Longthread: Who motivates the motivators?

#Nospin: I've been a part of the movement for #climatejustice since 2007, telling stories about how we can prevent #climatechaos.
Today, I'm tired. So tired. Please: tell me a motivating story.

1/x

transl. from:

2/x

Fighting & doubting.

"The constant fight for climate justice requires a mental effort that sometimes feels impossible."

May I step out of the role of climate justice agitator, political party basher, and movement romantic for a moment, and be completely honest with you?

3/x
I'm so tired. So very tired, from nearly 13 years of climate justice activism that has accomplished far too little, or come too late. I'm tired of demonstrating and blockading, of giving loud speeches and yelling at people on panels, in newspaper articles, and on twitter.

4/x
So today, in contrast to my usual take-no-prisoners-style, no attacks on the capitalistist fundamentalist within the Green Party and big Greens, or the completely inadequate climate positions of the German Left in general, and Sahra Wagenknecht in particular.

5/x
Today no degrowth propaganda and no #DanniVive-pathos. Today for something completely different, namely, a critical reflection on the style of language and argumentation that I, as a highly privileged bourgeois white male, use in public, and usually also in this column.

Here is the thing about these 2015 conversations that many appear to have refused to move on from.

They should be a teachable moment. Sadly, aren't asking the right asks. Too many people from my neck of the woods (SE/SS) keep insisting on narratives that won't stand scrutiny.

I'll speak for the Igbo side, we are letting ourselves down in what should be a race to advance our agenda within #Nigeria

Yes, it is undeniable that there was an element of ethnic chauvinism in the coalition that came together against GEJ, but to attribute his loss simply to that factor is to completely miss the lessons of 2015, and as a result, set yourself up for another failure.

I'll talk about two of these:

First, Benue. In 2015, Benue state voted for Buhari.

No one within the set of people who keep shouting about ethnic jingoism ever seems to ask themselves why.

There are/were two reasons: first, Gabriel Suswam's government was unbelievably bad.

As of January 2015, Benue owed workers almost a year in salaries, and he never got as much as a reprimand from Abuja.

Instead, Suswam was mollycoddled by the GEJ govt.

A few more years of this and we'll be a failed state.

It is hard to imagine a radically different future for the country in which you live. But plenty of nations have flipped from prosperity into political and economic collapse, often through gross misrule.
Gross misrule is the UK's other pandemic.
And there's currently no vaccine.

The usual treatment is effective opposition. But, given the scale of the crises we now face, Labour is being remarkably quiet and passive. It should be mobilising its base in protest, while articulating a fresh and exciting political vision.

A crucial aspect of this vision is political reform:
Proportional representation, so the many can never again be dominated by the few.
Get the money out of politics.
Cut Murdoch and the other media barons down to size.
Build a new, more participatory democracy.

The crisis makes a much bolder and more radical Opposition response necessary.
It also provides an opportunity for a new politics, that wasn't there before.
Why isn't Labour grasping it?

The world must know what Jair Bolsonaro is doing to Brazil
[thread]

DECEMBER 12TH, 2019
Chinese scientists detect a new viral outbreak that, in the following month, would be reported as the “Wuhan virus”, the eighth most populous city in

The timeline of the news, however, is different from that of the facts. And there are several signs indicating that the virus was already spreading in Spain, France, and even Brazil – aside from China itself, of course – on earlier

DECEMBER 31ST, 2019
After 19 days of research upon detection of the virus, China informed the World Health Organization that a pneumonia caused by unknown sources had been reported in

JANUARY 8TH, 2020
Less than a month after the detection of the outbreak, Chinese scientists find out that the pneumonia had been caused by a new type of coronavirus.

“⌚️ 👀 started”
There are more good people than bad. The wizards and warlocks (inside term) will not allow another Satanic Evil POS control our country. Realize Soros, Clintons, Obama, Putin, etc. are all controlled by 3 families (the 4th was removed post Trump's victory).

What You Should Know About The New Lagos-Ibadan Standard Railway, Also Called Buhari-Train

Thread...

On 7th March 2017, the Vice-President, @ProfOsinbajo, in a groundbreaking ceremony, unveiled the standard Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Lagos-Ibadan line is the first part of a new 2,773km Lagos-Kano standard gauge line.

A quick reminder that the Track laying was completed on 28th March 2020, and delivery of rolling stock from CRRC Tangshan was completed in May 2020.

The Lagos-Ibadan rail line is a double-track standard gauge rail, the first of its kind in West Africa. The train covered the 156km journey between Ibadan and Lagos in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

After the official inauguration, travel time will be cut to two hours, according to a statement by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCEC), the project’s contractors.

PRESS RELEASE

FG URGES NIGERIANS TO PUT UNITY AND PEACE ABOVE ALL

The Federal Government has called on the citizens and good people of Nigeria to put unity and peace above all, especially in light of the simmering tension in Ondo and (northern regions of) Oyo States.

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni @raufaregbesola who gave the advice today in his office in Abuja, implored all citizens in the country to exercise restraint and pursue active efforts on how to use the tools of constructive dialogue, good neighbourliness and the primacy of

peace-building as ways of dousing anger and resentment that can only lead to anarchy.

In his speech, titled “A TIME TO PUT UNITY AND PEACE ABOVE ALL”, which he personally signed, Aregbesola observed that “The regrettable incidences of heightening ethnic and religious tension in

our country are, in part, outcomes of political and economic strains that have persistently defined our land and continue to exacerbate security challenges, making the task of development more traumatic.”

According to him, “Government is keenly aware and genuinely concerned about these complications that, sadly, have been sharpened by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic through the growth of anxieties about issues, life and livelihood in our communities.”

A thread on how several muslim countries work hard on fighting extremism and MB, meanwhile infiltrated media work hard on whitewashing islamistic terrorism and MB.
Note: this is NOT about being against muslims. This is about seperating criminal activity from religion. 🕊️

#SaudiArabia According to a review by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education @IMPACT_SE positive changes have been occurring in Saudi Arabia’s educational curriculum since 2016. Changes that have been accelerated in the 2020-21 curriculum👇

1⃣ A Hadith, which teaches that war between Jews and Muslims (in which Muslims will kill the Jews) is inevitable. “Historically, this Hadith has considerably influenced antisemitic attitudes in the Muslim world, so its removal from the 2020 Saudi textbooks is hugely significant"

2⃣ A text describing the evil means utilized by “Zionist forces,” such as money, women and drugs, lending to the promotion of common antisemitic tropes - removed

3⃣ A text describing that Jews have no religious-historical rights since they refused to accept Mohammed - removed

Amazing places in Nigeria you won’t believe exist in Nigeria

Retweet to educate someone

1. Gurara waterfall, Niger state

Gurara Waterfalls is located in Gurara, a local government area of Niger State, North Central Nigeria. The waterfalls is approximately 30 metres in height and it lies on the Gurara river along the Suleja-Minna Road

2. Sand dunes of Yobe
Located in Geidam, Yobe, Nigeria, these sand dunes are just like those found in Dubai 😁. You can do that desert safari in Nigeria

3.The Awhum waterfall
It is 30 metres high and is located in udi LGA,Enugu state, Nigeria.The locals believe the water has healing powers and is capable of driving away evil spirits if used. The Awhum Waterfall is also a popular tourist location in Nigeria

4.Oguta Lake
Located in Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria; within the equatorial rainforest region of Niger Delta. One part of Oguta Lake in Imo State, Nigeria is blue, the other part is brown. But they never mix

GLOBAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION - A PRIMER

We have hopefully all seen this wonderful diagram from LLNL showing the Flow Diagram of the world’s Energy Consumption in a very useful form full of diagnostic power

So how did we get to here ?

And where are we going from here ?

1. The recent history of Global Energy Consumption

Back in the 1800s the primary use of energy was to generate heat by cutting down trees and vegetation and burning them as fuel - referred to here as “Traditional Biomass”

- this was a defining feature of our World 2.0

2. And then with the advent of the Industrial Revolution fossil fuels like Coal, Oil and Gas became increasingly important

- and they started to define many of the characteristics of our World 3.0

3. Wood-burning Biomass has remained as a significant source of Energy even though its proportion has declined

4. Coal reached as high as 50% of our Energy supply and has continued to grow in absolute terms even though its proportion has shrunk to around 25%

5. Oil took over 40% of the Energy market until the Oil Shock of 1973 started changing our attitudes about the efficiency of its consumption

6. And Gas has been steadily growing its share of the market

His nickname was “Sholay”, derived from Sola, a Yoruba name. He was two years ahead of me in high school. He did something that shifted my paradigm and that has stayed with me for four decades. #NewNigeria

The Inter-House Sports Competition was one of the most prominent highlights of the school year back then. But long before the competition that particular year, I observed something unusual. #NewNigeria

Very early in the morning, Sholay would put on his yellow track suit pants and white t-shirt, and run all by himself on the tracks. It did not make sense. The inter-house competition was still several months away. #NewNigeria

The months passed, and it was time for the competition. Sholay came first at the heats and eventually won the gold medals for the 100m, 200m and 4X100m races. I was stunned. My mind made the connection between his preparation and his success. #NewNigeria

That experience made me realise that God gives all opportunities, but most are just not prepared for them. I learned that today was created yesterday. If you’re trying to be ready when you should be ready already, you’re already late. #NewNigeria

Hmmm #dekubaku w/ fem!baku fantasy AU??

Princess Katsuki is known throughout the land as being unruly, feral, and brash. No one has /ever/ seen her smile, outside of a battle or a hunt that is. She most commonly has a sneer of disgust on her face, considering-

-every person who has tried for her hand nothing more that an insignificant extra. A rumor began to circulate around the kingdom that the one who could make her laugh would be the one to marry her. The Queen, Katsuki’s mother, thought this was hilarious, and began to-

-challenge her daughter’s suitors to make Katsuki laugh. It usually ended up with them making a fool of themselves, but the princess didn’t even smile. If anything, her frown only deepened at their attempts to humor her.

The Queen is growing increasingly irritated by the failed attempts thus far. Why was her daughter so hard to please? Well, she had her own high standards as well, but it had been worth it in the end. Still, it was frustrating to watch.

“I just want her to-

-make up her mind already!” Mitsuki complained to her husband as they strolled around the castle, accompanied by their personal guard. Not that they were needed, Mitsuki was a fearsome warrior, but it was to prevent anyone from trying.

“I know, my dear,” the king-

Good evening and welcome to the live tweet feed where former @crossriverstate Governor, @LiyelImoke tours public and private properties in #calabar destroyed last weekend in a massive looting.

#EndSARS #calabarprotest

#vanpoli Vancouver's Non-Partisan Association will have a general meeting to elect a new board. Angelo Isidorou has stepped down.

But if the NPA really believes "in an inclusive, compassionate and caring city free from hate, stigma and discrimination," 7 more also have to go:

1. NPA president David Mawhinney

He oversaw Isidorou's addition to the board and signed off on a "Trumpian" press release that reads like Isidorou's work for far-right propaganda site The Post Millennial. He has refused to answer pertinent questions about extremism in his party.

2. NPA director Wes Mussio

He's an outspoken Trump & anti-mask supporter who called Dr. Henry "Dumb Bonnie." He challenged a reporter to a fight "if you are a man" & encourages people to join a far-right social media platform. He claims to be in the process of moving to Florida.

3. NPA director Dave Pasin

He echoed Trump's lies about the US election being rigged, which incited the Jan. 6 takeover of the Capitol by violent right-wing mobs. He has also attempted to defend Isidorou's use of a white supremacist gang sign, as well as Andy Ngo's "journalism."

4. NPA director Chris Wilson

Former BC bureau chief of far-right Rebel Media, which also employed well-known extremists. His videos defend Trump and white nationalist conspiracy theories. He called Catherine McKenna "Climate Barbie" and encourages "harassing" unhoused people.

Perhaps Btselem was an important element to have in Israeli society. Even when I was a soldier I respected the need for a watch group. However, over time the increasingly moved away from legitimate criticism, in favor of demonization of soldiers, Israelis, and Israel.

Today they have shown that they are no longer a rights group, but a political group that is against the state of Israel and the right of Jewish self-determination itself.

Their newest policy paper is an announcement that they have adopted a antagonistic mindset.

They claim that the entire history of Israel and all the policies and actions that occurred from it have stemmed from a principle of Jewish Supremacy. They of course mean Zionism, and I expect in future statements they will conflate the two.

Jewish Supremacy is a term long used by white supremacist, Neo-Nazi, and Antizionist groups as a talking point. Btselem has fully adopted it. It contends that Jews are racist supremacists seeking to oppress others. This is simply false framing, and is not a position held by many.

The idea that all the Israel does is under a single principle is inane to anyone who has met an Israeli. Firstly, it implies that politicians, different parties, different people, have been acting in accordance to a general plan. Israeli governments barely plan for the year.

Sometimes I wonder if we should be building certain types of African organizations with obvious gaps in people resourcing?Then I remember what my uncle and his friends did for the financial sector with MAYO and PTC.

Edtech has actually been in Africa longer than we think.

MAYO/PTC was actually the first Ed-Tech company in Nigeria and also the first place I worked and did my NYSC. We took UK accountancy and banking institute materials and used tech to modify and republish local versions of study text for students preparing for professional exams.

We also provided prep classes and corporate training. This was how we also started @SwiftaSystems, it was initially from tech training before we moved to product development and services.

For tech, we were self-taught but we created a new market for ourselves with education.

Education ALWAYS comes first before adoption when it comes to tech. We aren't doing nearly enough at the moment. Everyone wants to build products for the educated market and ignore the uneducated market. Uneducated doesn't mean formal school, it is about industry and paradigms.

Current Ed-Tech initiatives are focusing on basic education but market education is a significant opportunity. No matter how simple you think your product is to use, there will be many who will not use it until they understand the fundamentals and why it exists at all.