tardigrada @ tardigrada @beehaw.org

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Joined

3 yr. ago

These people didn't work to 'feed their families'. Their families likely didn't benefit at all from this scheme.

I'd say (and hope) they question the voters' registrations, while not knowing what people voted for. But this what I guess, I'm not sure.

... involves thousands of North Korean IT workers who use false, stolen, and borrowed identities from people in the US and other countries ...

These people didn't work to earn money their families, they worked for the regime using stolen identities. North Koreans are not even allowed to get in touch with companies (or individuals) in the West, let alone work for them.

There's a lot to learn from Herman and Chomsky, even though the book has been written long time ago. One point I don't agree with, though, is the notion of 'manufactured consent' as the book frames it, as just because individuals in a democracy can't meaningfully influence 'corporate mass media' and their published content doesn't mean that there is consensus. There is influence at various levels, but not necessarily consensus.

One lesson we can derive from the book is the importance of decentralization not just in media, but in the entire state, its economy, and society. Decentralization is key imo.

(The ironic bit is that the book is sometimes used by Chinese propagandists as a case of Western propaganda (there is a Chinese translation afaik). What they don't mention is that the Chinese government follows a much harder propaganda playbook than what Herman and Chomsky analyse for the US, and -contrary to China's media landscape- contrary opinions are allowed, citizen journalists exist, alternative independent media work. In China, all this is impossible.)

Today Ukrainian media close to their government report that Russian guided bomb attacks reduced by half since Ukraine may use western weapons inside Russia. I hope Germany's Scholz reads that.

@Papamousse

This is bad, but this not 'only' about profit-making companies.

Tradingeconomics reports:

Higher prices were recorded for services (+11.4% vs. +11.3% in October) and food (+9.9% vs. +9%), notably butter (+34.1% vs +29.7%) and fruit and vegetables (+18.7% vs +13.5%). Meanwhile, non-food product price growth remained steady at 5.7%.

No. As @megopie@beehaw.org already said, plastic production plays a major role in the fossil fuel game. We needed such an agreement as the first step, but Russia, SA, and others are blocking unfortunately.

@turtle@lemm.ee

The US was also opposed to this and only changed position until after the November 2024 election. Now they're for it when they know that the Trump administration will likely never agree to this.

No, the US didn't change position "until after the November 2024 election". You have misinterpreted the article.

The article you link to has been written before the election results were known. As it reads:

Mongabay inquiries to the campaigns of U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris went unanswered. But Forbes with Greenpeace USA said that Harris, the current vice president, has been supportive. “She’ll have to step up and show leadership on the process.” Though INC-5 will take place before a change in administration, an empowered Trump administration could “blow up the whole process,” one unnamed negotiator fears. Oil interests have given more than $75 million to Trump PACs, according toThe New York Times.

At the time when the article was published, it was unclear what the US would do, as a Harris administration might have backed an agreement including production limits, but a Trump administration could "blow up the whole process".

'We had to stop this': Woman who grabbed South Korean soldier's gun speaks to BBC

A chaotic night in South Korea produced scenes most thought were consigned to the nation’s history.

One in particular has caught the attention of many: a woman confronting soldiers who were sent to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

Footage of Ahn Gwi-ryeong, 35, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, grabbing the weapon of a soldier during the commotion has been shared widely online.

“I didn’t think… I just knew we had to stop this,” she told the BBC Korean Service. Ahn made her way to the assembly building as soldiers descended on it, shortly after the president declared martial law across South Korea.

How South Korea’s Robust Protest Culture Shut Down Martial Law—For Now -- [Archived version]

A surge in dramas and literature dealing with the country’s political trauma has helped older generations keep the memory of autocracy fresh.

Back in September, amid simmering tensions between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country’s parliament, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung issued a warning: Yoon and his allies were preparing to declare martial law.

The claim was roundly dismissed as alarmist, the irresponsible stuff of conspiracy theories—even by some of Lee’s supporters. But the warning was prescient. On Tuesday, Yoon shocked the world by carrying out exactly what had been warned, declaring that martial law was necessary to save South Korea from “anti-state forces.”

The action instantly prompted scenes of chaos to unfold, with stunned lawmakers, and thousands of ordinary citizens, mobilizing to protest the declaration. Hours later, a unanimous parliamentary vote forced Yoon to back down. Still, his fate remains uncertain. Many are increasingly concerned that Yoon could reinstate martial law once more. Meanwhile, immense crowds continue to gather in Seoul, demanding Yoon’s removal.

Money corrupts; bitcoin corrupts absolutely. Disregarding all of bitcoin's shortcomings, a financial instrument that brings out the worst in people—greed—won't change the world for the better.

I disagree with this statement. Blockchain is only a technology, good or bad is what we humans are doing. It depends how we use BTC and other coins, but that's a human issue rather than a technological one.

@LukeZaz

There aren't a lot of Chinese citizenry here. But there are a lot of Americans. It so follows that it makes sense to criticize the U.S. more, because many people on Beehaw can actually do something about it, especially in aggregate.

I agree that there are most likely more Americans (or other 'Westerners') here than Chinese, yet there are many tankies here with alt accounts on Beehaw. It is them who spread the Chinese propaganda, criticizing the West in general while being silent on China.

@thingsiplay

Because another countries takes away freedom and eliminates the free market, makes it a non argument if the US does the same? The US is doing the same what China does.

If so, why then haven't you long been criticizing China the same way you do now the US? Where are these posts?

(Just to say that: The US, China, EU, and all the others can ban Tiktok, Twitter, FB, and all the centralized data collectors. I wouldn't miss any of them, and I think it would be better for the world. But the hypocrisy here in this thread is very telling.)

I think Tiktok is much worse. It's about a foreign country whose government is pursuing a dictatorial policy trying to interfere in foreign elections (again, look at Romania, for example).

The argument of FB collaborating with the US gov is true I guess, but isn't valid here. China is doing the same, the Chinese government is banning the Western version of Tiktok, too, let alone all other non-Chinese apps. So the 'free market'-argument doesn't make any sense here, it'd be even hypocritical.

It helps to think before you type.

The free market is free if and when you play by the same -democratic- rules. Look at Romania, just to name an actual example. Tiktok is much worse than Facebook and (most) others, and being worse is not an easy task here.

Why isn't a system in a hospital air-gapped? Or is there any reason why it must be connected that I don't know?

I wouldn't say they single out a community, they're just covering a story on that particular issue. There are a lot of stories about right-wing (and left-wing) topics, this is just one of them I would say.

I forget to post an important issue mentioned in the article:

Afghanistan already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with a report released last year noting 620 women were dying per 100,000 live births.

Addition:

Taliban shuts down women-only cafes in Herat province, citing ‘moral concerns’

In a new wave of restrictions targeting women’s freedoms in Afghanistan, Taliban authorities have closed women-only cafes in Herat province. These establishments, which were operated by women for women, have been forcibly shut down by the Ministry of Virtue and Vice officials.

The cafe owners, in their conversations with Radio Azadi, revealed that Taliban authorities justified the closures by claiming these venues could potentially lead to moral corruption. This action represents yet another step in the Taliban’s systematic limitation of women’s social spaces.

@Maeve @Powderhorn

Many independent outlets don't even require email. You can read them for free (what I don't understand is why so many of them are using Cloudflare if I may say so). We shouldn't forget to donate if we can, but principally it's free.