Richard Stallman's Political Notes' Journal
 
[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View]

Thursday, March 13th, 2025

    Time Event
    2:37a
    Chemical plant pollution

    Astronomers are concerned that a proposed chemical plant in the Atacama desert will pollute the region's air and spoil it for many telescopes.

    2:37a
    Israel's lethal force

    6 weeks ago, the UN was *‘deeply concerned’ Israel using ‘unlawful lethal force’in West Bank.*

    I hope to encounter and post a more detailed article soon.

    2:37a
    Syria human rights

    *Syrian government reaches deal with Kurdish-led SDF (Rojava) to unite and respect human rights of Kurds.*

    I admire what I have read about democracy in Rojava. The article doesn't make it clear whether that will be preserved under this deal.

    2:37a
    Coca leaf prohibition

    Colombia urges the UN to end international prohibition of coca leaf.

    2:37a
    Syria chaotic violence

    Chaotic violence has broken out in coastal northwest Syria between Assad loyalists and Turkey-sponsored groups who hate them.

    2:37a
    Microplastics and photosynthesis

    A research project estimates that microplastics cut crop production by 4% or more by hampering photosynthesis when they get into plants.

    They also retard the growth of algae, which slows the growth of sea animals.

    2:37a
    Independent app stores

    Suggesting that Canada and Europe retaliate for US tariffs, not by putting up their own tariffs, but by allowing independent app stores.

    8:37a
    Urgent: Write to the USPS board

    US citizens: call on the USPS board of governors to resist the tyrant's plan to seize direct power over it.

    Here's how to make the actionnetwork.org letter campaign linked above work without running the site's nonfree JavaScript code. (See gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html.)

    First, make sure you have deactivated JavaScript in your browser or are using the LibreJS plug-in.

    I have done the next step for you: I added `?nowrapper=true' to the end of the campaign URL before posting it above. That should bring you to a page that starts with, "Letter campaigns will not work without javascript!"

    They indeed won't work without some manual help, but the following simple method seems adequate for many of them, including this one.

    To start, fill in the personal information answers in the box on the right side of the page. That's how you say who's sending the letter.

    Then click the "START WRITING" button. That will take you to a page that can't function without nonfree JavaScript code. (To ensure it doesn't function perversely by running that nonfree code, you can enable LibreJS or disable JavaScript by visiting that page.) You can finish sending without that code By editing its URL in the browser's address bar, as follows:

    First, go to the end and insert `&nowrapper=true'. Then tell the browser to visit that URL. This should give you a version of the page that works without JavaScript. Edit the subject and body of your letter. Finally, click on the "SEND LETTER" button, and you're done.

    This method seems to work for letter campaigns that send the letters to a fixed list of recipients, the same recipients for every sender. Editing and revisiting the URL is the only additional step needed to bypass the nonfree JavaScript code. I'm sure you'll agree it is a small effort for the result of supporting the campaign without opening your computer to unjust (and potentially malicious) software.

    8:37a
    Urgent: Stand with Ukraine

    US citizens: tell Congress that America stands with Ukraine.

    8:37a
    Urgent: Save Social Security

    US citizens: call on Congress to keep the muskrat's hands off Social Security.

    2:37p
    Executive order: judge firings' legality

    One of the underminer's executive orders says that he can fire anyone in the federal government who disputes his version of what the law requires.

    "The essence of it is that Donald Trump is trying, quite consciously, to make himself an elected dictator," said law professor Frank Bowman.

    2:37p
    Disconnected identities, UK and US

    *We've witnessed the rise of a kind of identity politics that sidelines class. And the far right is benefiting from it.*

    An insightful article explains how identity politics on antisocial media tends to divide people into groups that argue about which of the many kinds of cruelty, and of the many groups that sometimes are caused to suffer, deserves the "worst oppression" award.

    I don't like this competition. I prefer Martin Luther King's message, that we should try to help others who suffer and to end social injustices, regardless of "identity" groups.

    2:37p
    Resist worldwide dystopia led by US

    *The world’s most admired democracy is being held hostage by a clique of far-right thugs. It would be a mistake to placate them.*

    I am not sure that the US was really the most admired democracy a year ago. Certainly it had big flaws, introduced by earlier stages of plutocratist subversion. But it was, arguably, the oldest stable democracy.

    2:37p
    A replacement for plastic

    A new kind of plastic degrades in sea water into compounds that will be eaten by bacteria, with no harmful residue.

    << Previous Day 2025/03/13
    [Calendar]
    Next Day >>

Richard Stallman's Political Notes   About LJ.Rossia.org