The Macklemore controversy demonstrates that the cost of speaking up for Palestine is diminishing.

The Macklemore controversy demonstrates that the cost of speaking up for Palestine is diminishing.

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) is a membership organisation promoting responsible science and technology

Fire threatens Kalimantan’s rainforests. On the peatland frontlines, a group of local mothers is defending their community

In 2021 Google signed a $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, Project Nimbus. In 2024 they sacked 50 employees for protesting the contract over concerns company technology was being used to target Palestinians for murder by the IDF. The Washington Post reported that as the IDF began to obliterate Gaza they requested, and were granted, increased access to the Google AI service Vertex to assist planning and executing the genocide. It is reminiscent of the way IBM sold its services to the Nazis during the Holocaust. Loaning, maintaining and programming Hollerith tabulating machines which allowed the Nazis to target and administrate the genocide. I made a poster about this in 2019: * 09.03.2019 ## IBM AND THE HOLOCAUST

Quakers are calling on political leaders of every party to condemn the intimidation and violence seen in Dover and Portsmouth this weekend.

More than 150,000 airline passengers are stranded after ash was detected in airspace near Jakarta following the eruptions.

The Royal Mint has released a limited edition series of 50p coins to mark Star Trek’s 60th anniversary, and it comes with royal approval. (c) Royal Mint The coins are collectables, so not the sort you would see in the shop anytime soon, but all coins issued by the Royal Mint need a formal proclamation from the King to authorise them. And a few months ago, King Charles III issued a proclamation announcing that it “appears to Us desirable to order that there should be made at Our Mint a new series of coins”, and announced that a series of 50 pence coins could be minted to mark the Star Trek anniversary. In the rather narrow sense, that means they are legal tender. However, legal tender only applies to payments for debts issued by courts and paid in coins – so no, your Scottish bank notes are not legal tender. But it does mean, in theory, that someone could pay off a court-ordered debt using Star Trek coinage. Of course, it would be very silly to do so, because that coin might be 50p in legal tender, but as it’s a special collectable, it would cost you at least £20 to buy one. Which would make settling a £100 debt very expensive indeed. The other quirk is that, as the coins are legal tender, some will be subjected to next year’s Trial of the Pyx to ensure they have been correctly minted. Which means, in theory, as head of the Royal Mint, the Chancellor of the Exchequer could be found guilty of incorrectly minting Star Trek coins. The mint hasn’t made a mistake in some 400 years, so the chances are vanishingly slim, but in theory… who knows! But back to the coins, the first of the new issue features the Vulcan salute alongside the phrase “Live Long & Prosper” and “Star Trek 60,”. The second coin, available in November, showcases four spacecraft spanning different eras of the franchise: U.S.S Voyager NCC-74656, the U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701, Enterprise – NCC-1701-D and the Klingon Bird of Prey along with the phrase “Star Trek 60”. A selection of the coins will also feature colour, echoing the franchise’s own television history. When Star Trek first aired in 1966, the cast’s vivid uniforms were deliberately designed to stand out on the new colour television sets just becoming available to audiences at the time. The Royal Mint is selling the coins **here**.