"Behind us, soldiers and police fired their guns, chasing us... "This is it," I thought."

This vivid diary from a Shan journalist recounts a day in the Summer 2021 when a protest turned deadly and they narrowly escaped the military.

#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar

kite-tales.org/en/article/b...

For those living in food deserts or food swamps, “just make better choices” is a misunderstanding of reality.

What we need is the real Big Tent:
Room for anyone trying to do better, without flattening power or pretending we all start from the same place.

That’s the energy I’m bringing into 2026.

I still eat duck, cheese, and chicken wings.

I fly for work.

I also try — imperfectly — to eat more seasonally, reduce meat, shop local, and ask better questions.

Not because I’m chasing purity.

But because responsibility still matters — to the extent that each of us is able.

Refusing to tolerate harm, abuse of power, or bigotry is not moral purism. It’s drawing non-negotiable lines.

Demanding perfection from individuals navigating broken, unequal systems is something else entirely. And it often leads to shame, burnout, and people giving up altogether.

Late last year, two moments collided for me.

One: an argument where racism, authoritarianism, and climate denial were framed as “just another shade of grey.”

Two: a video skewering progressive spaces for demanding moral purity.

Here’s the thing: these are not the same problem.

Jan 4 is Myanmar's Independence Day & the military junta may be trumpeting its recent sham elections as progress, but make no mistake, 22,000+ political prisoners continue to languish in jail. A reporter who spent months in the notorious Insein jail gives an insight.

kite-tales.org/en/article/d...

Junta-organised elections begin today (Dec 28) in Myanmar, nearly 5 years after the coup. The votes, neither free nor fair, are being held amid civil war. This diary by a Shan journalist about a town's descent into lawlessness encapsulates what's been in happening.

kite-tales.org/en/article/n...

Thank you! I'll ping you next year as I hope to finish your book over the holidays.

Here, I reflect on what it means to carry. almost all my entire life, a passport that invites scrutiny; that requires advanced visas for most destinations; and that turns routine immigration appointments into nerve-wrecking ordeals.

And what it means to suddenly find myself on the other side.

I hope it'll be useful for anyone who wants to investigate the forces that have left nearly 300 million people with life-threatening hunger, 1 in 12 going to bed hungry, and about 1 in 4 unable to afford a healthy diet.

- from terminology (food insecurity, undernourishment, etc) to historical context (the Green Revolution),
- from why lack of availability ≠ hunger to the "Hunger Washing"/"Feed the World" narrative,
- from seeing bigger picture of food systems & its impacts to specific tips to dig into this issue.

Glad you find it interesting!

Overarching theme from these reports: the lack of a coherent policy at EU level to tackle the challenges ahead of us. Despite proclamations about food security and farmers' livelihoods, EU's actions are benefitting neither.

www.monopolkommission.de/en/reports/s...

news.thin-ink.net/p/are-you-th...

Besides, my motto is: “If we give up, they win”.

So here goes another issue: how European consumption of shrimp, soy & palm oil affects biodiversity elsewhere, how to reduce agricultural emissions & why we should reconsider competition rules.

bfn.bsz-bw.de/frontdoor/de...

eeb.org/wp-content/u...

I’ve written ad nauseam about food systems challenges Europe, fastest-warming continent on earth, is facing. But short-term political myopia continues to trump long-term survival. In these situations, it feels futile to provide more information and data.

Then again, I'm nothing if not stubborn.

If you want to learn more about @thinink.bsky.social's work, you can also listen to (or read the transcript from) my interview with her on the @issuesinst.bsky.social podcast, NOT NOW BUT SOON issues.org/not-now-but-...