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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Big Joe Williams

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Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features delta blues singer Big Joe Williams. Enjoy!

^{Big Joe Williams - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out}

"The privilege of opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated."

-- Justice Robert H. Jackson

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News and Opinion

It Is Freakish And Insane How Our Society Averts Its Gaze From Gaza

It can make you feel like you’re going mad. How phony and superficial it all is. How we’re a year and a half into history’s first live-streamed genocide and our whole society is acting like everything’s peachy.

We’re murdering kids. We’re starving them. We’re dropping high tech military explosives on them. Blowing their limbs off. Ripping their guts out. Shooting them in the head. This isn’t just being done by “Israel”. It’s being done by the entire western empire which backs these atrocities.

And yet if you turn on a TV you’ll see famous people laughing and joking about nonsense, expressing political opinions of no more depth and significance than whether or not there should have been a female Ghostbusters movie. Go read the news and it’s dominated by empty fluff about celebrities and politicians and the latest brain fart to come out of Donald Trump’s mouth. Go to a party and everyone’s nattering about vapid gibberish, yelling “No politics!” if you try to say anything about the holocaust-shaped elephant in the room.

Newer readers might not know this, but I used to have a lot more fun on my platform. Lots of humor. Psychedelic poetry. Spirituality and philosophy. But ever since the Gaza holocaust began, that kind of writing has often felt like it would be irreverent and frivolous. Almost sacrilegious. I would feel like I’m joining in with the madness of mainstream culture by turning my back on all those emaciated bodies and mutilated children.

So for the last year and a half I’ve mostly just been doing what I feel everyone on earth ought to be doing: pointing to the genocide and saying it needs to stop.

I used to be a lot more poetical and creative in my ways of pointing to the criminality of the empire, because its depravity was often difficult for people to really grasp, so I was always seeking out new ways to help people see its monstrosity with fresh eyes. Now that they’re just butchering children right in front of us, that’s not really what’s called for anymore. What’s called for is to keep drawing everyone’s attention to the terrible thing that’s staring us all right in the face.

This task shouldn’t be falling to university activists and obscure antiwar bloggers. Every news outlet in the world should be making this their entire focus.

If we had a sane and ethical news media, this is what they would be doing. All the leading stories every single day would be about the latest evil thing Israel and its western backers have done in Gaza, clearly stating in every headline our own government’s role in making this possible. Every press conference would be completely dominated with questions asking every western official why we are participating in an active genocide and demanding answers about when it is going to stop.

Instead we get “Palestinians perish in explosion” passive-language headlines, usually coupled with “…says Hamas-run health ministry” in order to let readers disbelieve the entire story. And that’s on those rare occasions that Israel’s atrocities get reported on at all; normally Gaza is seen as a third or fourth-tier issue of far less importance than some infinitely less egregious grievance in our own country. Palestinian lives are given vastly less weight than western lives, with our own feelings and comforts emphasized far more heavily than the issue of the Palestinian people living or dying.

And it can just make you feel like you’re going crazy. It’s like if we were all going around physically drenched in human blood, with blood flooding our living rooms and severed limbs strewn about our bedrooms and kitchens — but nobody was talking about it. You try to say “What’s up with all this blood and gore?” and they shush you and tell you it’s impolite to talk about politics. A dark red deluge pours out of your minivan door when you open it to pick up your kid from soccer practice, and everyone looks away.

This is happening. We know it’s happening. It’s happening right in front of us and we’re acting like it’s not. It’s so maddening and frustrating, and it can make you feel so powerless.

But we keep pointing at Gaza, because what the hell else are we going to do? The alternative is to join the lunatics acting like it isn’t happening.

At the very least, it’s a way of preserving our sanity. Preserving our humanity. Even if they do succeed in purging Gaza of all Palestinian life, at the very least we will have prevented the bastards from warping and twisting us into psychopathic freaks like them. Even if we can’t stop them from destroying Gaza, we can at least stop them from destroying our hearts.

​Rep. Rashida Tlaib on Gaza: Why Does U.S. Have Money for “War and Genocide” But Not for Healthcare?

“The concluding moves”: Israel launches Trump’s “final solution” in Gaza

In February, US President Donald Trump declared that “The US will take over the Gaza Strip” and “level out” the remaining buildings and transfer the Palestinian population to “other countries.” At the time, both US and international media dismissed Trump’s plan as an “outlandish” scheme with no prospect of realization. The Israeli government approached Trump’s plan with deadly seriousness. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s “bold vision” for an ethnically cleansed Gaza. “We’re working on it,” Trump said during a meeting in Washington last month.

On Monday, the Netanyahu government effectively announced the beginning of the final stage of ethnic cleansing in Gaza. The plan includes a full military occupation of the entire Gaza Strip and the mass internment of the population in concentration camps under armed guard, as a prelude to forced marches through the desert or deportation by sea. These concentration camps will be staffed by private US security contractors, with the Israel Defense Forces overseeing the distribution of starvation rations. According to a report this week by Reuters, the United States and Israel are actively discussing the formation of a “transitional government” headed by a US official to administer Gaza.

Echoing the “final solution,” the Nazi term for the genocide of Europe’s Jews, Netanyahu declared, “It’s time to launch the concluding moves.” The next day, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich explained the meaning of the Israeli government’s plan:

Within a year, ... Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to ... the south to a humanitarian zone ... and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries.

The mechanism for the forcible displacement of the Palestinian people will be mass starvation. As National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made clear, “No electricity, and no other aid should be allowed—neither by the [Israeli military] nor by civil society.” On March 2, Israel imposed a total blockade on all food, water and electricity entering the Gaza Strip. As a result, the majority of Gaza’s community kitchens have been forced to shut down due to a lack of supplies, and cases of acute malnutrition have surged by more than 80 percent. Harrowing images have circulated of emaciated, starving children—victims of a famine that is entirely man-made.

As Lama Bastami, director of the Legal Department at the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, explained:

The crime of starvation in Gaza is fully-fledged and committed in broad daylight; it requires no investigation committees or judicial rulings to prove it. It is enough to note that Israel has closed all crossings into the devastated Strip for over two months, completely banning the entry of food, medicine, and goods – a well-established reality openly acknowledged by Israeli officials without fear of accountability. Gaza is filled with irrefutable evidence of the crime’s horror: the emaciated bodies of people and children, tens of thousands lining up daily at charity kitchens, and the escalating death toll from hunger, malnutrition, and associated diseases.

The deliberate starvation of a population of two million people is being carried out with the full support not only of the Trump administration, but also of the Democratic Party. In April, Senate Democrats voted overwhelmingly against placing any restrictions on US arms shipments to Israel.

The West Serves as Israel's Police (w/ Richard Medhurst) | The Chris Hedges Report

[Transcript at the link. -js]

Trump BYPASSES ISRAEL With Direct Hamas Talks

Hamas says it will release last living American hostage in Gaza

Hamas announced on Sunday that it will release the last living American hostage in Gaza, Edan Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier who was kidnapped on 7 October 2023. Donald Trump confirmed the news in a social media post, writing that Alexander, 21, “is coming home to his family. This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” the US president added.

The captive’s release is set to take place on Tuesday, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the matter. Trump begins a trip to the Middle East the same day, although there is no stop in Israel on his schedule as of yet. The president is set to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz he will travel to Israel on Monday. “Right now, the intention is to return Edan Alexander home to his family,” Witkoff said. Adam Boehler, the US special envoy for hostage affairs, is traveling to Israel with Alexander’s parents, a US official told Axios.

The office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement: “The US has informed Israel of Hamas’s intention to release soldier Edan Alexander as a gesture to the Americans, without conditions or anything in exchange. The US has conveyed to Israel that this is expected to lead to negotiations for the release of hostages according to the original Witkoff framework, which Israel has already accepted. Israel is preparing for the possibility that this effort will be implemented.”

The statement made clear that Israel had not agreed to a ceasefire, and intends to continue its military assault on Gaza. “In accordance with Israel’s policy, the negotiations will be held under fire, based on the commitment to achieve all of the objectives of the war,” Netanyahu’s office said.

"Palace in the Sky" Qatar's SHOCKING Trump Bribe

Heh, Miriam Adelson, the arabs see your puny $100 million bribe and raise you a $400 million flying palace bribe ...

Trump reportedly prepared to accept ‘palace in the sky’ as gift from Qatar

Donald Trump is reportedly ready to accept a luxury plane described to be a “palace in the sky” being offered to the US president as a gift from Qatar’s royal family, almost immediately igniting accusations of bribery and corruption as well as commensurate criticism.

A statement from Qatar on Sunday acknowledged it had held discussions with the US about “the possible transfer” of a plane to be used temporarily by Trump as his presidential aircraft, usurping Air Force One. But the emirate’s statement denied a final decision over the transfer had been made – or that it was a gift.

On Sunday, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, ABC reported that the Trump administration was girding itself to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8, a jumbo jet from the Qatari royals that was estimated to be about $400m. Trump would then use the 13-year-old plane as the new Air Force One until shortly before the conclusion of his second Oval Office stint, at which point it would be transferred to his presidential library foundation no later than 1 January 2029.

The luxury gift from Qatar was expected to be announced next week during Trump’s three-day tour of the Middle East that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, ABC reported. Yet a Qatari spokesperson said it was “inaccurate” to say that the jet would be gifted “during the upcoming visit of president Trump”. Trump toured the opulent plane in February while it was parked at the Palm Beach international airport, ABC added.

Assuming Trump accepts the plane as planned, the jumbo jet would first be transferred to the US air force so the military branch could configure the aircraft to meet the specifications required for presidential travel, ABC’s sources told the network. The network added that any costs affiliated with its transfer would be paid for by the US air force, which receives a significant portion of the revenue generated by federal taxpayers.

Alastair Crooke : My Week in Tehran

Iran and US talks upbeat despite disagreement over uranium enrichment

Iran and the US have ended a fourth round of talks on a surprisingly upbeat note, despite the two sides appearing far apart on the central issue of a uranium enrichment programme on Iranian soil. The talks in Muscat, Oman lasted four hours and were described as positive by the US side. The Iranian foreign ministry said the “talks had been difficult but detailed to better understand each side’s positions”.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said: “We have moved away from general areas to a great extent and have gone into details. In such circumstances, negotiations have become more difficult.”

Speaking before the talks started, Araghchi said Iran will not in any circumstances back down from its “right” to enrich uranium for energy. He added weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran’s security doctrine. ...

Ahead of the talks there had been fears of a breakdown as the US administration slowly gravitated towards adopting a harder public line. US special envoy Steve Witkoff implied the US would never allow Iran to benefit from the peaceful technology of uranium enrichment, saying all its technology must be dismantled and destroyed. ...

The difficulty in the US position is that many other countries are allowed to enrich uranium domestically, while Israel has an undeclared nuclear programme. But the US argues Iran’s record of non-disclosure of its nuclear programme and high levels of enrichment make the Tehran regime a special case.

Rümeysa Öztürk, Tufts student held by Ice, vows to continue legal action after jail release

A Tufts University student from Turkey has returned to Boston, one day after being released from a Louisiana immigration detention center where she was held for more than six weeks after being arrested for her political speech.

Rümeysa Öztürk told reporters at Logan Airport on Saturday that she was excited to get back to her studies during what has been a “very difficult” period. “In the last 45 days, I lost both my freedom and also my education during a crucial time for my doctoral studies,” she said. “But I am so grateful for all the support, kindness and care.”

A federal judge ordered Öztürk’s release Friday pending a final decision on her claim that she was illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year criticizing her university’s response to Israel and the war in Gaza. She filed a lawsuit challenging her detention now assigned to US district judge William Sessions in Burlington, Vermont. He granted her bail after finding she had raised substantial claims that her rights were violated.

Öztürk said she will continue her case in the courts, adding, “I have faith in the American system of justice.” ...

Sessions said the government offered no evidence for why Öztürk was arrested other than the op-ed.

Putin diplomacy checkmate. Zelensky Turkey stunt

Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet in person for peace talks

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Vladimir Putin to meet in person for peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, in a dramatic gambit after a weekend of diplomatic flurry. His comments came after Putin rejected a demand from Ukraine and European allies to sign up to a 30-day ceasefire, but said Russia was ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine. Putin said delegations from the two countries should meet on Thursday in Turkey.

Although European leaders insisted there should be no negotiations until Putin agrees to a ceasefire, Donald Trump put pressure on Zelenskyy to agree “immediately” to negotiations this week in a post on Truth Social. Shortly afterwards Zelenskyy went public with his surprise offer. “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy,” the Ukrainian president said in a statement. “There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.”

The two leaders have not communicated directly since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and there have been no publicly known talks between Moscow and Kyiv since March 2022, shortly after the war began.

Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform that Ukraine should “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”. He said: “President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”

Putin’s response to the ultimatum came in the unusual form of a statement read out to journalists in a ceremonial Kremlin room at close to 2am local time. He accused Ukraine of breaking previous ceasefires, but said that “despite this” he was suggesting the two parties meet for talks, which he said could take place in Istanbul this Thursday. He did not say who would attend, though observers widely expected him to send his top diplomatic aides. “We are ready for serious talks with Ukraine, and we want to solve the root causes of the conflict,” he said.

India and Pakistan both claim victory after ceasefire declared

India and Pakistan have both claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, which brought the two nuclear-nations back from the brink of war. After days of escalating clashes that culminated in both sides launching missile and drone strikes on each other’s major military bases – the closest they had come to full-scale war in decades – the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was declared by Donald Trump on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Trump further congratulated the two countries on “having the strength, wisdom and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much”.

Within hours of the truce announcement, there were fears it had fallen apart after firing restarted along the disputed border in Kashmir and missiles and drones were once again launched into Indian-administered Kashmir. However, by Sunday morning things were quiet on both sides of the frontier, leading many to hope the fragile peace would hold. Each side accused the other of triggering the violations and Pakistan said it remained “committed to faithful implementation of ceasefire”.

The Indian army said in a press briefing it had conveyed a message, through its “hotline” with Pakistan, that if there were any more cross-border provocations “our firm and clear intent to respond to these fiercely”.

Both India and Pakistan claimed the ceasefire as a victory, fuelling a surge of nationalistic fervour on both sides of the border.

Is the Trade War Over? | Port and Tariff Update as of May 12, 2025

White House claims China trade deal reached while Beijing hails ‘important first steps’

The White House has announced that a trade deal with China has been struck after two days of talks in Geneva, while Beijing has hailed “important first steps.” The announcement on Sunday came after the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told reporters that there had been “substantial progress” in talks between his team and that of the Chinese vice-premier, He Lifeng, in Geneva on defusing the trade war between the world’s two largest economies sparked by Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs.

At a news conference later on Sunday, He, the top Chinese trade official, called the talks “candid” and said substantive progress had been made to reach an “important consensus”, according to China’s state-run media. The two sides will issue a joint statement agreed during the talks on Monday, the vice-premier said.

In televised remarks that were posted on social media by the White House, Bessent said he would give more details on Monday, “but I can tell you that the talks were productive”. The US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, who spoke alongside Bessent, suggested more strongly that a deal had been reached. “It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought,” Greer said.

“Just remember why we’re here in the first place,” he added. “The United States has a massive $1.2tn trade deficit, so the president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to resolve, work toward resolving that national emergency.” ...

The meeting was the first face-to-face interaction between Bessent, Greer and He since the world’s two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other’s goods. Financial markets have been on edge for signs of a thaw in the trade war that has already begun to disrupt supply chains, prompt layoffs and raise wholesale prices. Although Bessent has said the bilateral tariffs were too high and needed to come down in a de-escalation move, he did not offer any details of reductions agreed and took no questions from reporters.

Stephen Miller: White House ‘Looking At’ SUSPENDING Habeas Corpus

Trump administration offers refugee status to 49 white South Africans

A group of 49 white South Africans departed their homeland on Sunday for the United States on a private charter plane having been offered refugee status by the Trump administration under a new program announced in February.

The group, which included families and small children, was due to arrive at Dulles international airport outside Washington DC on Monday morning local time, according to Collen Mbisi, a spokesperson for South Africa’s transport ministry.

They are the first Afrikaners – a white minority group in South Africa – to be relocated after Donald Trump issued an executive order in February accusing South Africa’s Black-led government of racial discrimination against them and announcing a program to offer them relocation to the US. The South African government said it is “completely false” that Afrikaners are being persecuted.

The Trump administration has fast-tracked their applications while pausing other refugee programs, halting arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, most of sub-Saharan Africa and other countries in a move being challenged in court.

Refugee groups have questioned why the white South Africans are being prioritized ahead of people from countries wracked by war and natural disasters. Vetting for refugee status in the US often takes years.

Federal Judge Halts Trump and Musk's Illegal Overhaul of US Government

A federal judge in California on Friday temporarily blocked what at coalition of labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits argued was "the unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government by the president of the United States on a scale unprecedented in this country’s history and in clear excess of his authority."

Since returning to office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump—aided by his so-callled Department of Government Efficiency and its de facto leader, billionaire Elon Musk—has worked to quickly overhaul the bureaucracy, even though "the president does not possess authority to reorganize, downsize, or otherwise transform the agencies of the federal government, unless and until Congress authorizes such action," as the coalition's complaint notes.

District Judge Susan Illston agreed with the groups and governments, which include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Alliance for Retired Americans, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, the city and county of San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and more.

"The president has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch," wrote Illston in a 42-page decision. "Many presidents have sought this cooperation before; many iterations of Congress have provided it. Nothing prevents the president from requesting this cooperation—as he did in his prior term of office."

"Indeed, the court holds the president likely must request congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime," said the judge, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by former President Bill Clinton.

Illston added that "a temporary restraining order is, by definition, temporary. The court will not consider defendants' request for a stay of execution of the temporary restraining order, as doing so would render the exercise pointless. The court must promptly proceed to consideration of a preliminary injunction." ...

Signaling a desire to keep moving through the process swiftly, Illston gave the plaintiff coalition until next Wednesday to file a motion for a preliminary injunction, and the federal defendants—Trump along with various federal agencies and their leaders—until the following Monday to respond, with a limit of 25 pages for both.

Even if the coalition's lawsuit ultimately succeeds, Republicans have a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress, meaning Trump could potentially work with lawmakers to pursue a similar gutting of the federal government before the midterm elections.

“Un-American”: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman on DHS Threats to Arrest Her for Visiting ICE Jail

Trump officials ‘created confrontation’ that led to arrest of Newark mayor

Trump administration homeland security officials were responsible for starting the confrontation on Friday at a New Jersey immigration jail that led to the arrest of Newark’s mayor as well as threats to detain three members of Congress, the representatives said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

The Democratic representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver and Rob Menendez – all of New Jersey – visited the controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center known as Delaney Hall on Friday to inspect the facility. As they waited to enter Delaney Hall, Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, arrived – and as he left the property, he was arrested outside by Ice officials accusing him of trespassing, leading to a commotion at the entrance of the jail.

There evidently was shoving and pushing between federal immigration officials and the members of Congress, which Watson Coleman, McIver and Menendez blamed on the immigration officials.On CNN’s State of the Union, the Congress members said immigration officials had ample opportunity to deescalate the situation before someone called in and instructed masked agents to arrest Baraka.

“They created that confrontation, they created that chaos,” McIver said. Since the ordeal on Friday at Delaney Hall, homeland security officials have accused the Congress members of staging a “bizarre political stunt” there while also accusing McIver of “bodyslamming” authorities at the scene.

McIver rejected those allegations. “I honestly do not know how to bodyslam anyone,” McIver said. “There’s no video that supports me bodyslamming anyone. We were simply there to do our job – there for an oversight visit.” For their part, officials have threatened to arrest the three members of Congress in connection with Friday’s commotion at Delaney Hall. Watson Coleman told CNN on Sunday that those threats stemmed from the Trump administration’s “determination to intimidate people in this country”.

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Plastics in everyday objects may disrupt sleep in same way as caffeine

Chemicals in everyday plastics may disrupt the body’s natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm in a way similar to coffee, which increases the risk of sleep disorders, diabetes, immune problems and cancer, new in vitro research shows.

The study looked at chemicals extracted from a PVC medical feeding tube and a polyurethane hydration pouch, like those used by long-distance runners. PVC and polyurethanes are also used in everything from kids toys to food packaging to furniture.

The findings showed for the first time how plastic chemicals probably wreak havoc on cell signals that regulate the body’s internal clock, throwing it off by up to 17 minutes.

The internal clock is “incredibly important for physiology and overall health”, though more research is needed to know the precise consequences of exposure, said Martin Wagner, a study co-author and plastic chemical researcher with the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology.

“This study adds to the increasing body of evidence that plastics contain compounds that cause a wide range of toxic effects,” the authors wrote in the peer-reviewed study published in Environmental International. “A fundamental shift in the design and production of plastics is essential to ensure their safety.”

Toxic tofu? How plastic waste from the west fuels food factories in Indonesia

Plastic waste from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, the US and Britain is being used to fuel tofu production in Indonesia, the Guardian has learned. Five factory owners in an industrial village in East Java, and one environmental organisation told the Guardian that imported plastic is burned daily to fuel furnaces in factories that produce tofu, prompting concern about serious health impacts.

Each day about 60 tofu factories in Tropodo fire up their boilers and fryers and then feed them with a combination of plastic waste, wood and coconut husks, producing about 60 tonnes of tofu that is distributed in the region, including to Indonesia’s second-largest city Surabaya. The tofu is not sold outside Indonesia.

“We use plastic because it is cheaper,” said one factory owner, asking to remain anonymous. The open burning of waste is banned in Indonesia but it remains a common way to dispose of waste across the archipelago. In one Tropodo factory, alongside domestic plastic waste and even discarded rubber from a nearby shoe factory sit huge piles of imported foreign plastic, among them a dog food packet from New Zealand, and cheese wrappers from France.

A different factory owner, Wahyuni, said they burn through a truckload of imported plastic every two days, which costs about $13, compared with $130 for the same amount of wood. Truckloads varied in weight but could be up to three tonnes. ...

Indonesians consume an average 8kg of tofu per person annually, according to the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics (BPS), but production of the protein-rich staple is causing concern among environmental groups such as Ecoton, which monitors illegal dumpsites near paper mills and tofu factories. “Non-recyclable plastic scraps are sold [as fuel] to industries such as tofu production. It is only the paper mill scrap that can provide them with a continuous and sufficient amount of cheap fuel,” said Ecoton’s Dr Daru Setyorini. “It’s very easy to find trash from rich countries [at the factories], especially the United States and Australia,” she added.

'1.5ºC Is Dead': Climate Movement Holds Funeral for Paris Agreement Target

Extinction Rebellion and other climate organizations on Saturday held a funeral for the Paris agreement's 1.5ºC temperature target in Cambridge, England.

"The mock funeral idea grew out of the need to process the enormity and sadness of this moment," Alex Martin of Extinction Rebellion (XR) Cambridge said in a statement. "While many people are distracted by 1,001 things on their phones, we felt we needed a physical space where we could grieve together for what we are losing, and reflect on how to respond to the challenge now in front of us."

Almost a decade ago, parties to the Paris treaty agreed to work toward limiting temperature rise this century to 1.5ºC—but 2024 was the hottest year in human history, and countries around the world show no signs of reining in planet-wrecking fossil fuels anywhere near the degree that scientists warn is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.

"Crossing 1.5ºC for a whole calendar year is a wake-up call for the world," said Olympic gold medalist and XR U.K. spokesperson Etienne Stott, highlighting another alarming record from last year. "If we want to avoid crossing further tipping points we need a complete transformation of society."

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Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

India-Pakistan Ceasefire, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

Warnings Grow Over US and Israel-Backed Plan for Gaza Aid

Exterminating Israel’s Helots

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 68 Palestinians Over Three Days

There is suffering everywhere you look, says mother of emaciated baby girl trapped in Gaza

U.S. Troops Are Being Attacked Every Other Day in the Middle East

Trump Claims Victory In Achieving Peace Between India And Pakistan

Western Leaders Continue To Live In A Delusional LaLa Land With Respect To The Ukraine War

New Text Makes Clear 'House Republicans Are Proposing More Tax Cuts for the Wealthy'

Chimps’ rhythmic drumming could shed light on music’s evolutionary roots

IMPOSSIBLE?: Trump Claims to Slash Drug Prices Instantly By 80%

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A Little Night Music

Big Joe Williams - Low Down Dirty Shame

Big Joe Williams - Crawlin' King Snake

Big Joe Williams - Rollin' And Tumblin'

Big Joe Williams - Baby Please Don't Go

Big Joe Williams - I Want My Crown

Big Joe Williams - Pea Vine Special

Big Joe Williams - Sloppy Drunk Blues

Big Joe Williams - Pony Blues

Big Joe Williams - Highway 49

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