Image is from this article on the excellent Canadian environmental journalism outlet, The Narwhal.
The Giant Mine just outside of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada is one of the country’s largest recognized environmental liabilities. The mine’s 100 plus year history illustrates the continuity between resource colonialism in the late 19th/early 20th century and neoliberalism at the turn of the millennium.
There were several gold rushes in northern Canada/US in the late 19th century, such as the Klondike. The Giant gold strike on was first discovered by settlers about the same time as the Klondike, but as Giant is on Great Slave Lake (named for an Anglicization of the name of local peoples, not after slavery) instead of the Pacific Ocean, it is much less accessible and didn’t take off like the Klondike. Parallel with displacement of local Yellowknives Dene people https://ykdene.com/, the town of Yellowknife sprung up around small mining operations through the 30s. It wasn’t until after WW2 that the mine was developed at a large scale. Starting operation in 1948, Giant was owned by a Canadian mining conglomerate through the 80s, then some Australians, and for the last ten years of its operating life, by Americans, who went bankrupt and abandoned the property in 1999. The Canadian federal government is responsible for the site and its remediation now, similar to the way the EPA has Superfund sites in the USA.
The project is infamous for poisoning the people and environment of the surrounding area through arsenic poisoning. The ore at giant is arsenopyrite, an arsenic sulphide mineral that often contains gold. Roasting it in large furnaces or kilns releases the gold as well as fine arsenic trioxide dust. The most infamous arsenic poisoning incident was in 1951 when a Yellowknives Dene toddler in died after eating contaminated snow in the fallout area, 2 kilometers from the processing mill’s smokestack. Over the years, improvements to the mill reduced the amount of toxic dust released to the environment. This is better than blasting it into the air wildly, but meant that the site accumulated hundreds of thousands of tonnes of arsenic trioxide dust that they chucked in empty mine workings underground. Unfortunately, arsenic trioxide dissolves in water as easily as sugar and so represents a tremendous risk to groundwater and waterbodies nearby, like Great Slave Lake and Yellowknife’s water supply.
Arsenic issues contributed to labour disputes as well. In 1991 the union workers of the plant went on strike, refusing management’s demand to reduce their salary and wanting better safety measures for workers . The company brought in Pinkertons and strikebreakers, backed by RCMP thugs. The situation escalated, culminating in a bomb planted on a train track deep in the mine. When it was triggered, it killed 6 scabs and 3 Pinkertons. For the next year, the RCMP interrogated mine workers, their family and community without determining who did it, supporting the company in their refusal to sign a new contract until an arrest was made. Finally a worker named Roger Warren confessed to doing it alone and was sentenced to life in prison. He was released in 2014 and died in 2017.
Since 1999, the site has been the responsibility of the Canadian federal government and is being every so gradually remediated. Operated through what are effectively private-public partnership contracts, environmental engineering companies are attempting to clean up and isolate the huge amounts of arsenic trioxide dust. The concept is move the dust into specially ventilated chambers of the underground mine, where it is frozen in place and thus prevented from leaching into groundwater. Active remediation is supposed to be finished in about 15 years at a cost of $1 billion CAD, but will surely take longer and cost more than this. Also, freezing material in place will definitely work because the climate isn’t changing, and the Canadian north is definitely not seeing extreme levels of temperature rise.
After active works are complete, the site will require perpetual care.
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Israel-Palestine Conflict
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
@carpoftruth@hexbear.net is hosting the news megathread this week while I’m busy irl!
Make sure to head to the US electoral containment thread for everything to do with the election on a domestic level, as we don’t want too much US-centric news to flood this thread. Discussion of Harris’ or Trump’s potential geopolitical impacts is still perfectly fine here.
on a domestic level
Thought we were an internationalist forum?
Yeah but most of us are from so I think it’s that we aspire to being an internationalist forum but we also acknowledge the reality that most of our users are from the imperial core and that this election will affect the whole world
Most tolerable thread ever thank you
we don’t want too much US-centric news to flood this thread.
S-Tier moderating decision
while I’m busy irl!
No relation whatsoever to what is going to happen in Tel Aviv next thursday
deleted by creator
Have fun storming the castle!
Has this been reported yet? Hadn’t seen this on hexbear yet
Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Israel’s defence minster Yoav Gallant
Some combat footage and news from Gaza and Kursk.
Palestinian resistance forces have conducted many operations targeting Zionist invaders in northern Gaza over the past 48 hours (at least two Merkava tanks destroyed): https://thecradle.co/articles/qassam-brigades-kill-israeli-troops-at-zero-distance-in-besieged-north-gaza
Russian forces conducted missile strikes on a Kiev regime troop concentration in Sumy oblast, near the Kursk border (destroying some US-built “Bradley” infantry fighting vehicles, among other things): https://news-pravda.com/uk/2024/11/04/825569.html
A Russian FPV drone struck another US-built “Bradley” infantry fighting vehicle in Kursk oblast: https://news-pravda.com/ukraine/2024/11/05/827826.html
Israeli tourist arrested for racially insulting a worker on Boipeba Island, Brazil. The tourist called the porter a “monkey” and was arrested by the Military Police on Tuesday.
An Israeli tourist was arrested on Tuesday (05) on the island of Boipeba for racially insulting a local worker. According to initial reports, the foreigner had offended a man carrying suitcases on the island by calling him a “monkey”, which caused outrage among the people present. Military police officers were called and took the tourist to Boipeba police station, where he will be charged with the crime.
Racial insult has been considered a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime in Brazil since January 2023, when President Lula sanctioned new legislation equating racial insult with the crime of racism. The penalty for racial insult ranges from two to five years in prison and includes a fine. According to the legislation, any action that causes embarrassment, humiliation or undue exposure on the grounds of color, ethnicity, religion or origin is characterized as racial insult, especially when the discriminatory treatment is not meted out to other groups.
They come to South America (Specially Bolivia and Peru), commit crimes and are surprised when local police or population arrest/attack them.
The worst tourist, right after the British, the French, the Australians etc
Go directly to Lulag. Do not pass Go. Do not collect 200 Real.
DPRK Foreign Minister Meets Russian President
Pyongyang, November 6 (KCNA) – DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on an official visit to the Russian Federation met with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, in Kremlin, Moscow on Nov. 4.
Choe Son Hui courteously conveyed warm comradely greetings of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un to Vladimir Putin.
Putin asked her to convey his warm greetings to Kim Jong Un.
They had a good talk over many undertakings for steadily developing the relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the will to further consolidate the DPRK-Russia friendship on a track of new comprehensive development. -0-
www.kcna.kp (2024.11.06.)http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/ca4322368cd7e4580fed1d67fc3b74ae.kcmsf
Apparently the IDF had to delay their initial ground invasion into Gaza because some random guy was in their control center for all the planning
Source (Hebrew)Shhh don’t tell them about B
I don’t believe this. To me it sounds like they are trying to blame their shitty results on a goofy mistake in security instead of systemic incompetence. “oops we let a silly man in the office” is far less damning than “All out strategists and tacticians are absolute fools who couldn’t organize a fuck in a brothel.”
https://xcancel.com/cheriblossom__/status/1853903459277516942
The Chief of the Air Force is stuck in the streets of Tel Aviv due to large protests and street blockades
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fu571ehtsjzyd1.jpeg
(Image uploads don’t seem to be working, sorry for reddit link)
This is the first official picture of China’s J-35A stealth fighter (previously known as FC-31), from the Zhuhai airshow.
It was originally built for export, then the navy decided they wanted a version for aircraft carriers, and now the air force looks like they will adopt it as well.
It has a more focused design than its US-made counterpart, the F-35, which will likely mean it’s better at its job and cheaper/easier to build in large quantities.
Looks almost exactly like an F-35, made with alleged stolen data from the F-35 programme.
China calls it the J-35
The last Kufiya factory in Palestine (west bank), Hirbawi, sells Kufiyas on kufiya.org again. So if you want one and simultaneously support Palestinians you can order them there
this seems like a big deal
Netanyahu sacks defense minister Gallant, says ‘trust cracked’ | The Cradle
IOF dumbasses failed to kick down a door on their first try before magdumping an empty room:
https://xcancel.com/Lebnews2004/status/1853825699104063648Genuinely wondering if there’s ever been a worse military than the modern IDF, obviously they can still spread a lot of misery and death but they seem useless in actual combat in a way I’ve never seen before.
Watching them all hesitate in front of the open door to that big empty room full of pillars, then the pan back to the entire squad just milling around like they’re collecting a paycheck, was jaw dropping. They had the numbers and cover to immediately assault and occupy that house, but instead they all just shot into an empty space while visibly cringing away from the door and not seeking cover. The rest of the squad was spaced like lemmings and moving with zero urgency, one opportunistic flanker with a light mortar could have cooked those idiots.
It’s no wonder they’re getting hosed all along the border, how the hell does an ostensible military, even a nakedly colonial one, allow itself to get so soft and arrogant? How, after a year of combat, have I not seen any video evidence of Israeli competence even by accident? What do they even teach them at mandatory conscription boot camp?
Also, I wonder how.many Krav Maga instructors around the world are cashing out as the myth of military supremacy that props up it’s mystique rapidly loses cache
Zionist defense minister Yoav Gallant has now been replaced by this guy
Netanyahu had faced pressure from far-right members of his cabinet to dismiss him. On Tuesday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir congratulated Netanyahu, accusing Gallant of being an impediment to “complete victory.”
Gallant was calling Palestinians “human animals” within a week of Oct 7th and bombed every hospital in Gaza, so this isn’t a big shift in rhetoric or policy. Still, the Israeli government seems to be falling into more internal squabbling, which shows that the resistance is having some effect at least.
Honestly I’m surprised that it took this long. Given the timing, I’m suspecting it’s a signal towards their US masters.
I imagine that people displaying even the vaguest shred of empathy for men, women, and especially children are shot on sight if they get within a mile of an Israeli government building, so it’s unsurprising
The contradiction isn’t about whether they care about Palestinians. The settlers are mad about the drafting of the ultra Orthodox and the judicial reforms etc…
Just shuffling chairs on the sinking Titanic:
https://xcancel.com/AryJeay/status/1853859521565004053BREAKING: Netanyahu fired War Minister Yoav Gallant.
Netanyahu nominated Yisrael Katz as the new War Minister.
He was the, until now, foreign minister.
cant wait for kamala to name Yamerica Cats the secretary of defense
Death to America
YAAASSrael
Hurricane Rafael just formed yesterday in the Caribbean. Looks like Havana will be hit tomorrow evening. Hopefully there won’t be the insane quick strengthening that we saw in the last few Caribbean hurricanes.
By August 14, 1945, the US Navy peaked at 6,768 active ships, by 1950 that number shrank to 634 ships
Later that same year in 1950 due to the Korean War the US Navy expanded back up to 980 active ships before topping out at 1,122 ships in 1953 at the end of the war and remained at a stable 900 ships for the rest of the fifties
Between 1958-1974 the US Navy slowly shrank until stabilizing again at around 550 ships until Reagan’s 600 Ship-Navy Campaign Plank
The 1980s plan to rebuild the U.S. Navy, known as the 600-ship Navy, was a campaign plank of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. The plan included: Recommissioning Iowa-class battleships, Keeping older ships in service longer, A large new construction program, and Increasing production of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers
The 600-ship Navy was the most expensive peacetime military buildup in U.S. history, costing $1.5 trillion over five years
The US Navy peaked at 594 ships in 1987 before experiencing a sharp decline between 1989-1992
The US shipbuilding industry has always been kinda shit but it’s worse now than ever. It’s kinda pathetic
somewhat related NC article from today on industrial policy and shipbuilding. not super critical for your point or the article, but I liked this quote from yves at the beginning:
Most Western governments like to pretend that that they are not in the business of industrial policy. In fact, they clearly are, in the form of numerous subsidies, like interest rate breaks, tax credits, subsidies, borrowing guarantees and large and lax government purchasing schemes. So in the US, the preferred sectors include the medical care,1 real estate, higher education, and arms makers.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/11/industrial-policy-lessons-from-chinas-shipbuilding.html