Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

I think all those “Illinois 8th congressional district” searches are exclusively from me copy-pasting Raja Krishnamoorthi’s name. Otherwise this is an accurate summation of my 2025 hyperfixations.

December 3, 2025 at 8:23 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

Reading Claudius The God, and I came upon a passage which I think gives some insight into the current GOP and the Trump capitulators.

$A passage from Claudius the God by Robert Graves: "Vitellius died of a paralytic stroke. A senator who was either drunk or crazy, I can't say which, had suddenly accused him before the House of aiming at the monarchy. The charge appears to have been directed at Agrippinilla, but naturally no one dared to support it, much as Agrippinilla was hated, so the accuser was himself outlawed. Howeverever, Vitellius took the matter to heart and the stroke follo\\cd soon after. I visited him as he lay dying. He was unable to move a finger but talked quite good sense. l asked him the question that I had always meant to ask: 'Vitellius, in a better age you would have been one of the most virtuous men alive : how was it, then, that your upright nature acquired a son of permanent stoop from playing the courtier?' He said:' II was inevitable under a monarchy, however benevolent the monarch. The old virtues disappear. Independence and frankness are at a discount. Complacent anticipation of the monarch's wishes is then the greatest of all virtues. One must either be a good monarch like yourself, or a good courtier like myself - either an Emperor or an idiot.'"$

Passage from Claudius the God by Robert Graves:

"I said: You mean that people who continue virtuous in an old-fashioned
way must inevitably suffer in times like these? '
' Phaemon's dog was right.' That was the last thing he said before
he lapsed into a coma from which he never recovered.
I could not be content until I had bunted down the reference io
the library. It appears that Phaemon the philosopher had a Little
dog whom be had trained to go to the butcher every day and bring
baclc a lump of meat in a basket. This virtuous creature, who
would never dare to touch a scrap until Phaemon gave it permission,
was one day set upon by a pack of mongrels who snatched
the basket from its mouth and began to tear the meat to pieces
and bolt it greedily down. Phaemon, watching from an upper window,
saw the dog deliberate for a moment just what to do. It was
clearly no use trying to rescue the meat from the other dogs: they
would kill it for its pains. So it rushed in among them and itself ate
as much of the meat as it could get hold of. lo fact, it ate more
than any of the other dogs. because it was both braver and
cleverer."

November 24, 2025 at 3:58 AM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

Happy March to the Sea Day!

November 15, 2025 at 6:17 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

On this day 68 years ago, Laika, a stray mutt from the streets of Moscow, died becoming the first living thing to orbit the earth. Good puppers.

November 3, 2025 at 6:37 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

Week is starting off pretty dumb.

October 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

x.com/ccc_crimecha...

October 7, 2025 at 3:51 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

They should at least put a Clippy version of Christopher Cillizza next to it, so people know there's a good chance it's just confidently-stated bullshit.

The first image of the discontinued Microsoft Office Assistant mascot that I found on Google image search.

August 30, 2025 at 2:32 PM

Jason Nerad

@ourintrepidhero.bsky.social

Ye soldiers of Freedom, then strike, while strike ye may,
The death blow of oppression in a better time and way,
For the dawn of old John Brown has brightened into day,
And his soul is marching on.