All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Merry Christmas 2024

Merry Christmas to all my dear blogger friends, viewers and readers across the world.

Merry Christmas 2024

Santa – Kaushal Kishore

Within each heart, a Santa resides,

A heart that loves, a soul that guides…

A flicker of kindness, gentle and warm,

To share the joy, to weather the storm…

.

Some may wander, burdened and lost,

Their light dimmed by life’s weary cost…

Dreams may crumble, hopes may fade,

A quiet ache in the heart’s dark shade…

.

But just a gentle word, a helping hand,

Can reignite the spark, in the heartland…

A small act, a gesture of love shown,

Can brighten lives of those feeling alone…

.

For Christmas is a spirit, not just a day,

A life we embrace in a heartfelt way…

To spread the joy, to give and inspire,

And share the magic that will never tire…

Merry Christmas Eve 🎇 🎄 ⛄

.

–Kaushal Kishore 

 

Source: Santa – Kaushal Kishore

Denmark boosts Greenland defence after Trump repeats desire for US control

The Danish government has announced a huge boost in defence spending for Greenland, hours after US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his desire to purchase the Arctic territory.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the package was a “double digit billion amount” in krone, or at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

He described the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate”. On Monday Trump said ownership and control of the huge island was an “absolute necessity” for the US.

Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to a large US space facility and is strategically important for the US, lying on its shortest route to Europe. It has major mineral and oil reserves.

Poulsen said the package would allow for the purchase of two new inspection ships, two new long-range drones and two extra dog sled teams.

It would also include funding for increased staffing at Arctic Command in the capital Nuuk and an upgrade for one of Greenland’s three main civilian airports to handle F-35 supersonic fighter aircraft.

“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” he said.

The defence minister did not give an exact figure for the package, but Danish media estimated it would be around 12-15bn krone.

The announcement came a day after Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to Trump’s comments, saying “we are not for sale”.

But he added that Greenlanders should continue to be open for cooperation and trade, especially with their neighbours.

Analysts say that the plan has been under discussion for a long time and should not be seen as a direct response to Trump’s comments.

Until now Denmark has been very slow to expand its military capacity in Greenland, they say, but if the country is not able to protect waters around the territory against encroachments by China and Russia then US demands for greater control are likely to grow.

Army Maj Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defence Academy suggests it may have been Trump’s intention to pressure Denmark into such a move.

“It is likely to be sparked by the renewed Trump focus on the need for air and maritime control around Greenland and the internal developments in Greenland where some are voicing a will to look towards the US – a new international airport in Nuuk was just inaugurated,” he told the BBC.

“I think Trump is smart… he gets Denmark to prioritise its Arctic military capabilities by raising this voice, without having to take over a very un-American welfare system,” he said, referring to Greenland’s heavy dependence on subsidies from Copenhagen.

Trump’s original suggestion in 2019 that the US acquire Greenland, which is the world’s largest island, led to a similarly sharp rebuke from leaders there.

At the time Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederickson described the idea as “absurd”, leading Trump to cancel a state trip to the country.

He is not the first US president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted during the 1860s under the presidency of Andrew Johnson.

Source: Denmark boosts Greenland defence after Trump repeats desire for US control

Why Trump can’t take the Panama Canal back on his own – Los Angeles Times

Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic.

The president-elect is decrying the increased fees Panama has imposed to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He says if things don’t change after he takes office next month, “we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.”

Trump has long threatened allies with punitive action in hopes of winning concessions. But experts in both countries are clear: Unless he goes to war with Panama, Trump can’t reassert control over a canal the U.S. agreed to cede in the 1970s…

Source: Why Trump can’t take the Panama Canal back on his own – Los Angeles Times

Part of Arkansas book ban law is unconstitutional, federal judge rules | Arkansas | The Guardian

A federal judge ruled on Monday that sections of an Arkansas law, which sought to impose criminal penalties on librarians and booksellers for distributing “harmful” material to children, were unconstitutional.

The law, known as the Arkansas Act 372, was signed into law last year by Republican governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. It was challenged by a coalition of organizations in the state, leading to a lengthy legal battle that concluded this week.

Two sections of Act 372 subjected librarians and booksellers to jail time for distributing material that is deemed “harmful to children”. Proponents of the law, including Sanders, said the law was put in place to “protect children” from “obscene” material.

“Act 372 is just common sense: schools and libraries shouldn’t put obscene material in front of our kids,” Sanders said in a statement to KATV-TV. “I will work with Attorney General Griffin to appeal this ruling and uphold Arkansas law.”

Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) looks at a book in the main branch of the public library in downtown Little Rock, Ark., on May 23, 2023. CALS is expected to sue over the new Arkansas law that goes into effect on Aug. 1 that could impose criminal penalties on librarians who knowingly provide “harmful” materials to minors. The law also would establish a process for the public to challenge materials and ask they be relocated to a section minors can’t access. (AP Photo/Katie Adkins)
Group suing Arkansas says book ban law seeks to ‘criminalize librarians’

The governor signed the bill into law in March 2023, and a coalition of organizations in the state, including the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock and the ACLU of Arkansas, challenged it last year, saying the law was vague, overly broad and that the fear of criminal penalties would have a chilling effect on librarians across the state. A federal court temporarily blocked the enforcement of the two sections in question, while the law was being challenged in court.

The two sections that were struck down on Monday had established a criminal misdemeanor for “furnishing a harmful item to a minor”, and would have required local governments to create oversight boards to review challenged material. The organizations opposing the law argued that local officials, at their own discretion, could censor whichever books and material they pleased.

“This is a significant milestone on a long, sometimes rocky road we were obligated to travel after the passage of Act 372,” said Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, in response to Monday’s ruling.

“We took that path to protect our librarians from prosecution for doing their jobs and to prevent some local elected officials from censoring library books they did not feel were ‘appropriate’ for our patrons to read.”

Source: Part of Arkansas book ban law is unconstitutional, federal judge rules | Arkansas | The Guardian

#1 Irish business is in the circular economy – Darcy Hitchcock

Think the circular economy is just an idea? Think again. Alchemy was the top Irish business listed in the Financial Times fastest growing European businesses, 257th on the list. Alchemy enables the circular economy of tech gadgets like cellphones and tablets. They collect them, refurbish them and resell them. Their profits increased 60 percent from the previous year, over $700 million.

Their CEO, Walter Vincent’s, said,

“As we continue to expand our global footprint and invest in innovations like Callisto, our wholesale tech marketplace, we’re not just growing as a business – we’re reshaping the circular tech economy. Earlier this year, we became the first and only device refurbisher able to calculate and certify the CO2e savings of each device we sell, setting a new standard in the industry. We are dedicated to continuing to drive industry-wide change – creating innovative solutions, promoting global sustainability, and ultimately building and maintaining trust with our global partners in managing their circular business needs.”

The company’s growth is reflected in its expanded operations and global workforce. In June 2023, Alchemy opened a new facility in Miramar, Florida, marking its third US site. Globally, Alchemy has a presence in 12 countries enabling it to operate across 60 markets.

https://telecomreseller.com/2024/10/11/global-circular-technology-company-reports-711-million-revenue-fueling-circular-economy-growth/

Source: #1 Irish business is in the circular economy – Darcy Hitchcock

“Five Christmas Haiku” on Masticadores Philippines | Dawn Pisturino’s Blog

“Five Christmas Haiku” on Masticadores Philippines

 on December 24, 2024

(Photo by Clu Soh on Unsplash)

Good morning! Can you believe it’s Christmas Eve?????????

Thank you, Michelle Ayon Navajas, for publishing my five Christmas haiku on Masticadores Philippines today. It’s a great honor for which I’m very grateful. Please visit Masticadores Philippines and check them out.

Here’s the first one:

I.

“Five Christmas Haiku” on Masticadores Philippines

 on December 24, 2024

(Photo by Clu Soh on Unsplash)

Good morning! Can you believe it’s Christmas Eve?????????

Thank you, Michelle Ayon Navajas, for publishing my five Christmas haiku on Masticadores Philippines today. It’s a great honor for which I’m very grateful. Please visit Masticadores Philippines and check them out.

Here’s the first one:

I. cinnamon pine cones

air heavy with ginger-cloves

pies in the oven

~

Please click HERE to read the rest. Thank you!

~

I wish EVERYONE a beautiful and blessed Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year. But I want to send a special Christmas greeting to Derek and Lily, whom I love very much:

Source: “Five Christmas Haiku” on Masticadores Philippines | Dawn Pisturino’s Blog