A university for activists. We teach history of activism, philosophy of activism, organisational structures, tax compliance for non-profits, graphic art, video production, and we organise actual campaigns, like promoting decentralised social media - fellowships available! Stipends cover room and board for 3, 6 or 9 week internships in Leipzig, Germany.
"Donald Trump said the United States is immediately 'terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada.'”
"Trump said on Truth Social that he made the decision in response to Ottawa imposing a digital services tax on U.S. tech firms."
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/27/trump-canada-trade-talks-tariffs.html
It's time for the EU Commission to stop eating crow and to start eating #TACO
*lol*
The difference between the US and the #UK is that the UK is lucky to have a king.
"Keir Starmer has gone against the wishes of the reigning monarch in bringing Trump’s state visit forward, despite King Charles' concerns over threats to Canada. The UK and America are expected to confirm that Donald Trump's state visit will take place in September."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/2073084/keir-starmer-defies-king-charles-trump-visit
No Space for #Bezos movement: ‘One man rents a city for three days? That’s obscene’
“we are seeing a new political grammar in which the private interests of digital capitalism and technocapitalism merge with #fascism. This is not just about Venice.”
"When #wealth itself is seen to be acting in its own interests, and it has accumulated to the degree that its impact scars every poorer life with which it comes into contact, that starts to look a lot like a class war…"
Generative AI on social media:
“It’s not just that we can get fooled by fake stuff, it’s that the very existence of it then empowers bad actors to dismiss real videos and images as fake.”
[John] Oliver said it was all “worryingly corrosive for the concept of objective reality”
#Meta has … tweaked the algorithm meaning that more than a third of content in your feed is now from accounts you don’t follow. That’s how [AI] slop sneaks in without your permission.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jun/23/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-recap-ai
This is a timely reminder: The #Resistance is not going to use google maps or any apps to navigate.
Domestication can be comfortable, but it is not conceived for the benefit of the comforted.
If you buy a 500k€ house with a 30 year mortgage, and pay *only* 750k€, then you are in debt for 250k€. Even though you've paid back what you borrowed with interest, the bank can take away your house for defaulting on your debt.
This happens in the third world all the time, and the answer is new debt to pay off the old. Life becomes so dysfunctional, people try to flee. Then Europeans get angry at them for coming where the banks are.
“Approximately 57% of [Africa’s] population – 751 million people, including nearly 288 million living in extreme poverty – reside in countries that spend more on servicing external debt than on education or healthcare.”
And who owns those banks?
#Europe is a minority opinion among humans. The world's other great powers — Russia, China, the US — all disagree with the European model.
The EU is surrounded by authoritarian countries. Within its borders, authoritarian political parties are gaining power.
It is time to admit that Europe is not inevitable. It needs defenders and it needs allies. To say that #Canada is not European is to understand nothing about what Europe is.
"I think Canada … is the most European country outside of Europe.”
Ex-Vizekanzler Sigmar Gabriel: “They are more European than some European member states.”
"If Canada would be a member of the EU, it would rank 4th in terms of GDP. It’s part of Nato."
Canada could also replace US and Russian gas.
A Harvard professor has participated in a right-wing podcast. From the podcaster's perspective, this was "legitimation by association." In other words, if you have Harvard professors on your schedule, the rest of the schedule looks more legitimate. If confrontation is avoided, then the professor comes off as supportive of right-wing views. If this is a problem for a professor, then it ought to be a problem for every politician and journalist on X-twitter.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/07/harvard-steven-pinker-aporia-podcast
“Pretty much every government I can remember has fallen back on the idea that if we can just get the economy growing, everything will be great … that’s … nonsense. We’ve had a growing economy for the last 50-odd years and most people don’t feel any better off at all."
We should make things locally, and make things to last, thereby taking better care of both our planet and local communities.
Patrick Grant, Lancashire clothing manufacturer
For weeks I have been telling reporters that #Trump could have the power to switch off our tech in #Europe. It felt a bit alarmist until I just read that #Microsoft, on the behest of the #US gov, has suspended the email account of Karim Khan, the #ICC chief prosecutor.
One of the most important international courts and a legal bulwark against #genocide, crimes against humanity, and #warcrimes is threatened by #BigTech dependency.
https://apnews.com/article/icc-trump-sanctions-karim-khan-court-a4b4c02751ab84c09718b1b95cbd5db3
#Monopoly wasn't invented by the Parker Brothers, nor the man they gave it credit for. In 1904, Monopoly was originally called The Landlord's Game, and was invented by a radical woman. Elizabeth Magie's original game had not one, but two sets of rules to choose from.
One was called "#Prosperity", where every player won money anytime another gained a property. And the game was won by everyone playing only when the person with the least doubled their resources. A game of collaboration and social good.
The second set of rules was called "Monopoly", where players succeeded by taking properties and rent from those with less luck rolling the dice. The winner was the person eliminating everyone else.
Magie's mission was to teach us how different we feel when playing Prosperity vs Monopoly, hoping that it would one day change national policies.
When the Parker Bros adopted the game, they erased the "Prosperity" rules & celebrated "Monopoly".
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/ruthless-monopolys-secret-history/
Thank you, @MarkHoltom.
I dreamt I was on a tour bus. We stopped in a village under Nazi occupation.
It was a theme park like WestWorld, but with Nazis. The tourists were very excited.
"What sharp uniforms!"
"Oh, look! An arrest with a real beating!"
"Please take a photo of me and this young thug."
Our group was getting smaller, one by one. The tour bus was gone. Finally, I realised that these were real Nazis and the victims were from the last tour.
I awoke.
‘A trickle to a tidal wave’: behind the Trump protest movement that launched on Reddit
"Another organizer, Sydney, [said] that she hadn’t organized protests before, but didn’t see anyone in her part of Pennsylvania planning a 5 February action. 'I decided to pick the ball up and do it myself. And I learned a lot extremely quickly. It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,' she said."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/27/trump-protest-movement-50501
#unplugtrump #50501 #democracy
@d_zwoelfer
yes. It is AI generated, fyi.
https://troet.cafe/@activersity Here is our German Mastodon account :)
Our two new volunteers Ana & Eva have been very active posting posters advertising our event to promote migration to decentralized social media. Thank you! 😍 We will present a strategy and how people can help. The event will be held in Leipzig, Georg-Schwarz-Straße 10 @ Pizza Lab on April 27th, 16:00-18:00.
🌈 🤸 We offer live-in stipends for activists. May and July are fully booked, but we have 3 spots in June open. Links in our bio!
"A huge 89% majority of the world’s people want stronger action to fight the climate crisis but feel they are trapped in a self-fulfilling “spiral of silence” because they mistakenly believe they are in a minority…"
