I know everything is sh.t right now but at least we have books! Here’s one that I had the opportunity to blurb, and it’s genuinely a great addition to the literature on propaganda, diplomacy and Cold War cultural politics. @julideetem.bsky.social
10% of Lebanon's population has been displaced
EN DIRECT - Guerre au Moyen-Orient : près de 10 % de la population libanaise a été déplacée, selon les autorités
www.liberation.fr/internationa...
More from the wonderful @naghmehs.bsky.social's blog.
A translation of Shahrzad Hemati's essay on the silencing of dissident voices in Iran, by both the regime and the diaspora.
truethings.naghmehs.com/p/between-bo...
This week was dire. Very tough for scholars from MENA who are studying/working abroad.
I am continually impressed by those who join our Zoom sessions despite so many challenges. This week a frequent participant defended her PhD dissertation!
Next week we begin Week 150. Email me if interested
In the past few months, I read something (an essay? An article?) about two definitions of community squared off in the Twin Cities: ICE's vision of white xenophobia, and a grassroots vision of multiracial solidarity.
Anyone have a link to this piece? I want my students to read it.
Inadvertently the Trump administration has demonstrated the benefits of investing in solar and wind energy
It is a book that I recommend to every educator and to every parent.
I can definitely see your rationale. This is why I brought up 1980 Turkey to the extent that I agree with you (in part because of education as you say). Makes sense to me. This seems like a monumental task. I now wonder whether the presence of each factor determines the trajectory of regimes equally
Pogroms in the West Bank continue, each day a little more.
The girls’ school in Iran, where 165 people were killed by an apparent US-Israeli attack, was hit with two strikes, with the second missile killing sheltering survivors, two first responders and the parent of a slain child have told Middle East Eye.
There is an extraordinarily rich experimental music scene in Iran, and this is one of the best compilations featuring many of the key artists (who I hope are safe)
unexplainedsoundsgroup.bandcamp.com/album/anthol...
This week in Talking Climate: why a warming world can mean worse winter weather, and how one of the world's biggest cities just cleaned up its air 184 years ahead of forecast. Read on!
My question would be what the criteria for deciding that organized religion is involved or is not involved is. How do we define organized religion? The Turkish military coup of 1980 brought back some elements of religious identity but it was top down to combat communism and islamists did not buy
Hawks like Cheney and Rumsfeld who had spent their entire careers preparing for regime change in the Middle East failed miserably at it. Terrifying to think what a group of people who brag about not caring about anything outside the US will accomplish
IRGC has closed the Strait of Hormuz.
I do hate that my default position has also made me suspicious of my fellow human beings wit
Poster of mean streets with the main characters
I fell for this and got into my high horse rant of how this was AI slop summary of friends. Now I get the joke ...I am slow at times
Here's a utopia most proponents of capitalism have dangled in front of us for decades: take a stand and use AI and technology in general to cut down the work week in half, don't lay off people! It is infuriating how these dbags cannot think outside of what the market tells them to do.
Many US commentators often stress the autocratic nature of countries who know how to cajole him, but I definitely think that those very same countries have a tradition to appease and flatter elders no matter how irrational
And if I say sidekick it's because the main villain (typically James Spader) is just not complex and is pure evil whereas the other has somewhat of a conscience and seems to be bothered at times to bully the main protagonist. Perfect character for our misguided fashion choices
Don't delete!! When will you ever get to look like the sidekick/buddy of the preppy villain in a John Hughes highschool movie again?
Cats Destry and Marlowe curled up sleeping in the exact mirror opposite of each other
I used to be a one cat type of person just out of a sense of loyalty to one cat, until I ended up with Destry and Marlowe and realized how peaceful it is to watch what I like to call "synchronized sleeping"
In fairness, the Max Weinberg style marching drums also carry the song
This may be a stretch but the repetitive refrain of tearing the ticket and themes of dying also seem to be a throwback to Gainsbourg's "poinçonneur de lilas" (or the guy who punched Metro tickets till he decides to commit suicide). the Paranoid Style might be my band for the month if it's the case
Album of the week. "Known Associates" by the DC based grunge, punk-pop band the Paranoid Style. The witty lyrics are a hoot, but the throwback Roy Bittan style keyboards and Clarence Clemmons style sax especially help create a super catchy nostalgic sound. Like I feel I've known this song forever
As one who is bogged down by the weight of existing literature, what I liked about a talk you gave was the willingness to define the obvious "what borders are", that kind of discussion to crystalize certain concepts is worth it. I am not sure 150 character texts captures that to the same extent.
I don't know if it would translate, but for what it's worth, you are an engaging academic speaker. To J.B.'s point, I am not sure everyone posting accomplishes much
Thinking about it some more...I've played varsity against a fair share of Jewish schools in the DC area and Jewish teams in intramural/community leagues in Montreal. I can safely say that those 5'7 players have game
