Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

tell me why two minutes after reading this, I got to this portion of Vijayakumar's "At Risk":

If studying global institutions poses particular methodological challenges, studying states does, too. In the postcolonial Indian bureaucratic context, Weberian delegation of authority often becomes a maze of deflection, where the “real” work of governance always appears to happen “somewhere else.” Recent works by Nayanika Mathur and Jyoti Puri both open with striking ethnographic accounts of the researcher navigating bureaucratic offices, repeatedly being told that the object of their research is either far away or nowhere to be found.

October 13, 2025 at 11:22 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

went through his replies and found his "line", and it's not even american-born people.

post from tom nichols "Yes. If they storm into the governor's mansion, we're there. But I will wager good money it won't happen. I can't say "never," but close enough, as a recreational gambler, that I'd take that best and double down."

October 5, 2025 at 7:40 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

excerpt from maya wind's "towers of ivory and steel"

"Throughout the spring of 1948, the Haganah and other Zionist militias led military campaigns to expel Palestinians and claim their lands. HEMED supported these efforts through departments that focused on chemical, biological, and nuclear research and warfare capabilities, aided by university students and researchers. HEMED’s biological department typhoid-dysentery bacteria was used in the Haganah's Cast Thy Bread operation to poison Palestinian water sources. This operation was personally overseen by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and planned as a mechanism to prevent Palestinian return to the villages from which they were expelled by Zionist militias. On May 13, 1948, just before the war, Cast Thy Bread was implemented in the recently depopulated Palestinian village of Bayt Mahsir."

October 1, 2025 at 10:11 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

July 10, 2025 at 2:01 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

Yesterday, among other things, we saw the SCOTUS decision upholding mass federal layoffs, ICE filming a promo for a militarized LA, and the president threatening to occupy NYC if he doesn't like the outcome of an election. This morning I happened to finish Wild Faith from @swordsjew.bsky.social.

Excerpt from Wild Faith by Talia Lavin. Highlighted portion: "an instruction manual for destroying federal institutions from within... the government it imagines is one whose sole purpose appears to be war and policing". Full text:

"Among the materials it has assembled is a thirty-chapter book, Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.' It mentions religion and religious freedom thirty-five times and presents thirty different conservative "solutions" for government institutions that are, in essence, an instruction manual for destroying federal institutions from within. Its partners and contributors include numerous prominent Christian Right organizations from Family Research Council to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to Hillsdale College, and the government it imagines is one whose sole purpose appears to be war and policing, the armature of surveillance and violence. All other functions of the state should be left to private religious institutions, which should be free to discriminate as they wish."

July 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

I'm not ready for this show to end tomorrow. I know it's probably just for now, but still

A still from the show severance: Tramell tillman as Seth milchick sitting on a leather couch in a cold, empty-looking lobby, reading his performance review with a disappointed look on his face.

March 19, 2025 at 5:09 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

My sister got me a custom cheese board.

Dark wood cutting board with "That must be Nigel with the brie" engraved

February 19, 2025 at 12:45 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

Something about begging the governor to veto one bill that the utah leg passed despite being vehemently opposed by a broad coalition of utahns while the executive branch unilaterally disembowels the federal government..

Crowd of dissenters in the Utah Capitol rotunda with signs imploring cox to veto HB267

February 8, 2025 at 3:14 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

STOP THE POWER GRAB
PACK THE CAPITOL ROTUNDA
FRIDAY, FEB 7
3:30 Rally
4:00 Program
Gov. Cox: VETO HB 267 NOW!

February 7, 2025 at 7:08 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

If anyone is somehow still holding out for the NYT, they just sent a "breaking news" email blast conflating being accused of a crime with being charged. The email subject was the title (so it said "accused").

NYT email with heading "Congress Clears Measure to Deport Immigrants Accused of not Crimes" and then main text
"The House gave final approval to a bill that would require the detention and deportation of migrants who enter the country without authorization and are charged with certain crimes."

January 23, 2025 at 12:00 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

"President Trump"?

Tiktok message reading "sorry, tiktok isn't available right now. A law banning tiktok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately that means you can't use tiktok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate tiktok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

January 19, 2025 at 3:44 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

@vanessainstem.bsky.social it's a more selfish version of your setup, but I'm bringing this to direct into my face while I'm in class/at my desk/etc. thanks for the inspiration!

A clean air kit CR-style air purifier in a tote bag

January 6, 2025 at 5:21 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

I had two goals for 2024. 1) pass my qualifying exams and officially get my "PhD candidate" status and 2) go solo camping. I may be limping over the finish line, mental health down the tubes, sick with long COVID, on medical leave from my program but hey

A campsite in a desert landscape with a couple juniper trees and mountains in the background. Small bits of evidence of the camper around: a stack of firewood, camper's foot, a cooler, and a tent.

Exam results showing political economy, macro, and micro doctoral qualifying exams were all passed.

December 11, 2024 at 10:48 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

No videos on here yet so here's a screenshot of the stream of cops in riot gear coming down to forcibly remove us last night, as we chanted "there is no violence here, why are you in riot gear".

📍University of Utah

Cops in riot gear walking in front of park building at the university of utah, approaching group of students with Palestinian flags and keffiyehs.

April 30, 2024 at 2:49 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

flyer for an event at my uni. lmao

Flyer for an event called "beyond profits: how business can restore social connectedness"

April 5, 2024 at 5:21 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

Me when my alarm goes off in the morning:

a screengrab of a latex error that says "too deeply nested." Suggested fix is "No quick fixes available"

March 14, 2024 at 6:01 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

A black sticker on a post that says "cars ruin cities" in yellow dot font

January 5, 2024 at 10:11 PM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

I started putting up sticky notes by my desk of things I am looking forward to after finals and for some reason last week I thought this sentiment would be motivating. Idk what I was thinking.

Sticky note that says "you'll have learned something!"

December 11, 2023 at 2:14 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

Marx: we live in a society.

Neoclassical economists:

Michael Jordan "and I took that personally" meme with him tearing up and gesturing openly to the camera.

November 22, 2023 at 12:53 AM

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@sfin2328.bsky.social

Insurance company when they need something from me: 🚨🚨🚨URGENT MESSAGE needs IMMEDIATE attention🚨🚨🚨

Insurance company when I need something from them: