ICAO Rejects IATA's Bid to Raise Pilot Retirement Age Amid Safety Concerns
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has rejected a proposal by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67, citing concerns around aviation safety and age-related health risks.
ICAO Rejects IATA Proposal to Raise Pilot Retirement Age to 67
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has rejected a proposal by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to raise the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 65 to 67, citing concerns around aviation safe…Prachi Patel (Simple Flying)
US | Burbank Airport Operates Without Anyone In Air Traffic Control Tower
The tower at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) had no air traffic controllers for a period of six hours, causing chaos. Here's what happened.
Family Sues Qatar Airways After Passenger Chokes To Death Mid-Flight
Some of the specifics of this incident have not been confirmed.
Wizz Air Says P&W Engine Issues Will Continue Until End Of 2027
The issues mean that Wizz Air currently has nearly a quarter of its next-generation Airbus fleet parked for maintenance.
Airbus Appoints New Chief To Lead A220 Program
There's a new head of the Airbus A220 program, in charge of overseeing the program's production ramp up and profitability.
China woos top foreign talent as US closes the door
China woos top foreign talent as US closes the door
China’s new ‘K visa’ is at odds with the US’ recent decision to hike the price of visas for talented workers by as much as 50-fold.Jeronimo Gonzalez (www.semafor.com)
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Why is the MAGA administration so hell bent on pushing China to the top as the global power?
I understand that Cluater B is going to Cluster B, that is how their wiring works. But why is everyone else around Trump supporting this agenda that only weakens and demeans the United States?
By design.
2016 Trump wrecked the US under Putins orders.
2025 Trump is wrecking the US in spite for losing in 2020.
Benefit of going to China:
- Good public transit
- You won't get shot
Russia's Invulnerable Weapon: Why the Golden Dome Won't Do the Job
Greg Mello, director of the Los Alamos Study Group, which studies the US nuclear arsenal, stated that none of the current US or other countries' missile defense systems are capable of countering Russian non-ballistic nuclear weapons.
According to him, the US initiative to create the Golden Dome system is technically unfeasible. Mello noted that Russia possesses weapons such as the Poseidon underwater drone, hypersonic missiles, and cruise missiles, which are specifically designed to overcome missile defense systems.
He emphasized that instead of fanciful projects like Golden Dome, real arms control measures are needed to ensure mutual security.
What's the point?
"You better believe we have weapons you can't defend from, like, at all! We could totally take on NATO, easily. So like, don't, like, even think about helping Ukraine any more!"
Russia (and/or the Soviet Union) has been doing variations of that to Finland since WWII.
That's basically why it took us so fucking long to join NATO, because the argument used to be "uuuh, we can't afford to piss off Russia!"
But since they obviously don't care about their own capacity for war and invaded Ukraine, we thought, "fuck it, why not".
So Russia used to have a bit of a buffer with Finland but since we joined, Putler is having even more heatenings.
Thus this sort of saber rattling.
Seeing as we're on .ml I wouldn't be surprised if Davel or Dessalines or one of the others just deletes this as some sort of anti-Russian discrimination and bans me.
Oh and just to remind Vanja. Don't try to come over our Eastern border. #(Unless you're alone and escaping Putlerism, but you should do that before the remining is done.)*
If they have this amazing weaponry, why aren’t they deploying it against Ukraine?
because they can beat the shit out of ukr civilians every night for cheap. hypersonic weapons are expensive.
the underwater drones: well ukraine basically sunk their navy in the black sea, so probably not there...
they did use some cruise missiles early in the conflict, but again, expensive compared to shaheeds and other shitty terror drone weapon platforms. when you're bombing apartments you don't need pinpoint accuracy.
I'd also wager they don't have very many of the fancy weapons ready at any given time, and reserve them for conflict against other nuclear powers.
remember, russia has always underestimated ukraine in this fight, at the very beginning the invaders brought their dress uniforms because they were told they'd be marching in victory parades in just a few days.
thedailybeast.com/russians-pla…
in short, I don't think these weapons would be all that useful against ukraine but poland and denmark might see some action if things continue to escalate. or if Ukraine starts landing significant hits against moscow itself.
Russians Planned a Victory Parade in Kyiv—but Dumped Their Formal Attire as They Fled
Ukrainian military officials say they have been finding parade uniforms among all the abandoned and destroyed Russian equipment.Allison Quinn (The Daily Beast)
Lifting the Moratorium on IRBM Deployment: Consequences for Belarus and Russia
Russia has lifted its moratorium on the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, paving the way for the deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus. This is a response to the growth of NATO missile forces in Europe and the changing strategic balance.
The Oreshnik is a ballistic missile with a range of up to 5,500 km and hypersonic warheads (up to Mach 10), virtually invulnerable to missile defenses and equipped with decoys. Deployment in Belarus reduces the flight time to Europe by 3-4 minutes, threatening key NATO facilities, including NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Russia believes the collapse of the arms control system is a consequence of the actions of the US and its allies. The deployment of the Oreshnik system in Belarus is a necessary measure to restore the strategic balance.
Oreshnik and Nuclear Weapons - a Strategic Deterrent
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense explained that the West's hype surrounding the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system is due to their role as a strategic deterrent. Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces Viktor Tumar noted that these weapons are intended for use only in extreme cases, but their very existence discourages adversaries from aggressive plans.
He emphasized that the presence of tactical nuclear weapons and the Oreshnik system allows Minsk to avoid an arms race and preserve funds for social programs. According to Tumar, the West, on the contrary, is increasing its military presence and reducing social spending.
you want to call it exists as less than 10 missiles. And of those, already two have been used.
maybe you give me source?
They were made almost 20 years ago and include parts whose production was ended in 1990’s and can no longer be produced by any factory in any country.
You idiot. Sorry, but its real fact.
Rubezh is a type of missile that is banned by international agreements on reducing the nuclear danger. That the Russia has held to almost ten of those for several decades tells a lot about how dangerous the Russia is. While others have stopped using such mid-range ballistic missiles and have scrapped them, the Russia had just hidden them.
Maybe you tell the international agreements?
you want to call it exists as less than 10 missiles. And of those, already two have been used.maybe you give me source?
This is the first thing that I found with a quick internet search. It'll give you enough pointers to find the rest of the information, I'm sure! So, here goes: eurasiantimes.com/russias-game…
Maybe you tell the international agreements?
Here you go: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermed…
And then: There were blog posts analyzing the debris of the Rubezh missile launched back in November and December 2024. The debris shows that it is not a new development. It cannot be directly proven that the Oreshnik and Rubezh are the same missile, because Rubezh, being against treaties signed by USSR, was a very secret project, of which only very little information leaked. But, the debris shows that the "Oreshnik" missiles were made around when we know Rubezh had been made. And they are missiles for the same purpose. It's unlikely that the Russia would have developed two separate missile types for the same purpose at the same time.
Breaking: IDF intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla near Gaza
ABC News
ABC News provides the latest news and headlines in Australia and around the world.ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
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It looks like the IDF boarded two largest vessels but at this point they're unable to stop the rest.
Edit: three vessels have been captured and activists were taken by IDF.
apnews.com/article/israel-pale…
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo rages, with 61% death rate and funding running dry
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo rages, with 61% death rate and funding running dry
Responders ask for $25 million to contain the disease. They have $2.2 million.Beth Mole (Ars Technica)
canada.ca/en/public-health/ser…
Notice that it is a for-profit corporation which decides what the final price of the vaccine is going to be,
AND what its availability is going to be,
whereas this SHOULD have been a straight-up strategic global-security decision, to opensource the thing, & make the license viral, like GPL, so that all derivatives also be libre..
& if private/for-profit-industry wouldn't develop it under those terms, then buy some company & manufacture it ourselves, for sake of stopping a functional "zombie apocalypse" in the making.
When the English intentionally infected ships-of-goods with smallpox, in order to extinguish as much of the American Indian population as they could, its death-rate was MASSIVELY multiplied by the rude fact that everybody was afflicted at the same time:
no carers left!
The same logic is going to happen when a both-highly-transmissable-and-highly-lethal ebola variant breaks out.
( covid's transmissability & lethality have been all over the place, chaotically, but anybody who remembers how covid-alpha & covid-delta had high lethality, but covid-omicron was mild & had high-transmissibility, knows,
you HAVE to identify those 2 attributes distinctly, & not ignore their effects, when assessing threat-to-our-populations!
& pretending otherwise, overly-dumbing-things-down, has cost medical-credibility, which itself costs lives, at whole-population-scale )
That privatization-of-ebola-vaccine is going to cost millions of lives, when, not if, ebola breaks-out, as all viruses do, in globalized-economies, eventually.
Warring for the wrong goal, winning the battle, in a way that costs the entire war.
Unstomachable pseudostrategy, iow.
_ /\ _
Fact Sheet - VSV-EBOV - Canada's vaccine for Ebola - Canada.ca
Fact Sheet: VSV-EBOV: Canada's Experimental vaccine for Ebolawww.canada.ca
Jane Goodall, conservationist renowned for chimpanzee research and environmental advocacy, has died
Some of her final advice prior to her passing:
"Focus on the present and make choices today whose impact will build over time."
https://apnews.com/article/jane-goodall-obit-78698397851bc7634717206f7eba07b2
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Seeking recommendations for federated Q&A forums on Linux and software issues
I'm looking for federated Q&A forums specifically focused on Linux and software-related issues. I'm not referring to platforms like NodeBB, Discourse, Lemmy, Kbin, PieFed, etc. I'm asking for specific instances that focus on Q&A about Linux and other software related issues. I know of some popular non-federated platforms like Stack Exchange, AskUbuntu, Arch Linux Forum, etc. But I'm particularly interested in federated sites.
If you have any recommendations for such forums, please share them! Thank you!
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fedimins.net/
Fedimins
Ein Kollektiv aus Administratoren und Moderatoren welches mehrere Ziele verfolgtfedimins.net
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Could federated social media networks enhance cooperative behavior between everyone, relative to both insular and massively popular services?
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/36940611
[Derek] When Watts dug deeper, he realized that the network structure did matter. In the more clustered networks, people were more likely
30:27
to copy each other. So if by chance someone started out cooperating, then everyone would cooperate.
30:34
But it was equally likely that someone would start out by defecting, in which case everyone else would defect.
30:40
And over all the games they played, these two effects canceled each other out, which is why it seemed like
30:46
the network structure didn't matter. - [Duncan] It's sort of on a knife edge, right? Where like one person does something selfish
30:54
and everything goes south. In another world, everybody kind of holds it together
31:00
and everything goes well. It's crazy that the world could be like on a knife edge like that, you know,
31:06
could tip one way or the other, kind of just depends on how someone gets out of bed that day.
31:11
But then Watts realized something. See, in real life, you can choose who you hang out with.
31:17
So he reran the experiment allowing players to change who they were playing with. And this time he used the prisoner's dilemma
31:23
so that players could easily identify the defectors. - [Derek] And the finding was clear, the more you allowed players
31:30
to choose who they were playing with, the more likely they were to cooperateArbitrary freeze frame for thumbnail purposes:.
Could federated social media networks enhance cooperative behavior between everyone, relative to both insular and massively popular services?
[Derek] When Watts dug deeper, he realized that the network structure did matter. In the more clustered networks, people were more likely
30:27
to copy each other. So if by chance someone started out cooperating, then everyone would cooperate.
30:34
But it was equally likely that someone would start out by defecting, in which case everyone else would defect.
30:40
And over all the games they played, these two effects canceled each other out, which is why it seemed like
30:46
the network structure didn't matter. - [Duncan] It's sort of on a knife edge, right? Where like one person does something selfish
30:54
and everything goes south. In another world, everybody kind of holds it together
31:00
and everything goes well. It's crazy that the world could be like on a knife edge like that, you know,
31:06
could tip one way or the other, kind of just depends on how someone gets out of bed that day.
31:11
But then Watts realized something. See, in real life, you can choose who you hang out with.
31:17
So he reran the experiment allowing players to change who they were playing with. And this time he used the prisoner's dilemma
31:23
so that players could easily identify the defectors. - [Derek] And the finding was clear, the more you allowed players
31:30
to choose who they were playing with, the more likely they were to cooperate
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Terminal promiser Elon Musk says he'll make a great AI game in 2026
Known promiser Elon Musk says he'll make a great AI game in 2026
The innovator known for his impressive Thai cave rescue ideas and galaxy brain Elden Ring builds is intent on revolutionizing video games, he saysPatricia Hernandez (Polygon.com)
Ukraine conflict fuels ‘gold rush’ for Western weapons makers – NYT
Ukraine conflict fuels ‘gold rush’ for Western weapons makers – NYT
EU military startups are reportedly turning the country into a warfare testing lab in the race to arm KievRT
La cupa leggenda di Abashiri, carcere costruito sui gelidi confini del Giappone settentrionale - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
La cupa leggenda di Abashiri, carcere costruito sui gelidi confini del Giappone settentrionale - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
Con il repentino ingresso del Giappone nell’epoca moderna, successivamente all’apertura forzata dalle navi nere del Commodoro Perry a partire dal 1853 e la conseguente serie di sconvolgimenti sociali, amministrativi e culturali che portarono alla cad…Jacopo (Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri)
While a drone defense system is of course a mandatory requirement of modern warfare, the real solution is to ramp-up Ukraine's ability to strike russia.
Additoanly the EU really needs to implement their own hybrid warfare methods against the russians.
For the first part at least. Though I must say I disagree that conducting hybrid “little green men” warfare outside of Ukraine is a good idea.
25 Ottobre: Linux Day Milano
Linux Day Milano
Manifestazione italiana dedicata a GNU/Linux, al software libero, alla cultura aperta e alla condivisione.linuxdaymilano.org
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Google says adblockers caused YouTube views count to drop - this is what adblockers told us really happened
Google says adblockers caused YouTube views count to drop - this is what adblockers told us really happened
Adblockers claim that hidden filter rules are the major culpritEfosa Udinmwen (TechRadar)
ok i am so sorry i didn't comment right comment policeman are you going to give me a ticket
get a life
Israel to close last remaining route from southern Gaza to the north as it continues offensive on Gaza City – Middle East crisis live
The Israeli military said it will close on Wednesday the last remaining route for residents of southern Gaza to access the north, as it presses its offensive on Gaza City.
The military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X:
"Al-Rashid Street will be closed to traffic from the southern sector area at 12:00 (0900 GMT). Movement southward will be allowed for those who were unable to evacuate Gaza City. At this stage, the [Israeli military] permits free movement southward without inspection."
In figures reported less than two weeks ago, the UN said that more than a quarter of a million people had been displaced from Gaza City in the previous month. Tens of thousands more have been forced to flee makeshift homes and shelters daily in the face of a new Israeli offensive, it added.
Middle East crisis: Israeli minister says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to flee – as it happened
Israeli offensive intensifies amid reports Hamas will seek amendments to Trump’s Gaza planAmy Sedghi (The Guardian)
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Israel has zero interest in ending this war until every Palestinian is emigrated or dead. October 7th gave them every excuse they need for this genocide and annexation. Embarrassing that any world leaders are talking peace when they know damned well what's going on.
The West either allows this to continue or bombs Tel Aviv into glass and ruble. There is no magical "in between" state where this levels out to an ante bellum status quo.
Taliban internet blackout has created an extreme scenario in Afghanistan with far-reaching consequences
Taliban internet blackout has created an extreme scenario in Afghanistan with far-reaching consequences
The Taliban government has rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban, saying old fibre optic cables are worn out and are being replaced.Cordelia Lynch (Sky News)
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Flights have been grounded
I didn't even think about that. They cannot turn the clock back, even in their own country. And what do they wish to accomplish anyhow? This is ultimately pointless and only bound to bring even more chaos and poverty. Personally I just hope they will get some sort of Nuremberg Trial in the end. Cruel perverts.
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Taiwan pressured to move 50% of chip production to US or lose protection
Taiwan pressured to move 50% of chip production to US or lose protection
Trump official plots “impossible” deal moving Taiwan’s chip supply chain into US.Ashley Belanger (Ars Technica)
Trump again floats Canada joining the U.S. as the 51st state
cross-posted from: lemmy.ca/post/52563091
Not going to happen.
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Yeah we shouldn't lie to ourselves. There's just no way we can match the US's military power in a conventional war, and the geography makes our cities, farmland and resources easily accessible to their forces.
But the guerrila warfare is what would get them leaving. It's just a question of being patient, like the Talibans were.
Trump returns to '51st state' rhetoric in speech to U.S. military officials
"Canada called me a couple of weeks ago, they want to be part of it, to which I said, 'Well, why don't you just join our country. You become 51 — become the 51st state — and you get it for free,'" Trump told the assembled officials.
"So, I don't know if that made a big impact, but it does make a lot of sense."
Trump also claimed Canada is having "a hard time up there" because "as you know, with tariffs, everyone's coming into our country." The president then boasted about investment leaving Canada and other countries and going into the United States, pointing to automobile plants.
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How Would a New BRICS Currency Affect the US Dollar?
The BRICS nations, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have had many discussions about establishing a new reserve currency backed by a basket of their respective currencies.Melissa Pistilli (Investing News Network (INN))
Italian navy to stop assisting Gaza flotilla despite fears of Israeli attack
Italy said it will stop accompanying the international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, despite concerns by activists that the fleet will be attacked within the coming hours. Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels to assist the boats after they were hit by drones armed with stun grenades last week.
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What a brave effort. How can the people be so brave while their governments are such cowards?
This is Israel vs Palaistine locally, but rich vs poor on an even larger scale.
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while their governments are such cowards?
It's worse than that; they're fascists. It took a fucking general strike in Italy to get them to deploy the naval forces to begin with, and their Mussolini fangirl prime minister called them off again as soon as she could bullshit an excuse.
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Fuck Meloni. She is a craven coward, and she's an asshole that needs to get MOVED OUT.
She should try being Palestinian. Let her see how bad it is and face the harsh consequences.
Zelensky confirms Israel sent Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, says more coming in fall
Zelensky confirms Israel sent Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, says more coming in
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed for the first time that Israel delivered Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv, adding two more batteries will arrive in the fall after months of speculation and denialsReuters (ynetglobal)
Talk about a poisoned gift...
Nobody wants gifts from Israel, but Ukraine desperately needs the hardware.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't...
As a finn, I very much want "gifts" from Israel. Their air defence systems are amazing, and they have very nice looking defence capabilities against drones. Which seems to be a growing risk from Russia.
I hope nobody is surprised to hear that I value the people of Finland over the people of palestine.
Honestly I’d rather Ukraine have them than Israel. Am I supposed to be mad that they’ve micro-disarmed by doing this? Fuck no that’s a bit less firepower in Israel’s hands
Keep going! We love your charity Israel, give it ALL to Ukraine! 🥴
No, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking it matters either, and now somehow because Ukraine has weapons that Israel didn’t use in their genocide they’ve got cooties or something.
People in here like “Now Ukraine is guilty by association! Tainted morals! Blood on their hands!” - it doesn’t matter.
Now, what’s fucked up, who does have blood on their hands, is the United Ststes who are obviously going to resupply Israel.
But that doesn’t make Ukraine guilty.
Central Philippines hit by powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake, dozens killed
A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the central Philippines late Tuesday, killing dozens of people at a sports arena and raising fears of major damage, officials said. The quake hit around 10 pm local time at a shallow depth near Palompon, close to Bogo city in Cebu province, the US Geological Survey reported.
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FBI boss Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — On a visit to New Zealand, FBI Director Kash Patel gave the country’s police and spy bosses gifts of inoperable pistols that were illegal to possess under local gun laws and had to be destroyed, New Zealand law enforcement agencies told The Associated Press.The plastic 3D-printed replica pistols formed part of display stands Patel presented to at least four senior New Zealand security officials in July. Patel, the most senior Trump administration official to visit the country so far, was in Wellington to open the FBI’s first standalone office in New Zealand.
Pistols are tightly restricted weapons under New Zealand law and possessing one requires an additional permit beyond a regular gun license. Law enforcement agencies didn’t specify whether the officials who met with Patel held such permits, but they couldn’t have legally kept the gifts if they didn’t.
It wasn’t clear what permissions Patel had sought to bring the weapons into the country. A spokesperson for Patel told the AP Tuesday that the FBI would not comment.
US FBI Director Kash Patel visits New Zealand, immediately provides local officials with 3d printed, potentially operable firearms...
... which is a crime, that could carry up to a 3 year prison/jail sentence in NZ...
... and would also potentially be somewhere between a misdemeanor and a felony depending on where you are in the US, as 3d printed firearms are generally without serial numbers and are thus 'ghost guns', which are often illegal if unregistered, if not outright banned, though this differs from state to state and city to city.
(Oh also, I guess he is so concerned about properly investigating the death of Charlie Kirk that he is uh, personally looking for leads in New Zealand, or something.)
https://apnews.com/article/kash-patel-guns-new-zealand-fbi-d5747377f957d61645d47324bfaa1114
Uhm... yes. Yeah.
I am also kind of confused by this.
The FBI has like... sub offices, attachés to consulates/embassies... but uh... thats for coordinating with local law enforcement and I guess handling US expats.
Yeah I don't know what the fuck Patel is doing here, unless he is kind of just publically admitting that all those other FBI sub offices and attachés just routinely handle Five Eyes / Nine Eyes / However many fucking Eyes type shit.
Which is, I mean, yeah, duh, but also, you're not supposed to just say that outloud, Patel.
You're supposed to be investigating the globalist deep state panopticon world controllers, not fucking building a new branch office for them...
Oh my god his brain must be the size of a walnut, he isn't even good at what he is trying to be good at, holy shit.
I'm almost inclined to believe that he just wants an excuse to holiday in NZ. Because if it's for spying... Good grief. Have they bungled it up badly.
...I mean, OPSEC IS CLEAN!
The FBI is who you call when you want to investigate (and prosecute) international gangs/drug cartels (which is why he was there in the first place)
The CIA is who you call when you want a country's leader shot with a shard of frozen pufferfish poison.
I mean, the CIA has frequently, with documentation, illegally operated on US soil... often by facilitating international gangs and drug cartels...
But yes, the ice gun with puffer fish poison is also a thing too lol.
Anyway uh, the article says:
News of Patel’s visit caused ripples in New Zealand at the time because the opening of the new FBI office in Wellington wasn’t divulged to news outlets or the public until it had already happened. An FBI statement in July said the move aligned New Zealand with FBI missions in other Five Eyes intelligence-sharing nations, which also include the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.The office would provide a local mission for FBI staff who have operated with oversight from Canberra, Australia, since 2017, the statement said.
Where are you getting that Patel was there for intl. drug gang investigation?
Where are you getting that Patel was there for intl. drug gang investigation
euronews.com/2025/08/01/fbi-op…
New Zealand ministers who met Patel, the highest-ranking Trump administration official to visit New Zealand, quietly dismissed his claims.A government statement on Thursday emphasised joint efforts against crimes such as online child exploitation and drug smuggling, with no mention of China.
"When we were talking, we never raised that issue," Foreign Minister Winston said Thursday.
Patel said what he said because he is a fucking moron. If Patel lied, he is a moron for creating diplomatic problems for an ally. if Patel didn't lie, he just brought a whole lot of unnecessary attention to a spy base in NZ.
FBI opens first office in New Zealand, sparking backlash in China
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in June that China posed an imminent threat and urged Indo-Pacific countries to increase military spending to 5% of GDP.Gavin Blackburn (Euronews.com)
Ah, ok, I'd only seen the AP article.
Welp.
Yeah, yep, Patel is indeed a gigantic fucking bug eyed idiot, that tracks.
Unless somehow the NZ government is somehow now a state of the US
As a new zealander it sure fuckin feels like that sometimes
We Said “We Will Block Everything” and We Did: Inside Italy’s Strike for Gaza
We Said “We Will Block Everything” and We Did: Inside Italy’s Strike for Gaza | Truthout
Following a 24-hour general strike on September 22, the country is now gearing up for more national protests.Negin Owliaei (Truthout)
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Disney reportedly lost 1.7 million paid subscribers in the week after suspending Kimmel
Disney reportedly lost 1.7 million paid subscribers in the week after suspending Kimmel
An independent reporter claims that more than 1.7 million paying subscribers canceled their plans to DIsney streaming services.Anna Washenko (Engadget)
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One excerpt from the Mark Milley speech that some protestors are playing over loudspeakers to the National Guard, when the two groups interact
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Hi, I’m an early 2010s tech CEO
Hi, I’m an Early 2010s Tech CEO
I wear the same T-shirt every day, and I have a relatably unkempt haircut. I remind you of the smart kids from high school, so I give you hope that...McSweeney's Internet Tendency
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Trump Classifies “Anti-Capitalism” as a Political Pre-Crime
Trump Classifies “Anti-Capitalism” as a Political Pre-Crime
Donald Trump’s new security directive labels anti-capitalist beliefs as a predictor of political violence. The irony: left-wing structural analysis actually pushes people away from lone-wolf attacks and toward mass organizing for change.jacobin.com
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It was part of his plan to address “domestic terrorism.” Also don’t forget, Kathy Hochul preceded Trump in sending in the national guard to “fight crime” despite every statistic showing a drop in violent crime.
We are not only at war with Trump and the GOP, but the entire political class.
aclu.org/news/national-securit…
politico.com/news/2021/07/22/b…
Biden’s Domestic Terrorism Strategy Entrenches Bias and Harmful Law Enforcement Power
Biden’s strategy fails to address the wrongs, let alone reverse them.Hina Shamsi (American Civil Liberties Union)
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Palantir’s Military Role in Israel and Britain
Palantir’s AI machines need data for fuel—data in the form of intelligence reports on Palestinians in the occupied territories. And for decades a key and highly secret source of that data for Israel has been the US National Security Agency, according to documents released by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. After fleeing to Hong Kong in 2013 with a pocket full of flash drives containing some of the agency’s highest secrets, Snowden ended up in Moscow where, soon after he arrived, I met with him for Wired magazine. And in the interview, he told me that “one of the biggest abuses” he saw while at the agency was how the NSA secretly provided Israel with raw, unredacted phone and e-mail communications between Palestinian Americans in the US and their relatives in the occupied territories. Snowden was concerned that as a result of sharing those private conversations with Israel, the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank would be at great risk of being targeted for arrest or worse.”
“Now, with Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, critical information from NSA continues to be used by Unit 8200, according to a number of sources, to target tens of thousands of Palestinians for death—often with US-supplied 2,000-pound bombs and other weapons. And it is extremely powerful data-mining software, such as that from Palantir, that helps the IDF to select targets.
https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/10/06/palantirs-military-role-in-israel-and-britain/
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Lavender was developed by the Israel Defense Forces’ elite intelligence division, Unit 8200. One officer was quoted as saying: “This is unparalleled, in my memory. The machine did it coldly. And that made it easier.” Another said: “I would invest 20 seconds for each target at this stage, and do dozens of them every day. I had zero added-value as a human, apart from being a stamp of approval. It saved a lot of time.”Just as Palestinians are dehumanised by the rhetoric around the conflict, the technology furthers this dehumanisation. People become ‘targets’ and the technology is seen as simply a mechanism for efficiency and time-saving in the process of killing.
Technology didn't kill those people. It might make that guy sleep a little easier to pretend he's just a "stamp of approval," but thats because he's deluding himself.
If Alex Karp and Peter Thiel had created a deadly biological weapon in a lab, then sold it around the world for profit knowing it would be used to commit mass murder, nobody would be pretending they weren't responsible for those deaths their weapon caused.
They created this monster, and the U.S. helped it flourish by feeding it the data it needed. And now they're just pillaging hoards of data from the entire world. And we're just letting them. As if they have no responsibility for what they're doing, and we have no way to stop them.
They refused and still refuse to regulate it. It's not that they can't, it's because nobody forced them to. Why not? The technology isn't to blame for this, they are. They created a technological weapon of mass destruction, and for some reason, we're all just going along with the idea that what they've done is somehow different than unleashing a deadly disease on humanity. As if they're somehow removed from responsibility once it's in the buyer's hands because it's a different category of weapon.
I remember a year ago or so, I was reading about NATO and concerns over A.I. use triggering article 5. I didn't understand what tf they meant, but it's pretty obvious now. So why are we pretending these guys aren't war criminals just like the people who purchased and used their weapon against other humans?
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It's scarier that this is clearly a testing ground. Gaza is too small for anything real, it doesn't really incur expenses, and it doesn't really provide profits when cleansed of people.
Also since Britain is in the title - I'd reminisce on the old picture of Russian Imperial, German Imperial, Soviet and partially even Nazi propagandist view of the world, where Britain was the center of evil aiming for, well, something like this.
It seems telling that USA, Israel, and the Commonwealth (for all military and totalitarian purposes Britain and its former dominions are still one thing) are in this together and have dropped any pretense of internationalism and rules on the world stage.
So what I think - propaganda, that's in its name, is used to propagate information. That information is augmented and simplified by those providing it, but it wouldn't have any meaning if it had zero correlation with the real world, and providing correct information is beneficial long-term for any elite, except few of them can afford to disregard short-term effects.
Perhaps that picture had something in it, or again has something in it.
See, these countries have notably interconnected and very developed intelligence services, world military logistics, propaganda means above anything openly totalitarian countries could ever hope. Totalitarian counties close up and institute censorship because you can paint a pond red, or a small river, but you can't paint the world ocean red. USA+Israel+Commonwealth can and do paint the world ocean red ; perhaps the color is paler around its remote parts.
And now they are developing and testing, on the scale of a small country, weapons that, combined with these means, can indicate that we know who will deliberately start WWIII with the goal of world domination, except it might not last long enough to be called a war.
I've also heard that British royalty still consists of types who classify people and nations by color, and those more colored in their perception have no rights at all.
And the whole constitutional monarchy and separation of dominions and independence of their puppet organizations in other (sometimes very totalitarian, I know) countries - these things can maintain structure without hard joints.
Say, when some opposition party in Georgia is technically its own thing, but receives grants, the more the better it works, that's not having a hard joint yet having a hierarchy. And, say, the glory of Saakashvili's war on corruption shouldn't be overestimated, he mostly did it through abuse. When in Armenia in the 90s Vano Siradeghyan was the internal affairs minister, its crime and corruption problems were also much less than before and after, because police would simply murder mob bosses (except for those in the government, of course). I don't know anything about Vano being pro-western or receiving grants or aiming for political power, but he used absolutely the same means the wonderful reformer Saakashvili did. OK, these are local examples.
The point is - the modern state of existence of the British Empire (in my humble opinion US has slowly receded to being part of that for many years) doesn't favor hard joints. One should look not only at grant eater groups in various countries, one should also look at many small independent states, like Arab monarchies or Baltic republics, whose foreign affairs positions have little consistency and often seem as if they were saying what the US or Britain don't want to say themselves yet.
So - getting back to weapons, we might be living in an interbellum, not for world wars, but for imperialist and anti-imperialist wars. WWI and WWII can be united into one thing in some sense, in WWI empires crumbled and socialist movements raised their heads. In WWII socialists survived and even reinforced some of their positions, but empires managed to play on both sides, and speaking about Nazis, they were very bad people, but their plans for future weren't compatible with the old concept of empires. So in some sense Nazis and USSR got played to fight each other where they shouldn't have.
So - Star Wars is often blamed for touching politics where, in the opinion of those talking, it's superficial in that. I don't think Star Wars is superficial in that, I think its EU's portrayal of that inhabited galaxy and its politics is pretty similar to our real world, just more directly exposed and has a far smaller difficulty level for the good guys. Both can be considered conventions of art.
I think we'll see the empire where it naturally won't make any sense to call it anything more specific.
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I’ve also heard that British royalty still consists of types who classify people and nations by color, and those more colored in their perception have no rights at all.
The thing about this, is that it doesn't matter if it's happening in Brittain or the U.S. or Israel. It's a form of social control for elites who view the world as a social hierarchy. There are no rules for them, but they need the masses to believe there are.
They're at the top. God or nature chose for them to rule, and at the end of the day, nobody has any rights other than their right to rule over others. It just "is what it is." They love social darwinism as long as they control the game, but they also know the reality is that if the masses were to ever unite and rise up against them, they would very quickly lose their spot at the top of the hierarchy.
Creating a value system on something arbitrary like skin color is one of the easiest ways to divide and conquer. Control of the masses by tricking some of them into believing they share something inherent with those who actually dominate all of them. Skin color, nationality, religion, or political beliefs as a measure of the value of human life, lulls the subordinates into a false sense of safety by default. They can be made fully aware of atrocities happening on the other side of the world, or even next door to them, but believe their belonging to the perceived in-group means it won't happen to them.
When one out-group is eliminated, a new arbitrary out-group will be created to divide and conquer those who remain and destroy any who oppose. It's happening in the U.S. right now.
We allowed immigrants to be rounded up like animals. We rationalized children screaming and crying in fear as their families were torn apart. They weren't here "legally" so they didn't have the same legal rights as everyone else. And since we allowed a group of humans to be considered "illegal," a loss of human dignity is just accepted as the inevitable consequence of their actions. As if they somehow deserved this.
Then when we learned there were people who were here legally, but also being rounded up illegally in the rush to get all the "illegals" off the street, we accepted that it was simply a mistake, but a consequence of so many illegals with similar ethnicities overwhelming the system. A fault of the group, not a fault of the system. Nothing we needed to worry about, things would get sorted out, eventually. The system is never held to account.
Last week an entire apartment building was raided in Chicago when government agents dropped from a helicopter to a rooftop to break in. Most residents woke up to their doors kicked in around 1 am. Adults were handcuffed. Children were zip tied together and taken from their families screaming and crying. And in all the chaos and confusion, their American neighbors were also rounded up, handcuffed for hours, and denied due process. When they were finally released, they returned to find many of their friends and neighbors missing (and still unaccounted for), and many of their homes raided of valuables.
Surely this will be the line for America, right? We can all see this has nothing to do with immigration and "legal" status, right? The system is commiting the crime. They system is breaking all the rules it claims to enforce.
Or, will we all just accept that because it happened to mainly black and brown American citizens in an inner city apartment building, it was simply a mistake due to similar ethnicities overwhelming the system? It's not something you need to worry about if you're not one of them. You're safe. Surely things will get sorted out, eventually.
President Trump released a new memo a few weeks ago that very few have paid much attention to. The vague language is phrased as targeting associates and funders of radical leftist groups like "Antifa," but it's vagueness essentially equates any act of political opposition with an act of domestic terrorism.
Divide and conquer.
Divide and conquer.
I mean, yes, that's what gradual escalation doctrine means. Unfortunately that system is comprehensive, it works from the ground up this way, and any system modeled after it (which after the Cold War became most of the world) reinforces it and impedes the cure to it.
The cure would be not only many leftist ideologies, but also, for example, things like ancaps and sovcits. The problem is that all of these are so negatively perceived that even denying them voice is not seen as a problem for many people.
People think it's normal, this gradual process. That it is democracy, waiting for your enemy to do vile shit like this and then argue it "by the law", and never God forbid start first.
While the solution would be preventive rebellion, and none of popular philosophy substantiates that. Everyone thinks that's something only terrorists, bad-bad fascists and bad-bad bolsheviks do. With plenty of history to support that viewpoint, of course, except millions of dead under colonial rule in Africa and from British blockades even in the two world wars were killed by neither bolsheviks nor fascists.
Getting back to the system, I mean culture of social interactions by that, which is beneficial for them in most of the world. As a reaction to other transgressions, maybe, but that doesn't change the fact.
Trump ally Peter Thiel
As if Palantir hasnt been imbedded deep in government for several years.
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White House says furloughed federal workers not entitled to back pay amid shutdown
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
The White House’s office of management and budget (OMB) is arguing that federal workers who are furloughed amid the ongoing government shutdown are not entitled to back pay.In a draft memo first obtained by Axios, OMB argued that an amendment to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) of 2019 would not guarantee furloughed workers back pay and that said funds must be set aside by Congress.
“The legislation that ends the current lapse in appropriations must include express language appropriating funds for back pay for furloughed employees, or such payments cannot be made,” said Mark Paoletta, OMB’s general counsel, in a draft addressed to White House budget director Russell Vought, the Washington Post reported.
The OMB previously revised a shutdown guidance document on Friday to remove reference to the GEFTA Act, reported Government Executive, a media site reporting on the US executive branch.
Donald Trump previously signed GEFTA into law after the 2019 government shutdown, which lasted for 35 days. While many understood the law to automatically guarantee pay for federal workers, the White House’s OMB is arguing against that interpretation, suggesting that the law only created the conditions for back pay.
White House says furloughed federal workers not entitled to back pay amid shutdown
OMB argues an amendment to a 2019 act would not guarantee furloughed workers post-shutdown payGloria Oladipo (The Guardian)
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Android/Phone Alternatives? [Discussion]
With the advent of Google's draconian business decisions, do we have alternatives?
The entire reason I use an android phone is that it's just like a little computer where I can decide how it's used. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with other options.
I remember the PSP with its 3g modem that was a fun novelty. Are there any modern devices like the OpenPandora that could be suitable?
Most of my paid apps are through alternative markets so I'm fairly sure with some effort I could get them running on a Linux device.
I thought about using a laptop but it wouldn't have the same convenience to answer calls asap from my pocket. I'm also unsure if it's possible to use tools like Google maps to navigate.
My apologies if this isn't the appropriate community. I'm hoping that because this likely affects everyone here it's the right place for this discussion. Thanks for reaching the end 💜
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White House offers ‘concierge’ service to fossil fuel firms, official says
Brittany Kelm, a senior policy adviser for the National Energy Dominance Council, detailed in a podcast how the council works to advance fossil fuel projects.
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OpenAI signs $1 trillion worth of chip deals to feed its AI habit
These numbers don't make any sense to me, as the hed is about buying lots of chips, and the body is about power use. No matter how you slice it, $8.76/kWh is a terrible fucking investment ... if that's chip-inclusive, that's another story.
Still, the audacity of saying "we're going to invest $1 trillion" is Dr. Evil-level humour.
OpenAI is signing about $1 trillion (€940 billion) in deals this year for computing power to keep its artificial intelligence dreams humming.On Monday the outfit inked a deal with AMD which follows earlier tie-ups with Nvidia, Oracle and CoreWeave, as Sam Altman’s outfit scrambles to secure enough silicon to keep ChatGPT online and the hype machine alive.
The latest commitments would give OpenAI access to more than 20 gigawatts of computing capacity over the next decade, roughly the output of 20 nuclear reactors. At about $50 billion per gigawatt, according to OpenAI’s estimates, the total tab hits that $1 trillion figure.
Analysts are not convinced this financial engineering makes any sense. DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria said: “OpenAI is in no position to make any of these commitments,” adding that it could lose about $10 billion this year.
OpenAI signs $1 trillion worth of chip deals to feed its AI habit
Money maths doesn't add up OpenAI is signing about $1 trillion (€940 billion) in deals this year for computing power to keep its artificial intelligence dreams humming.Nick Farrell (Fudzilla)
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scassamento mi bandico, ecco senza cinturino e senza risate
La notte passata, mentre dormivo, si è avverato quello che negli ultimi giorni presenziava nella mia testa come uno degli incubi più peggiori che sarebbero stati a portata di colpirmi… e quindi palle: si è rotto il cinturino (merdoso, di fabbrica, porca miseria quante schifezze fanno pur di risparmiare) della Mi Band, si è spezzat, […]
FrowingFostek
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