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● 12.17.22

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● Links 17/12/2022: OCaml 5 is Ready

Posted in News Roundup at 10:42 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Server

=> ↺ OpenLiteSpeed vs Nginx

• One of the first – and most crucial – decisions that a website owner will need to make is what type of web server to use. The decision to host your website on a Linux system is a no brainer, but when it comes to web servers, there are a few choices and they all come with their own pros and cons. Among the most popular on Linux is NGINX and OpenLiteSpeed, both well known for their speed and ability to host concurrent connections.

• In this tutorial, we will compare NGINX and OpenLiteSpeed web servers across a few key areas. The right choice will largely come down to a site’s needs and the administrator’s preference. Our comparison of these two web servers will help you decide on which software is the better choice for hosting your website.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Hackaday Podcast 197: Decoding VHS, Engineering The TV Guardian, And Gitting Code Into Your ESP32s

• This week, Editor-in-Chief Elliot Williams and Assignments Editor Kristina Panos delighted in the aural qualities of Kristina’s brand new, real (read: XLR) microphone before embarking on creating a podcast highlighting the best of the previous week’s hacks.

Applications

=> ↺ A yearly review – My 40 most favorite apps for Linux for 2023 – Real Linux User

• The time has come again to reflect for many. We are almost at the end of 2022 and as in recent years, I want to look back and look forward to different aspects of my life. A lot has happened for me, both personally and professionally, both good and not-so-good, and I think that probably applies to everyone to some degree. On RealLinuxUser.com we talk about everything Linux related together, so here I would like to look back and look forward to Linux-related topics. As I did for the previous years, I want to look back at my Linux experiences and share with you my favorite applications you and I can use in the new year. As a Linux blogger I look at and try out a lot of different software solutions and I always do my best to write useful and valuable articles that hopefully help you in your decision-making on software selection or just help to explain how applications work, how problems can be solved, or how software can improve your life. Out of all the applications, I tried, a substantial list of applications have my real preference over other applications and I therefore regularly use them for my personal work, productivity, creativity, and whatever I further do with my Linux-based setup. So in this article, I will share my 40 most favorite applications for Linux for you to use in 2023.

=> ↺ 15 Best Note Taking Apps for Linux System

• Are you a Linux user who’s looking for the best Note Taking app to make your life easier? Look no further! We’ve rounded up the top Note Taking apps that are perfect for Linux users. From simple note-taking solutions to powerful productivity tools, these apps will help you organize and keep track of your ideas, thoughts, and projects. So, buckle up, and let’s dive into the world of Note Taking apps for Linux.

=> ↺ Travel back in time with the mc file manager on Linux | Opensource.com

• In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, there was a popular file manager for DOS called Norton Commander. It was beloved by many computer users of the day, but it fell out of favor as graphical file managers became the default. Fortunately for fans of the original commander, and those who missed out on the original, an open source file manager with a similar design was released, called Midnight Commander or, more commonly, just mc.

=> ↺ Best Ubuntu backup software

• Although Ubuntu Linux is known for being a very stable operating system, it can’t protect your files against a failing hard drive or other components that can corrupt your files. Therefore it is always a good idea to regularly create backups. There are many types of backup software, and many possible backup strategies which can be implemented on Ubuntu using free and open source software, so how do you pick the best one?

• In this tutorial, we have compiled a list of our favorite backup tools for Ubuntu Linux. These days, backup programs are easy to use and will give you the peace of mind you need when it comes to the longevity of your data. Check out our picks below to find one that suits you best. Give them a try. You might be surprised.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ How to partition USB drive in Linux

• In order to access a USB drive on Linux, it needs to have one or more partitions on it. Since USB drives are usually relatively small, and only used for temporary storage or to easily transfer files, the vast majority of users will choose to configure just one partition that spans the entire USB disk. However, you can also logically separate the USB drive into different sections if you wanted to use multiple partitions.

• In this tutorial, we will cover the step by step instructions to partition a USB drive on a Linux system. You will also learn how to create new partitions, delete partitions, and to shrink or expand existing partitions on the USB drive. You will see the steps for both command line and GUI methods, so you can follow along with set of instructions you are most comfortable with. Let’s get started.

=> ↺ How to Install FreeFileSync on Ubuntu 22.04

• In this tutorial, we will cover how to install FreeFileSync on Ubuntu 22.04 step-by-step. It is an open-source file synchronization & backup tool.

=> ↺ How To Change Hostname on Rocky Linux 9 – idroot

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to change the hostname on Rocky Linux 9. For those of you who didn’t know, In the Linux operating system, the hostname is a name that is assigned to a device (such as a computer or server) that is connected to a network. The hostname is used to identify the device on the network and is usually a combination of letters and numbers. In this case, we can assign a unique hostname to each machine to remember them easily. Hostname also allows each machine to communicate using the device name rather than the IP address.

• This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step change of hostname on Rocky Linux. 9.

=> ↺ How to Install Linux Kernel 6.1 on AlmaLinux EL9 or EL8

• On December 11, 2022, Linux Kernel 6.1 was released with a significant new addition – initial Rust language support in mainline Kernel. This release has been highly anticipated by users who seek to increase security and memory-safe code. While performance enhancements are typically in a Linux Kernel release, this may be especially desired for users with new hardware that is unsupported or has issues in their current Linux distribution Linux kernel.

• Specific Linux distribution, such as AlmaLinux, is known for providing long-term stability. However, the latest Kernel requires installation from a third-party source such as ELRepo unless you are comfortable compiling it yourself. For most users, dealing with the frequent release of minor updates that can occur almost weekly using a well-known repository that supports the latest Linux Kernels, such as ELRepo, comes in handy and is recommended.

• As discussed in the introduction, the best option is to use the ELRepo repository, which has an excellent reputation amongst EL9 and EL8 distributions such as CentOS, Oracle, Rocky Linux, etc. The following tutorial will show you how to import the ELRepo for AlmaLinux 9 or AlmaLinux 8 desktop or server using cli commands for the users that require to update their Kernel for better hardware support.

=> ↺ How to install Ubuntu on USB Stick

• Installing Ubuntu Linux onto a USB stick will allow you to have a portable operating sysem that you can plug into any computer. This differs from a live environment USB, as installing Ubuntu directly to a USB stick will create a persistent operating system, the same way it does when you install to a typical hard disk. However, the process of installing Ubuntu to USB is not the same as a usual hard drive.

• There are some differences in the installation process and important caveats to keep in mind if you plan to install Ubuntu to a USB stick. We will go over those in the sections below. In this tutorial, we will cover the step by step instructions to install Ubuntu Linux to a USB flash drive.

=> ↺ How to Install Vivaldi Browser on Ubuntu 22.10/22.04/20.04

• Vivaldi is a powerful and innovative browser attracting considerable attention among Ubuntu desktop users as a strong contender to replace the default installed Firefox browser. It came about after the developers of Opera decided to switch from their successful Presto engine to the Chromium-based browser; many traditional Opera fans were understandably upset at this transition, which resulted in an upsurge in interest in Vivaldi as an alternative option. Even though it is relatively new, its popularity has proved highly significant, with many computer users now considering it an important competitor against Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. A range of unique tools and features make Vivaldi an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable Internet browsing experience.

• In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Vivaldi on Ubuntu 22.10 Kinetic Kudu, 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish, and 20.04 Focal Fossa using the command line terminal and also the option of Vivaldi stable or Vivaldi snapshot browser versions.

=> ↺ Yes! You Can Install Unity Desktop on Arch Linux. Here’s How! – It’s FOSS

• Several years after Ubuntu abandoned the Unity desktop environment, a few volunteers put effort to release a new version 7.6. Heck! Their Ubuntu Unity project is now an official Ubuntu flavor.

• If you liked the Unity desktop and want to try it again, you don’t necessarily have to use Ubuntu Unity. Arch Linux users have a way to install it.

=> ↺ How to Install ModSecurity 3 with Nginx on Fedora 37/36

• ModSecurity, often referred to as Modsec, is a free, open-source web application firewall (WAF). ModSecurity was created as a module for the Apache HTTP Server. However, since its early days, the WAF has grown and now covers an array of HyperText Transfer Protocol request and response filtering capabilities for various platforms such as Microsoft IIS, Nginx, and Apache.

• How the WAF works, the ModSecurity engine is deployed in front of the web application, allowing the engine to scan the incoming and outgoing HTTP connections. ModSecurity is most commonly used in conjunction with the OWASP Core Rule Set (CRS), an open-source set of rules written in ModSecurity’s SecRules language, and is highly regarded in the security industry.

=> ↺ How to install Docker on AlmaLinux 9 Linux? – Linux Shout

• We have covered the installation steps for setting up Docker packages on Almalinux 9 using the command terminal in this tutorial.

• Almalinux 9 is the latest server Linux distro based on RedHat code. We can easily configure Docker on Almalinux 9 to run container service. Container service is slightly different than our regular VirtualBox or Vmware Desktop Virtualization.

• In Docker, the OS images are lightweight, hence easy to install and consume fewer resources. Further, they run virtual containers at native speed. Many cloud services offer Alamlinux, hence let’s know how to use it for working with Docker Containers.

=> ↺ OpenLiteSpeed as reverse proxy

• In this tutorial, you will learn how to configure OpenLiteSpeed as a reverse proxy server. A system that sits between a client and a web server (or servers) can be configured as a reverse proxy. The proxy service acts as a frontend and works by handling all incoming client requests and distributing them to the backend web, database, and/or other server(s). The advantages of a reverse proxy become most apparent under high traffic conditions or situations where multiple backend servers are deployed and need some form of load balancing.

• Follow along with us below as we take you through the step by step instructions to configure OpenLiteSpeed as a reverse proxy server on a Linux system. OpenLiteSpeed can act as our central point for incoming connections and provide us with load balancing, central logging, improved security, and better performance. We will set up OpenLiteSpeed as a reverse proxy for our Apache backend in the steps below.

=> ↺ OpenLiteSpeed htaccess setup

• One of the most alluring features of OpenLiteSpeed is that it is highly compatible with Apache, so web admins migrating from Apache web server to OpenLiteSpeed will not have to spend much time converting their configuration. When using the Apache web server, .htaccess files (also called “distributed configuration files”) are used to specify configuration on a per-directory basis, or more generally to modify the behavior of the Apache web server without having to access virtual hosts files directly (this is usually impossible for example, on shared hosts).

• Although .htaccess files were developed with Apache in mind, OpenLiteSpeed also has the ability to read them. This makes OpenLiteSpeed able to act as a drop in replacement for those wishing to migrate from Apache. In order for OpenLiteSpeed to recognize .htaccess files, the pertinent setting must be enabled. In this tutorial, you will see how to enable htaccess support in OpenLiteSpeed on a Linux system.

=> ↺ Ubuntu server tutorial for beginners

• Most people probably know of Ubuntu as a desktop operating system. But Ubuntu’s massive popularity and strong footing in the Linux community have allowed Canonical to produce a very viable server edition and still maintain their desktop release. Ubuntu Server is a great choice if you are looking for an operating system for your production servers such as web servers, database servers, file servers, etc. It is free, stable, scalable, and has optional support plans.

• After downloading Ubuntu Server and installing the operating system, there is some initial setup and configuration that administrators should do. In this tutorial, we will guide you through some of the most common tasks that beginners should know about, so you can get your Ubuntu Server up and running smoothly.

=> ↺ How to make a bootable USB from an ISO in Linux

• The purpose of this tutorial is to make a bootable USB drive from an ISO file. USB drives have recently overtaken CDs and DVDs as the primary media of physically distributed software. It is now a common task for system administrators and normal users to install operating systems and software via USB.

• When you download a Linux distro, chances are that it will come as an ISO file and you will need to burn it to USB in order to install Linux on a computer. This allows you to boot directly into the Linux installer. Similarly, we can also put other software on the USB drive, assuming that the installer is distributed as an ISO file.

• In this tutorial, you will see the step by step instructions to create a bootable USB from an ISO file on a Linux system. We will cover the steps for both command line and GUI on major Linux distros.

=> ↺ A Tale of “More” and “Less” Commands in Linux

• Linux users often use “more” and “less” commands interchangeably to read large files without understanding their differences, as their definitions are also identical in the manual.

• So, what’s their difference, and when should you use them? All of this doubt will be cleared in this article, including how to effectively use them with practical examples.

• But first, let’s start with their definition:

• The more command is used to read large files by displaying one page at a time and scrolling up and down through pages; you can even pipe it with other commands like cat.

=> ↺ Search for packages in Ubuntu using the apt search

• To install a package, knowing the exact name of the package is necessary.

• Such as to install apache in Ubuntu, you can not use sudo apt install apache. You will have to specify the apache2 instead of plain apache.

• And I have encountered many errors like this and that’s why I came up with this guide so you don’t have to.

=> ↺ ttyd – Share Linux Terminal Over Web Browser

• This guide features a nifty program called ttyd which allows you to share your Linux terminal over a web browser.

• Ttyd is a simple command-line utility used for sharing your Linux terminal over a web browser. It is a cross-platform and fully-featured terminal built on top of libuv and WebGL2 Javascript API for performance and SSL support based on OpenSSL.

• In this guide, we will demonstrate how to install ttyd on Linux using source tarball and snap tool.

Distributions and Operating Systems

BSD

=> ↺ FreeBSD vs GNU/Linux: What’s the difference

• Every person in the tech industry or those that have spent some time tinkering with computers has heard of GNU/Linux. When it comes to FreeBSD, far less people are aware of its existence and not a lot of users (or even system administrators) understand the difference between the two operating systems. The most likely scenario of how you wound up here is that you have used Linux for a while, and are now wondering if FreeBSD is better or if it is a good idea to switch.

• In this article, we will shed some light on FreeBSD vs GNU/Linux, as we compare the operating systems across a few key areas to help you understand the differences between them. You will find that the two systems have a lot in common, but also substantial differences once you get past the superficial similarities. Join us below as we go into the details of these two operating systems, ultimately helping you choose which one would be better for your needs.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Kids’ Jukebox Based On Arduino With RFID

• Consumer electronics aimed at young children tend to be quite janky and cheap-looking, and they often have to be to survive the extreme stress-testing normal use in this situation. You could buy a higher quality item intended for normal use, but this carries the risk of burning a hole in the pockets of the parents. To thread the needle on this dilemma for a child’s audiobook player, [Turi] built the Grimmboy for a relative of his.

=> ↺ Antenna Mount Designed For On-The-Go SDR

• Software-defined radio is all the rage these days, and for good reason. It eliminates or drastically reduces the amount of otherwise pricey equipment needed to transmit or even just receive, and can pack many more features than most affordable radio setups otherwise would have. It also makes it possible to go mobile much more easily. [Rostislav Persion] uses a laptop for on-the-go SDR activities, and designed this 3D printed antenna mount to make his radio adventures much easier.

=> ↺ Foot Pedal Ups Vim Productivity, Brings Ergonomic Benefits

• Vim is the greatest or the worst text editor of all time, depending on the tribe you’re in. Either way, members of both camps can appreciate this build from [Chris Price], which uses a foot pedal to ease operations for the user.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Programming/Development

OCaml

=> ↺ OCaml 5.0.0 is out! – Ecosystem – OCaml

• We have the pleasure of celebrating the birthdays of Jane Austen and Arthur C. Clarke by announcing the release of OCaml version 5.0.0.

• The highlight of this new major version of OCaml is the long-awaited runtime support for shared memory parallelism and effect handlers.

• This multicore support is the culmination of more than 8 years of effort, and required a full rewrite of the OCaml runtime environment. Consequently, OCaml 5.0.0 is expected to be a more experimental version of OCaml than the usual OCaml releases.

• In this release, the native compiler only supports the x86-64 and arm64 architectures. In terms of operating systems, Linux, the BSDs, macOS and mingw64 on Windows are supported.

• We are planning to restore the support for most previously supported architectures and operating systems, and address remaining known issues over the course of the next year.

• Don’t let those words of caution hinder your experimentation with OCaml 5: OCaml 5 as a language is fully compatible with OCaml 4 down to the performance characteristics of your programs. In other words, any code that works with OCaml 4 should work the same with OCaml 5.

Leftovers

=> ↺ Opinion | Can Colombia Show the Rest of the World How to Tax the Rich?

• The politics of austerity suffered a significant setback in Colombia. After three months of debate and negotiations, President Gustavo Petro achieved a major legislative triumph in November when Congress passed his ambitious tax reform bill. 

=> ↺ Bach Laughs

• My father taught me how to read music and to play all my major and minor my scales at the family keyboard, and it was he who showed me how to play records on the turntable.  The first one I can remember putting on myself was a Columbia LP of the Russian virtuoso David Oistrakh playing Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. To my seven-year-old self, the performance captured on that disc seemed ancient, as if it came from Bach’s own lifetime, even though the classic recording was made in 1956, then not yet two decades distant.

=> ↺ The Electric Car Could Finally Put AM Radio Out To Pasture

• There’s a long way to go before the electric car revolution even comes close to the version that currently exists in everybody’s heads. Getting enough rare-Earth minerals to ramp up EV production at the scale most have in mind will be a big challenge. Then there are other issues related to safety thanks to EVs’ incredible acceleration combined with higher-end EVs incredible weight.

=> ↺ Drag Queens Were Targeted by the Proud Boys. Whom Did the Police Support?

• In November, the First Unitarian Universalist Church and Red Oak Community School in Columbus, Ohio, announced a “Holi-Drag Storytime” event where drag queens would read books to children and perform holiday-themed dances. “We value social justice and inclusivity and believe that creating a more equitable world for all people requires us to begin this work at a young age,” wrote the school. “When young children are raised with these values, it prevents bullying, hate and fear of ‘others’ later in life.”

Hardware

=> ↺ What Happens When Implants Become Abandonware?

• You’ve probably had a company not support one of your devices as long as you’d like, whether it was a smart speaker or a phone, but what happens if you have a medical implant that is no longer supported? [Liam Drew] did a deep dive on what the failure of several neurotechnology startups means for the patients using their devices.

=> ↺ Battery Engineering Hack Chat Gets Charged Up

• Turn the clock back a couple of decades, and the only time the average person would have given much thought to batteries was when the power would go out, and they suddenly needed to juice up their flashlight or portable radio.  But today, high-capacity batteries have become part and parcel to our increasingly digital lifestyle. In fact, there’s an excellent chance the device your reading this on is currently running on battery power, or at least, is capable of it.

=> ↺ A Simple High-Fidelity DIY Mic Pre Amp

• If you’re doing any serious work with microphones, you’ll typically find yourself in want of a dedicated preamp. [ojg] needed just such a thing for acoustic measurement duties, and set about working up a cheap DIY design by the name of ThatMicPre.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Still alive after the month of Hell. (COVID and Shingles) | BaronHK’s Rants

• If you can avoid COVID, avoid COVID. It’s probably not worth doing whatever it was that got you infected.

• I get that people have to go to work, but we all need to continue to be vigilant and not take any extra stupid risks.

• According to the CDC, I outlasted 97% of Americans as far as when COVID hit me the first time. I have no doubt that some day I’ll likely get it again, but I’d rather minimize it.

• There are people out there getting it 3-4 times per year, and not even treating it with pills, and by that point it’s just absolutely devastated their body, and you can tell by talking to them that they’re not right anymore. Not good.

• I keep rubber gloves in my car for the gas pump, hand sanitizer, we still wear face masks if we do go somewhere even if those around us don’t, and I don’t do any of my grocery shopping in the store anymore.

• But it’s a given that my spouse has to work in person and the customers and coworkers are idiots who don’t understand that they are playing with fire. If I get it again, that’ll be why.

• Now that I know how it’s likely to play out, I do plan to always have some COVID tests on hand so if I feel weird at all I can test and get to the medicine quickly, and I’m going to have a bottle of Valtrex ready to go so that if HSV or VZV outbreak follows, I can start on it as soon as the first blister appears.

• I’ll at least have the advantage of it not being my first time down at the rodeo.

Security

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Looking Forward and Back at the California State Legislature

• EFF supported three bills—A.B. 2091, A.B. 1242, and S.B. 107–that were signed into law and take steps to set California as a data sanctuary state for anyone seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care. Authored by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, and California State Senator Scott Wiener, these bills will protect people by forbidding health care providers and many businesses in California from complying with out-of-state warrants seeking information about reproductive or gender-affirming care.

• Health privacy has always been important to EFF. While we are not focused on reproductive justice or gender-affirming care advocacy, we joined those advocacy communities in support of these bills because no one should fear receiving a medical procedure because of privacy risks. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, the increasing criminalization of health care makes protecting health privacy newly important.

• In addition to these three bills, EFF supported A.B. 2089, authored by Asm. Bauer-Kahan, which was signed into law by Gov. Newsom. This bill extends the protections of the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) to information generated by mental health apps—previously a glaring hole in medical privacy protections.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ The Madness of Nuclear Warfare Is Alive and Well in America

• Retired Air Force lieutenant colonel William Astore gives a rundown of this country’s nuclear “triad” and what it all adds up to these days.

=> ↺ How the War Machine Took Over the Democrats w/ Dennis Kucinich

• There was once a wing of the Democratic Party that stood up to the war industry. J. William Fulbright, George McGovern, Gene McCarthy, Mike Gravel, William Proxmire, and, of course, Dennis Kucinich. But that was largely decades ago. The new Democrats, especially […]

=> ↺ Pentagon Admits They Can’t Account for Half Their Assets

• “The Defense Department has failed its fifth-ever audit, unable to account for more than half of its assets…”

=> ↺ New additions to Russia’s list of ‘foreign agents’ include LGBTQ and environmental defense groups — Meduza

• The Russian Ministry of Justice updated its list of “foreign agents.” This week’s additions include:

=> ↺ Russian courts begin sentencing for desertion and AWOL during mobilization — Meduza

• Russian courts have issued the first sentences based on laws about desertion and abandoning a unit without authorization during the period of mobilization and combat operations. The publication Mediazona discovered the sentencings on military courts’ websites.

=> ↺ Russia reportedly sending Crimea residents to prisons outside of peninsula — Meduza

• Multiple Crimea residents prosecuted for criminal offenses under Russian law have been sent to penal colonies outside of the peninsula, the Ukrainian outlet Grati has reported.

=> ↺ ‘You Don’t Get to Lead a Government You Tried to Destroy’: House Dems Move to Block Trump 2024 Run

• More than 40 House Democrats introduced legislation Thursday aiming to bar former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot, citing the 14th Amendment clause prohibiting insurrectionists from holding federal office.

• “Donald Trump very clearly engaged in an insurrection on January 6, 2021 with the intention of overturning the lawful and fair results of the 2020 election,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), the lead sponsor of the new bill, said in a statement. “You don’t get to lead a government you tried to destroy.”

=> ↺ Only 11 Senators Voted “No” on $858 Billion Military Budget

=> ↺ ‘A Moral and Political Disgrace’: Just 11 Senators Vote No on $858 Billion Military Budget

• In an overwhelming bipartisan vote late Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation authorizing $858 billion in military spending for Fiscal Year 2023, a sum that drew dissent from just a handful of lawmakers and outrage from watchdogs who said the money should be spent on fighting the climate emergency, poverty, and other pressing crises.

• The $858 billion budget amounts to a roughly 10% increase from the previous year and $45 billion more than the historic sum President Joe Biden requested, and it was approved even after the Pentagon failed yet another audit, unable to account for more than 60% of its assets.

=> ↺ Despite US Opposition, UN Passes Resolution Condemning Death Penalty

• President Joe Biden’s stated opposition to the death penalty did not stop the United States from joining Saudi Arabia, Iran, and North Korea in voting against a United Nations resolution supporting a worldwide moratorium on the practice on Thursday, leading critics to question once again whether the president will make good on his campaign pledge to eliminate capital punishment in his own country.

• The resolution passed in a vote of 125-37 with 22 abstensions, but as it has in the past when a proposed death penalty moratorium has come up for a vote at the U.N., the U.S. delegation did not aid its passage. 

=> ↺ Opinion | What Do Ukrainians Want? Not an Uncompromising Battle That Puts Them in Grave Danger

• Since negotiations with Russia ended in late March, the president of Ukraine has  proclaimed a goal of uncompromising victory: “Free our entire territory. Drive the occupiers out of all our regions.” The battle to achieve this victory has relied on a vast surge of military equipment, of steeply increasing sophistication, destructiveness and reach, provided by the United States, in military aid in  excess  of $15 billion. How well does the uncompromising battle fit Ukrainians’ desires? Not well enough to justify the U.S. government’s encouragement and support.

=> ↺ US Weapons Makers Set to Profit as Japan Readies $320 Billion Military Buildup

• In a significant departure from its postwar national security strategy—nominally limited to self-defense along with hosting U.S. troops—Japan on Friday announced its plan to embark on a five-year, $320 billion military buildup to secure offensive strike capacity amid growing regional tensions.

• Japan “faces the severest and most complicated national security environment” since the end of World War II, according to the new blueprint unveiled by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s conservative government, which named China as its “biggest strategic challenge,” followed by North Korea.

=> ↺ ‘We’re not part of Russia at all’ How a new law from Moscow turned neighbor against neighbor in a remote Siberian village — Meduza

=> ↺ Biden, Like Trump, Derails Effort to End US Support for Saudi War in Yemen

Transparency/Investigative Reporting

=> ↺ Federal Agencies Keep Rejecting FOIA Requests for Their Procedures for Handling FOIA Requests

• Government Attic, a website that regularly files FOIA requests and posts the provided records, estimates that at least 60 percent of federal agencies, when faced with filling requests for FOIA standard operating procedures (SOP), claimed that the documents are in draft form and exempt from disclosure or that they don’t have any such records at all. 

• FOIA is one of the key mechanisms for government transparency. EFF regularly uses FOIA and state public records laws in its work, including to learn about policy making and implementation, expose local police surveillance, and protect the public’s right to know what the government is doing. 

• FOIA requests are rarely processed within the 20-workday time frame required under federal law. A lot of agencies have a lot of backlog to address; the Central Intelligence Agency, for one, reports having more than 1000 requests in queue for processing. As part of the annual Chief FOIA Officer reports submitted by government agencies to the Department of Justice, agencies are supposed to offer some transparency around how the FOIA offices process requests and the work they did to try to improve their workflows. The standard operating procedures (SOPs) for FOIA offices are regularly mentioned in these reports. 

Environment

=> ↺ Tapping Out Our Planet

=> ↺ Heritage Foundation Hosts UK Climate Science Denier at Event Opposing ‘Green Energy’

• An influential US think tank has hosted a well-known UK climate science denier at an event attacking what one speaker called Europe’s “socialist” net zero policies. 

• The Heritage Foundation panel event on December 8, called “Lessons for America from Europe’s Green Energy Disaster”, featured Benny Peiser, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), the UK’s main climate science denial group. 

=> ↺ California Approves Blueprint to Become Carbon Neutral by 2045

• California regulators on Thursday unanimously greenlighted a blueprint to cut planet-heating emissions by 85% and get the state to carbon neutrality by 2045, a plan that climate campaigners framed as flawed but still a major step in the right direction.

• “This board is starting to show some real climate leadership.”

Energy

=> ↺ Gazprom ‘Anticipates’ Further North Sea Gas Exploration Amid Bumper Profits

• Gazprom expects to continue exploring for new reserves in the North Sea, having paid itself a £28 million dividend from drilling operations in the area, its latest accounts show.

• Subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned gas giant still have stakes in multiple fields more than nine months after the invasion of Ukraine began and despite its chief executive being under UK sanctions.

=> ↺ Phantom Gas and Missing Documents Reveal Gaps in Utility Oversight

• When Gary Dye, a former engineer with Oregon’s largest gas utility, began blowing the whistle on alleged unethical behavior by his employer, he never dreamed his nearly two-dozen complaints would amount to nothing.

• He filed 21 internal complaints in 2012, then bumped them up to the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), the group that regulates utilities in the state, later that year. There, he met with OPUC staff in person and exchanged emails with Lori Koho, then OPUC’s senior official overseeing natural gas utilities. He hoped that his list of complaints would show “how the unethical culture [at NW Natural] goes all the way to the top,” as one of his emails to Koho explains.

Finance

=> ↺ Neoliberalism and Its Discontents

• All through the 1980s and 1990s, professorial mountebanks like James Q. Wilson and Charles Murray grew plump from best sellers about the criminal, probably innate, propensities of the “underclass,” about the pathology of poverty, the teen predators, the collapse of morals, the irresponsibility of teen moms. […]

=> ↺ Opinion | Combatting Economic Inequality Is a Key Democratic Value

• More than a decade after Occupy Wall Street, inequality remains a major political issue in the world today. Most people agree that inequality is too extreme and needs to be reduced.

=> ↺ Big Tech Has Rigged the Game Against Artists

• In their new book, “Chokepoint Capitalism,” Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow examine Big Tech’s takeover of the creative labor market.

=> ↺ Russian Central Bank warns of growing labor shortage caused by mobilization — Meduza

• In a press release following its final meeting of the year, Russia’s Central Bank warned that the country’s “labor shortage is growing in many sectors” due to mobilization.

=> ↺ For-Profit Childcare Chains Showered Manchin in Cash After He Blocked Universal Care

• As child care centers across the U.S. were closing or struggling to stay open last year and appealing to the Democratic Party to pass far-reaching aid for the industry and families as part of the Build Back Better Act, a coalition of deep-pocketed nationwide chains was working to ensure the families they serve would not benefit from the legislation, fearing reduced profits.

• In a report on private equity firms taking interest recently in investing in child care chains such as Bright Horizons and Primrose Schools, The New York Times noted on Friday that several nationwide for-profit chains used their lobbying arm, the Early Care and Education Consortium, to express concerns to lawmakers about Build Back Better (BBB), the Biden administration’s domestic spending plan.

=> ↺ Opinion | Understanding Corporate Power and Inflation

• Few economists would deny that supply-side disruptions have been a significant driver of inflation. Rising input costs and shortages created real constraints for corporations and prevented them from fully accommodating strong demand for consumer goods, such as automobiles and furniture, as the global economy emerged from the pandemic. Supply chain issues also slowed production and made it more difficult to get goods into the hands of consumers.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Senate Passes Massive $858 Billion NDAA

• The spending bill now heads to President Biden’s desk.

=> ↺ Russian lawmaker drafts bill to criminalize repeat violations of anti-LGBTQ censorship laws — Meduza

• Russian State Duma Deputy Nina Ostanina, who heads the parliament’s Committee on Family Issues, has reportedly drafted a bill that would criminalize repeat violations of Russia’s ban on LGBTQ+ “propaganda.” Current legislation categorizes violations of the ban as misdemeanor offenses.

=> ↺ Rightwash

=> ↺ Death Toll From Peru Protests Tops 20 as ‘Coup’ Government Extends Castillo’s Jail Term

• Peruvian human rights defenders said Friday that the death toll has risen to 21 in nationwide protests sparked by the ouster and jailing of leftist President Pedro Castillo, whose pretrial imprisonment term was extended to 18 months by the Andean country’s high court.

• “It’s becoming clear that early elections will not be enough to quiet the protests.”

=> ↺ A Massacre in Peru: Death Toll Tops 17 as Protests Mount After Ouster & Jailing of President Castillo

• Mass protests are intensifying in Peru following the ouster and jailing of President Pedro Castillo, who was impeached on December 7 after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. At least 17 protesters have been killed in the unrest as police have attacked crowds with tear gas and live ammunition. On Thursday, a judicial panel ruled that Castillo should remain locked up for 18 months of pretrial detention, and Castillo’s successor, his former vice president, Dina Boluarte, has declared a state of emergency across the country, suspending some civil rights. Peruvian sociologist Eduardo González Cueva calls the government’s heavy-handed response “a coup within a coup” and says dissatisfaction with the entire political establishment is driving the protests. “This is no longer about Castillo personally,” he says. “This is about the people of Peru who do not see themselves represented in this political system and are calling for a very radical change.”

=> ↺ The MAGA Congress—and Its New BFFs (Best Fascist Friends)

• Since the end of the 2022 election cycle, political analysts have increasingly been writing Donald Trump’s political obituary, describing the former president as a washed-up force. Trump, the argument goes, is weakened by the electoral loss of many of the candidates he recruited and endorsed—most notably Herschel Walker in his failed senatorial bid in Georgia. According to a Washington Post analysis, “Trump’s seclusion within the ornate walls of his club and a series of controversies—from the dinner with antisemites Ye and Nick Fuentes to a social media post suggesting the ‘termination’ of the Constitution—have left him increasingly isolated within his party as he tries to mount a political comeback. Walker’s loss in a Tuesday runoff election became the latest blow, prompting more Republicans to join the chorus faulting him for dragging down the party’s performance in this year’s midterms.”

=> ↺ One-and-a-Half Cheers for Comrade Josh Hawley

• Josh Hawley is right.

=> ↺ A 21st Century Resource War: Emira Woods on How Racism, Extraction & Militarism Are Devastating Africa

• President Biden has pledged $55 billion to Africa over the next three years, announced during a three-day summit in Washington with leaders from 49 African nations. The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit was held as the United States is trying to counter the growing influence of China and Russia across the continent. President Biden also announced plans to visit sub-Saharan Africa next year for the first time as president, and expressed support for the African Union to join the G20 and for Africa to have permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council. We speak with Emira Woods, the executive director of the Green Leadership Trust and an ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity. She says both Democratic and Republican administrations have seen Africa primarily as a place of geopolitical competition over resources. “What you see is that people on whose land those resources lie continue to be rendered invisible,” Woods says.

=> ↺ Biden, Like Trump Before Him, Derails Effort to End U.S. Support for Saudi War in Yemen

• A new UNICEF report finds that over 11,000 children have been killed or injured in the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war in Yemen since 2015. A six-month ceasefire between warring parties expired in October. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders withdrew a Senate resolution Tuesday that would have ended U.S. support for the war, following pressure from the White House. Sanders said he would bring the resolution back if they could not reach an agreement. Shireen Al-Adeimi, a Yemeni American assistant professor at Michigan State University and a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute, says many Democrats who decried U.S. support for the Saudi coalition when it was seen as “Trump’s war” have now fallen silent despite the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. “The situation on the ground is so volatile that this War Powers Resolution is absolutely essential,” says Al-Adeimi.

=> ↺ Hungary gets cracking: 870 million euros’ worth Russian assets have been seized

=> ↺ Report: Partygoers at Mar-a-Lago Were Within Feet of Classified White House Docs

=> ↺ Virginia Democrats Call on Senate to Finally Certify Equal Rights Amendment

=> ↺ Ron DeSantis Is a Case Study in the Threat of Fascism in the US

=> ↺ Trump Is “Guilty of a Crime,” Says GOP Jan. 6 Committee Member Adam Kinzinger

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ ‘Red Line’ Crossed: EU Official Threatens Sanctions After Musk Suspends Journalists

• A European Union official on Friday denounced Elon Musk for suspending several journalists from Twitter and warned the social media site’s billionaire owner, a self-described champion of free speech, that his attack on press freedom is likely to result in sanctions.

• Taking to the platform, E.U. Commissioner for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová wrote: “News about [the] arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. E.U.’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our Media Freedom Act. Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.”

=> ↺ Elon Tries (Badly) To Defend The Banning Of Journalists As Twitter Starts Blocking Links & Mentions Of Mastodon

• Look, I fucking warned Elon that this is exactly how it would go. It’s how it always goes.

=> ↺ Free Speech Watchdogs Condemn Elon Musk for Suspending Journalists From Twitter

=> ↺ “Lay Off the Proto-Fascism”: AOC Flames Musk for Banning Accounts on Twitter

=> ↺ Yes, Elon Musk Is Fucking Up Twitter; But No, The Government Has No Business Getting Involved

• So, yes, I’ve written a few things now on Elon’s silly excuses for his frantic speedrun through the content moderation learning curve. It’s getting more mainstream press because of journalist accounts getting banned (including, this morning, Insider’s Linette Lopez, who did not post any “doxing” info but has reported critically on Musk for years, which lead to him harassing her).

=> ↺ ‘An Attack on Free Expression’: Musk Under Fire for Suspending Journalists From Twitter

• Twitter CEO Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, suspended a number of journalists from the social media platform on Thursday in what the ACLU condemned as “an attack on free expression” that should be reversed.

• Musk justified his decision by claiming those suspended—including Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, Micah Lee of The Intercept, Ryan Mac of The New York Times, and Matt Binder of Mashable—shared real-time details about his location, an accusation stemming from the journalists’ reporting on a Twitter account that tracked the movements of the billionaire’s private jet.

=> ↺ ‘An Attack on Free Expression’: Musk Under Fire for Suspending Journalists From Twitter

• “Musk suspending journalists’ accounts is petty and vindictive and absolutely disgraceful—and especially so because Musk has styled himself, however absurdly, as a champion of free speech.”

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ TV Rain will lose its Riga studio after the revocation of its broadcast license — Meduza

• The studio of television channel TV3, whose facilities TV Rain broadcast from in Riga, will terminate its lease with the Russian network, TV3 spokesperson Karlis Poznyakov told Latvian publication Delfi.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ When It Comes to Crime, the Left Has a Messaging Problem

• We in progressive politics have a public safety problem. So do those in conservative politics, to be clear—a much darker, more insidious problem. But the progressive problem on public safety is one we can solve, one we on the left must solve to meet both the country’s health and safety needs and our movement’s electoral needs.

=> ↺ Judge Torches Federal Prosecutors For Flipping A Defendant And Using Him To Spy On Defense Team

• It’s no surprise the government cheats when it prosecutes people. Judge Jed Rakoff pointed this out while resigning from the DOJ’s Forensic Science Committee when it became clear the DOJ was not interested in rooting out junk science. He called the government’s refusal to allow defendants to examine forensic means and methods “trial by ambush.”

=> ↺ Industry Lawsuits Have Hurt OSHA’s Ability to Set Proper Chemical Safety Limits

=> ↺ Opinion | Collective Governance Is Collective Care

• Creating a culture of collective care in the workplace is as essential as laying a strong foundation for a sturdy home.

=> ↺ Over 1,000 Starbucks Workers Across the US Are Walking Out for a 3-Day Strike

=> ↺ Starbucks Workers Launch Biggest Strike Yet in Rebellion Against ‘Anti-Union Bullying’

• In their largest labor action to date, Starbucks workers across the United States launched a three-day strike on Friday with the goal of forcing the coffee giant to bargain in good faith with hundreds of newly organized shops and put an immediate end to its unlawful union-busting efforts.

• Starbucks Workers United said in a statement that roughly 1,000 baristas from approximately 100 unionized shops nationwide will walk off the job starting Friday, and a majority of the workers taking part in the action will remain on strike through Sunday.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Opinion | When Will the US Stop Being a Backward Nation on Broadband?

• Perhaps you’ve noticed there are several new phone companies offering very low-cost cell service, some for as little as $5/month. There’s competition in the cellphone space that’s driving down prices and driving up service, at least in many parts of the country.

Monopolies

Copyrights

=> ↺ Ten Years Later, The EU Orphan Works Directive Is Officially A Failure – Just As The Copyright Industry Intended

• Every so often, Techdirt writes about the long-standing problem of orphan works, the huge collection of older creations that are out of circulation and have no obvious owners. Arguably, they should be called “hostage works”, since they remain uselessly locked away by rigid and outdated copyright laws, to no one’s benefit. Despite that, the copyright industry always fights hard against the outrageous idea that we should make it easier to bring these works back into circulation, where people can enjoy and use them.

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