Last year or the year before, when I was learning Hindi, I started watching movies in Hindi or with Hindi overdubbing. That's where I discovered the series Jamtara. I knew it was based on a true story, this is apparently the true story
‘Scamming became the new farming’: inside India’s cybercrime villages | Cybercrime | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/30/scamming-became-the-new-farming-inside-india-cybercrime-villages
"Rick Davies, the co-founder, vocalist and songwriter for the British band Supertramp, has died aged 81."
It's somewhat amusing to me that I did not know his name until now, given how formative Supertramp was for me, as a teenager; it was part of my high school music education, the school choir, and as a result, one of the things I dubbed onto cassette tape at my uncle's, who had them on CD. Pretty sure I still have my own copy of 'The Very Best of Supertramp' somewhere, too.
It's funny how that works, thinking about it now; both my dad's youngest brother and my mother's youngest brother were influential, in that regard, as the latter had a band, a studio, and most Toto and Dire Straits albums 😂
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/08/ick-davies-supertramp-frontman-co-founder-dies-aged-81
#News #Death #DeathAndTheGrabClawMachine #DontPayTheGuardian
Deutschland, ein Agrarstaat, der von der Scholle regiert wird:
„Germany’s 16 states are locked in a fierce row over when they are able to take their summer school holidays, with the southernmost two accused of permanently hogging the best slots on the grounds that their children are required to help bring in the harvest.“
Währenddessen in #Schweden:
(Nazi-)Ministersohn hängt mit Nazis.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/11/sweden-minister-right-crime-scandal
#dontpaytheguardian #sweden
For those of you who feel that mainstream US media is underreporting on the things that most concern you, a few things;
1) Verify it for yourself, don't just go by screenshots on social media, or by what other folks in your circles are complaining about;
2) Check local sources and investigate journalism outfits instead of just the broadsheets and the 24-hour news channels, and support them financially;
3) Add some international news to the mix.
--
Some suggestions for the latter;
The Associated Press
https://apnews.com
Deutsche Welle ✅
https://www.dw.com
El País in English ✅
https://english.elpais.com
France24
https://www.france24.com
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com
The Guardian ✅
https://www.theguardian.com
All of them have RSS feeds, although some are a bit harder to find. Checkmark is what I currently have in the mix.
And yes, #DontPayTheGuardian, for all the reasons listed here;
https://ngmx.com/@sindarina/110001922206762674
But their US coverage is hard to beat, and they can be read without sharing personal information.
I try to buy products with ethical labels, things that show that a product was created in a way that benefits the creators. And know that getting these ethical labels costs money, mostly because the process to becoming certified is high. Whether it's coffee, tea, clothes, or other goods, things that have had their process certified sustainable or ethical also impose burden on the company creating it
This mostly comes from these (sometimes) non-profits having high auditing costs which producers can't pass on to the consumers of these ethical goods. The consumer wants something produced ethically, and will buy something cheaper if they can't afford the more ethically produced item if it has a higher price. So large companies will force the small producers to sell their products at a loss, to stay competitive
I don't blame consumers. When I see a certified can organic kidney beans, for twice the price of the non-organic, I also need to consider whether I can afford the luxury of buying the products for a considerably higher price than the cheaper brand. And what the markup is that is going to the farmers vs the brand or wholesaler
It's a difficult puzzle 🧩
Kenya tells tea factories to cut ties with Rainforest Alliance due to costs
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/07/kenya-tells-tea-factories-to-cut-ties-with-rainforest-alliance-due-to-costs
"The UK’s largest Pride organisers have suspended political party participation in their events in 'unequivocal solidarity' with the transgender community.
In a joint statement, the organisers of Pride events in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester said the move was a 'direct call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights' after the UK supreme court ruling last month."
Yes! ✊🏻
Many things we may enjoy, coffee, tea, chocolate, among others, are farmed or processed using modern slavery. This is another, heinous example. Descendents of freed slaves, enslaved to harvest coffee sold to Starbucks, Nestlé, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Dunkin’, Illy and McDonald’s. They should be checking their supply chain, and rarely do…
‘Morally repugnant’: Brazilian workers sue coffee supplier to Starbucks over ‘slavery-like conditions’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/24/starbucks-brazil-coffee-forced-labour
#DontPayTheGuardian #modernSlavery #coffee #starbucks @starSucks #Nestlé #DouweEgberts, #Dunkin’ #Illy #McDonalds
webhat
Sindarina, Edge Case Detective
Tim
Leifur Halldór Ásgeirsson