We're all beneath a steel sky...

alternatively...

Book Block

Ingredients:
two pieces of 2.5 feet by 3 feet thick cardboard
one piece of 2.5 feet by 3 feet foamcore or foam insulation (or plexiglass, wood, or other sturdier materials), at least 1-inch thick one piece of 2.5 feet by 3 feet paper (if you wish to paint/draw an image and place it over the cardboard)
six 10-inch plastic zip ties
1 old bike inner tube (cleaned and sliced in half lengthwise), 2 feet of thick yarn, or a long thin piece of bungee cord scissors and/or exacto knife
4-6 clothespins
paints, paintbrushes, markers, pencils, stencils, stickers, tape, glue, glitter, etc.
hand drill with small bits (to drill holes through which zip ties can go, and through which inner tubes, yarn, or bungee cords can go)
clear plastic wrap for weather-proofing plastic or fabric tarp

Directions:
Spread the tarp on a work surface.
Like a book shield sandwich, set down the first layer of cardboard, then the layer of foam, then the second layer of cardboard, then the large piece of paper. Cut excess material at the edges if needed.
Affix clothespins to four corners of the book shield to align the edges firmly.
Drill a hole a few inches inside each corner, as well as a few inches inside the middle of each long side of the shield.
Thread a zip tie through each hole, fasten it to fit snugly, and cut off excess tie. Remove clothespins.
Flip the shield facedown to make pencil marks for where you want handles. I recommend using your less active arm to hold the shield. Lay your arm on the shield at a 45-degree angle with your elbow near the outer middle of the shield. Make a pencil mark on both sides of your hand, and on both sides of the widest part of your forearm.
Make a slightly larger drill hole through these marks, with the size depending on whether you use an inner tube, yarn, or bungee cord to make handles.
Thread the handle material through both sets of holes, tie off enough material to comfortably loop your arm through one handle and hold the other (not too tight or loose), and cut off excess material.
Paint, draw, stencil, glitter up, collage, or otherwise design and decorate your book shield cover!!!
Once the cover is dry, wrap clear plastic around the shield. Make sure to cut a bit of the plastic to pull the handles out. Tape the plastic around the shield tightly.
Take your books to the streets!

Guide for Pride Defenders (CAHN)

News from the Front: The Reflections of a Russian Anarchist in Rojava

A Russian anarchist volunteer speaks on the collapse of the Assad regime, the future of Russia, and the looming threat of a Turkish-backed invasion of northeastern Syria.

https://crimethinc.com/Rojava2024

"I watched with special feeling as the Russian columns passed by me at one of the positions. I peered into the faces of the soldiers, trying to understand whether they realized that all these years, they had been terrorizing the population with bombings, they had surrendered Afrin to the Turkish army, they had kept Assad’s regime alive—and now all this is over. Russian military aid to the Syrian dictatorship has ended. I do not think that those soldiers realized that they were looking into the eyes of a man from the same country as themselves, but who chose the other side of the barricades."

Flowers Will Emerge From The Desert [R] (Muntjac 2024)

They say the right can't meme...

Some of you might be into this, Bellingcat have put out a series of challenges to test/develop your OSINT Skills.

https://challenge.bellingcat.com/

[Damascus, Syria]

Multiple Assadist prisons have been emptied. Here the "Human Slaughterhouse" of Sednaya prison is emptied.

Yes that is a toddler.

Thoughts on HTS and the ongoing war aside, such footage should do nothing but inspire joy.