Negli ottavi di finale dell'Atp 500 di Tokyo, il numero uno del mondo non le manda a dire: il match contro Bergs si chiude in un'ora e diciannove minuti con il punteggio di 6-4 6-3 per Alcaraz, che ora attende ai quarti l'americano Nakashima.
When I moved to the UK at the tail end of the last millennium, I wasn’t in a good place. I was hired by a US company to work in their German office, and they sent me over to the US to work on their product. I lived in a hotel for a few months, coming home to an empty, cleaned room every day. It was very “Lost in Translation”. The German part of the company went bankrupt during this trip, so I was asked to move to the UK to stay with them. Anglophile as I was, I took this opportunity and had a few trips in between the US and the UK to find a place to live.
My partner of five years also said they’d love to make that move with me and start a new chapter. That didn’t work out – I was dumped in a call on a pay phone in a hotel in San Francisco, went out and got really drunk. When the US stint ended, I went to London, checked into my new flat and waited for my stuff from Germany to arrive.
And then I plunged into London. I went clubbing a lot. I spent the day in the office and went to the pub with my colleagues in the evening. I enjoyed and fell in love with the place. I met people from all over the world, I dated people of many races and backgrounds. I had food I never had, I heard music and saw bands I’ve never heard of or even knew existed. I’ve been to Notting Hill Carnival, immersing myself in this wonderful, wild and colourful scene.
London opened my mind, it made me find the great in lots of cultures and seeing them bringing that to the UK lifestyle was at times a hilarious clash, but wonderful to witness. Very early on I realised one thing: being British is not the same as being a pasty white uptight person, Brits come in all shades and sizes. The most British person I know with a clipped accent, fierce devotion to the Royals and a fetish for a good cuppa is a gay friend who is dark Indian.
Working in Soho I got to know a lot of LGBTQ folk and a few of my colleagues came out or even changed gender during the time I worked there. And they got support from everyone, it wasn’t a problem or a scary thing. London was inviting, colourful, open and amazing. That’s the London I miss.
It’s a big city. In my 16 years tenure I had one laptop, a mobile and a bike stolen. I got into some fights and had three attempted muggings. All by white young dudes, by the way. I lived next to a huge mosque and the area two streets down was hard-core Jewish. My butcher was Algerian and when I ordered in French-ish, I got better prices. It worked.
Then UKIP came around and told people that everything is terrible and its all the forrins’ fault. And disappointed and disgruntled people believed that nonsense. I left the country after Brexit and moved to Berlin, which is great but does feel like a Tesco value version of the London I encountered.
So if people claim that they remember a safer, cleaner and racially homogenous London they either never lived there, or didn’t immerse themselves in it. Or completely talk out of their arse following an utterly different agenda, one that I find despicable, regressive and governed by fear and hate and not inclusion and inspiration.
As soon as I was old enough to travel on my own, London was where I wanted to go. Compared to Copenhagen at the time, there was something so majestic about Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and even the Tube around the turn of the millenium.
Discover the heart of one of history’s most dramatic chapters with the remarkable new bestseller, “The Blitz and London: A City Under Fire” by Andy Reven.
The video features an outdoor interview conducted by a man in a light blue shirt and khaki pants, who is holding a piece of paper. The setting is in front of a building with glass doors and a digital signboard. The text overlay at the top of the video reads "What is Critical Race Theory?" The interviewer engages with two individuals, a man wearing a red cap and a black jacket, and a woman with blonde hair in a black jacket. The interviewer asks, "Do you think there should be rules about what is taught in school?" The man responds affirmatively, saying, "oh absolutely." The interviewer then asks, "What wouldn't you like to see taught in schools?" The man responds, "Critical Race Theory, as soon as I heard about that I'm like." The woman asks, "Why are we doing this?" The video continues with the interviewer gesturing while speaking, and the text overlay remains the same throughout the video.
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Mastodon question: Would it not be helpful if the Mastodon signup process nudged people into adding a profile picture?
The way it is now, most of the new followers I see, all have the default picture, and that does not encourage others to follow back.
So my theory is, if more people were encouraged to add a picture, they would build a social network faster, fewer users would drop out, and Mastodon would have better growth.
That would be a great idea - after many years on social media my brain is wired to think "spambot" whenever I encounter new profiles without a profile pic
Do note however that your instance might not have yet cached all profile pictures. It unfortunately takes quite some time for that process to finish, especially when your new followers have never interacted with your instance before. @renchap @stux @vmstan
a lot of people only allow follows from accounts with a profile picture, description, and non-zero post count.
I regularly prune following/followers that are inactive beyond 1 month. Almost all those no-picture accounts are going to end up in there. I only like to scream into a fresh void.
Well, I just recently added a profile picture. I didn't think it was that important. My first priority was to understand how things worked here, the layout, how long my messages could be, if there were private messages or everything was public. See, last thing I thought about was trying to find a profile picture. First i wanted to know if I could adapt to Mastodon. I had no idea what Fediverse was. Some people need time to explore... and learn.
You should also bear in mind that: * (to the extent you are talking about actual personal pictures) not everyone feels safe online, for a variety of reasons which no-one else is in a position to judge; * not everyone has easy access to graphics tools to make their own image, and the alternative is clip art which any bot could use; * not everyone can see your picture or their own, and people are under no obligation to tell you of their visual impairments.
I think everyone should choose for themselves if they want to give a picture without being nudged or even forced. I think free minds, should be as free as possible, that is what makes mastodon special. Ppl seeking for a follower base sure know about the picture incentive and will choose a picture supporting their goal. Others might have different goals with their social media appearance & safety needs and choose a different profile setting. So no: no nudge pls.
@Ilka4You what I mean by nudging is a gentle approach. Something like when people sign up, if there is a step that says “By adding a profile picture, others will find it easier to recognize your profile from everyone else.”.
Then, people can add a picture or skip the step if they prefer.
I think informing people why a profile picture matters might be helpful and make more people see the need.
thank you for clarifying. Yes, it never hurts to inform - I agree to this. Although I think most ppl joining social media, know about the usefulness of profile pictures. I started out with a real foto on mastodon, but when I learned about the involuntary link glitch between bluesky & mastodon, I changed it to a painting of me, my god child made. For me: safety first. I have not gained many followers since then, but it is my sensible decision to keep it that way.
there are bots with photos all over insta! Even I could post someone else’s photo, and alter it slightly with ai if I choose…Most can be identified by looking at their other posts and replies
I think most people who leave do so because there is no algo that feeds constant entertainment, endless streams of videos and pictures. I'm still very early into my Fediverse journey though so my understanding of it is kind of limited.
yesterday I fell for a bot and engaged in a conversation - it had a profile picture, kept twisting words and slightly changing topics, then started insulting me. I became suspicious and looked at the profile: created yesterday, >1500 posts by midday, generic personal info - but a realistic maybe even real profile photo. If something seems off - trust your instinct, photos can be "faked".
In #Nürnberg verhinderte die Polizei, dass Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer der Hanna-Demo zu einer zeitgleich stattfindenden Kundgebung gegen Neonazis gelangen konnten. #nbg2709
Apparently, it’s no longer acceptable to speak ill of the dead. Not that it bothers the dead. But it certainly seems to bother a bunch of people who are still alive and who have nothing better to do with their time but snitch on anyone who doesn’t treat Charlie Kirk like an American hero who […]
Nato nel 2016 su iniziativa della Camera di Commercio di Sassari, il Premio enoletterario Vermentino celebra la sua nona edizione il prossimo 4 ottobre nel Museo Archeologico di Olbia. (ANSA)
Es ist ein diplomatischer Eklat: Das US-Außenministerium wirft Petro vor, er habe US-Soldaten zur Befehlsverweigerung gegenüber US-Präsident Donald Trump aufgerufen.
A federal judge ruled on Sept. 2, 2025, that the Trump administration broke federal law by sending National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June in response to protests over immigration raids. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said that National Guard troops in Los Angeles had received improper training on the legal scope of their […]
Nato nel 2016 su iniziativa della Camera di Commercio di Sassari, il Premio enoletterario Vermentino celebra la sua nona edizione il prossimo 4 ottobre nel Museo Archeologico di Olbia. (ANSA)
Three weeks from right now, millions of Americans will gather again to say NO KINGS. As Trump wields government power to censor free speech and threaten political opponents, we need to make October 18 a historic day of resistance. Please join us: nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=indivi… #NoKings
As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power belongs to the people.
When the media keep counting the victims of Israel’s genocide like they do, Gaza will be fully destroyed with no one alive and they would say something like, “72,832 Palestinians were killed.”
Of 2,226,544 (2023 estimate per Britannica).
With all of Israel’s bombing and starving, counting “conservatively” looks like nothing but gaslighting—and like a crime by itself, by helping to slow down responses.
The image is a side-by-side comparison of two black and white photographs, each labeled with a name at the top. On the left, the label reads "Patel," and on the right, "Manson." Both images feature individuals with similar facial features, including prominent eyebrows and mustaches. The person on the left has short, neatly styled hair and a beard, while the person on the right has longer, wavy hair and a fuller beard. The background of both images is plain, with the left image having a darker background and the right image having a lighter one. The overall composition is simple, focusing on the facial features of the individuals.
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B
"The Israeli military has razed block after block of Gaza City as part of a new ground offensive in what was once the territory’s largest urban center.
Israel’s war against Hamas, which began two years ago, has leveled wide swathes of the Gaza Strip, including the city of Rafah in the south and the town of Beit Hanoun in the north. But the military did not carry out such widespread demolitions in previous Gaza City operations.
This time is different.
Though much of the city is still standing, satellite images show Israeli forces are destroying whole areas as they sweep into Gaza City, including the Zeitoun neighborhood and an area near Sheikh Radwan, where the military has demolished dozens of structures this month."
"The relentless Israeli offensive in Gaza City, Palestine, has forced Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to suspend vital medical activities in the area due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation. The situation includes continued airstrikes and advancing tanks less than one kilometre from our healthcare facilities. The escalating attacks from Israeli forces have created an unacceptable level of risk for our staff, forcing us to suspend lifesaving medical activities.
“We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” says Jacob Granger, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Gaza. “This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most vulnerable people - infants in neo-natal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses - unable to move and in grave danger.”
While large numbers of people have fled south due to evacuation orders, there are still hundreds of thousands of pople in Gaza City, who are unable to leave and have no other option but to stay. Those who are able to leave face an impossible choice: either remain in Gaza City under intense military operations and the deterioration of law and order, or abandon what’s left of their houses, their belongings, and their memories, to move to areas where humanitarian conditions are rapidly collapsing."
MEDIAS ET OLIGARCHIE / CANADA, FRANCE.... MEME COMBAT
"Le meurtre récent de cinq journalistes par Israël, diffusé en direct, a ravivé l’indignation face au biais pro-Israël des médias détenus par des oligarques canadiens. Ces grands médias sont critiqués pour une couverture qui a facilité la campagne d’extermination de journalistes la plus étendue jamais enregistrée."
19 septembre 2025 — Le meurtre récent de cinq journalistes par Israël, diffusé en direct, a ravivé l’indignation face au biais pro-Israël des médias détenus
Altbot
in reply to gdaddy48.bsky.social • • •The video features an outdoor interview conducted by a man in a light blue shirt and khaki pants, who is holding a piece of paper. The setting is in front of a building with glass doors and a digital signboard. The text overlay at the top of the video reads "What is Critical Race Theory?" The interviewer engages with two individuals, a man wearing a red cap and a black jacket, and a woman with blonde hair in a black jacket. The interviewer asks, "Do you think there should be rules about what is taught in school?" The man responds affirmatively, saying, "oh absolutely." The interviewer then asks, "What wouldn't you like to see taught in schools?" The man responds, "Critical Race Theory, as soon as I heard about that I'm like." The woman asks, "Why are we doing this?" The video continues with the interviewer gesturing while speaking, and the text overlay remains the same throughout the video.
Provided by @altbot, generated privately and locally using Ovis2-8B
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