I hope I am wrong, but it appears that the United States is inching closer towards entering war with Iran, perhaps believing that Israel is unable to finish what it started. If so, the consequences could be dire. We are at a dangerous moment in history.

A student gave me a poster she made for my new office - the stickers are all quotes or images from Taylor Swift songs, and some links to playlists! Wow!

Why one keeps books on shelves: 25 years ago I bought “The Fifties” by David Halberstam on sale. The 800 page history of the 1950s sat in my bookcase unread. It seemed too long and daunting. Now I’m just finishing it finally, and it is an amazing trip through that fascinating decade.

Romania and Bulgaria might finally get the green light to become full members of the EU free-travel zone from the turn of the year, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said today.

Italy saw the left leaning Democratic Party (led by Elly Schlein) doing very well this weekend in regional elections in Umbria and Emilia Romagna. This demonstrates the decreasing popularity of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s far right ‘Fratelli d’Italia’ led coalition government.

Today in German/Italian Politics we discussed the upcoming German elections, doing a deep dive into recent state elections and the history of right wing extremism and the AfD, as well as the weakening of traditional parties. Politics is in transition in democracies across the globe.

Someone asked me what I was doing to prepare for the Trump presidency. Given what happened last time, I’m going to definitely stock up on toilet paper.

On a beautiful November morning joining Bluesky is not just trying out new social media but feels like an act of hope and optimism. Blue skies ahead!