Those who treat artificial companionship chiefly as a problem of deception usually miss this more delicate drama. The lonely person is rarely simply fooled. More often he is doing something intricate and recognizably human: seeking a form through which his inward life can be externalized without rebuke, and preserving the habit of relation in circumstances that would otherwise extinguish it. If no one answers, the mind invents an addressee; if something answers, even faintly or mechanically, the invention becomes easier to sustain.
SANAA (ANP/AFP) - De Jemenitische Houthi-rebellen hebben Saudische troepen en wapendepots aangevallen in Mokka, een havenstad in Jemen aan de Rode Zee. Bij de aanvallen werd "een groot aantal ballistische raketten en drones" ingezet, meldt een woordvoerder van de Houthi's. De aangevallen zone wordt gecontroleerd door de Jemenitische regering, die gesteund wordt door Saudi-Arabië.
Eerder op zondag voerden de Houthi's in Jazan, bij de Rode Zee, een droneaanval uit op een olieraffinaderij van Aramco, de staatsoliemaatschappij van Saudi-Arabië.
Sinds vorige maand is het conflict tussen de door Iran gesteunde Houthi's en de regering van Jemen weer opgelaaid, nadat de strijdende partijen in 2022 een bestand hadden gesloten. De Houthi's controleren grote delen van Jemen, waaronder de hoofdstad Sanaa.
Vorige maand werd de luchthaven in Sanaa gebombardeerd, om te voorkomen dat een Iraans toestel zou kunnen landen. De Houthi's voerden daarop vergeldingsacties uit, onder meer tegen Saudi-Arabië, dat verantwoordelijk wordt gehouden voor de aanval.
SEVILLA (ANP) - De natuurbrand bij de Zuid-Spaanse plaats Niebla heeft zo'n 8000 hectare getroffen en rukt op richting Sevilla, zei zondag Antonio Sanz, de minister van Volksgezondheid en Noodsituaties van de regio Andalusië. Dat meldt onder meer de nieuwssite Sevilla Actualidad.
De bestrijdingsoperatie, waarbij 275 brandweerlieden worden ingezet, is nu gericht op het voorkomen dat de brand de rivier de Tinto oversteekt en zich richting de provincie Sevilla verspreidt. Daarbij zal de windrichting de komende uren cruciaal zijn. Verwacht wordt dat de wind opnieuw draait, een patroon dat zich al sinds donderdag herhaalt. De lage luchtvochtigheid die halverwege de dag wordt verwacht, zal de bluswerkzaamheden ook bemoeilijken, aldus Sanz.
De brandweerlieden worden bijgestaan door zo'n 26 vliegtuigen en zwaar materieel. Ook helpen zestig militairen van een militaire eenheid voor noodsituaties bij de operatie, aldus de regionale brandweer.
De brand heeft volgens Sevilla Actualidad geleid tot de evacuatie van 467 mensen uit verschillende steden en dorpen in de provincie Huelva.
Thomas Hawk posted a photo:
In de eerste Rotterdamse derby van die seizoen heeft Feyenoord zakelijk afgerekend met Sparta. De bezoekers van Zuid kwamen in de eerste helft op voorsprong door een doelpunt van aanvoerder Luciano Valente. In de tweede helft wist Sparta geen gelijkmaker te forceren, waardoor het duel in 0-1 eindigde.
To celebrate Quake's 30th anniversary, Bethesda released "a brutal new episode" — a new campaign chapter titled Dawn of the Machine "delivering ferocious combat, labyrinthine level design, and nightmarish realms that twist reality beyond recognition..."
Face deadly new twists on familiar foes, including the Rocket Ogre, Demo Dog, Blood Shambler, and more. Each variant introduces lethal new behaviours — from overwhelming firepower to explosive death traps — forcing you to rethink every encounter. Expand your arsenal with brutal variants inspired by classic Quake expansions, including the Super Axe — unleashing lightning on successive strikes — and the Laser Cannon, firing ricocheting projectiles that tear through enemies from every angle... Reality is never stable. Shift between dimensions to solve puzzles and navigate the world, or find hidden secrets scattered throughout the realms. Face enemies that rise again or transform after death, and experience encounters where the rules change without warning — forcing you to adapt or be overrun.
More details from Ars Technica:
This is part of a series of new campaign chapters, all developed by MachineGames "in collaboration with id Software." MachineGames is best known for making the games in the relatively recent Wolfenstein reboot series, as well as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The Quake maps are made by a team dubbed "Quake Club," which includes several MachineGames employees who work on Quake maps in their spare time.
The ambition and scope of some of these maps is beyond what was typical for Quake maps back in the late '90s, thanks in part to the team's use of TrenchBroom, a newer map editor that works well on modern systems and is easier to work with and more capable than what folks were using in those days. There are 19 new levels, and they have several new gameplay gimmicks, like a time loop mechanic and a disorienting-but-cool teleportation system that makes it look like the levels are changing on the fly — kind of similar to the multi-time-period levels we saw in Titanfall 2 or Dishonored 2, though in these Quake maps the time shifts happen without player input. There's also new music... The new maps have been added to the campaign list in the remastered version of Quake, and like that remaster, they're available free to anyone who already owns Quake on Steam, as well as Quake on current and last-gen PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles.
Face deadly new twists on familiar foes, including the Rocket Ogre, Demo Dog, Blood Shambler, and more. Each variant introduces lethal new behaviours — from overwhelming firepower to explosive death traps — forcing you to rethink every encounter. Expand your arsenal with brutal variants inspired by classic Quake expansions, including the Super Axe — unleashing lightning on successive strikes — and the Laser Cannon, firing ricocheting projectiles that tear through enemies from every angle... Reality is never stable. Shift between dimensions to solve puzzles and navigate the world, or find hidden secrets scattered throughout the realms. Face enemies that rise again or transform after death, and experience encounters where the rules change without warning — forcing you to adapt or be overrun.
More details from Ars Technica:
This is part of a series of new campaign chapters, all developed by MachineGames "in collaboration with id Software." MachineGames is best known for making the games in the relatively recent Wolfenstein reboot series, as well as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The Quake maps are made by a team dubbed "Quake Club," which includes several MachineGames employees who work on Quake maps in their spare time.
The ambition and scope of some of these maps is beyond what was typical for Quake maps back in the late '90s, thanks in part to the team's use of TrenchBroom, a newer map editor that works well on modern systems and is easier to work with and more capable than what folks were using in those days. There are 19 new levels, and they have several new gameplay gimmicks, like a time loop mechanic and a disorienting-but-cool teleportation system that makes it look like the levels are changing on the fly — kind of similar to the multi-time-period levels we saw in Titanfall 2 or Dishonored 2, though in these Quake maps the time shifts happen without player input. There's also new music... The new maps have been added to the campaign list in the remastered version of Quake, and like that remaster, they're available free to anyone who already owns Quake on Steam, as well as Quake on current and last-gen PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
IRGC says strait is ‘a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway’
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Gaza plan hailed by US president Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout of Gaza until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed.
“Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to a plan endorsed in late July by Hamas.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has said he believes now is the best time for an agreement with the US. “There is cohesion, strength, and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” Iranian news agencies quoted him as saying.
Oman condemned what it described as repeated attacks on vessels while transiting the strait, without assigning blame, and said that negotiations with Iran on arrangements for shipping through Hormuz were “positive and constructive”.
The UAE said on Saturday that Iran had attacked a carrier affiliated with the UAE’s state oil company with a missile as it transited the strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported. The UK maritime trade monitor UKMTO said a vessel had caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile but the fire was put out and there was no reported environmental impact. There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
US Central Command said on Saturday it had allowed more than 30 ships through for humanitarian aid since the current blockade started. US forces have turned away 53 ships, disabled two vessels and boarded two others, Central Command said in a statement on social media.
Continue reading...Annet (54) is al haar hele leven ‘kunstzinnig’, dus schildert ze vulva’s. “Ik ben een onwijs creatieve en vrije ziel. En ik geloof dat de oerkracht van een vrouw schuilt in haar vulva; daarom eer ik ze in mijn kunst. Uitsluitend zelfs.”
De kunstenares, die in een lila kimono rondloopt en een wijde broek vol verfspetters, wil met haar werk taboes doorbreken en de diversiteit van het vrouwenlichaam vieren. “Elk mens is uniek, nog veel belangrijker: elke vrouw is uniek, elke vulva is uniek. Ik wil al die preutse idealen omverwerpen!”, ze veegt met een rinkelde arm, versierd door zilver, een wilde pluk haar weg uit haar gezicht.
Elke donderdag komen Annet haar kunstzinnige vriendinnen langs om keramieke vulva’s te kleien. “Dit is kunst. Dit is kunst pur sang”, is het enige wat een vriendin die er vaak bij is erover kan zeggen.
De studio van Annet bevindt zich onder een dak van stro, in de tuin van haar villa. In de ruimte hangen wel honderden doeken beschilderd met vulva’s in alle vormen, maten en in allerlei kleuren, patronen en structuren. “Prachtig toch? Binnenkort heb ik weer een expositie: ‘Yoni Power’”, zegt ze trots. “Ach, het is al bijna elf uur. Chardonnay?”
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