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#southafrica

23 posts20 participants4 posts today

This is an interesting new #OpenAccess paper looking at the intersection of energy, development, neighborhood race and class in #SouthAfrica.

They find that #Solar panel installation is by far more common in wealthy and especially white neighborhoods, and that the drop in #NighttimeLight radiance observed from #VIIRS_DNB is lowest in these neighborhoods.

They suggest that solar adoption may reduce the impact of #LoadShedding (i.e. #RollingBlackouts).

I see a few issues with their methodology, but it's nevertheless so interesting to see all these aspects combined with day and nighttime #RemoteSensing.

dx.doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/a

Continued thread

As the fascist Trump regime moves to revoke the protected status of literally millions of law abiding, mostly non-white migrants who are, effectively, refugees from US imperialism and economic predation, I think it's instructive to take a look at what type of immigrants the administration *does* want to protect and provide a pathway to US citizenship for:

theguardian.com/commentisfree/

As a white Afrikaner, I can now claim asylum in Trump’s America. What an absurdity

"Imagine my bewilderment when Donald Trump and his “first buddy”, South African-born Elon Musk, declared that we Afrikaners are a threatened species; that our black compatriots are engaged in a “genocide”; that we are victims of oppression and discrimination and as such offered special refugee status in the United States – at the very point in time that thousands of migrants to that country are being repelled or deported. The US state department is even preparing “refugee centres” in Pretoria to house these “victims”.

The criticisms and threats coming from Trump, his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and Musk outraged the majority of South Africans because the claims were patently false and were seen as unacceptable meddling with internal affairs. A section of the white population, however – the ethnic Afrikaner nationalists and separatists – welcomed the US intervention, leading to harsh exchanges with racial undertones on social and other media.

Just for the record: Afrikaners are generally better off today than prior to 1994, when they gave up political power; materially, culturally and in terms of personal freedom.

South Africa’s progressive constitution with its extensive bill of rights is intact; the rule of law is maintained and the judiciary is independent and functioning; we are a genuinely open society with free speech and media that many other democracies, especially Trump’s America, can be jealous of."

So let's review here for a second. According to the regime, hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing a country destabilized by US policy to the point that it's being run by armed gangs, Haiti, are not deserving of US protection and harboring. But specifically white Afrikaners whose rights and liberties are being protected by a coalition government in South Africa that has a better human rights record than the US does, are endangered refugees who need to actively lured to the United States and offered the smoothest possible path to US citizenship because, um, Trump read fake fascist "news" stories about white farmers having their land seized by the South African government? A thing that objectively did not happen, but probably should have given the vast racialized wealth inequality still remaining from the fallout of the white nationalist Apartheid regime that ended in 1994. Well that sure sounds "about white."

Is this policy about appeasing white nationalists littered throughout the Trump regime? Yes. Is this policy about Trump doing a favor for his billionaire South African-born nazi donor Elon Musk; a man raised under the Apartheid system? Also yes. Is all of this just straight up racism and ethno-nationalist policy? Yes yet again. Finally of course, I don't think anyone should sleep on the fact that at the precise time the Trump regime is enacting objectively white nationalist edicts to fully restore and entrench white supremacy as official government policy, these cracker fascists are actively looking to import people who liked fucking Apartheid in South Africa.

The Guardian · As a white Afrikaner, I can now claim asylum in Trump’s America. What an absurdityBy Max du Preez

South Africa gets online system for reporting data breaches

“South Africa’s Information Regulator has launched an online platform for public and private entities to report security compromises. It has instructed all organisations to report any compromises through the system. The system is accessible through ...continues

See gadgeteer.co.za/south-africa-g

A female participant in a vibrant yellow outfit with colorful patterns speaks into a microphone at a conference, seated against a blue backdrop.
GadgeteerZA · South Africa gets online system for reporting data breaches“South Africa’s Information Regulator has launched an online platform for public and private entities to report security compromises. It has instructed all
Replied in thread

As with the #Trump-#Regime, everything is transactional and thus noone in their right mind would turn themselves into a #PuppetState and sign off #UnfairTrade with the #USA.

At least #USpol and the #401k's collapsing are a good reason to firmly showcase why basing #RetirementFunds off #Stocks is a horrible idea to begin with!