Inside the AI-generated meme war between the U.S. and Iran | CBC Arts Today on Commotion, culture critics James Poniewozik and Samira Mohyeddin talk about how social media has shaped our understanding of the conflict.

www.cbc.ca/arts/commoti...

Memes about the U.S. and Iran are everywhere right now.

AI images of Trump as Jesus.
Lego-style rap videos attacking him.

It sounds absurd… but it’s shaping how people understand conflict.

CBC Arts breaks it down on Commotion.

beacons.ai/commotioncbc 👀

On the importance of reading on the same topic across disciplines:

I am currently reading "Care: The Highest Stage of Capitalism" by Professor Premilla Nadasen (who is a historian).

Nadasen makes important points that echo the work of sociologist Dr. @jessicacalarco.com in "Holding It Together"

A long haired cat named Destry is sleeping next two to pairs of adidas

A long haired cat named Destry is sleeping cuddling an adidas superstar

#adidas ! Give this cat a sponsorship deal already. Ever since Destry has been discovered on the streets of Queens, he's loved to cuddle with the adidas around the house. Probably influenced by fellow Queens natives RUN DMC

No contest. It's not really a dance off when the best hip hop band from the best city in the world Marseille is involved youtu.be/7ceNf9qJjgc?...

Similarly, if you weren't teaching in any of these areas but cared about minority nationalism of Irish nationalism, what would you want to tell someone new to Kneecap so that they got the most out of the movie?

Those teaching sociology, poli sci, history, Irish studies, if you were to show Kneecap the movie in an undergrad class on nationalism, what would be one thing you told your students so that they understood the film better?

2026 Spotlight Scholars Presentation — Interpretive Methodologies and Methods The Spotlight Scholars program highlights outstanding early-career scholars whose work showcases or advances interpretive approaches to the study of politics. On May 1st, our 2025-2026 Spotlight S...

For all interested in interpretive methods:

Join us Friday May 1 at 12:00pm ET for our Spotlight Scholars webinar, featuring three early career researchers. www.interpretivemethods.com/upcoming-eve....

Also check out the Research Digest I put together:
www.interpretivemethods.com/research-dig...

Moyen-Orient : au-delà du choc énergétique, une crise mondiale pour les ressources minérales Le conflit au Moyen-Orient ne provoque pas seulement un choc pétrolier et gazier. Il fragilise l’ensemble des chaînes d’approvisionnement de ressources minérales cruciales.

Moyen-Orient : au-delà du choc énergétique, une crise mondiale pour les ressources minérales
theconversation.com/moyen-orient...

Wait did Pete Hegseth actually quote the fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction lol wtf

Important points. Both about Musk's antisemitism and how populist discourse works: by framing "elites" so that it looks like you're punching upward even when you're at/near the top.

Like how Erdoğan frames himself as a pious man of the people but lives in a 1000+ room palace steeped in corruption

In MAGA biopolitics, teen births "crash"ing is a bad thing.

In AKP Turkey, women should have at least three children.

Everyday media, like cooking shows and #tradwives content, make these agendas more palatable to wide audiences

My article in Politics and Gender www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Two headlines side by side on the same day: the projected loss from immigrants too scared to file their taxes in the US as reported by the NYT proves that what Spain is doing by giving its immigrants legal status is not only the human thing to do, but is effective government and smart economically

I completely missed that Trump once again attacked Bruce Springsteen the same weekend he attacked the Pope. He really knows how to court the Italian- and Irish- American vote

If I had the bravado to get into religious conflicts with anyone, both intellectual and physical, I still feel that the Pope and the revolutionary guard of the f'ing Islamic Republic of Iran would be the more intimidating two options

Monsignor Martinez Compilation | King of the Hill YouTube video by King of the Hill

I don't know anything about the Pope being soft in crime, but one thing is for sure: he's no Monsignor Martinez youtu.be/yxWFl5j6KnA?...

So, is “JD Vance tried to help” the new “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn”?

“JD Vance literally has deathtouch” has once again been proven true

Take that JD!

🚨And another #History Job Alert: My Department is hiring an Assistant Professor in the History of Iberian Empires.
🗃️

Come work with us at Warwick. You'll get both excellent colleagues and great students!

And do not hesitate to spread the word...
👇👇👇

warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/appcentre...

“During one conversation, we asked Altman whether running an A.I. company came with ‘an elevated requirement of integrity.’ This was supposed to be an easy question.”

Avez-vous signé la pétition contre la loi Yadan qui relève d'une ingérence étrangère manifeste ?

EN DIRECT - Guerre au Moyen-Orient : Trump semble repousser son ultimatum de 24 heures, à mardi soir Au 36e jour du conflit, le président américain a de nouveau affirmé ce dimanche qu’il frapperait les infrastructures iraniennes faute d’accord avant lundi soir. Peu avant, l’armée iranienne a rejeté d...

"EN DIRECT - Guerre au Moyen-Orient : Trump semble repousser son ultimatum de 24 heures, à mardi soir"

Quelle tragique comédie...

www.liberation.fr/internationa...

As Team Trump wage unceasing war on Iran, evangelical nationalists are destroying any moral world order we once had | Simon Tisdall The brutalisation of global norms by figures like Pete Hegseth has become a fight against chaos, and all major religions must play a role, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Bertrand Belin - Pluie de data YouTube video by Bertrand Belin

Album of the week... something I've been coming back to for the last two months: Watt by Bertrand Belin who continues the Gainsbourg and Bashung lineage of French songwriting with a Bill Callahan (Smog) like minimalism youtu.be/Zg02ifrRitw?...

The mayor of Turkey's fourth largest city is thrown out by government decree, joining the mayor of Turkey's largest city

For bluesky users unaccustomed to US drinking culture: while the feeling of being teleported to a Waffle House, especially at 2-3am, is familiar to many Americans, only very few insist that it must have been due to metaphysical forces

Tabby solidarity: spaced out loaf