Pierre Poilievre Wants Radical Austerity for Canada
Pierre Poilievre Wants Radical Austerity for Canada
Conservative Pierre Poilievre’s politics aren’t just about populism — they’re grounded in Milton Friedman’s radical vision of free markets. If he is elected prime minister, Poilievre promises a Canada where the welfare state is “out of business.”jacobin.com
How Trump and Netanyahu forced Mohammed bin Salman to draw a line on Palestine
by David Hearst
10 February 2025 11:03 GMT
{Hopefully, Trump and Netanyahu's arrogance is going to cost them big-time.]
"A covert relationship claimed by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Saudi Arabia, one that was years in the making, has been unraveling in a matter of days."
"Trump also bragged that Saudi Arabia would normalise with Israel without a Palestinian state. "So, Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful. And they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It's very simple," Trump said.
It took Riyadh just 45 minutes to reply in what has become known as the dawn statement.
It left little room for manoeuvre.
"His Royal Highness emphasised that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish relations with Israel without that.""
How Trump and Netanyahu forced Mohammed bin Salman to draw a line on Palestine
Statements by Washington and Tel Aviv endorsing ethnic cleansing plans in Palestine have forced Saudi foreign policy to revert back to the Arab nationalist days of King FaisalMiddle East Eye
How Trump and Netanyahu forced Mohammed bin Salman to draw a line on Palestine
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/25845692
by David Hearst
10 February 2025 11:03 GMT{Hopefully, Trump and Netanyahu's arrogance is going to cost them big-time.]
"A covert relationship claimed by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Saudi Arabia, one that was years in the making, has been unraveling in a matter of days."
"Trump also bragged that Saudi Arabia would normalise with Israel without a Palestinian state. "So, Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful. And they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It's very simple," Trump said.
It took Riyadh just 45 minutes to reply in what has become known as the dawn statement.
It left little room for manoeuvre.
"His Royal Highness emphasised that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish relations with Israel without that.""
How Trump and Netanyahu forced Mohammed bin Salman to draw a line on Palestine
by David Hearst
10 February 2025 11:03 GMT{Hopefully, Trump and Netanyahu's arrogance is going to cost them big-time.]
"A covert relationship claimed by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Saudi Arabia, one that was years in the making, has been unraveling in a matter of days."
"Trump also bragged that Saudi Arabia would normalise with Israel without a Palestinian state. "So, Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful. And they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It's very simple," Trump said.
It took Riyadh just 45 minutes to reply in what has become known as the dawn statement.
It left little room for manoeuvre.
"His Royal Highness emphasised that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and will not establish relations with Israel without that.""
How Trump and Netanyahu forced Mohammed bin Salman to draw a line on Palestine
Statements by Washington and Tel Aviv endorsing ethnic cleansing plans in Palestine have forced Saudi foreign policy to revert back to the Arab nationalist days of King FaisalMiddle East Eye
Elon Musk calls for impeachment of judge after DOGE legal blows
Summary
Elon Musk called for U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer's impeachment after the judge blocked his department, DOGE, from accessing sensitive Treasury records.
DOGE has faced criticism for its broad data access. Engelmayer ruled that only specialized civil servants could access Treasury records and ordered DOGE to destroy any obtained data.
Musk and GOP figures condemned the ruling, but judicial impeachment remains rare, with only eight judges removed since 1803.
The next court hearing is set for February 14.
Elon Musk Calls for Impeachment of Judges After DOGE Legal Blows
Musk said that U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, who temporarily blocked DOGE's access to Treasury records, should be impeached.Giulia Carbonaro (Newsweek)
3 Baltic states disconnect from the Soviet-era grid to merge with the European energy system
Summary
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania officially disconnected from Russia’s Soviet-era power grid on Saturday, marking a major geopolitical shift.
The Baltic nations will operate independently for 24 hours before integrating with Europe’s energy system via links with Finland, Sweden, and Poland.
The move severs their last energy ties with Russia and Belarus, reducing reliance on Russian resources amid ongoing tensions.
For the three countries, as well as the rest of Europe, the move was steeped in geopolitical and symbolic significance.
3 Baltic states disconnect from the Soviet-era grid to merge with the European energy system
The flow of electricity between the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Russia has been officially severed.LIUDAS DAPKUS (AP News)
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Vatican's Caritas outraged at 'reckless' USAID cuts, says millions will die, others left in poverty
Summary
The Vatican’s Caritas Internationalis condemned the Trump administration’s decision to halt USAID funding, warning it will cause millions of deaths and widespread poverty.
Cardinal Michael Czerny criticized the move as “reckless” and urged the U.S. to uphold Christian values of aid and compassion.
The cuts impact Catholic Relief Services and other humanitarian programs, jeopardizing decades of progress.
Czerny also denounced Trump’s immigration crackdown. U.S. Catholic bishops issued a rare rebuke, calling Trump’s policies on aid, immigration, and justice harmful to the vulnerable.
Vatican's Caritas outraged at 'reckless' USAID cuts, says millions will die, others left in poverty
The Vatican's charity is voicing outrage at what it calls the “reckless” and “unhuman” U.S. plans to gut USAID.NICOLE WINFIELD (AP News)
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According to his Wiki page:
"In August 2019, Vance was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church in a ceremony at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio."
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anyone who decides to become catholic is doing it for social gain or deeply hates themselves.
catholicism is built on the foundation of "you're guilty, you're born guilty."
Fish on Fridays. All of the school cafeterias here only served fish. Many restaurants did not serve meat either.
We had fiestas at the Catholic Church in late summer. The whole town would get together for the celebration. (This I learned was a town tradition, and not specially a Catholic thing, it was hosted by the Catholic Church though).
Performing Las Pastorelas in school, and on the city’s plaza at Christmas time.
Giving up something for lent. I thought this was a tradition like New Year’s resolutions.
hah! fun.
yes, I find the christians are pretty good at taking things over. so it makes sense they inserted themselves into the fiestas to control them.
like the ~~winter solstice~~ jesus' birthday
~~summer solstice~~ the feast of st jean the babtist,
~~spring equinox~~ jesus' resurrection,
~~samhain/harvest~~ all hallowed's eve,
~~birth~~ baptism,
~~love~~ church wedding,
~~death~~ funeral mass,
Yes.....but no. American Catholic fundamentalism has little to do with the actual Catholic church. They're basically a renegade sect of the church who believes the new Pope is woke because he's brown.
They've steadily infiltrated the highest offices in the nation, but especially the judicial branch. They're essentially high brow versions of southern evangelicals, with more cash and an ahistorical chip on their shoulder in regards to America's relations to prejudice against traditional Catholics in the 19th and early 20th century.
Bergoglio brown?
He is considered woke because even in the church there are factions and he belongs to the one which is slightly more open on certain topics, or at least embraced (initially) a more populistic façade that pretended the church was modernizing.
In fact criticism against him is not an exclusive of US fundamentalists.
Bergoglio brown?
I don't know his actual ethnicity, but to a lot of European Catholics anyone from South America is brown at least by association. It was kinda a big deal that he was the first Pope from the southern hemisphere.
criticism against him is not an exclusive of US fundamentalists.
I didn't claim it was?
The world's largest and most powerful organization for guaranteeing pedophiles access to children while shielding them from prosecution is admonishing others about the moral implications of having their budget cut?
Maybe they can sell a golden throne or two to close the gap if they're really that concerned about it.
Fucking degenerate perverts.
Here's an idea: if the Vatican is so concerned about the fate of the poor, how about it uses its own obscene wealth and assets to step up to the plate?
Fucking hypocrites...
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When I was seven years old, we visited the Vatican. We were walking around and saw there was some little exhibit hall down some stairs sort of out of the way that no one was going to. So we went in there. Inside were all the horse-drawn papal carriages. A dozen of them, all covered in gold.
Even at that age, all I could think was, "there are people starving in the world..."
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I was seven years old, we visited the Vatican
That's a scary thought right there.
To be fair, it was literally just to see the art. My family is Jewish but my parents absolutely loved art and instilled a love of art in me very early on.
Fun story- my dad, much like me, had very stereotypical Jewish features- the big, hooked nose, the curly hair, that sort of thing. So right outside the Vatican, we're looking at a souvenir stand, and the man behind the stand says to my father, in Yiddish, "what's a nice Jewish boy like you doing in a place like this?" My dad replies back, also in Yiddish (this is all second-hand, I don't know any Yiddish), "what's a nice Jewish boy like you doing in a place like this?" And he said, "a man's got to make a living!"
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That little twerp with Brocolli-like hair. His on-line alias is "Big Balls".
It's this asshole here: newsweek.com/who-big-balls-tee…
Who is 'Big Balls'? Teen DOGE Engineer Edward Coristine
Edward Coristine was brought into the Department of Government Efficiency by Elon Musk, despite being just 19 years old.Theo Burman (Newsweek)
And? Dictator Musk doesn't give a shit about that. His sidekick Cheeto doesn't care either
At best this'll generate an "uh huh" whilst they continue to rob he state blind and setup his dictatorship
Lemmy Federate
Lemmy Federate is a tool to federate new communities in the Lemmyverse.lemmy-federate.com
My case is specificaly to federaet with all communities from one specific instance with one go
Sewer fatberg of ‘grease and rags’ forces Bryan Adams to cancel Perth concert
(Brian) Adams was due to perform at the Western Australian capital’s RAC Arena on Sunday night, but the city’s water corporation said a “large blockage of fat, grease and rags” was causing wastewater overflows at nearby properties, prompting authorities to intervene.
Frontier Touring posted a statement on Monday announcing the cancellation, and that attendees will receive an automatic refund in full.
“Last night’s concert could not proceed due to an external Perth Water Corporation issue, which was unable to be fixed in time. The issue, which impacted all of Wellington Street, meant that it was deemed unsafe for patrons to enter RAC Arena.”
Sewer fatberg of ‘grease and rags’ forces Bryan Adams to cancel Perth concert
Singer was due to perform Sunday night but authorities worried large blockage could cause sewage to back up in venue toiletsMostafa Rachwani (The Guardian)
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They say rags, but I bet they mean something that advertises itself as flushable.
Conservatives. They mean conservatives.
Trump’s proposed ‘land grabs’ mean US now seen as a risk, says Munich security report
Summary
The Munich Security Conference report warns that Trump’s proposed territorial acquisitions, including Greenland, Panama, and Canada, have damaged the U.S.'s global standing, making it seen as a risk rather than a stabilizing force.
The report highlights the decline of U.S.-led global leadership amid a shift toward a multipolar world, with China and Russia expanding influence.
European leaders will press U.S. officials on NATO commitments and Ukraine support.
Survey data shows U.S. risks are now perceived as greater than Russia’s in many G7 nations.
Trump’s proposed ‘land grabs’ mean US now seen as a risk, says Munich security report
Report published before international summit suggests US is moving away from a global leadership rolePatrick Wintour (The Guardian)
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I hope everyone is keeping tabs on those people. who they are.
for if the day ever comes. Those will be the first people taken care of.
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I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think a military alliance with Russia is even on the table. That'd be replacing one abusive "ally" with another.
Just because America is suddenly untrustworthy and a risk, doesn't mean that Russia isn't a threat anymore.
Imo, Europe is better off forging its own path, only collaborating with countries such as China when it is in our strategic interest to do so.
We need to provide an inviting environment for research and study, become the learning center of the world, super-partes.
We don't have alternatives as we don't have the resources or population of the other powers.
Imo, Europe is better off forging its own path, only collaborating with countries such as China when it is in our strategic interest to do so.
Europe, without the U.S. needs to increase it's military spending. (Same with Canada, who, I hate to say it, really needs to get some nukes onto it's territory on loan from somehwere)
Ironically, NATO increasing it's military spending is something that the U.S. has been bitching about for years. So now they'd finally get their wish, but in some weird monkey's paw Faustian way.
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Why do you think that Europeans are as stupid as North Americans? Sure, here in Canada and the US we love to switch to worse options because “change” but generally the EU is much better about that kind of thing. They’ll strengthen their own militaries and continue working together as they have been.
Also Russia? Really? The ones actually attacking European countries instead of just threatening? Really?
Absolutely true, but at least right now they aren’t going to switching from the US to the country attacking them becauss they’re afraid of the US attacking them.
“Hey, they might punch us in the face. Say, guy actively punching me in the gut, you like punching do you wanna be friends?”
It’s just such a lame take.
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Oic, better the far right at home than the foreign far right. /s
I think we need to start building inroads with our neighbors at home and abroad, and not wait on governments to do anything.
It is way easier to ruin something than to build it up. This goes especially for Trust. Trump is currently burning about any past-'45 trust the US has accumulated in a bonfire of egoism.
And I don't think that Europe will turn towards Russia or China. Europe is big and strong enough to stand on it's own.
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it might be an easy thing for a group of foreign nations with some resources to rectify.
Yeah I don't think any American allies want to declare war on the US, and I don't think any American enemies are unhappy with that one person.
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They're probably not happy about him pushing for more oil production in the US, but unless he plans on actively forcing oil companies to pump more, that's not going to be happening because they don't want their margins to be too low.
If he starts actively forcing oil companies to pump more oil, he's probably going to be offed by good ol' American lead rather than a foreign bonesaw.
Or did you mean some other reason?
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At this point, wouldn't it be safer for NATO to be working to kick the USA out? There are plenty (I don't know exact numbers) of military bases in Europe that contain US soldiers. Not only does that seem like an insane security risk at this point, but it delays any help coming the way of Canada and Greenland if the US invades.
I realize some people might be scared of escalation, but Trump is already escalating and I don't think shoving our head in the sand and hope he is bluffing is a smart move.
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The US is not just a member of NATO, they are a member that surpass the remaining members (taken collectively) in every regard. Its not just the equipment or manpower lost but the ability to launch a military intervention around most of the globe, something the US, and only the US can do with combined arms. We also lose most of our effective and experienced leadership, technical capabilities like spy satellites and GPS.
If the US want to invade Europe, they can do so while mostly being sure that we (EU) can't effectively shoot back, with or without the bases on our soil, like it's not even close.
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All that is more reason to try to gain military independence from the USA, not really a good justification to let them hang out in our territory while threatening our allies.
And no matter how mighty their military might be, having military presence in our territory is still a massive advantage. I mean, look how Vietnam and Afghanistan went for them despite their might; they are not an unstoppable force. Why make it easier for them in the ever increasing chance of a war?
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Because there's nothing to be gained and everything to be lost from the US leaving NATO.
Yes, there are good reasons to develop an EU army with the same capabilities as the US but realistically speaking that's decades away if we could start today but we're not even discussing it seriously. In the meantime making any decision furthering the US from NATO gives no advantage to Europe.
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After decades long alliance-building, the US don't seem to value them anymore.
That's because everyone who was on the same page about this was slowly supplanted by Tea Partiers with no understanding of how power systems work. Their only reference is the propaganda that wasn't meant for the elites, but the previous generation of elites didn't tell anyone else because name one elite who shares with competition.
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I think it's a lot more malicious than a neglect of institutional knowledge.
The people are suffering economic anxiety, Trump points at as the cause of their economic woes, and builds popular support for some stupid land grab that trades the country's soft power for some quick corporate profits. By the time the long-term damage sets in, they are off to the next grift a few hundred billion dollars richer. Tale as old as time...
They know the damage they are causing--they just don't care.
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It could also be the Elon musk effect.
"Why have three fasteners. Why not two?"
In the same regard they are pushing their allies till one of them breaks. Then they know that's the point to stop where they get maximum benefit
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I hope the other countries and their people see the US blowing its legs off and take a moment to reflect if right wing reactionaries really are right for them.
Edit: West Europeans, I'm specifically calling you out. I've spoken with my share of right-curious Euros who insist that it is / will be different for them. No it fucking won't. We're your ghost of Christmas future. I hope that all that immigration reform stuff is still worth it when the alt-right sells your rights and benefits off to the billionaires for scrap.
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I can't believe that the NDP get labeled as fiscally irresponsible for supporting increasing our healthcare and our standard of living, something that is PROVEN to be cheaper than a private market solution for healthcare and standard of living.
The conservatives have the reputation as the fiscally responsible ones. Our provincial conservatives just spent 660 million dollars, to get 24s of beer into grocery stores a year before the exclusive contract with the beer store expired. That's $50 per Ontario resident. How is that responsible?!?!?
Dear Europe,
Please take us seriously as a threat and invade us and liberate us and adopt us as your wayward bastard child so this can be over.
This one you'll have to figure out internally, or we are all screwed. :(
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Pathway towards a secure and trusted European data space for agriculture.
France braces for trial of surgeon accused of sexually abusing hundreds of children
The biggest child abuse trial in French history will open in Brittany this month amid anger that a surgeon was allegedly able to attack hundreds of young patients over decades, targeting some when they were under anaesthetic, in the post-surgery recovery room or in their hospital beds.
France is braced for serious questions over child protection amid harrowing testimony from a record number of alleged victims of Joël Le Scouarnec, 73, who worked as a digestive surgeon. He was employed in public and private hospitals across Brittany and the west of France, often operating on children with appendicitis.
Despite being flagged to the French authorities by the FBI in 2004 for viewing child abuse imagery on the dark web, for which he was convicted and given a four-year suspended prison sentence in France in 2005, he was never prevented from working with children and continued to gain prestigious jobs in hospitals across the country.
France braces for trial of surgeon accused of sexually abusing hundreds of children
Joël Le Scouarnec has been charged with the rape or sexual assault of 299 patients from 1989 to 2014Angelique Chrisafis (The Guardian)
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Despite being flagged to the French authorities by the FBI in 2004 for viewing child abuse imagery on the dark web, for which he was convicted and given a four-year suspended prison sentence in France in 2005, he was never prevented from working with children and continued to gain prestigious jobs in hospitals across the country.
Does France not have registries? What the fuck?
Yeah. I’ve never heard of Sex Offender Registries outside the US.
Though I’ve heard some countries having punishments like castration.
Even if they don't have registries, I'm sure they could've done better than a four-year suspended prison sentence. I'm sure they could've also achieved not allowing him to work with children ever again. Unless they also don't have things like IDs and telephones and email. I suppose if smoke signals are their only means of communication, then it's understandable how someone caught with CSAM was allowed to keep working with children in "prestigious" hospitals that willingly hired him.
IMO, the judge that sentenced this guy to a four-year suspended prison sentence needs to be investigated and publically disgraced too. Same with the hospitals that hired him.
‘This scares me’: German defence chief ‘afraid’ of Russia’s increased war efforts
Summary
Germany’s top defense official, Gen. Carsten Breuer, warned of Russia’s escalating military buildup, calling it an “imminent threat” and comparing it to a wildfire at Europe’s doorstep.
Russia is doubling its pre-war troop levels and stockpiling weapons, suggesting broader ambitions beyond Ukraine. NATO leaders stress the war’s global implications, with China, North Korea, and Iran aligning with Moscow.
As the U.S. pauses most foreign aid under Trump, European officials fear weakened Western support.
Breuer urged allies to unite financially and militarily to counter Russia’s expansionist goals.
‘This scares me’: German defence chief ‘afraid’ of Russia’s increased war efforts
Germany’s defence chief says the level to which Russia is building up its military, which he categorized as an “imminent threat,” is deeply concerning to him.Spencer Van Dyk (CTVNews)
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We should be afraid. Putin will absolutely not stop at Ukraine. Being prepared might end up being costly, but not nearly as costly as NOT being prepared will be.
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Like we don't have the means to fucking deal with them!!
PSN downtime compensation criticised by PlayStation fans without PS Plus who were still unable to play games
PSN downtime compensation criticised by PlayStation fans without PS Plus who were still unable to play games
PlayStation owners impacted by this weekend's major PSN outage have criticised Sony's apology offer, as well as the lac…Tom Phillips (Eurogamer.net)
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I canceled my subscription last week, just before it was time to renew.
I'm going back to PC gaming full time. If in time everything is coming to PC anyway, I rather wait and have it all on one system with a Nintendo system next to it.
Thing is there are quite a few games you just can't play without PSPlus
Which is absolutely shitty but if you're like me and you don't game crazy heavy, just play a couple games here and there, and one or two of the games you actually enjoy requires ps plus to work, you're out of luck.
I generally don't use ps plus for anything else - once in a while they have a free game that's really good, but in general I agree it would not be worth it if it was not for the fact thatbthey stop you playing certain games without it.
PS4 was when I switched to PC for a majority of my games except exclusives. I refused to pay for PS+ to play online, since I enjoyed my free online on the PS3 the past Gen.
Picked up a long hdmi cable back then so I could enjoy the couch gaming experience when I felt like it. So that stopped being a selling point for consoles for my use case.
Using an old spare as a test is a good idea.
And to think, my wife mocks my hoard of old parts, cables, adapters, etc. Who's laughing now? It matters not that it grows at an inverse rate at which it is depleted...I did say hoard, did I not?
Yeah...ok, so try it with a spare. Sounds good.
dd
Valve bans all Steam games that force players to watch advertisements [edit: Not a new policy, see comments]
Late edit:
per sopuli.xyz/comment/14584874 & bsky.app/profile/steamdb.info/… this is not a new policy.
Valve bans all Steam games that force players to watch advertisements
Valve has implemented new rules around advertising, explicitly prohibiting games that force players to watch in-game ad…Vikki Blake (Eurogamer.net)
Steamdb mentioned it's not a recent ban :Valve has created a dedicated page describing that in-game ads or ad-based revenue models are not allowed in Steam games.This has been reported as a new policy, but this has been the case for at least 5 years as seen on the pricing page, there just wasn't a separate page.
bsky.app/profile/steamdb.info/…
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They should do the same on the Play and App Store.
There’s even games where you can pay to remove ads, but it will still ask you if you wanna watch an ad to get a bonus or some shit. Fuck that.
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They should do the same on the Play and App Store.
95% of "games" removed
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At least 95% of them are shit anyway 😂
I really enjoy Apple Arcade. Quality games for the kids with no ads or micro transactions.
Yes. It’s $6.99/mo for access to a load of games with no ads or IAPs. Half of the games on there are only available on Apple Arcade, the others are editions of regular App Store games but with no ads and all the IAPs already unlocked.
It kinda sucks that Apple gatekeeps certain games behind the subscription though… I wanted to play Mini Motorways on mobile, but it’s only available through Apple Arcade. For comparison Mini Metro is a OTP of $5 iirc.
This is exactly why I don't play games on mobile.
I absolutely don't have the time to wade through that shit.
about a year ago, I was like, "It'd be nice to have a few mindless games on my phone"... tried like four... just ADS ADS ADS...
Even the ones where I liked the game, and wanted to just remove the ad bullshit for a price... nothing...
GooglePlay search favors popular trash, but there and on F-Droid you can still find some fun ones without ads. Searching from outside, like on a regular web search engine or lemmy\reddit subs for free games may help. I don't mind piracy but I was glad to obtain Antimine and Mindustry. Also, there are ways to block internet or patch apps, but they usually imply you have root and may break things if not careful.
Idk about iPhone apps, but I'm sure the first solution would work too and the second means jailbreaking thus cutting off most of their praised ecosystem.
Loop hero
Vampire Survivors base game is free and has the option of watching and ad for a free revive (which you don't get at all on other platforms)
Slay the spire
Balatro
Plenty of great games without ads
Yeah I don't play very many mobile games due to ads. I'm just picky AF.
I have all those games and Stardew Valley on my phone and tablet on my devices.
On my phone, I have two games:
- PySolFC - FOSS collection of a bunch of solitaire-like games, with varying levels of attention required
- Lichess - FOSS chess game, with puzzles, bots, and MP
The first is available on F-Droid, not sure about other stores, and the second is probably available everywhere (I got it on Google Play).
I, too, got tired of sifting through ad-riddled BS and just didn't play games on my phone for years.
Yeah it's really hard to find the few normal ones.
I don't like promoting Netflix but I was surprised how many good phone games you can get with your subscription, like Hades, Civilization 6 or Rise of the golden idol.
Doesn't seem to me like phone games are a good match for Netflix but hey these good games are free now for me.
Also Balatro is great on the phone
Seems like phone games are a good match if it makes even %1 of their subscription's stick around. Gives you another excuse to not cancel a subscription that's slowly losing it's value over time.
Jesus, Netflix games.... my mind is still baffled.
You can use this site to help with your game choices.
Deceptive Patterns (aka Dark Patterns) - spreading awareness since 2010
The original website about deceptive patterns (also known as “dark patterns”) - tricks used in websites and apps that make you do things that you didn't mean to, like buying or signing up for something.www.deceptive.design
I still allow them to play some but I want them going in with eyes open to the machinations going on.
I don't mind the fact that apps on Android show ads. I mind the terrible inconsistency of those ads. Some have an X button at the top left, some at the top right. I've seen "mute" buttons in at least three different quadrants, plus some are within a small landscape window rather than taking up the full portrait-held phone. And some don't have mute at all.
And then some have a fake-out X button that actually clicks on the ad if you try to use it.
And a couple of times I've gotten an ad that I literally couldn't exit. Had to force quit the app to get back to it.
If the ads were a consistent experience, I would have a much less intensely negative opinion of them.
Steamdb mentioned it's not a recent ban :
Valve has created a dedicated page describing that in-game ads or ad-based revenue models are not allowed in Steam games.This has been reported as a new policy, but this has been the case for at least 5 years as seen on the pricing page, there just wasn't a separate page.
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Makes sense. They don't get money from ads, so they have little to loose by banning them apart from annoying some publishers, but from what we saw in the past, what will they do? Leave Steam?
Classic killing two birds with one stone: get more revenue from sales, and make customers happier.
Valve will let players (including kids) gamble on skins because it boosts player count. According to them.
Big publishers will still give you rewards for signing up somewhere, entering something, going to an arbitrary website and watching their stream, etc.
But for the small devs: you're not allowed to even give a player a reward for watching an ad. The choice doesn't even matter. It just can't be done.
It's a private corporation so Valve can do whatever they want though.
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Rakenclaw likes this.
I wouldn't entirely agree, it's shit because Google and Apple enable the practice by providing app Advertising frameworks and fighting back against people working against those systems (i.e. mobile ad blocking and app firewalls, either through store policy or public discouragement).
Developers are incentivised because advertising both:
- Gives reoccurring revenue, beyond what a purchase would give.
- It makes people more likely to pick them up since people easily pick things up that are cheap or even free.
Advertising basically takes away the need to sell stuff and allows poaching revenue from people even if they don't want to support the app. I've known many Devs who will try to eek out more revenue by click fraud (auto clicking their own ads).
So I'm not really a fan of implying this is our fault or "devs gotta eat too". This practice is very much corporate greed.
China’s stunning new campaign to turn the world against Taiwan
Summary
China is gaining global support for its claim over Taiwan, with 70 countries now endorsing its sovereignty and unification efforts—many omitting calls for peaceful resolution.
This shift follows China’s diplomatic push targeting the Global South, leveraging economic ties through infrastructure projects.
China looks to preempt Western sanctions in a Taiwan conflict by securing international legitimacy. Meanwhile, the U.S. and allies struggle to counter China’s influence.
Trump's return signals a firmer stance, but China’s diplomatic momentum complicates efforts to rally support against aggression.
China’s stunning new campaign to turn the world against Taiwan
Seventy countries have recently backed “all Chinese efforts” to take the islandThe Economist
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Azathoth likes this.
This shift follows China’s diplomatic push targeting the Global SouthTrump’s return signals a firmer stance
Trump cutting USAID probably isn't helping if the metric here is "who are countries in the Global South more likely to pay attention to".
Apparently TSCM will raise prices on all chips/customers by a baseline 15% in order to offset tarrif costs in America.
Invade away China. Time to take the capitalist class down a notch.
/s in case it's needed.
All of them.
The US plants may be coming online but it will still be years before they're at production capacity, and they'll probably never have all of the same production capabilities. The chip fabrication lines in Taiwan have been decades in development and growth.
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ignirtoq likes this.
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ignirtoq likes this.
The chip fabrication lines in Taiwan have been decades in development and growth.
Decades the US can learn from to catch up quicker and eventually eclipse them.
Maybe. Some of the older fabrication is still in heavy production use (e.g. 28nm, 16nm, 7nm):
These produce a lot of the chips that go into everything electronic, things like bus controllers and timing ICs, which are needed in higher volumes than CPUs and GPUs. But I kind of doubt the older fab technology will be a priority to build in the new facility.
TSMC isn't just a single factory production line that gets upgraded to the latest and greatest every year. It's a collection of many fabrication technologies that has grown and developed organically over time. While it will be helpful to build a new facility with the benefit of lessons learned in Taiwan, it will not be possible to completely replicate what that original facility is.
The Z80 (which was the core processor of the TI-8x calculators) was only just discontinued last year. Lots of old chip designs find uses in embedded devices and consumer electronics.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
🐧 Das Ende von Windows 10 ist der beste Anlass, endlich auf Linux zu wechseln (Der Standard)
Subtitle Editing - Subtitle track missing different language parts...can I batch add missing parts?
Hi guys! I have some subtitles for a TV show, in both English and Spanish. The Spanish track is missing some parts of the show where they speak foreign languages. The english track has them. Is there...some easy way to add and auto-translate the missing parts from English to the Spanish track?
I'm using bazarr if it helps, but I'd be happy to use anything that isn't just manually adding the lines one by one and translating them in some subtitle editor.
...I'm asking because I can't find any other version of the subtitles. And these are for an entire season of a TV show, at least. So it's not just one file, it's quite a few.
Linus Torvalds pogonił zwolenników Rust w jądrze Linuxa. "Problem leży w Tobie"
Linus Torvalds pogonił zwolenników Rust w jądrze Linuxa. "Problem leży w Tobie"
Linus Torvalds odrzucił argumenty fanów języka Rust. W efekcie Hector Martin zrezygnował z funkcji opiekuna kodu źródłowego dla sprzętu Apple.Paweł Czajkowski (ITHardware.pl)
Dom för kidnappning och utpressning. Fem män och två kvinnor har dömts för inblandning i en kidnappning i Uppsala den 29 juni–4 juli 2024.
Hackerattacken mot SportAdmin. SportAdmin är en tjänst som används av cirka 1 700 idrottsföreningar och runt en miljon barn och vuxna i Sverige, har utsatts för ett dataintrång där obehöriga har kommit över data från tjänsten. Dataintrånget skedde den 16 januari.
ayyy
in reply to MicroWave • • •