Category: Social Media

Indonesia’s feared ex-general Prabowo claims victory in presidential election + Notes

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Indonesia’s feared ex-general Prabowo claims victory in presidential election

But the likely victory of Prabowo — an ex-general who was kicked out from the army and subjected to a two-decade ban from the U.S. over human rights violations — raises fears of the world’s third-largest democracy sliding backward into authoritarian rule.

Related:

3 things you should know about Indonesia’s presidential elections

Continuity and its risks


Prabowo is expected to largely continue the policies of President Widodo, or “Jokowi,” as Indonesians call him. President Widodo is not up for reelection as he’s serving his final term.

Through his two five-year terms, Indonesia’s economy — Southeast Asia’s largest — has grown at about 5% a year. His infrastructure building, cash and food assistance to the poor and health and education policies have been popular.

Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of nickel, used in making electric vehicle batteries, and Jokowi has barred the export of raw nickel, to help Indonesia move up the value chain from mining to manufacturing.

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Prabowo is Suharto’s son-in-law. He received training in the 1980s from the U.S. military at Fort Benning, Ga. (now Fort Moore) and Fort Bragg, N.C. (now Fort Liberty).

Indonesia’s presidential election emerges as key battleground in US-China rivalry

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Anti-Imperialism in the US Today: What It Is and Is Not

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Fidel Castro, the world recognizes as a historic anti-imperialist figure, repeatedly warned that the main danger to humanity is US imperialism: “There is an enemy that can be called universal, an enemy whose attitude and whose actions…threaten the whole world, bully the whole world, that universal enemy is Yankee imperialism.” He fought to build a world united front against imperialism, of the world’s peoples and countries to oppose the barbarous actions of US imperialism. We see that anti-imperialist unity right now with United Nations votes and worldwide protests against the US-Israeli slaughters in Gaza, in what the New York Times in 2003 called “a second superpower.” 

Anti-Imperialism in the US Today: What It Is and Is Not

Propaganda: Houthis could cut undersea global internet cables, minister warns

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Yemen’s UN-recognized government has warned of the possibility that Houthi rebels could cut undersea internet cables off the country’s Red Sea coast, calling it “a serious threat to one of the most important digital infrastructures in the world.”

Houthis could cut undersea global internet cables, minister warns

1. Why would Ansar Allah jeopardize Palestinians’ lines of communication with the outside world? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. 2. It originates from the Israeli propaganda outlet, MEMRI. 3. The Gulf International Forum is indirectly funded by the Qatari government. 4. Emily Milliken is a junior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, which has been funded by the front organizations Scaife Foundations, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the William H. Donner Foundation.

Jailed as collaborators: the stories of Ukrainians who ended up in prison

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Jailed as collaborators: the stories of Ukrainians who ended up in prison

Most of the high-level turncoats managed to flee to Russia, meaning it is mostly lower-level collaborators who are in jail. As Russia continues to strike Ukraine, causing death and misery, there is scant sympathy for these people, as evidenced by one male prisoner with a 12-year sentence who agreed to be photographed but declined to share his name. He had been assaulted by his cellmates while in pre-trial detention. They tattooed the word “Orc” – a pejorative term for Russian soldiers widely used in Ukraine – on his forehead.

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Holomb admitted her guilt, she said, because she felt she had no choice. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison. She is currently with her two-year-old daughter in prison, but after her third birthday the child will be taken away. “Everyone was in shock at the sentence. My mum hired a lawyer, we filed an appeal but it was too late,” she said.

Holomb has now signed a request asking to be swapped in a prisoner exchange and sent to Russia, as she thinks it is her best chance of being freed. She has never set foot in the country before.

Many of those the Guardian interviewed insisted their innocent activity had been misinterpreted and they had then been pressured into signing confessions. Valentyn Moroi, a 52-year-old from Sloviansk, said he had merely taken photographs of the warehouse where he worked, to prove everything was secure, and sent them to his boss, who was in Russia. The SBU had taken this as evidence he was sending classified information to Russian intelligence, he claimed.

Microsoft, X throw their weight behind KOSA, the controversial kids’ online safety bill

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Think of the children!

Microsoft, X throw their weight behind KOSA, the controversial kids’ online safety bill

In spite of some revisions, the bill’s many critics have warned that KOSA would dangerously sanitize the internet, empower censorship and isolate young LGBTQ people in the process. Security, privacy and free press advocates have also called attention to the bill’s potential threat to encryption. The bill was revised last year in response to some criticisms, but many concerns persist.

Related:

Snap Breaks Under Pressure, Supports Dangerous KOSA Bill That Will Put Kids In Danger

Microsoft Joins In On The ‘Screw Over LGBTQ Kids’ Party By Supporting KOSA

However the claim that KOSA is “reasonable,” “impactful,” “tailored,” or “thoughtful” is just grade-A bullshit. The law is a total mess, and will do real harm to kids beyond just being obviously unconstitutional. As we’ve pointed out multiple times, GOP support for the bill is because they know it will be used to censor LGBTQ content. The GOP’s leading “think tank,” the Heritage Foundation has publicly supported the bill because they believe censoring LGBTQ content “is protecting kids.” Meanwhile, bill co-sponsor, Marsha Blackburn (whom Smith thanks above for her “leadership,”) has similarly admitted that Congress should pass KOSA to “protect minor children from the transgender in our culture.”

LMAO @ YouTube

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Someone must have reported my Ukraine playlist for hate speech (I recently made all of my playlists public)! YouTube wiped out the whole playlist of over 1000 videos! Just know that I have every single video saved to other playlists (which are now private)! I’m not upset, I literally LOL’d! I almost fell out of bed because I was laughing so hard! I don’t take much seriously, especially online, so I just laugh it all off!

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Germany uncovers major Russian disinformation campaign on X + Disinformation Is No. 1 Threat As Elections Approach

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Germany uncovers major Russian disinformation campaign on X: Report

A common theme was the accusation that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government was neglecting the country’s own population in favor of helping Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to Spiegel, which said it has seen excerpts of the analysis.

Related:

Disinformation Is No. 1 Threat As Elections Approach, WEF Report Finds

Disinformation is often blamed for swaying elections – the research says something else