Monty Python’s The Bishop YouTube video by Cathode Ray Terrors

m.youtube.com/watch?v=iqga...

And now for something completely different — a religious figure who is tough on crime… The Bishop

Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’

Trump Attacks Pope Leo as Too Liberal and ‘Weak on Crime’ www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/u...

Love these teaching moments.

Children, this is NOT an example of “it takes one to know one.”

Fascists are fragile. They depend on hierarchy in a world where hierarchy makes you vulnerable.

Important to remember that a win yesterday is not a loss for all time.

Orban, Beacon to the Right, Concedes Defeat in Hungary’s Election

Hungary's Viktor Orban, a lodestar for MAGA culture warriors and right-wing populists in Europe, concedes defeat in a general election, breaking the momentum of a global nationalist revival promoted by Trump. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/w...

Opposition leader Péter Magyar at a rally.

Orbán's electoral crushing is a far greater achievement than most people outside Hungary realise.

He systemically consolidated power for 16 years, fixed the electoral map, abused govt power for political purposes & censored media.

The hurdles that Hungarians overcame for this moment were immense.

Star Excursion

It’s so hard to parse my feelings for this country when we do something so fundamentally awe-inspiring on the same day SCOTUS heard a case questioning birthright and Trump’s gonna go on tv tonight & talk gibberish about our needless war against Iran.

Our best and our worst chaotically intertwining.

Watching the Artemis II launch. It’s like the last couple of years didn’t reach NASA yet. A woman overseeing the launch from the ground. A black man, and woman, and a Canadian on the crew.

A blast from the recent past. Fingers crossed it goes well. And there’s every reason to believe it will.

The Jetsons lied to us

something tells me this move (ICE to airports) is going to backfire on the administration big time if they are doing their usual thing -- detaining people, separating families, roughing folks up -- while on the job. Brings many more citizens face to face with the brutality of mass deportation.

something tells me this move (ICE to airports) is going to backfire on the administration big time if they start doing their usual thing -- detaining people, separating families, roughing folks up -- while on the job. Brings many more citizens face to face with the brutality of mass deportation.

Donald Trump warns Nato faces ‘very bad future’ if allies fail to help US in Iran US president tells the FT in an interview that China summit could be delayed

You thought NATO was going to break up over Greenland?! Guess again (and you could still be half right!).

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Donald Trump warns Nato faces ‘very bad future’ if allies fail to help US in Iran

It’s a first year seminar, and very small (15). Never a dull moment in that class, and I always learn so much from the students, who are grappling with these issues for the first time in many cases.

Political Science Fiction. What can Butler, Le Guin, Dick, Atwood, and other science fiction novelists and filmmakers teach us about democracy, fascism, gender politics, AI, and other relevant topics in political science?

Salt Bae, Kash Patel, etc. etc.

please tell me this doesn't mean no high fives and back slaps for the justices at the State of the Union!

Congratulations to Emerson, Lake & Palmer for winning the Grammy for Best Concept Album About An Armadillo Tank for the 54th year in a row

"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February

"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March

"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

Philip Glass pulls world premiere from Kennedy Center The pioneering composer announced that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message” of his Symphony No. 15: “Lincoln.”

wapo.st/45CaNrY

Your brand is toxic, Mr. President.

If a unit’s faculty agree to the general practice then I’m fine with it.

If there's a "Top Five Most Annoying Things University Colleagues Do", this is surely on it:

"Course assignment: Interview an expert at [your university] about the topic you have chosen to research."

Sigh... It's enough of a challenge to stay above water up with our own students

#AcademicSky

What is place‑based policy and why does it matter today?
In the latest Productivity Puzzles, @bartvanark.bsky.social talks with @jefeja.bsky.social & @andywestwood.bsky.social about their new research.
Listen: podfollow.com/productivity...
Read the research: www.productivity.ac.uk/research/the...

perhaps taking the definition of "thin" literally? As in "I'm trying to get thinner, which means there will be less of me around." 😆

Donald Trump’s fury over the Greenland deployment of a few European troops Military exercise was ostensibly to show support for Arctic security, but US president saw it as a provocation

The Europeans just don’t get it. The only thing this administration understands is muscle.

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Donald Trump’s fury over the Greenland deployment of a few European troops h

Improving the productivity of second tier cities.

The latest ep. of Productivity Puzzles looks at place-based policy: podfollow.com/productivity...

@bartvanark.bsky.social is joined by @andywestwood.bsky.social & @jefeja.bsky.social discussing new research: www.productivity.ac.uk/research/the...

"The coffins with three Danish soldiers killed in Helmand, Afghanistan, arriving in Denmark in Dec. 2008."
""Krestine Havemann/Polfoto, via Associated Press"
archive.nytimes.com/rendezvous.b...

Productivity Puzzles: Place-Based Policy Making in Modern Times What does it really mean to grow a place? This episode unpacks the concept of place-based productivity and explores how it differs from traditional regional development. The discussion examines rea...

Podcast: podfollow.com/productivity...

The New Political Economy of Place-based Policymaking - The Productivity Institute The economic and political context for place-based policymaking has changed dramatically in the last few years.

pleased to announce a TPI new working paper, "The New Political Economy of Place-based Policymaking", co-authored with @andywestwood.bsky.social, and a related podcast. Links below:

Working Paper: www.productivity.ac.uk/research/the...

@urbanism.plus

It’s time for UEFA and CONMEBOL to start discussing a joint boycott of the 2026 World Cup