WillyMacShow files police report against Destiny for posessing CSAM
WillyMacShow files police report against Destiny for posessing CSAM
WillyMacShow filed a police report against Destiny over alleged retention of materials tied to an underage person. Destiny says he only kept screenshots.Ethan Freemont (Spilled)
WillyMacShow files police report against Destiny for posessing CSAM
WillyMacShow files police report against Destiny for posessing CSAM
WillyMacShow filed a police report against Destiny over alleged retention of materials tied to an underage person. Destiny says he only kept screenshots.Ethan Freemont (Spilled)
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Blu-ray ripping on linux
I recently bought a collector edition boxed set of a 1970s martial arts series I love. I can't even play it in VLC, makemkv beta code situation is borked, and handbrake scans all the titles, then says there are none.
I have a local Plex server I wanted to use, no other devices that can play Blu-ray other than an external USB drive I just bought.
Any advice? The Linux box is on 22.04.
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Librebox: An open source, Roblox-compatible game engine
- Hackernews.
:::
GitHub - librebox-devs/librebox-demo: Librebox – An open source, Roblox-compatible game engine
Librebox – An open source, Roblox-compatible game engine - librebox-devs/librebox-demoGitHub
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like: The Energy Drink Giant That Forgot to Lock Its Doors
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36206744
::: spoiler Comments
- Hackernews.
:::
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like: The Energy Drink Giant That Forgot to Lock Its Doors
::: spoiler Comments
- Lobsters;
- Hackernews.
:::I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like
Monster Energy's corporate infrastructure exposed: employee training, customer stereotypes, Beast Bux rewards, and a file system API that's STILL wide open.bobdahacker.com
adhocfungus likes this.
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like: The Energy Drink Giant That Forgot to Lock Its Doors
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36206744
::: spoiler Comments
- Hackernews.
:::
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like: The Energy Drink Giant That Forgot to Lock Its Doors
::: spoiler Comments
- Lobsters;
- Hackernews.
:::I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like
Monster Energy's corporate infrastructure exposed: employee training, customer stereotypes, Beast Bux rewards, and a file system API that's STILL wide open.bobdahacker.com
copymyjalopy likes this.
Violent clashes escalate at anti-government protests in Serbia
Violent clashes escalate at anti-government protests in Serbia
Police accused of brutality against demonstrators as unrest continues across cities for fourth nightJessie Williams (The Guardian)
Search-capable AI agents may cheat on benchmark tests
Search-capable AI agents may cheat on benchmark tests
: Data contamination can make models seem more capable than they really areThomas Claburn (The Register)
New Zealand woman and her six-year-old son released from US detention. They were detained at the Canada-US border and held for weeks.
New Zealand woman and six-year-old son released from US detention
Sarah Shaw was detained by Ice owing to a problem with her ‘combo card’ visa as she tried to re-enter the US from CanadaEva Corlett (The Guardian)
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Exclusive: ICC arrest warrant applications ready for Israel's Ben Gvir and Smotrich on apartheid charges - ...but ICC sources are concerned they will not submit them for fear of sanctions
Exclusive: ICC arrest warrant applications ready for Israel's Ben Gvir and Smotrich on apartheid charges
Arrest warrant applications against two prominent Israeli ministers on charges of apartheid are ready and with two deputy prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Middle East Eye can reveal.Sondos Asem (Middle East Eye)
Exclusive: ICC arrest warrant applications ready for Israel's Ben Gvir and Smotrich on apartheid charges
Arrest warrant applications against two prominent Israeli ministers on charges of apartheid are ready and with two deputy prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Middle East Eye can reveal.If the warrants for National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are issued, it will be the first time that the crime of apartheid is charged at an international court.
"Those applications for the arrest warrants are completely done," an ICC source told MEE. "The only thing that didn't happen was submitting them to the court," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Two ICC sources told MEE that the two deputy prosecutors, Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang, have not filed the applications due to the threat of US sanctions.
British-Israeli ICC defence lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told Israel's Kan public broadcaster in June that the US sanctions on four ICC judges were "meant to be designed to encourage the dropping of the arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant". Raji Sourani, a lawyer representing Palestine at the ICC and ICJ, criticised the deputy prosecutors for their delay in applying for the warrants.
Raji Sourani, a lawyer representing Palestine at the ICC and ICJ, criticised the deputy prosecutors for their delay in applying for the warrants.
Maeve likes this.
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like: The Energy Drink Giant That Forgot to Lock Its Doors
- Lobsters;
- Hackernews.
:::
I Hacked Monster Energy and You Won't Believe What They Think You Look Like
Monster Energy's corporate infrastructure exposed: employee training, customer stereotypes, Beast Bux rewards, and a file system API that's STILL wide open.bobdahacker.com
Government documents show police disabling AI oversight tools
Government documents show police disabling AI oversight tools
Departments aren't reviewing or disclosing AI-written police reports—which are now being used in plea deals.Mother Jones
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does this mean robocop was doubly evil?
edit: it occurs to me that the original comment may have walked up to the line for inciting violence and as such I have changed it because I don't want to make the mods lives more difficult
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Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister: Deal that could have cost £2bn was floated at meeting between technology secretary Peter Kyle and Sam Altman
The boss of the firm behind ChatGPT and the UK technology secretary discussed a multibillion-pound deal to give the entire country premium access to the AI tool, the Guardian has learned.Sam Altman, a co-founder of OpenAI, talked to Peter Kyle about a potential agreement to give UK residents access to its advanced product.
Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister
Exclusive: Deal that could have cost £2bn was floated at meeting between technology secretary Peter Kyle and Sam AltmanEleni Courea (The Guardian)
Europeans ponying up to fund US weapons shipments to Ukraine - Euractiv
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/46451542
Several NATO powers have pledged a total of $1.5 billion to cover the cost of US weapons packages
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India buys 2 million bpd Russian oil in August
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/46450980
(bpd) barrels per day
Imports from Russia at 2 million bpd were up from 1.6 million bpd in July. The increase in Russian flow was at the cost of purchases from Iraq, which declined to 730,000 bpd in August, and Saudi Arabia which fell to 526,000 bpd from 700,000 bpd last month.
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Why the fuck not just write that in the headline?
Fuck 3 letter acronyms that are used before the actual meaning in articles.
Brazil is open for business, Lula says at Chinese factory opening
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/46449382
The leftist leader noted that in the past automakers Ford and Mercedes have decided to scale back their operations in Brazil, but celebrated the arrival of other companies, like China's GWM . Brazil is always open to negotiating business, he stressed.
Brazil is open for business, Lula says at Chinese factory opening
SAO PAULO - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that foreign companies that want to do business in Brazil are welcome, speaking at the opening ceremony for a factory for Chinese automaker GWM in the state of Sao Paulo.ST
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Trump is the best thing that happened to genocidal authoritarian regimes in China, Iran and russia in a long time.
I have a feeling Trump is going to go down in history as a sort of modern, American Nicholas II.
Air Canada suspends flights after cabin staff go on strike
Air Canada: Govt forces striking cabin crew back to work
More than 100,000 passengers were left stranded after Air Canada's flight attendants went on strike. Canada's government says it is stepping in to avoid lasting economic damage.Karl Sexton (Deutsche Welle)
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That’s the standard for ALL flight attendants, changing that will be a huge blow to the industry.
When AirCanada was started the rate for flight attendants was 4 times the minimum wage per hours, it was way above the national average.
The flight attendants union said to AirCanada pay us the same rate adjust to inflation and they will accept. AirCanada declined their offer
Trump says Ukraine needs to make a deal after summit with Putin ends without ceasefire
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/46449191
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not"
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"It was determined by all* that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement…
*EXCEPT ONE OF THE PARTIES DIRECTLY INVOLVED
That’s kind of important, Donny.
Inside Chrome’s Semantic Engine: A Technical Analysis of History Embeddings
Inside Chrome’s Semantic Engine: A Technical Analysis of History Embeddings
I decoded Chrome’s internal semantic search, found the exact chunking mechanism, embedding logic and am now able to browse, search and cluster my own search history through decoded vector embeddings.dejan.ai
DiveDB, a fediverse enabled scuba dive log
Found it to be quite cool and largely unkown.
The dev is interested in others testing to self-host it:
github.com/cetra3/divedb
GitHub - cetra3/divedb: This is the source repository for the DiveDB site
This is the source repository for the DiveDB site. Contribute to cetra3/divedb development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
Not a mystery beast, just a dog
Why have so many people seemingly lost all critical faculties when seeing animals?
I’ve seen two examples this week of people capturing imagery of dogs and then creating absurdly dramatic context to indicate that they aren’t dogs. What’s going on here? I get it if it’s an unusual animal. But these are just regular dogs that have been turned into mysterious monsters in the minds of the viewer.
The Black Dog on the side of the road
The first example is a video of a family driving down a road at night and encountering an older black dog (with a graying muzzle) along the grass. The accompanying video reveals their excitement and confusion about what they are seeing:
While the image is a bit blurry, the video itself is clear enough to show this not the “robust” and “enigmatic animal” that was reported by the news.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiOu1x–y2c
Have these people never seen a dog?
I think a few things are going on here. First, it’s night and maybe the camera on the phone is enhancing the light so that, to us looking at the video, it’s obvious. But to the witnesses at the time, maybe they were freaked out because they couldn’t see enough. Still, the video should never have gotten news coverage. With clickbait as lucrative as it is these days, even ridiculous videos get attention even just so an audience can complain about them.
Secondly, the headline of the news story gives us a clue about why people might be on edge: Mysterious animal surprises in Puebla after unexplained cattle deaths.
This sighting adds to a series of unexplained cattle deaths in the region, where the animals showed signs of violence, which has alarmed the local community.
So, people are concerned about recent mysterious livestock deaths. Feral dogs are suspect. With countless historical examples to draw from, we know that people look for a culprit when they are afraid. It’s not clear if the family knew about the story. Or if the original story was sensationalized.
Finally, even if the witnesses knew this was a dog, they still may have posted it on socials to try to tell a story for attention. Social media is the real reason why we see so many more silly shares like this. Even when the cause is obvious, if imagination is applied, people see a bipedal animal. Or the black color breaks up the typical outline we would expect to form a dog. The dog’s sad face breaks my heart, as does the crazy speculation about it.
The dog in the woods
The next example showed up in my Pop Cryptid Facebook feed from the Rocky Mountain Sasquatch Organization, a very active page that will post marginal content in order to keep the followers constantly engaged. In this case, they posted a pic of a dog and asked if people had thoughts….
They certainly did. They thought it was a dog.
Yeah, some said it was a wolf. But there is no location indicated so it’s baseless to jump to that conclusion. There is no sense in making any judgment on what’s in a photo with no context.
Maybe it’s “mysterious” because it looks like it doesn’t have a head (an artifact from the camera, perhaps). People also assumed it was very large, but you can’t tell that from the image.
Some are going to gravitate to these kinds of images to support their supernatural beliefs in werewolves or dogmen. Clearly, this is not viable evidence of that.
Social silos
It’s disturbing that online audiences get so comfortable existing in their belief silos that everything becomes evidence for that thing they deeply believe in. The rest of us, who aren’t in that frame of mind, just don’t see what they do. This is why you need to 1. get out of those silos, 2. be the voice of reason when necessary.
It would be really great if reason prevailed, and if this kind of goofiness wasn’t so popular. Unfortunately, we aren’t getting out of these strange times anytime soon. The streams of weird content (framed as weird, even when it’s not) encourages further social slides into irrational ideas about the world and more of the same content. It seems like we aren’t going to be taking a rational turn any time soon. We’re on edge, and extreme things really are happening.
The online environment provides a means to dispute the claim, but more often, it provides a platform for more bunkum, and worse.
#cryptids #DogInMexico #dogs #mysteriousCreature
Not a mystery beast, just a dog
Recent examples of people who see a monster when it’s really just a dog.Sharon A. Hill
South Africa row over army chief's pro-Iran comments
General Rudzani Maphwanya's Iran comments spark South Africa row
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Gen Rudzani Maphwanya's recent visit to Iran "was ill-advised".Khanyisile Ngcobo & Nomsa Maseko (BBC News)
They are pro-russian too (would be good to give pro-russia SA blacks a first hand taste of russian racism).
It's the timing. The don't want even more issues with the US oligarch regime.
African Union joins calls to end use of Mercator map that shrinks continent’s size
African Union joins calls to end use of Mercator map that shrinks continent’s size
Member states back Correct the Map campaign that urges governments and organisations to use more accurate mapGuardian staff reporter (The Guardian)
I'm going to be honest, this just looks utterly useless for any country that isn't south africa, and ESPECIALLY useless for any country in the northern hemisphere.
Like, yes, sure, you've made all the country's areas roughly equal, but also every single country that isn't south africa is a distorted, warped mess that looks nothing like its actual shape.
Look at parts of europe- every country is a COMPLETELY USELESS shape. Three quarters of them have been turned into diagonal lines. How the fuck is that useful? Europe is the worst area in that regard, but by no means the only one.
It makes it literally useless as a map.
Hundreds of Former Israeli Spies Are Working in Big Tech, Database Shows
As of June 2025, over 1,400 veterans of Israeli intelligence are now working in U.S. tech—with 900 of those coming from Unit 8200 alone. That number comes from a database of people who publicly identify themselves as being both former Israeli intelligence officers and holding a job in U.S. tech on their LinkedIn profiles.
The database was assembled by an independent researcher, who is remaining anonymous for personal security and has dubbed the database the “Eagle Mission” influence network. The 1,400 people are self-identified veterans or active reserve members of Unit 8200, Israeli military intelligence, and the IDF Cyber Defense Directorate working in senior and mid-level engineering and security roles at major U.S. tech firms with offices in Israel, the U.S., and Europe. Drop Site crosschecked many of the records in the database for accuracy.
“This does not mean that every person who served in Unit 8200 is an Israeli spy looking to send classified data back to Tel Aviv,” the researcher emphasized. “But it does create a serious vulnerability. No other country has this kind of access to the American tech sector. We obsess over Chinese involvement in the tech industry and worry about corporate espionage, but Israeli penetration rarely gets mentioned.”
The global tech giant Microsoft is one of the most prominent employers of Unit 8200 alumni, employing roughly 250 veterans of the unit, alongside other major multinational companies including Nvidia, Meta, Google, Intel, and Apple, many of whom employ dozens of individuals drawn from the unit. Microsoft was recently revealed to have closely collaborated with Unit 8200 leadership on the creation of cloud services intended to store millions of private communications of Palestinians living under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Microsoft declined to comment.
Microsoft storing Israeli intelligence trove used to attack Palestinians
Microsoft developed a customized version of its cloud platform for Israel’s Unit 8200, which is housing audio files of millions of calls by Palestinians.Ben Reiff (+972 Magazine)
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Mexican ranchers hit by flesh-eating screwworm want action on cattle smuggling
Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage. While it can often be fatal, infected animals can be treated by removing larvae and applying medications, if it is detected early enough.The infestation, which began in November, has now claimed its first human casualty: an 86-year-old woman with advanced cancer and complications from a screwworm infection who died in the state of Campeche in late July. While infections are rarer (and treatable) in humans, Mexico confirmed more than 30 cases in people in the last week of July.
Estimates cited by Mexican authorities in 2022 and others by sector experts indicate the number of illegal cattle crossing into Mexico is at least 800,000 per year.
Cash Cows - Cattle Trafficking from Central America to Mexico
The illegal trafficking of cattle has spread from the natural reserves of Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, to enter the food supply chain in Mexico and even the United States.InSight Crime
Screwworm is a fly larvae, the odds are decent it can't survive to far north.
But thanks to climate change, that's changing
Historically, it covered half of the United States.
In the 1900s screw worm routinely ate up into the heartland.
And the 1900s there was an estimated impact of roughly 5 to 10% of cattle destroyed by this.
This continued until the '50s
To build on what another poster said, screw worms were a major problem in the USA for many, many years. They were mostly eradicated from the US in the 1970s by breeding sterile male flies and releasing them by plane. They were mostly cleared from Mexico as well and annual flights releasing sterile male flies have kept them from spreading back up north. Unfortunately, there are now some very large outbreaks in Mexico and some cases in the USA.
There is only one factory, located in Panama, producing sterile males now and its production capabilities are insufficient to fighting these outbreaks. The USDA has announced plans to ramp up production and develop new was to stop them, though.
Britain to prosecute more than 60 people for supporting banned pro-Palestine group
cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/46434641
More than 700 people have been arrested since it was banned as a terrorist group in early July, including 522 people arrested at a protest last weekend for displaying placards backing the group – thought to be the highest ever recorded number of detentions at a single protest in the British capital.
Britain to prosecute more than 60 people for supporting banned pro-Palestine group
More than 700 people have been arrested since it was banned as a terrorist group in early July. Read more at straitstimes.com.ST
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Australian lawyer apologizes for AI-generated errors in murder case
A senior lawyer in Australia has apologized to a judge for filing submissions in a murder case that included fake quotes and nonexistent case judgments generated by artificial intelligence.The blunder in the Supreme Court of Victoria state is another in a litany of mishaps AI has caused in justice systems around the world.
Defense lawyer Rishi Nathwani, who holds the prestigious legal title of King’s Counsel, took “full responsibility” for filing incorrect information in submissions in the case of a teenager charged with murder, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Friday.
https://apnews.com/article/australia-murder-artifical-intelligence-34271dc1481e079c3583b55953a67c38
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You should treat AI like an unpaid intern and check every word before using what they’ve written.
It can save you time but it can’t reduce it to zero just yet.
Trump and Putin share a car after they arrive in Alaska for talks on the Ukraine war
- From NBC on Reddit
Putin riding in the frickin Beast, are u fckn kidding me?
He who drinks with the enemy while his ally bleeds is no hero but a fool. You grant him honor while he seeks to burn your and your ally’s home. No word of peace holds meaning while his sword is still raised against those who stand with you.
Trump and Putin share a private moment in the car
President Putin joined President Trump in his presidential vehicle, "The Beast." They appeared to be alone in the back seat — an image that likely won't sit well with Ukrainians, who have been excluded from the summit, NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Lla…NBC News
Image posts are not allowed, read the rules.
Edit Linked and restored!
Far-right populists top polls in Germany, France and Britain for the first time
Alternative for Germany has joined France's National Rally and Reform U.K. in becoming the most popular party in its country, according to polls.
A poll Tuesday showed Alternative for Germany — which is under surveillance by the country’s intelligence services over suspected extremism — is now the most favored by voters. The survey by broadcaster RTL put the AfD at 26%, ahead of the ruling Christian Democrats at 24%.
This is a high watermark for the European far right, a once fringe movement whose virulently anti-immigration, anti-Islam and culture-war politics were shunned by the mainstream just a decade ago.
Today, these parties have developed deep ties with President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who openly cite nationalists such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as inspirations on policy and tactics.
ICJ vice-president: 'The Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel'
ICJ vice-president: 'The Lord is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel'
Julia Sebutinde, the Ugandan vice-president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has said God "is counting on me to stand on the side of Israel" and the signs of the "end times" are "being shown in the Middle East".Imran Mulla (Middle East Eye)
I suppose she wouldn't mind going to meet this Lord a little early then? Seriously every single person that espouses something like this, should be immediately expelled from any government position.
I am at the point where if someone is openly religious, I OPENLY avoid them. I don't want anything to do with these delusional psychopaths.
Maria Sole 04: Bulsara
MONDO REALE: negli anni 80 i casi di HIV per trasmissione verticale (da madre a figlio tramite parto spontaneo), erano frequentissimi e non esistevano cure molto efficaci anche se al mondo ci sono persone nate con HIV in quel periodo, specie dall’86 in poi, ancora in vita.
FANTASIA: 1987. Maria Sole partorisce a casa, con l’aiuto del suo virus…
Che fatica venire al mondo!
“In caso di pericolo sarò costretto a scegliere se salvare te o lei”, le parole del virus mi continuarono a frullare nella mente e io di nuovo pensai a come gli avevo risposto d’impulso: “Lei, lei! Se rischiamo la morte entrambe, salva prima la mia bambina!”
Una contrazione più forte delle altre mi fece accasciare sul divano, piegata in due dal male. Uno, due, tre, respira. Il mantra che mi aveva sempre aiutato nei momenti peggiori, diventò a dir poco indispensabile.
Era notte inoltrata e sentivo mio marito russare, l’unico suono a rompere quel silenzio irreale. Vladimir, l’uomo ricco che mi aveva resa schiava ubriaco fradicio un giorno sì e uno anche, non mi pareva certo la persona più affidabile per occuparsi di me e la mia piccola. Dovevo farcela da sola a ogni costo.
“Dai, respira, Sunshine,” la solita voce mi fece eco a ricordarmi che non ero esattamente sola; c’era lui, HIV, il mio virus senziente sempre al mio fianco, spesso alleato e a volte antagonista.
“Dai, forza, segui me, è il momento. La piccola ha deciso di uscire.”
“Non posso farcela,” sussurrai disperata. “Nessuno mi aiuta!”
“Avanti, umana, ci sono io!” rispose HIV, sicuro di sé. “Da quando ho iniziato a vivere in questo mondo ho visto nascere migliaia di cuccioli come la nostra, e il tuo corpo sa benissimo come muoversi. Ne sono certo.”
“Nostra”, dissi a bassa voce; “tu sei un virus… Non puoi…” L’ennesima contrazione mi strappò un grido strozzato e istintivamente iniziai a spingere.
“Eccola,” mi incoraggiò HIV. “Adesso! Spingi, spingi forte! La vedo! La testa è quasi fuori!”
“Sì, come no”, pensai tra me; “un virus ostetrico.” Ma non ebbi tempo di preoccuparmene perché la piccola aveva fretta, e venne al mondo sul divano in cui di solito Vladimir si sdraiava sfinito dalla Vodka.
Piangeva, era calda, era viva. Bagnata e grinzosa, non certo come mostrano nei film. Bruttissima… ma era mia!
“Prendila,” disse il mio virus; pareva commosso, come fosse lui il padre. “Devi tenerla al sicuro.”
Seppure sfinita, raccolsi la piccola che si dimenava fra le mie gambe. La sollevai e me la appoggiai sulla pancia, dove continuò a piangere con una forza sorprendente.
“”È perfetta,” sussurrai, guardando la sua pelle arrossata, i pugnetti stretti, il visino contratto nello sforzo di urlare la sua presenza al mondo”Almeno sta bene”, dissi tra le lacrime; “e ha già un bel caratterino!”
“Benvenuta, piccola Bulsara”, sussurrai baciandole la fronte umida. “Stesso sangue, stesso virus. Siamo una cosa sola.”
Mia figlia aveva ancora il cordone attaccato e io mi sentivo esausta; “l’ho visto tagliare migliaia di volte”, HIV cercò di incoraggiarmi a fare da sola ma non potevo permettermi un rischio. Nessuna forbice da cucina era sterilizzata.
Soccorso provvidenziale
Mi accorsi che stavo perdendo sangue, ma non ebbi il tempo di preoccuparmene perché la porta d’ingresso si aprì all’improvviso e Adrian entrò coi soliti giornali sotto il braccio, ma si bloccò sulla soglia.
Sgranò gli occhi dallo stupore o forse lo spavento quando mi vide: nuda, con la bambina appena nata e tutta piena di fluidi corporei e sangue ovunque.
“Oh signore Gesù,” esclamò, lasciando cadere i quotidiani. “Hai… hai partorito? Da sola?”
“Adrian,” supplicai con un filo di voce. “Per favore, aiutami.”
“Lo zio dorme come sempre, vero? Merda!”
Lui tese l’orecchio e udì Vladimir che russava ancora, era chiaro che neanche mi avesse sentito urlare; “quando beve non c’è verso, se nel sonno smettesse di respirare non farebbe alcuna differenza… Ma ora pensiamo a te, a voi! Andiamo in ospedale!”
“Non posso muovermi,” protestai debolmente ma lui ci avvolse in una coperta presa dal divano e, sollevandoci fra le braccia, ci portò in auto.
“Attenta! Non toccare quel negativo,” mi avvertì il virus, ma era troppo tardi: Adrian mi aveva già posizionato sul sedile posteriore con la mia piccola.
Dottori e giudizi
Il viaggio fino all’ospedale mi sembrò non finire mai, con HIV silenzioso e apparentemente ostile nei miei confronti, e la piccola che piangeva ancora. “Falla smettere, virus”, sussurrai quasi piangendo anch’io, ma lui si limitò solo a dirmi: “finché c’è quel negativo, fatti aiutare da lui!”
“Le hai già dato un nome?” chiese Adrian mentre guidava veloce, preoccupato, commettendo più di un’infrazione. Guardai il piccolo volto della neonata che mostrava già i lineamenti caratteristici del suo vero padre. “Bulsara,” risposi senza esitazione. “E avrà il mio cognome, si chiamerà Bulsara Solari.”
“Bulsara? È un nome insolito,” commentò lui, e decisi di non nascondergli la verità. “Il suo papà si chiama Bulsara di cognome, e io per onorarlo ho deciso di darglielo come nome.”
Lui non disse altro, si limitò ad annuire e proseguì per la strada, fino al parcheggio dell’ospedale.
Quando entrammo e Adrian urlò agitato davanti all’accettazione, medici e infermieri ci circondarono, separandomi dalla bambina nonostante le mie proteste. Fui portata in una stanza, dove venni pulita da mani guantate e prive di empatia che mi infilarono aghi su aghi. “Prelievi di routine”, spiegò una voce, ma gli sguardi significavano solo “la straniera povera che ha partorito in casa.” A nulla valse la mia spiegazione in russo stentato, “sono la moglie dell’imprenditore Vladimir Sokolov.” Nessuno ci credette.
“Sei malnutrita,” esordì un medico cercando di parlarmi in inglese, coi risultati delle mie analisi in mano. “E hai perso molto sangue.”
Feci finta di non sentire, in quel momento l’unico mio interesse era vedere di nuovo mia figlia e stringerla tra le braccia; il dottore annuì lanciandomi uno sguardo di disgustosa compassione e si allontanò.
Riapparve un quarto d’ora dopo, con la bimba avvolta in una coperta dell’ospedale, ma quando si sedette sul letto accanto a me vidi in lui un’espressione grave. Funesta.
“Signora,” iniziò con voce falsamente gentile, “abbiamo svolto tutti gli esami obbligatori per sua figlia e… non so come dirglielo… risulta positiva all’HIV.”
“Questo ci fa la predica sicuramente”, il virus mi parlò allarmato; “preparati a una infinita rottura di coglioni… Non reagire, Sunshine. Peggioreresti la situazione. Digli tutta la verità!”
“Ma quale verità”, pensai, mai avrei potuto raccontargli di avere in corpo un virus senziente e che la bambina lo stava ereditando. Un miracolo per me, una condanna secondo gli ospedali.
“Lo sono anch’io,” mi limitai a rispondergli, stringendo Bulsara al seno. “Gliel’ho dato io.”
Il dottore mi squadrò dall’alto al basso, scandalizzato dalla mia eccessiva compostezza. “Lei comprende la gravità di ciò che ha fatto, vero?”
“Lei non sa nulla di me, dottore! Io comprendo solo che Bulsara è mia figlia,” gli urlai dietro. “Doppio legame biologico! Parte di me, in ogni modo possibile.”
L’uomo si schiarì la gola. “E il padre? Da quanto capisco Lei è una ragazza madre… Signora, devo avvisarla che in questi casi… c’è un protocollo. I bambini sieropositivi spesso vengono affidati a strutture specializzate…”
“Specializzate un cazzo!” Lo guardai negli occhi, pronta a difendere la mia creatura, con le unghie e i denti. “No. Lei resta con me.”
“Non è così semplice,” il medico continuò per la sua strada. “Anche Lei è malata, Maria Sole; se ne rende conto? Come può prendersi cura di un bambino in queste condizioni? Non parliamo poi di come è messa economicamente… Nessuno partorisce più in casa! Solo i poveri!”
Un padre per Bulsara
“Dottore del cazzo! Non si azzardi più a parlare così di me”, gridai ancora; le lacrime iniziarono a farsi largo sui miei occhi e io, determinata, le ricacciai indietro. Non dovevo offrire il fianco a chi tentava di umiliarmi. “Bulsara è mia, e verrà a casa con me!”
“Lei è anche mia,” intervenne una voce dalla porta; sentii dei passi veloci e Adrian entrò nella stanza, lo sguardo battagliero mentre si avvicinava al letto e mi posava una mano forte su una spalla.
“Sono il padre,” dichiarò con sicurezza, guardando dritto negli occhi il dottore. “E ho i mezzi per prendermi cura di entrambe.”
Il medico ci guardò con sospetto. “Lei è consapevole della situazione? L’AIDS non perdona, moriranno nel giro di qualche anno!”
“Lo so perfettamente,” replicò Adrian senza alcuna incertezza. “E non ha importanza. Sono la mia famiglia, e non le abbandonerò, anche fosse solo per due dannati mesi.”
Rimasi senza parole di fronte a quella menzogna detta con una tale naturalezza e convinzione. Adrian Sokolov, il nipote dell’uomo che mi aveva sempre usata come una serva, ora si dichiarava padre di mia figlia per proteggerci entrambe.
“Verrà fatta una valutazione coi servizi sociali,” ci informò il dottore, uscendo dalla stanza. “Considerate le… circostanze.”
“Io ho i soldi, Sole”, Adrian mi parlò sottovoce appena restammo soli con la piccola; “nessun assistente sociale romperà i coglioni di fronte a 500 rubli tondi tondi. Me li procuro senza troppa fatica.”
Mi tornarono in mente le parole di HIV: “attenta, Adrian è negativo, è pericoloso…” In effetti, per quanto l’azienda di Vladimir guadagnasse e Adrian ne fosse dirigente, quella era una cifra che non si poteva certo permettere. Non regolarmente, almeno. Io però evitai di fargli troppe domande.
“Perché ti metti così in gioco per me”, gli chiesi soltanto; “stai rischiando troppo,Adrian!”
“Io sono dalla tua parte, tesoro,” rispose semplicemente. “Vladimir non è un uomo. Quello è un mostro e io non permetterò che tu soffra ancora per colpa sua o delle assistenti sociali. Né tu, né Bulsara.”
Non fidarti di lui!
La sincerità di Adrian mi commosse fino alle lacrime ma qualcuno non la pensava allo stesso modo. HIV, discreto osservatore fino a quel momento, colse l’occasione per mettermi di nuovo in guardia.
“Te l’ho detto mille cazzo di volte,” sibilò furioso. “I negativi non sono affidabili, e tu vuoi seriamente contare su quello lì? Stai giocando col fuoco, Sunshine!”
“HIV! Perché dici questo sul mio unico amico, lui è la sola persona che mi sta dando una mano da quando vivo qui in Russia…”
“Adesso lui pare tranquillo,” precisò il virus. “Ma te lo ripeto per l’ennesima volta: se la situazione cambia, sarò costretto a scegliere fra te e la bambina.”
“Quale pericolo vuoi che ci sia,” cercai di rassicurarlo, ma il virus non volle sentire ragioni.
“Certo che sei testarda, Sunshine! Io lo conosco! Adrian è molto diverso da come lo immagini. Devi stargli lontana.”
“Sarà un limite, ma io sono umana! Ho due occhi, due orecchie, un cuore, che non vedono all’orizzonte motivi per allarmarsi così tanto.”
“Ben detto. Hai dei limiti. Io invece sono un virus, con una memoria storica di millenni e una capacità di guardare avanti. Molto avanti!”
Osservai Adrian che mi sorrideva, e la sua mano accarezzava la manina di Bulsara; lei non piangeva, nessun segno di disagio nel suo piccolo corpo; mia figlia stava ricevendo da un mezzo sconosciuto un amore paterno che a me fin dall’infanzia era stato sempre negato.
HIV però teneva alta la guardia, come un guerriero pronto a difendere le mura da un attacco su più fronti; lui vedeva il pericolo da lontano? Eppure a me dava tutt’altra sensazione.
“Dai, HIV,” sussurrai, senza più nascondere l’affetto che provavo per il mio virus malgrado i nostri conflitti. “Non essere geloso. Quell’uomo è solo tanto buono e gentile con me. E se non è positivo, pazienza. L’importante è che voglia bene a me e alla piccola.”
“Basta! Ti prego Sunshine mandalo via,” il virus perse la pazienza e mi sentii tremare le spalle. “Se non gli togli Bulsara dalle braccia, finiremo tutti nella merda.”
“Va bene”, sospirai, e dolcemente presi mia figlia dalle mani di Adrian. “Quant’è assurdo”, esclamai a bassa voce; “diffidare di un uomo gentile e fidarmi di un virus letale? Perché dovrei?” Decisamente avevo partorito in un mondo al contrario.
“Ti proteggerò,” giurai a Bulsara e a me stessa. “Qualunque cosa accada, ti difenderò fino alla morte.”
“Anch’io”, aggiunse HIV; “sarò il tuo guardiano per tutta la vita, piccola. Anche se la tua mamma ha la testa dura!”
Echedelle (she/her)
in reply to toddalon • • •vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name/
Did not try but the library tyeg are mentioned ia in Debian and Ubuntu repos so you only need to download there the keysdb.
Installing libblueray2 library would also install libaacs0 library for this in Debian.
If it does not work: either the KEYSDB is outdated or the encryption of your blue ray is BD+ (libbdplus), which requires other library and other set of keys.
VLC Blu-Ray
vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.nametoddalon
in reply to Echedelle (she/her) • • •Echedelle (she/her)
in reply to toddalon • • •Echedelle (she/her)
in reply to toddalon • • •Is described in the website I linked.
Install libaacs with vlc in Ubuntu (search on synaptic) then follow the website.
toddalon
in reply to Echedelle (she/her) • • •lichtmetzger
in reply to toddalon • • •like this
DaGeek247, Endymion_Mallorn e TVA like this.
Kongar
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •I bought a lifetime license for makemkv like 15 years ago. It was the single best software purchase I’ve ever made. It just works on all platforms and for all disks. The hardest I’ve ever had to work at it is to “manually” open all the tracks and play a little guessing game for what track is the real one - but it’s ripped every CD and blu ray I’ve ever thrown at it.
My latest config is fedora workstation 42 with a portable blue ray burner drive. Works like a champ.
Not asked for but honorable mention goes to EAC for ripping CDs. I run that in bottles just fine.
like this
DaGeek247 likes this.
Onomatopoeia
in reply to Kongar • • •I just went back to EAC this week (actually forgot about it after using it forever).
Nothing works as simply/easily. It "just works".
Onomatopoeia
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •Been using MKV for a while, running it in a VM so I can adjust the system date so it'll work until the next update.
Will be buying it after the 1st of the month.
Talaraine
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •lichtmetzger
in reply to Talaraine • • •/home/pineapplelover
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •like this
metaStatic likes this.
lichtmetzger
in reply to /home/pineapplelover • • •Yes.
Regards,
The Movie Industry
frongt
in reply to /home/pineapplelover • • •/home/pineapplelover
in reply to frongt • • •SuperDuperKitten
in reply to /home/pineapplelover • • •TPTheWiper
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •I've been using mkv beta for years, you don't have to pay for it (yet). Works perfectly fine, extracting subtitles is a pain in the ass so far though.
Also I use mkv to rip the bluray and then handbrake so my smart tv can play it, file size is smaller and all that.
CCMan1701A
in reply to TPTheWiper • • •CCMan1701A
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •toddalon
in reply to lichtmetzger • • •Banzai51
in reply to toddalon • • •some_guy
in reply to toddalon • • •brianary
in reply to toddalon • • •ertai
in reply to toddalon • • •makemkv is not libre software.
GitHub - beandog/bluray_info: Linux/BSD Blu-ray utilities - bluray_info, bluray_copy, bluray_player, bluray_backup, bluray_rip
GitHubtoddalon
in reply to ertai • • •yardratianSoma
in reply to toddalon • • •MKVToolNix news – Matroska tools for Linux/Unix and Windows
mkvtoolnix.downloadbridgeenjoyer
in reply to toddalon • • •