serge

shekinahcancook, 6 days ago to GraphicDesign

If you're looking for desktop only, non-subscription publishing software, photo editor, and graphic design, I have used Affinity for a while now and like them a lot. They were recently bought out by someone else who may screw things up royally, but for now at least you can still get the one-time purchase desktop set. Considering the way online stuff is being enshittified, you might want to try this.

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/?utm_id=us

#Desktop #GraphicDesign #PhotoEditing #Publisher #NoSubscription @AIFree

serge, 8 days ago to random

Some more details on our Babyon 5 watch-together!

We're going to use the hashtag #BabkaWatchesB5 and here are some organizing principles.

People are asking where to watch B5. According to https://whereto.stream you can watch it either on Amazon Prime (paid) or Tubi for free. You can also buy the DVDs, or I'm sure there's an illegal streaming option- but I don't know about it, sorry.

We'll be watching two episodes a week, one on Tuesday and one on Friday. You aren't obligated to follow along with that, but this seems like a reasonable pace. At 110 episodes, if we went only one episode a week, it would take over two years. Even at this modest pace, it'll take over a year!

I know for some of us this is a re-watch. Please no spoilers for future episodes! There will be plenty of time to point out previous foreshadowing. When you post about an episode, please put the episode in a CW such as S3E12, so people know to avoid it if they haven't seen it yet. :)

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serge, 8 days ago to random

It's so good to see non-Jewish artists pushing back against this hateful crap.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jun/05/radiohead-jonny-greenwood-israel-show-backlash-dudu-tassa-israel-gaza-war-palestine

peribotsarah, 10 days ago to random

It seems that the teens (19yo and 17yo) that were changed with felonies in Pensacola for last July/august's spree of vandalism (including the "white lives matter" brick being thrown through the Chabad window) have decided to take a plea.

chiefgyk3d, 10 days ago to infosec

#Infosec #Twitter is dead, why do people still insist on being on that platform? It's lost its relevance, and all the best people in Infosec have moved here to #Mastodon or another #Fediverse app.

I feel like most of those still on Twitter are more worried about appearances and keeping their follower numbers than keeping and growing a great community.

That's just my $0.02

#Cybersecurity

serge, 10 days ago to random

I don't know why, but today I feel an incredible swelling of pride in being Jewish.

I'm part of a people who are thousands of years old, who have built so much, contributed so much to the world and have maintained our individuality.

I am Jewish and I would not change that about myself even if I could.

serge, 11 days ago to Israel

The threats by the extreme right in Israel to resign over the proposed peace treaty make for some very odd politics.

Bibi's focus is on staying out of jail, and staying in power.

The right wing coalition keeps him in power, and his messaging for the last 20 years has been that no one care about Israel and that it must stand alone. That's why he's not only willing to isolate Israel, but doing so strengthens his position, because if Israel is a pariah state, then he can argue for his strong man position more easily.

If the coalition were to break, an election would be called.

Alternatively, Likud could replace Bibi with another member of the party- a move that seems more likely as it would let them save face.

I suspect that this treaty has some informal back-doors in it around the destruction of Hamas, and could also allow Israel to strengthen its alliances in the Middle East with its allies- though that's entirely speculative.

#Israel #ilpol #GazaWar

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serge, 12 days ago to Israel

I want peace in the Middle East, and Israel has offered a new peace treaty that is backed by many countries, including Middle East countries, as well as the US.

Will Hamas accept this peace treaty?

Will they abide by the peace treaty?

And will those who cry "Ceasefire Now", promote this treaty?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ReT7LZma0

#Israel #Gaza #Hamas #CeasefireNow

serge, 13 days ago to Canada

After weeks and months of chanting for violence against Jews worldwide, and calls for "Long Live October 7th" and "Intifada", at the protests, an attack on a synagogue in Vancouver

No coverage on the #CBC for this incident.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-804499

#Canada #antisemitism #Vancouver

serge, 13 days ago to Canada

My biggest gripe, as someone who is living in Canada and paying taxes in Canada, is seeing how incredibly biased the #CBC is.

I've watched or listened to CBC news since the 90s. I've seen their coverage of Israel for decades, and now inside Canada I've seen their coverage of the war in Gaza, and I've seen their lack of coverage of #antisemitism .

They simply bury the issue of antisemitism, not covering stories of antisemitic attacks or policies, or they use scary air quotes when discussing it, such as "Jewish groups claim" or they couch antisemitism in terms of Israel's actions- which is itself an antisemitic trope.

Unlike even the Canadian postal service, Canada Post, the CBC is a direct arm of the Canadian government as a Crown Corporation, and yet it continues to directly and indirectly propagate antisemitism through biased reporting and or deliberate omissions in coverage.

It's one of the things I find most shameful about how my tax dollars are used here in #Canada.

chevrahachachamot, 13 days ago to Judaism

Vancouver comics festival bans Jewish artist Miriam Libicki over past IDF service By Andrew Lapin May 30, 2024

"...In her own statement, Libicki, who explores Jewish identity in her work, called the ban “illegal” and said it was “bad for all artists of all political orientations and backgrounds.” She added, “I have consistently, publicly been pro-peace” and supportive of the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“Because of the vulnerable populations I work with, I prefer not to discuss my specific political views in public,” she wrote in a statement shared...by Jesse Brown, a Canadian Jewish publisher and journalist. “I believe all policing of artists’ personal identities and nationalities is wrong.”

But after the CJN article was published on Wednesday, the festival deleted its “Accountability Statement.” It has not responded to a JTA request for comment..."

https://www.jta.org/2024/05/30/culture/vancouver-comics-festival-bans-jewish-artist-miriam-libicki-over-past-idf-service

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #JFedi #JewishWomen #JewishAuthors #JeiwshArts #Judaism #Jewish #Antisemitism

serge, 13 days ago to random

It's a great thing to moderate on issues of identify, like racism, anti-LGBTQ, Islamophobia, etc.

But if you insist that everyone agree with you politically on every issue, that's illiberalism.

It's the idea that we must all agree in complete lock step on every issue.

That's bad policy. It leads to extremism, and intolerance.

I will not agree with everyone. I won't necessarily want to talk to people I disagree with, or conversely I may want to engage them in a respectful debate, but as long as they're not trying to harm me or infringe on my rights, I feel it's important to be okay with disagreement.

Being comfortable with discourse is important. If you don't agree, and feel that I must adhere to your views on all topics, then I genuinely mean it when I say that's a you problem, and not mine.

For the rest of you, let's keep the dialogue and understanding going.

#debate #tolerance

serge, 14 days ago to random

Once again, I must discuss Standpoint Theory and its use, and misuse.

The core idea of Standpoint Theory is that no one can fully understand another's perspective because no one can fully have someone else's experience.

There is value to that idea in that we should listen to those who have a different life experiences to our own.

The danger is that we're seeing it used in a way that perpetuates hate by allowing for tokenization. When someone says to me "This isn't antisemitic because a Jew said it." - that's tokenization.

Someone may be Jewish but not have the same experience as me.

Conversely I may not have the same lived experience as someone else, but that does not mean I can't understand and have both sympathy and empathy for their experience.

We share our stories precisely because we want to be understood. We read and write to understand each other better, both as readers and writers.

But if I have to hear another "A Jew said it..." I'm going to scream into a pillow.

ash, 14 days ago to Israel

So, in theory, I'll be able to come back to Jerusalem (from Armenia I was forced to go in March) around 15 of June. But when this week, when the conclusion of my aliyah after 1,5 years of burocracy hell is almost palpable, I became too unstable to perform the last bits needed.

Some kind of moral support will be very appreciated. Thank you.

@mazeldon @israel #jerusalem #israel #mazeldon #diary

serge, 15 days ago to Palestine

My wife just came with a saying to explain the way so much of the news is distorting the protests and the concerns of Jews:

"Justice vs Jewish"

Reject the false "Justice vs Jewish" narrative.

I'm sad to have to explain this more, but so there's no ambiguity:

Reject the "Justice vs Jewish" narrative means to reject the idea that on one side is justice and the other side are Jews, and so you must choose.

Very importantly, this also means not saying "it's not antisemitic to...", because that is speaking over Jews, rather than listening to them and rejecting the narrative.

It means to listen to Jews and to protest if you want to, in a way that doesn't use antisemitic language, or perpetuate violence against Jews.

It also means to reject media narratives that position these two positions as in opposition.

#antisemitism #protests #justice #campusprotests #palestine

serge, 15 days ago to random

I find it frustrating how antisemitic the Canadian Broadcasting Company is- in what stories it reports, in how it reports stories about domestic antisemitism, in how it reports about Israel... all of it.

#CBC #CanadianBroadcastingCorporation

serge, 16 days ago to random

When I created Babka Social, I did so with the intent that it would be a place for Twitter and Facebook users to go.

While I think new users on the instance is great and I encourage and welcome folks, I find it hard to celebrate that people are coming there because they feel unwelcome due to antisemitism or antisemitic admins on other instances.

That's a Fediverse problem.

dukepaaron, 16 days ago to Israel

Eric Clapton: "And I thought, what is this, the Spanish Inquisition? And it is! It’s #AIPAC, it’s the lobby. #Israel is running the show. Israel is running the world.”

Bring on the wingnuts!

https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-804047

dukepaaron, 16 days ago to random

Why am I just learning about krembo now? Where's this been hiding all my life?

serge, 17 days ago to random

How do you measure importance, and do you believe the temporarily makes a difference?