Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 13h

I believe in geographical determinism in language and genre evolution.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 23h

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

2

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 20h

Even 10 years ago, when I was last pretty active in leftist organizing, I wanted something more real than the anarchists I met at occupy (no shade) and I wound up working with a bunch of comfortably retired white grandmas doing some true grunt work thankless organizing.

1 7 33

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 1d

Composed directly in CMS

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 4d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

2

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 1d

I’m not joking.

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 1d

Teaching myself data viz so that I can make a TikTok about how “pull all the way forward” gas station signs are stupid and evil.

1

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 1d

I’m sorry to make light of toxic billionaires making life worse for everyone, but Peter Thiel thinking that both Greta Thunberg and Eliezer Yudkowsky are manifestations of the anti-Christ is so fucking funny.

1

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 1d

So Peter Thiel has made some discoveries about the anti-Christ: he’s against great forces for social good like “science” and [checks notes] hiding money in offshore accounts.

1

Reposted by Emily L

👁🌻🦊⚙️⚓ Bob, Engineer, Pusher of Paper @navmecheng.bsky.social · 2d

> It is 2025 BC. I am a soldier from one of the outlying provinces called to defend the pyramid in Memphis

> It is 2025 AD. I am a soldier from one of the outlying provinces called to defend the pyramid in Memphis

Soldiers at the Bass Pro Shops pyramid in Memphis, TN.

70 3.5K 12K

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 2d

I’m a former (and maybe future?) journalist on the authoritarian disinfo beat, and a forever obsessive about information landscapes. This got my attention. I’d love to talk if you have the time and inclination!

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 2d

First genuinely new and good seeming idea I’ve seen in info space in …maybe ever?

Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 2d

Did you miss it this week?

I have a new job: president of News Creator Corps. Goes like this.

Via the people now called creators, audiences are migrating to the social layer in the internet stack. Maybe there's a way to move with, rather than against that.

newscreatorcorps.org/2025/10/news...

1 1 2

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

I’m going to mail him a holiday card with me and my toddler wearing our matching Hail Satan t-shirts, maybe finally start to get the cult I’m founding off the ground

Candybaz @barryodonovan.bsky.social · 3d

Peter Thiel is quite, quite mad.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s off-the-record lectures about the antichrist

The political svengali and investor has been giving lectures on ‘an evil king or tyrant … who appears in the end times’

www.theguardian.com

1 1

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

Re Nassau County, I will admit the least cool thing about me just to prove that I know from bagels: I'm from Great Neck.

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

I'm going on record. I was born in Queens, I lived almost half my life in NYC (ok also Nassau County, we'll get to that), and I'm Jewish (also half Irish, make of that what you will) and I will say what you're all too cowardly to consider: this bagel is dope, it only needs scallion cream cheese.

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 3d

When Cynthia Nixon ran for governor her bagel order was a city-wide scandal for WEEKS

They called it her Howard Dean scream.

(plain cream cheese, lox, tomatoes, red onion, and capers on a cinnamon raisin bagel)

1 1 8

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

Scallion cream cheese is the right choice of shmear.

3

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

I feel very por qué no los dos about this because definitely the masked men are quite bad, but also i'm going to have to stop being a freelancer working on unmasking authoritarianism if the health insurance i buy out of pocket starts costing 70% more

bort @crushbort.bsky.social · 3d

is it not weird that every day there’s a new video of anonymous masked men having the time of their lives beating/shooting/disappearing people and the dem response from the top down is “republicans want to double your health insurance premiums”

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

<reading my own posts> sickos-yes.jpg

Nate Schenkkan @nateschenkkan.bsky.social · 3d

<reading my own posts> what an idiot

Distinguished Herbert West Fellow, Miskatonic Institute Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 3d

“<reading my own posts> “this guy gets it”” (2025)

1

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

Yes! DM me your mailing address!

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 3d

I have a few more of these, if anyone would like one lmk!

Katharine Khamhaengwong @katharinegk.bsky.social · 4d

finished slogging through that bio of shevardnadze so i can finally get started on this (very kindly mailed all the way here by @laskin.bsky.social)

my breakfast and a lovely turquoise and red book titled “tulips in bloom: an anthology of modern central asian literature”

3 2 4

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 4d

Maybe the greatest reversal of my life was going from desperately craving fine, blonde hair as a teenager, to realizing in my late 20s that while my coarse, dark hair looks insane no matter what I do, it is actually incredibly easy to deal with. Like I barely even wash or otherwise touch it.

1 5

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 4d

Point taken, but WaPo journalists are muzzled, if not overtly, then by the knowledge that its editorial leadership caved when Bezos demanded their silence. It's not really journalists' fault that $$ controls information in this sinister way. I probably wouldn't risk a staff job in this climate.

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 4d

Why is this front-page news? The Washington Post doesn't say. It's a turning point in US history but our pathetic journalist class hides the relevance behind suggestion and implication, afraid to say things that everyone knows. Useless

1

Reposted by Emily L

Nate Wolff @natewolff.bsky.social · 5d

Lots of options but let's go classic on this one and say that time we shitposted so hard they put it in a peer reviewed journal and then that issue won a prize 🐳

19 130

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 5d

It is really incredibly sad

5

Reposted by Emily L

Frances "Are You Scared Yet" Meh @francesmeh.reviews · 5d

my fallback plan if this place fails is to lead a fulfilling life instead of posting

13 89 470

Emily L @laskin.bsky.social · 5d

The online parenting group that truly, literally saved my life (and found me housing!) when I was fleeing and abusive relationship. I would go so far as to say MOST of the great stuff in my life is on/because of the internet.

4

Reposted by Emily L

Jay Shelat @jshelat1.bsky.social · 5d

I kid you not, some of the best friendships I’ve ever had have come from academic Twitter. What a space that was in its heyday. Fun, whimsical, supportive, kind!

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 6d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

2 36