h

Today I learned that Francis Wilhoit (political scientist) is not the source of “in group protect not bind, out group binds not protect” quote - but instead it’s Frank Wilhoit (composer).
Is there a term for where two people share a name but trespass on each other’s expertise like this??

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 20h

Got to have the in group that has protections but no obligations and the out group with obligations but no protections, otherwise what’s the point in being a tyrant?!

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Reposted by Andy Fraser

Domestique @domestiquecycling.com · 21h

'That was really cool' - 🇸🇮 Pogacar reveals post-race call wit 🇧🇪 Merckx after historic #IlLombardia2025 win

📰 domestiquecycling.com/en/news/that...

📸 Cor Vos

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 21h

Interesting case - should an individual be allowed to have principles or should genocidal regimes be allowed to crush them by asking for obscene damages if they try to act according to their conscience? Feels anti-SLAPP adjacent.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...

Derek Gee faces €30m damages claim after ending Israel-Premier Tech contract over ‘personal beliefs’

Canadian cyclist says the decision ‘weighed heavily on my conscience’ with case to go before UCI arbitral board

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Andy Fraser

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 1d

theonion.com/ice-raids-my...

MYTH: ICE agents lack proper training.

FACT: Most have been racists their entire lives.

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Reposted by Andy Fraser

Robin Brooks @robin-j-brooks.bsky.social · 1d

US tariffs are inflationary for the US and deflationary for China and everyone else. They cause China to divert all the goods it used to export to the US to the rest of the world, which is now getting a flood of deeply discounted stuff. China also imports less as it tries to sell stuff at home...

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

But what if everyone just stopped reporting measles cases? That’d solve everything right?

Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

RFK fired the CDC official (w/decades of experience) leading the measles outbreak response. It's been decades since we've had such a large outbreak. And just to ensure they they can spread the measles outbreak even farther, they also fired the leadership for the center focused on immunization.

Figure showing the largest measles outbreak in the US in decades. There are over 1500 cases as of October 7 2025

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

I love when Marina Hyde goes full angry rather than cynical. “I’ve seen it said that OpenAI’s motto should be “better to beg forgiveness than ask permission”, but…its actual motto seems to be “we’ll do what we want and you’ll let us, bitch”.” Genius. (Always)

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It’s Sam Altman: the man who stole the rights from copyright. If he’s the future, can we go backwards? | Marina Hyde

His AI video generator Sora 2 has been reviled for pinching the work of others. One giant leap for Sam: for everyone else, not so much, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

www.theguardian.com

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Generous gift from Swiss hotel when I arrived too late for the local coop to buy Middle Of The Night After Cycling Snacks. I will now survive till morning without resorting to murder and cannibalism. A

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Hey wait wait wait, human geneticists discovered everything, that’s why it’s called wingless!
(Based on a real conversation I had with a mouse geneticist (FRS!!!) about Notch and they had absolutely no clue it hadn’t been discovered in the mouse. Living is easy with eyes closed…)

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Excellent:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Madeline Horwath on St George returning to England – cartoon

The St George’s flag is more popular than ever. It’s more complicated for England’s patron saint

www.theguardian.com

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Indie version

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Mood

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

Everywhere the rule seems to be - yes universities took the right stance on apartheid, on civil rights protests etc, and yes they were right in the face of strong governmental opposition BUT THAT WAS IN THE PAST and has no bearing whatsoever on opposing genocide which is Just Playing Politics etc

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Reposted by Andy Fraser

Bradley P. Moss @bradmossesq.bsky.social · 2d

I love this image.

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

His delight was so infectious - like he also couldn’t believe what he was doing. Reminds be a bit of Bolt’s 100m in 2008 when his arms came down 20m early like he was saying “can you F-ing believe this??!”. Track and field, I could watch it all day…

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

For once it wasn’t literature, notoriously the leakiest of prizes - year after year huge betting surges pre announcement. And a good winner this year after some patchy choices (Dylan FFS, a writer whose every lyric would have been improved by cutting the number of verses in half, and Tarantula).

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

The “Atomkraft Nein Danke” movement certainly has much to answer for, a catastrophic error. Would be astonished if that 80s left/green movement wasn’t highly infiltrated/funded by the Kremlin.

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Andy Fraser @andyfraser.bsky.social · 1d

In my darker moments, I have often wondered about Merkel, child of the DDR, and how she made Germany entirely dependent on Russian oil and gas to the point that it was powerless to oppose Putin. She couldn’t be…could she??

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