Tuesday: Hili dialogue

May 21, 2024 • 6:45 am

Welcome to Tuesday, May 21, 2024, and National Strawberries and Cream Day (don’t use milk).

It’s also American Red Cross Founder’s Day, World Whisky Day (as always, I’ll have a Springbank), National Learn to Swim Day, World Fiddle Day, International Tea Day, Saint Helena Day, marking the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502 and celebrated on Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and, finally, World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the May 21 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*As I’ve mentioned, both the President and Foreign Minister of Iran were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, leading to jubilation for some in Iran and dismay for others.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, depriving Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of a longtime ally as Tehran angles for regional dominance through armed militias that are fighting the U.S. and Israel.

Raisi’s death was announced early Monday, after state television reported that a helicopter carrying him and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had made a “difficult landing” in northwestern Iran. The military said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

Khamenei announced five days of national mourning and appointed Mohammad Mokhber, first vice president, as the new interim head of the executive branch.

Ali Bagheri-Kani, who has close family ties with Khamenei and previously led Iran’s delegation in nuclear talks with the West, was appointed acting foreign minister.

. . .The deaths of Raisi, 63, and Amir-Abdollahian, 60, are unlikely to result in any significant change in the country’s foreign policy, including Tehran’s support for Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas, which is fighting Israeli forces in Gaza, or in its development of its nuclear program.

But a leadership transition amid the current turmoil in the Mideast is an additional challenge for Iran to navigate.

Nobody expects this to change Iran’s terrorist policy, but Raisi was in line to replace Khameni as Supreme leader. And there are plenty of other clerics waiting in line for Khameni’s slot. All one can hope for is for some radically different cleric to become Supreme Leader, but that’s like hoping for the White Sox to win the World Series this year (their current won/lost average is 0.298.

*AOC is supporting a “progressive” bill that will prohibit a non-profit firm operating in New York if it donates anything to Israel:

A long-shot effort by left-leaning New York state lawmakers to curtail financial support for Israeli settlements has drawn a big-name backer — but she doesn’t have a vote in Albany.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who rarely wades into state politics, publicly backed a bill on Monday that could strip New York nonprofits of their tax-exempt status if their funds are used to support Israel’s military and settlement activity. Her involvement underscores the extent to which the war in Gaza and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians more broadly have animated the left flank of the Democratic Party as a pivotal election approaches.

“It is more important now than ever to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for endorsing and, in fact, supporting some of this settler violence that prevents a lasting peace,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said at a news conference. “This bill will make sure that the ongoing atrocities that we see happening in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the ongoing enabling of armed militias to terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank, do not benefit from New York State charitable tax exemptions.”

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and State Senator Jabari Brisport introduced the bill, called the “Not on Our Dime” act, months before the Oct. 7 attack, saying it was an effort to prevent tax-exempt donations from subsidizing violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. It was widely criticized by Albany lawmakers and declared a “nonstarter.” Now its sponsors say they plan to revise the bill to prohibit “aiding and abetting” the resettling of the Gaza Strip or providing “unauthorized support” for Israeli military activity that violates international law.

. . . In the political sphere, one of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s allies in the House, Representative Jamaal Bowman, is in danger of losing the Democratic primary next month for his seat representing the Bronx and Westchester after a contest that has largely revolved around the Israel-Hamas war. He faces a challenge from George Latimer, the Westchester County executive, who is backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Do these people never go after Palestine’s rules, both Gaza and the PA, which has violated human rights for years, deliberately targeting Israeli civilians, and paying off terrorists who kill Jews? Right now the ratio of civilians killed/Hamas militants killed is about 1:1, and, as I always says, I hate the death of civilians, as each has friends and loved ones who care, but Israel is defending itself producing one of the lowest ratios in wartime.  The world, and the “progressive” Left wing of the Democratic party, have gone mad.

*At least Biden is defending Israel to some extent.  After the International Criminal Court said it would indict both Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “warm crimes against humanity” (as well as three Hamas leaders including Yehiya Sinwar), Biden called out the ICC.

The timeline for a decision remained unclear Monday: Historically, the court has taken several months to decide whether warrants should be issued. The charges listed were more extensive than many had expected, suggesting that the court would have to wade through significant evidence before making decisions on the warrants.

Current figures with outstanding ICC arrest warrants include Russian President Vladimir Putin, for the crime of unlawful deportation and population transfer from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, and the deposed president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for crimes against humanity and genocide.

President Biden slammed the International Criminal Court’s decision on Monday to seek to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, calling the applications “outrageous.”

“Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said in a statement. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said in a statement Monday that the United States “fundamentally rejects” the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek the arrest warrant against “senior Israeli officials, together with warrants for Hamas terrorists,” calling the equivalence “shameful.”

“The United States has been clear since well before the current conflict that ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter,” Blinken said. The United States and Israel are not signatories to the ICC and do not come under its jurisdiction.

If such warrants were issued, any of the figures could be arrested if they set foot in one of the 124 countries over which the ICC has jurisdiction, but those don’t include the U.S. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if only Hamas leaders were indicted for crimes against humanity (and genuine genocide), but we don’t live in that kind of world any more.

*Glory be! Target has announced that it’s cutting prices on thousands of “basic items” as consumers are now being increasingly canny about what they’re buying and paying close attention to prices.

Target plans to cut prices on thousands of consumer basics this summer, from diapers to milk, as inflation cuts into household budgets and more Americans pay closer attention to their spending.

The price cuts, already applied to 1,500 items, will eventually include 5,000 food, drink and essential household goods. Target and other retailers are increasingly catering to customers who are struggling with higher prices for groceries, though inflation has begun to cool. Many of them have switched to private label brands sold by Target and others big retailers, which are typically less expensive than well-known brands.

Target launched one such collection in January called Dealworthy which includes nearly 400 basic items, ranging from clothing to electronics, that can cost less than $1, with most items under $10.

Last week, McDonald’s said that it was planning to introduce a $5 meal deal in the U.S. next month to counter slowing sales and customer frustration with higher prices. Walmart posted strong quarterly sales last week driven by a influx of customers, including households with incomes of more than $100,000, looking for bargains.

. . . Target is very cognizant of the spending pullback by shoppers and in March reported its first annual decline in sales in seven years.

. . . Target Corp. said Monday that the lower prices will roll out over the summer on national brands and its own house brands.

Target Corp. said Monday that the lower prices will roll out over the summer on national brands and its own house brands.

*Caitlin Clark, whose unparalleled performance in college women’s basketball has inspired  many young women to think about being in the game, and many men to take an interest in the women’s sport, hasn’t had such a stellar performance in her first three games in the Women’s National Basketball Association, the professional league she was destined for.

Clark’s first week of WNBA action has come and gone. She made ballyhooed debuts in Connecticut (her first regular-season game) and Indianapolis (the Indiana Fever’s home opener). Against the New York Liberty on Saturday, she played in New York City for the first time in her life, receiving a mixed reaction from the crowd during lineup introductions.

But this doesn’t sound like a “mixed reaction” to me: it sounds like cheering!

But Clark is a basketball player first, a celebrity second. The first three games of her career reminded those with unreasonable expectations that the WNBA is a significant jump in competition from the NCAA, where she is the all-time leading scorer. Despite possessing a shooting ability that few on the planet can match, there is much for her to learn.

Already, some of the WNBA’s best defenders (Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington and Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton) hounded Clark, whether or not the 6-foot guard was ready to make a play. Both opponents — Connecticut on Tuesday, and New York on Thursday and Saturday — trapped her on ball screens and blocked her on staggered screens. They picked her up as she crossed half court and face-guarded her 30 feet from the hoop, at times effectively removing her from the play.

. . . Of course, 21 turnovers — Clark set an inauspicious WNBA debut record with 10 against the Sun — and 16 field goals is additionally not a ratio she wants to continue. “But also understanding this is a young group. This is a young team. I’m young. It’s gonna be a learning process,” she said Sunday. “Not everything is gonna be perfect.”

. . .”I know the outside world thinks I’m gonna do some amazing things, but that might take some time,” she said Tuesday. She added Saturday: “I think the more we play together, our chemistry will build.”

Nevertheless, the Fever’s 0-3 start has been disappointing. Coach Christie Sides said they were “punched in the mouth” at the beginning of their 21-point loss to Connecticut. She was concerned by Indiana’s effort in a 36-point walloping Thursday.

In short, she did okay, but wasn’t the phenom that everyone expected. But should one expect that in her first few games in the pros. Not only are people expecting too much of her now, but, because of her college performance, people are expecting too much of the game. Women’s basketball isn’t going to experience a quantum leap in overall quality because of a once-in-a-lifetime athlete like Clark. It will take time to see if one person can be the tide that raises all ships. As one player said:

The Fever are a young team, with potential, going up against some of the WNBA’s best. That’s not an excuse for losing the season’s first two games by 57 points, the most ever in any WNBA franchise’s opening two contests. “This is gonna take a little time,” All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell said Saturday. Mitchell came off the bench in Indiana’s first two games as she worked her way back from an ankle injury. “Us playing against the best of the best is only how we’re gonna get better.”

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili begs for understanding:

Hili: Try to understand me.
A: I’m trying.
Hili: Not hard enough.
In Polish:
Hili: Spróbuj mnie zrozumieć.
Ja: Próbuję.
Hili: Nie wystarczająco.
And a photo of the affectionate Szaron:

*******************

From Strange, Stupid, or Silly Signs:

From America’s Cultural Decline into Idiocy:

A groaner from Jesus of the Day. The Canadian Bee should have mittens!

From Masih: Iranian women aren’t sad that the President of the country (and its foreign minister) died in a helicopter crash. And no, Israel didn’t have anything to do with it. Note that dancing is illegal by itself.

Salman Rushdie, who has favored a separate Palestinian state, is worried about what it would be like:

From Sean; amazing insect crypsis:

From Simon: a cat gets freaked out by a popcorn machine:

J. K. Rowling doesn’t take any guff from anyone:

From Malcolm, anamorphic drawings by Howard

From the Auschwitz Memorial:

Two tweets from Matthew. First, look at this caracal move its ears! (We still have the same muscles that some people, like me, can use to wiggle their ears, but they are vestigial as they aren’t used by humans to localize sound:

I can’t believe someone can actually ski down this slope!

7 thoughts on “Tuesday: Hili dialogue”

  1. Thanks for the link to your paper Disbelief in Belief – and the tip about CSR – currently plowing thru Minds and Gods (should not take long, been a lifelong study).

    About disbelief in belief – one possible explaination for the waves of irrational woo that wash over society is the amount of media and screentime people engage in for entertainment involving a ‘suspension of disbelief’ – spending large blocks of time in a state of ‘suspended disbelief’ could lead to a state of enhanced gullibility, physically sendetary with less motivation to actually test and confirm ideas as they are non-consequential – it does not really matter if those people were actually abducted by alients or not, it’s just entertainment.

    Another theory is the wave of woo in the 70’s (everything from The Exorcist, Geller, The Amazing Kreskin to Est) as self therapy after a lot of the hippie movement found themselves in strange spaces (what do you do as a champion for, say, the Symbianise Liberation Army when they flame out?). Similarly a wave a mental health issues is expected following the current campus activism, years and years of it. Then after the 70s occult fad we got an 80s Christian right consolidation of sorts.

    Reply

  2. I wonder if there’s an Iranian helicopter mechanic whose sister only sees out of one eye of late (or worse).

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  3. Hooray! WEIT running at full steam!

    Appreciated that Hili kept up the felidosophy in the interim, cheers!

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  4. Marvelous clip of caracals twirling their ears about.
    There don’t appear to be well-defined white patches on the backs of their ears, as is seen in many other wild cats. These (when they are present) are thought to allow young individuals to follow one another and their mothers when they’re otherwise hard to see. I wonder if the exaggerated ear tufts of caracals play the same role.

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  5. Tennessee’s Candace Parker joined the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks in 2008 and won both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Caitlin Clark is definitely talented, but her Hype/Ability ratio is way higher than most athletes’. Also, basketball is a team sport. [There’s a reason the Fever got the first draft pick two years in a row.]

    Reply

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