Tootfinder

Escalation rarely stays confined to one place.
The wider region is watching.
Gulf states are quietly recalibrating, strengthening defences and updating contingency plans.
Traders and markets are alert, and governments around the world are preparing for potential spillovers.
For ordinary people – in Tehran, in Beirut, in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, and increasingly across the Gulf – the cost is paid in uncertainty,
disrupted lives and a constant recalibration of what “…

"Deforestation leads to more extreme weather events in the Amazon region"
#AmazonRainforest #Trees #Environment

Deforestation leads to more extreme weather events in the Amazon region
From a bird's eye view, the Amazon rainforest appears as a lush green mosaic of treetops stretching as far as the eye can see. It is home to countless animal and plant species, many of which are endemic, and the forest plays an important role in the global climate as a carbon sink. However, deforestation threatens to destroy this unique ecosystem and its important functions. One-fifth of the area has already been cleared, and there is no end in sight to this intensive use. This has serious cons…

Taking the early train from Beijing to ChongQing. Ride here was smooth and the streets were almost empty. That looked unusual for the traffic jammed streets of #Beijing

Brad Marino's new (5th) LP 'Agent of Chaos' is a banger. Power pop, Ramones vibes all over the place. I hadn't heard of this guy. LOVING this one. Catchy as hell.
https://belugarecords.bandcamp.com/album/agent-of-chaos

Just finished "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. In an unusual twist of fate, I had read "Concrete Rose" earlier, which gave me a rich backstory to relate things to. "The Hate U Give" is really good, but I found the resolution of King's arc slightly disappointing, even though the ending was strong. It's definitely not my place to judge Thomas' perspective here, but I do think that the book's broad popularity including among more liberal audiences probably stems at least in part from the way it allows a "the cops have issues but are ultimately-necessary/sometimes-positive" reading that undermines the strength of the core message.
In the end I like Concrete Rose better, but they're both great and I'll be putting Thomas' other books on my to-read list.
#AmReading #ReadingNow

The only April Fools prank I endorse:

Technically the Senate Dems *DID* concede the original demands to claw back ICE/CBP/HSI funds and to ban some of the Fash tactics used in MPLS and Chicago as conditions for any DHS funding.
But those were always sacrificial asks. They existed to be conceded. @…

David Nir (@davidnir.com)
Absolutely extraordinary. The Democrats conceded *nothing* and got everything they demanded. They said no ICE/CBP funding, and that's precisely what happened. In other words, they did not cave. At all. But the GOP did—completely. [contains quote post or other embedded content]

I will once again repeat what I think is a nationally winning campaign for a US opposition party (should any care to exist), now with Berlatsky’s improved phrasing:
❝If elected, I will fight like hell to:
- destroy Donald Trump, everything he has done, and everything he stands for,
- tax the living shit out of billionaires, and
- use that money to repair the damage they’ve done to the US.❞
Not saying that’s everything that needs to happen, or an entire political philosophy, or the solution to everything. Only saying that I think that — simply that — would win elections. Try it and see. You cowards. https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:htdsafwakqmzvuk2oivijzn6/post/3midafsxk3k2p

> "The whole social contract of Dubai involves a wilful blindness to the proximity of suffering and violence. After all, Gaza is geographically close."
I guess "geographically close" is relative, but no-one ever talks about London in the context of it being geographically close to Libya.

Expat influencers sold Dubai to the world and were paid to look the other way. Now the dream is crumbling
The Maseratis are borrowed, the helicopters rented by the hour. But deep down Dubai is a lonely place, built by oppressed people

Yes, it's from the bad place, but Maçães is one of the only international observers with an intact moral compass in 2026.
Well worth a follow. @… https://bird.m…

Bruno Maçães on Twitter
I explain here why no liberal and no conservative can stay silent on Gaza