RedWizard

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

China has banned export of commercial drones to Ukraine and Russia because they were being used as weapons.

You keep saying this, and I don't understand why I'm the only one who sees this framing as bullshit. There are no targeted drone export bans; there are export restrictions on the entire drone industry in China.

This means that these export restrictions impact Israel as well.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

The article makes it clear that these are commercial drones, not weapons. The IOF retrofits those drones with weapons. China should put them on the blacklist, but your framing is still not even supported by the article you posted.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago

Didn’t mean to criticize you specifically

Oh, don't worry about that. Before you even commented, right after I made this post, I saw the other post on the front page and thought, "Aw shit, we're already talking about this," but that was at the ass crack of dawn this morning, so consider that other thread for the Night Crew and this thread for the Day Crew (or the Night Crew, depending on where you're at; you know, everything is relative after all).

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (6 children)

You are editorializing the title of the article here, because the title on 972mag is "Israel enforcing Gaza evacuations with grenade-firing drones" or "‘Like a video game’: Israel enforcing Gaza evacuations with grenade-firing drones." It isn't until the byline that China is even mentioned. The bulk of this article isn't about the role Chinese drone makers play here, but the conduct of the IDF.

You've selected some pretty choice paragraphs from this otherwise lengthy article to support this framing. But if you dug deeper into the links provided in the article, you'll find information that provides more context on the claim that "In May, after China discovered that Ukraine was using commercial drones for military purposes, it banned their sale to the country." This is a claim not made by any Chinese official, but, however, by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But what does the article linked under the words "it banned their sale" say when we follow it?

Ukraine is finding it challenging to source drones and drone parts from Chinese suppliers due to new export control restrictions [emphasis mine] imposed by Beijing, new analysis suggests...

China sits in the middle of the drone supply chain and controls a majority share of the commercial drone industry as well as the supply of components. Beijing is now using its dominance of the supply chain for political gain, and perhaps to support the Kremlin, too. [emphasis mine]

In July, China introduced export controls, which went into effect on September 1, on certain types of drones and equipment in order to safeguard "national security and interests." At the time, observers said the restrictions were a possible response to the trade war with the United States as Washington has tried to stop Beijing from accessing critical technologies such as next-generation semiconductors.

A report by The New York Times, published over the weekend, confirmed that China's export controls instead had the effect of stopping Ukrainian forces from accessing commercial drones and drone equipment. The paper's analysis of trade data and interviews with Ukrainian drone makers and suppliers revealed that Chinese companies had cut back on the sale of drones and drone parts.

It's clear that China has not banned Ukraine's access to the drones but instead applied "export control restrictions" on the export of drones and drone technology. According to Newsweek, The New York Times published a report that "confirmed that China's export controls ... had the effect of stopping Ukrainian forces from accessing commercial drones..." However, they do not link to this report from the NYTs. They do, however, provide a link under "export controls."

The article is titled "China Has Hobbled Russia's Drone Industry." So, it would seem that this "export control" measure implemented by China is also impacting Russia and its use of drones. I'm not sure how this "support[s] the Kremlin..." as implied by Newsweek. Let's see what they say:

Chinese export restrictions on key components for uncrewed vehicles are making it difficult for Moscow to produce military drones, according to a Russian state media report, which may hamper Vladimir Putin's war effort in Ukraine.

New Chinese regulations brought in at the start of the month "seriously complicated drone deliveries to Russia and led to a shortage of a number of components, such as thermal imagers," Kremlin-linked newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday.

In late August, China's government said it was introducing export controls on some drones and related parts. The measures would affect some communications equipment, the engines and lasers used in drones, as well as counter-drone systems, the Chinese government said.

The restrictions would also impact consumer drones intended for military use, it was reported at the time, and drones with a flight time of more than 30 minutes...

Beijing's ban on larger drones and some components needed to build uncrewed technology is "now a hotly debated topic" across Russian sectors and organizations involved with Moscow's drone programs, according to Samuel Bendett, of the U.S.-based Center for Naval Analyses.

"The real impact of this ban on the Russian market mostly boils down to the jump in prices for existing and available Chinese drones in and components already in Russia," Bendett told Newsweek on Monday. In the long term, Russia's domestic drone industry could step in and replace Chinese imports, he suggested.

"This is a very interesting example of how China has a tight grip on the technology that make drones possible," said U.K.-based drone expert Steve Wright. Drones need a "vast amount of electronics, and the Russians have tried, and failed, to develop an internal capability," he told Newsweek.

"In short, the Chinese have stranglehold on much of the market," for both Russia and Western countries, he added.

China's ban is not currently affecting "small DJI-type drones," Bendett added, referring to one of China's best-known commercial drone giants.

So it would seem that these export controls have had a similar impact on Russia's ability to use and produce drones. But these are all from 2023, so maybe things have changed? Here is an article from the Financial Times published this year: Chinese drone parts prices double as export controls bite.

Beijing has sought to regulate drone and parts exports to prevent their use in combat by other countries. In recent years, China has demanded exporters apply for special licences that many say are difficult to obtain, especially for component makers that export in smaller volumes.

In the past year, the government has increased the number of technologies subject to controls, while manufacturers and suppliers say enforcement has tightened in recent months as Trump threatened higher tariffs on China.

The restrictions, which apply to components with military and commercial applications, have made it difficult for global drone makers to source parts because few countries provide alternatives...

Khalil Esterhamlari, head of the Shenzhen-based China Iran Innovation and Cooperation Centre, said the strict customs scrutiny had forced him to cancel plans to help Iranian clients source firefighting drones. Nowadays, he is only able to export agricultural drones...

Zhao Yan, a representative for Shanxi Xitou UAV Intelligent Manufacturing, a state-owned exporter of military and commercial drones, said even legally exported drones could end up on battlefields.

“It is like a kitchen knife — we produce them for cutting vegetables, but whether they can be used for other purposes is determined by the buyer,” he said. “We sell our products to compliant buyers through compliant channels. As for what they use them for, we can’t decide.”

Let's go back to the article from 972. What did they say about these drones being used by the IOF in the second paragraph?

Soldiers most commonly use EVO drones, produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are primarily intended for photography and cost around NIS 10,000 (approximately $3,000) on Amazon. However, with a military-issued attachment known internally as an “iron ball,” a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground. Today, the majority of Israeli military companies in Gaza use these drones.

It is entirely possible that these drones are being purchased out of a stockpile available from Amazon being held by resellers. That is pure speculation, but not outside the realm of possibility. What is clear, however, is that China has made the export of its drone technology increasingly difficult for all nation-states to import, hampering even its allies' wartime industries. This ultimately does hinder Israel's drone program as well, since China makes up 80% or more of the world drone market.

While we're on the subject of China and Amazon, let's look closer at both parties' economic involvement in the genocide.

In a recent report released by UN human rights expert Francesca Albanese, entitled "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide," there is one Chinese company listed, Bright Food (Group) Co., Ltd.

Amazon, however, is mentioned several times:

Could China be doing more regarding the genocide in Gaza? That I think we can all agree on. However, it seems clear to me that the global drone industry is suffering under these export controls, and short of fully killing the drone market in China, commercial drones are still going to be acquired by all wartime actors, by whatever means necessary. Israel's drone warfare is predominantly supplied by its own national manufacturers and will seek to pivot to other sources as Chinese-made drones become more scarce.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I hadn't checked the front page before posting, my bad!

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

A true comrade!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago

This shit deeply bothers me. Its so insidious. Districts are fucked no matter what they do really. Staff who are inclined to use this shit will find a way to use it, students are already using it, if you want to control it you have to adopt it because its so pervasive and its so freely accessible. Any push to have a prohibition on it will leave you playing whack-a-mole trying to prevent it.

Adopting it however means you HAVE TO subject people to infinite corporate bias and in the most invisible and insidious forms. You now have to ensure your staff are trained to spot these things. Inevitably there are going to be jaded fucks eagerly ready to deploy this shit regardless of how much you try to temper them. Administration is going to absolutely attach themselves to AI and use it for all kinds of bullshit. They seem like the most likely candidates to fully abuse this shit.

I have to walk this fine line at my day job trying to politely and professionally push back on this shit without flying into a screed about how fucking disgusting the proliferation of this technology is and how we absolutely shouldn't be allowing any of it into the education process. I wish the people worked with were willing to actually take a principled stance on this topic.

The reality is there is never enough time for everything and this fucking monkey paws wish grants us this perceived "increased productivity" at the cost of draining our fucking brains.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I can't help that Lemmy UI doesn't have a gallery option or a click to expand image option :( best I can do is say right-click > open image in new tab.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Funny, we have a lot of bunnies in the yard and yet they survive! They are very good AND best of all the kids love them. LOL we were out watering the other day and our 2yo walked up to a snap pea and bit it right off the vine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (3 children)

We got snap peas for days, our editable flowers are blooming, squash and pumpkins are flowering, green beans are coming along. I can't take any credit for it (except for the raised beds I made a few years ago), my SO has the green thumb!

She plans to do another round of peas in the fall.

 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/32674244

Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York state assemblyman, shocked the political world last month with a primary win over former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who resigned his position in 2021 after several women accused him of sexual harassment.

The Times noted that on the campaign trail, Mamdani touted his Muslim faith and South Asian ancestry. He was born in Uganda in 1991 and moved with his parents to South Africa five years later. Two years later, the family moved to New York.

The Times report cited a figure who goes by the name Crémieux on X and Substack:

  • Last month’s cyberattack appears to have been carried out in order to see if Columbia was still using race-conscious affirmative action in its admission policies after the Supreme Court effectively barred the practice in 2023.

  • While Mr. Mamdani was not a target of the hack, the information about him was included in a database of millions of student applications to Columbia going back decades. The data was shared with The Times by an intermediary who goes by the name Crémieux on Substack and X. He provided the data under condition of anonymity, although his identity has been made public elsewhere. He is an academic who opposes affirmative action and writes often about I.Q. and race.

One of the speakers at the conference is billed under a social media alias, Cremieux, but the Guardian has corroborated that the account is apparently run by Jordan Lasker, a long-time proponent of eugenics.

The @cremieuxrecueil X account has been boosted or engaged with dozens of times by that platform’s proprietor, Elon Musk, often on the topic of falling birthrates.

  • On 27 November, Musk reposted a Cremieux comment on falling birthrates, adding: “With rare exception, all countries are trending towards population collapse.”

  • On 29 April, Cremieux posted: “Only about a third of the world even meets replacement rate fertility. This is the biggest problem of our time.” Musk responded: “Yes.”

  • Musk has also boosted or responded favorably to Cremieux posts on other rightwing hobby horses such as crime in Portland, Oregon, and allegations that Democrats had created loopholes in the asylum system.

  • Away from X, Cremieux runs a Substack also featuring posts on the supposed relationships between race and IQ. A prominently featured post there seeks to defend the argument that average national IQs vary by up to 40 points, with countries in Europe, North America, and East Asia at the high end and countries in the global south at the low end, and several African countries purportedly having average national IQs at a level that experts associate with mental impairment.

 
 

Since he ran for the Senate in 1972, it's very likely he had voters of 100+ years old born in the 1860s... And his last voter for 2020 Presidential election would be eligible born on 3rd Nov 2002..

These voters would coexist with people likely from the 1750s to 2120s

His voters would coexist with people from 1750s to 2120s.. These coexisting people would be the last witness of Biden voters... And they would've coexisted with people from the 1630s to 2250s..

Basically the people who coexisted with biden voters also coexisted with all the way from Galileo Galilie to someone who'd be born in 2250s and die in 2370s...

600+ Years of Joe Mama

 
 
 

I adhere to Bob the Drag Queen Thought on these matters: You insult me publicly, you apologize to me publicly.

 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/42984072

The citizen app for anonymously reporting ICE agents and raids went viral after criticism from the U.S. attorney general.

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