Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 19h

'Masons are careful to test out the scaffolding; secure ladders, tighten joints.
When the job's done - walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be Old bridges breaking between you and me, never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall. Confident that we have built our wall.'

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 20h

🥃The #Hearach has arrived! 1st thing I saw walking through #GLA ✈️ #DutyFree this morning! Slàinte! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 8d

🇻🇪🕊️María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize: 'barred from running in presidential elections won by Nicolás Maduro, Machado was recognised for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" #BBC 👏☮️

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 9d

"Devices are not dangerous for literature.
People can be dangerous for literature.
People, for example, who do not read."
🖋️László Krasznahorkai

Hungarian writer, László Krasznahorkai, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature

1

Reposted by Kara Ghobhainn Smith

Bylines Scotland @bylines.scot · 9d

✏️ Something worthwhile to pencil in into your diaries!
4 November 2025 at 7pm!
Register by scanning the QR code!

A flyer from Bylines Network's webinar: Hope aganist hate: how citizens and journalists can reclaim democracy on 4 November 2025 7pm

10 14

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 11d

'Colleges are driven by chasing colonial money, rather than producing robust & confident youth. Until we who HAVE serve our communities, we will never have youth who feel they #belong, are connected. & can contribute.'
🎙️RSA's Mo Isap on
'Breaking the #NEET Cycle'

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 16d

🤷Farage: 40yrs behind: "Waiting For The Wave is not a new book, nor is it about Farage; it details the rise of the Reform party of Canada. Starting in Alberta in 1986, Preston Manning cultivated a growing dissatisfaction with the political classes." 📰AndyMaciver in TheHerald

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 16d

😂🇪🇺

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 19d

#RSA Leilani Farhan discusses SHELTER AS A HUMAN RIGHT: #housing reflects the interests of #Finance where national banks reward BigInvestors by offering lower interest rates to 🤑 who acquire buildings where rents are likely to be raised, resulting in tenants being displaced👉
lnkd.in/gkrE9fgB

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 21d

♀️Reading Nicola Sturgeon's 'Frankly' I found myself asking, in every section was: 'Would this have happened to a man?' The unclouded focus she has for issues is still so impressive. ALL the betrayals & losses in one place is overwhelming. Alan Cumming said it best, 'How did it not break her?'🤔❤️

2 13 45

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · 28d

1 1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 18

'You can still buy advantage, massively increasing your chance of getting the most powerful roles in 🇬🇧. This is a waste of talent. If we want a fair, strong economy, employers & policymakers must create space where privilege is no longer a passport to power'
🗞️CarlCulliane #SuttonTrust

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 18

"Why would a Billionaire close a school for poor kids? CZI announced it will pivot its focus towards AI efforts. This shift reflects broader trends where tech philanthropy gravitates toward cutting-edge tech rather than community." 😓

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 17

"To thrive in the modern world requires, if not full-scale Sapolskian determinism, then at least a level of realism about the limits of free will."
🗞️James Marriott, TheTimes

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 16

"What is the future of the novel? We haven't yet invented an instrument that has the penetration to describe the intricacies of thoughts & feelings that genuine characters have like the novel."
🖋️Ian McEwan speaking in Bath 16.9.2025 #Cli-Fi

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 7

Chatbots can be trained to police other chatbots & deepfake; track accounts to check that they correspond w ONE IP. Algorithms can prioritise quality, relevance & harm reduction over profits. Address bias in datasets & enforce restrictions on AI in recruitment, finance & justice...(pp.264-275)

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 7

✊'Instead of enabling ruthless pursuit of profit, we need to start from a place of true sustainability-to consider the needs & consequences of the global community, not the bank accounts of the super rich. There's NO acceptable level of human sacrifice for the launch of a new platform or product.'

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 7

'Make peace with all of the women you once were;
Lay flowers at their feet; offer them incense & honey & forgiveness.
Honour them. Listen.
Bless them & let them be; for they are the bones of the temple you sit in now.
They are the rivers of wisdom leading you towards the sea.' 🌊
🖋️Emory Hall

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 5

📽️Just re-watching an old film tonight: STILL one of the BEST Soundtracks I've ever heard.🎶
🎙️#BigChill

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 5

"Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment we created a lot of value for shareholders." 🌐😓
🖌️TomToro, 2015

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 5

🌌A metaphor for new beginnings: Dr Roberto Maiolino's work in experimental physics QSO1 has discovered that black holes _preceded_ the formation of universes & stars (not the other way around, from the collapse of them) - 'out of darkness comes the dancing stars' ✨

1

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Sep 2

🌐🎌Wonderful how the SDGs have been incorporated in every part of #WorldExpo this year:
1. Stewardship planning;
2. Inclusion of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
3. Acting with Integrity for a future society;
4. Green procurement Transparency. 🌱

Reposted by Kara Ghobhainn Smith

Catherine Bannister @cbannister.bsky.social · Aug 29

Just noticed this on the checkout notification I get from the Chicago Public Library. I think it’s new and I love it!

You just saved $26.00 by using your library. You have saved $2,160.24 this past year and $6, 122.52 since you began using the library!
Thank You!

100 590 5K

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Aug 30

⚽♀️Well done Pauline Hamill 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏟️

Kara Ghobhainn Smith @ghobhainn.bsky.social · Aug 30

🌅'I will return because I belong to this landscape.This magical place holds my most ancient roots, the roots of my indigenous, Spanish & mestizo ancestors, running deep.'
🖋️p.278