Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Prof Bob Davis

@rokewood.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1.3K following 1.8K posts

Prof of Religious & Cultural Education, University of Glasgow. Chair of Philosophy of Education Soc. Religion, Myth, Arts, Humanities, Music, Education, football, birds. We’ve 3 sons—‘the crow makes wing to the rooky wood’—all posts etc personal

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · Feb 23

On the seemingly ruinous 2025 moment in which we live. Walter Benjamin & the Angel of History.
‘Awaken the Dead’

2 3 17

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 1d

It’s infuriating that so mediocre and crude a power as Russia is running rings round European democracies and that they have so many willing collaborators.

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 1d

New post just out:

The relationship between Russia and the European radical right goes well beyond Reform's Nathan Gill being bribed.

In this post I trace the history back to the 1990s and look at the threat it poses now.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/r...

Russia and the rise of the radical right

Marine Le Pen meets with Putin before the 2017 French Presidential election (Photo credit Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images)

open.substack.com

4 46 170

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 17h

that #Belarus have had to dig into their Under-21 squad has actually made them stronger. This should have been factored into our planning.
Still I see little to persuade me that this #Scotland team, or manager, are capable of doing anything special in a big tournament #SCOBLR

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 19h

#31DaysOfHalloween #Halloween #Halloween2025. This is the ‘Advent Calendar’ build-up @theguardian.com talked about. On the one hand, a strong feature of British #Halloween when it falls on a weekend. On the other, dwarfed by what you see now in eg North America across #October

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 21h

The BBC at its very best here. BBCWorldatOne World This Weekend #bbcwtw BBCRadio4 with a 1hr special on #Gaza & the hopes for a lasting peace
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - The World This Weekend, 12/10/2025

Radio 4's look at the week's big stories from both home and around the world.

www.bbc.co.uk

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 22h

Robust stuff from Tom English
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

'Chaos reigns as Steven Gerrard leaves Rangers scrambling'

Maybe the time has now come for Rangers to accept that when Steven Gerrard says 'it's not you, it's me' what he actually means is the complete opposite, writes Tom English.

www.bbc.co.uk

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

So much for the elimination of #Hamas — as these upstanding blokes get building civil society again 🧐
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Gaza: Hamas mobilises fighters as fears of internal violence mount

Clashes have already taken place between the group and an armed clan in Gaza City.

www.bbc.co.uk

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te of the Holy Father Leo XIV on Love for the Poor (4 October 2025)
www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te of the Holy Father Leo XIV on Love for the Poor (4 October 2025)

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION DILEXI TE OF THE HOLY FATHER LEO XIV TO ALL CHRISTIANS ON LOVE FOR THE POOR [ Multimedia ] _____________________

www.vatican.va

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Matthew Sweet @drmatthewsweet.bsky.social · 1d

Oh no. Sometimes the obituaries just seem to come in like waves. Generations pass, I suppose. The water gets closer.

2 27 170

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

The ‘keeping the door open for him’ is also double-edged. Risks becoming just another Sword of Damocles over the next manager who falters, whether immediately or subsequently. ‘Get rid of him now! Give Stevie what he wants!’

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

Not entirely surprising given the financial model at #RangersFC. & the generally dire state of top-tier Scottish football. I think he was over-hyped anyway given his managerial record, but this now strongly suggests lack of resources & real control

Ben Jacobs @jacobsben.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 Breaking: Steven Gerrard has decided to withdraw from contention for the Rangers role.

Gerrard has decided the timing wasn’t quite right to return and has now removed himself from the process.

Conversations were positive, and a full agreement was almost reached.

1 2

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

Yes. RIP #DianeKeaton. Annie Hall still 1 of the best movies of its generation. & her Godfather performance set a breathtaking new bar.
A true & consummate professional of her art. RIP.

Reece Dinsdale @reecedinsdale.bsky.social · 1d

Goodnight screen goddess and style icon. 🙌
Diane Keaton - R.I.P.

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 2d

We knew RFKjr was as crazy as a soup sandwich, but this?!

RFK Jr.’s comments on circumcision and autism draw sharp criticism

Kennedy's comments were met with incredulity, skepticism and snark.

www.oregonlive.com

26 56 260

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

Published last month I believe. Kindle too

1 1

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 1d

#31DaysOfHalloween #31DaysOfHorror #Halloween #Halloween2025
John Blair’s chilling & wondrous new global anthropology of the #Vampire & its adversaries

1 3

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 3d

New post from @ldfreedman.bsky.social

"Whatever it takes" - what does it mean to guarantee Ukraine's security?

A great overview of where the war stands and the key question of Europe/US's support for the Ukrainians.

(Free to read)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/a...

‘As Long as it Takes': What does it mean to commit to Ukraine’s security?

This post was originally a lecture given in honour of Peter Hennessy at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London.

open.substack.com

9 49

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Ka81 @ka81.bsky.social · 2d

After that little RT of replies to this post saying we can't confirm what learning is (me), how humans think @olivia.science, and or even what thinking even is @keithwilson.eu.

I'm pretty sure the only part of AI left is the computing/machine bit....unless engineers fancy pitching in about now...

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 2d

as a cognitive scientist, I can confirm we don't know how humans think

2 1 5

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Breaking news: Donald Trump warned that he was considering a 'massive increase' in tariffs on China and suggested he could cancel his planned summit with Xi Jinping as he lashed out at Beijing’s trade policy. on.ft.com/4nDpBNQ

34 40 130

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 2d

The empty horror of Robert Jenrick iandunt.substack.com/p/the-empty-...

The empty horror of Robert Jenrick

We deserve a better class of villain. Or at least a more memorable one.

iandunt.substack.com

57 240 1K

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 2d

A master class from MIT in responding to authoritarian overreach:

Your “premise … is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
… America’s leadership in science & innovation depends on independent thinking & open competition for excellence.

Dear Madam Secretary,
I write in response to your letter of October 1, inviting MIT to review a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." I acknowledge the vital importance of these matters.
I appreciated the chance to meet with you earlier this year to discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.
As we discussed, the Institute's mission of service to the nation directs us to advance knowledge, educate students and bring knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges.
We do that in line with a clear set of values, with excellence above all. Some practical examples:
• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit. Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute was the first to reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.
• MIT opens its doors to the most talented students regardless of their family's finances. Admissions are need-blind. Incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 a year pay no tuition. Nearly 88% of our last graduating class left MIT with no debt for their education. We make a wealth of free courses and low-cost certificates available to any American with an internet connection. Of the undergraduate degrees we award, 94% are in STEM fields. And in service to the nation, we cap enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly 10%.

source:
https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/regarding-compact

• We value free expression, as clearly described in the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom. We must hear facts and opinions we don't like - and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree.
These values and other MIT practices meet or exceed many standards outlined in the document you sent. We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission - work of immense value to the prosperity, competitiveness, health and security of the United States. And of course, MIT abides by the law.
The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.
As you know, MIT's record of service to the nation is long and enduring. Eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped invent a scientific partnership between America's research universities and the U.S. government that has delivered extraordinary benefits for the American people. We continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the nation.
Sincerely,
Sally Kornbluth

7 350 1.1K

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 3d

“We all know Brexit’s to blame for the crisis facing UK steel.. While Keir Starmer fiddles in India, Rome burns. The British steel industry now faces a calamity so severe, insiders say it could be “terminal”

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

We all know Brexit’s to blame for the crisis facing UK steel – it’s time for politicians to be honest and reverse it | Simon Jenkins

With British industry faltering, the excuse that the public wants this is risible. Parliament must force Starmer to act, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

www.theguardian.com

15 120 410

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 3d

Jeez. I thought they were all to be immortal by 2030.🤷🏻‍♂️
Spineless psychotics who need to get out more.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tech billionaires seem to be doom prepping. Should we be worried?

The debate is ramping up about what happens if - or when - computer intelligence overtakes humans

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 4d

What Governor Pritzker is doing is right for his state, but it is vital for the Republic.

150 2.9K 13K

Reposted by Prof Bob Davis

Jonathan S. Jones @jonathansjones.bsky.social · 4d

Look what came in the mail today, @uncpress.bsky.social @simpsonvos.bsky.social @profsommerville.bsky.social! 🗃️

Printed copy of Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America’s First Opioid Crisis held by the author in the background

16 16 110

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 4d

#31DaysofHalloween #Halloween2025
Here in John Stow's 'A Suruay of London' of 1598, is probably the earliest formation of the word #Halloween: rendered as 'Alhallond Eve', with some fascinating seasonal 'Misrule' context, unusual & intriguing for the urban Protestant context

1 2 6

Prof Bob Davis @rokewood.bsky.social · 4d

Most interestingly, in view of @cathamclarke.bsky.social treatment of the poem in her inspiring new book, a decent case can be made that ‘The Battle of Maldon’ captures a *clash of virtues*: courage v honour in the decisions of Byrhtnoth. Much hinges on the reading of his ‘Ofermōde’ …