Pro-Israel Democrats try breaking with Netanyahu to stop party’s shift amid Gaza crisis
Fearing Zionism could die among Democrats, many party leaders are explicitly breaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to stop anti-Israel attitudes from becoming a litmus test for next year’s midterms and the 2028 presidential primaries.
Leaders of multiple Jewish and pro-Israel groups told CNN privately that they have grimly determined their best and most practical approach is essentially to quietly wait out the trauma and hope the politics turns. There’s another Israeli election next year, and while Netanyahu is now in a minority coalition, he has been counted out before.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who wrote the military aid resolution but also cautioned Mamdani when they huddled last month to be more deliberate about making clear he wasn’t anti-Israel or antisemitic, told CNN he thinks his colleagues risk losing an authentic connection to voters if they don’t rapidly change what they’re doing and saying on Israel.
“To be anti-Netanyahu, anti-a-right-wing-racist-extremist government, that’s anti-Israeli government,” Sanders said. “If you’re against Trump, you’re not against America.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/03/politics/democrats-netanyahu-israel-gaza
How China’s oil strategy seeks to cut the U.S. out
- 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
Trump envoy to visit Moscow this week before deadline for ending Ukraine war
Trump said Steve Witkoff would visit Moscow on Wednesday or Thursday. When asked on Sunday what message Witkoff would take to Russia and what Vladimir Putin could do to avoid new sanctions, the US president answered: “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.”
In Kyiv, there is little expectation that Witkoff will make a breakthrough with Putin, but a hope that Trump’s changed rhetoric and tougher stance on Moscow may lead to a real change in US support for Ukraine.
Trump came into office convinced he could do a deal with Putin, but in recent weeks appears to have become increasingly frustrated with Russia’s actions. On Thursday he described its continued attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine as “disgusting” and on Sunday said that two nuclear submarines that he ordered to be deployed after online threats from the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev were now “in the region”, without giving further details.
Trump envoy to visit Moscow this week before deadline for ending Ukraine war
Steve Witkoff to travel to Moscow before US president’s Friday deadline after which new sanctions could be imposedShaun Walker (The Guardian)
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Return of the Dumb-arse!
As requested, – here is an update on my Linux adventure - the first week has gone by without incident and I'm not turning back!
The tl:dr summary: OMFG. This is probably the EASIEST OS install I’ve ever had – and that’s saying something - since most modern Linux distros are easy!
Reminder of who you’re reading right now – I’m a Windows veteran for the past 25 years and between work and home, I’ve used and supported every flavour from Win95 to Win11 and Server 03 to Server 22. I have installed well-north of 1000 instances in my time, deployed from Floppy, CD, USB, Ghost, WDS and more.
I have dabbled in Linux on-and-off over the years but always on secondary PCs so this is my first time rocking Linux on my primary. I’ve spent the last 12 months experimenting with Linux in preparation for the End-of-10 and this very moment. Testing different distros, Desktop Environments and philosophies while digging into proper Linux learning (not just ‘best Distro’ lists or reviews on YouTube). I’ve had several ‘lightbulb’ moments as I’ve come to learn more about Linux that make me feel like a n00b all over again and I’m loving it. You can read my other lightbulb moment in here.
The remainder of my home gear is already Window-free. Home server: (Unraid), laptop and TV box (Fedora Gnome & KDE respectively). These have all been cut over and running well for the past 6-months as I’ve really sunk my teeth into this new learning. Now that my last hurdle - Windows-only software requirement - is no holding me to Windows, I’m free at last!
Current state: Brand-new parts purchased - and since I couldn’t wait, it’s all hosted in a temporary case while I wait for stock of the exact case I want. Core7 Ultra, B860 and 5060ti for those that care.
Summary: This must be the easiest Linux distro I’ve ever used. Here is a breakdown of what happened:
- Installed Bazzite
- Log into the desktop
- Sign into Steam
- Download Doom 2016
- Play Doom 2016 in glorious ultra widescreen.
It really was that easy. No Drivers to install, no endless Windows updates, no mountains of software to install and configuration to remove all the garbage and regain privacy. Once I got eaten by a Pinky then I quit the game to continue my setup, just a handful of flat pack software installs required to fill the gaps but all that was done in about 20mins. In fact, downloading Doom took longer than the rest of it combined!
And fast! The new hardware helps obviously but I've forgotten how bloated office has become. Libre Office by comparison opens in half a second and everything feels so snappy. Nothing is snappy on Win11, not even notepad anymore.
I watched a very timely video on the weekend featuring a guy with fancy chest-hair and this really hit me where I lived (and worked). So many of Window’s ‘quirks’ are normalised while the same (or less) on Linux is seen as a problem. To paraphrase: we think nothing of editing registry, running PowerShell scripts or sacrificing small woodland creatures to remove built-in functions and apps, and endless other utilities to give us control over our system and yet, if we do anything like this in Linux, it's "too hardcore, not ready for mainstream".
I haven't touched the terminal at all, yet I have to the software I need and my entire PC is ready to use.
If you're someone who's been on the fence about Linux, please don't be. If you last tried it 5+ years ago, I encourage you to revisit. I honestly think Linux is about ready for the mainstream and I genuinely didn't think Bazzite would be this easy getting games going. A huge thank you to the Bazzite team and everyone who contribute to making Linux better and easier!!
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The desktop version of Bazzite is such a hidden gem in the Linux scene. Polished, fast, and no fuss. I rate it the best distro by a good margin, and I have tried many many distros.
How are you dealing with the immutable side of things? Was it easy to get your head around?
So far, so good but I haven't really thought about it since. It may not suit a purist, hardcore or someone who tweaks their system endlessly but for someone like me, I don't want to spend me free time fiddling, breaking, then fixing my home gear.
Until Win10, I never liked to "upgrade" any OS, preferring a clean slate approach and from what I understand, that's what I'll get here. A clean new OS with each upgrade that eliminates any gradual degradation due to a build up of clutter and abandoned packages. All while the flat packs and my data/config reside safely in the use partition (anyone, let me know if I've got this wrong!)
Gnome article on same topic: blogs.gnome.org/shell-dev/2024…
You can test the more strict focus stealing prevention on Gnome with: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences focus-new-windows 'strict'.
And to unset it: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences focus-new-windows 'smart'
Firefox should also now have proper support for it in 141, but I think for Gnome you might need to wait for a bug fix in Gnome 49:
Understanding GNOME Shell’s focus stealing prevention
Focus stealing prevention exists for two main reasons: One is security, since we need to prevent rogue apps from deceiving users into e.g. typing their password into another window. If apps can...jsparber (GNOME Shell & Mutter)
Amazon requires gov-ID photo before refund.
So I bought a product for €200 on Amazon.com. I am slightly ashamed of doing so but I did, didn't know where else to find this type of product. So after a few days they told me they would not be sending me the product for whatever reason. So I would be getting a refund. They said if I hadn't gotten the refund within 5 days I should contact support. So after 5 days I contacted support. And as soon as I did that, they sent me an email claiming that they require me to upload a picture of my "government issued identity document". They write that if I don't do that "You may continue shopping on Amazon, but you will no longer be eligible for a refund on the order ". Surely they have no right to do so right? They claim they've noticed some suspicious behavior on my account, but all I did was order a product, pay for it in advance, which they decided not to ever deliver to me. It's not me who's being suspicious here.
Anyone else had this experience? This a clear dealbreaker for me. I feel shame for ever having bought something from their store.
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Do not stop contacting Amazon customer support. Occupy their resources to the maximum.
Phone > Chat > Email
Record time spend and demand immediate compensation at your billing rate. Never accept contacting them back again at a later date.
Always demand their names, transcripts and email confirmation of any promises with exact match wording and check before hanging up. Then, use their own words against them.
That would vary from one jurisdiction to another, but I'm sure you can find guides best suited for your local laws.
As inspiration, here's what I sent to Amazon & Samsung last year (in a formal cease & desist format):
Amazon .com .ca ULC
40 King Street W 47th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5H 3Y2Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.
2050 Derry Road West
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 0B9Montreal, April 26, 2024
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
Dear Madam or Sir,
I purchased a Samsung 980 PRO SSD 2TB drive (model MZ-V8P2T0) on Amazon .ca on March 3, 2022, which broke on April 4, 2024. This product was used under normal conditions, and I believe it should be covered by the manufacturer’s 5-year warranty.
Several chat sessions with Amazon and Samsung support have failed to provide a solution, with each party referring the matter to the other.
I am requesting that you repair or exchange the product under the Consumer Protection Act regarding the legal warranty of the reasonable durability of a product. I am also requesting reimbursement of $25 to cover the cost of sending this letter.
Therefore, I am formally notifying you to resolve the above-mentioned issue within 10 days. Failing to do so may result in legal action against you without further notice or delay.
World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns
Plastics are a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger” to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a “plastics crisis”, it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (£1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.
The driver of the crisis is a huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is set to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060. While plastic has many important uses, the most rapid increase has been in the production of single-use plastics, such as drinks bottles and fast-food containers.
As a result, plastic pollution has also soared, with 8bn tonnes now polluting the entire planet, the review said, from the top of Mount Everest to the deepest ocean trench. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.
World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns
Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the LancetDamian Carrington (The Guardian)
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Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.
Less than 10% is recycled and nobody wants to recycle it anyway, because it is difficult to recycle and the resulting recycled plastic is worse.
World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns
Plastics are a “grave, growing and under-recognised danger” to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a “plastics crisis”, it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (£1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.
The driver of the crisis is a huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is set to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060. While plastic has many important uses, the most rapid increase has been in the production of single-use plastics, such as drinks bottles and fast-food containers.
As a result, plastic pollution has also soared, with 8bn tonnes now polluting the entire planet, the review said, from the top of Mount Everest to the deepest ocean trench. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled.
World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns
Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the LancetDamian Carrington (The Guardian)
I mean
Bernie did platform that mercenary who very clearly describes what's happening
Bernie is certainly much better than establishment Dems. But he's seen as a front-runner of the progressive movement so it'd be nice if he finally started calling a spade a spade.
Establishment Dems feel safe not calling it a genocide if the people seen as progressives aren't even doing it.
Western media: Hamas should feed Israeli soldiers instead of starving babies.
Lemon, ginger and lemon balm beer
Happy days! My new beer is done. This is a battle-tested recipe with lemons and ginger. This time I also had 10 g of fresh lemon balm in the seasoning infusion. This guy:
Works really great as a beer component, sharing to spotlight this herb with you all! There's a Wikipedia page that describes the many aromatic compounds it imparts. It's perennial (pic is from my garden), grows in a slightly invasive manner so you only need to plant very little to get enough for many brews. This was a warning 😀
Another new twist was a helping of Weyermann spelt wheat malt. I expected the nutty spelt flavour from it, but the taste profile ended up so multi-faceted that I'll need more tastings to pinpoint it 😁 All in all, a distinctive flavour to this beer. Fermented to bone dry very smoothly.
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Absolutely! On mobile so I'll make this tight...
Mash is 18 L water, 6,7 kg of mostly blond malts, including 1 kg of Weyermann Spelt and 1 kg of Simpsons Premium English Cara for a little sweetness. 60 min BIAB mashing with strike temp at 71,2 °C.
Then there's the infusion: 3 L water heated to boil, off the hob, in with ingredients and let sit with lid on. This had 2 large organic lemons sliced thin, one smallish ginger sliced thin, 10 g lemon balm leaves and growth tips, 30 g Simcoe and 30 g Amarillo hops (pellets). It had about an hour and half to infuse.
One more thing was the yeast starter - 2 L water, 1 dL white sugar, 1 dL sugarcane syrup, pinch of yeast nutrient. Extra sugar there to feed the starter and offset the diluting effect of 5 L water added on top of the mashing.
Boiled the wort for 50 min, added 60 g Challenger hops at 45 min to go. The 3 L infusion went into the boil at about 10 min to go, flame up to allow a little boiling for that too.
One thing I might have changed in hindsight is a little less of the Amarillo and Simcoe in the infusion to leave more room for the lemony notes.
Would be great to hear how it went if you try this 😀
Thoughts on social media device?
I have been trying to de-google and de-meta my life, but although i haven't had facebook for a year and a half, i need it for work. Also i do miss marketplace, and some niche groups.
i have been thinking to setup a used android phone, that runs a new google account, that is not related to my (still at use google account). (as hard as i try, some profiles can't be unlinked to google once you have linked them).
Anyway - my concern is, that i'd still be trackable, even if i leave it at home and only use it when i need to use it. Won't meta eventually be able to link my identity to my nework, IP, location etc?
What would be the best way to go around this?
And what to do with secutiry verifications where they as for your phonenumber or to confirm, your ID with an SMS?
If you are leaving it at home, consider a WiFi-only tablet to eliminate any chance of data leaking through the cell modem. Or perhaps an Android emulator on a laptop, but that does come with its quirks. Better yet, also set up a router with router-level VPN at home just for your Facebook-connected devices. Get a cheap prepaid phone for the SMS activation. Don't boot anything up until you're ready and pay with cash or a prepaid gift card at a store you don't frequent or something like Craigslist if possible.
Normally, there's a chance of Google/Facebook asking for SMS confirmation again down the road, maybe long after your burner phone plan has expired. But you should be able to prevent this by adding a FIDO/U2F security key as your 2FA method. No idea if this can be set up on the mobile app, but if not, bring an unimportant laptop with a Linux live USB too.
Since you've already used Facebook in the past, and considering your use case and the nature of Facebook accounts, they most likely have your home location readily on file. Assuming that your main objective is to keep it from correlating your named accounts to pseudo/anonymous accounts and devices, first step would be to isolate it from your real IP address and browser fingerprint.
Now take everything to a library/cafe/somewhere you can access the internet anonymously. Leave your regular devices behind or at least have them in airplane mode and disconnected from the public WiFi. Set everything up, add your security key for 2FA, install a VPN client if Google/Facebook will allow it. Power everything down before leaving. Only power up the Facebook device once you are back home, ideally connected to a dedicated router with router-level VPN.
I don't really know how it all works, but sometimes I do think about all the times I've logged into accounts with my real name without a VPN. And wonder how many of those companies phone home to Meta with my real IP, letting them establish connections with my pseudonymous accounts I've also logged in to without a VPN.
It's a game rigged in their favor and the slightest mistake can blow your cover. Think carefully if Facebook is your only choice or if you can get by with an alternative. If you must use it, I would agree that a dedicated device, even if imperfect, is still one of the best measures for your privacy.
VPN + DeGoogled Privacy Android ROM would be the most practical. That way you should br free from most if not all cross device tracking.
In general having a seperate device for that stuff makes total sense.
Get some sort of device that is compatible with CalyxOS or GrapheneOS, like an older Pixel
not sure what would be best to handle verification.
You also have to be careful to use totally new accounts for everything on this new device, different number, different email, different device, different sim etc
App for downsizing MP3s automatically when copying to a phone?
I'm ditching streaming services and just going with local music. However all my CDs are converted to either flac or 320kbps mp3 files on my PC and thus far too large for the limited storage I have on my phone.
I was hoping there might be an app that would automatically downconvert to something like 128kbps and then copy over to the Music directory on my phone. A bit like how Calibre can automatically convert eBook files (e.g. mobi to epub) and then send them to your ereader?
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I'm in a similar boat to you. I ripped almost all of my CDs to 320kbps mp3s for portability, but then I wanted to put all of them (a substantial number) plus a bunch more (my partner's collection) on a physically tiny USB stick (that I already had) to just leave plugged into our car stereo's spare port. I had to shrink the files somehow to make them all fit, so I used ffmpeg and a little bash file logic to keep the files as mp3s, but reduce the bitrate.
128kbps mp3 is passable for most music, which is why the commercial industry focused on it in the early days. However, if your music has much "dirty" sound in it, like loud drums and cymbals or overdriven electric guitars, 128kbps tends to alias them somewhat and make them sound weird. If you stick to mp3 I'd recommend at least 160kbps, or better, 192kbps. If you can use variable bit rate, that can be even better.
Of course, even 320kbps mp3 isn't going to satisfy audiophiles, but it sounds like you just want to have all your music with you at all times as a better alternative to radio, and your storage space is limited, similar to me.
As regards transcoding, you may run into some aliasing issues if you try to switch from one codec to another without also dropping a considerable amount of detail. But unless I've misunderstood how most lossy audio compression works, taking an mp3 from a higher to a lower bitrate isn't transcoding, and should give you the same result as encoding the original lossless source at the lower bitrate. Psychoacoustic models split a sound source into thousands of tiny component sounds, and keep only the top X "most important" components. If you later reduce that to the top Y most important components by reducing the bitrate (while using the same codec), shouldn't that be the same as just taking the top Y most important components from the original, full group?
If your files are flac and you just want to.copy some files you could try Mp3fs
That'll make your files appear to be MP3 when you access them
You could them use a file transfer mechanism to read them from the mp3fs location onto your phone with - kinda - one step.
GitHub - khenriks/mp3fs: FUSE-based transcoding filesystem from FLAC to MP3
FUSE-based transcoding filesystem from FLAC to MP3 - khenriks/mp3fsGitHub
‘Extreme limits’: China-led mission discovers Earth’s deepest animal oasis
‘Extreme limits’: China-led mission finds thriving oasis in Earth’s deepest reaches
Month-long Pacific expedition uncovers vast colonies of exotic creatures oblivious to sunlight drawing energy from hidden sources.Holly Chik (South China Morning Post)
Cuba land lease to Vietnamese company reaps rich harvest – DW – 07/30/2025
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/34128492
Andreas Knobloch
Los Palacios
07/30/2025
Cuba has let farmland to a foreign company for the first time since its 1959 revolution, when all foreign landowners were expropriated. But can the #Vietnamese investor help rescue the island's struggling agriculture?Under efforts to spur the domestic #rice output, the Cuban government has asked #Vietnam for help because the two countries have maintained friendly relations for decades, intensifying especially agricultuiral cooperation in recent years.
For Perez, the Los Palacios project marks a entirely new level of partnership though.
Privately owned Agri VMA is managing the lease largely independent from state interference, with operations being based on a business contract. The company has brought to Cuba its own resources, technical experts, and seeds from hybrid rice varieties developed in Vietnam.
Cuba land lease to Vietnamese company reaps rich harvest – DW – 07/30/2025
Andreas Knobloch
Los Palacios
07/30/2025Cuba has let farmland to a foreign company for the first time since its 1959 revolution, when all foreign landowners were expropriated. But can the #Vietnamese investor help rescue the island's struggling agriculture?Under efforts to spur the domestic #rice output, the Cuban government has asked #Vietnam for help because the two countries have maintained friendly relations for decades, intensifying especially agricultuiral cooperation in recent years.
For Perez, the Los Palacios project marks a entirely new level of partnership though.
Privately owned Agri VMA is managing the lease largely independent from state interference, with operations being based on a business contract. The company has brought to Cuba its own resources, technical experts, and seeds from hybrid rice varieties developed in Vietnam.
Cuba land lease to Vietnamese company reaps rich harvest
Cuba has let farmland to a foreign company for the first time since its 1959 revolution, when all foreign landowners were expropriated. But can the Vietnamese investor help rescue the island's struggling agriculture?Andreas Knobloch (Deutsche Welle)
Cuba land lease to Vietnamese company reaps rich harvest – DW – 07/30/2025
Andreas Knobloch
Los Palacios
07/30/2025
Cuba has let farmland to a foreign company for the first time since its 1959 revolution, when all foreign landowners were expropriated. But can the #Vietnamese investor help rescue the island's struggling agriculture?Under efforts to spur the domestic #rice output, the Cuban government has asked #Vietnam for help because the two countries have maintained friendly relations for decades, intensifying especially agricultuiral cooperation in recent years.
For Perez, the Los Palacios project marks a entirely new level of partnership though.
Privately owned Agri VMA is managing the lease largely independent from state interference, with operations being based on a business contract. The company has brought to Cuba its own resources, technical experts, and seeds from hybrid rice varieties developed in Vietnam.
Cuba land lease to Vietnamese company reaps rich harvest
Cuba has let farmland to a foreign company for the first time since its 1959 revolution, when all foreign landowners were expropriated. But can the Vietnamese investor help rescue the island's struggling agriculture?Andreas Knobloch (Deutsche Welle)
Trump hung up 30 seconds into call with CNN reporter asking about new Epstein photos
Trump ‘hung up after 30 seconds’ on the phone with CNN reporter who called to ask about new Epstein photos
Resurfaced photos show Epstein attending Trump’s 1993 wedding to his second wife Marla MaplesKelly Rissman (The Independent)
Brain drain of US climate scientists may signal shift in scientific gravity
‘Staggering’ brain drain of US climate scientists may signal shift in scientific gravity
The ‘dreadful’ situation may herald a move in ‘bright young minds’ towards Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, CityU professor says.Holly Chik (South China Morning Post)
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Survivors of Aid Massacres: Israel is Eroding Gaza’s Social Fabric
August 2nd 2025
Yousef Fares reporting from Gaza
Hundreds of thousands of starving Palestinians in northern Gaza make a seven-kilometer journey on foot to reach the Zikim military base in Beit Lahia, where trucks loaded with bags of flour are stopped just meters away from Israeli soldiers. To secure a 25-kilogram sack, people must approach the very area where Zionist forces and private contractors carry out daily killings.Al-Akhbar met with Mohammad al-Sleibi, a former public school teacher in his thirties, who described surviving stampedes and knife fights to grab a single sack. “The soldiers allow only one or two trucks in for over 200,000 people,” he said. “Violence is inevitable. If you hesitate, you go home empty-handed.”
But the danger goes beyond scuffles. Israeli soldiers can open fire at any moment under the pretext of feeling threatened, no permission from higher-ups needed. That’s exactly what happened yesterday. According to survivor Ahmed Miqdad, Israeli soldiers opened fire as crowds rushed toward the trucks. “The soldiers fired round after round at us. We were trapped for hours. Hundreds were killed or injured,” he described. “They shot us like ducks, competing among themselves and probably even betting on who could shoot better. We made it out by some miracle, but without any flour.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that Zionist soldiers killed 53 civilians yesterday and wounded nearly 200 others in that incident alone.
This distribution system, dubbed “self-distribution” by the Zionist occupation and international organizations, has become one pillar of a new three-pronged strategy: air drops, aid traps, and chaos. The aim is to create an illusion of humanitarian assistance in order to strip Hamas of the “famine card” amid growing global outrage over Israel’s engineered starvation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on countries to participate in airdrops over the Gaza Strip. Five planes from Egypt, Jordan, and Israel delivered less aid than a single truck, and some drops landed in “red zones” too dangerous to reach, or directly injured displaced civilians in crowded tent cities. Others, dropped over Gaza’s western areas, injured several displaced people living in the densely packed tent cities that now blanket the region.
Israel’s aid policy goes far beyond preventing Hamas from gaining control of supplies. It is being used to recalibrate Gaza’s social structure under the harshest conditions, in ways that erode the moral and behavioral rules of society.
“The Israeli army is exploiting two years of war and the absence of effective governance to foster organized crime and looting networks,” said human rights activist Abdullah Sharshara. “The army enables aid theft as a way of supporting local militias, like the gang led by Yasser Abu, which looted hundreds of trucks under Israeli protection. It’s a system built on lawlessness.”
Aid trucks are now Gaza’s main source of goods. The trade in aid has created a massive black market that employs hundreds of thousands of people. This has spawned a vast black market and informal economy that feeds off looted supplies. “Every market needs a product, and aid is all that’s left,” Sharshara said. “The army forces truck drivers to stop in crowded areas and prohibits them from delivering to UNRWA warehouses. This sustains the climate of chaos where people are pushed to loot or steal just to eat.”
This is how the Zionist occupation systematically dismantled Gaza’s civil infrastructure: by eliminating community leaders from public service through targeted assassinations or forced displacement. At the same time, it obstructs the work of security forces and destroys civil society and private sector infrastructure, eroding all forms of societal authority.
“Gaza already had a high percentage of unemployed youth, over 49% before the war.” Sharshara noted. “War economy has allowed them to integrate into a new order based not on labor or production, but on opportunistic accumulation and looting. This class has moved from the periphery to the center of post-war life. Their moral values have been completely redefined.”
16GB RAM on windows is more than enough
And pretty sure 4GB on linux sucks
So I've done a Linux install on a 4GB Chromebook, with 16GB eMMC storage, and what I learned is that it really depends on what you use the machine for, and which distribution you run. If all you're doing is word processing, managing emails, and browsing on YouTube, you can absolutely run Linux comfortably with 4GB, provided you pick one of the leaner Linux distros. For reference I ran Gallium OS, which was a Xubuntu flavor specifically tuned for lower end Chromebooks.
ETA: In comparison, I had a relative who bought a laptop off those TV sales networks that had a similar CPU RAM and storage setup, except running Windows 10...it ran slower than a snail, and one day it had a Windows update that was too large to fit on the combined RAM and page space. The poor woman couldn't use the computer because the update forcibly ran in the background and consumed all her memory every time she turned it on. So yeah, you can't game on Linux with only 4GB of memory, but I am confident that I can do a major OS update on it at least.
Is there something like automatic moderation on Fediverse? How does it work?
Small forums and sites that have group discussions are completely moderated by humans. Members of the community report posts, and moderators and administrators take a look at it and make a decision.
It should be noted that forums are different than social media, since all discussions are groups discussions viewed by the group, the group tends to self-moderate by reporting offending posts.
It should be noted that different forums and groups of people have different community rules. What is allowed on one forum may not be allowed on another. Illegal content is illegal on all forums, however.
postmarketOS in 2025-07: Fairphone 6, apk3, /usr merge, immutable, new plasma camera
postmarketOS in 2025-07: Fairphone 6, apk3, /usr merge, immutable, new plasma camera
Aiming for a 10 year life-cycle for smartphonespostmarketOS
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I hope it will be daily drivable in a few years.
DOJ Moves To Strip People Of Citizenship Based On Their Political Beliefs
DOJ Citizenship Revocation Plans Raise Constitutional Concerns
The Justice Department issued a June 11, 2025 memo directing attorneys to "maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings," sparking concerns about potential political targeting of naturalized citizens1. While the memo lists priorities like national security threats and criminal conduct, it includes broad language allowing cases deemed "sufficiently important to pursue"1.
Legal experts warn this discretion could enable politically motivated denaturalization. "The politicization of citizenship rights is something that really worries me, I think it's just flatly inconsistent with our democratic system," said Cassandra Burke Robertson, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University2.
Recent events highlight these concerns:
- The White House press secretary indicated support for investigating NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's citizenship based on rap lyrics3
- Trump suggested examining Elon Musk's citizenship status after Musk criticized his spending bill4
- Trump threatened to revoke Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship, though this is legally impossible as she was born in the U.S.4
Constitutional scholars emphasize that denaturalization through civil proceedings "lacks many constitutional protections," with no right to court-appointed lawyers or jury trials4. The Supreme Court previously restricted denaturalization in 1967, ruling it "inconsistent with the American form of democracy, because it creates two levels of citizenship"1.
"Denaturalization is exceedingly rare and has occurred for people who concealed information of war crimes, Nazi membership, criminal histories, or immigration fraud such as using a stolen identity," said Michelle Mittelstadt of the Migration Policy Institute4.
- NPR - DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
- CNN - Law used to kick out Nazis could be used to strip citizenship from many more Americans ↩︎
- MSNBC - Trump's DOJ issues memo on plan to strip citizenship ↩︎
- PolitiFact - Can Donald Trump revoke Rosie O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship? ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Trump’s DOJ issues memo on plan to strip citizenship from some naturalized Americans
As the White House press secretary openly floats the idea of investigating New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to possibly strip him of his citizenship, after a bigoted proposal from Rep.Ja'han Jones (MSNBC)
like this
Read the book so you can tell others “Isn’t this what you believe?” I’m so sick and tired of the Right claiming Jesus. They claim Jesus with no good acts. Loving Jesus & not emulating his teachings is equivalent to no faith (James 2:15-18).
Matthew 32 calls for Christians to care for the poor, the sick, the immigrant, the unhoused, and the prisoner. “What you did to the least, truly I tell you, you did to me.” Every immigrant sent to a jail is sending Jesus to jail.
If ever these goons come for my family, I will quote the Bible until it haunts them. This country is corrupted.
Linux on Snapdragon X Elite: Linaro and Tuxedo Pave the Way for ARM64 Laptops
Linux on Snapdragon X Elite: Linaro and Tuxedo Pave the Way for ARM64 Laptops | Blog | Linaro
Linaro Connect 2025 showcases progress in bringing Linux on Snapdragon-Powered Deviceswww.linaro.org
Is the Fediverse KYC'd in the UK with the new law?
Are services like Lemmy, Mastodon or PeerTube KYC'd in the UK?
Sorry to be a doomer, but if so, then the Fediverse has failed and we should just move on with a decentralized web that uses decentralized backends: Nostr, Odysee/LBRY, etc.
Maybe the threat model of the Fediverse was incomplete. It isn't just Big Tech who is threat, but also regulation by Big Government.
Mastodon/Lemmy instances can be forced to KYC you. So you would have to jump into hoops and move from instance to instance. It will be like torrent sites or darknet markets, that come and go.
Yes, you can self-host, and should, but most people don't want to be a sysadmin, and it isn't easy. Ideally you should be able to participate in a self-sovereign way without being a sysadmin. Just like:
- you can torrent something without being a sysadmin
- you can self-custody your cryptocurrency without being a sysadmin
- you can chat on SimpleX or Session and never be deplatformed without being a sysadmin
- you can use Nostr and never be deplatformed without being a sysadmin
Under heavy guard, Israel's Ben Gvir leads settler raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of settlers in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Sunday, were they loudly performed Jewish Talmudic prayer, under a heavy police guard, and attempted to antagonise Muslim worshippers.
Videos seen by Middle East Eye showed hundreds of settlers storming the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque where some could be seen dancing and shouting, disrupting the sanctity of the Muslim place of worship.
The status quo in Jerusalem has long maintained that Jewish prayer is forbidden on the raised plateau in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City, where Al-Aqsa Mosque stands.
However, over the past century, Zionist groups have repeatedly violated the fragile arrangement, launching unprecedented attacks on one of Islam's holiest sites.
Israel's Ben Gvir, under heavy guard, leads settler raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of settlers in storming Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Sunday, were they loudly performed Jewish Talmudic prayer, under a heavy police guard, and attempted to antagonise Muslim wor…Lubna Masarwa (Middle East Eye)
US media barely touches Epstein links with Israeli intelligence
US media barely touches Epstein links with Israeli intelligence
Connections between sex trafficker and spy agencies have been long teased. But few are covering them.The Electronic Intifada
This is inaccurate. The piss goes on Americans and America.
He helped align Iran to Russia during his first term and does the same with India now.
Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/34110927
Jordyn Beazley and Caitlin Cassidy
Sun 3 Aug 2025 08.17 EDT
At least 100,000 pro-Palestine marchers, including Julian Assange, the former foreign minister Bob Carr and the government MP Ed Husic, have marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain to protest against Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to speak out about the children starving there.The world-famous landmark was closed to traffic at 11.30am on Sunday, with protesters gathering in Lang Park in the city centre before enduring heavy rain as they walked across the bridge.
The march began at 1pm, with demonstrators eventually stretching the entire length of the 1.2km Harbour Bridge.
“It’s even bigger than my wildest dreams,” one of the main protest organisers, Josh Lees, told Guardian Australia while at the front of the march. “It’s a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel.”
Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza
Jordyn Beazley and Caitlin Cassidy
Sun 3 Aug 2025 08.17 EDTAt least 100,000 pro-Palestine marchers, including Julian Assange, the former foreign minister Bob Carr and the government MP Ed Husic, have marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain to protest against Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to speak out about the children starving there.The world-famous landmark was closed to traffic at 11.30am on Sunday, with protesters gathering in Lang Park in the city centre before enduring heavy rain as they walked across the bridge.
The march began at 1pm, with demonstrators eventually stretching the entire length of the 1.2km Harbour Bridge.
“It’s even bigger than my wildest dreams,” one of the main protest organisers, Josh Lees, told Guardian Australia while at the front of the march. “It’s a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel.”
Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza
NSW police estimate 90,000 walked despite force and premier opposing rally, while Palestine Action Group claims up to 300,000 peacefully protestedJordyn Beazley (The Guardian)
Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza
Jordyn Beazley and Caitlin Cassidy
Sun 3 Aug 2025 08.17 EDT
At least 100,000 pro-Palestine marchers, including Julian Assange, the former foreign minister Bob Carr and the government MP Ed Husic, have marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in the rain to protest against Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to speak out about the children starving there.The world-famous landmark was closed to traffic at 11.30am on Sunday, with protesters gathering in Lang Park in the city centre before enduring heavy rain as they walked across the bridge.
The march began at 1pm, with demonstrators eventually stretching the entire length of the 1.2km Harbour Bridge.
“It’s even bigger than my wildest dreams,” one of the main protest organisers, Josh Lees, told Guardian Australia while at the front of the march. “It’s a mass march for humanity to stop a genocide, our politicians have to now listen to the will of the people and sanction Israel.”
Sea of people march across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to killing in Gaza
NSW police estimate 90,000 walked despite force and premier opposing rally, while Palestine Action Group claims up to 300,000 peacefully protestedJordyn Beazley (The Guardian)
US contractor says team ordered Domino's Pizza to Gaza due to food distribution failure
Aguilar worked with UG Solutions between May and June this year and describes the entire operation as deeply dysfunctional.
“Nothing was open. Nobody could figure out how to get food there,” Aguilar said in an interview with France 24’s Jessica Le Masurier. “So we had the idea of [ordering pizza] in Beersheba and having them make 27 pizzas and deliver them through Wolt, which is the Israeli DoorDash, to the main operations center in Karem Shalom.”
The pizzas were then transported into Gaza in what Aguilar described as “an armored convoy,” eventually reaching Distribution Site 1, where they were handed out to Palestinian local workers, referring to the difficulties in feeding local workers who were assisting GHF operations.
Let me get this straight,” Le Masurier asked. “Safe Reach Solutions was able to bring pizza in when the entire population of Gaza is starving and there are UN aid trucks that are unable to enter Gaza and not allowed to distribute aid while people are starving. But SRS was able to bring in pizza to one of their sites?”
“It’s abhorrent. If it weren’t so tragic, it would be comedy. It’s not comedy, because it is absolutely tragic,” Aguilar said.
VIDEO: US contractor says team ordered Domino's Pizza to Gaza due to food distribution failure
Anthony Aguilar (Credit: Breaking Points via YouTube)Roya News
geneva_convenience
in reply to geneva_convenience • • •This is a propaganda by the way. Netanyahu is the perfect representation of Israel.
eldavi
in reply to geneva_convenience • • •geneva_convenience
in reply to eldavi • • •Devolution
in reply to geneva_convenience • • •Ummmm apparently to tankies, it already was a litmus test, hence Trump being elected. So... Dems have five choices:
Dems are screwed all around. But at least Chuck Schumer can sleep at night knowing he did absolutely nothing to stop this catastrophe.
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
geneva_convenience
in reply to Devolution • • •At least the Dems will have their base blaming the left because they support genocide and sell out to billionaires.
Funny how Democrats said that they needed to support genocide to win the election. Then they lost the election supporting genocide and they still blame "Tankies"
Also funny how Dems think the word Tankie is worse than supporting a literal mass child starvation Holocaust.