Thunberg Confirms Abuse by Israeli Abductors, But Urges World to Focus on Gaza Genocide | Common Dreams
Thunberg Confirms Abuse by Israeli Abductors, But Urges World to Focus on Gaza Genocide
"This genocide and other genocides are being enabled and fueled by our own governments, our institutions, our media, and companies. It is our responsibility to end that complicity."brett-wilkins (Common Dreams)
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Thunberg Confirms Abuse by Israeli Abductors, But Urges World to Focus on Gaza Genocide | Common Dreams
Brett Wilkins
Oct 06, 2025
"This genocide and other genocides are being enabled and fueled by our own governments, our institutions, our media, and companies. It is our responsibility to end that complicity... to use our privileges, our platforms, to take a stance against this, that is in every way unjustifiable,” Thunberg asserted.“I will never, ever comprehend how humans can be so evil that you would deliberately starve millions of people living trapped under an illegal siege as a continuation of decades and decades of suffocating oppression, apartheid, occupation,” she added.
Thunberg Confirms Abuse by Israeli Abductors, But Urges World to Focus on Gaza Genocide
"This genocide and other genocides are being enabled and fueled by our own governments, our institutions, our media, and companies. It is our responsibility to end that complicity."brett-wilkins (Common Dreams)
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JB Pritzker Accuses Federal Agents of 'Inciting' Chicago's Residents to Violence
JB Pritzker Accuses Federal Agents of ‘Inciting’ Chicago’s Residents to Violence
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accused President Trump of "inciting" citizens to violence against ICE and border patrol agents with his "unconstitutional invasion"Sean James (Mediaite)
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Flock’s Gunshot Detection Microphones Will Start Listening for Human Voices
Flock’s Gunshot Detection Microphones Will Start Listening for Human Voices
Flock Safety, the police technology company most notable for their extensive network of automated license plate readers spread throughout the United States, is rolling out a new and troubling product that may create headaches for the cities that adop…Electronic Frontier Foundation
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Psychiatrists call for RFK Jr. to be replaced as health secretary
Psychiatrists have joined other public health groups in calling for the removal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary.
Two psychiatry organizations — the Southern California Psychiatry Society and the recently formed grassroots Committee to Protect Public Mental Health — have released statements saying that the actions of the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services have increased stigma, instilled fear and hurt access to mental health and addiction care.
"As physicians committed to evidence-based care, we are alarmed by the direction of HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr," the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health said in a statement.
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Maryland Judges Weigh Whether Cities Can Sue Over Climate Change
Communities including Baltimore and Annapolis are asking the state’s top court to revive a case accusing oil companies of spreading disinformation.
The Earth is reflecting less and less sunlight, study reveals
The Earth is reflecting less and less sunlight, study reveals
The Earth became darker from 2001 to 2024, meaning it reflects less sunlight, a research team reports in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Science X (Phys.org)
Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
Both Google and Apple recently removed Red Dot, an app people can use to report sightings of ICE officials, from their respective app stores, 404 Media has found. The move comes after Apple removed ICEBlock, a much more prominent app, from its App Store on Thursday following direct pressure from U.S. Department of Justice officials. Google told 404 Media it removed apps because they shared the location of what it describes as a vulnerable group that recently faced a violent act connected to these sorts of ICE-spotting apps—a veiled reference to ICE officials.The move signals a broader crackdown on apps that are designed to keep communities safe by crowdsourcing the location of ICE officials. Authorities have claimed that Joshua Jahn, the suspected shooter of an ICE facility in September and who killed a detainee, searched his phone for various tracking apps. A long-running immigration support group on the ground in Chicago, where ICE is currently focused, told 404 Media some of its members use Red Dot.
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Do you know anything else about these apps and their removal? Do you work at Google, Apple, or ICE? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.“Ready to Protect Your Community?” the website for Red Dot reads. “Download Red Dot and help build a stronger protection network.”
The site provides links to the app’s page on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. As of at least Friday, both of those links return errors. “This app is currently not available in your country or region,” says the Apple one, and “We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server,” says the Google one.
The app allows people to report ICE presence or activity, along with details such as the location and time, according to Red Dot’s website. The app then notifies nearby community members, and users can receive alerts about ICE activity in their area, the website says.
Google confirmed to 404 Media that it removed Red Dot. Google said it did not receive any outreach from the Department of Justice about this issue and that it bans apps with a high risk of abuse. Without talking about the shooting at the ICE facility specifically, the company said it removed apps that share the location of what it describes as a vulnerable group after a recent violent act against them connected to this sort of app. Google said apps that have user generated content must also conduct content moderation.
playlist.megaphone.fm?p=TBIEA2…
Google added in a statement that “ICEBlock was never available on Google Play, but we removed similar apps for violations of our policies.”Google’s Play Store policies say the platform does not allow apps that “promote violence” against “groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, caste, immigration status, or any other characteristic that is associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization,” but its published policies do not include information about how it defines what types of groups are protected.
Red Dot did not respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday Apple told 404 Media it removed multiple ICE-spotting apps, but did not name Red Dot. Apple did not respond to another request for comment on Friday.
On Thursday Joshua Aaron, the developer of ICEBlock, told 404 Media “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” referring to Apple removing his own app. ICEBlock rose to prominence in June when CNN covered the app. That app was only available on iOS, while Red Dot was available on both iOS and Android.
“ICEBlock is no different from crowd sourcing speed traps, which every notable mapping application, including Apple's own Maps app, implements as part of its core services. This is protected speech under the first amendment of the United States Constitution,” Aaron continued. “We are determined to fight this with everything we have. Our mission has always been to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to reign down on the people of this nation. We will not be deterred. We will not stop. #resist.”
That move from Apple came after pressure from Department of Justice officials on behalf of Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to Fox. “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed. This Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave federal law enforcement officers, who risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe,” Bondi told Fox. The Department of Justice declined to comment beyond Bondi's earlier comments.
The current flashpoint for ICE’s mass deportation effort is Chicago. This week ICE raided an apartment building and removed everyone from the building only to ask questions later, according to local media reports. “They was terrified. The kids was crying. People was screaming. They looked very distraught. I was out there crying when I seen the little girl come around the corner, because they was bringing the kids down, too, had them zip tied to each other," one neighbor, Eboni Watson, told ABC7. “That's all I kept asking. What is the morality? Where's the human? One of them literally laughed. He was standing right here. He said, 'f*** them kids.’”
Brandon Lee, communications lead at Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told 404 Media some of the organization’s teams have used Red Dot and similar apps as a way of taking tips. But the organization recommends people call its hotline to report ICE activity. That hotline has been around since 2011, Lee said. “The thing that takes time is the infrastructure of trust and training that goes into follow-up, confirmation, and legal and community support for impacted families, which we in Illinois have been building up over time,” he added.
“But I will say that at the end of the day it's important for all people of conscience to use their skills to shine some light on ICE's operations, given the agency's lack of transparency and overall lack of accountability,” he said, referring to ICE-spotting apps.
In ICEBlock’s case, people who already downloaded the app will be able to continue using but will be unable to re-download it from the Apple App Store, according to an email from Apple Aaron shared with 404 Media. Because Red Dot is available on Android, users can likely sideload the app—that is, install it themselves by downloading the APK file rather than from the Play Store.
The last message to Red Dot’s Facebook page was on September 24 announcing a new update that fixed various bugs.
Update: this piece has been updated to include a response from the Department of Justice.
ICE agents raid South Shore apartments; Trump says Chicago could become military training ground
Anti-ICE protesters marched up Michigan Avenue on Tuesday evening.Cate Cauguiran (ABC7 Chicago)
Europa am Kipppunkt der KI-Ära – Sam Altman und Mathias Döpfner eröffnen die politische Debatte über Souveränität, Freiheit und die Zukunft des Menschen
Mit der Premiere seines neuen Gesprächsformats „MD MEETS“ legt Axel-Springer-CEO Mathias Döpfner die Latte hoch: Kein Politiker, kein Showgast – sondern Sam Altman, der mächtigste KI-Architekt der Gegenwart, CEO von OpenAI. In 45 Minuten sprechen die beiden über nichts Geringeres als das Schicksal Europas, den Sinn des Fortschritts und die Frage, ob der Mensch in der Ära künstlicher Intelligenz überlebt – moralisch, ökonomisch und kulturell.
youtu.be/rF0tQtDMwHM?si=TXlw23…
Dieser Podcast ist mehr als Medienunterhaltung. Es ist eine politische Zäsur. Döpfner, einer der wichtigsten publizistischen Köpfe Europas, trifft den Entwickler jener Technologie, die unsere Demokratien, Arbeitsmärkte und Wahrheitsbegriffe zugleich beflügelt und bedroht. Der Springer-Chef fragt, Altman antwortet – und im Subtext steht die neue Weltordnung der Intelligenzsysteme.
Europas letzte Chance
„Europa darf nicht Weltmeister der Regulierung werden“, warnt Altman. Der Satz klingt technokratisch, ist aber Sprengstoff. In Wahrheit sagt er: Wenn Europa weiter bremst, wird es von der Landkarte der Innovation verschwinden. Altman kündigt den Aufbau einer „OpenAI-Souverän-Cloud für Deutschland“ an – gemeinsam mit SAP und Microsoft. Eine strategische Kampfansage an die digitale Abhängigkeit vom Silicon Valley und zugleich ein Testfall für Europas Selbstbehauptung im Zeitalter der KI.
Döpfner legt den Finger auf die Wunde: Europas Regierungen verteidigen Datenschutz, aber verlieren den Anschluss. Altman kontert höflich, aber bestimmt – KI sei längst weiter, als die meisten wüssten. „Wir haben Systeme, die unsere klügsten Menschen in den schwersten intellektuellen Disziplinen schlagen“, sagt er. Der Satz ist so beiläufig wie beunruhigend. Er beschreibt das Ende des kognitiven Monopols des Menschen – und den Beginn eines Wettlaufs zwischen technologischer Geschwindigkeit und politischer Trägheit.
Arbeit, Würde, Kontrolle
Döpfner fragt nach den Jobs der Zukunft. Altman antwortet, als sähe er in Zeitlupe zu, wie sich eine Zivilisation neu ordnet: „Kurzfristig wird KI viele Jobs zerstören. Langfristig werden völlig neue entstehen.“ Es ist die klassische Fortschrittsformel – und doch schwingt Skepsis mit. Die Frage, was bleibt, wenn Maschinen denken, berühren, komponieren, ist keine ökonomische mehr, sondern eine anthropologische. Altman glaubt an das „unerschöpfliche Bedürfnis des Menschen, gebraucht zu werden“. Eine tröstliche These, die aber zur Nagelprobe wird, wenn ganze Branchen automatisiert werden – von der Anwaltschaft bis zur Redaktion.
Gerade letzteres führt zum Kern des Gesprächs: der Zukunft des Journalismus. Altman erkennt die Paradoxie seiner eigenen Schöpfung: ChatGPT ist zugleich Werkzeug und Risiko für die Öffentlichkeit. „Ich wäre traurig, wenn KI den Journalismus zerstört“, sagt er. Aber er weiß auch, dass sie ihn verwandeln wird. Döpfner bringt das Prinzip auf den Punkt: „Ohne Vergütung für Inhalte trocknet das System aus – dann gibt es nichts mehr, was sich ‚scrapen‘ lässt.“ Eine präzise Beschreibung des neuen Urheberkriegs zwischen Maschine und Medium.
Der neue Prometheus
Philosophisch wird es, als Döpfner Harari und Oscar Wilde zitiert: Wird der Mensch zum Gott? Will Sam Altman ewig leben? Seine Antwort ist überraschend nüchtern: Nein. Ewigkeit sei kein Ziel, sagt er, sondern ein Irrtum. Fortschritt brauche Erneuerung, Sterblichkeit, Übergang. Altman träumt vom Leben als Landwirt, wenn die KI seine Arbeit übernimmt – der Schöpfer, der sich selbst abschafft. Das ist mehr als Anekdote. Es ist ein modernes Gleichnis: Der neue Prometheus will nach der Erleuchtung zurück in den Ackerboden.
Doch zwischen Technikglaube und Natursehnsucht bleibt die offene Frage: Wer kontrolliert die Schöpfung? Altman denkt in geopolitischen Kategorien. KI, sagt er, werde Kriegsführung, Propaganda und Machtbalance grundlegend verändern. Wenn „ein böser Akteur“ Zugang zu Superintelligenz habe, könne er ganze Systeme destabilisieren. Die Konsequenz: globale Governance, ähnlich der nuklearen Rüstungskontrolle. Der Vergleich ist nicht zufällig. KI ist längst eine strategische Waffe – unsichtbar, allgegenwärtig, unkontrolliert.
Freiheit im Zeitalter der Antwortmaschinen
Döpfner und Altman verhandeln schließlich, was auf dem Spiel steht: die Freiheit des Wortes. Für Altman ist sie „einer der schwierigsten, aber zentralsten Werte der westlichen Zivilisation“. Für Döpfner ist sie Geschäftsgrundlage und Überzeugung zugleich. Beide wissen: Wenn Wahrheit von Algorithmen berechnet wird, wird Journalismus zur Gegenmacht – oder verschwindet.
Altman plädiert für neue ökonomische Modelle: Mikropayments für Inhalte, faire Vergütung für journalistische Recherche, eine Rückkopplung von digitalem Nutzen und menschlicher Arbeit. Eine Idee, die Döpfner offen aufnimmt. Der Verleger und der Entwickler eint die Einsicht, dass Information eine Ressource ist, die sich nur dann erneuert, wenn sie einen Wert behält.
Der wahre Inhalt
Die Premiere von „MD MEETS“ ist deshalb mehr als ein Medienereignis. Sie markiert den Moment, in dem KI, Medien und Politik ihre gemeinsamen Bruchstellen öffentlich verhandeln. Altman und Döpfner sprechen über Technologie – und meinen Zivilisation.
Für Europa ist das Gespräch eine Einladung, die eigene Zukunft nicht länger als Beobachter, sondern als Akteur zu gestalten. Wenn Döpfner Altman fragt, was er Europa rät, antwortet der nüchtern: „Reguliert die großen Risiken, aber lasst die kleinen zu.“ In diesem Satz steckt eine Doktrin für die neue Epoche – und vielleicht das letzte Zeitfenster, um nicht endgültig Zuschauer im Theater der Superintelligenz zu werden. Für Sohn@Sohn wäre es wichtig, auf eine granulare Regulierung zu verzichten. Die trifft in der Regel die Kleinen und nicht die Großen, gell Herr Voss…..
ichsagmal.com/europas-ki-regul…
Europas KI-Regulierungskomplex: Der Tanz auf der Rasierklinge - ichsagmal.com
Es ist, als ob die EU immer wieder die gleiche, düstere Melodie spielt: Regulierungswut, ein Synonym für Bürokratie, das sich wie ein Klammergriff um Innovation und Unternehmertum schließt.gsohn (ichsagmal.com)
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Reminds me of US COVID hospital workers begging not to be labeled as heroes, for a variety of reasons.
If you're not doing something material to further the movement, you're complicit in the status quo. I know we all have our own conditions and circumstances, but even small actions are important. Praiseworthy resistance shouldn't be heroic, it should be normalized.
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New CBS owner David Ellison met with top Israeli general in scheme to spy on Americans - The Grayzone
The new owner of Paramount, David Ellison, participated in an Israeli government-led plot to surveil and suppress pro-Palestine activists in the US, leaked emails show. Originally dubbed “12 Tribes,” a reference to the dozen Jewish billionaires solicited to underwrite the operation, the scheme sought out American faces to fund surveillance firms run by Israeli intelligence veterans on behalf of Tel Aviv, as it targeted American citizens participating in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The files show former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was tasked with recruiting wealthy Westerners to fund surveillance firms operated by Israeli intelligence veterans as they stalked and harassed people whom the government of Israel suspected of harboring pro-Palestinian sympathies.
In the emails, Hollywood talent agency executive Adam Berkowitz identified Ellison as “very interested” in “helping out with [undermining] the BDS movement.” Berkowitz introduced Ellison to the Israeli general in a group email: “Benny meet david.
New CBS owner David Ellison met with top Israeli general in scheme to spy on Americans
The new owner of Paramount, David Ellison, participated in an Israeli government-led plot to surveil and suppress pro-Palestine activists in the US, leaked emails show. Originally dubbed “12 Tribes,” a reference to the dozen Jewish billionaires solicited to underwrite the operation, the scheme sought out American faces to fund surveillance firms run by Israeli intelligence veterans on behalf of Tel Aviv, as it targeted American citizens participating in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The files show former Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was tasked with recruiting wealthy Westerners to fund surveillance firms operated by Israeli intelligence veterans as they stalked and harassed people whom the government of Israel suspected of harboring pro-Palestinian sympathies.
In the emails, Hollywood talent agency executive Adam Berkowitz identified Ellison as “very interested” in “helping out with [undermining] the BDS movement.” Berkowitz introduced Ellison to the Israeli general in a group email: “Benny meet david.
Russia's digital iron curtain descends further as Kremlin chokes Internet freedoms
Three and a half years into its all-out war against Ukraine, the Kremlin is waging a parallel battle at home — this time against Internet freedom.
The Russian authorities are tightening their digital grip and rolling out sweeping new measures to keep people online in check.
Russian authorities' efforts to block calls via the Telegram and WhatsApp messengers have been going hand in hand with the creation of a Kremlin-controlled "national messenger" called Max, intended to replace foreign equivalents.
"(The Kremlin) has now matured to the point of imposing total control over people's conversations," Russian columnist Sergei Parkhomenko told the Kyiv Independent.
"Before, there were concerns that people might protest, and the authorities would have to somehow explain themselves — but now there's no need to explain anything to anyone: there is only one answer — 'There is a war going on, and therefore you, citizens, no longer have any rights."
Parkhomenko believes that "this is why Putin started the war — to gain the ability to harden his rule more and more, and thus guarantee his hold on power for eternity (or so he hopes)."
Analysts say the latest efforts to stifle Internet freedom are a logical step in the regime's evolution towards totalitarianism. The Kremlin is seeking to emulate China's Great Firewall, a comprehensive censorship system that Beijing has used for decades to crack down on dissent online.
The Russian authorities and VK, the company that developed Russia's Max messenger, did not respond to requests for comment.
Read also: Moscow shooting aftermath: Repressions, racism, terror
Blocking social networks
Russia's efforts to introduce China-style Internet censorship began before the full-scale invasion.
In 2014, following the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, Kremlin-friendly companies took control of Vkontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network, and its owner, Pavel Durov, left the country amid government pressure.
Roskomnadzor, Russia's agency tasked with controlling and censoring mass media, began blocking Durov's Telegram messenger in 2018 after the messenger refused to provide encryption keys to the Federal Security Service (FSB), citing a terrorism investigation. Durov said then that it was impossible technologically and that giving the keys to the FSB would imply changing its encryption mechanisms and enabling the Kremlin to censor the messenger.
Demonstrators hold a stylized icon painting depicting Telegram founder Pavel Durov during a protest against the blocking of the popular messaging app in Russia, at a May Day rally in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on May 1, 2018. (Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images)
However, the agency lifted the ban on Telegram in 2020.
The reasons for the change in the agency's position are unclear.
The attempt to block Telegram was followed by large-scale protests, and Roskomnadzor's efforts proved to be ineffective due to technological issues.
Durov visited Russia more than 50 times from 2014 to 2021, including on the day when the ban on Telegram was lifted, according to Russia's IStories investigative journalism project.
The report triggered speculation that Durov could have reached a deal with the Russian authorities.
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the country's authorities also banned Facebook and Instagram, citing the platforms' policies of not censoring calls for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian soldiers. Meta, the owner of the platforms, eventually backed down and banned such calls, but they were blocked anyway.
In 2024, Roskomnadzor also started slowing down access to YouTube, citing the video hosting service's decisions to block Russian propaganda channels and its refusal to block anti-Kremlin content.
In March 2025, there were also disruptions in Telegram's operations in Russia, and it was banned in the country's Chechnya and Dagestan regions.
In August 2025, Roskomnadzor started blocking calls on Telegram and WhatsApp.
Roskomnadzor claimed the apps have become "the main services used to defraud and extort money, and to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities."
Analysts believe that this claim is just an excuse.
"This has nothing to do with Internet fraud," Parkhomenko told the Kyiv Independent. "Fraudsters will continue to use (and are already using) Max or any other tool in the same way."
In contrast with the Telegram block in 2018, now the Russian authorities are blocking Telegram and WhatsApp more effectively because they have acquired a new censorship technology — Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) boxes, Leonid Iuldashev from eQualitie, a Canadian IT company that develops tools for circumventing censorship, told the Kyiv Independent.
Read also: Putin ‘wins’ rigged Russian election; Ukrainians in occupied territories vote at gunpoint
National messenger
As the Russian authorities tried to block Western social networks, they also took steps to launch a domestic alternative.
In March, the Russian IT company VK released the Max messenger.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law in June to create "a national messenger."
On Sept. 1, the Russian government officially authorized Max as the "national messenger."
It became mandatory to install Max on all new electronic devices. Max also became the default messenger for government and banking services.
Meanwhile, Russia's biggest mobile operators allowed their subscribers to use Max free of charge.
The messenger is completely controlled by the Russian government.
VK, which developed the messenger, is owned by Russia's state gas giant Gazprom and tycoon Yury Kovalchuk, known as Putin's personal banker.
VK's CEO is Vladimir Kiriyenko, the son of Putin's Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kiriyenko, a Kremlin heavyweight responsible for the country's entire domestic policy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his first deputy chief of staff Sergei Kiriyenko (L) observe an exhibition prior to the All-Russia’s Open Lesson in Yaroslavl, Russia, on Sept. 1, 2017. (Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images)
Max requests access to the camera and the microphone, as well as geolocation, contacts, files, Bluetooth, notifications, and biometrics. The messenger also logs all activity within the app and collects information about users' age, gender, phone numbers, emails, and social media IDs.
Although Western messengers also request similar information, providing such access to Max is more dangerous since its official policy states that it can submit any information to the authorities. Experts believe that Max will be routinely used to spy on users.
Russian residents interviewed by the Kyiv Independent provided different perspectives on the introduction of the national messenger and bans on Western social networks.
A 40-year-old Russian photographer who supports "restoring the Soviet Union" told the Kyiv Independent that she would not use Max, WhatsApp, or Telegram because she is against what she called a "digital concentration camp."
The Max Messenger logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Thomas Fuller / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)
"I don't have a smartphone and have never had one," she said. I have a dumbphone and a laptop. I've predicted this whole digital concentration camp more than three moves ahead."
A 60-year old teacher who supports the war against Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent she has not yet installed the Max messenger but is not afraid of using it.
"I don't have any anti-government thoughts," she said. "I'll have to switch to the Max messenger — otherwise, I won't be able to access many (government) apps or use them fully."
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the fear of reprisals.
Read also: Navalny’s death preceded by long list of Putin critics’ murders
Internet shutdowns and VPNs
Since May, Russia has also experienced frequent fixed-line and mobile Internet shutdowns all over the country. The authorities argued the shutdowns were necessary to counteract Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts believe it is part of Russia's efforts to tighten control over people's online presence.
In August, Russia experienced 2,129 Internet shutdowns — an all-time record, according to the Association for the Protection of the Internet. The global number of Internet shutdowns in 2024 was 296, according to Access Now, a U.S. group that fights Internet censorship.
The Russian authorities have also cracked down on VPN services that allow users to circumvent blocks.
"The logic is simple: if anything is out of control of the siloviki (Russia's intelligence and law enforcement agencies), it is a threat and has to be banned."
Russia passed a law in 2020 to ban virtual private networks (VPNs) used for bypassing blocks. Initially it was not enforced strictly. However, the authorities have stepped up efforts to block VPNs since then.
Starting from Sept. 1, 2025, Russia also banned VPN ads and introduced fines for searching "extremist materials" — essentially any information critical of the Kremlin — using VPNs.
Iuldashev from eQualitie said that the Kremlin is trying to block all major VPNs.
"But while they do it, VPN developers develop new protocols at the same time," he said. "We are still able to provide access to free Internet to people from China, Russia, Vietnam, and other countries. It's impossible to block everything."
Read also: Alexei Navalny’s life and death as main opponent to Putin regime
Copying foreign experience
By introducing sweeping restrictions on the Internet, Russia is copying China's censorship system, called the Great Firewall. Max is modeled after WeChat, China's state-controlled national messenger.
Iuldashev said that the Kremlin aims to achieve the same results as China, but the Russian system is more decentralized.
"China has fostered domestic substitutes for international services, and they ruled out most Western platforms from the outset," he said. "Russia, on the contrary, has allowed many Western platforms for years, and then they started (blocking them)."
He said that "it's hard to imagine that Russia can build a (China-style) centralized censorship system in this very diverse landscape of networks.
News footage on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing, China, shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 8, 2025. (Pedro Pardo / AFP via Getty Images)
"But the decentralized model also looks quite effective," Iuldashev added. "It's just another way to achieve the same result."
He also said that Russia is seeking to mimic the censorship technology of Iran, which is among the worst countries in terms of Internet freedom.
There is also speculation that Russia may shut down the Internet completely, similarly to North Korea.
But Iuldashev thinks a permanent shutdown is unlikely.
"On the technical level, it's possible," he said. "But it's strange to compare it with North Korea, because North Korea has never had a proper Internet. But Russia has all the possible connections to the global Internet."
He argued, however, that temporary and regional Internet shutdowns are likely if there are some political risks.
"They don't need to actually shut down the whole country," he said. "They can just shut down a particular place."
Read also: How Kadyrov became so powerful, and why Chechnya remains vital for survival of Putin’s regime
Diving into totalitarianism
Iuldashev said that Russia started to create a "sovereign Internet" right after annexing Crimea in 2014. Now, however, this process has accelerated.
Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Russia expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said that "Russia has been moving towards online control and 'Internet sovereignty' for years."
"The logic is simple: if anything is out of control of the siloviki (Russia's intelligence and law enforcement agencies), it is a threat and has to be banned," he told the Kyiv Independent.
Arkady Moshes, a Russian-born researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said that "this should be viewed as an element of Russia transiting from authoritarianism towards totalitarianism, which implies total control."
Another Russian political analyst said that creating a China-like censorship model "requires additional technical improvements and overcoming users' inertia."
The analyst spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"Even if they are not politicized, they are very reluctant to give up the conveniences of everyday life. So far, the state is not totalitarian enough to move everyone over to Max, but it is striving for that and will continue to do so," the analyst added.
Read also: Evidence shows recent presidential elections most rigged in Russia’s modern history
Evidence shows recent presidential elections most rigged in Russia’s modern history
The March 15-17 presidential election was the most rigged in Russia's modern history, according to evidence published by election experts, observers, and media. Estimates of vote rigging range from at least 22 million votes to about 31.Oleg Sukhov (The Kyiv Independent)
Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding
Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding
Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaLeyland Cecco (The Guardian)
Why doesn't the Fediverse have a "one sign-in" like NOSTR?
I recently re-tried NOSTR (I technically have an old account I rarely ever use), specifically on Primal and the Fountain Podcasts app, and I really enjoyed how simple it was: just sign in, and BAM—you’re in.
No fuss, no extra steps.
It got me wondering—why doesn’t the Fediverse work like that? I know that using special login codes might be too complex for most people, but why not allow usernames and passwords instead?
Imagine a single sign-in for the entire Fediverse. You wouldn’t need to worry about instances, and onboarding could be much simpler.
Has this idea been considered, or is there a technical reason why it wouldn’t work?
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Because implementing that shit is hard.
Nostr definitely has some interesting/good implementation details, and on a spectrum of ease of censoring users, Bluesky is on one end, Fedi is in the middle, and Nostr (if it gets big enough) is on the other end.
But also with Nostr, I really hope you backed up those account keys, because if you didn't and you lose your device, your access to that account is gone forever.
Every way of decentralizing a social media system has advantages and disadvantages.
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I do wish cross-posting between fediverse types (microblogs, link aggregators, image sharing) was as easy as cross-posting within them.
I know it's technically feasible to comment on a Lemmy post from your mastodon account (at least, that's what I was told), but it's not easy or intuitive.
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nuova aggreganza con la goduria integrata: rilascio aggregatore di feed Aggregodo (Aggregoctt v3 ma per bene)
Oggi, considerato lo stato inevitabile dell’assoluto, sono abbastanza sicura che godo… ma, in realtà, un po’ sarà anche da stamattina che godo… per non dire in verità ieri sera tardissimo… Situazione assurda, lo so, ma tutto ciò è per via del fatto che, il nuovissimo software benedettissimo che ho finito or ora (…o ieri sera, […]
octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…
nuova aggreganza con la goduria integrata: rilascio aggregatore di feed Aggregodo (Aggregoctt v3 ma per bene)
Oggi, considerato lo stato inevitabile dell’assoluto, sono abbastanza sicura che godo… ma, in realtà, un po’ sarà anche da stamattina che godo… per non dire in verità ieri sera tardissimo… Situazione assurda, lo so, ma tutto ciò è per via del fatto che, il nuovissimo software benedettissimo che ho finito or ora (…o ieri sera, appunto, ma sono uscite rognine che ho dovuto sistemare al volo oggi), non si chiama Aggregoctt ennesimo, bensì AGGREGODO!!! E con una premessa così, cazzarola se c’è da goderne pesantemente… 🔥🎆🎇🧨Alla fine, si: il mio incubo peggiore, ma allo stesso tempo il mio nuovo momento più ricco, si è avverato; ed assurdamente è da una settimana intera che ci sto lavorando… no, non c’è motivo di temere che io abbia acquisito la pericolosa skill della pazienza dal nulla, è solo che ho potuto lavorarci giusto ogni tot a pezzetti, per via delle varie palle personali, ma via avanti così ed alla fine è già uscito fuori circa quello che volevo, che già andrà a sostituire quel ripiego bizzarro che a questo punto è durato due settimane nemmeno… ma la goduria è appena cominciata. 😈
Chi sempre vuole giusto spiare i miei feed, quindi, adesso può farlo con , sperando possano essere gradevoli ed evidenti i dettagli bboni… I feed hanno le icone (automatiche, ovviamente), c’è una modalità di lettura integrata (spenta di default per evitare rogne che non sto a spiegare, anche perché è ancora sperimentale e da finire di acconciare; si attiva dal menu), e l’interfaccia è fatta col gradevole bellissimissimo Material Design v1, che fa bella figura su desktop e mobile (…anche se manca la modalità scura, che devo quindi implementare io a breve, mannaggia). Ma queste sono solo le scemenze, tipo… 🙏
Con non poca magia, sono riuscita pure ad implementare un sistema di scraping HTML per generare feed da siti stronzi che non li offrono, maa… non con l’XPath meloso che usano altri aggregatori (non tutti eh, la maggior parte a dire il vero non offrono proprio una mazza), bensì con una sintassi decente e per certi versi più potente… al punto da avermi permesso di creare feed da Facebook e Threads con poche righe di configurazione, e sulla mia istanza infatti già ne seguo qualcuno (e aumenteranno solamente!!!). E, ovviamente, l’aggregatore genera dei suoi feed (Atom) per l’uso con altri lettori, dell’intera libreria o di specifici feed, inclusi questi umma umma… (…Peccato che, al momento, proprio i feed per cui questa cosa più serve appaiono mezzi rotti, perché ho dimenticato delle robe, ma abbiate pazienza e aggiusterò.) 🤯Non vado troppo nei dettagli tecnici, perché altrimenti lo so che ogni essere umano fa zzzzzzz, ma tanto per tutti i computeristi (e i selfhostisti, semmai ce ne siano) il codice è libero su GitLab e su GitHub… e non è nemmeno spaghettoso! (Inaspettato, visto che ne ho scritto grandi porzioni a stomaco non troppo pieno, quindi mi sarei aspettata che la brama dello gnam potesse prendere più il sopravvento… ma forse in parte è anche grazie al fatto che stavolta ho scelto di usare TypeScript e NodeJS, che giuro, Python di questo passo mi farà venire dei tumori, con tutte le paturnie che mi sta facendo invece subire per Pignio…) 🏗️
Come cose da fare per forza, ce ne sono ancora varie… come ottimizzare la lettura dal database, che al momento su alcune pagine è un troiaio come lentezza… oppure aggiustare la ricerca globale, che ho accidentalmente rotto nel provare a migliorare le prestazioni della pagina principale (e che colmo sarebbe sennò) — ovviamente accorgendomene solo in produzione, e non poco prima durante lo sviluppo (e te pareva che non va sempre così con me!!!) — ma anche implementare tag e/o categorie per i feed (altrimenti, quando ne metterò centinaia saranno dolori), che però attualmente non riesco a decidere come fare… Una cosa è certa, però, almeno: tutte le rogne sono risolvibili, e per ora si deve dunque pensare solo a godere del potere dell’aggregazione acquisito per mezzo dell’Aggregodo… (Ah, e serve pure un logo, mannaggia.) 👻
(Tra l’altro… come si vede, ho implementato 3 viste per gli indici: una griglia di carte, simile al primo Aggregoctt ma più densa, una lista con miniature, che ho copiato spudoratamente dall’RSS-ripiego di cui sopra, ma che ho fatto in modo per me più gradevole, e una che chiamo “a flusso”, che è utile principalmente per i post dei social, che sono corti e da vedere anche senza cliccare… E stavo a proposito di quest’ultima quasi per dire che l’ho copiata accidentalmente dall’RSS-bizzarro, ma a guardare meglio la mia mostra le immagini bene, e invece l’altro le taglia a 16:9, oltre al fatto che la grafica ombreggiata del mio secondo me fa risaltare meglio all’occhio i post… quindi, se non dispiace, con oggi godo veramente infinito.)
#aggregator #aggregatore #Aggregoctt #Aggregodo #Atom #feed #feeds #libre #OpenSource #RSS #webapp #webdev
He Would've Escaped - How The FBI Really Caught Tyler Robinson
cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/36982928
Tyler Robinson, the suspect of the Charlie Kirk's assassination, almost got away with it all. This is how the FBI really caught him. Support my independent work: / thehatedoneThe FBI is telling you that the manhunt for the suspect of Charlie Kirk's assassination was a result of a historic investigation with the use of the most advanced intelligence techniques available to law enforcement.
But the reality will tell you a different story. A story that is now very well reported and reveals how the suspect was actually caught. In what's about to follow, I'll explain to you every detail of the surveillance and intelligence behind the manhunt for Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter at Utah Valley.
In reality, it is not clear whether anything the FBI did actually helped track down the suspect.The most damning admission of this fact is that after a full day of endless investigation, full 24 hours after Charlie Kirk was shot, the FBI, Kash Patel and local law enforcement were so confused they had “no idea where” the suspect was and they weren’t even sure whether he still was in Utah or not.
By the time the police did finally catch Tyler Robinson, he was so far away from the scene of the shooting that had he simply kept running, he probably would’ve gone away with it. He was arrested 250 miles away, in his parental home in St. George, Utah, whole 33 hours after the shooting.
SOURCES [References available in the transcript: / how-they-really-140361439 ]
[0] • Kash Patel discusses investigation into Ch...
[1] nytimes.com/2025/09/12/us...
[2] nytimes.com/live/2025/09/...
[3] tmz.com/2025/09/13/tyler-...
[4] • Chilling Emergency Dispatch Audio Captured...
[5] news.sky.com/story/charlie-ki.…
[6] nytimes.com/interactive/2...
[7] archive.is/K6rQw
[8] archive.today/01VkR
[9] nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...
[10] archive.today/4BcVY
[11] nytimes.com/2025/09/11/us...
[12] https://x.com/UtahDPS/status/19662919...
[13] economist.com/science-and...
[14] technologyreview.com/2025...
[15] • Tyler Robinson, suspect in fatal shooting ...
[16] • You Can Run but Not Hide: Improving Gait R...
[17] ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/.…
[18] arxiv.org/abs/2306.17206
[19] • Suspected Charlie Kirk shooter seen in sur...
[20] innovationcenter.msu.edu/who-.…
[21] tmz.com/2025/09/13/tyler-...
[22] https://x.com/TMZ/status/196627181449...
[23] marketplace.fedramp.gov/produ.…
[24] arxiv.org/abs/2505.04616
[25] arxiv.org/pdf/2310.15946
[26] openaccess.thecvf.com/content.…
[27] • Raw Video: Charlie Kirk shooting suspect a...
[28] bbc.com/news/articles/c20...
[29] newsweek.com/tyler-robins...
FarSight: MSU's new biometric recognition system- MSU Innovation Center
MSU researchers are developing FarSight, a drone biometric recognition system using face, body & gait recognition, with a $12M grant to ID people at a distance.Mikayla Conners (MSU Innovation Center)
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Huawei Zurich Lab’s New Open-Source Tech Lets LLMs Run on Consumer GPUs
Huawei Zurich Lab’s New Open-Source Tech Lets LLMs Run on Consumer GPUs
Huawei’s Zurich Computing Systems Laboratory has released SINQ (Sinkhorn Normalization Quantization), an open-source quantization method that reduces theTechNode Feed (TechNode)
Green Party demands ban on Israeli military as terror group and Balfour apology
The Green Party has voted for the Israeli military to be banned as a terrorist organisation and for Britain to apologise for the Balfour Declaration.
Members voted for the motion at the Green Party's annual conference in Bournemouth on Sunday, making it party policy.
The motion called for the Israeli military to be proscribed, which would make membership of the Israeli military or even glorifying it a terrorist offence under British counterterror legislation.
It's clear nobody likes Starmer. Understood. But do you think the government not sucking it from the US would be helpful? You're going to what....? Rejoin the EU? 😂😂😂. Good one.
The UK is fucked without US investment. That's the bottom line. Starmer has to open wide and like it. In the words of trump, "you don't have the cards". Look how similar the government is with stances against China (arguably also committing genocide, and spying in Parliament), and India (who are quite happy to buy Russian oil and gas to fuel the war in Ukraine). They are desperate for their trade too.
Being in government is a lot harder than shit posting online.
Thank you for this rational reply. It's a breath of fresh air on this platform where everyone thinks politicians should act like they're making friends or breaking up relationships like they're in high school.
Yes, Trump is a cunt, yes Starmer is a wet paper bag, but ultimately both are temporary but the deals he makes with the US will benefit the UK and outlast both leaders. The leaders are temporary but the nations will be around a lot longer.
Ez drummer/addictive drums
[Technology Connections] Catalytic converters are simple, but getting them to work is not [41:46]
- 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
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Technology reshared this.
China’s Red Eye Over Ukraine: What Are The Middle Kingdom’s Satellites Observing?
China's Red Eye Over Ukraine: What Are The Middle Kingdom's Satellites Observing?
On 5 October, several Ukrainian news agencies reported an increase in the number of Chinese reconnaissance satellites flying over the Lviv region during a major air strike. At least three such satellites were recorded flying overhead.Anonymous834 (South Front)
World leaders rebel against US & Israel: to save Gaza, they demand international intervention
World leaders rebel against US & Israel: to save Gaza, they demand international intervention
Leaders from many countries condemned the USA and Israel at the UN General Assembly, demanding intervention to save Gaza. Diplomats walked out to protest Netanyahu. Latin America led the resistance.Ben Norton (Geopolitical Economy Report)
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Greta Thunberg gives first public speech since Israeli kidnapping – video
cross-posted from: ibbit.at/post/74406
Human rights and climate activist Greta Thunberg has spoken publicly for the first time after her kidnapping, detention, and abuse at the hands of the Israeli government:thecanary.co/wp-content/upload…
Greta Thunberg released
As the Canary previously reported, on Saturday 4 October the Israeli occupation authorities deported 137 of the kidnapped international solidarity activists who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to break the humanitarian siege on Gaza, in the second deportation operation in a matter of days, after returning four Italians to their country on Friday 3 October.One of the deported activists who arrived at Istanbul airport on Saturday recounted shocking details of what he described as ‘brutal assaults’ on some activists during their detention, telling reporters:
They dragged little Greta (Thunberg) by her hair in front of our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her as a warning to others.She’s still a little kid. They made her suffer.
Separately, the Guardian reported that an email to Swedish authorities said Greta Thunberg was suffering from:
dehydration. She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.Meanwhile, other released activists spoke of similar degrading treatment.
Turkish activist Samanur Sonmaz Yaman, a member of the flotilla, recounts details of the occupation’s oppression and abuse of veiled women from the boats:
Occupation soldiers ripped off our headscarves during our arrest and took them from us, and our non-veiled friends gave us their shirts to cover our heads.
Ongoing Israeli violence
Adalah, the legal centre that monitors the cases of detainees, said that detention conditions at Ketziot prison in the Negev desert are ‘deteriorating alarmingly,’ amid reports of ill-treatment and violence against some detainees.A spokesperson for the organisation said that it is difficult at this stage to provide a comprehensive assessment, but confirmed that the mistreatment primarily affects non-European detainees, especially those whose countries do not have diplomatic missions in Israel.
This incident is the latest chapter in the confrontation between Israel and the international solidarity flotillas that recently set sail in an attempt to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than 18 years, amid growing international warnings about targeting solidarity activists and civil society activists, and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Strip, which is suffering from famine and shortages of medicine and fuel.
Israel intercepted 40 ships in the Global Solidarity Flotilla that set sail to reach Gaza to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid amid the ongoing war of extermination on Gaza, which is now entering its third year.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
From Canary via this RSS feed
Greta Thunberg: ‘We Are Not Heroes. We Are Doing The Bare Minimum’
cross-posted from: ibbit.at/post/74437
From Novara Media via this RSS feed
Novara Media
Donate one hour’s wage per month or whatever you can afford to fund independent, truthful media.YouTube
This is the future of heat pumps! | Just Have a Think
- 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
Journalist on Gaza Flotilla Describes “Torturous Conditions” in Israeli Custody
Journalist on Gaza Flotilla Describes “Torturous Conditions” in Israeli Custody
“They were throwing people’s medicine in the bin in front of them and laughing in their faces,” says Kieran Andrieu.Amy Goodman (Truthout)
Lawmakers Demand Information About Potential Use of Paragon Spyware by ICE
Lawmakers Demand Information About Potential Use of Paragon Spyware by ICE
The lawmakers warned that allowing ICE to use spyware “threatens Americans’ freedom of movement and freedom of speech.”…Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (Truthout)
Greta Thunberg: ‘We Are Not Heroes. We Are Doing The Bare Minimum’
- 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
Huawei Zurich Lab’s New Open-Source Tech Lets LLMs Run on Consumer GPUs
Huawei Zurich Lab’s New Open-Source Tech Lets LLMs Run on Consumer GPUs
Huawei’s Zurich Computing Systems Laboratory has released SINQ (Sinkhorn Normalization Quantization), an open-source quantization method that reduces theTechNode Feed (TechNode)
Technology reshared this.
That's rather odd they don't share any source links. Anyway here they are
SINQ: Sinkhorn-Normalized Quantization for Calibration-Free Low-Precision LLM Weights
SINQ: Sinkhorn-Normalized Quantization for Calibration-Free Low-Precision LLM Weights
Post-training quantization has emerged as the most widely used strategy for deploying large language models at low precision.arXiv.org
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I've never seen a mainstream tech news site link to the source code.
It's like how mainstream science news sites never link to the actual paper.
What Extreme Heat Is Doing to Your Body
Kevin Miller can get a person to the brink of heat stroke in 30 minutes.
In a chamber with a temperature of around 100 degrees, he starts them out on the treadmill, switching off between three minutes of walking and two minutes at an all-out sprint. Soon, they’re breathing faster, their blood vessels are dilating and their heart is working overtime to pump much more blood than usual through their body, fighting to get oxygen to their muscles and organs.
In Miller’s lab, these participants are safe: He brings them close to the heat-stroke threshold of a 105-degree core body temperature in the name of science, to test the efficacy of different treatments.
Heat is the No. 1 weather-related cause of death worldwide and in the United States. Miller is one of the many researchers globally who are expanding our understanding of what heat does to the body and how to counteract its effects. Recently, his Texas State University lab has had success cooling participants using a body bag full of ice—a tactic that is affordable and transportable for emergency responders. Rapid cooling is life-saving medicine.
But heat’s impacts aren’t limited to these obvious moments of emergency. It has a bearing on nearly every aspect of human health, from our skin down to our DNA.
That means long-term exposure to high temperatures—increasingly common as the Earth warms—is causing cumulative harm to our bodies and minds.
What Extreme Heat Is Doing to Your Body - Inside Climate News
As climate change intensifies, heat health risks from accelerated aging to bad decision-making grow worldwide. Here’s what you need to know.Inside Climate News
The 13th Largest Army in World Is Unleashing Violence in Chicago
The 13th Largest Army in World Is Unleashing Violence in Chicago
As federal agents kill and use extreme force in Chicago, their budget surges.Gridwork
Xbox x/s or PS5 emulators for PC
What are my options for emulating Xbox or PS5 games on PC, preferably Linux, if there are any good?
My next problem would be acquiring NHL25 rom or whatever it’s called these days. I’ve been out of the piracy loop for a few years, but a relative wants to play that specific game and doesn’t feel like shelling out cash for a console.
Searching has given me some ideas, but some first hand experience or pointers would be appreciated, thanks in advance
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birdwing
in reply to Peter Link • • •like this
geneva_convenience e Rozaŭtuno like this.
krooklochurm
in reply to birdwing • • •redchert
in reply to birdwing • • •The Menemen
in reply to redchert • • •xc2215x
in reply to Peter Link • • •like this
warm likes this.
wildbus8979
in reply to xc2215x • • •School_Lunch
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •like this
warm likes this.
wildbus8979
in reply to School_Lunch • • •The original message makes it sounds like somehow before two years ago everything was fine with Gaza. That what Israel was doing in the 78 years prior to that was no issue. I want OP to expand on his or her thoughts.
Israel hasn't "gone too far" now... Israel was already going to far before that. If fast genocide was your redline as opposed to slower territorial expansion, seige warfare, and occupation... Yeah you're the reasonthis they've had free reign to take the situation to it's current inevitable consequence.
warm
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •You have to understand that not everyone was/is aware Israel's doings. The media in the west has always supported Israel, so you never heard anything negative about them. You cannot blame someone who could have had no prior knowledge of it and tell them they are the reason Israel had free reign, that's crazy talk. Anyone standing against what they are doing now or in the past is a good thing.
Did you even know until the last couple years? Until the attack happened?
If so, why weren't you being vocal and active about it? I could flip it on the head and say you are the reason Israel have had this free reign, because you knew and didn't tell us. See how dumb that sounds?
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warm e HeerlijkeDrop like this.
wildbus8979
in reply to warm • • •As a moderately informed person, yes I've been aware of this for decades.
And yes, thank you, I have been vocal and active since. How about you?
warm
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •School_Lunch
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •🍉 Albert 🍉
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •like this
warm likes this.
wildbus8979
in reply to 🍉 Albert 🍉 • • •krooklochurm
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •are you drunk?
I'm drunk.
apftwb
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •ayyy
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •wildbus8979
in reply to ayyy • • •- YouTube
www.youtube.comayyy
in reply to wildbus8979 • • •تحريرها كلها ممكن
in reply to xc2215x • • •loonsun
in reply to تحريرها كلها ممكن • • •like this
warm likes this.
krooklochurm
in reply to loonsun • • •Exit: I misread the comment. I subtract my wat. Thanks for the downvotes, it made me re-read the original comment
kbobabob
in reply to تحريرها كلها ممكن • • •redchert
in reply to تحريرها كلها ممكن • • •A lot are. Thats why they advocate for a two-state solution and not decolonization of israhell.
They just want to tune Palestinians out again.
marius
in reply to Peter Link • • •Narri N.
in reply to marius • • •jimmux
in reply to Narri N. • • •Narri N.
in reply to jimmux • • •Catoblepas
in reply to marius • • •U
in reply to Catoblepas • • •like this
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
lenz
in reply to Catoblepas • • •like this
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
wewbull
in reply to Catoblepas • • •Personally I find she falls in to the category of people who protest things we already know are bad. So I think all she does is self-promote and accomplish nothing. I don't disagree with her on any of the things she chooses to fight for, but I think she chooses the least effectual way to fight.
Great, she's shown the IDF are a bunch of cunts who are preventing aid reaching Gaza. We knew that. What's changed? IMO all she's done is move the camera lenses from Gazans onto her for a while.
Aqarius
in reply to Catoblepas • • •like this
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trolololol
in reply to Peter Link • • •like this
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redhydride
in reply to trolololol • • •While confirming that she and other Global Sumud Flotilla members were abused by Israeli forces who abducted and jailed them, Swedish climate and human rights activist Greta Thunberg on Monday implored humanity to focus on the genocide in Gaza as it enters its third year.
"I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment. Trust me, but that is not the story," Thunberg said during a press conference at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Greece, where she and other flotilla participants released by Israel were greeted by a cheering crowd.
"What happened here is that Israel, while continuing to worsen and escalate their genocide and mass destruction with genocidal intent, attempting to erase an entire population, an entire nation in front of our very eyes, they once again violated international law by preventing humanitarian aid from getting into Gaza while people are being starved," she continued.
"This genocide and other genocides are being enabled and fueled by our own governments, our institutions, our media, and companies. It is our responsibility to end that complicity... to use our privileges, our platforms, to take a stance against this, that is in every way unjustifiable," Thunberg asserted.
"I will never, ever comprehend how humans can be so evil that you would deliberately starve millions of people living trapped under an illegal siege as a continuation of decades and decades of suffocating oppression, apartheid, occupation," she added.
Thunberg's remarks came as Israeli forced continued their bombing and invasion of Gaza with the objective of conquering, occupying, and ethnically cleansing Palestinians from the strip. Israeli airstrikes—which have reportedly killed nearly 100 Palestinians over the past two days—continued despite US President Donald Trump's Friday exhortation to "immediately stop" bombing the embattled strip, citing Hamas' willingness to conditionally release the remaining Israeli and other hostages it has held since October 7, 2023.
Trump urged negotiators to "move fast" toward a ceasefire agreement ahead of Monday's indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt.
Since launching the assault and "complete siege" of Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, Israeli forces have killed at least 67,139 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry—whose figures are widely believed to be a vast undercount. Most of those killed have been women and children.
Over 169,500 Palestinians have also been wounded in Gaza and thousands more are missing and presumed dead and buried beneath rubble. Most of Gaza's more than 2 million people have also been forcibly displaced, often multiple times, while hundreds of thousands of others are starving in an engineered famine that officials say has killed at least 460 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza including murder and forced starvation. Just under two miles away at the International Court of Justice, tribunal members are weighing a genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa and supported by around two dozen nations and regional blocs.
Thunberg and more than 400 other Global Sumud Flotilla members were intercepted last week by Israeli forces in international waters before being taken to Israel and jailed. Thunberg told Swedish officials Saturday that she had been "subjected to harsh treatment in Israeli custody."
“She informed of dehydration," a Swedish Foreign Ministry email noted. "She has received insufficient amounts of both water and food. She also stated that she had developed rashes which she suspects were caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”
Turkish flotilla activist Ersin Çelik said he witnessed Israelis abusing Thunberg.
"They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag," Çelik said. "They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others."
Italian journalist and flotilla member Lorenzo D’Agostino said that Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy.”
Abducted flotilla members said they were humiliated by Israelis, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who called them "terrorists." This, from a man who in 2007 was convicted of incitement to racism and supporting the Kahanist terrorist group Kach.
D'Agostino told CNN Monday that “we were shocked by the level of humiliation and gratuitous cruelty that these people used on us."
"The way we were treated was... pushing the mistreatment and the humiliation to the limit that they could afford,” he said, explaining that his captors “knew that they couldn’t harm us physically” if activists were from countries like Italy.
“I was sharing my cell with a Turkish citizen whose arm was broken and he was left without painkillers for two days.”
“People coming from countries that are not allied [with Israel] were harmed physically,” D'Agostino added. “I was sharing my cell with a Turkish citizen whose arm was broken and he was left without painkillers for two days.”
Israel's Foreign Ministry said Sunday that flotilla members' claims of abuse are "brazen lies," and that “all the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld.”
As of Monday, Israel had deported 341 of the 479 detained flotilla activists. The remaining detainees are either awaiting deportation or, in some cases—including one Spanish woman who allegedly bit an Israeli medic during a forced medical examination at Ketziot Prison—are facing extended detention.
The alleged abuse of flotilla detainees pales in comparison to what Palestinian prisoners have allegedly endured at the hands of their Israeli captors. Former detainees and Israeli personnel have described beatings, rape and sexual torture by male and female soldiers, routine amputations due to constant shackling, burnings, electrocutions, attacks by dogs, ice-water dousings, denial of food and water, sleep deprivation, constant loud music, and other abuse.
The Israeli military has launched investigations into the deaths of dozens of detainees at the notorious Sde Teiman prison, including one who died after allegedly being sodomized with an electric baton.
Another group of boats is currently en route from Europe in another attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.
"As more ships set sail for Gaza, we are likely to see a repeat of these events," Amnesty International said Monday, referring to the alleged abuse of Global Sumud Flotilla activists. "States must act now and make clear to Israel that its suffocating blockade and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians must end now."
like this
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
trolololol
in reply to redhydride • • •Thks kind stranger
The situation is more appaling than I thought
Ultraword
in reply to Peter Link • • •like this
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
bless
in reply to Ultraword • • •Garbagio
in reply to Ultraword • • •like this
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
ayyy
in reply to Ultraword • • •BrainInABox
in reply to Ultraword • • •extspace
in reply to Ultraword • • •robot_dog_with_gun [they/them]
in reply to Ultraword • • •altphoto
in reply to Peter Link • • •don't like this
geneva_convenience doesn't like this.
juliebean
in reply to altphoto • • •altphoto
in reply to juliebean • • •Yeah I'm confused.
1) Israel is evil now
2) bad people do or did live in Gaza but Innocent people should not be sacrificed.
3) ruzzia is an asshole doing the same to Ukraine.
But...there the ruzzians also think Israel is evil? At least the ones on that post. So I'm just confused.
تحريرها كلها ممكن
in reply to altphoto • • •loonsun
in reply to تحريرها كلها ممكن • • •Aceticon
in reply to loonsun • • •It's called being a Sociopath With No Morals.
Lots of those have been crawling out of the woodworks and taking sides entirely based on the politicians from their favored political force taking that side, showing us that they have no Principles and Morals of their own whatsoever or at least that their own inate sense of Good and Evil is so weak that even the mass murder of civilians (including thousands of babies and tens of thousands of children) is less important to them than following the leader of their political tribe.
Any half-way decent human being looks at this and judges it based on the character of the actions that are being commited, and giving that it includes purposefully murdering children (to the point of literally executing them using snipers) its so morally powerful that most people are unable to not have a reaction of revulsion, but Amoral Sociopaths have no emotional reaction to even the murder of children and hence couldn't care less about that aspect of this situation, hence will just not understand "what's all the fuss about it" and/or just mindlessly "follow the leader" on it since the part of a normal human being's character that would be shouting for them to defend the victims and stop the aggressors, does not exist in such people.
loonsun
in reply to Aceticon • • •altphoto
in reply to Aceticon • • •Yes exactly! That moral compass was just not there. I'm afraid of this stuff spreading. What a terrible future that would be if I could not expect sympathy from a passersby if I had just been hit by a car or fallen from a ladder.
Yet, even now, brown people are being kidnapped by the people who are supposed to defend our country... And nobody around defends from the kidnappers. We are afraid.
Aceticon
in reply to altphoto • • •In all fairness, I think it's a mix of what @loonsun@sh.itjust.works wrote and those people having a much weaker moral compass, rather than them being full-blown sociopaths with no moral compass.
Or to put it in another way, even in people with a moral compass, if its a weak one, tribalism can override and even swith it off, so that even when faced with outreageous displays of what a normal person would feel is Unacceptable Evil they'll take the side of Evil if their "tribe's chiefs" are taking that side.
I think this justifies even more strongly your fear that this stuff spreads - a lot more people than just Sociopaths have both weak moral compasses (we live in an age were Society deems Wealth as the measure of the greatness of a person, not moral behaviour) and tribalist thinking is both more prevalent and more subtle.
Certainly that would explain how in some countries like the US there is still a majority (or at least a large minority) of people justifying and even supporting (usually by parroting "Hamas, Hamas, Hamas") the mass murdering of Palestinian children by Israel.
altphoto
in reply to Aceticon • • •Aceticon
in reply to altphoto • • •In my experience in a small leftwing party were the old-generation decided as a group to pass power over to the newer generation some years ago, the kids by themselves are just manipulated by more recent propaganda instead of old propaganda (for example, the new young leadership, having grown up under Neoliberalism, saw many elements of it as "natural" and hence part of the "structure we have to work within", rather than seeing those as just political choices like the rest) and end up fucking shit up in new ways (that party has pretty much collapsed to non-existence since) rather than being wiser than the older ones.
Beware of fetishising youth.
As I see it, you need a mix of all kind of people of all ages and all origins influencing politics, rather than just people with a very narrow range of life experiences. Also regular change is important - dishonest people using positions of power for their own ends, entrenched control of power and unchallenged groupthing becoming unquestionable dogma, are all things that get swept away by regular change.
altphoto
in reply to تحريرها كلها ممكن • • •See! Exactly how I think! So I basically landed among crazy people in that other post. And clearly its a touchy subject because I just realized that my post here could be interpreted either way...but instead of interpreting it as I am a good moral person who thinks innocent gaza people should not be murdered and Ukrainian people should also not be murdered, I get down votes!
Or maybe I landed again among crazy people?
BodyBySisyphus [he/him]
in reply to altphoto • • •huf [he/him]
in reply to altphoto • • •ayyy
in reply to altphoto • • •1) Inebriated and confused
2) A victim of what seems to be a fediverse bug that has cropped up in the past 2 days or so where comments are ending up in completely the wrong place
3) the worst propaganda redirection bot ever programmed/hired
altphoto
in reply to ayyy • • •Those people were almost as confused as me with respect to Palestine/Gaza.
Me, I'm with Gretta. Israel is demolish the Gaza strip along with its people regardless of who they may be. It's just awful.
Meanwhile the people in the other post appear to also think that Israel should stop murdering innocent people.... But Russia should own Ukraine. WTF. Just confused.
redchert
in reply to altphoto • • •BrainInABox
in reply to altphoto • • •