Wednesday: Hili dialogue

August 24, 2022 • 6:30 am

Good morning on a Hump Day (હમ્પ દિવસ in Gujurati): Wednesday, August 24, 2022:  it’s National Peach Pie Day (one of the better ones, often served in the South as a “hand pie”).

It’s also National Waffle Day, National Knife Day, Can Opener Day (for cats), International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination, and Violence Based on Musical Preferences, Lifestyle and Dress Code, International Strange Music Day, and Kobe Bryant Day (a proposed federal holiday in the United States, in reference to his 2 jersey numbers, as well as the day after his birthday). I doubt that they’ll make Kobe Bryant a federal holiday, for I know of no other athlete with such a distinction.

Wine of the Day: I don’t remember buying this California Chardonnay, but it couldn’t have been too long ago since it’s a 2019, ergo a possible case of infanticide. But it turned out to be a great buy, even at $25.00, for it tasted a lot like a decent white Burgundy. (I drank it with the “Coyne Vegetarian Special”: Black beans with rice, onions fried until they’re just slightly brown, and then mixed with a bit of good yogurt.) I drank it because it was the only white in my fridge; I neglected to lay in enough white wines for the summer.

The wine, I found, was highly rated by reputable critics, and given the prices scattered around the Internet I guess I got it at a bargain. It was pearlike and crispy in flavor, golden in color, and the best part was that it had that “barnyard” aroma that really characterizes the red burgundies. The aroma was funky in a very pleasant way. (As Anthony Hanson famously said, “Great Burgundies smell of shit.”) I will share Jeb Dunnuck’s review below, and add that if you want something special in a Chardonnay, and can get this for around $25, buy it. If you can buy a few for aging, I’d do that, too.

Jeb Dunnuck’s 96-point review:

Starting with the appellation cuvée, the 2019 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills reveals a medium gold hue as well as classic Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay notes of salted citrus, orchard fruits, toasted nuts, and brioche, with ample chalky, flinty minerality. Clean, pure, medium-bodied, and brilliantly balanced, it stretches out beautifully on the finish and is a thrilling Chardonnay that’s unquestionably in the same realm as the single vineyards.

Stuff that happened on August 24 includes:

Is there an error here? This is what Wikipedia says about 1349:

The Jews were expelled in 1012, 1462 (after which they were invited to return), and in 1474. Jews were attacked in 1096 and by mobs in 1283. Outbreaks of the Black Death were usually blamed on the Jews, at which times they were massacred, such as the burning of 11 Jews alive in 1349.

There’s now a new set of locks to allow larger ships to go through (I went through the Atlantic entry using the old ones, and it was a tight fit). Here’s the newAgua Clara locks: the new entry to the Atlantic side.

A very short report of Earhart’s flight, with a very brief interview:

Here’s a short video of the Yippie stunt at the NYSE:

Imprisoned in Attica Correctional Facility in New York, Chapman’s been turned down for parole 11 times. His 12th hearing is this month. Here’s a photo from 2018 (he’s now 67):

This is ableism. What the deuce is a “dwarf” planet? At least they could call it a “size-marginalized planet.”

Da Nooz:

*If you want some heartening news about the war in Ukraine, read the Wall Street Journal’s new piece, “After six months of war in Ukraine, momentum tilts against Russia.”  It’s hard to believe that a huge behemoth of a nation like Russia could be beaten by a scrappy little country like Ukraine, but remember that the war has been going on for a year and Russia has control of a large section of the country. It makes me anxious to think that Russia could “win” (whatever that means), but I’m preparing myself for any outcome. But the good news:

Six months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, signs are accumulating that the balance on the military and economic battlefields is slowly tilting the way of Kyiv and its Western backers.

In the biggest war between European countries since World War II, the death and destruction have no end in sight. Ukraine is still struggling against Russia’s advantage in raw firepower, but the country’s defenders are increasingly hitting Russian logistics and bases, including in Crimea, as they receive more Western weapons.

A drone strike on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Saturday was one of many recent signs that Russia’s rear areas are increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian attack.

Political and popular backing for Ukraine in the U.S. and most of Europe remains robust, despite fears that a drawn-out war and rising energy and food prices could undermine Western unity.

The U.S., in particular, is sending Ukraine steadily growing quantities of advanced weapons such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or Himars, as well as crucial financial support.

. . . “The Russian military has lost much of what momentum it had and has redeployed a lot of its forces in anticipation of a Ukrainian offensive in the southern part of the country,” said Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies program at CNA, a defense research organization in Arlington, Va.

“I don’t think there is a natural stalemate on the ground,” he said. “I think there is at least another chapter to play out before winter.”

. . .Russia is struggling even more than Ukraine to replace losses of troops and materiel, relying on mercenaries, proxy militias and old tanks to fill the gaps. Russia’s economy is facing a far deeper recession than Western nations.

And remember the two new members of NATO that wouldn’t be there if Putin weren’t such a warmongering oligarch.

*Speaking of the war, the Ukrainian nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia, now under Russian occupation, is facing serious hazards. Ukrainians still run the facility, which Russia would need if it were to win and take over the area, but the Russkies are shooting at the plant! People are seriously worried that there could be another Chernobyl-like situation, and if the experts are worried, so am I.

The danger at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — a sprawl of cooling towers, nuclear reactors, machine rooms and radioactive waste storage sites — was actually graver than even those who worked there knew, in early March, just days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

. . .Five months later, with artillery fire once again striking the plant, the specter of a possible nuclear catastrophe has gripped the world’s attention. Urgent negotiations are taking place to try to arrange a visit by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Officials from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations have called for the creation of a demilitarized zone, as Ukraine and Russia each accuse the other of preparing attacks on the plant — leading many to fear that Zaporizhzhia is in greater peril than ever.

Standing between the world and a nuclear calamity are the Ukrainian workers who know the plant intimately, having run it for years with the utmost precaution in a sleepy corner of southern Ukraine where the city and the plant had once lived in a steady and predictable symbiosis before the Russians arrived.

. . .Today, under Russian occupation, the plant employees are both hostages and essential workers — Ukrainian engineers duty bound to prevent disaster while working under the watchful eye of Russian snipers.

The surrounding city where they live, Enerhodar, which translates as “the gift of energy,” is under siege. Some 100 plant workers have been detained by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian officials and residents. Ten of those are still missing.

It is up to a skeletal crew of stressed, tired and scared workers to prevent disaster.

*Christian Caryl at the Washington Post analyzes the car-bombing in Moscow that killed Daria Dugin, the daughter of one of Putin’s big supporters and an advocate of invading Ukraine. Like many of us, he doesn’t think Ukraine would have anything to gain by assassinating a civilian, whether it be Daria or her father Alexander (a presumed target).

It’s hard to know the truth in a case as bizarre as this one. But there is one reliable rule to go by: Don’t believe whatever the Kremlin says. A few things to keep in mind as we try to sort out what happened:

First, Dugin is far less important than some people are suggesting. He’s not “Putin’s brain.”. . . . [there’s no evidence that Dugin has even met Putin.]

Second, killing Dugin will likely have zero direct effect on Russia’s war against Ukraine.  . .

And that brings us to the most important point — that we shouldn’t take Kremlin statements at face value. Russia is a paranoid dictatorship prosecuting one of the most brazen acts of international aggression in decades. . .

In the end, Caryl suggests something that is so twisted that it didn’t even cross my mind: the Russians could have done it! But why?

Could Russians have carried out the attack on Dugin? A mob hit of some kind, perhaps? There is another possibility: Fearing a public backlash, Putin has so far notably hesitated to declare a general mobilization that might give Russia an even greater advantage in Ukraine. A gruesome attack on a prominent “patriot” right in the suburbs of the capital could be just the thing to whip up flagging public enthusiasm for a bloody conflict that has already dragged on for much longer than anyone in Russia anticipated.

We’ll probably never know who set the bomb

*The Washington Post also has an exclusive report on how “sensitive election files” from  The data files, “copies of components from election systems in Coffee County, Georgia and Antrim County, Michigan”, were obtained by Trump’s attorneys in their efforts to overturn the election. The files then found their way onto a public server and into the hands of all sorts of dubious characters:

A Georgia computer forensics firm [“SullivanStrickler”], hired by the attorneys, placed the files on a server, where company records show they were downloaded dozens of times. Among the downloaders were accounts associated with a Texas meteorologist who has appeared on Sean Hannity’s radio show; a podcaster who suggested political enemies should be executed; a former pro surfer who pushed disproven theories that the 2020 election was manipulated; and a self-described former “seduction and pickup coach” who claims to also have been a hacker.

. . . Access to U.S. voting system software and other components is tightly regulated, and the government classifies those systems as “critical infrastructure.” The new batch of records shows for the first time how the files copied from election systems were distributed to people in multiple states.

Marilyn Marks, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for Good Governance, which is one of the plaintiffs in the Georgia lawsuit [it’s a suit by the government over the security of Georgia’s voting records] said the records appeared to show the files were handled recklessly. “The implications go far beyond Coffee County or Georgia,” Marks said.

In a statement to The Post, SullivanStrickler said the attorneys who hired the firm directed it “to contact county officials to obtain access to certain data” from Dominion Voting Systems machines in Georgia and Michigan.

In Georgia, Gabriel Sterling, the interim chief of staff in the Secretary of State’s office, told The Post in a statement that wrongdoers would be prosecuted. The secretary is a defendant in the litigation that uncovered the new records. Miles, the GBI spokeswoman, said in emails that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office on Aug. 2 had asked the agency to join efforts to examine the alleged Coffee County breach.

“Any attempts to illegally access election systems in Georgia will not be tolerated — whether it is rogue election officials, conspiracy-theorist attorneys, or security consultants working for those conspiracy theorists,” Sterling said.

The plot thickens and a reader sickens.

*In local news, I set a duck-feeding record today: 100 straight pellets of duck food were tossed to our little wood duck Frisky, and every one went down his gullet. Given the competition for pellets in the pond, this is a remarkable testimony to my throwing skills and knowledge of Frisky’s habits. If you don’t throw it sufficiently close to him, another duck will scarf it up. He’s too small to compete with the larger mallards for food.

I add that this record was set after Frisky had had his regular dinner, but the little guy seems to have an endless capacity for food. Unlike the mallards, he never shows any signs of satiation!

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Her Highness is tired of being photographed:

A: Come to a different place, we’ve already taken plenty of pictures here.
Hili: So go and take pictures of a different cat.
In Polish:
Ja: Chodź gdzieindziej, tu było już mnóstwo zdjęć.
Hili: To sobie fotografuj innego kota.
And a picture of Szaron:

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From Marie, a Trevor Spaulding cartoon.  The ducks, of course, are too young to buy booze for themselves.

From Barry taken from reddit: two moggies see their staff in a cat mask and totally freak out.

Kitties Are Not Fans of Halloween Mask from catburnouts

A remarkable picture from Arvin Grandy on FB, with the caption, “This photo is impressive. The sky is whispering to the earth. . . . ”

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The Tweet of God, who constantly tells us that we’re nearing the End Times:

From TItania. The Berkeley story is true, though the housing is not connected with the University.

From the Onion (see the article). Of course, Jesus was also God, so it’s double nepotism!

From Nancie. The second one is just the first with sound, so the “potentially sensitive content” stuff is bunkum.

From Simon; was this headline done on purpose?

From the Auschwitz Memorial:

Tweets from Dr. Cobb. What a cool thing to see!

Be sure to watch the whole thing:

Yes, it is “Lefebvre” in France. Enlarge the picture for explanations.

24 thoughts on “Wednesday: Hili dialogue”

  1. International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination, and Violence Based on Musical Preferences

    Does that mean that people with taste have to refrain for the day from hating on Nickelback?

    1. No, one never has to refrain from hating on Nickelback. Is it even possible to refrain? As a Canadian, I apologize for Nickelback. But we did give you Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, so…

  3. Re. “Of course, Jesus was also God, so it’s double nepotism!” On the other hand, he was only doing his father’s will, not his own, so … um, ok, it’s complicated.

    1. It’s so immensely sophisticated, omnisophisticated even, that mere human minds are incapable of understanding it.

    2. I suppose God couldn’t have died on the cross because God can’t die. Nor could God have suffered on the cross because He doesn’t seem the kind of chap who would suffer. Therefore, even though Jesus was God, Jesus’ suffering was His but not God’s; and His death was His and not God’s. Heady stuff! 🙂

  5. I like the pic of the cloud whispering to the Earth. It reminds me of old maps where they show the anthropomorphized winds blowing.

    In relation to the Smith name, I saw a thing the other day that showed what that chess pieces are called in different European countries. Every country calls the King a king, but there are eight or nine different names for what we call a Bishop, including the Elephant. I never would have guessed.

    1. Which makes following chess games printed in other languages a little tricky. R = Rook for English, but R = King (Rey) in several other languages. So the move Re8 requires an English reader to mentally filter the piece names before making the move on the board (when one is replaying a game). At least pieces like knights (the phonetic N is used in English) are Springers in German and Caballos in Spanish, so there is no confusion.

      As a Smith myself (though for only two generations), I noted on the map that there are several “Smith” chess players out there, such as Igor Kovalenko, Wolfgang Schmidt, Jan Smeets, etc.

  6. 1967 – Led by Abbie Hoffman, the Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the New York Stock Exchange by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them.

    The other night when the insomnia was on me, I watched the 1987 HBO film Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (not to be confused with the 2020 Aaron Sorkin film The Trial of the Chicago 7), which starred, among others, Peter Boyle as David Dellinger and Robert Loggia and Elliot Gould as the legal team of William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass. (I’m not sure of the historical accuracy of the film; it had Allen Ginsberg take the witness stand and recite a lengthy passage from “Howl,” which I don’t think happened in Judge Julius Hoffman’s courtroom.) It also had intercut with the film snippets of interviews with the actual participants themselves, including the clown-prince of the counterculture, Abbie H., just two years before his suicide.

    1. I flashing on my one and only meeting with Hoffman. I attended a talk he gave at the original Barbara’s Bookstore on Wells St. in Old Town, Chicago. I remember him as pleasant and sedate. This was shortly before the venerable bookstore was razed and the force-of-nature Hoffman was dead.

      1. AFAIK, Barbara’s Bookstores, Chicago’s independent booksellers, have been around since 1963, and are now in seven Illinois locations. Unless someone stole the original name.

        1. Yes, Su, Barbara’s Bookstore as a going concern is still around Chicago. That original, classic store on Wells St., though, is long gone.

    2. Does anyone remember his book, Steal This Book!? It had instructions for how to make pipe bombs, among other counter-cultural essentials.

      The thing that struck me was that if you obeyed the exhortation of the title—I didn’t—the only person in the value chain who got ripped off by the thief was the retail bookseller. Everyone else, including Hoffman, had already been paid.

      Never understood what people saw in the man.

      1. My first trip to the university bookstore in my first semester of my freshman year, there was a rack full of Abbie’s Steal This Book. Attached to each copy was some type of proto-anti-theft device. That was the first time I ever encountered such things.

    1. I know we consider ourselves greatly advanced from the Germans of 1349, but if we could blame COVID on an outgroup, I would fear for that outgroup. Just look at how the unvaccinated were treated, even though COVID is far less dangerous than the plague.

  8. And here I thought Ferrari was some cool and fancy Italian surname…it’s frickin’ Smith!!! How disappointing. Next time I watch F1 (next week) I’m not going to be able to watch team Ferrari without thinking team Smith. How mundane…

    1. Well, of course, the creator of the map fudged a little bit. The primary Italian word for “smith” is “fabbro”. “Ferrero” — from “ferro”, i.e. “iron” — and the byform “ferraro” means “smith” in some dialects in Italy (Piemonte) and Spain, and “ferrari” is the plural of “ferraro”.

  10. Daria Dugina, “A gruesome attack on a prominent “patriot” right in the suburbs of the capital could be just the thing to whip up flagging public enthusiasm for a bloody conflict that has already dragged on for much longer than anyone in Russia anticipated.”

    I suspect that that’s the opposite of what Putin wants. It’s more likely that the FSB killed her because she wasn’t echoing the message from the Kremlin, “The Special Operation is going as planned.”

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