In March, @thexylom.com reported from Balochistan. This story would be practically impossible to do now thanks to new rules which require anyone working for foreign media, including Pakistani nationals, to seek permission to report from anywhere except the cities of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

To Survive the Lethal Cold, Pakistani Families Face A Burning Conundrum

With no alternative sources of warming, residents in Balochistan, Pakistan, are resorting to cutting down rare juniper trees for firewood.

thexylom.com

Paul Danahar@pdanahar.bsky.social · 12h ago

These are some of the most repressive media restrictions placed on international media organisations and their journalists anywhere in the world. They should be removed. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

In some cases, secret mega-donors are outspending grassroots campaigns by 10 to 1. That's not a functioning democracy. We need real campaign finance reform, so politicians answer to working people—not special interests.

More than 30 years after apartheid, land ownership in South Africa remains deeply unequal. New research explains why. theconversation.com/how-white-fa... #Politics

How white farmers still dominate land ownership in South Africa in spite of land reform – new research

Research shows that market-based land reform in South Africa since 1994 has often benefited white farmers and preserved inequality instead of reducing it.

theconversation.com

I think we can say this is the spiritual opposite of Biden’s loan forgiveness program, which targeted public service degrees for debt relief. I don’t think he needs much defending, but the way people blamed him for SCOTUS and the GOP stonewalling debt relief was a real low point in our politics.

The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 2d ago

President Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/aaAEu6v

One questions... #atheist

The 46-foot-long granite artwork is expected to be unveiled this fall, but still needs to raise $600,000. The National Park Service has started a public donation page to close the funding gap.

A ‘Join or Die’ sculpture on Independence Mall is slithering its way into completion

inquirer.com

Happy Market Manipulation Monday - brought to you by the most corrupt family in American history. www.wsj.com/finance/stoc...

Why Wall Street Firms Are Paying $100,000 a Month for a Fast Track to Trump Posts

Traders who already monitor the president’s pronouncements with automated systems can pay for an ultrafast feed. At least five firms have signed up.

wsj.com

Iran being a more credible source of info than the US govt is one of those crazy never thought that would happen things but here we are....

Leah McElrath@leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 2d ago

⚠️ Reuters: Iran says NO talks are underway or planned, contradicting Trump’s claims.

Meanwhile Philly has the FOPS

Gil Penalosa@penalosag.bsky.social · 2d ago

China's future is on BICYCLES. They realized cars were too big, created gigantic congestion, polluted the air, etc. CHANGE! 10+ yrs creating SAFE BICYCLE infra. Everywhere. Connectivity. Chris Bruntlett, Int. Relations Dutch Cycling Embassy has been showing transformation. Below, Beijing. Thanks!

A year ago, an Israeli settler fatally shot Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in the West Bank. Hathaleen played a key role in the production of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land." A new report by the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq examines the circumstances of his death.

The Death of Awdah Hathaleen: Report Details Settler Killing of “No Other Land” Producer in West Bank

One year ago, an Israeli settler shot and killed the Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in the occupied West Bank. Hathaleen, an English teacher and father of three young children, played a key role...

democracynow.org

FORK FOUND IN KITCHEN. Why is tourism down?! Could it be … THE FASCISM?? [gasp] 😱

Jennifer Shin - WTAF@jennifershin.bsky.social · 2d ago

You'd have to be a special kind of stupid to not understand this.

American Xians will have to reckon with how they spent a decade worshipping a golden calf, a false idol, an anti-Christ. They’ll have to face how they sold out Jesus to a godless grifter for nonexistent DOGE checks and border walls. They’ll have to contend with, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d ago

WTF

As a New Yorker, it's not lost on me whatsoever that these corporate-backed campaigns that support the inferior candidate in every primary around the country are being supported by the same class of party bigwigs that tried to resurrect that perv Andrew Cuomo's career

Global production of watermelon is between 100-200 million tons/year. This red sweet treat has very deep roots, but it's unclear when it was domesticated to the form we know. A new clue comes from an unlikely place: a 3500 year old Egyptian mummy, combined with some very lucky DNA sequencing.🍉🧪

Cute Cat Eating Watermelon

Alt: Cute Cat Eating Watermelon. It's a viral meme, so I don't know the attribution, but a grey tabby cat with a nice round face take big chomps out of a red watermelon held in a human hand. Cats can't sense the sugar, but may enjoy the water and texture, but should get only a tiny amount to avoid stomach upset.

static.klipy.com

When the gym is empty and someone picks the treadmill right next to you

Fact-checking alone can't keep pace with the speed and scale of election misinformation. Lessons from Kenya point to the need for broader, more proactive responses. theconversation.com/election-mis... #Politics

Election misinformation spreads faster than facts can be checked: 3 insights from Kenya’s experience

Fact-checking only helps if it reaches people before they have made up their minds.

theconversation.com

In a small study, restricting calories led to greater weight loss among people with a biological age younger than their chronological age

Having a young biological age could help with weight loss | New Scientist

In a small study, restricting calories led to greater weight loss among people with a biological age younger than their chronological age

newscientist.com

JD Vance in the Washington Post in February.

my feelings on this are pretty straightforward: if you have a problem with poor people having greater access to less expensive food then you’re a fucking psycho.

mtsw@mtsw.bsky.social · last wk.

Weird how much discourse around the Mamdani grocery stores ignores the existence of the Green Cart intiative (launched under Bloomberg) that provides subsidized fruit and vegetable stands across the city under the exact same logic as the grocery stores

On Sunday night, something hit my head while I was out in the woods around twilight. All I heard was wings fluttering. It could have been a bird, or it could have been a #bat, and if it was a bat, it could have grazed my skin. (1/3)

the thing Star Trek got most correct is that, if advanced sentient life exists, we will fuck it immediately and some of us will be marrying into the species within a year

Micah@rincewind.run · 7d ago

“can we fuck (in) it” truly the driving force of human nature

Then let's do that if it's not socialism

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. is going to “beat” the “f****** s***” out of Iran, in a chilling new threat of escalations as the war spirals out of control and engulfs more regional conflicts.

Trump Threatens to Bomb the “F****** S***” Out of Iran After US Base Strike

The latest threat of escalation comes as the U.S. announced joint strikes with Saudi Arabia on Iraq.

truthout.org

An "Iran war participation trophy" installation, placed by the protest group The Secret Handshake, in New York City, U.S., 📸REUTERS/Jordan Tovin

United & Delta donated $1M → Trump ended flight cancelation compensation rules. TurboTax parent donated $1M → Trump killed free tax filing. Toyota donated $1M → Trump canceled CFPB refund order for overcharged borrowers. It’s a pattern of corruption that costs you money.

Study: Average Person’s Enjoyment Of Vacation Drops 36% For Each Additional Family Member Present https://theonion.com/study-average-person-s-enjoyment-of-vacation-drops-36-1819579097/

A bill headed to a California Senate committee next month would allow survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking to cite that abuse as a legal defense when facing charges for some violent crimes, CalMatters reports.

California bill would let abuse victims use trauma as legal defense for violent crime

For the fourth year in a row, California lawmakers are weighing whether to give violent criminals the legal right to cite abuse in their legal defense.

calmatters.org

I am shocked! Ok, not that shocked diaspora.glasswings.com/posts/…

Jared Leto Accused of Criminal Sexual Conduct by Four Women in BBC Documentary

A total of ten women spoke to the BBC about alleged sexual misconduct by the actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman, including incidents dating back to when they were teenagers.

consequence.net

Tells you everything you need to know about the man diaspora.glasswings.com/posts/…

Elon Musk Company Sues Minnesota Over Law Banning Use Of AI To Create Nude Deepfakes

“Using AI to generate nude images of people against their will is appalling,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said.

huffpost.com