@socialmedialab.ca - Social Media Lab

28 Aug 2026 13:45 +0000

Talented people are always in demand, which means they have the luxury of choice. "Canada Hires 48 Scholars Away From Top U.S. Universities. A crackdown on American academia by the Trump administration has handed Canadian universities a rare opportunity to lure some top researchers north." [contains quote post or other embedded content]

28 Aug 2026 18:53 +0000

"The New Security Math in Reykjavík. Iceland calculates whether 28 is greater than 1." https://thedispatch.com/article/iceland-european-union-russia-security/ Fool me once, fool me twice. Canada is voting for 28. The American public voted for Trump not once but twice. Nothing in the American system prevents a future Trump from returning. [contains quote post or other embedded content]

28 Aug 2026 18:04 +0000

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised in March 2025 a “dramatic overhaul” of the nation’s Health Department to rid it of industry interests he said had corrupted the agencies and allowed chronic disease to spread." https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/28/kennedy-staffing-health-department-hhs-appointees-01051734

28 Aug 2026 17:04 +0000

"The Pentagon illegally blacklisted Anthropic as a national security threat based partly on things Claude couldn't actually do, a US federal judge has ruled." https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/08/28/pentagon-blacklisted-anthropic-over-claude-powers-it-didnt-have/5293266

28 Aug 2026 16:42 +0000

Above the law: "The largest planned AI data center in New Jersey is being accused of violating federal law after a Floodlight visual investigation found the site running dozens of unpermitted gas-powered generators. " https://floodlightnews.org/new-jersey-data-center-federal-violation/ https://floodlightnews.org/new-jersey-data-center-federal-violation/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8VNocW7YcwSn8PnpSPqOOurA_DWWMV-W7pTZDoI1HWHPn0iIP7Y47kQhGgIYwLC_FA2TbmUZ6K3FqrpntnJ0rInCQMWA&_hsmi=435757184&utm_content=435757184&utm_source=hs_email

28 Aug 2026 12:53 +0000

Well, that didn't take long. The internet is flooded with conspiracy theories about Dolly Parton and vaccines. She is a "man, a witch, a satanic worshiper" ...https://www.wired.com/story/there-are-so-many-conspiracy-theories-about-dolly-parton-and-vaccines/

28 Aug 2026 16:34 +0000

"Cambodia says no online scam compounds remain, experts skeptical" https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/cambodia-says-no-online-scam-compounds-remain-experts-skeptical-2026-08-28/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/cambodia-says-no-online-scam-compounds-remain-experts-skeptical-2026-08-28/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=6a91b6688f085800017b5844&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

28 Aug 2026 16:29 +0000

Electric shock gloves, now robot dogs. To ICE, people are just cattle waiting to be rounded up. "ICE Plans to Spend Millions on Boston Dynamics Dog Robots" https://www.404media.co/ice-plans-to-spends-millions-on-boston-dynamics-dog-robots/

27 Aug 2026 18:56 +0000

Thank you to our colleagues at the Swedish Defence University for graciously hosting us this wk. While our work largely focuses on social media, the rapidly changing world inevitably brings our fields closer together. We greatly value the opportunity to exchange perspectives & learn from each other.

28 Aug 2026 16:25 +0000

"Baltic Sea states warn of ‘escalating’ hybrid warfare. Hybrid attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and the Baltic states want more funding to deal with the threat" https://www.euractiv.com/news/baltic-sea-states-warn-of-escalating-hybrid-warfare/?utm_source=eac&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=euractiv.com

28 Aug 2026 15:35 +0000

"What the CIA director’s mystery trip to Moscow says about Putin's next move" https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/what-the-cia-directors-mystery-trip-to-moscow-says-about-putin-s-next-move-9.7323838 What it says is that nobody really knows except Putin. But one thing is certain: this will be another difficult winter for the people of Ukraine.

28 Aug 2026 03:35 +0000

It’s exhausting. But keep perspective: what the administration and its supporters are doing is a deliberate attempt to flood the zone, a calculated shock-and-awe campaign. It'll only get worse after Labor Day. [contains quote post or other embedded content]

28 Aug 2026 13:45 +0000

28 Aug 2026 13:33 +0000

This should give PM Carney a bit more runway in his trade war with Trump... "Canada's economy grew by 3.3% annualized in the second quarter, showing sharp recovery." https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-gdp-june-2026-9.7323847

28 Aug 2026 13:23 +0000

Whatever your view of immigration policy, this isn't the behaviour of a great nation. If you take away people's agency, you have a moral duty to provide the necessities that preserve life. "Listen to 911 Calls From Inside an Immigration Detention Center: “We Just Need to Take Him to the Hospital” https://www.propublica.org/article/911-calls-camp-east-montana-texas-detention

28 Aug 2026 12:53 +0000

28 Aug 2026 11:17 +0000

Six mo. on, the Iran war has changed the Mid. East, but not in the way its architects had hoped. Israel has once again thrashed its enemies without defeating them, and after nearly three years of war in Gaza & new land seizures, is at risk of a generational rupture with the U.S., its closest ally." https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-six-months-israel-mideast-1685cdc4e6ef330406e0ebe242b21e70?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=share
Six

28 Aug 2026 10:45 +0000

"The U.S. is objecting to Mexico's new trade deal with the European Union, which extends special protections to hundreds of European ‌products whose names are tied to specific regions, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, feta and manchego." https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dispute-over-cheese-names-causes-stumbling-block-us-mexico-trade-negotiations-2026-08-28/ https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/dispute-over-cheese-names-causes-stumbling-block-us-mexico-trade-negotiations-2026-08-28/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=6a91645f8f085800017b5490&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

28 Aug 2026 10:17 +0000

Well worth the investment. Star researchers attract star students and funding, and hopefully new innovation. #nationbuilding #CanadaStrong [contains quote post or other embedded content]

28 Aug 2026 02:31 +0000

"Canadian universities have recruited dozens of foreign scientists & researchers, many of them poached from prestigious U.S. institutions, in the 1st intake of a program to attract world-leading academics. The hiring of the 64 new recruits is being funded over 8yrs by $504M from the fed gov." https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/canada-recruits-dozens-of-foreign-scientists-researchers-poaching-many-from-us/