Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 3d

Say what you will about these folks, they’re considerably more interesting than Thiel is.

A trio of self-described "satanists" dressed in black costumes with goth makeup walked up and down the line of attenders carrying a goblet of red liquid with a small plastic replica of a bone. "Will you bring our dark lord Peter Thiel this baby's blood?" they asked. Then they performed what they called a "dark ritual", dancing slowly in a circle to Mozart's Requiem in D minor, which ended with them writhing on the city sidewalk, and yelling: "Take us to your personal hell... Thank you for being our dark lord."

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

StevenCinNYC @stevencinnyc.bsky.social · 6d

Saul Zabar, Smoked Fish Czar of Upper West Side, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/d...

Saul Zabar, Smoked Fish Czar of Upper West Side, Dies at 97

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Teresa Völker @tevoelker.bsky.social · 7d

New paper out with @dasalgon.bsky.social: “Far-Right Agenda Setting: How the Far Right influences the Political Mainstream” doi.org/10.1017/S1475676525100066 #openaccess in @ejprjournal.bsky.social🧵

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 7d

The epigraph to Neil Postman’s “Technopoly”

Whether or not it draws on new scientific research, technology is a branch of moral philosophy, not of science.

PAUL GOODMAN. New Reformation

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Eleanor Courtemanche @ecourtem.bsky.social · 9d

Series of stained glass windows at St Louis U celebrating the evolution of textuality from Scroll to Manuscript to Printing Press to Computer

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Our ANU @ouranu.bsky.social · 10d

“Herein lies the question: if not to sustain ANU’s once diverse range of courses and degrees, and if not to retain the knowledge and skills of its academics, then what is that $232.4 million revenue for?”

www.woroni.com.au/news/austral...

WoroniAustralia Institute Analyses ANU Budget Reports—No Deficit Found - Woroni

The Australia Institute has released its audited analysis of ANU’s 2023 and 2024 budget. ANU’s unaudited deficit was reported at $142.5 million, while its audited revenue showed a surplus of $89.9 mil...

www.woroni.com.au

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 13d

Additional to this being generally excellent, I’m cheered that the homunculus theory of mind lives on in folk psychology.

Embrace the Void @etvpod.bsky.social · 13d

I think about the tiny OSHA guy inside of me at least once a day, but today he's basically all I can think about.

A dialogue between me and the tiny OSHA guy inside of me:

Me: I don't get it. I thought I was doing a lot better than I was a few years ago. I'm like 10 times more on top of things than I used to be.
How does everything feel terrible now?
The Tiny Me in OSHA-approved Hi-Vis Gear Who lives in my brain and pulls all the levers: Boss, it's the fascism. You're completely gunked up with cortisol due to the fact that your entire daily life is now underscored with a haunting awareness of the rapid erosion of your rights, dignity, and any and all social safety nets, and you're also bearing witness to the most vulnerable people immediately being persecuted. This creates a natural stress response that basically means you're going to continue having memory and organizational problems, as well as emotional imbalances.
Me: BUT I HAVE A BULLET JOURNAL AND I MEDITATE NOW.
Tiny OSHA Me: BOSS, THE FASCISM.

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 14d

The replies here—assenting, informative, helpful—are indicative of why Bluesky is great.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 14d

there are almost certainly more people — more blue collar laborers, specifically — involved in the cultivation and production of chardonnay grapes and wine than in coal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14d

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Fox: "We're announcing today expanded programs to help the American coal industry. We're helping it because for years it has been under assault. It was out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, and NYC ... coal just makes the world go round."

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 15d

A friend writes:

I saw someone's post somewhere that talked about how their
nine-year-old and all his friends have started using "That's AI"
instead of "I don't believe you."

Mom: "We're having dinosaur meat for dinner tonight."
Kid: "That's AI."

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 18d

BBC just casually going full, cartoon doomer here.

BBC News alert:

Rats are overrunning our cities - can we stop them or is it too late?

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Adam David Morton @morton.bsky.social · 19d

JOB!
Permanent Lecturer / Senior Lecturer position (education focused) in Political Economy at the University of Sydney.

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Political Economy (Education Focused) - University of Sydney - Progress in Political Economy (PPE)

The Discipline of Political Economy at the University of Sydney is advertising a continuing education focused position, to be appointed at either Lecturer or Senior Lecturer level. This position is pa...

www.ppesydney.net

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 19d

Well, I mean, she walked in through the out door

Anil Dash @anildash.com · 19d

CHOTINER: Now this wasn’t a full-time employee?

MR. MCGEE: No, no, Part-timer.

CHOTINER: And you didn’t like him personally?

MR. MCGEE: Oh, I mean, it was about his whole kind. Not just this kid.

CHOTINER: You said this in the workplace.

MCGEE: Yeah, at the 5-and-dime. Several times, actually.

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 19d

For my Burns Notice newsletter, I wrote about what it was like being a trans person and see the entire right wing try to incite pogrom on us over the last several weeks. burns-notice.ghost.io/what-am-i-su...

What Am I Supposed to Tell My Terrified Friends?

Every time there's a mass shooting in the US, my trans friends and I hold our collective breath. If the shooter turns out to be trans, it could signal the final days of our human rights in a country t...

burns-notice.ghost.io

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Patricia Owens @whitproject.bsky.social · 21d

“In twenty-three years at Harvard and fifteen as a tenured professor, I have seen a lot of tenure cases.... I have never been at such a total loss to explain Harvard’s decision,” said History professor Mary D. Lewis.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 21d

Academic renters in Aus take note. Gives “rent seeking” new meaning.

Purplepingers ☭ @purplepingers.bsky.social · 21d

An update on that insane lease term where the landlord owns everything you create during the tenancy:

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Scott L Greer @scottlgreer.bsky.social · 23d

“52% of all autocratization episodes become U-Turns, which increases to 73% when focusing on the last 30 years. The vast majority of U-Turns (90%) lead to restored or even improved levels of democracy”

V-Dem data

When autocratization is reversed: episodes of U-Turns since 1900

The world is in a “wave of autocratization.” Yet, recent events in Brazil, the Maldives, and Zambia demonstrate that autocratization can be halted and reversed. This article introduces “U-Turn” as ...

www.tandfonline.com

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 24d

Belatedly

Rotten Tomatoes page for Michael Mann’s unsung masterpiece Blackhat (2915).

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Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Deepak Nair @deepaknair.bsky.social · 25d

The Hague Journal of Diplomacy's Special Issue on Caste in Indian Diplomacy & IR is out. Edited by Vineet Thakur, Pavan Kumar & Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social @haguediplomacyjrnl.bsky.social

brill.com/view/journal...

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 26d

So Severance just turns out to be some kinda weirdo Control spinoff, right?

Reposted by Joseph MacKay

Dr Lachlan Clohesy @lachlanclohesy.bsky.social · 27d

The @nteunion.bsky.social member who is the HSR involved in this doesn't want the spotlight, but he has been heroic on this issue.

He knows who he is, and his colleagues know who he is, so I won't name him here - but congratulations on standing up for your colleagues. ✊

NTEU ACT @nteuact.bsky.social · 27d

The psychological distress across #ANU while Renew ANU has been underway has been enormous. @nteunion.bsky.social has been working with members to prevent the most serious outcomes.

It shouldn't have to come to this for the ANU to provide a safe workplace.

Almost 30 staff at ANU humanities school stop work after health and safety report warns of ‘serious harm’

Workers affected by university restructure advised to ‘remove themselves from the hazardous work environment’ if they believe they are at psychosocial risk

www.theguardian.com

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 27d

Apple’s got it on sale, just sayin’

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 27d

You can't go wrong with Sneakers

EM Simpson @emsetc.bsky.social · 27d

Let’s all watch Sneakers tonight

Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 27d

Sadly, in this case that would be consistent with the book’s other usability properties.

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 27d

Love a book that has a word in the title, but not in the index

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 27d

A sentence, a journey, a lifetime

Adam Kunz @adamkunz.bsky.social · 27d

This one sent me 😂

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Joseph MacKay @lefteleven.bsky.social · 27d

Always here for a good Clash hate read.

Dan Nexon @dhnexon.bsky.social · 27d

What have we got in the bank?

1) Roundtables on the practice turn, ontological security, and historical international relation.

2) An unreleased recording of a "live taping" a few years back at the LSE.

3) An episode on @profptj.bsky.social's favorite "hate read," the Clash of Civilizations.

whiskeyindigoromeo.bsky.social @whiskeyindigoromeo.bsky.social · 27d

Season 2 is coming @dhnexon.bsky.social @profptj.bsky.social