iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Latvia's top 4 vote-earners were: right-wing populists (AS: Atlanticist/regionalist); right-wing populists (LPV: Trumpist/Orbanist); right-wing populists (SV: Russian-speaking); right-wing populists (NA: radical-right nationalist). Collectively, these parties will control 83/100 parliamentary seats.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

In case you missed it, my interview last week with the Eurasian Knot about my book, Latvian Soldiers of World War II 👇 bsky.app/profile/eura...

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The Eurasian Knot🎙️ @euraknot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"Evil Nazis" or "heroic freedom fighters"? Neither narrative tells the real story. The truth about Latvian soldiers in WWII is far more complex and human than led to believe. Listen to our latest episode: www.patreon.com/euraknot/pos...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I spoke with Sean Guillory on the Eurasian Knot about my book, Latvian Soldiers of World War II: Fighting for the Homeland in Nazi and Soviet Service. I really appreciated getting to share my thoughts in such a wide-ranging interview. bsky.app/profile/eura...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

On Friday, September 25, my alma mater, Brown University, will host me for a book talk. I'm looking forward to discussing my book, Latvian Soldiers of World War II: Fighting for the Homeland in Nazi and Soviet Service, with the brilliant @nicoleeaton.bsky.social and seeing old colleagues!

Poster for a 9/25/26 book talk on Latvian Soldiers of World War II: Fighting for the Homeland in Nazi and Soviet Service, featuring the author, Harry C. Merritt, in conversation with Nicole Eaton.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

New innovations in teaching geography, with a helpful metaphor for Americans – Latvia as the patty of the Baltic states burger

Message board post with the text: ">german friend telling me about his
trip to the baltic countries
>starts explaining in really simple terms where they are, as if I've
never seen a map before
>then he says "to remember the order they go in, think of them as a
burger"
>"estonia is the top bun, latvia is the patty, lithuania is the bottom bun"
>I ask if thats how they make German kids remember them
>he says no, I just thought that was the best way to
explain it to you ameribros, has anyone ever been racist to you for being
American?"

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"LLMs are a product that destroys its supply chain" 🙃 bsky.app/profile/kint...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Incredible not only that Anton Jäger was invited onto Ezra Klein's podcast, but also that when asked for book recommendations, he suggested: 1) Deutscher's biography of Trotsky; 2) an obscure 1933 Flemish novel; 3) a Houellebecq book not yet available in English. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Why Politics Has Become So Frenzied

The political historian Anton Jäger on his theory of “hyperpolitics.”

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I fully understand why Canada and the EU are seeking closer partnership, but I must note the open door being offered to Canada here vs. the pro forma rejection of Morocco's application to join the European Communities in 1987, as it was not geographically a European state. bsky.app/profile/theg...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Poland confirmed as the true spiritual home of cyberpunk bsky.app/profile/lore... www.euronews.com/next/2026/09...

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The Dial @thedialmag.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We are failing to see the dire consequences that AI has brought to education, Dónal Gill argues. AI in the classroom tells students they don’t need to struggle — that focus, reason, creativity and problem-solving skills are not important. www.thedial.world/articles/new...

thedial.world

Jonathan Swift v. AI — The Dial

Three hundred years ago, the satirist warned of a world in which reading and writing are replaced by the flashy simulation of human knowledge. Can he help us fix it?

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Latvia had both the first Green Party head of government (Indulis Emsis, 2004) and the first Green Party head of state (Raimonds Vējonis, 2015) in the world. bsky.app/profile/kate...

bsky.app

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

There is no "Nobel Prize in Economics." The Nobel Foundation has awarded prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, physiology/medicine, & peace since 1900, but "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel" was separately created in 1968. bsky.app/profile/kate...

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omerbartov.bsky.social @omerbartov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Where Hatred Lies / Omer Bartov A nuanced new history by Mark Mazower reminds us that antisemitism, an age-old threat to Jewish life, can be warped into a political tool—as we see today, when any criticism of Israel can be deemed antisemitic www.nybooks.com/articles/202...

nybooks.com

Where Hatred Lies | Omer Bartov

A nuanced new history by Mark Mazower reminds us that antisemitism, an age-old threat to Jewish life, can be warped into a political tool—as we see today, when any criticism of Israel can be deemed an...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Clashes of memory in the Rūdninkai Forest, outside Vilnius, Lithuania. A new German military base encroaches on (but thankfully no longer threatens to physically destroy) partisan bunkers associated with Jewish anti-Nazi resistance during the Holocaust. www.jta.org/2026/08/27/g...

jta.org

In a forest where Jews fought the Nazis, a German military base and Lithuanian politics encroach on memory - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The families of partisans might no longer be able to visit bunkers in Rūdninkai Forest, which mark the only memorial to their resistance in Lithuania.

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 02/09/2026

The world has failed in its goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times, the UN said on Wednesday, in a sober assessment that laid out a new goal for fighting climate change that would set the world on an uncertain path.

nyti.ms

U.N. Says World Will Miss Its 1.5-Degree Climate Target

It proposed a new goal of limiting the “overshoot” of rising temperatures and eventually figuring out how to undo the temperature gains, a highly uncertain path.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

NY State Senator (& 2026 Congressional candidate for NY-19) Peter Oberacker, who serves on a Republican "Antisemitism Working Group" and proposed a bill against harassment using "Nazi symbols," shared a tribute to his grandfather who fought in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht 🙃 nypost.com/2026/08/22/u...

nypost.com

NY GOP House candidate honored Nazi grandfather in bizarre Veterans Day post: ‘I salute all who served’

“Look, war sucks. Plain and simple, it really does. And to have my dad grow up without his father is just, you know, it really changed him,” the lawmaker, wrote.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Love that a short morning walk in my neighborhood now includes encountering 10+ spotted lanternflies and having to deputize myself to eliminate them. Last summer I saw many on my college campus (and had to deputize myself while others walked by) but only 1-2 the whole season in my town.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

"There is no indication that adjuncts are less capable than their tenured peers...Despite their compromised positions, adjuncts still win teaching awards, publish books, and contribute widely to scholarship, literature, and the arts." www.thenation.com/article/soci...

thenation.com

Adjuncting Until the End of Time

Universities now have more adjuncts than tenured and tenure-track professors combined. The conditions are unsustainable—for professors and students alike.

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Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

This will pretty much end international students pursuing doctorates. A shocking decision and one which will do irreparable damage to the United States in the long term. www.highereddive.com/news/trump-a...

highereddive.com

Trump administration caps student visa stays at 4 years under final rule

Critics have castigated the measure, arguing it ignores average degree completion times and creates unnecessary burdens for international students.

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404 Media @404media.co · 17/08/2026

EXCLUSIVE: 404 Media placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Investigation by @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I'm watching The Sopranos for the 1st time in 2026. Setting aside the murder and armed robbery, the Soprano Crime Family's activities--no-bid/fixed contracts, sports betting, pump-and-dump schemes, loan sharking--have become so quaint, either legalized or otherwise poorly enforced today.

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Doug Merrill 🌻 @bagatsen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Until 1933, German universities led the world. They have never regained that position.

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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The old world is dying. The new world struggles to be born.

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

The biggest technological revolution of our lifetime and it has nothing to do with AI, crypto, metaverse, robots or any of the other massively hyped "tech" the media always talks about instead

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Wow, good thing that there's not some kind of existing payment system, let's call it "taxes" as a placeholder, that pays for subsidies that I may never directly benefit from, roads I may never drive on, facilities I may never utilize, emergency services I may never call... bsky.app/profile/usat...

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Paul Renfro @renfro.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

This is the tragic yet logical result of a decades-long project—undertaken by rightwing politicians and “business-minded” administrators alike—to distort the meaning of higher education, to deny the intrinsic value of the pursuit of knowledge, to deprive us all of richer, more purposeful lives.

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Una Bergmane @unabergmane.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

One of the greatest Latvian historians. A survivor of the Holocaust who, just this past year, published a book on those who worked to save Latvian Jews during the Nazi Occupation. A keeper of the memory of the victims. A man full of light and courage eng.lsm.lv/article/cult...

eng.lsm.lv

Distinguished historian Vestermanis dies aged 100

The eminent historian, founder and long-time director of the 'Jews in Latvia' museum, Marģers Vestermanis, has died, the museum has announced.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Progress! Instead of burning the Library of Alexandria indiscriminately, what if we just chopped off rare books' spines and then shredded them individually? bsky.app/profile/drdr...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Nolan's adaptation of the Odyssey has its flaws, but I really appreciated the throughline that followed the consequences of violating a fundamental moral law ("Zeus's law") in the Fall of Troy. Made the film feel contemporary and relevant as international law continues to break down in the 2020s.

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Gustavs Strenga @strenga.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

In Latvia we are experiencing another attack on academic freedom. During the pre-election time politicians represented in the government are inviting researchers to the parliament to explain their publicly funded projects, particularly, on the topics they find controversial. 1/2

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

At last, my print copies of Latvian Soldiers of World War II: Fighting for the Homeland in Nazi and Soviet Service arrived. So happy to finally hold this book in my hands! academic.oup.com/book/62363

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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 18/07/2026

🎯 “An elite consensus that AI-assisted learning might be fine for hoi polloi but not for future leaders at the most selective institutions cannot be far-off now“ The coming class divide on AI: tech-free learning at elite institutions, AI-centered learning everywhere else.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Disgruntled bureaucrat chaperones an expecting mother to the seaside. bsky.app/profile/pete...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Reports are coming in that—following the model of the Soviet Republic of Soldiers and Fortress-Builders of Naissaar, Estonia—sailors and workers on Block Island have seized the means of oyster production and plan on exporting revolution to the mainland by ferry.

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Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

To be a historian is to speak ill of the dead and the rest of you should take more history classes and join us.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

"Grossman’s ability to convince people of all ranks to talk to him meant that he could distill strategic and philosophical talks with officers with deep firsthand perspectives of life on the front for an ordinary soldier." thebaffler.com/latest/the-m...

thebaffler.com

The Music of Destruction | Mathias Fuelling

Grossman was split into two figures by the Soviet authorities, dissident Jew and voice of the people.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

July 4 is symbolically regarded at the start of the Holocaust in Latvia (though killing began earlier), commemorated as Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Genocide against the Jewish People. In connection, the Facebook algorithm pushed this screed onto my feed... www.facebook.com/PriekuluNA/p...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

For context, in 1910, only 41.66% of New York City's population spoke English as their primary language (Yiddish: 18.08%; German: 17.66%; Italian: 11.53%; Polish: 2.44%). Miller's own great-grandfather arrived at Ellis Island in 1903 as one of those Yiddish-/Polish-speakers, knowing no English!

A June 24, 2026 tweet from Stephen Miller stating, "In 2026, half of NYC residents speak a language other than English as their primary language and one-quarter of NYC residents lack English language proficiency."

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Abbey @abbeyarletto.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

"Europe must choose between AI and climate goals, data center lobby says" -- seems like a really tough choice 🤔💭 bsky.app/profile/nils...

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Though they fought on opposite sides of World War II, Latvian Legionnaires under German command and Latvian Riflemen under Soviet command converged in their celebration of Midsummer (Jāņi), as shown here on June 23/24, 1943 (source of photos: Latvian War Museum).

Photograph of a Midsummer celebration with personnel of the 43rd Guards Latvian Rifle Division. Some male soldiers are wearing oak crowns and some female soldiers are wearing flower crowns and Latvian folk dress. An accordion and guitar are visible. In a field located in Diakov, Russia, June 24, 1943. Source: Latvian War Museum.

A photograph of the commander of the 15th Artillery Regiment, Leg.-Oberführer Voldemārs Skaistlauks, as he is lifted up by his troops while celebrating the Midsummer holiday near Jelgava, Latvia, June 23, 1943. Source: Latvian War Museum.

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

New, authoritative map of Nordic countries just dropped 👇 🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹 🟨🟥🟨

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Harry C. Merritt @harrymerritt.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

RIP to Carlo Ginzburg. In his memory, I wanted to share a less prominent work, "Just One Witness," which elegantly makes the point that "law and history, it seems, have different rules and different epistemological foundations which do not always coincide." www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

degruyterbrill.com

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Frederick Deknatel @freddydeknatel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

"Defeat in the Iranian war looks, on the surface, nothing like other U.S. military defeats. The speed of the war and its remoteness have lent an air of unreality to the whole endeavor." @professormusgrave.bsky.social on Trump's defeat and the ghosts of Vietnam: foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/16/i...

foreignpolicy.com

Iran Is a Bigger Defeat Than Vietnam

A war of choice has turned into a strategic disaster for Washington.

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