Martin Ruskov @mapto@qoto.org

Today’s voters don’t evaluate scandal as citizens: they evaluate it as fans. Democrats and Republicans both seek to punish misdeeds by the other side but rationalize them for their own team, explains a professor who has written a book on how politicians survive scandal. https://theconversation.com/voters-shrug-off-scandals-paying-a-price-in-lost-trust-271077

At least 16 people have been killed during a week of unrest in Iran, rights groups have said, as protests over soaring inflation spread across the country. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/world/rights-groups-dead-iran-protests/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #iran

Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy https://theconversation.com/can-the-us-run-venezuela-military-force-can-topple-a-dictator-but-it-cannot-create-political-authority-or-legitimacy-272683

Mine workers roadblocks and blockades joined by union reinforcements from teachers, factory workers & neighbourhood committees; in conflict about #Bolivia economic model - control of natural resources. #Labourmovement #solidarity determines if Bolivia enters a cycle of accelerated #Privatisation of #lithium #rareearth elements, and public services.
https://orinocotribune.com/bolivia-general-strike-led-by-miners-union-continues/

#COB #Cochabamba #DirectAction #GeneralStrike #LaPaz #unions

@rjblaskiewicz https://syzito.xyz/@fkamiah17/115832547375033692

5 scenarios for a post-Maduro Venezuela — and what they could signal to the wider region https://theconversation.com/5-scenarios-for-a-post-maduro-venezuela-and-what-they-could-signal-to-the-wider-region-272675

Many across the Americas woke up to the news about Venezuela with déjà vu for the US arrest of Panama’s president in 1989.

An expert on U.S.-Latin American relations explains what’s different this time: https://theconversation.com/a-predawn-op-in-latin-america-the-us-has-been-here-before-but-the-seizure-of-venezuelas-maduro-is-still-unprecedented-272664

"Two of Florida’s most iconic coral species are now functionally extinct. The 2023–2024 marine heat wave wiped out 97.8% to 100% of staghorn and elkhorn corals across nearly 400 surveyed reefs, according to marine scientists.
https://theconversation.com/2-iconic-coral-species-are-now-functionally-extinct-off-florida-study-finds-we-witnessed-the-reefs-bleaching-and-devastation-267958"

Given the Trump administration’s recent statements and policy pronouncements, European leaders no longer have any excuse for failing to map out their own long-term security strategy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/30/world/decision-time-for-europe-on-ukraine/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #volodymyrzelenskyy #russia #ukraine #russiaukrainewar #vladimirputin #europe #eu #nato #us #donaldtrump

The Future of Software Development Is Software Developers

Link: https://codemanship.wordpress.com/2025/11/25/the-future-of-software-development-is-software-developers/
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46424233

‘Ghost resorts’: as hundreds of ski slopes lie abandoned, will nature reclaim the Alps? https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/27/alps-france-skiing-snow-warming-resorts-closing-ceuze-landscape

‘When you plant something, it dies’: Brazil’s first arid zone is a stark warning for the whole country https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/dec/28/brazil-first-arid-zone-stark-warning-for-country