I’m not sure how salient the Dark Crystal franchise is to the public consciousness, though Netflix did a series five years ago.

Skeksis are like capitalists in that, while they may fight amongst themselves & backstab each other, their primary & common cause is Gelfling subjugation, through deceit if possible or naked violence if necessary.

!rat-salute

Hope hell is real

This is what passes as the 'left-wing' in America? Yeah right, this freak is a fascist. The Democrats are just a wing of the Conservatives at this point. Politics in America is a joke. Unionize. Organize. Revolt.

the founders of this organization recently appeared as guests on episode 105 of The Deprogram

Briliant Idea !

Short notice I know, but we need to spread the word of Palestinian liberation more than ever before.

Link to PDF: https://t.me/PalestineResist/14610

Vad mer håller de från dig?

One of my bunch-of-related-thoughts posts....

• Most countries are not in a revolutionary state now. There is insufficient class-consciousness, insufficient socialist ideology.

• Countries move from a non-revolutionary state to a revolutionary state partly because the contradictions become intensified (the crisis of capitalism, e.g. in 2008-2011 things were more revolutionary), but also partly by propaganda.

• Heightening the contradictions deliberately is.... I know some comrades are for that (accelerationists) but it seems evil to me.

• That leaves propaganda as the correct praxis for countries not ripe for revolution (most developed countries now)

• Propaganda ain't what it used to be because media technologies have changed. Handing out fliers on the street loses you credibility.

• Fifth-generation warfare (5GW) is warfare that is conducted primarily through non-kinetic military action, such as social engineering, misinformation, cyberattacks, along with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and fully autonomous systems. Fifth generation warfare has been described by Daniel Abbot as a war of "information and perception". – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth-generation_warfare (yeah that was just a fragmentary thought, I warned you at the top)

• Propaganda has to a lot to do with repetition. It's not just about crafting the perfect meme, it's about people seeing that meme millions and millions of times

• So it might sound like I'm driving towards "Socialists should have a lot of bots and automated social media campaigns!" but I'm not. I think capitalists have an unfair advantage there because A) they own twitter/facebook/youtube so they control the algorithms and the bans and the shadowbans B) they can probably outspend on developers and on compute

• Not sure then what the answer is.... maybe if social media companies were shut down by regulators/EU, and it creates a vacuum for digital communications on a more level footing?

• I'm pretty sure of this much: leftists should be A) creating lots and lots of propaganda, different types (to suit different tastes) and B) distributing it a lot (which almost certainly means digitally)

• Some might say a lot of different media are required, e.g. computer games, films, as well as the usual text and posters.

Taken from Dethklok | The Gears

Inspired by this post: https://hexbear.net/comment/3552493

Some of us were interested in getting our positions organized in a similar manner. Maybe we can produce some similar slide of our own with enough discussion. I know the original intent of this comm was meant to be sort of a meme repository, but I figure a more serious discussion is within the spirit of the place.

It's a good opportunity to learn from each other as well.

I think my idea is that we can have some discussions and do a little bit of "debate club" here in this post. If we get on the same page, we can create some graphics or other resources to simplify the arguments and find our way to the "knife edge" of the discussion, cutting through the crap more easily.

:who-did-this:

What do people hear when they cautiously pop that CD in? What's written on it?

I'm thinking something either seemingly benign like a season of Blowback, or an increasingly provocative mixtape interspersed with Parenti clips

Date: May 19, 2023

(Reuters) - The United States' proposed construction of an oil pipeline through the pristine wilderness of Alaska has triggered concerns among Chinese officials, who warn that the project could unleash prehistoric bacteria trapped in the permafrost, potentially spreading them through the air. However, the American response to these worries has been perceived by many as arrogant and dismissive.

While the US seeks to boost domestic energy production and reduce reliance on foreign oil, the ambitious pipeline endeavor has faced mounting opposition from environmentalists. Now, Chinese authorities have joined the chorus of voices expressing apprehension over the potential repercussions to public health and the environment.

Alaska, famous for its untouched natural beauty, also harbors unique ecological systems and a treasure trove of frozen microorganisms dating back thousands of years. As global temperatures rise, the melting permafrost in the region is gradually releasing these ancient bacteria, which were previously dormant within the frozen tundra.

Chinese officials, closely monitoring environmental developments worldwide, have raised concerns that the construction activities associated with the oil pipeline may disrupt the permafrost and aerosolize these ancient microbes. If these bacteria are released into the atmosphere, they fear it could pose risks to both human health and ecosystems, potentially leading to unforeseen health issues and ecological imbalances.

Dr. Li Wei, a microbiologist from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stressed the need for precautionary measures to ensure the safety of workers and the surrounding environment during pipeline construction. He urged the establishment of monitoring systems to promptly detect any potential airborne dispersal of these microorganisms and assess their impact.

However, the response from American authorities has been met with criticism and raised eyebrows. Chinese officials contend that the United States has shown a dismissive and arrogant attitude toward their concerns, fueling a perception that the US is unconcerned about potential consequences and unwilling to address international worries.

Chinese authorities have called for enhanced international collaboration and scientific research to comprehensively understand the behavior and potential threats associated with these ancient bacteria. They have also urged the United States to implement robust safety measures during pipeline construction to minimize the risks.

In response to the concerns raised by Chinese officials, the US government has reiterated its commitment to safety and environmental protection throughout the project. Regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will purportedly closely monitor the construction process and enforce protocols to mitigate potential risks.

The US Department of Energy issued a statement acknowledging the concerns raised by Chinese authorities but failed to assuage criticism about perceived arrogance. While affirming their commitment to responsible development, they emphasized rigorous environmental impact assessments and the integration of the latest scientific knowledge. However, their response fell short of acknowledging the need for increased collaboration and cooperation.

As discussions between the United States and China continue regarding the construction of the oil pipeline in Alaska, international attention remains fixated on the potential risks associated with the release and airborne spread of ancient bacteria. The perceived American disregard for Chinese criticism has raised questions about the country's commitment to international cooperation and its dedication to addressing global environmental concerns.

The outcome of these ongoing deliberations holds significant implications not just for the United States and China but also for the international community at large. It underscores the pressing need for proactive measures to mitigate the potential risks posed by climate change and human activities in vulnerable ecosystems, as well as the importance of fostering open dialogue and cooperation between nations.

(Reporting by [ChatGPT]; Editing by [Vivazapata])

I was looking for that Twitter artist who paints banks on fire and found this accidentally

It's undesirable in the Twitter Age + makes you look bad. Proof: Elon Musk. It is acceptable when you're like Lenin or something lol. Until then fucking cringe

One of my favorite tiktok channels. This is praxis.

Just opened. Sent away to the good folks of Radical Graffiti in Australia for a package of assorted stickers. This is a sampling of the cool shit they do.

Comrades, there’s nothing like seeing graffiti out in public to let our brethren know that we’re (they’re) not alone. Spray the walls, until the bastards fall.

Fuck the fascists.

6.8 million people dead. That is more than the entire population of most large mammal species several times over (for example, there are estimated 100k-300k chimpanzees left in the wild).

6.8 million would be enough humans to create several countries. All dead because preventing covid was deemed too expensive (but spending trillions on war isn't).

This shit is Nazi eugenics. Rich white people will be impacted the least by this.

Capitalism is a death cult.

Communism is self-defense.

:kelly:

Finished my investigation :very-smart:

numbers for smartypants

CSX Year,Millions of shares,Dividends per share,Total dividends,Buybacks,Total dividends & buybacks,Number of employees ,Per employee,Rate of exploitation 2021,2255,0.746666,1683731830,2886000000,4569731830,20900,218647.456,2.429416178 2020,2305,1.04,2397200000,867000000,3264200000,19300,169129.5337,1.879217041 2019,2395,0.96,2299200000,3373000000,5672200000,21000,270104.7619,3.001164021 2018,2583,0.88,2273040000,4671000000,6944040000,22500,308624,3.429155556 2017,2742,0.78,2138760000,1970000000,4108760000,24000,171198.3333,1.902203704 2016,2844,0.72,2047680000,1056000000,3103680000,27000,114951.1111,1.277234568 2015,2952,0.7,2066400000,804000000,2870400000,29000,98979.31034,1.099770115 2014,3006,0.63,1893780000,517000000,2410780000,32000,75336.875,0.837076389 2013,3057,0.59,1803630000,353000000,2156630000,31000,69568.70968,0.772985663 2012,3120,0.54,1684800000,734000000,2418800000,32000,75587.5,0.839861111

NSC Year,Millions of shares,Dividends per share,Total dividends,Buybacks,Total dividends & buybacks,Number of employees ,Per employee,Rate of exploitation 2021,248,4.16,1031680000,3373000000,4404680000,18100,243352.4862,2.703916513 2020,257,3.76,966320000,1370000000,2336320000,20156,115911.8873,1.287909859 2019,266,3.6,957600000,2072000000,3029600000,24587,123219.5876,1.369106529 2018,280,3.04,851200000,2741000000,3592200000,26662,134731.0779,1.497011977 2017,290,2.44,707600000,923000000,1630600000,27110,60147.54703,0.668306078 2016,296,2.36,698560000,746000000,1444560000,28044,51510.48353,0.572338706 2015,304,2.36,717440000,1063000000,1780440000,30456,58459.41686,0.649549076 2014,313,2.22,694860000,251000000,945860000,29482,32082.62669,0.35647363 2013,316,2.04,644640000,496000000,1140640000,30103,37891.24008,0.421013779 2012,325,2.06,669500000,1199000000,1868500000,30943,60385.22444,0.670946938

UP Year,Millions of shares,Dividends per share,Total dividends,Buybacks,Total dividends & buybacks,Number of employees ,Per employee,Rate of exploitation, 2021,655,2.25,1473750000,7291000000,8764750000,32124,272841.1779355,2.96566497755978, 2020,679,2.91,1975890000,3705000000,5680890000,30960,183491.279069767,1.99447042467139, 2019,706,3.7,2612200000,5804000000,8416200000,37483,224533.788650855,2.44058465924842, 2018,754,2.26,1704040000,8225000000,9929040000,41967,236591.607691758,2.57164790969302, 2017,802,2.48,1988960000,4013000000,6001960000,41992,142931.034482759,1.55359820089955, 2016,835,2.255,1882925000,3105000000,4987925000,42919,116217.176541858,1.2632301798028, 2015,869,2.2,1911800000,3465000000,5376800000,47457,113298.354299682,1.2315038510835, 2014,901,2.82,2540820000,3225000000,5765820000,47201,122154.615368318,1.32776755835129, 2013,932,2.96,2758720000,2218000000,4976720000,46445,107152.976639035,1.1647062678156, 2012,953,1.89,1801170000,1474000000,3275170000,45928,71310.9649886779,0.775119184659543,