New from Francesca D'Annunzio: Under Governor Greg Abbott's multi-billion dollar border security bonanza, Operation Lone Star, the Rio Grande no longer holds back law enforcement efforts. Today's digital border reaches across Texas and beyond. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-surveillance-arsenal-artificial-intelligence-lege/

This story is presented in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

#surveillance #tech #SocialMedia #GregAbbott #police #border #privacy #security #USpol #politics #news

How are we meant to survive in a Wasteland of capitalism and patriarchal control?

My new book "Black Seeds: Wild Anarchy Growing in the Wasteland" tries to answer that question honestly. It has three sections: "On Nothing", which discusses nihilism, 'A Queer Apocalypse in the Wasteland" which discusses anarchist, queer, trans and sex issues in the context of patriarchy and capitalism, and "alchemical anarchy" which is my version of what we need to do to survive. Its not a short book but you only have to read the bits that you like.

https://archive.org/details/black-seeds

#anarchy #queer #politics #lgbtq

ALT

Today I published my latest book, "Black Seeds: Wild Anarchy Growing in the Wasteland". It has three sections: "On Nothing", which discusses nihilism, 'A Queer Apocalypse in the Wasteland" which discusses anarchist, queer, trans and sex issues in the context of patriarchy and capitalism, and "alchemical anarchy" which is my version of what we need to do to survive. Its not a short book but you only have to read the bits that you like.

https://archive.org/details/black-seeds

#anarchy #queer #politics #lgbtq

ALT

New blog post!

And now for something different, I'm venting my frustrations about the current state of the world affair. There's the bad word starting with "P" (politics), technology, Russia, the new second Russia, video games, and the A-Team.

https://stfn.pl/blog/65-oh-no-its-politics/

#blog #politics

Welcome to the March/April 2025 issue of Texas Observer magazine! Editor-in-Chief Gus Bova introduces our latest by examining the "biannual dread” invoked by the Texas legislature and what we can do about it. https://www.texasobserver.org/editors-letter-introducing-our-march-april-2025-issue/

#TXlege #politics #Media #journalism #news #USpol #Texas

It's that time of year again: Submissions for the 2025 MOLLY National Journalism Prize for Investigative Journalism are now open!

Submit your entry and/or help us spread the word! 🤠 Deadline for entries is Friday, April 11. https://www.texasobserver.org/molly-awards/the-molly-awards-submissions/

#journalism #media #politics #news #events

All -

I urge you to read this essay. It's the last one in a collection of essays I've been reading by Stuart Hall, the brilliant marxist cultural theorist active in the U.K. from the 1960s through 2014.

The Great Moving Right Show describes the changing political, economic and social climate in Great Britain in the 1970s which gave rise to Margaret Thatcher.

As I've been reading it, the parallels to the rise of Trump and his rightwing cronies in the U.S. were profound. It seems that the people at Black Agenda Report felt the same way.

A long essay, very worth your time.

I think Thatcherism was a blueprint for the GOP.

https://www.blackagendareport.com/essay-great-moving-right-show-stuart-hall-1979

#politics

REVEALED by Correspondent @stevanzetti: We identified the operator of an overtly racist X account, "GlomarResponder," as #ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-dallas-white-supremacist-x-account/

#SocialMedia #extremism #immigration #border #politics #USpol #WhiteSupremacy #Fascism #Trump #news

The March/April 2025 issue of Texas Observer magazine is coming soon for our members, featuring some of our best reporting, a sneak preview of Lise Olsen's new book, Justin Miller's vital political analysis, and more.

Become a member: https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/join/

(📸 Cover photo by Shelby Tauber)

#journalism #media #nonprofit #politics #USpol #Texas #CriminalJustice #books #culture #news #TXlege #border #MentalHealth

ALT

"To help some of the newcomers make connections: name 5-7 things that interest you but aren't in your profile, as tags so they are searchable. Then boost this post or repeat its instructions so others know to do the same."

#writing
#polyamory
#neurodiversity
#politics
#publishing
#linux
#scifi
#fantasy
#horror

Photographer Justin Hamel joined Battalion Search and Rescue in their attempt to rescue lost migrants ... or discover the remains of those who hadn't made it through the El Paso desert.

Find his photo essay in our magazine, or on our website: https://www.texasobserver.org/death-in-the-desert/

#SouthTexas #border #immigration #HumanRights #environment #politics #USpol #Mexico #Texas #news

ALT

My #fedivision (#vision inspired by the #fediverse): Within the next 20 years people will begin to transfer the structure of the fediverse and how it is managed to the real world.

Citizens will be able to choose the country they wanna live in just the way they today choose the software (#friendica #mastodon #misskey ...), the server and the app they use to socially interact with each other. If they don't like how their server (formerly known as country) is governed they can pack their things and move to another one with close to zero transaction cost.

Today users can voluntarily give money to admins to pay communication infrastructure like #servers and cost's for #administration & #moderation. Today we all are obliged to pay #taxes (except for clever antisocial actor's) in our countries. In the future we can decide where (if at all) our money goes to. There will be admins and servers that have special real world agendas (green energy, strengthening local communities, raising awareness for minorities, air taxis ...) And there might even be servers that pay their users for being there. This money will be demanded from #companies or other non-social actor's like #billionaire's for not de-federating them. They will pay the fee's as it will be their only way to socially interact with or show commercials to others.

In 20 years admins and moderators will be what #politicians and #bureaucrats are today. Servers are what countries are today. Just like #Wikipedia is today what the Encyclopædia Britannica was 20 years ago.

#EncyclopaediaBritannica #moderator #Politics #future #utopia

My bio is getting unwieldy, so here's a pinned post with all relevant info about me!

~

I'm Layne (he/him), an early 30s bi trans guy from Germany currently in my last year of apprenticing at a public library. Autistic, disabled, nerdy & chronically online. Ecosocialist and member of @dielinke.

trans rights are human rights!
punch fascists!

~

Have a list of things you will encounter here:

#accessibility (I only boost posts with alt text)
#art
#books (fantasy, scifi, thriller)
#bunnies
#ClimateJustice
#MTG
#pathfinder
#photography
#politics
#Space (fuck SpaceX)
#transjoy
#VideoGames (rpg, action adventure)

~

Some commonly used CWs:

ph = physical health (+ positive, - negative)
mh = mental health (see ph)
USpol = US politics
DEpol = German politics
library stuff = general ramblings about my library

~

[Header ID: progress pride flag comprised of NASA astrophotography © @thatfrisiangirlish.

Profile picture: a rainbow neon sign on a purple background featuring the phrases "love is love", "love wins", "support love", "live and let love" and "love is a human right" © Jason Leung @ Unsplash]

A QUEER APOCALYPSE IN THE WASTELAND

Do you like Mad Max? Do you like V for Vendetta? Do you like Conan the Barbarian? Do you like discussing queer things and ideas, trans things and ideas or anarchist things and ideas? Are you interested in ethics or politics? Do you have opinions on how people should live with each other in this wasteland as we try to brave its cruelties?

Then this book is for you!

https://archive.org/details/a-queer-apocalypse-in-the-wasteland

#politics #anarchy #queer #trans #lgbtq #lgbtqia #nonbinary #madmax #vforvendetta #alanmoore #furiosa #ethics #morality #sex

ALT

"I find it hard to imagine how we could ever have "free societies" if we cannot even raise in ourselves the desire to be such people as think for themselves and create their own ethical values and relationships. The latter is a necessary and sufficient condition of the former."

I write about this - and how we need to become guerrillas, pirates and anarchists possessed of an "anti-politics" - in my book GUERRILLA MIND.

Authoritarian capitalism will only ever lock us in a prison as it kills everything. Are we - not them - really serious about change?

You can read my book here:

https://archive.org/details/guerrilla-mind

#politics #books #writing #anarchy

ALT

This book is basically an anarchist 101 or manifesto but it takes the route of engaging in setting out anarchist analyses, principles and values by exampling the court speeches and associated writings of five anarchists who were condemned to death for their beliefs.

If you want a grounding in anarchist ideas in straightforward English then this compact text is for you.

#politics #anarchy

https://archive.org/details/jolly-rogers-anarchist-values

ALT

A QUEER APOCALYPSE IN THE WASTELAND

Do you like Mad Max? Do you like V for Vendetta? Do you like Conan the Barbarian? Do you like discussing queer things and ideas, trans things and ideas or anarchist things and ideas? Are you interested in ethics or politics? Do you have opinions on how people should live with each other in this wasteland as we try to brave its cruelties?

Then this book is for you!

https://archive.org/details/a-queer-apocalypse-in-the-wasteland

#anarchy #politics #ethics #morality #lgbtq #lgbtqia #trans #queer

ALT

Get away from #politics for a moment.
Look at bunny!
Bunny thinks you're great the way you are.

ALT

From our magazine: Over 72 hours, Austin police reported more than 70 overdose calls. Records from Travis County, which includes most of Austin, and neighboring Williamson County indicate that as many as 12 may have died. The culprit: a bad batch of crack cocaine. https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-war-on-drug-users-austin-overdose-disaster/

#WarOnDrugs #drugs #politics #USpol #news #Texas #law #CriminalJustice #health #addiction

This is for anyone into #politics who may have followed me: though I'm very #left leaning, I actually avoid political posts. Additionally, I've been far more #doomer inclined as of late, so nothing I have to say will be at all positive, especially when it comes to the #USA. Just an #FYI.

New: Our Editor-in-Chief @gusbova welcomes readers to our January / February 2025 issue with a bit of hope as we enter a difficult time.
https://www.texasobserver.org/editors-letter-january-february-2025/

#politics #USpol #journalism #Texas

The January/February 2025 issue is coming soon for members of the Texas Observer.

Want to be among the first to read the great reporting in every issue? Join us today: https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/join/

#journalism #nonprofit #Texas #politics #news #culture #border

ALT

We've been publishing stories all year related to our 70th anniversary, but today marks the actual date that the Texas Observer published its first issue in 1954, with the top story dedicated to a retail workers' #strike in Port Arthur: https://archives.texasobserver.org/issue/1954/12/13#page=1

#journalism #history #media #nonprofit #news #Texas #politics #USpol

ALT

UPDATE: a spokesperson from JP Morgan Chase told the Texas Observer they fired the operator of a neo-Nazi X account who we identified as their employee.

"This person is no longer at the firm. We do not tolerate hate in any form and take incidents such as this very seriously."
https://www.texasobserver.org/revealed-operators-neo-nazi-x-accounts/

#politics #USpol #extremism #racism #antisemitism #Texas #news #SocialMedia #ElonMusk

**Radical Enlightenment – a World of Open Sources by A.E. Freier

Deutsche Originalversion: https://word.undeadnetwork.de

translated into these fine languages:

english – deutsch – español – русский – français – 中文的 – العربية
https://undeadnetwork.de/bookstack/books/radical-enlightenment-a-world-of-open-sources-translation

Free E-Books on Shaitan Taschenbuch: https://synapse.undeadnetwork.de/books/

SUPPORT: https://word.undead-network.de/2022/03/17/sp/

This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

https://word.undead-network.de/2024/12/11/radical-enlightenment-a-world-of-open-sources-by-a-e-freier/
#culture #FOSS #kultur #openculture #opensource #philosophie #philosophy #politics #politik