Thanks for the empathy and suggestion :)

Thanks for your suggestion! This is what I implemented, and with Protonmail it was pretty easy to set up. It would be a nice thing for them to implement on the Mastodon.social side of things

Thank you for that! I love Tobias and Michael in scenes together. I think I might do an AD rewatch, of the first 3 seasons anyway

There’s got to be a better way of saying that. I love Tobias, and Michael, and Arrested Development

This certainly mirrors what I’ve seen on the ground. In the last 10 years, predatory publishers and publication mills went from known issues to the new normal. And yet despite how easy it is to publish, interest in reproducibility seems at an all-time low. It’s jarring, and I’m kind of making a career change out of research as a result, because what I do as a lowly assistant is essentially engineering results and marketing as opposed to anything having to do with discovery or science. I interpret it as capitalism’s going to capitalism.

This has resulted in a 47% growth between 2016 and 2022 in the global number of published papers (Hanson, et.al. 2023). Moreover, we should expect a further spurt of growth following the widespread advent of large language models in late 2022. During the 2016-2022 period there was little net increase in the number of PhD students globally or in the funding of science, both indicators of science activity. Increased paper productivity implies either that scientists became suddenly much more creative over the period, or had spent more time writing, and therefore reviewing papers: an increase in paper productivity but a decrease in scientific productivity.

If you are a ‘pro-lifer’ when it comes to abortion, you should be just as passionate about increasing funding for unprivileged children, housing the unhoused, feeding the hungry, etc. Otherwise, your position is inane nonsense

Defunding biodiversity science at a time like this…

Then thousand @#$%ing pounds is all it takes for the leader of a political party to act against the interests of practically all of this planet’s inhabitants?! I’m glad Louse Dounoughue didn’t have to spend much /s

Well-written article, very troubling read.

It is blatantly evident that the settler-colonial Israeli war machine holds greater control over Columbia than its own administration.

This is an English translation of the more info here https://rightsforum.org/hoger-beroep-over-uitvoer-van-f-35-onderdelen-naar-israel-ons-pleidooi/:

Appeal on export of F-35 parts to Israel: our plea

On January 22, 2024, the appeal was filed in the summary proceedings of Oxfam Novib, PAX and The Rights Forum against the Dutch State regarding the supply of parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel. Read the plea of lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld of the organizations below.

In the appeal, the three organizations demand before the Court of Appeal in The Hague that the State put an end to the export of F-35 parts to Israel. The license that makes the export possible should be revoked as soon as possible, argued lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld in a detailed plea, which can be read in its entirety here.

The Netherlands violates its obligations
According to the organizations, it is indisputable that Israel has been deploying its F-35 aircraft in the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year, including for bombing. It is also indisputable that the devices contribute to the abundantly documented destruction of Gaza, and that Israel is guilty of serious violations of international law. By allowing the supply of parts for F-35s, the Dutch State is directly and actively contributing to this, according to the organizations. In doing so, the Netherlands is violating both its own arms export policy and its duty under important international treaties, such as those to prevent (imminent) genocide.

In mid-December, the judge initially rejected the demand for an export stop. He ruled that the Minister is not formally obliged to reassess the previously granted permit against the risk of serious violations of international law. It was mainly because of this legal reasoning that he was reluctant to make his judgments. Wrongly, argues Liesbeth Zegveld.

In contrast to Zegveld’s substantive plea, State Attorney Reimer Veldhuis limited himself mainly to procedural issues – an attitude that is not surprising given the lack of substantive arguments. Primarily, he argued that the court would not have jurisdiction to review the export license. The judge will rule in a public hearing on February 12 at 10:00 a.m.

Explosive letter from officials
The F-35 case took on an even more explosive character because of a letter sent to the Court by some twenty officials and diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter writers argue that the ministry applies different rules when it comes to advising ministers on Israel and the Palestinian territories, Zegveld argues in her plea.

There are several reasons for this, Zegveld quotes the (anonymous) civil servants, including the personal career ambitions of key players: these must be protected ‘at all costs’ and ‘outweigh other interests, including the responsibility of the Netherlands to promote the international legal order’.

In this context, according to the letter writers, it is ‘extremely remarkable’ that Prime Minister Rutte’s Ministry of General Affairs has taken charge of the course of events on this file. A request from the Ministry of General Affairs to the Legal Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads as follows, Zegveld quotes the letter: ‘What can we say to make it appear that Israel is not committing war crimes?’

The career of Mark Rutte
In a front-page article on Monday, NRC discusses the issue in detail. According to the newspaper, Rutte’s career plays a major role in the background. Next summer, he wants to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of NATO. The vote of the United States is all-important, the newspaper states: ‘America continues to stand with Israel – and Rutte’s outgoing cabinet does the same, according to the critical officials.’ Even if that means sweeping unwelcome information under the carpet.

According to NRC, this also explains the shameful Dutch voting behaviour in the United Nations, where the Netherlands twice abstained on resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The Netherlands was also the only EU country to make an officer available for the American-British attacks on the Houthis in Yemen.

The Ministries of General Affairs and Foreign Affairs deny the course of events described by the newspaper and Liesbeth Zegveld, writes NRC. However, the letter from the civil servants is not an isolated case, but is yet another signal that there is great unrest among civil servants about the political course that the Netherlands is taking with regard to the murderous Israeli violence in Gaza.

Right on, Indo! C’mon EU - nut up and get on the right side of history. This is not a war, this is a genocide

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israeli-hq-ordered-troops-shoot-israeli-captives-7-october

The second part is a detailed, lucid, hour-by-hour description of the Israeli military’s surprise and response to the Hamas invasion, published in an Israeli paper and heavily supported by quotes from Israeli military personnel. Much more information and skepticism about Netanyahu’s response to the Hamas invasion on Oct 7th has been published in Israeli media than mainstream Western media

Honestly, the one thing that really surprises me about this war is how little the Israeli government cares about the hostages.

Sadly, I think the Israeli government might be aware that there are fewer live hostages to come home than people think after the IDF gave the Hannibal directive on October 7th.

The possibility of “friendly fire” has been discussed more widely in Israeli news than US/Western news. For example, here’s an opinion piece in Israeli’s current oldest paper (refresh the page, which doesn’t seem to load properly the first time):

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-12-13/ty-article-opinion/.premium/if-israel-used-a-procedure-against-its-citizens-we-need-to-talk-about-it-now/0000018c-6383-de43-affd-f783212e0000

The accounts of the only two survivors of the hostage-taking incident in Be’eri on October 7 give the impression that the Israel Defense Forces employed the so-called Hannibal Directive with the people being held hostage by Hamas inside one of the houses on the kibbutz. When it is implemented, the Hannibal Directive allows the military to endanger a soldier to prevent them from being kidnapped.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, told reporters Israel Katz had come to the meeting to present plans for an artificial island off the coast of Gaza and a railway to India, concepts that had nothing to do with the peace talks.

Israel is delusional.

“If Israel does not want the solution, it is going to be difficult for them to take part … but it does not stop others taking part.”

More of this!

End the genocide happening in occupied Palestine at the hands of the apartheid state of Israel!

This looks timely: “Israelism” on Tour: New Film Examines American Jews’ Growing Rejection of Israel’s Occupation

End the genocide - Free Palestine!

It’s totally not genocide though /s

Canada too: Palestinian deaths count for less in Canada’s newspapers. Data proves it

This is an intense read, but it’s one of the most important articles (or two) I’ve read about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, genocide, and apartheid