Record numbers of Ukrainians desert army amid losses to Russia
Record numbers of Ukrainians desert army amid losses to Russia
Thousands of soldiers have fled the army despite the threat of jail or social isolation.Al Jazeera
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EU weighs ban on veggie 'burger' and 'sausage' labels
The measure was introduced by French conservative lawmaker Celine Imart, who argued it would prevent confusion with traditional meat products.
EU weighs ban on veggie 'burger' and 'sausage' labels
European lawmakers face a decision on whether ordinary consumers would be confused by the idea of vegetarian sausages or vegan burgers. Meat producers say it's not that simple.Richard Connor (Deutsche Welle)
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Fortunately, I've heard that they are highly allergic to vegan, so it will be nice to see them collapse in anaphylactic shock after eating vegan where they only wrote "vegan" 16 times on label..
U.S. Authorities Shut Down Major China-Linked AI Tech Smuggling Network
‘Operation Gatekeeper’ Disrupts Trafficking Network and Seizes More Than $50 Million in Advanced GPUs Destined for China and Other Restricted Locations
U.S. Authorities Shut Down Major China-Linked AI Tech Smuggling Network
Two businessmen are now in custody for allegedly violating U.S. export control and smuggling laws.www.justice.gov
U.S. Authorities Shut Down Major China-Linked AI Tech Smuggling Network
U.S. Authorities Shut Down Major China-Linked AI Tech Smuggling Network
Two businessmen are now in custody for allegedly violating U.S. export control and smuggling laws.www.justice.gov
European Union Commission opens investigation into anticompetitive conduct by Google in the use of online content for AI purposes
Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct by Google in the use of online content for AI purposes
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Google has breached EU competition rules by using the content of web publishers, as well as content uploaded on thEuropean Commission - European Commission
European Union Commission opens investigation into anticompetitive conduct by Google in the use of online content for AI purposes
Commission opens investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct by Google in the use of online content for AI purposes
The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Google has breached EU competition rules by using the content of web publishers, as well as content uploaded on thEuropean Commission - European Commission
Advent Calendar 10
Advent Calendar
Zen Mischief Photographs
This year for our Advent Calendar we have a selection of my photographs from recent years. They may not be technically the best, or the most recent, but they’re ones which, for various reasons, I rather like.
© Keith C Marshall, 2023
Click the image for a larger view
Hurray! This German State Decides to Save €15 Million Each Year By Kicking Out Microsoft for Open Source
Hurray! This German State Decides to Save €15 Million Each Year By Kicking Out Microsoft for Open Source
Schleswig-Holstein's migration to LibreOffice reaches 80% completion, with a one-time €9 million investment on cards for 2026.Sourav Rudra (It's FOSS)
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didn't another german state already try this and fail pretty spectacularly?? cost them WAY more money and then they ended up rolling back to m$??
given that, this is fantastic news! it's good to see people learn from past failed implementations, hopefully learn from their mistakes, and try again instead of just blaming it on bad software
I’ve been trying to find a source but from what I remember the transition was in maybe Munich and it was going fine.
Microsoft opened a new sales or operation center there and got cozy with the government there as quickly as possible to turn them back into a customer.
EDIT: Here is the LiMux endeavor.
Microsoft had announced in 2013 its willingness to move its German headquarters to Munich in 2016, which according to Reiter though, is unrelated to the criticism they've presented against the LiMux project.
Link previews on public groups
Hey everyone, does anyone know how to show link previews in groups? I heard about Instant View and Web Grabber, but can't find them in the public bot directory.
I'm not selfhosting
hi, the bots for link preview are called "www" in the list at deltachat-bot.github.io/public…
also notice that the right place to ask such questions is support.delta.chat/ if you want the developers and more DC users to see your questions
Do you mean InstantView Bot?
It is included in the list of public Delta Chat bots as "www". There are 3 bots with the same name. At least, www2delta@chatmail.woodpeckersnest.space works well.
Here is the list:
deltachat-bot.github.io/public…
Porsche Cars in Russia “Turn Into Bricks” After Massive Satellite Security Outage
Porsche Cars in Russia “Turn Into Bricks” After Massive Satellite Security Outage
Porsche owners in Russia face immobilization issues due to a satellite alarm system failure, with reports indicating widespread problems across major cities.Liubava Petriv (UNITED24 Media)
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Any Other – Silently. Quietly. Going Away (2015)
Adele Nigro è uscita dal gruppo. Ha deciso di lasciare quel folk che geograficamente sta tra la Svezia delle First Aid Kit e le foreste del Nord America, per fare qualcosa di nuovo. E forse di più vero... Leggi e ascolta...
Any Other – Silently. Quietly. Going Away (2015)
Adele Nigro è uscita dal gruppo. Ha deciso di lasciare quel folk che geograficamente sta tra la Svezia delle First Aid Kit e le foreste del Nord America, per fare qualcosa di nuovo. E forse di più vero. Perché, per quanto mi piacessero le Lovecats e il loro EP, non riuscivano a essere niente di più che una bella melodia e un’ottima armonizzazione. Il suo nuovo progetto, la sua nuova band, Any Other, riapre tutte le possibilità... artesuono.blogspot.com/2015/09…
Ascolta il disco: open.spotify.com/intl-it/album…
Home – Identità DigitaleSono su: Mastodon.uno - Pixelfed - Feddit
Home – Identità DigitaleSono su: Mastodon.uno - Pixelfed - Feddit
Any Other – Silently. Quietly. Going Away (2015)
di Gianluca Porta Adele Nigro è uscita dal gruppo. Ha deciso di lasciare quel folk che geograficamente sta tra la Svezia delle First Ai...Silvano Bottaro (Blogger)
TIL Howling Mad Murdock from the A-Team (1983) is also Lt. Barclay from Star Trek: TNG
Actor: Dwight Schultz
I was watching the 2010 version of the A-Team (great movie imo), and I wanted to know what cameos there were (because I suck at recognizing actors). Lo and behold, to my delight, the cross-over of all cross-overs: Star Trek and A-Team.
~I love it when a plan comes together.~
Edit: This just keeps getting better!!!! 53:58 on Netflix.
Dwight Schultz - Actor, Music Department, Additional Crew
Dwight Schultz. Actor: Star Trek : Premier Contact. Dwight Schultz is an American actor who is known for playing Howling Mad Murdock from The A-Team and Reginald Barclay from Star Trek: The Next Generation.IMDb
Lori Petty
Lori Petty (born 14 October 1963; age 62) is the actress who played Noss in the Star Trek: Voyager fifth season episode "Gravity". Petty's career breakthrough came with her role in Point Break (1992, featuring Jack Kehler and Christopher Pettiet).Contributors to Memory Alpha (Fandom, Inc.)
The (successful) end of the kernel Rust experiment
The topic of the Rust experiment was just discussed at the annual Maintainers Summit. The consensus among the assembled developers is that Rust in the kernel is no longer experimental — it is now a core part of the kernel and is here to stay. So the "experimental" tag will be coming off. Congratulations are in order for all of the Rust for Linux team.
The end of the kernel Rust experiment
The topic of the Rust experiment was just discussed at the annual Maintainers Summit. The cons [...]LWN.net
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The ALIS Codex: Learn. Survive. Connect.
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Why We Make ALIS: The Enemy Within
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" Alis? Who the fuck is Alis?"
Smokie, probably
Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayoral runoff, breaking 30-year Democratic drought
Eileen Higgins wins Miami mayoral runoff, breaking 30-year Democratic drought
Higgins defeated former city manager Emilio Gonzalez with 59% of the vote, pledging to tackle housing affordability, climate resilience, and restore trust at City Hall.Doug Myers (CBS Miami)
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[Pluribus Spoilers] A distressing thought about Koumba and the hive...
The hive exist, or desire to please the survivors. However they want. Koumba has used this more than anyone else to his own advantage to live the life of a decadent, hedonistic and shallow playboy - roleplaying as James Bond and surrounding himself and having sex with women. Now, to me - this is very much - at the minimum - taking advantage of them. The women he's having sexual relations with are not who they were, and it is unlikely - even if the hive came to him and suggested it (as I suspect they did) - that the women before the joining would be remotely interested in doing this. They are not them. Who they were has been lobotomised, malformed and disappeared into the hive - segmented up into billions of bodies.
I've seen some people (not here, but elsewhere) suggest that this behaviour is okay because the hive is consenting. The women he's picking show enthusiastic and active consent. This to me is disgraceful, not just in the context of that - but also what could be the case if Koumba had different, darker interests.
Now the show will not address this (and rightfully so) - but it still seems true to me regardless of that. If Koumba was a pedophile, they would provide him with children he requested - and the children would provide active consent. Just like the women he picks now, they wouldn't be who they were. There is no concept of childhood or child innocence anymore. The hive literally can't say no unless it contradicts their survival or asks them to hurt others.
So to anyone who thinks the hive is a good thing (and some people actually do), or that Koumba is doing no wrong with what he's doing. This should be a point to consider.
In theory they aren't individuals anymore, they are appendages. So there would be no issue with consent the same way you decide consent for your hand or mouth. In a sense your mouth consents because it is part of the you making that decision.
Except... If there were any chance your hand could separate from you and become an individual in the future it'd be immoral to use it for sex now. And Carol is already very confident that it's possible to reverse the Joining. But even if she wasn't it was always a possibility. So having sex with any of them is incredibly wrong, which should be obvious to anybody on a gut level.
Konsole now prompts for passwords and other questions in pop-ups??
I mean, who thought of this as a good idea? I find it rather distracting. I'm trying to SSH into a computer and blam...a massive pop-up blocks me from reading what was before or anything else...just the pop-up in front, blocking text. It has the hidden password text field thing, but this one is to type yes/no to whether accept the server's cert. Y hit enter after typing yes...and blam, another pop-up, this one is for the actual password.
How can I disable these pop-up prompts? I want to be prompted as text, on the konsole main screen, as it always was. I haven't changed anything, because well, this is a brand new install. It started happening on a different computer and found it equally irritating.
Any idea how can I disable this? Thanks so much!
ssh-askpass utility to prompt you for passwords. You can configure it to always prompt over the TTY of the parent process that executed the ssh-askpass command.
Linux Foundation aims to become the Switzerland of AI agents
An attempt to provide vendor-neutral oversight as the agent train barrels on
Linux Foundation aims to become the Switzerland of AI agents
: An attempt to provide vendor-neutral oversight as the agent train barrels onThomas Claburn (The Register)
Rivian is building its own AI assistant
The EV maker will likely share more details on its upcoming AI & Autonomy Day scheduled for December 11.
Rivian is building its own AI assistant | TechCrunch
The EV maker will likely share more details on its upcoming AI & Autonomy Day scheduled for December 11.Kirsten Korosec (TechCrunch)
Had an issue with an update and had no networl access after reboot. How many kernals can be available in grub?
Still pretty new to Linux, I'm on Ubuntu Studio 24.04 LTS and had some issues with updates through the updater with errors and so I did sudo apt update/upgrade instead. Something went wrong and had errors, and after a reboot I had no internet access, Ethernet or WiFi, and no options to connect to anything. Running sudo lshw -c network showed unclaimed networks.
In case anyone has a similar issue, I fixed it by:
1. Reboot, spam shift to get into grub
2. Advanced options
3. Recovery mode for the lower number kernel
4. Enable networking
5. Fix broken packages
My question is about number 3. There were 4 kernel options, 2 normal with a recovery for each (I can't remember the specifics but one had 37 and the other 36). I selected recovery 36 as it was the older kernel. Is that amount of options (2 for each kernel) normal or can I create more? Like 37, 36, 35, 34, etc.
I was in panic mode since this PC is for work, and thought it might be nice to have more older kernel options if possible. I've also learned my lesson and am currently running Timeshift.
It's been a long time since I used Ubuntu, but at the time I did I recall running into issues keeping too many old kernels. They were stored in a fixed space folder (or maybe partition?) that was like 100MB and sometimes wouldn't clear out automatically, so I remember this. May not be relevant now, but if it is, space in the storage folder is the limiting factor so you would need to change that. If it IS a partition, then you would need to deal with all that is involved with that.
edited to add that my current OS only stores three or four as well. I have never really dived into it.
The Quest for Reasonably Secure Operating Systems
The Quest for Reasonably Secure Operating Systems
I never worried on Windows about security as much as I should have, it just so happens I've been lucky to have never been hit with ransomware. By the time...yazomie > tech
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Another step up is the confidential computing project. Requires hardware that supports it though, which sucks, but takes the virtual hardware concept and adds multi key memory encryption on top.
Remember though security without a threat model is just paranoia, so what level of hoops and investment you need really depends on what your threats actually look like.
I personally love containers and Macsec. It limits most of my concerns. I want to mess with confidential containers next, which is to say lightweight VMs in containers with memory encryption set, but thats all future to me. The irony is that I then I have to figure out attestation better for those machines since from the host they are black boxes.
iOS 26 doesn't offer privacy settings at all for "Home" app
It appears that even if you don't have the app installed, it is in Settings > Apps. But there's no option at all, to customise its privacy settings.
Downloading the app also doesn't let you customise its privacy settings. In fact, the app then disappears altogether from the privacy settings! It doesn't even appear anymore in the "Hidden Apps". Removing it again however, shows the app popping up again in the settings.
What's more, it's deliberately erroneously labelled as "Start Screen" when you don't have downloaded it.
Ridiculous. One more reason to go to a Fairphone or something like it.
However, you can edit it... but very cumbersomely, only by going to Settings > Siri > App Access ... and then suddenly, you see the app!
This seems like it's straight up illegal.
If by “privacy settings” you mean controlling what system permissions the Home app has, you’re out of luck. It’s a semi-default app and may be more deeply embedded into iOS than is apparent.
If you’re trying to control what other apps have access to HomeKit data, you can find that in Privacy & Security.
Man Charged for Wiping Phone Before CBP Could Search It
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[2024-10-27] OpenZFS new deduplication mechanism and why you still may not want to use it
OpenZFS deduplication is good now and you shouldn't use it
OpenZFS 2.3.0 will be released any day now, and it includes the new “Fast Dedup” feature. My team at Klara spent many months in 2023 and 2024 working on it, and we reckon it’s pretty good, a huge step up from the old dedup as well as being a solid ba…despair labs
(ADC) “Smartphone, dopamina e dipendenza: il mio ESPERIMENTO di 7 Giorni”
Caspiterina, De Concimi ha cacciato fuori questo esperimentino pazzo 2 settimane fa e io me l’ero perso… l’ho scoperto solo stasera per caso: 1 settimana senza lo smarfonino (o smarfonone, nel suo caso) per capire se è possibile vivere senza. Non tanto in senso di pratica universale del mondo, perché purtroppo al giorno d’oggi l’avere […]
octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…
(ADC) “Smartphone, dopamina e dipendenza: il mio ESPERIMENTO di 7 Giorni”
youtube.com/watch?v=yKM4mMAxtE…Caspiterina, De Concimi ha cacciato fuori questo esperimentino pazzo 2 settimane fa e io me l’ero perso… l’ho scoperto solo stasera per caso: 1 settimana senza lo smarfonino (o smarfonone, nel suo caso) per capire se è possibile vivere senza. Non tanto in senso di pratica universale del mondo, perché purtroppo al giorno d’oggi l’avere ed usare costantemente uno smartphone è qualcosa di praticamente forzato dall’esterno, sia dalla società che per certi versi dagli Stati, e con ogni anno che passa la possibilità di poter rimanere senza in tal misura si fa sempre più sottile, quindi non è questo il punto del video… Il suo discorso è più che altro sull’abitudine, la dipendenza, e queste minchiatine qui. 😳
È un caso spassoso che, come la sua sfida sia stata di 1 settimana, così io stasera — dopo aver trovato appunto per caso questo video, che credo abbia qualche spuntino di riflessione, e quindi mi è venuta la voglia di postare — stia scrivendo qui dopo 1 settimana intera che non tocco il fritto misto… E beh, di un caso si tratta, perché io non ho affatto mandato a fanculo il telefono, ma semplicemente sono evidentemente a corto di olio, quindi è difficile friggere. (In altre parole, l’anedonia mi distrugge, e quindi col piffero che esce qualcosa da scrivere qui, di lungo e sensato… ma, anche oggi pomeriggio ho applicato il mio fix vietato, e dunque stasera ho la voglia di fare le cose, che wow… però non divaghiamo.) 🙏
Lui avrebbe voluto fare proprio una settimana senza Internet, ma non è riuscito a giustificare il prendersi una settimana di ferie (che sarebbe la conseguenza logica di una tale scelta per lui, visto che il suo lavoro non è raccogliere i pomodori), quindi ha ripiegato sul semplicemente mettere via lo smartphone pieghevole fantastico moderno che ha, e ritornare ai tempi antichi del suo vecchio cellulare Nokia, mettendo la SIM in quello e non usando più lo smartphone per niente; se non per i codici della banca (e zio merdone, le banche e le loro app!) e per registrare pezzi di vlog. 👌
Cosa ne può mai venire allora fuori da questa cosa? Boh; per lui, che può fare a meno di avere certe app molto distraenti sul cellulare (incluse alcune che, nonostante ciò, avrebbero un giustificabile scopo lavorativo, come YouTube Studio; quindi non parliamo solo di minchiatine), decidendo quindi di levarle da lì, allocandole solo al PC e a tempi della giornata più controllati, avendo così un potenziamento dell’attenzione e sprecando dunque meno tempo durante tutti i giorni e quindi nella vita… e, per chi guarda, invece, veramente boh; nel senso, dipende. 🍇
Io, in realtà, grandi problemi con il telefonone in questo senso non sento di averne… ma non tanto perché ne ho in realtà di ben più gravi in altri sensi—ehm, volevo dire, non solo perché non è la prima volta che sento queste cose; quanto più per il fatto che innanzitutto il mio uso dello smarfonone è abbastanza diverso dalla media delle persone della mia generazione (che, le statistiche lo dicono, è comunque quella più fissata), e poi perché tante misure riparative o preventive dell’abuso dello smartphone sono per me normalità da tempo… per una semplice questione di miei gusti e tendenze, in realtà, lol. 😊
Alla fine del video, Alessandrone suggerisce alcune cose effettivamente utili, che per me infatti non sono nuove. Piattaforme social che non aggiungono praticamente nulla alla mia vita non le uso (ma in realtà, curiosamente, come ho già detto, se le iniziassi ad usare non riuscirei ad acquisire l’abitudine; mi scoccerei naturalmente e smetterei senza farci caso)… Il telefono certamente non è il mio unico robo di battaglia, e anzi, a casa non ho davvero tanto la voglia di usarlo quando posso fare qualcosa ugualmente o meglio dal PC (come scrivere)… E beh, a me le notifiche danno proprio fastidio dentro (ma questa sarà altrettanto la potenza del mio autismo), quindi le uniche che permetto al telefono di ricevere in qualsiasi momento sono chiamate ed SMS, nient’altro (mentre, sul tablet, praticamente zero). 😈
In realtà, però, devo ammettere che dei problemi di abitudini zombi li ho pure io, a riguardo… e quindi sì, assolutamente evito di tenere collegamenti rapidi a cose che apro di continuo senza motivo, altrimenti è la fine, ma mi trovo a dover ogni tanto cambiare anche la disposizione del drawer delle app o altre cose di questo tipo, perché sennò non basta… Ma, questo non è tanto un problema di dopamina, visto che mi accorgo che per me pure il fottuto Alt+Tab sul PC è compulsivo; proprio nel mentre di scrivere questo post, l’ho premuto non so quante volte… e l’unica finestra che ho portato in foreground è stata la mia cartella Download rimasta aperta da poco fa, non una app con meccanismo da slot machine. (E no, impostare la scala di grigi non mi aiuta con ciò.) 🥴
Boh, complessivamente l’esperimento è gnam, e… io non lo farei, perché ehh… francamente, a me, lo smartphone, quando serve serve. Se voglio annotare qualcosa devo farlo, e idem se voglio cercare sul web delle robe, o se ho da scattare delle foto e persino modificarle al volo, nonché attuare rapidi momenti di sysadmin e programmazione in giro, visto che un tablet sarebbe troppo grosso e dunque non potrei portarlo ovunque… Però, allo stesso tempo, non è assolutamente la fine del mondo se in un certo momento non posso aprire Pinterest o Telegram per guardare (e pigniare…) i miei memini; basta che ho un manga da leggere, o una console per giocare, e riesco tranquillamente a non morire. (…E sì, sto implicando che se non ho la possibilità di scrivere quando voglio è improbabile io possa sopravvivere; ma insomma, se esplodessero gli smartphone domani userei il 3DS, e se esplodesse tutta l’elettronica del pianeta userei la carta.) 👍
#adc #dipendenza #dopamina #esperimento #smartphone
- 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
Glauber Braga é expulso do plenário após ocupação da Mesa Diretora
Glauber Braga é expulso do plenário após ocupação da Mesa Diretora
Congressista foi levado por policiais legislativos para fora do plenário após protesto contra possível cassação.Congresso em Foco
Can DSA Hold Mamdani Accountable? Its Co-Chairs Respond
- 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
Segal Secrets: docs reveal Antisemitism Envoy's big pay day - Michael West
Official Propaganda for Caribbean Military Buildup Includes “Crusader Cross”
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1260…
An official U.S. military social media account on Monday shared a photo collage that included a symbol long affiliated with extremist groups — and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.In a post on X trumpeting the deployment of troops to the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command, or SOUTHCOM, shared an image that prominently displayed a so-called Jerusalem cross on the helmet of a masked commando.
The Jerusalem cross, also dubbed the “Crusader cross” for its roots in Medieval Christians’ holy wars in the Middle East, is not inherently a symbol of extremism. It has, however, become popular on the right to symbolize the march of Christian civilization, with anti-Muslim roots that made it into something of a logo for the U.S. war on terror.
Tattoos of the cross, a squared-off symbol with a pattern of repeating crosses, have appeared on the bodies of people ranging from mercenaries hired by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to Hegseth himself.
Now, the symbol has reared its head again to advertise President Donald Trump’s military buildup against Venezuela — an overwhelmingly Catholic country — and boat strikes in the Caribbean.
U.S. military forces are deployed to the #SOUTHCOM area of responsibility in support of #OpSouthernSpear, @DeptofWar-directed operations, and @POTUS' priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. pic.twitter.com/vLvg9fQ5Lx— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 8, 2025
“As with all things Trump, it’s a continuation, with some escalation, and then a transformation into spectacle,” said Yale University historian Greg Grandin, whose work focuses on U.S. empire in Latin America.
The social media post came amid rising controversy over a series of strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, dubbed Operation Southern Spear.
[
Read Our Complete Coverage
License to Kill
---------------](theintercept.com/series/licens…)Hegseth is alleged to have ordered a so-called “double-tap” strike, a follow-up attack against a debilitated boat that killed survivors clinging to the wreckage for around 45 minutes. The U.S. has carried out 22 strikes since the campaign began in September, killing a total of 87 people.
The Pentagon’s press office declined to comment on the use of the Jerusalem cross, referring questions to SOUTHCOM. But in a reply to the X post on Monday, Hegseth’s deputy press secretary Joel Valdez signaled his approval with emojis of a salute and the American flag. In a statement to the Intercept, SOUTHCOM spokesperson Steven McLoud denied that the post implied any religious or far-right message.
“The graphic you’re referring to was an illustration of service members in a ready posture during Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR,” McLoud told The Intercept. “There is no other communication intent for this image.”
The original image of the masked service member appears to have come from an album published online by the Pentagon that depicts a training exercise by Marines aboard the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea in October. The photo depicting the cross, however, was removed from the album after commentators on social media pointed out its origins.
Amanda Saunders, a spokesperson for the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, the Pentagon-run photo agency, said she was unable to comment directly but forwarded the request to the Marine unit involved in the exercise.
“Content on DVIDS is published and archived directly by the registered units,” she said, “so we don’t have control over what is posted or removed, nor are we able to comment on those decisions.”
Hegseth and the Cross
The Jerusalem cross’s popularity on the right has surged in part thanks to featuring in various media, including the 2005 Ridley Scott film “Kingdom of Heaven” and video games, according to Matthew Gabriele, a professor of medieval studies at Virginia Tech and a scholar of Crusader iconography.“It supports the rhetoric of ‘defense of homeland.’”“It supports the rhetoric of ‘defense of homeland,’” Gabriele told The Intercept, “because the crusaders, in the right’s understanding, were waging a defensive war against enemies trying to invade Christian lands.”
The symbol’s position of prominence in official military communications is just the latest example of a trollish extremism by the Trump administration’s press teams, which have made a point of reveling in the cruelty wrought on its perceived enemies at home and abroad, or “owning the libs.”
[
Related
Team Leader at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites Belongs to Anti-“Jihad” Motorcycle Club, Has Crusader Tattoos](theintercept.com/2025/08/06/ga…)
Monday’s post may also be intended as Hegseth putting his thumb in the eye of the Pentagon’s old guard. Hegseth’s embrace of the symbol — in the form of a gawdy chest tattoo — once stymied, however temporarily, his ambitions in the military.Folling the January 6 insurrection, according to Hegseth and reporting by the Washington Post, Hegseth was ordered to stand down rather than deploy with his National Guard unit ahead of the 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden. The decision to treat Hegseth as a possible “insider threat” came after a someone flagged a photo of a shirtless Hegseth to military brass, according to the Washington Post.
“I joined the Army in 2001 because I wanted to serve my country. Extremists attacked us on 9/11, and we went to war,” Hegseth wrote “The War on Warriors,” his 2024 memoir. “Twenty years later, I was deemed an ‘extremist’ by that very same Army.”
Hegseth was hardly chastened by the episode and has since gotten more tattoos with more overt anti-Muslim resonance, including the Arabic word word for “infidel,” which appeared on his bicep sometime in the past several years. It’s accompanied by another bicep tattoo of the Latin words “Deus vult,” or “God wills it,” yet another slogan associated with the Crusades and repurposed by extremist groups.
The use of the image to advertise aggressive posturing in a majority-Christian region like Latin America may seem odd at first glance. In the context of renewed U.S. focus on Latin America, however, it’s a potent symbol of the move of military action from the Middle East to the Western Hemisphere.
“They’re globalizing the Monroe Doctrine.”The post comes on the heels of the release of the Trump’s National Security Strategy, a 33-page document outlining the administration’s foreign-policy priorities that explicitly compared Trump’s stance to the Monroe Doctrine, the turn-of-the-century policy of U.S. dominance in Latin America in opposition to colonialism by other foreign powers. Grandin, the Yale historian, described the document as a “vision of global dominance” based on a model of great-powers competition that can lead to immense instability.
“They’re globalizing the Monroe Doctrine,” Grandin said. “I’m no fan of the hypocrisy and arrogance of the old liberal international order, but there’s something to be said for starting from a first principle of shared interests, which does keep great conflict at bay to some degree.”
The post Official Propaganda for Caribbean Military Buildup Includes “Crusader Cross” appeared first on The Intercept.
From The Intercept via This RSS Feed.
Pete Hegseth’s Arabic tattoo stirs controversy: ‘clear symbol of Islamophobia’
Critics say US defense secretary’s tattoo of the word kafir, meaning ‘infidel’ or ‘non-believer’ could offend MuslimsMarina Dunbar (The Guardian)
Tesla Optimus falls in Miami demo, hand movements sparks remote operation debate
Tesla Optimus's fall in Miami demo sparks remote operation debate
While falls are not unusual in robotics development, a specific hand motion has raised questions about the current level of autonomy in Tesla’s system.Jijo Malayil (Interesting Engineering)
‘I Was Paid’: Bongino’s Confession About His January 6 Claims | The deputy director of the FBI admitted to lying during his days as a pundit.
‘I Was Paid’: Bongino’s Confession About His January 6 Claims
The deputy director of the FBI admitted to lying during his days as a pundit.David A. Graham (The Atlantic)
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unexposedhazard
in reply to NimaMag • • •Yeah no, that is bullshit. Wherever there is war, there is desertion. Nobody wants to die for their country.
NimaMag
in reply to unexposedhazard • • •like this
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Madison420
in reply to NimaMag • • •Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •don't like this
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Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •don't like this
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JoeBigelow
in reply to Madison420 • • •PolandIsAStateOfMind
in reply to JoeBigelow • • •Madison420
in reply to PolandIsAStateOfMind • • •Yes "facts" presented without source and as an unnamed editorial from a biased source.
Where are you getting this nonsense "most Russian soldiers are volunteers nonsense" given the fact traditionally and currently military service is mandatory and has been officially since like 1986 or so.
NimaMag
in reply to Madison420 • • •Putin has refused to send conscripts to the frontlines since Second Chechnya.
This has remained the case with even the Ukrainians admitting that the Russians generally rely on volunteers and have refused to send conscripts into Ukraine.
- YouTube
youtu.beMadison420
in reply to NimaMag • • •So a single editorial video from 8 years ago and a single editorial neither with any sort of source and the second straight up being opinion?
So you have an actual source with first hand knowledge that can speak against Russian drafting and notably the increase in drafting since they decided to invade a sovereign nation?
Also the kyiv independent is.... He's me out here. Independent the Ukrainian stance officially is that they are in large part conscripts.
NimaMag
in reply to Madison420 • • •Can you prove that conscripts are generally being used in Ukraine?
There are some cases where conscripts are used, where they signed combat contracts either voluntarily or without knowing what they signed or during the Kursk incursion. But these are exceptions, not the rule.
In 2022, there were some cases of conscripts being inadvertently or illegally deployed to Ukraine. However, when this was found out, they were withdrawn and returned to Russia. The commanding officers responsible for the deployments were punished.
About 600 conscripts involved in operation in Ukraine were recalled to Russia — prosecutor
TASSMadison420
in reply to NimaMag • • •I don't need to. Their main military is by legislation conscripts. The claimant who said they're mostly volunteer needs to prove that and no a retracted editorial is not a good source.
What's your source dude?
NimaMag
in reply to Madison420 • • •And by law, conscripts are currently prohibited from serving outside the territory of the Russian Federation under any circumstances. Conscripts cannot even participate in peace-keeping missions.
Madison420
in reply to NimaMag • • •NimaMag
in reply to Madison420 • • •I believe you meant the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. The Budapest Memorandum was first violated by America when they sanctioned Belarus in violation of Article 3 of the Memorandum.
America then stated that the Memorandum was "not legally binding".
Madison420
in reply to NimaMag • • •Is Ukraine the USA? Last I checked no, no they're not. So the non aggression pact stands, I'm pretty sure it even has a severability clause for participants.
What you're actually saying is that Russia can invade because the USA is shitty? That's a pretty slippery slope bud.
Madison420
in reply to JoeBigelow • • •don't like this
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Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •don't like this
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Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •don't like this
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Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •don't like this
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sbbq
in reply to Madison420 • • •don't like this
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Madison420
in reply to sbbq • • •Amnesigenic
in reply to Madison420 • • •RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •"Anyone who disagrees with what the state department says isn't a real person"
You guys are in for a very rude awakening
Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •don't like this
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RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •"No u"
Okay so quit repeating state department thought-terminating cliches about the inhumanity of anyone who disagrees with you. At this point you all do it, you all get so defensive, and it's fuckin embarassing. Grow up and have an uncomfortable conversation like an adult.
Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •don't like this
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RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •"People who don't support Ukraine (or simply acknowledge that they're losing) are just Russian bots"
Cringe reddit behavior
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Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •No, I called them a bot because they're spouting shit that doesn't make sense if you read literally anything about it and only reply monosyllabic when pushed to explain themselves.
Though I do enjoy that you're upset I would call someone acting like a bot a bot but you have no issue calling me a state department shill simply because you disagree with me. It's very consistent and logical behavior that doesn't at all make you a hypocrite and likely idiot.
RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •That's a lot of words for "I have destroyed my own theory of mind with an all-consuming internet solipsism and am hellbent on making it everyone else's problem."👍
Shills are paid, you're just a useful idiot
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Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •Helpful non answer. Explain your argument, I'm betting you can't but I'm also willing to be wrong. To be honest I don't think you have a point but sure let's hear how a conscripted military service isn't relying mainly on conscripts.
Lol yes, because I have eyes and can read and I happen to disagree with you I'm a useful idiot. Prove me wrong then bud, you can't but the contortions you attempt aught to be enjoyable to watch.
RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •don't like this
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RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •A video from 2015, remind me again when was Ukraine invaded? Oh yeah 2014. Now do we think nothing has changed in a decade of fighting?
Ya dumb.
RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •Says the person who's throwing out insults rather than insights.
Who said they were winning dipshit, you're just making obtuse assumptions.
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RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •Madison420
in reply to RiverRock • • •RiverRock
in reply to Madison420 • • •like this
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sbbq
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •Amnesigenic
in reply to sbbq • • •like this
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sbbq
in reply to Amnesigenic • • •Amnesigenic
in reply to sbbq • • •ghost_laptop
in reply to unexposedhazard • • •like this
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unexposedhazard
in reply to ghost_laptop • • •don't like this
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BrainInABox
in reply to unexposedhazard • • •dhtseany
in reply to NimaMag • • •NimaMag
in reply to dhtseany • • •I have seen many sources that state that Ukraine is suffering from mass desertions:
Link
Link
Link
With Desertions, Low Recruitment, Ukraine's Infantry Crisis Deepens
Yauhen Lehalau (RFE/RL)like this
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Socialism_Everyday
in reply to dhtseany • • •Evilsandwichman [none/use name]
in reply to dhtseany • • •sbbq
in reply to Evilsandwichman [none/use name] • • •sbbq
in reply to dhtseany • • •World news Lemmy definitely has a pro Russia, anti Ukraine bias. Cherry picked articles every day.
I can't imagine why anyone would want Ukraine to fail so badly or celebrate any negative press about them unless they're a paid Russian troll.
IsThisLoss [comrade/them]
in reply to sbbq • • •like this
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RiverRock
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to RiverRock • • •RiverRock
in reply to sbbq • • •Kremlin talking points is when you point out who is clearly winning the war
Even when it's American media saying it, it's Kremlin talking points. Unfalsifiable orthodoxy. You're operating on religious belief dude
"The fact that people are currently mad at you for saying this proves it's wrong, just like when Saddam Hussein totally had WMD". I know it sucks to have your bubble burst, but just because you want something to be true, that doesn't make it true. These posts are also heavily upvoted, but of course that doesn't count. When people agree with US propaganda, it's totally organic. When people disagree, it's because of a shadowy foreign influence operation. Again, you are working off of essentially a religious faith, and if it were 2003 you would be calling me a Saddam lover.
Arguing on a thread that comes up on your own page is now brigading. Anything to give yourself permission to ignore perspectives that aren't sanctioned by capitalist media. In two months time you'll be calling everyone Venezuelan bots for being against that imperial venture. The common denominator is a burning desire never to admit fault, almost like a political narcissism: any dissent is because of a conspiracy against you.
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sbbq
in reply to RiverRock • • •RiverRock
in reply to sbbq • • •like this
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sbbq
in reply to RiverRock • • •RiverRock
in reply to sbbq • • •BrainInABox
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to BrainInABox • • •Johnny_Arson [they/them]
in reply to BrainInABox • • •Sherad
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to Sherad • • •Sherad
in reply to sbbq • • •Evilsandwichman [none/use name]
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to Evilsandwichman [none/use name] • • •don't like this
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SexMachineStalin [he/him, comrade/them]
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to SexMachineStalin [he/him, comrade/them] • • •SexMachineStalin [he/him, comrade/them]
in reply to sbbq • • •sbbq
in reply to SexMachineStalin [he/him, comrade/them] • • •AF_R [he/him]
in reply to sbbq • • •Brother you are legitimately such a pathetic human being.
I’m going to make so much money off people like you. Genuinely, thank you. Keep it up.
sbbq
in reply to AF_R [he/him] • • •RiverRock
in reply to AF_R [he/him] • • •folaht
in reply to sbbq • • •People "want Ukraine to fail so badly" and therefore celebrating negative press, because IT IS failing so badly. And for some, like me, this was clear from day one, that is to say 22nd February 2014. And it was clear from the get go that it didn't even stand a remote chance by 2022, despite heavy weapons support from NATO, which means, NATO is now failing badly as well.
And I'm part of those nations so I'm not happy about seeing my nation's economy fail and keep failing worse and worse, while everyone here is still heading West while it should be looking East if it wants economic progress.
In fact, I'd argue that even Russia is still looking way too much Westwards.
The global pace of cultural change towards socialism at this moment is at a snail's pace while economically socialist China has already won hands down and is only advancing further at an accelerating rapid pace while even it's neighbors are pretending that this is some kind of fluke that will magically disappear and they can just ignore it and even aim for further capitalism.
It's complete madness.
This is utter destruction for Ukraine and be extremely costly for the EU, the UK and to a lesser extend the US.
And it's not even the only mistake we're making in the EU, because we're currently making costly mistake after costly mistake.
And the longer you're losing touch with reality, the harder and faster reality will catch up with you.
It happened in Hong Kong and it will happen in Ukraine too.
And in a few years we'll be seeing countries turn around towards socialism with Chinese characteristics, because the China's success isn't going to be isolated for much longer.
Johnny_Arson [they/them]
in reply to folaht • • •Hell_nah_brother
in reply to sbbq • • •Johnny_Arson [they/them]
in reply to sbbq • • •RiverRock
in reply to NimaMag • • •Warhammer 40K is not an instruction manual, guys
Twongo [she/her]
in reply to NimaMag • • •like this
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NimaMag
in reply to Twongo [she/her] • • •RiverRock
in reply to Twongo [she/her] • • •BrainInABox
in reply to Twongo [she/her] • • •null_dot
in reply to Twongo [she/her] • • •CheesyFox
in reply to NimaMag • • •🏴حمید پیام عباسی🏴
in reply to NimaMag • • •