Lemdro.id

Don't remember where I found it but it's cool!

A wife tells her programmer husband: “Go to the store and buy a gallon of milk. If they have eggs, get six.”

He comes back with six gallons of milk. When she asks why, he replies: “They had eggs".

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7319496

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19194

The son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who brutally ruled Iran for decades with backing from the United States and other Western powers, has urged US President Donald Trump to intervene militarily and support the overthrow of the Iranian government amid an escalating protest movement that has faced violent repression.

"The people of Iran have responded and reacted positively to a promise of intervention," Reza Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since the 1979 revolution and ouster of his father, said in a Fox News appearance on Sunday when asked if he wants US forces to "take out" Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.

"We need to cut the snake’s head off for good so it can no longer be a threat to Iranian interests, to American interests, to regional interests," said Pahlavi, who has been accused of opportunistically coopting the protest movement, which began late last month over the collapse of the nation's currency. "The only solution is to make sure this regime goes down for good and the Iranian people can liberate themselves.”

Hours after Pahlavi's comments, Trump told reporters that the US military is looking at "some very strong options" to intervene in Iran, a country whose nuclear facilities the Trump administration bombed last year.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Trump, fresh off his unlawful and deadly attack on Venezuela, is set to receive a briefing on Iran from top administration officials on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, the meeting "will be a discussion about the next steps, which could include boosting anti-government sources online, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on the regime, and military strikes."

"One option under discussion is the possibility of the US sending terminals of Starlink, a satellite-based internet service owned by Elon Musk, into Iran for the first time during the Trump administration, officials said, which could help protesters skirt a recent internet shutdown in the country," the Journal reported. "Trump said he would speak with Musk about sending Starlink satellite-internet terminals into Iran."

"Reports that the United States and Israel may be considering military strikes in Iran are deeply concerning."

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Monday that Iranian leaders are willing to negotiate with the US.

"We are not looking for war, but we are prepared for war—even more prepared than the previous war," said Araghchi. "We are also ready for negotiations, but negotiations that are fair, with equal rights and mutual respect."

Expert observers expressed horror at the Iranian government's treatment of demonstrators while also warning against military intervention by outside powers, including the United States.

Matt Duss, executive vice president of the US-based Center for International Policy, said in a statement Monday that "indications that widespread demonstrations by brave Iranians are being met with a brutal, deadly crackdown by the Iranian government are horrific."

"This violence should be unequivocally condemned," said Duss. "It is important for other countries and multilateral bodies to vocally stand for the right of Iranians to protest. It is also critical that no country attempts to intervene inside Iran in a manner that could further endanger or undermine the protestors."

"Reports that the United States and Israel may be considering military strikes in Iran are deeply concerning," Duss continued. "It is difficult to know what the impact of such attacks would be on the plight of the Iranian protestors, and even less clear what the follow-on consequences would be for the Iranian people and security in the region. Israeli and US strikes against Iranian government targets last year were broadly opposed by Iran’s people and diaspora across almost the entire political spectrum."

"What is clear is that President Trump does not now have Congress' authorization for the use of military force in Iran," he added. "Any US strikes would be illegal under both US and international law. The administration should instead focus its efforts on working multilaterally to press Iran’s government to end the killing and other abuse of its own citizens."

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Charlotte Nichols calls on technology secretary to set out ‘red line’ social media firms must cross before government switches to alternative platforms

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7319868

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19072

As the Trump administration increases the presence of federal agents in U.S. cities, a local group identifying as part of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense has become more active in Philadelphia.

The group says it is a resurgence of the militant Black power group dating back to the 1960s, and has been trained by some of the original party's surviving members. Several attended an anti-ICE protest Wednesday at Philadelphia City Hall, carrying military-style weapons.

They say they're legally permitted to carry firearms and are showing up as a response to violence from the Trump administration.

The group has been holding regular weekly free food programs in North Philadelphia for several years, according to 39-year-old Paul Birdsong of West Philadelphia, who identifies himself as the Black Panther Party's national chairman.

Birdsong and others attended the Philly protest one day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

"That wouldn't have happened if we were there," Birdsong said. "Not a single person would have gotten touched."

Jane Wiedman of Mt. Airy holds up a sign among the crowd of protesters at City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, as they gather for a vigil to rally against the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minn.... Read moreAllie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

Millions of people have watched videos of the shooting online, sparking national protests. The Trump administration quickly defended the shooter, with J.D. Vance asserting Ross has "absolute immunity" and "was doing his job." Some have rejected Vance's suggestion that Ross couldn't be tried by the state, and Minnesota leaders Friday renewed their calls for state involvement in an investigation of the shooting.

Birdsong said the group wants to see ICE abolished and the Trump administration held accountable.

"You got people that are part of a cabal, that are self serving ... and they prey on the common folks of the United States," Birdsong said.

Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense member Skiippy (right) hands soup to Yolanda Gray (center) and Roxanne Hart outside the organization in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense helps supply food and clothes for residents.... Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

A free food program

Birdsong said he was recruited by members of the Black Panther Party in the wake of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, and he listed several surviving elders of the group as mentors. The Philly chapter has "less than 100" members, he said, though he declined to provide more detail.

On Friday evening, Birdsong and several other Black Panther Party members set upa pop-up food pantry outside Church of the Advocate at the corner of 18th and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia.

The members laid out bananas, grapes, salad, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, celery, peppers, and mushrooms on folding tables.

They added bread, Tastykakes

immediately popular with passing children

canned food, and hygiene items like shampoo, COVID-19 test kits, and adult undergarments. On another table were children's clothes and a large pot of chicken soup, all near a banner with the Black Panthers logo.

Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense member Sharon Fischer (left) hands a bag of food to Daren Robison outside the organization in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense supplies food and clothes for residents.... Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Birdsong said the money to buy the food comes from members' own paychecks, as well as donations from people in the community.

"It really helps out," said Dawn Henkins, 60, who lives nearby. She said it's especially helpful for older people who are living on a fixed income.

"The brothers can help people

they are here for the people," Henkins said.

The Black Panthers previously held food programs at 33rd and Cecil B. Moore, and at Jefferson Square Park, Birdsong said. More recently, the group was able to move into 2123 N. Gratz St.

a location that Birdsong says once was a headquarters for the original Black Panther Party Philadelphia chapter.

The original Black Panther Party was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California in 1966 and was active nationally until the early 1980s. The group formed to fight against police brutality and quickly evolved to promote other social changes including prison reform and access to education, food, and healthcare, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The group was soon targeted by the J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, which sought to "discredit, disrupt, and destroy" the Black rights movement, according to UC Berkeley Library. Two Black Panthers in Chicago, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, were killed in a Chicago police raid that was later revealed to have been coordinated by the FBI.

The Philadelphia chapter was active from 1968 until 1973, according to a University of Washington website that maps U.S. social movements. Prominent local figures from this era include Sultan Ahmad, who went on to hold roles in city government, and Paula Peebles, a social activist who stayed involved in the Black Panthers for much of her life.

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense headquarters in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

One person who stopped by for soup on Friday, Jerome Hill, 63, said he can distantly remember the days when Episcopalian pastor and social activist Rev. Paul Washington let the Black Panthers hold events at Church of the Advocate.

"They primarily were always community oriented," Hill said. He said he's glad to see the group handing out food, and added that they could serve as role models for younger people in the neighborhood.

While one member of the group served up chicken soup to several boys who stopped by the tables, another member stood at the corner holding an AK-47-style rifle.

"I feel like we're welcome," said one member, also carrying a firearm, who identified himself as Comrade Arch. He said he was a fan of the original group growing up, and he joined a few months ago. "I've always had a revolutionary spirit."

Under a canopy behind the tables, Birdsong moved back his jacket to reveal a modern MP5, a weapon that has its origins in German submachine guns. He also carried two semiautomatic handguns.

It's a controversial posture: Many pro-democracy advocates and experts on civil rights emphasize that nonviolence is essential to successful protest movements.

The law says you can carry a gun in Philadelphia

but only if you have a license to carry firearms, according to Dillon Harris, an attorney who focuses on gun rights.

"Open carry," or carrying a firearm in a way that it can be plainly seen by others, is "generally lawful" in Pennsylvania, except for in prohibited locations such as federal buildings, said Harris.

But Philadelphia is an exception to this rule, Harris said. A state law prohibits carrying firearms in "a first class city" without a license to carry firearms. That statute applies to Philadelphia.

But while many civil rights advocates argue that firearms tend to escalate violent confrontations, rather than prevent them, it's long been part of the Black Panthers' tactics, and Birdsong pushed back against that idea.

"We feel safe," Birdsong said. "No police, no drug dealers doing anything to us here."

Armed members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense march down Market Street with a crowd of protesters on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, to rally against the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minn.... Read more

Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

Ørsted and other wind developers have faced repeated disruptions to multibillion dollar projects under Trump

AT&T and Verizon claim right to a jury trial was violated by FCC fines.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7319394

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19277

“Hands off Venezuela”, “Free Maduro”, “Kidnapped by the empire, free them now!”, read the placards, carried by hundreds in their march to the US embassy in South Africa’s capital Pretoria on Thursday, January 8. Participants in the solidarity action also waved the Venezuelan flag alongside red hammer-and-sickle flags.

​Addressing this protest against the US bombing of Venezuela and the illegal abduction of its President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores on January 3, South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary, Solly Mapaila, condemned the US as a “rogue state”.

With a “moron” now in charge, he told the media, referring to its president, Donald Trump, “American imperialism” has shaped into “a new form of colonialism that is so unashamed, so naked”.

“The main destabilizer of world peace”​

​It is now “bullying everybody”, he said. Recalling that after attacking Venezuela, it has threatened military action against Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and even Greenland, and gone on to seize a Russian oil tanker to enforce the blockade on Venezuela, Mapaila insisted that the US is “the main destabilizer of world peace.”

​Student leader Tariq Lala said in his address to the demonstration, “We stand here today to declare our very public support for the people of Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and any peace-loving people threatened by the ‘fascist’ regime that sits in Washington.”

​**“Gangster state”**

​Condemning the “gangster state”, Muhammed Desai from the Anti-Fascist International (South Africa chapter) warned the US that it will be faced with “many more protests in the coming days and the coming weeks.”

The US is “not even mincing words around, they are saying clearly that they want to take Venezuela’s resources,” an activist from Africa4Palestine told Newzroom Afrika. Its military action without approval by the UN or even its own legislature is an “indication of much worse things to come,” he said.

​Nevertheless, “we have seen worldwide that the ruling class is not willing to lift a finger. We have seen this in Gaza, and now we are seeing this in Venezuela,” he said, insisting that it is crucial “to start building workers’ organizations to resist these kinds of actions.”

​**“Yesterday it was Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. Today it is Cuba, Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any of us”**

​South Africa’s largest trade union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), was part of the coalition that organized and led this protest.

​“This protest is not only about Venezuela; it is about defending international law, national sovereignty, and the right of people to determine their own future without bombs, sanctions, kidnappings, or foreign interference from the US,” read a joint statement by this coalition.

​”Yesterday it was Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. Today it is Cuba, Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any of us,” it warned.

“It is high time” for other countries to sanction the US, said Khethiwe Mabaso, National Chairperson of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), several of whose leaders and activists are exiled in South Africa.

​”Because if that country is not sanctioned, they will always have the power to invade any country,” she added in her address to the picket.

​**“The revolution and the revolutionary movement in Venezuela remain intact”**

Maduro’s abduction is a major setback not only to the Bolivarian Revolution but also to left forces across Latin America, Mapaila said in his address to the demonstration.

​Nevertheless, the SACP leader insisted, “the revolution and the revolutionary movement in Venezuela remain intact,” under the leadership of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is holding fort as the Acting President after the President’s abduction.

​Other veterans of the Bolivarian Revolution, including the Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, remain in command, despite the 25 million dollar reward offered by the US for information helping its forces seize him.

​Warning against falling prey to what Mapaila described as CIA propaganda, manufactured to “divide the liberation forces in Venezuela” with rumors of betrayal within the Bolivarian leadership, he called for unconditional solidarity with the movement and its leaders.

​In solidarity with Cuba

​Paying tribute to the Venezuelan and Cuban soldiers who fell in battle defending Maduro from one of the most elite special forces of the US, Mapaila went on to “thank the Cuban government for always standing up for socialism everywhere in the world.”

​Describing its soldiers as “patriots who died in other lands, including our own land on the African continent,” he recollected they had fought “in Algeria, where they were defending the Algerian revolution, in Angola, where they were defending the Angolan Revolution, that led the liberation of South Africa, Namibia, and the rest of the” Southern African region.

​With Trump now training his guns on Cuba and intensifying the decades-long effort to choke its economy with a blockade, “to Comrade Miguel, President of Cuba, we say stand firm. We remain with you,” Mapaila added.

The post “Rogue State”: South Africans protest outside US embassy, denounce abduction of Maduro appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.

FCC waives rule that forced Verizon to unlock phones 60 days after activation.

Part one of two present I made my niece recently

President Trump on Monday announced that he would be imposing a 25% tariff on any country that does business with Iran, which, if enforced, could add to the economic pain among Iranians that sparked large-scale protests inside the country. “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff […]

From News From Antiwar.com via This RSS Feed.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7319868

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19072

As the Trump administration increases the presence of federal agents in U.S. cities, a local group identifying as part of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense has become more active in Philadelphia.

The group says it is a resurgence of the militant Black power group dating back to the 1960s, and has been trained by some of the original party's surviving members. Several attended an anti-ICE protest Wednesday at Philadelphia City Hall, carrying military-style weapons.

They say they're legally permitted to carry firearms and are showing up as a response to violence from the Trump administration.

The group has been holding regular weekly free food programs in North Philadelphia for several years, according to 39-year-old Paul Birdsong of West Philadelphia, who identifies himself as the Black Panther Party's national chairman.

Birdsong and others attended the Philly protest one day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

"That wouldn't have happened if we were there," Birdsong said. "Not a single person would have gotten touched."

Jane Wiedman of Mt. Airy holds up a sign among the crowd of protesters at City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, as they gather for a vigil to rally against the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minn.... Read moreAllie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

Millions of people have watched videos of the shooting online, sparking national protests. The Trump administration quickly defended the shooter, with J.D. Vance asserting Ross has "absolute immunity" and "was doing his job." Some have rejected Vance's suggestion that Ross couldn't be tried by the state, and Minnesota leaders Friday renewed their calls for state involvement in an investigation of the shooting.

Birdsong said the group wants to see ICE abolished and the Trump administration held accountable.

"You got people that are part of a cabal, that are self serving ... and they prey on the common folks of the United States," Birdsong said.

Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense member Skiippy (right) hands soup to Yolanda Gray (center) and Roxanne Hart outside the organization in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense helps supply food and clothes for residents.... Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

A free food program

Birdsong said he was recruited by members of the Black Panther Party in the wake of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, and he listed several surviving elders of the group as mentors. The Philly chapter has "less than 100" members, he said, though he declined to provide more detail.

On Friday evening, Birdsong and several other Black Panther Party members set upa pop-up food pantry outside Church of the Advocate at the corner of 18th and Diamond Streets in North Philadelphia.

The members laid out bananas, grapes, salad, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, celery, peppers, and mushrooms on folding tables.

They added bread, Tastykakes

immediately popular with passing children

canned food, and hygiene items like shampoo, COVID-19 test kits, and adult undergarments. On another table were children's clothes and a large pot of chicken soup, all near a banner with the Black Panthers logo.

Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense member Sharon Fischer (left) hands a bag of food to Daren Robison outside the organization in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. The Philadelphia Black Panther Party for Self-Defense supplies food and clothes for residents.... Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Birdsong said the money to buy the food comes from members' own paychecks, as well as donations from people in the community.

"It really helps out," said Dawn Henkins, 60, who lives nearby. She said it's especially helpful for older people who are living on a fixed income.

"The brothers can help people

they are here for the people," Henkins said.

The Black Panthers previously held food programs at 33rd and Cecil B. Moore, and at Jefferson Square Park, Birdsong said. More recently, the group was able to move into 2123 N. Gratz St.

a location that Birdsong says once was a headquarters for the original Black Panther Party Philadelphia chapter.

The original Black Panther Party was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California in 1966 and was active nationally until the early 1980s. The group formed to fight against police brutality and quickly evolved to promote other social changes including prison reform and access to education, food, and healthcare, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The group was soon targeted by the J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, which sought to "discredit, disrupt, and destroy" the Black rights movement, according to UC Berkeley Library. Two Black Panthers in Chicago, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, were killed in a Chicago police raid that was later revealed to have been coordinated by the FBI.

The Philadelphia chapter was active from 1968 until 1973, according to a University of Washington website that maps U.S. social movements. Prominent local figures from this era include Sultan Ahmad, who went on to hold roles in city government, and Paula Peebles, a social activist who stayed involved in the Black Panthers for much of her life.

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense headquarters in North Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

One person who stopped by for soup on Friday, Jerome Hill, 63, said he can distantly remember the days when Episcopalian pastor and social activist Rev. Paul Washington let the Black Panthers hold events at Church of the Advocate.

"They primarily were always community oriented," Hill said. He said he's glad to see the group handing out food, and added that they could serve as role models for younger people in the neighborhood.

While one member of the group served up chicken soup to several boys who stopped by the tables, another member stood at the corner holding an AK-47-style rifle.

"I feel like we're welcome," said one member, also carrying a firearm, who identified himself as Comrade Arch. He said he was a fan of the original group growing up, and he joined a few months ago. "I've always had a revolutionary spirit."

Under a canopy behind the tables, Birdsong moved back his jacket to reveal a modern MP5, a weapon that has its origins in German submachine guns. He also carried two semiautomatic handguns.

It's a controversial posture: Many pro-democracy advocates and experts on civil rights emphasize that nonviolence is essential to successful protest movements.

The law says you can carry a gun in Philadelphia

but only if you have a license to carry firearms, according to Dillon Harris, an attorney who focuses on gun rights.

"Open carry," or carrying a firearm in a way that it can be plainly seen by others, is "generally lawful" in Pennsylvania, except for in prohibited locations such as federal buildings, said Harris.

But Philadelphia is an exception to this rule, Harris said. A state law prohibits carrying firearms in "a first class city" without a license to carry firearms. That statute applies to Philadelphia.

But while many civil rights advocates argue that firearms tend to escalate violent confrontations, rather than prevent them, it's long been part of the Black Panthers' tactics, and Birdsong pushed back against that idea.

"We feel safe," Birdsong said. "No police, no drug dealers doing anything to us here."

Armed members of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense march down Market Street with a crowd of protesters on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, to rally against the killing of Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minn.... Read more

Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/40691532

Archive link

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7319664

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19160

A leaked document obtained by the EmirateLeaks outlet has revealed an Emirati government proposal to use UAE bases in the Red Sea to provide direct military, intelligence, and logistical support to Israel throughout its war on Gaza.

The document dates back to October 2023 and is addressed to the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Armed Forces. It was written by Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Representative of the Al-Dhafra Region and Chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority.

“With the [7 October] terrorist … attacks on the sister state of Israel, and based on the historic agreement stipulating cooperation between the two countries … and in implementation of the order issued by the UAE Joint Operations Command to support the State of Israel through military bases in the southern Red Sea region – Al-Mokha on Yemen’s western coast, as well as Massawa and Assab in Eritrea and Somalia – swift preparations and readiness were undertaken to provide our military bases in the southern Red Sea, especially in Yemen, with everything necessary to support the State of Israel,” the document starts out by saying.

The document explicitly calls for the UAE to “strengthen Israel in its war on the terrorists in Palestine,” and for that support to continue “until the terrorists are defeated.”

From thecradle.co via This RSS Feed.

Ballot proposes one-time, 5% tax on anyone in state worth more than $1bn and grant a five-year period for payment

housemate and I are sick of smartphone AI and spyware!! looking for cheap, refurbished cellphones from the 00s

• the problem: all models we have found run on 2G, which is rapidly being phased out by all US carriers
• desired features: basic call and text functionality, durability, physical buttons, fits in pocket