#mexican cannabis

[lobo-negro-xxx]

Cuando la belleza besa con firmesa, aparece la grandeza y la pureza de la autodefincion del concepto belleza de la creación divina del Ser hecha mujer.

[hurricanehiatus]

[cyberne0n]

i've noticed as a general rule, if a tumblr user calls weed "marijuana" they have a sus (read: likely racist, if not just weird) opinion on it

[enalerta420]

[mexicanistnet]

A new CESOP report delves into Mexican attitudes on cannabis regulation, fueling debate on the substance's future in the country.

[cannakini]

Cannakini Mexican Gen 1 Three by Weed Fashionista

The following art has been generated using AI prompts and algorithms. Any resemblance or similarity to any known individual, whether living or deceased, is purely unintentional and coincidental. This artwork is a result of random computational processes and does not aim to replicate or portray any specific person or identity. The AI-generated art is for creative and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as representing any real individuals or their attributes. The creators and operators of the AI model do not endorse or claim any connections to real persons depicted in the generated artwork. Viewer discretion is advised.

[lmccannabisyoutube]

The REAL Narcos Mexico Story of Caro Quintero (Documentary)

https://youtu.be/EWAEKoR7a2M

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

The growing Chinese investment in illegal American weed

A few days before Christmas, a joint law enforcement task force found nearly 9,000 pounds of cannabis worth almost $15 million during a raid in a suburban neighborhood in Antioch, Calif. The California Department of Cannabis Control believes that the four houses searched in the bedroom community 45 minutes outside San Francisco were linked to China. Mexican cartels have a long history of…

[lobo-negro-xxx]

En mi país México de noche todos los gatos, son pardos. Los lobos no tenemos color.

[jessaerys]

this might be common knowledge but i was today years old when i learned "marijuana" for cannabis was invented by Big War on Drugs to make it more mexican sounding and therefore scary to yanquis. hate to state the obvious but turns out marijuana IS a beautiful name for a baby girl

[the-mortuary-witch]

TYPES OF HERBS AND SPICES

ABUNDANCE: anise seed, bay leaves, bay laurel, basil, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander, ginger, juniper berry, lemongrass, nutmeg, and St. John’s wort. 

AVOIDING DANGER: bay laurel, garlic, holly, mistletoe, parsley, rue, sage, St. John’s wort, thyme, and witch hazel. 

ACTIVATE ENERGY: ashwagandha, astragalus, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, gotu kola, guarana, licorice root, maca, muira puama, panax ginseng, rhodiola, schisandra powder, stinging nettle, Siberian motherwort, tribulus, and white peony. 

ANXIETY: ashwagandha, chamomile, California poppy, catnip, golden root, holy basil, kava, lavender, lemon balm, oat straw, passion flower, skullcap, valerian root, wood betony, wild lettuce, lemon verbena, valerian, ginger root, celery, jojoba, and ginger root. 

ASTRAL TRAVEL: blue lotus, Mexican dream herb, mugwort, African dream root, wormwood, skullcap, yopo, belladonna, henbane, sage of the seers, nutmeg, cannabis, kanna, thorn-apple, blue tea, and calamus. 

AWARENESS: blue vervain, brain tonic, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, holy basil, lemon balm, lion's tail, oat straw, rhodiola rosea, and rosemary. 

ANIMALS (TO WORK WITH): catnip, mugwort, parsley, rose, sage, wormwood, devil's claw, dittany of Crete, horsetail, mullein, plantain, thyme, and yarrow.

BALANCING: ashwagandha, chamomile, kava, lemon balm, passion flower, rhodiola rosea, schizandra, ginseng, valerian, wood netony, chaste tree berry, damiana, hops, angelica sinensis, ginkgo biloba, kratom, maca, St. John’s wort, niacin, and Siberian motherwort. 

BANISHING: mugwort, angelica, hyssop, verbena, peppermint, mint, yarrow, wormwood, parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary, lavender, bay leaf, thyme, patchouli, eucalyptus, pine, St. John's wort, and basil. 

BINDING: bindweed, cannabis, rose thorns, stinging nettle, vervain, yarrow, devil’s shoestring, mugwort, catnip, dandelion, dill, skullcap, rose, and cardamom. 

BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT: alfalfa, allspice, basil, cayenne powder, cinnamon, cloves, dill, pecans, rosemary, and turmeric. 

CALM AND SOOTHE: lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower, lavender, ashwagandha, kava, valerian, St. John’s wort, holy basil, melisa, rhodiola, hops, skullcap, ginseng, and turmeric. 

CHALLENGES / DIFFICULTIES: skullcap, ashwagandha, bacopa, chamomile, passionflower, rhodiola, valerian, St. John’s wort, holy basil, lemon balm, nettle, oat straw, rehmannia, schisandra, and ginseng. 

CHANGES / TRANSLATIONS: dandelion root, ashwagandha, reishi, holy basil, ginseng, alfalfa, nettle, burdock root, and oat straw. 

CLARITY: ginger, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, ashwagandha, bacopa monnieri, rhodiola, green tea, ginseng, dandelion root, holy basil, rosemary, tulsi, brahmi, skullcap, oat straw, and lingzhi. 

CONFIDENCE: peppermint, St. John’s wort, lavender, lemon balm, passionflower, valerian root, bay leaves, cedar, cloves, coconut, ginger, ginseng, hops, honeysuckle, California poppy, fennel seeds, nutmeg, orris root, red clover, rosemary, and yarrow. 

COURAGE: rosemary, calamus, borage, yarrow, sage, milky oats, ashwagandha, cacao, pepper, nettle, basil, chives, horseradish, skullcap, ginger, brahmi, dandelion, St. John’s wort, lemon balm, passionflower, rhodiola, oat straw, lingzhi, ginseng, and tulsi. 

CREATIVITY: damiana, sage, ashwagandha, bacopa, lavender, passionflower, calamus, gotu kola, lemon balm, ginkgo, green tea, mugwort, cumin, ginger, cannabis, basil, and coriander. 

DEATH / ANCESTORS / AFTERLIFE: rosemary, chamomile, lavender, parsley, wormwood, pine, cannabis, mugwort, bay leaves, cedar, belladonna, angel’s trumpet, and wolfsbane. 

DIVINATION: wormwood, mugwort, datura, deadly nightshade, morning glory, valerian, skullcap, blue lotus, wormwood, belladonna, mugwort, and black cohosh. 

DREAMWORK: mugwort, chamomile, lavender, valerian, lemon balm, catnip, yarrow, passionflower, motherwort, and betony. 

FEAR (TO SUBDUE): lavender, chamomile, kava, valerian, passionflower, skullcap, lemon balm, hops, catnip, ashwagandha, and theanine. 

FERTILITY: maca, ashwagandha, black cohosh, red clover, chasteberry, peony, raspberry, cinnamon, shatavari, dong quai, ginseng, liquorice, nettles, saw palmetto, milk thistle, false unicorn, motherwort, and shilajit. 

FIDELITY: bay leaves, chasteberry, white horehound, lady's mantle, jasmine, catnip, vervain, St. John’s wort, damiana, yohimbe, and wood betony. 

FOCUS / CONCENTRATION: ginkgo biloba, rosemary, peppermint, bacopa, gotu kola, waterhyssop, sceletium tortuosum, green tea, and theanine. 

FORGIVENESS: rue, chamomile, rosemary, lemon balm, rose, linden, sage, lavender, valerian, holy basil, yarrow, skullcap, and St. John’s wort. 

FRIENDSHIP: alstroemeria, Adam’s needle, ivy, zinnias, chamomile, tulips, iris, geraniums, calla lilies, thyme, basil, marjoram, dill, sage, bamboo, lemon verbena, hibiscus, jasmine, elderflower, aloe vera, cactus, jade plant, daises, forget-me-nots, sunflower, sweet pea, hydrangea, peace lilies, and yarrow. 

GRIEF / SORROW (TO DEAL WITH): lemon balm, St. John’s wort, valerian, lavender, motherwort, hawthorn, rose, tulsi, passionflower, ashwagandha, basil, milky oats, linden, mimosa, skullcap, and oatstraw. 

GROUND AND CENTRE ENERGY: holy basil, chamomile, passionflower, lavender, rose, ginger root, cinnamon, liquorice root, lemon balm, rhodiola, sage, damiana, kava, rosemary, skullcap, ashwagandha, and valerian. 

GROWTH: shatavari, maca, ashwagandha, alfalfa, kelp, spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, tribulus terrestris, ginkgo biloba, sea moss, dandelion, astragalus, and reishi mushroom. 

GUIDANCE: mugwort, bay leaves, wormwood, rosemary, sage, motherwort, blue lotus, hyssop, St. John’s wort, valerian, damiana, gotu kola, blue vervain, lemon balm, yarrow, rose buds, passionflower, and chasteberry.  

HEALING: garlic, chamomile, feverfew, ginger, echinacea, goldenseal, stinging thistle, ginkgo, calendula, dandelion, ginseng, liquorice, and elderberry. 

HEARTBREAK (TO RECOVER FROM): rose, lavender, motherwort, thyme, linden, hawthorn, skullcap, lemon balm, blue vervain, and passionflower. 

HEXES (TO AVOID/BREAK): thistle, marigold, mullein, nettle, horehound, bayberry, mugwort, yarrow, oak, mint, holy basil, rosemary, pine, black cohosh, thyme, St. John’s wort, garlic, yucca, and vervain.

HEALTH: garlic,chamomile, feverfew, ginger, echinacea, goldenseal, ginkgo, calendula, ginseng, milk thistle, St. John’s wort, saw palmetto, and valerian. 

HOME / FAMILY: lavender, basil, yarrow, chamomile, rosemary, mint, lemon balm, hyssop, vervain, and mugwort. 

INSIGHT: blue lotus, mugwort, wormwood, lettuce, yerba mate, damiana, blue vervain, skullcap, passionflower, sage, juniper, sandalwood, and bay laurel. 

INSPIRATION: rhodiola, ginseng, sage, guarana, peppermint, passionflower, rosemary, ashwagandha, gotu kola, damiana, blue lotus, rose, skullcap, ylang-ylang, mugwort, St. John’s wort, and blue vervain. 

KNOWLEDGE / LEARNING: green tea, rosemary, brahmi, gotu kola, sage, lemon balm, yerba mate, ashwagandha, ginkgo biloba, holy basil, hawthorn, linden, chasteberry, dandelion, hyssop, and skullcap. 

LOSS (TO DEAL WITH): ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginseng, fenugreek, cumin, caralluma fimbriata, gurmar, cardamom, dandelion, garlic, lemon balm, peppermint, rose, triphala, tulsi, ashwagandha, hawthorn, and linden. 

LOVE / ROMANCE: damiana, catnip, vervain, rose, yang yang, rose petals, jasmine, ginger, saffron, black pepper, cardamom, sandalwood, bay leaf, lavender, marjoram, linden, bergamot, and fennel.

LUCK: clovers, dandelion, bay leaf, High John the Conqueror, basil, cinnamon, allspice, catnip, St. John’s wort, lavender, lady’s mantle, oak, ginger, mint, chamomile, patchouli, holy basil, mistletoe, marigold, calendula, Irish moss, cloves, and goldenrod. 

MANIFESTATION: basil, calendula, mint, rosemary, sage, lavender, bay leaf, cinnamon, bamboo, mugwort, sandalwood, allspice, yarrow, High John the Conqueror, catnip, and jasmine.

MARRIAGE: rosemary, holy basil, catnip, bay leaf, lavender, marjoram, rose petals, jasmine, bergamot, and linden. 

MONEY: rue, cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, thyme, rosemary, garlic, dandelion, catnip, allspice, lemon balm, yarrow, black pepper, wormwood, parsley, nettle, chamomile, sage, basil, and oregano. 

MOTIVATION: green tea, damiana, gotu kola, St. John’s wort, ashwagandha, ginkgo biloba, brahmi, sage, liquorice, and ginger. 

NEGATIVITY (TO DISPEL/AVERT/PROTECTION FROM): cedar, sage, rosemary, holy basil, eucalyptus, yarrow, lavender, thyme, peppermint, rue, juniper, mint, hyssop, nettle, bayberry, mugwort, dandelion, clove, basil, and garlic. 

NIGHTMARES (TO WARD OFF/SUBDUE): wormwood, black pepper, skullcap, passionflower, California poppy, valerian, catnip, mugwort, blue vervain, lemon balm, rose, St. John’s wort, lavender, jasmine, yarrow, bay leaf, mullein, bayberry, ginger, and holy basil.

OBSTACLES (TO OVERCOME): hyssop, mullein, gotu kola, lavender, sage, vervain, thyme, holy basil, St. John’s wort, ashwagandha, green tea, brahmi, lemon balm, yarrow, marjoram, rosemary, nettle, chamomile, and bay leaf.

OPTIMISM: damiana, gotu kola, passionflower, skullcap, nettle, black tea, sage, blue lotus, green tea, St. John’s wort, ginger, vervain, mullein, lavender, jasmine, chamomile, bay leaf, lemon balm, ginger, and rose.

PEACE / TRANQUILITY: myrrh, rose, peppermint, chamomile, lavender, skullcap, holy basil, ashwagandha, St. John’s wort, passionflower, rosemary, valerian, sage, Persian silk tree, lemongrass, gotu kola, nettle, thyme, bay leaf, mugwort, and kava.

PROSPERITY / ABUNDANCE: basil, mint, cinnamon, patchouli, chamomile, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, bay leaf, calendula, honeysuckle, clove, Irish moss, thyme, alfalfa, bayberry, clover, dandelion, nettle, oregano, dill, and poppy.

PROTECTION / DEFENCE: aloe, cinnamon, sandalwood, dragon’s blood, rue, eucalyptus, comfrey, rose, chamomile, St. John’s wort, cedar, mugwort, cayenne pepper, nettle, bay, angelica, thyme, sage, peppermint, lavender, basil, and rosemary.

PSYCHIC ABILITIES (TO ENHANCE): frankincense, wormwood, valerian, thyme, nettle, anise, lemongrass, gotu kola, angelica, bay leaf, chamomile, sage, rose, yarrow, lavender, rosemary, peppermint, and mugwort.

PURIFICATION / CLEANSING: sage, cedar, rosemary, lavender, palo santo, basil, peppermint, red clover, dandelion, frankincense, mugwort, nettle, bay leaf, burdock, chamomile, juniper, parsley, copal, sweetgrass, angelica, cilantro, eucalyptus, ginger, and cinnamon.

RELATIONSHIPS: rose, spearmint, lavender, jasmine, basil, damiana, catnip, ginger, patchouli, hibiscus, rosemary, thyme, cardamom, lemon balm, clove, jasmine, fennel, bay leaf, sage, dill, vanilla, ashwagandha, black cohosh, ginseng, calendula, meadowsweet, and cinnamon.

REMOVE / RELEASE: rue, black pepper, sage, rosemary, mint, lemon juice, hyssop, mullein, vervain, wormwood, nettle, garlic, dandelion, bay leaf, catnip, lavender, lemon palm, and parsley.

RENEWAL / REBIRTH / NEW BEGINNINGS: holy basil, gotu kola, rosemary, yarrow, ashwagandha, mullein, basil, chamomile, St. John’s wort, rose petals, lemon balm, vervain, mint, nettle, sage, mugwort, and damiana.

SEX / SEXUALITY: saffron, yohimbe, saw palmetto, chavohuasca, pomegranate peel, musli, chasteberry, longjack, chamomile, fenugreek, shatavari, barrenwort, saffron, damiana, ashwagandha, ginkgo, maca, bindii, and red ginseng.

SPIRIT GUIDES: yarrow, thyme, rose, myrrh, sweet grass, bay leaf, peppermint, nettle, mugwort, frankincense, chamomile, angelica, rosemary, cedar, basil, sage, and lavender.

SPIRITUALITY: lavender, sage, basil, rosemary, angelica, cedar, frankincense, chamomile, mugwort, nettle, peppermint, bay leaf, sweet grass, myrrh, rose, thyme, and yarrow.

STABILITY: ginger, parsley, St. John’s wort, lavender, mullein, catnip, rosemary, holy basil, lemon balm, and gotu kola.

STRENGTH: turmeric, maca, ashwagandha, ginseng, rhodiola, brahmi, shilajit, tulsi, astragalus, cordyceps, ginger, liquorice, gotu kola, astragalus, nettle, schisandra, and green tea.

STRESS: rhodiola, lavender, valerian, brahmi, kava, skullcap, peppermint, milky oats, liquorice, hops, St. John’s wort, turmeric, ginseng, tulsi, passionflower, chamomile, lemon balm, and ashwagandha.

SUCCESS: mint, basil, rosemary, cinnamon, allspice, dandelion, calendula, patchouli, bay leaf, ginger, lavender, chamomile, nutmeg, dill, honeysuckle, Irish moss, lemongrass, nettle, and peppermint.

TRUST: bayberry, lemon balm, rue, marjoram, bay leaf, hyssop, black pepper, damiana, rose petals, yarrow, valerian, wormwood, nettle, lavender, vervain, and jasmine.

TRUTH: mugwort, rue, mullein, skullcap, rosemary, hyssop, bay leaf, holy basil, thyme, and peppermint.

WELL-BEING: green tea, ashwagandha, holy basil, reishi mushroom, lemon balm, chamomile, ginger, liquorice, and turmeric.

[magicturtle]

Can I ask your opinion of a RPG writing trope? I listen to a podcast “System Mastery”, that reviews old RPGs that are no longer in print or first editions of RPGs that are on new editions now. One of the things they can’t stand is the trope of American Indians and Mexicans reverting to horse back, tepees, human sacrifice, worshipping spirits, building pyramids, and etc…. after some kind of apocalypse happens or they go out into the stars or different dimension. Something happens to separate them from the “white men .” They find the idea preposterous and pretty cringey because these books are written by white men usually and show an idolized version of the “noble savage”. They feel, why would natives give up cars, modern medicine, houses, roads, and bunch of other modern things just because there has been some kind of reset.

I can see that point. And I can think of all the games I have seen that trope, Shadowrun and Gamma World are good examples. I have also seen it in some other sci fi games. Interestingly White Wolf has a version of this in the world of darkness setting. The supernatural creatures are worshipped as gods or spirits by the natives. Werewolves by shamans and vampires as descendants of the bloody gods of the Aztecs. On the surface this all does seem ridiculous and can be dismissed as all just being fiction.

However, there is a lot of resentment by natives of having their culture, beliefs, language and so much more being stripped away by people that are invaders. Would they gladly undo the negatives and positives that were introduced by these invading cultures if given the chance? Would they rebuild what they lost just as it once was? I have read some articles and seen some videos about Latin American gangs worshiping their version of the old Aztec gods. And new gods that they have invented for the current times. There are also less violent new gods that have been invented. I saw how some of the old Mayan shamans are keeping the old beliefs alive in the rural parts of central America. And how there is still a lot of blending of native beliefs and Catholic beliefs throughout Latin America.

What do you think? Is there a long simmering longing for the old ways just below the surface just waiting to be released by some sort of catastrophic event?

To this day colonized peoples either maintain their old beliefs or hold some syncretized version. All you have to do is look at the way the Loa or the Orishas survived in the Caribbean, the supplicants of heretical saints like Santa Muerte, or culturally negotiated holidays like Carnaval or Dia de Muertos. Often white people in the US don’t know much about these current practices because A) they don’t care and B) many are private or even secret. Instead our cool, white dude writers and game designers focus on what they DO know, the ancient history of these groups. This is why white coded populations evolve, but non-white coded ones “revert”. It would be nice to see someone who actually knows these groups extrapolate current cultures into futurism, post apocalypse or “returned magic”. I haven’t read Coyote and Crow, but I hear that’s what they’re going for.

I will say that even in the defense of marginalizes groups being “reverted” there is a clear bias. Why would a community give up cars? …Are cars good? Can we honestly look at our communities, our cities, our environment, and unequivocally say, “this is clearly a net good for the world”? Traditional medicine is also frequently shot down by “logical people” until decades in, scientists “discover” analgesic or antibiotic properties. Isn’t it great that we’ve started unlocking the potential of cannabis only 1000 years after the Nahua were using it medicinally?

Hope this addresses your question.

Thanks for writing in!

[bonesmarky]

Why do people insist on calling cannabis weed?

Cannabis is a term that’s being pushed by the legal marijuana industry, but hasn’t had a ton of traction yet from users.

The term “marijuana” was invented by law enforcement as a way to tie it more closely with Mexican immigrants. Before this, ironically, it was known as cannabis. But the racialized term went mainstream, and “marijuana” is how it’s referred to in criminal law. The DEA, which regulates cannabis in the U.S., calls it marijuana, as do many states.

The legal industry, which includes states that have decriminalized it, have decided to distance themselves from the term “marijuana.” It might have something to do with the racist origins, but I suspect it’s mostly because they want to wipe the slate clean, and reintroduce a term in use before the stuff was illegal.

Five years ago, I can assure you that virtually no one called it cannabis, except maybe botanists. The most common term was marijuana, with pot and weed being popular nicknames.

Less popular terms include 420, chronic, ganja, dope, grass, Mary Jane, and tea. When I was a kid, the schools used to pass out pamphlets on the dangers of marijuana, listing terms which I don’t think were really even used past 1972. (“Let’s stay in tonight, listen to the hi-fi, and smoke some tea.”)

But old habits die hard. It’s kind of like remembering to call your little brother Robert when he’s always been Bobby. Or trying to remember the current name of a corporate-sponsored sports stadium (Is it Quest Field or CenturyLink field?)

To me, cannabis sounds a little forced. It’s like saying “pasteurized processed cheese product” when everyone knows it as American cheese. But it seems like cannabis is the preferred term for law-abiding producers, retailers and consumers, and may eventually eclipse “marijuana” in common usage. Check these guys out for some hash and cannabis

[newstfionline]

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Canada’s largest drug ‘superlab’ in history has been taken down, police say (Washington Post) Canadian federal officers have dismantled what they described to be the largest, most sophisticated drug lab in the country’s history, seizing a massive cache of weapons and drugs intended for both international and domestic distribution. The facility, described by police officers as a drug “superlab,” contained enough fentanyl and precursor chemicals to produce more than 95.5 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, an amount that “could have taken the lives of every Canadian, at least twice over,” Assistant Commissioner David Teboul with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement. About 54 kilograms of fentanyl and 390 kilograms of methamphetamine, in addition to “massive amounts of precursor chemicals” and smaller amounts of cocaine, MDMA and cannabis, were discovered at the facility in Falkland, a small rural community in British Columbia, the police statement said, adding that the lab was believed to be behind the production and distribution of “unprecedented quantities” of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Falling Back (NYT) The transition to fall is scattered with seasonal markers: The occasional chill in the air; the urge to make soup. These changes so far have happened like clockwork, and next comes the one that actually involves clocks. On Sunday Nov. 3, people in the United States and Canada will “fall back” to standard time, setting their clocks back an hour and signaling the end of daylight saving time. (Hawaii and most of Arizona, which are on permanent standard time, keep their clocks the same.) For now, most of us will be making the switch. And while many scientists maintain that standard time is better aligned with human circadian biology, even a modest time adjustment can take some getting used to—particularly when it means shorter, darker days. The extra hour of afternoon darkness can be especially hard for people who are “vulnerable to feeling down in the autumn and winter—which is an awful lot of people,” said Norman E. Rosenthal, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University School of Medicine who coined the term “seasonal affective disorder.” “They may be low-energy, lethargic, prone to overeating and just out of sorts for a while.” Many people—if they’re not working the night shift or parenting a small child—will get an extra hour of sleep on the morning after the clocks change. And that’s “going to enable them to function better,” said Elizabeth B. Klerman, a professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As data centers for AI strain the power grid, bills rise for everyday customers (Washington Post) Consumers in some regions of the country are facing higher electric bills due to a boom in tech companies building data centers that guzzle power and force expensive infrastructure upgrades. Companies such as Google and Amazon have ramped up construction of new data centers as they race to compete in artificial intelligence. The facilities’ extraordinary demand for electricity to power and cool computers inside can drive up the price local utilities pay for energy and require significant improvements to electric grid transmission systems. As a result, costs have already begun going up for customers—or are about to in the near future, according to utility planning documents and energy industry analysts. In the Mid-Atlantic, the regional power grid’s energy costs shot up dramatically, and data centers are cited as among root causes of rate increases of up to 20 percent expected in 2025.

Smuggling rings make billions from migrants (Washington Post) He called himself a simple onion farmer, a Mayan Indian with four kids and a fourth-grade education. U.S. prosecutors knew better. By his late 30s, Felipe Diego Alonzo had built a crime route stretching from Central America to Texas, allegedly paying off Mexican drug cartels along the way. He tooled around Guatemala’s western highlands in a loaded silver Ford Ranger pickup and had a show horse valued at $100,000. Alonzo’s business “was more profitable than drug trafficking,” said one of the Guatemalan officials who detained him. Alonzo was moving people. At least 80 percent of unlawful border-crossers hire smugglers. They guide people through treacherous jungles on the trek from Colombia to Panama. They whisk migrants over remote Guatemalan border crossings and up traffic-clogged Mexican highways. With revenue estimated at $4 billion to $12 billion a year, the smuggling of migrants has joined drugs and extortion as a top income stream for groups like Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, increasing their economic clout throughout the hemisphere.

Bolivia’s president accuses supporters of former leader Morales of seizing 3 military barracks (AP) Bolivian President Luis Arce on Friday condemned the seizure of three military units by supporters of former President Evo Morales, saying that “the taking of a military unit is a crime of treason against the homeland and an affront to the country’s Constitution.” Earlier on Friday the Bolivian Armed Forces said in a statement that “irregular armed groups” had kidnapped military personnel and took control of military units in the center of the country, where police officers began to clear the roads blocked 19 days ago by supporters of former President Evo Morales. The conflict broke out three weeks ago when Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Morales fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl in 2016, classifying their relationship as statutory rape. Morales has refused to testify in court.

In Spanish Town Devastated by Flood, a Grim Search for Bodies (NYT) Plates with half-eaten dinners were still sitting on the white tablecloths in the nursing home’s dining hall on Thursday, amid muddy and overturned wheelchairs and walkers. Six people died in the facility on Tuesday, as a raging river exploded out of its banks and swept through villages and towns around the Spanish city of Valencia, on the country’s east-central coast. Among them was the town of Paiporta, where residents said the water came without warning. It had not even been raining on Tuesday night when the water from the river swept in suddenly. The floods killed at least 205 people in Spain, in the deadliest natural disaster in the country’s recent history, with almost all of those deaths, 202, in the Province of Valencia, the authorities said on Friday. More than 60 of the victims were killed in Paiporta, a working-class town on the southern outskirts of the city of Valencia, according to the official, Vicent Ciscar, the town’s deputy mayor. Amidst the mud, the grim search for bodies goes on.

US is sending $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine (AP) The Pentagon announced Friday it was sending an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine as Kyiv prepares to face Russian forces augmented by North Korean troops. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had said more aid was coming, and soon, during his visit to Kyiv last week. This aid package includes weapons that will be pulled from existing U.S. stockpiles, including air defense interceptors for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and 155 mm artillery, and armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

Japan plans automated cargo transport system to relieve shortage of drivers (AP) Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a “conveyor belt road” by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers. A computer graphics video made by the government shows big, wheeled boxes moving along a three-lane corridor, also called an “auto flow road,” in the middle of a big highway. A trial system is due to start test runs in 2027 or early 2028, aiming for full operations by the mid-2030s. The plan may sound like a solution that would only work in relatively low-crime, densely populated societies like Japan, not sprawling nations like the U.S. But similar ideas are being considered in Switzerland and Great Britain. The plan in Switzerland involves an underground pathway, while the one being planned in London will be a fully automated system running on low-cost linear motors. In Japan, loading will be automated, using forklifts, and coordinated with airports, railways and ports.

Israel’s path of destruction in southern Lebanon raises fears of an attempt to create a buffer zone (AP) Perched on a hilltop a short walk from the Israeli border, the tiny southern Lebanese village of Ramyah has almost been wiped off the map. In a neighboring village, satellite photos show a similar scene: a hill once covered with houses, now reduced to a gray smear of rubble. Israeli warplanes and ground forces have blasted a trail of destruction through southern Lebanon the past month. The aim, Israel says, is to debilitate the Hezbollah militant group, push it away from the border and end more than a year of Hezbollah fire into northern Israel. Even United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanese troops in the south have come under fire from Israeli forces, raising questions over whether they can remain in place. More than 1 million people have fled bombardment, emptying much of the south. Some experts say Israel may be aiming to create a depopulated buffer zone, a strategy it has already deployed along its border with Gaza. Some conditions for such a zone appear already in place, according to an Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery and data collected by mapping experts that show the breadth of destruction across 11 villages next to the border.

North Gaza 'apocalyptic,' everyone at 'imminent risk' of death, warns UN (Reuters) The situation in the northern Gaza Strip is "apocalyptic" as Israel pursues a military offensive against Hamas militants in the area, top United Nations officials warned on Friday. "The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence," they said in a statement signed by the acting U.N. aid chief Joyce Msuya, heads of U.N. agencies, including U.N. children's agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme, and other aid groups. Israel began a wide military push in northern Gaza last month. The United States has said it was watching to ensure that its ally's actions on the ground show it does not have a "policy of starvation" in the north. "Humanitarian aid cannot keep up with the scale of the needs due to the access constraints. Basic, life-saving goods are not available. Humanitarians are not safe to do their work and are blocked by Israeli forces and by insecurity from reaching people in need," they said.

Almost two dozen countries at high risk of acute hunger, UN report reveals (Guardian) According to a joint report by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program, 22 countries across the globe are expected to experience heightened levels of acute food insecurity over the next six months. Five of those countries—Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Palestine, and Haiti—are expected to face famine or the risk of famine between now and May 2025. Situations are likely to degrade even further in some areas experiencing food insecurity as a La Niña weather pattern is projected to sweep the globe this winter. With unusually high levels of rainfall (and the accompanying risk of flooding) expected for some regions, “many countries experiencing humanitarian crises risk being further affected by La Niña, which could exacerbate food insecurity, increase human suffering and result in further economic losses,” added the representative.