I see a lot of people sharing blanket condemnations of all of those who still remain on #Twitter / #Xitter , and I need you to slow down a bit.
Sure, in some cases this is justified - journalists should really know better. But there are a lot of communities on that platform that are vital to many people's well-being that haven't been replicated on the #Fediverse or elsewhere. Take #BlackTwitter - while #BlackMastodon is growing, it's still minuscule in comparison. The number of Twitter users in #Pakistan is staggering, while they are only a handful on #Mastodon . And so on, and so forth. Twitter was a lifeline to many marginalized people, and it still is - even though it gets worse every day - and we need to recognize this.
As a white European guy, it was easy for me to walk away from Twitter (I still have an account there, but I only post "you should go to Mastodon" stuff these days) - since it is easy to find people of a similar background to interact with. But this is NOT true for everyone!
So I'd like everyone to show a bit less contempt to the remaining Twitter users in general, and put some more effort in how to make the Fediverse friendlier to marginalized voices. Because there is MUCH work to be done here!
We got married in our home town of #Lahore last Sunday & decided to use the opportunity of our friends & family gathered under one smog-filled sky to raise awareness about the #ClimateCrisis & platform local climate activists.
Its going to take time to get our own snaps sorted, but heres a thread of the highlights with links to sites/socials:
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a new national-scale disruption to X/Twitter in #Pakistan amid escalating unrest and protests over allegations of election fraud, following a high-level resignation and public admission of vote manipulation by a senior election official
My Pakistani chicken and potato curry from Saturday's "kids come visit" meal. It really doesn't rest heavy on the stomach despite the potatoes, so it's a good spring dinner
(if you had notifications on for (at)olav@nomdujour.net you'd already have this)
Bundesregierung besorgt wegen Abschiebungen von Afghanen aus Pakistan
Mehr als eine Million Afghanen in Pakistan droht eine Abschiebung. Zehntausende verließen bereits das Land. Das Auswärtige Amt zeigte sich besorgt, es sei in engem Austausch mit den pakistanischen Behörden.
My house flooded THRICE in a WEEK. My block had a gastroenteritis outbreak because of it. I had to take my Dad to the ER because I was too ill to treat him at home myself
Before that? Flooded once two YEARS ago
More than SIX years after the last one
HUNDREDS are DEAD across #Pakistan#India, bt thats "TYPICAL"?
I need to raise funds to leave #Pakistan. It isn't safe for #trans people. There's no GoFundMe here. Anyone know how I can do it? Only need $5000 for flight and visa costs to go to New York where I have friends.
Pakistan conducted strikes inside Iran on Thursday, targeting separatist militants, the Pakistani foreign ministry said, two days after Tehran said it attacked Israel-linked militant bases inside Pakistani territory. #AureFreePress#News#Pakistan#Iran
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has opened a hearing on a petition filed by human rights groups to stop the deportations of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and those who would be at risk if they were returned to Afghanistan....
Henry Kissinger has died at age 100, his consulting firm said in a statement on Wednesday... The Yale University historian Greg Grandin, author of the biography Kissinger’s Shadow, estimates that Kissinger’s actions from 1969 through 1976, a period of eight brief years when Kissinger made Richard Nixon’s and then Gerald...
The @ScottishGreens councillor Dan Hutchison has called for the city to stop flying the Union Jack on numerous days & has suggested new flag-flying days which would commemorate events more in line with #Glasgow’s progressive values.
“The party of the imprisoned former prime minister of #Pakistan, Imran Khan, won the most seats in parliamentary elections this week, delivering a strong rebuke to the country’s powerful generals and throwing the political system into chaos”
As Pakistan prepares for the upcoming Eid al Fitr, peaceful dissent can be noticed in Balochistan against the regular occurrences of enforced disappearances and other atrocities inflicted by Pakistan on the Baloch community. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), an organisation involved in Baloch rights advocacy, recently...
Brilliant article on the challenges facing transition to renewables, and why its unlikely
"while the cost of renewable power is now lower than that of fossil fuels, renewables are not a profitable business. The particularities of the .. market structure are the causal factors here... Making sure that capital gets its pound of flesh has crippled the country."
Russia Says It's Selling Oil to Pakistan Without 'Special Discount' (www.voanews.com)
Statement contradicts Pakistan's claims it was receiving Russian oil at discounted price
Pakistan’s top court hears petition to halt deportations of Afghans (www.aljazeera.com)
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has opened a hearing on a petition filed by human rights groups to stop the deportations of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and those who would be at risk if they were returned to Afghanistan....
Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies (www.rollingstone.com)
Henry Kissinger has died at age 100, his consulting firm said in a statement on Wednesday... The Yale University historian Greg Grandin, author of the biography Kissinger’s Shadow, estimates that Kissinger’s actions from 1969 through 1976, a period of eight brief years when Kissinger made Richard Nixon’s and then Gerald...
Baloch Yakjehti Committee to protest against genocide in over 20 cities of Balochistan (www.malaysiasun.com)
As Pakistan prepares for the upcoming Eid al Fitr, peaceful dissent can be noticed in Balochistan against the regular occurrences of enforced disappearances and other atrocities inflicted by Pakistan on the Baloch community. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), an organisation involved in Baloch rights advocacy, recently...