На переконання українського лідера Володимира Зеленського, лише президент США Дональд Трамп наразі може зупинити російського диктатора Володимира Путіна та загарбницьку війну, яку той уже понад 11 років веде проти України.
On The Babysitter's Club, AI paranoia, and the myth that real writers take it slow. Continue reading on The Writing Cooperative » writingcooperative.com/some-of…
President Donald Trump said he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy in the coming weeks "if necessary...
Randahl. Are you going to hold the President of the United States accountable to something he “truthed” two weeks ago? Really? It’s like it never happened ! Two weeks ago! Pffft!
Du willst genaue Bedeutungen hinter verschiedenen Typen der lachenden Smileys, und was ein lachender Smiley eigentlich bedeutet, lernen? Hier wirst du mehr erfahren.
Genocide in Gaza; extract from "‘We’re Witnessing the Last Gasp of Israeli Violence’: In Conversation With Avi Shlaim"
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In previous years you’ve held back from using the word ‘genocide’ in relation to Israel. What altered this exactly?
I hesitated before calling my book “Genocide in Gaza” because genocide is a very big word. But the evidence in front of my eyes was overwhelming and growing greater all the time. This is the first genocide which is livestreamed. Countries and leaders don’t usually say “we are committing genocide” and “we want to wipe out the enemy”. They usually conceal it, whereas the Israelis are outspoken about genocide.
For one of the chapters in the book, I refer to a database of genocidal statements. It’s shocking what has been publicly stated, not just by marginal figures, but from the likes of the Israeli president Isaac Herzog, who proclaimed that “there are no innocents in Gaza”. No innocents among the 50,000 people who were killed and nearly 20,000 children. There are quotes from Netanyahu that are genocidal, as well as from his former minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, who said “we are up against human animals”.
I hesitated to call things genocide before October 2023, but what tipped the balance for me was when Israel stopped all humanitarian aid into Gaza. They are using starvation as a weapon of war. That’s genocide.
Why are western politicians so reluctant to call a spade a spade? The answer is obvious: Israeli exceptionalism. Israel is above international law, and western leaders greenlight that. When UK foreign secretary David Lammy was asked if there is a genocide, he said that genocide is a legal concept and we have to wait for the court to pronounce. He is flat out wrong. What Israel is doing meets the UN Genocide Convention, which does not state that countries must wait for a court of law to take action. Britain and America are not just complicit in Israeli war crimes, but are active partners assisting Israel in its genocidal campaign against the Palestinians.
The moral absurdity of this situation has also had an interesting effect on me personally. I’m both a Jew and an Israeli, but I never identified myself as a Jew, as I’m not practicing. Since the genocidal assault on Gaza, however, I’ve wanted to move closer to Judaism because its core values are altruism, truth, justice and peace.
The Netanyahu government is the antithesis of these core Jewish values. The essence of Judaism is non-violence, but the current regime is the most violent government in Israel’s history. I, as a Jew, feel that I have a moral duty to stand up and be counted. My new book is my modest personal contribution to the fight against Zionist fascism, backed by American imperialism. It’s a personal statement.
Professor Avi Shlaim speaks to Sebastian Shehadi about his latest book, western complicity in the genocide in Gaza and how Israel’s own archives turned him into an anti-Zionist.
re: Genocide in Gaza; extract from "‘We’re Witnessing the Last Gasp of Israeli Violence’: In Conversation With Avi Shlaim"
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How do you respond to Israeli justifications for its violence over the last 16 months?
Israel says it’s “acting in self-defense”, as do its Western allies. UK prime minister Keir Starmer was asked if Israel is justified in cutting off food and water and fuel to the people in Gaza and he repeated, “Israel has the right to self-defense.” This is the mantra. I would say to the Israeli apologists that, under international law, Israel has one right: to end the occupation and get out. Israel doesn’t have the right to self-defense as defined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Israel is the occupying power in Gaza under international law. You don’t have the right to self-defense if the attack on you came from an area under your control.
Israel always justifies its attacks on Gaza by saying Hamas was firing rockets on its citizens and that it has a duty to protect its citizens. Hamas has accepted many ceasefire agreements and has a good record of honouring them. Israel has broken every single ceasefire agreement with Hamas when it no longer suited it.
Take, for example, when Egypt brokered the peace ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in mid-2008. Hamas honored and enforced the ceasefire on the other more radical groups like Islamic Jihad until 4 November 2008, when Israel raided Gaza and killed Hamas fighters, thereby renewing hostilities. Hamas offered Israel the renewal of this ceasefire agreement on its original terms. Israel completely ignored this proposal. Israel had a diplomatic route to resolve the conflict but it didn’t take it, instead launching Operation Cast Lead. This is how Israel protects its citizens.
Professor Avi Shlaim speaks to Sebastian Shehadi about his latest book, western complicity in the genocide in Gaza and how Israel’s own archives turned him into an anti-Zionist.
re: Genocide in Gaza; extract from "‘We’re Witnessing the Last Gasp of Israeli Violence’: In Conversation With Avi Shlaim"
It’s interesting to me that I’ve not received any hate mail in the last 16 months, because I usually would. The climate of opinion worldwide is changing. Israel has lost the argument. BDS calls for the end of occupation, the right of return and equal rights for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. It’s a global non-violent movement. Israel has no answer.
How can you justify continuing your occupation and apartheid? You can’t – which is why Israel has embarked on a cheap global campaign to deliberately conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. But people have become wise to it. And if you have an honest message to put across as I do, calling a spade a spade, people will listen.
Professor Avi Shlaim speaks to Sebastian Shehadi about his latest book, western complicity in the genocide in Gaza and how Israel’s own archives turned him into an anti-Zionist.
re: Genocide in Gaza; extract from "‘We’re Witnessing the Last Gasp of Israeli Violence’: In Conversation With Avi Shlaim"
I don’t pin my hopes on governments. I pin them on civil society, on BDS, on the marches in London and elsewhere, and on the students and their encampments. The students are motivated by justice and morality. They’re the right side of history. The US and British governments are on the wrong side. That’s why Israel is so scared of BDS and the students. Israel has lost the argument. It’s a brutal, aggressive, militaristic society, and it’s bound to go down the way that South Africa went thanks to sanctions.
I believe that apartheid in the 21st century is not sustainable in the long term and therefore, that Zionism is in the process of destroying itself. Empires become really violent just as they are in decline, and I think this is what we’re witnessing now – the last gasp of Israeli violence. Once this is over, cleavages inside Israeli society will continue. Israel will get weaker from within and external support will decline. This combination of factors will lead to the disintegration of Zionism and settler colon
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I don’t pin my hopes on governments. I pin them on civil society, on BDS, on the marches in London and elsewhere, and on the students and their encampments. The students are motivated by justice and morality. They’re the right side of history. The US and British governments are on the wrong side. That’s why Israel is so scared of BDS and the students. Israel has lost the argument. It’s a brutal, aggressive, militaristic society, and it’s bound to go down the way that South Africa went thanks to sanctions.
I believe that apartheid in the 21st century is not sustainable in the long term and therefore, that Zionism is in the process of destroying itself. Empires become really violent just as they are in decline, and I think this is what we’re witnessing now – the last gasp of Israeli violence. Once this is over, cleavages inside Israeli society will continue. Israel will get weaker from within and external support will decline. This combination of factors will lead to the disintegration of Zionism and settler colonialism. Israel is on the path of self-destruction, but it won’t happen overnight. It will still take many years.
Professor Avi Shlaim speaks to Sebastian Shehadi about his latest book, western complicity in the genocide in Gaza and how Israel’s own archives turned him into an anti-Zionist.
Report from the Amsterdam protest: there are a few hundred people here and two uniformed Dutch cops at a respectful distance very casually chatting with each other while they wait for nothing to hurry up and happen.
A lot of people are tourists (American or otherwise) who happened to see the protest because the US consulate is between several museums. They’re all like “hell yeah I’m stopping for this.” Passing bikes ring their bells (some of them might even be in support and not because Americans are standing on the bike path). I don’t know where someone in Amsterdam found an enormous California bear flag on such short notice
And yes, everyone loves Odin, who randomly decided to put his paws up on my shoulders when we were very visible to the crowd
I rode my bike to the library to return a book, which isn't terribly exciting, but I'm pleased that I can now take care of local errands by bike instead of car.
Panniers that hang on either side of your rear wheel will give you a lot more carrying capacity with little added footprint. I had the predecessor to the Arkel Bug Pannier Backpack when I was riding my recumbent a lot, and it was an absolute beast. Not cheap, but worth every loonie (and yes, made in Canada). 25l capacity, helmet pocket, and it’s a decent backpack, too. arkel.ca/products/bug-pannier-…
This bag converts from a pannier to a backpack in seconds, perfect for city use. The well-designed biking backpack offers many different features like 2 side pockets, a helmet holder flap, a laptop compartment, etc.
The price is in Canadian dollars, which in normal times would mean the price in freedom money would be less, but I don’t know what the exchange rate is currently. And the tariff rate. But yeah, they’re an investment.
I have expandable pannier bags that weigh next-to-nothing and lie almost flat when empty. They can quickly be hooked on and off each side of the carrier. I don't have a photo, but they're sort of like this. Mine are ancient - they last forever. A friend has newer, fancier ones with a more boxy design and flat flap. Hers work as the actual shopping bag in the supermarket too, rather than to carry other bags, so even quicker to use.
That makes sense, if you aren't likely to use them a lot or for regular bulk loads, at least at the beginning. I only use mine occasionally, so I don't leave them on the bike all the time. I couldn't live without my big front basket thought - a surprising amount of anything and everything fits into a big deep basket.
Today in 1982, 43 years ago: in Puerto Argentino (Port Stanley), capital of the Falkland Islands - within the framework of the Falklands War -, Argentine forces conditionally surrendered to British forces and began the eviction of Argentines from the southern archipelagos.
“Among the eight people who #RFKJr announced would make up his new group of outside vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are an emergency physician who posted Islamophobic commentary on social media and two doctors who were paid to provide expert testimony in trials against a vaccine maker.”
Here are the 8 new members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), who have replaced the 17 members fired on Monday by HHS Sec. RFK Jr.
As expected, many of them are anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, who have made a living trashing vaccines and scientists, and peddling quack treatments.
Instead of the glowing official bio, let's read how epidemiologist Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD, and others describe these people.
In conflict, we find clarity. We all hold contradictory views: We love our families, but they drive us crazy. We want more housing in our cities, but we don’t want our property values to decrease w…
Anthropy: hes there's some kind of empty funny whereader they also caused what there's a full type of does to remember the device it to life higher lines, and it because there are you instead in the singular types, or even if you can find my way to inside like it up and see it makes your model on you, you can have sightily and such would look from my product this Anthropy: This is a constant decade of consex thing there's absolutel
🇮🇱⚡️ Israel has achieved air superiority from western Iran to Tehran. IDF spokesperson Effi Defrin stated that over 70 fighter jets took part in a night operation targeting Tehran, striking ~40 sites including air defense systems.
Israeli aircraft and UAVs operated over the capital for 2.5 hours. “Tehran is no longer protected,” Defrin said.
Richard II of #England met leaders of the Peasants' Revolt at Mile End OTD in 1381, while the Tower of London was stormed by rebels who entered without resistance toilet-guru.com/britain.html?s… #travel #history
Visit uniquely British toilets in Scotland, at Glastonbury Abbey, along Hadrian's Wall, at Saint Andrew's Cathedral, and in secret World War II bunkers. All this and more on the Toilets of the World.
Jeremy Corbyn dismantles Rachel Reeves – saying she’s protecting the “corporate elite
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has delivered a reality check to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Jeremy Corbyn: Reeves “holding our country to ransom”
In the MP for Islington’s response to the spending review, he began:
Until this government stands up to the corporate elite holding our country to ransom, it will never bring about the change the British public deserves
Jeremy Corbyn went on to detail what standing up to the corporate elite would look like:
The government could, if it wanted to, tax the wealthiest in our society in order to end child poverty, fix the social care crisis, and fund a bold programme of public investment. It could end the rip-off of privatisation and finally bring water and energy and healthcare into public ownership. It could take on fossil fuel giants to kickstart a Green New Deal. Instead, today’s unambitious statement bakes in decades of inequality, deprivi
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Jeremy Corbyn dismantles Rachel Reeves – saying she’s protecting the “corporate elite
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has delivered a reality check to Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Jeremy Corbyn: Reeves “holding our country to ransom”
In the MP for Islington’s response to the spending review, he began:
Until this government stands up to the corporate elite holding our country to ransom, it will never bring about the change the British public deserves
Jeremy Corbyn went on to detail what standing up to the corporate elite would look like:
The government could, if it wanted to, tax the wealthiest in our society in order to end child poverty, fix the social care crisis, and fund a bold programme of public investment. It could end the rip-off of privatisation and finally bring water and energy and healthcare into public ownership. It could take on fossil fuel giants to kickstart a Green New Deal. Instead, today’s unambitious statement bakes in decades of inequality, depriving millions of people of the resources they need.
Rampant inequality is a key issue in the UK. And Reeves’ review does little to address it. According to Oxfam, 70% of the country own less wealth than the top 1% as of 2023. That is why so many are calling for a wealth tax, which would rebalance society by £22bn every year.
The privatisation of public utilities experiment has been a disaster. Whether it’s a lack of investment in critical infrastructure, asset stripping, across the board high rents on essentials, botched surgeries or eye watering fees for gas companies being ‘on standby’ (£12.5bn in ten years under the ‘capacity market’ scheme, plus price increases of 15000% under the ‘balancing mechanism’ scheme).
“Complete con”
Jeremy Corbyn continued:
As we speak, a quarter of a million people are homeless. For many of my constituents, the never-ending promise of “affordable housing” has been a complete con. The government must tell us: will its latest announcement result in proper social housing or subsidies for private developers? When will it get to the heart of the housing crisis and control rents?
Reeves remains silent on how many of the 1.5m new homes will actually be social housing. So far she has merely branded around 35,000 a year of them as ‘affordable’. Short of stopping treating housing like an asset altogether, rent controls could go very far in circumventing the housing crisis.
For more than 70 years, between WWI and the late 1980s, the UK had a system of rent control. It’s a policy that could drive down poverty and put more pounds in peoples’ pockets – as Labour has repeatedly pledged to do.
In many European countries there is some control over rents. In Sweden, tenant unions and landlords negotiate rents based on average earnings, inflation, and costs. In the UK, we do not have such a procedure and under 45s alone wasted £56.2bn in passive income for landlords in 2024. More here....//
I think a great point brought up by some political commenters is if military veterans and active duty members flat out say in some numbers a dozen at a time the more the merrier that domestic deployment is illegal, that you as members of the military or veterans of the military could push the Overton window back to where it should be. The richest men in the country seek to legalize the use of the military upon all of us. This is part of their war to dismantle the US, replacing it with tyranny
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#SarlaccPit is a word #game similar to the classic #Hangman & also inspired by #HangTrek as played here on #Mastodon. One user hosts by choosing a word or phrase from #StarWars & then runs polls with choices of letters.
Attached: 1 image
#SarlaccPit is a word #game similar to the classic #Hangman & also inspired by #HangTrek as played here on #Mastodon. One user hosts by choosing a word or phrase from #StarWars & then runs polls with choices of letters.
Attached: 1 image
#SarlaccPit is a word #game similar to the classic #Hangman & also inspired by #HangTrek as played here on #Mastodon. One user hosts by choosing a word or phrase from #StarWars & then runs polls with choices of letters.
Top politicians are set to converge on the Japanese capital for a close contest seen as a bellwether for the national House of Councillors election this
One last push: The peertube app campaign is just €7000 away from it's €55,000 target, and 2 days to go. Surely there are #fedizens who may not have seen this already? If they make the €55,000 target I promise to write a peertube channel into my next grant proposal, AND I'll post some better quality videos of our Greenland and #Antarctic research over the coming weeks...
Go!
fediscience.org/@Ruth_Mottram/… Ruth_Mottram - Apropos @peertube the french developer collective @Framasoft are currently trying to raise the (for #bigTech derisory) amount of EUR 75,000 to develop the opensource #fediverse competitor app to Youtube. Maybe chuck 'em a few euros if you thin
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One last push: The peertube app campaign is just €7000 away from it's €55,000 target, and 2 days to go. Surely there are #fedizens who may not have seen this already? If they make the €55,000 target I promise to write a peertube channel into my next grant proposal, AND I'll post some better quality videos of our Greenland and #Antarctic research over the coming weeks...
Go!
fediscience.org/@Ruth_Mottram/… Ruth_Mottram - Apropos @peertube the french developer collective @Framasoft are currently trying to raise the (for #bigTech derisory) amount of EUR 75,000 to develop the opensource #fediverse competitor app to Youtube. Maybe chuck 'em a few euros if you think it useful? support.joinpeertube.org/en/
Apropos @peertube the french developer collective @Framasoft are currently trying to raise the (for #bigTech derisory) amount of EUR 75,000 to develop the opensource #fediverse competitor app to Youtube. Maybe chuck 'em a few euros if you think it useful? support.joinpeertube.org/en/
Ivory Joe Hunter "Since I Met You Baby" on The Ed Sullivan Show, January 20, 1957. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSullivanSubscr...
Sweden is taking part in Baltops 25 with a Södermanland-class submarine, operating directly under NATO command from Allied Maritime Command near London. The
millennial falcon
in reply to Jadon • • •