Author | Lightnews

Michael Kaufman

@kaufmanwrites.bsky.social

4.8K followers 2K following 4.5K posts

Writer--mysteries, YA and non-fiction. Worked in 50 countries engaging men to support women's rights & positively transform men's lives. Latest: "The Male Ally Handbook" & "Moon Storm Rising" (K Quinn) & "The Last Resort" both with climate change themes

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Dec 11

Thx to so many of you for reposting & letting others know about my YA present-day fantasy "Moon Storm Rising" (book 1 of The Centaur Series). 16-yr old Andra stumbles on 3 creatures who can't possibly exist. Soon she must save them & avert a climate disaster. #Booksky #Fantasy #books #YA 📚🪐 💙 Amazon

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Jun 17

Insects are dying: here are 25 easy and effective ways you can help protect them. Thanks to ‪@tessairini.bsky.social‬ and ‪@pgreenfielduk.bsky.social‬ for this useful article.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#nature #environment #climatechange #eco #green @theguardian.com

Insects are dying: here are 25 easy and effective ways you can help protect them

From turning out the lights to letting leaves rot, these small steps can create big changes at home or in the wild

www.theguardian.com

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · May 27

As a Jewish man I say we need world leaders to take action against Israel's murderous actions in Gaza and the West Bank. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The turning point that wasn't: the way the world talks about Israel's war has changed. Nothing else has | Nesrine Malik

An air of complicity has prompted new rhetoric from UK and EU leaders. But it won’t redeem them – or change history’s course, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

www.theguardian.com

Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · May 27

Not much good news these days, but here is one:
Pakistan sends ‘important signal’ of hope in a gloomy world of pushbacks on women’s rights.

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
hashtag#womensrights hashtag#Pakistan

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · May 22

We're living in a time of hypernormalization. We "see that governing systems & institutions are broken. [But we] carry on as normal despite systemic dysfunction" but with fear, dread, denial & dissociation.

Really interesting article by Adrienne Matei. www.theguardian.com/wellness/ng-...

Does everything feel broken but weirdly normal? There’s a word for that

Large-scale systems are crumbling, yet daily life continues. The Soviet-era concept of hypernormalization can help when dysfunction is the status quo

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Stephen Burrell @thedailypanda.bsky.social · May 1

Talking about violence against women can make many men feel defensive. Yet as Jackson Katz points out and @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social articulated, it is closely connected to men's violence against other men and against ourselves - and we all gain from helping to end it: nowandmen.net/episode/ever...

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Apr 30

This is both very cool and one of those times when you say, "Why didn't anyone try this before?" #health #dementia #research #medicine www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Scientists use live human brain tissue to speed up hunt for dementia cure

Exclusive: British team exposed live cells to toxic proteins to gather rare insight into how dementia develops

www.theguardian.com

Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Apr 24

Leading countries for jailing writers in this order: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Israel, Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Egypt and Myanmar. And growing concern for writers in the US.
pen.org/report/freed... #writers @penamerica.bsky.social 🖋️📚💙

Freedom to Write Index 2024 - PEN America

The number of writers jailed reached a new high, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023.

pen.org

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Mark Sundaram @alliterative.bsky.social · Apr 23

Happy #EnglishLanguageDay! For a look back at the origins of this language, here’s our video on looking for the Earliest English Word: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Qx...

#Etymology #Video #WordNerd #Linguistics #Language #Words #HistoricalLinguistics #LingComm #EnglishLanguage #HistoryOfEnglish

What's the Earliest English Word?

YouTube video by Alliterative

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · Apr 22

When I took the history reporter job, I told my editor I would never "both sides" the Civil War, Confederates or slavery. I never did.

But here, ChatGPT (pic 1) has turned my work (pics 2,3) into whitewashed pablum and put MY FUCKING NAME on it.

I am livid, I am shaking. I don't know what to do.

A screenshot from ChatGPT: "Amid the tension that led to the Civil War, Lee was presented with a choice: remain loyal to the to Union, or side with his home state of Virginia and the Confederate cause. His decision to join the South has been interpreted in myriad ways. Some point to his deep ties to Virginia, and his personal conviction that he could not raise arms against his homeland. Others argue it was a reflection of a broader worldview, one that saw slavery as integral to Southern society -- a worldview that Lee never fully rejected despite his many claims of personal discomfort with the institution.

A screenshot of my actual work reading: "And despite what old revisionist history or social media memes claim, Lee owned enslaved people. He drove them hard, and he pursued and punished them when they escaped. He separated families to pay off debts and fought in court to prevent them from being freed."

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Apr 22

Diversity, equality and inclusion: still a critical issue in Canada and beyond. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b4db36e... #DEI #canada #business

Now is not the time for Canada to walk away from diversity, equity and inclusion

Canadians have many pressing concerns, but research shows they have not lost sight of DEI’s importance in society

www.theglobeandmail.com

Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Apr 11

www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #climate #climatecrisis #green #cities

Canadian mayors push federal leaders for action on climate, not pipelines | CBC News

Municipal politicians across Canada have written a letter to the five main federal party leaders calling for climate-related actions they say would improve the country's resilience to environmental ca...

www.cbc.ca

Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Apr 9

Universities as truth-tellers: Good piece: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #universities #columbia #harvard #princeton #freespeech

Academic freedom in the US is under threat – universities of the world, unite! | Andrew Graham

We cannot be neutral with respect to fake news, misinformation or outright lies, says Andrew Graham, former master of Balliol College, Oxford

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

NPR @npr.org · Apr 1

With the abrupt shutdown of USAID funding, many clinics, including those serving women in remote areas, have shuttered. Midwives are reporting that mothers and babies are dying as a result.

A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.'

With the abrupt shutdown of USAID funding, many clinics, including those serving women in remote areas, have shuttered. Midwives are reporting that mothers and babies are dying as a result.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

John Dupuis @dupuisj.bsky.social · Mar 30

‘Climate of fear’: Montreal doctor says NYU cancelled her presentation www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/art...

‘Climate of fear’: Montreal doctor says NYU cancelled her presentation

A Montreal doctor says her presentation at NYU was abruptly cancelled and believes the university did so out of fear of being pressured by the Donald Trump administration.

www.ctvnews.ca

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Lanrick Bennett @lanrickbennett.bsky.social · Mar 25

#IdeasAtWork

Hoping @mayoroliviachow.ca is able to take part.

Kidical Mass Bike Ride for Kids, Families & Everyone!

SAT. APRIL 5TH 2 PM - 4 PM
Queen's Park, South Lawn

h/t @kidicalmassto.bsky.social @greenpeaceca.bsky.social @cycletoronto.bsky.social

#ONpoli #TOpoli #VisionZero #BikeTO

Multiple photos of children riding with adults

SAVE OUR BIKE LANES!
PROTECT OUR KIDS!
Kidical Mass Bike Ride for Kids, Families & Everyone!
SAT. APRIL 5TH 2 PM - 4 PM
Queen's Park, South Lawn
Rain Date
SUN. APRIL 13TH
if it rains, the event will happen on April 13 instead.
What to Expect:
• Rally followed by a bike ride around Queen's Park.
• CycleTO marshals will be there to support.
• Decorate your bike, jazz up your helmet, or wear a costume get creative and have fun!
• A slow-paced loop for riders of all ages and abilities.

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Mar 19

Last decade was Earth’s hottest on record as CO2 levels reach an 800,000-year high, UN report says. #climate #green #climatecrisis

Reposted by Michael Kaufman

FinnMackay @finnfox.bsky.social · Mar 17

Great piece, I think worth noting though that LGBTQ rights are not a mere wedge issue but have always been on the agenda for patriarchal agitators because the control & overt performative control of sexuality, gender & reproduction & of course women is a key aim; it's method as well as destination.

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Mar 17

Must read! "The legal frameworks & civil society institutions that protect sexual & gender minorities also safeguard other fundamental democratic freedoms" by @ayosogunro.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b4db36e... #democracy #LGBTQ #rights

Democracy’s canary: What anti-LGBTQ politics tell us about our democratic future

Policies that target minority rights are typically a sign of greater democratic decay

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Mar 12

www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

ANALYSIS | The U.S. has covertly destabilized nations. With Canada, it's being done in public | CBC News

Former senior Canadian intelligence officials say Canada needs to be on the lookout for campaigns aimed at destabilizing the country amid U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating 51st state threats. T...

www.cbc.ca

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Mar 9

Brilliant, hopeful, practical: open.spotify.com/episode/2AO0... #maleally #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #DEI #fatherhood #workplace @equimundo.bsky.social

How ‘positive masculinity’ can bridge gender gaps - and improve men's and women’s lives at work and home

Meet The Leader · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Rutgers University Press @rutgersupress.bsky.social · Feb 24

Feb 27 is John Steinbeck’s birthday. Steinbeck was student at Salinas High School in 1919 and his story is a thread that runs through Michael Messner’s new book, "The High School".

@whistberry.bsky.social @[email protected]

#Steinbeck #Booksky #History #Sociology

youtu.be/Kvv9dDHlzXI?...

"The High School: Sports, Spirit, and Citizens, 1903-2024" ("John Steinbeck")

YouTube video by Rutgers University Press

youtu.be

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · Feb 27

"Our inherent cognitive biases make us ripe for manipulation and exploitation by those who have an agenda to push, especially if they can discredit all other sources of information."

How Cognitive Bias Can Explain Post-Truth

Our built-in biases help explain our post-truth era, when “alternative facts” replace actual facts, and feelings have more weight than evidence.

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

Kent Brockman @johnlscott.bsky.social · Dec 31

Any country or organization shooting shit into the earths orbit, need to have a recovery plan… and not simply that it falls to earth and burns up. There’s so much shit up there right now, I have an app that shows what’s up there, it just blows my mind.

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m.jpost.com/science/scie...

The Kessler Syndrome: The doom scenario worrying scientists

"The Kessler Syndrome is going to come true," warned John L. Crassidis, a professor of innovation and space debris expert at the University at Buffalo.

m.jpost.com

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Reposted by Michael Kaufman

praying mantis @gentlem.bsky.social · Mar 8

Thank You, @indianexpress.com
🙏🏾💞🌞🌷💫
#WomensHistoryMonth2025
#WomensDay
Spotlight on:
#ClaraZetkin
#Trailblazer
#Leader
#Thinker-Communicator

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Michael Kaufman @kaufmanwrites.bsky.social · Mar 8

Happy International Women's Day! Needed now more than ever. Men, let's stand respectfully by the sides of our sisters in the fight for the rights of women and girls, women's dignity, women's power! #IWD #DEI #equity #women #IWD2025 #women #ally