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This week, we’re sharing an interview with Will Gillis, author of the recently published book Did The Science Wars Take Place: The Political and Ethical Stakes of Radical Realism, published via C4SS where Gillis holds the position as The Voltairine de Cleyre Chair in Centrifugal Studies and technical coordinator.

For the hour we talk about the so-called Science Wars of the 1990’s, debates involving scientific approaches and shared understandings of a a measurable physical reality, post-modernism, the roles leftists and anarchists played in the debates and how cults and authoritarians employ anti-realist explanations of the world to limit their subjects’ moves toward liberation.

To check out another 30 minutes of interview, consider the blog at our website or the subscribe-able podcast or other streaming apps linked at TFSR.Media

You can read more of William’s writings at https://humaniterations.net and https://c4ss.org

A few links to further scientific education:

• Quanta Magazine: https://www.quantamagazine.org/
• Theoretical Minimum Lectures by Leonard Susskind: https://theoreticalminimum.com/
• Milo Rossi youtube on archeology; https://www.youtube.com/@miniminuteman773
• Stefan Milo youtube on archeology: www.youtube.com/@StefanMilo
• Angela Collier youtube on physics: https://www.youtube.com/@acollierastro
• self-training in physics video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw97Tj5zxvA&pp=ygUcYW5nZWxhIGNvbGxpZXIgc2VsZi10cmFpbmluZw%3D%3D
• Sean Carrol’s Mindscape podcast covers a lot of topics, linked from his website: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/

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Featured track:

• beatbuster by The Willows Whisper

This week on The Final Straw Radio, we’re featuring a conversation with our guest, Ketino, to speak about Especifist anarchism and anarchist approaches at anti-Imperialism. Ketino is a member of the Tampa, Florida branch of the Black Rose / Rosa Negra Anarchist Federation and they grew up in Cuba. You can learn more about Black Rosa, or BRRN, at BlackRoseFed.Org

To hear a longer version, check out our podcast version!

Other links:

• Black Rose’s introduction to Anarchism
• Denunciation of Venezuela Coup by CALA (member groups listed) and sibling, BRRN
• ICOA — International Coordination of Organized Anarchism wikipedia page
• Anarkismo Network
• Solidarity with Sudanese Anarchists (including ICOA-related signatories)
• Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front – South Africa
• CES (a project offering education in Especifismo): https://especifismostudies.org/

First up, here are a few prisoner struggle updates

Announcements

Prisoners For Palestine

It was announced on January 14th that members fo the Prisoners For Palestine hunger strike, from the Palestine Action case in the so-called UK, ended their strike after 73 days without food after a key demand was met with Elbit Systems being denied an important government contract. You can read their statements at PrisonersForPalestine.org and check out our November 30, 2025 episode for some background on the cases.

Xinachtli

From Xinachtli’s support crew (Instagram at @FreeXinachtliNow):

On January 1, Xinachtli (state name Alvaro Luna Hernandez) was transferred to the Carol Young Medical Facility. In the moment, this was a major victory getting him moved from McConnell, and Xinachtli shared that he felt the power of the people!
However this victory was short-lived. The transfer was carried out without any notice to his attorney, and made Xinachtli unable to communicate with them before his latest court hearing on January 6, effectively blocking his right to counsel.
Within days of the transfer, we also learned that Xinachtli had been placed in a cell with no running water, and a broken sink and toilet.
In Xinachtli’s words: “They bring me a bowl of water. I first use it to drink, and then I use the rest for hygiene for the remainder of the day. I also have not been able to flush the toilet in days.
Prison conditions in the U.S. are deeply dehumanizing. For Xinachtli, who is attempting to recover after months of medical neglect, these conditions risk further delaying his recovery and compounding the harm he has already endured.
We know that applying pressure works. A director of TDCJ called organizers earlier this month begging for an end to the “hundreds of calls.” Contrary to their request, we will not stop until Xinachtli is FREE.
Xinachtli’s current demands are:

• That he be moved to a cell with running water and functioning plumbing.
• That he receive his ID card so he can purchase needed items and receive his commissary order from January 2.
• That he receive all of his personal property from the McConnell Unit.

Contacts:
• Carol Young Medical Facility TDC): (409) 948-0001
◦ WARDEN: (**129)
• Region III Director Jerry Sanchez: (281) 369-3736
• TDC) Executive Director: (936) 437-2101
You can sign up for slots and find tips for making calls, including scripts, at https://bit.ly/xphoneblast

Repression in Alabama Prisons

In the last few days, according to supporters of the Free Alabama Movement as we approach the February 8th call for a statewide work stoppage Kinetic Justice, Hannibal Ra Sun and Raoul Poole have been transferred to another prison and prisoners across the ADOC have had food rations cut. To learn how to advocate for these three FAM leaders now at Kilby CI and read the press release announcing the upcoming strike actions, check our shownotes :

following their announcement of an upcoming labor strike, Melvin Ray, Robert Earl Council (Kinetik Justice), and Raoul Poole — three prominent voices in the film “The Alabama Solution” — were taken to Kilby Prison.

In anticipation of the strike, the AL Dept. of Corrections has also reduced access to food in its prisons. This is a dangerous violation of [prisoners] constitutional rights.

Call Kilby: (534) 215-6600

Demand they keep these men — and all those in state custody — safe.

The Press Release announcing the strike is here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2025
FREE ALABAMA MOVEMENT (FAM)
ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE SHUTDOWN ADOC 2026
Effective February 8, 2026
Alabama — The Free Alabama Movement (FAM) announces a coordinated, statewide shutdown of Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) facilities beginning February 8, 2026. This nonviolent action comes in response to decades of unconstitutional sentencing practices, forced prison labor, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis throughout Alabama’s prison system.
With the release of the documentary The Alabama Solution, state officials can no longer deny or ignore the overwhelming evidence that Alabama’s prison system is in catastrophic failure and requires immediate, sweeping reform. The documentary exposes systemic corruption, violence, and deliberate neglect that incarcerated people have endured for generations. The truth is no longer hidden behind prison walls — it is publicly available, undeniable, and morally urgent.
Despite federal investigations, DOJ findings, and repeated warnings, the State of Alabama has failed to enact meaningful change. Therefore, incarcerated people across the state are exercising their lawful right to peaceful protest through a statewide shutdown and work stoppage.
LIST OF DEMANDS

1. Repeal Alabama’s Habitual Felony Offender Act (HFOA)
   Abolish the outdated and excessively punitive enhancement statute that has produced life and virtual-life sentences far beyond any rehabilitative purpose and out of step with modern standards of justice.
2. Make the Presumptive Sentencing Guidelines Retroactive
   Apply current presumptive sentencing standards to all eligible prior convictions so that people sentenced under older, harsher laws can receive the same fair and consistent treatment as those sentenced today.
3. Make HJR 575 Retroactive (Drive-By Shooting Statute Reform)
   Apply the legislative clarification of Alabama’s drive-by shooting statute retroactively so that individuals who were improperly charged or enhanced under the statute can receive review and relief.
4. First-Time Offender / Capital Murder Reform Bill
   Create revised sentencing options for first-time offenders and end Juvenile Life Without Parole by providing parole eligibility after 20 years, recognizing the capacity for growth, change, and rehabilitation.
5. Parole Board Reform and Clear, Objective Criteria
   Mandate transparent written standards, meaningful hearings, and review procedures that ensure fair, non-arbitrary parole decisions for every eligible incarcerated person.
6. Medical Furlough & Compassionate Release Expansion Expand and enforce mechanisms for the release of elderly, terminally ill, severely disabled, and medically fragile individuals so they can receive appropriate care in the community instead of dying in prison.
7. Establish a Statewide Conviction Review Unit
   Create an independent conviction review body with the authority and resources to investigate wrongful convictions, excessive sentences, and cases involving prosecutorial or judicial misconduct.
8. Abolish Forced Prison Labor
   End uncompensated and coerced prison labor by guaranteeing fair wages, voluntary participation, safe working conditions, and basic labor protections for incarcerated workers.
9. Strengthening Families Act (Including Conjugal Visits)
   Implement policies that protect and strengthen family bonds, including conjugal and overnight family visits, expanded contact visitation, increased access to phone and video communication, and parenting and family-support programs.

STATEMENT FROM FAM
“For decades, incarcerated men and women in Alabama have lived in conditions that violate human rights, constitutional protections, and basic dignity. With the undeniable evidence now in the open, we are left with no alternative but to demand justice through collective, peaceful action. This shutdown is not an act of hostility — it is an act of survival, truth, and human rights.”
Bennu Hannibal Ra-Sun
Kinetic Justice Amun
CALL TO ACTION
We call upon:

• Civil rights and justice organizations
• Faith-based institutions
• National human rights observers
• State and federal officials

Families, supporters, and the public to stand in solidarity and demand immediate reform of Alabama’s prison system.

PRESS CONTACT

• Free Alabama Movement (FAM)
• Email: [email protected]
  #StatewideShutdownADOC2026

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Featured Track:

• Al Nather by Ma3azef from Nisf Madeena
• TFSR 1 v2 by The Willows Whisper

This Thursday on Closer to the Edge, Professor Ted will present the “top 10” of his personal prog picks of albums released in 2025, by featuring a track from each. Tune in Thursday (Jan. 15), 1-3PM EST on 103.3 Asheville FM or stream live or later at www.ashevillefm.org/show/closer-to-the-edge