Tuesday: Hili dialogue

November 28, 2023 • 6:45 am

Welcome to the Cruelest Day: Tuesday, November 28, 2023, and National French Toast Day.  I love the stuff and would get it as a special breakfast treat when I was a kid. It is indeed French, but could also be called “German Toast”, for, according to Wikipedia, its first mentions are these:

A 14th-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter ‘poor knights‘, a name also used in English and the Nordic languages. Also in the 14th-century, Taillevent presented a recipe for “tostées dorées”. Italian 15th-century culinary expert Martino da Como offers a recipe.

Here’s a fine photo of loaded French toast from Wikipedia, labeled “French toast topped with fruit, butter and cream, served with maple syrup.”  And I’m sitting here with my latte (my only breakfast), salivating like a horse.  Note the real maple syrup, essential to complete the dish. (I never use anything but dark maple syrup on pancakes or French toast, as there is no substitute.)

It’s also Red Planet Day, marking the launch of  launch of the Mariner 4 spacecraft on this day in 1964, Letter Writing Day (when’s the last time you wrote a real letter?), Turkey Leftover Day, and, in Japan,, Hōonkō, described thusly in Wikipedia:

Hōonkō (報恩講) is a holiday in the Jodo Shinshu tradition of Buddhism which commemorates the death of its founder, Shinran Shonin. . . . A typical service for Hoonko will consist of reciting Shinran’s hymn, the Shoshinge, and a reading from the life of Shinran. Followers will sometimes observe a strict diet that day, preferring to eat shōjin ryōri or “Buddhist cuisine“, though this is entirely optional. Temple services will often serve Buddhist cuisine after service, including vegetarian ozōni, adzuki, and mochi.

I’ll have all of that food, please.

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this by consulting the November 28 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*The latest on the Hamas/Israel war from the NYT: The good news is that more hostages have been released (three terrorists for every hostage, of course). The bad news is that Hamas is playing Biden and Netanyahu like a violing, dribbling out the hostages so as to prolong the cease fire, allowing Hamas to regroup. And world opinion will no start calling for a permanent cease-fire, which will be the end of Israel. The only reason there is not going to be a big one-time hostage-terrorist exchange, bringing all the hostages home, is clearly to buy time for Hamas. What other reason could there be? And why would Hamas want time. This isn’t rocket science.

The tenuous truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to hold for a fifth day on Tuesday, an act of continued cooperation that could allow for additional aid to flow into Gaza and the release of more hostages, prisoners and detainees than initially expected.

Qatari mediators announced on Monday that both sides had agreed to extend their initial four-day cease-fire, which had been set to expire on Tuesday morning, for two more days. Israel has not formally confirmed a cease-fire, but it has made it clear in past statements that it would continue to observe the truce as long as 10 hostages are released per day.

The Qatari announcement came a few hours before 11 more Israeli hostages — including 3-year-old twins — were released into the custody of Israel’s military late Monday.

Hours later, a Red Cross bus of Palestinian prisoners and detainees arrived in the West Bank town of Ramallah as crowds cheered their arrival, according to The Associated Press.

It was the fourth swap of prisoners and hostages, one for each day of the cease-fire so far. The Israeli prime minister’s office said the released hostages included a 12-year-old boy and multiple members of four other families. The Israeli military said that they would undergo initial medical assessments and that its troops would accompany them until they were reunited with their families.

Do you seriously think that a two-day extension of the truce, leaving some hostages in the hands of Hamas, will placate the world. No, of course not.  Here’s the expected result:

The Biden administration welcomed the Qatari announcement of an additional two-day pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and will continue pushing for the extension of the truce until all hostages are released, a White House official said Monday.

My worst fear is that this will result in a permanent cease-fire, Israel will withdraw to where it was before, leaving Hamas in power, but Israel will be weakened. And that might allow for more attacks from Hezbollah in the north and terrorists from Yemen. Even Iran might be emboldened.  And that could spell the end of Israel, which is clearly Hamas’s goal.

*The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) explains how “the multiple ways the U.N. encouraged Hamas’s orgy of mass murder, rape, and child-stealing; the U.N.’s efforts to demonize and delegitimize Israel; and its campaign to make Israel an international scapegoat, whipping boy, and pariah.” (h/t Rosemary)

. . . On September 22, 2001, the U.N. staged an “anti-racism” conference in Durban, South Africa that morphed into a festival of Jew-hatred.

Participants held up signs reading: “For the liberation of Quds [Jerusalem] machine-guns based upon FAITH and ISLAM must be used!” and “The martyrs’ blood irrigates the tree of revolution in Palestine!” and “Down with Nazi-Israeli apartheid!”

American and Israeli representatives walked out. But the U.N. has stuck to its guns, so to speak. There’s been a Durban II, III, and IV.

And last month Tehran became chair of a U.N. human rights forum – appointed by the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which has become a club for human rights abusers.

Also last month, the U.N. General Assembly failed to pass a resolution condemning Hamas’s most recent war crimes.

Other U.N. agencies that are soft on Hamas include the WHO (World Health Organization); the U.N. Office on Genocide Prevention; and UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency), a welfare agency that employs Hamas members and confers refugee status on the millions of descendants of the 1948 Arab war against Israel. This definition of “refugee” applies nowhere else in the world.

Francesca Albanese, the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur on Palestine, argues that Israel has no right of self-defense because Gaza is a land “it colonizes” – ignoring the fact that Jews lived in Gaza centuries before armies from Arabia conquered and colonized the territory. Also, as noted above, all Israelis left Gaza in 2005.

It goes on in detail, but my space here is limited. Anybody who knows how the UN works in the Palestinian territories knows about this stuff, but the MSM ignore it. It is, for example, shameful that UNRWA actually employees members of Hamas.

*Norman points us to a list of the accused and convicted Palestinian terrorists who were traded for Israeli and other-nationality hostages so far. He adds: “This list was compiled by Laura Atkins at the Forward (citation provided by Atkins at top of document). On the Israeli side, hostages were kidnapped for being children, grandmothers, Jews. On the other side, detained and jailed for stabbings, shooting at people, placing bombs, etc. Those released on the Palestinian side appear to be terrorists who will re-enter the fight.”  As per Atkins’s request, I note that the material is credited to “Laura E. Adkins of The Forward. ©Laura E. Adkins, all rights reserved.”  Here’s the first two pages of 4½, with the terrorist affiliation of the prisoners indicated. Click to enlarge.

Some of these detainees may actually NOT have been charged, as Israel allows those detained to be held without charges almost indefinitely, a practice I abhor.  Others are being held for seemingly minor offenses like “throwing stones” (which is a crime, even in America, as it is a threat to bodily harm), but others released were held for attempted murder, stabbings, and so on, and an appreciable number were members of terrorist groups. Still, I’m happy to see that Israel is not releasing a lot of terrorists who have done serious crimes and were sentenced to serious time, but remember than only a small fraction of the hostages have been released, so Israel will have to realease a lot more arrested or convicted terrorists.

*Last Saturday evening, three Palestinian-American students (two with US citizenship, one a legal resident), were shot in Burlington, Vermont by a guy with a shotgun.

Burlington police on Sunday said that a “white male with a handgun” approached the three students as they walked through downtown and, “without speaking,” shot the three men at least four times before fleeing on foot.

“All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities,” the Burlington Police Department said in a statement. All three remain hospitalized, one with very serious injuries, the department added.

In a later statement, Burlington police said Jason J. Eaton, 48, had been arrested in connection with the shooting. After a judge granted a search warrant for Eaton’s residence, evidence collected “gave investigators and prosecutors probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting,” the department said, adding that he will be arraigned Monday.

. . . the three men are students at Brown University, Haverford College and Trinity College, respectively, and had gathered in Burlington to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Awartani’s grandmother.

Immediately everybody start crying “hate crime,” even before a suspect was caught, but we still don’t know the motivation.  The shooting was reprehensible (I’m still not sure if we should even have the concept of “hate crime”), but targeting someone for their presumed nationality, race, gender, or whatever seems somehow more reprehensible. At any rate, it’s good a suspect was caught. He’s just pleaded not guilty.

A Vermont man suspected of shooting three college students of Palestinian descent pleaded not guilty Monday to three counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Jason Eaton, 48, made the plea in a brief, televised appearance in Chittenden County Superior Court. A court affidavit quoted a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who went to Eaton’s Burlington apartment Sunday as saying Eaton “made a statement to the effect of: ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’”

The feds are investigating whether it was in fact a hate crime:

“As always, but especially right now, the Justice Department is remaining vigilant in the face of the potential threats of hate-fueled violence and terrorism,” [Attorney General Merrick] Garland said. “All of us have also seen a sharp increase in the volume and frequency of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities across our country since October 7th.”

News of the shooting prompted a wave of condemnation across Vermont and the United States. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that President Biden was “horrified” to learn of it and continues receiving updates as the investigation unfolds.

Much of the condemnation comes from assuming it’s a hate crime, but we know little about that so far.  But people are jumping the gun, like this one:

Awartani’s roommate, Aboud Ashhab, said that the shooting is not an isolated incident. Instead, he said, “it happened because of a system of violence” against Palestinians that is “perpetuated even when we are outside our home and we are abroad, in places like Burlington, Vermont.”

As to how they caught the suspect, I’m always amazed that they can do it so quickly, but they seem to have gotten the right guy

A court affidavit quoted a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who went to Eaton’s Burlington apartment Sunday as saying Eaton “made a statement to the effect of: ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’”

. . . Court documents say ATF and Burlington police seized [from Eaton’s home] a .380 pistol with rounds of the Hornady brand — the same brand as bullets collected at the scene of the shooting on North Prospect Street. They also seized other firearms, including two shotguns and a rifle, as well as technology including five cellphones and a backpack filled with hard drives, the documents say.

The documents include interviews with the three young men and other witnesses describing a relaxing holiday weekend of family events, such as bowling and a showing of the movie “Napoleon,” that ended with a stranger approaching the students and wordlessly shooting them.

But how did they find this guy?

*From the AP’s “Oddities section,” we learn about a loose moose that’s further south than he should be. This kind of story makes me anxious:

A herd of followers are tracking a moose on the loose in southern Minnesota, hoping the majestic animal’s journey ends safely after it was spotted Tuesday 140 miles (225 km) northwest of Minneapolis.

Fans have been tracking the young male moose for weeks and posting updates on a Facebook page that as of Tuesday had more than 18,000 followers.

Admirers call the animal “Bullwinkle” or “Rutt,” the latter in homage to a scatterbrained moose from the movie “Brother Bear.”

A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources big game expert told the Minnesota Star Tribune that moose typically only roam in northern Minnesota, making the now-famous moose’s visit to south and central Minnesota a rare treat. Todd Froberg, the agency’s big game program coordinator, said the young moose is likely looking for home territory or other moose and is expected to continue moving north.

“He’s lost, and he’s trying to get home to his family,” said Bernie Stang, a moose fan who spotted the animal in late October.

Amateur moose-tracker Brenda Johnson said traffic on the Facebook page, of which she is the administrator, picked up in September when the moose was spotted in Iowa near the border of Minnesota.

She suspects Rutt traveled from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa before coming back to Minnesota, based on news reports of moose sightings in South Dakota that match his description.

Rutt’s Facebook page is here.

I hope Rutt gets back home!  Here’s a photo from the AP article (caption is also from the AP):

In this photo provided by Bernie Stang, a moose, named Rutt, or Bullwinkle by his admirers, roams through Meeker County, Mn. Oct. 23, 2023 (Bernie Stang via AP)

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Hili is waiting in the vestibule outside  (note that “crocs” are “crocsy”)

A: I will put on my crocs and go to see whether there are any apples left.
Hili: Let me in first.
In Polish:
Ja: Chyba założę crocsy i pójdę zobaczyć, czy są jeszcze jabłka.
Hili: Wpuść mnie najpierw do domu.
And a picture of Baby Kulka, whom Hili still hates:

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

A Gary Larson Far Side cartoon sent in by Merilee:

From Barry:

A menu item from Linkiest:

From Masih: the brave young people of Iran just won’t give up:

From Jez, who says, “This juggling act is insane and very hypnotic, especially with the sound up. I don’t remember seeing anything quite like it before”. It is stunning:

From the Babylon Bee, a satire that is close to reality. Be sure to watch the video:

From Malcolm: a cat that loves only one guy, and whose girlfriend cannot fool the moggy by dressing up like that guy. But she forgot about odor, too!:

From Barry, a HUGE gator in Lake Placid (New York):

From the Auschwitz Memorial, a Dutch girl gassed upon arrival; she was almost ten years old:

Once again we’re blessed by two tweets from Dr. Cobb. The first comes via Alice Roberts, and oy!

Honeybees stealing pollen from wild bees. There’s also a pdf auf Deutsch.

34 thoughts on “Tuesday: Hili dialogue”

  1. The French Toast in the picture looks like it is perfectly cooked. I love the stuff and used to celebrate a quiet Saturday morning by cooking up enough for that breakfast AND a reheated Sunday morning repast. My preference was for a simple presentation using challah as a base, real maple syrup (natch), a pat of butter, and sometimes a light sprinkling of cinnamon&sugar. Washed down with a cup (or several) of black coffee. Thanks for the reminder…next Saturday or maybe even tonight’s dinner.

  2. “But how did they find this guy?”

    They found him by canvassing neighbors door to door on North Prospect Street, the street of the shooting. Thank Dog they did, because guess what else is on North Prospect Street here in Burlington? Answer – the largest synagogue in town.

    1. Also, Lake Placid is a horror movie about gigantic, rampaging, alligators, so I think the reference may be to that and not the place where the alligator is located.

      1. It is a crocodile, and appears to be a saltie (Crocodylus porosus). Cuvier called salties the “crocodile de deux crètes”, and you can clearly see the “two crests” (ridges) on the snout in front of the eyes.

        Looking up the movie “Lake Placid” in Wikipedia just now, I see that the creature in the lake is supposed to be saltie (props for authenticity!), and, oddly, the locale is Aroostook County, Maine, not Lake Placid, NY.

        GCM

    3. According to AP news the gator in the video is not real, it’s animatronic. It was made for the 1999 move, Lake Placid. Lake Placid, NY, is well out of the normal range of the alligator.

  4. On this day:
    1520 – After 38 days, an expedition under the command of Ferdinand Magellan completes the first passage through the Strait of Magellan and enters the Pacific Ocean.

    1582 – In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a £40 (equivalent to £12,261 in 2021) bond in lieu of posting wedding banns, which enables them to marry immediately.I

    1660 – At Gresham College, twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society.

    1785 – The first Treaty of Hopewell is signed, by which the United States acknowledges Cherokee lands in what is now East Tennessee.

    1811 – Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, premieres at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig.

    1814 – The Times of London becomes the first newspaper to be produced on a steam-powered printing press, built by the German team of Koenig & Bauer.

    1893 – Women’s suffrage in New Zealand concludes with the 1893 New Zealand general election.

    1919 – Lady Astor is elected as a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She is the first woman to sit in the House of Commons. (Countess Markievicz, the first to be elected, refused to sit.)

    1925 – The Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee, as the WSM Barn Dance.

    1942 – In Boston, Massachusetts, a fire in the Cocoanut Grove nightclub kills 492 people.

    1943 – World War II: Tehran Conference: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin meet in Tehran, Iran, to discuss war strategy.

    1958 – First successful flight of SM-65 Atlas; the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family.

    1964 – Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 4 probe toward Mars.

    1967 – The first pulsar (PSR B1919+21, in the constellation of Vulpecula) is discovered by two astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish.

    1971 – Wasfi al-Tal, Prime Minister of Jordan, is assassinated by the Black September unit of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

    1972 – Last executions in Paris: Claude Buffet and Roger Bontems are guillotined at La Santé Prison.

    1979 – Air New Zealand Flight 901, a DC-10 sightseeing flight over Antarctica, crashes into Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.

    1989 – Cold War: Velvet Revolution: In the face of protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announces it will give up its monopoly on political power.

    1990 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigns as leader of the Conservative Party and, therefore, as Prime Minister. She is succeeded in both positions by John Major.

    1991 – South Ossetia declares independence from Georgia.

    2002 – Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya; their colleagues fail in their attempt to bring down Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582 with surface-to-air missiles.

    2020 – Over seven hundred civilians are massacred by the Ethiopian National Defense Force and Eritrean Army in Aksum, Ethiopia.

    Births:
    1628 – John Bunyan, English preacher, theologian, and author (d. 1688).

    1682 – Betty Parris, woman from Salem in Massachusetts who accused others of being witches (d. 1760).

    1757 – William Blake, English poet and painter (d. 1827).

    1820 – Friedrich Engels, German-English philosopher, economist, and journalist (d. 1895).

    1829 – Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1894).

    1853 – Helen Magill White, American academic (d. 1944).

    1861 – Adina Emilia De Zavala, American teacher, historian and preservationist of Texas history (d. 1955).

    1866 – Henry Bacon, American architect, designed the Lincoln Memorial (d. 1924).

    1881 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1942).

    1900 – Mary Bothwell, Canadian classical vocalist and painter (d. 1985).

    1904 – Nancy Mitford, English journalist and author (d. 1973).

    1908 – Claude Lévi-Strauss, Belgian-French anthropologist and ethnologist (d. 2009).

    1910 – Elsie Quarterman, American ecologist and academic (d. 2014).

    1925 – Gigi Gryce, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1983).

    1929 – Berry Gordy, American songwriter and producer, founded Motown Records.

    1933 – Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003).

    1941 – Laura Antonelli, Italian actress (d. 2015).

    1943 – Randy Newman, American singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist.

    1944 – Rita Mae Brown, American novelist, poet, and screenwriter.

    1949 – Paul Shaffer, Canadian-American singer, keyboard player, and bandleader.

    1950 – Ed Harris, American actor and producer.

    1958 – Kriss Akabusi, English sprinter and hurdler.

    1961 – Martin Clunes, English actor, singer, and director.

    1962 – Jon Stewart, American comedian, actor, and television host.

    1963 – Armando Iannucci, Scottish comedian, actor, director, and producer.

    1967 – Anna Nicole Smith, American model, actress, and television personality (d. 2007).

    1969 – Sonia O’Sullivan, Irish athlete.

    1970 – Richard Osman, English television host, director, and producer.

    Life’s short span forbids us to enter on far reaching hopes:
    1680 – Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian sculptor and painter (b. 1598).

    1680 – Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, Italian painter and architect (b. 1606).

    1859 – Washington Irving, American short story writer, essayist, biographer, historian (b. 1783).

    1873 – Caterina Scarpellini, Italian astronomer and meteorologist (b. 1808).

    1901 – Moses Dickson, African-American abolitionist, soldier, minister, and founder of The Knights of Liberty (b. 1824).

    1939 – James Naismith, Canadian-American physician and educator, created basketball (b. 1861). [IIRC, it isn’t that straightforward.]

    1953 – Frank Olson, American biologist and chemist (b. 1910).

    1954 – Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901).

    1960 – Richard Wright, American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (b. 1908).

    1968 – Enid Blyton, English author and poet (b. 1897).

    1992 – Sidney Nolan, Australian-English painter and academic (b. 1917).

    1994 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960).

    1994 – Buster Edwards, English boxer and criminal (b. 1932).

    1994 – Jerry Rubin, American businessman and activist (b. 1938), television personality, and game show host (b. 1915).

    2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (b. 1926).

    2020 – David Prowse, English weight-lifting champion, actor and Green Cross Man (b. 1935).

    2021 – Frank Williams, British founder of Williams Grand Prix Engineering (b. 1942).

  5. And why would Hamas want time. This isn’t rocket science.
    Nope, it’s rocket-building time.

      1. Rockets, moving ammunition stores around, and recovering ammunition/rockets that have been buried in some of the bombing.

        The longer Israel lets Hamas drag this out, the more opprobrium they are going to receive when they start prosecuting the war again. I think they are better off re-starting now. This 10 hostages per day thing isn’t good enough.

  6. French toast is still called arme Ritter in Germany today. While I also agree that maple syrup is the best for French toast, pancakes, waffles, etc., a combination of butter (soft enough so that it melts on the warm bread) and powdered sugar is nice.

    1. I forgot to mention in #1 above that I also put a bit (tablespoon or so depending on how many eggs) of half and half into the beaten eggs and a drop of vanilla extract. Yes, both butter and syrup should be at room temperature.

        1. You are so right….if you’ve got it. We are more likely to have half and half which is MUCH better than 2% milk. But yes…heavy cream is ever the best.

  7. Hasty French Toast tips:

    Toast the bread FIRST. Then do the egg mix. I failed at this for years.

    Then find a dredge somewhere – fill with confectioners sugar. Fine mesh – not the one for parmesan cheese.

  8. Israel will withdraw to where it was before, leaving Hamas in power, but Israel will be weakened.

    Why will Israel be weakened? If they withdraw to where they were before, they’ll be back to the pre-October 7th status quo, except there will be no more surprise attacks from Hamas. Hamas might be rearming, but Israel will be too.

    —

    The bacon thing is a bit misleading, since this is obviously a list of extras to go with Jackson Hole’s “famous marinated chicken breast”. The item says the extra is called “bacon” and that it is a topping consisting of bacon. Compare the previous one which is “English” and the description says the marinated chicken breast is on top of an English muffin. Were it not for the bacon description, we might assume the chicken was on the bacon rather than the other way around.

      1. Replying to you both, Israel will be weakened by a withdrawal to the status quo ante because it will indicate that Muslim-focused public opinion in a foreign country can frustrate what Israel regards as its legitimate war aims whenever it has to defend itself from neighbours who want it dead. This is, of course, what the rest of the world wants: it can’t defeat Israel on the battlefield but it can defeat it in the United States. A cease-fire that morphs into a withdrawal from Gaza with Hamas still in charge would tell the world, and the jihadists, that this is where to focus their efforts next time. Success is rewarded.

  9. With the prolonged release of hostages, at least Israel will surely continue to track the Hamas they particularly want, who will be getting more relaxed in their communications, all the while further intelligence comes in.

  10. I am still wondering what is the end game for the resistance in Iran? Young people get arrested, tortured, maimed, and sometimes killed. There are social media posts about it, and meanwhile the regime seems pretty content to just continue on indefinitely this way. There are no signs of the necessary massive uprising and storming of the Bastille, as it were,

    1. Maybe the freedom and liberation, even if there is no life after this, comes from choosing to resist instead of submitting to tyranny. Taking up arms would be headed off by the surveillance state but individual acts of resistance come from within one’s own mind where the state can’t reach.

      1. But, is it effective resistance? The sorts of protest that inspire changes in moderate, liberal governments will not necessarily work with regimes that do not care if they kill you, or if public opinion is against them.

        I think many of these Iranians are inspired by the sorts of protest that have been effective in the US, India, and Europe, and may find that they have different results against a fundamentalist Islamist government.

    2. Resistance against submission is its own end game.

      This implied calculation of “What’s the use?” if those around do not also rise to the fight, “Why risk my own life?” (career, reputation, promotion) if large numbers of others won’t join me, is largely why insanity has run amok through most of our professional institutions where social reputation is key to advancement.

      It’s all the more reason why we should honor those few who stand against tyranny–in both its soft and hard forms–precisely when their actions look futile. Without these people there would be no “massive uprisings.”

  11. Once long ago, on a vacation with my girlfriend (and future wife) and some of her family, I encountered an exceptional French toast. We flew into Boston then rented a couple of cars to continue on to our final destination in Quebec. While in Boston we had two exceptional meals.

    One morning we left our lodging on foot looking for some place to get breakfast. None of us had ever done more than drive through Boston on the interstate before this. As we were passing a very old wooden building, painted all white, with a distinct lean to it and generally looking as if it must be a condemned structure, we noticed a sign saying “Breakfast & Lunch.” Naturally we decided to check it out.

    The interior was also very old, but reasonably clean. The menu was hand written on an old piece of chalk board. I got the poetically named “Sausage, potatoes, onions & peppers,” and my wife got French toast.

    Both were phenomenal. The French toast was an entire loaf of bread! Delicious and perfectly cooked. Crunchy on the outside and custardy on the inside. My dish was so good that I later took the time to figure out how to make it myself, at least as close as possible with available ingredients. Unfortunately it is very rare to be able to find sausage that can match that original dish. Fresh, sweet Italian sausage with generous fennel. The whole trip was very good foodwise.

  12. I first got a chance to enjoy Michael Moschen’s brilliant performances, on video, around the time he received a lot of public attention as an awardee of the MacArthur Fellows “Genius Awards” in a fairly early year of that program (1990).

    Somehow I had been hearing about him in spoken conversation before seeing him in a printed listing, and initially thought his name was “Michael Motion”. Not too inappropriate!

  13. Yes indeed. Releasing hostages in dribs and drabs is a stalling technique. And it will get worse. The releases thus far on the Israeli side are of women and children—people who have no operational role in the fight. Releases on the Palestinian side are those who have committed (mostly) petty crimes (although stabbings and bombings are not at all petty). Over time, the releases will involve people of greater and greater operational and strategic value—soldiers on the Israeli side, actual terrorists on the other side. These releases will involve more and more delays. Mark my words that the delays between releases will only increase as the value of the detainees increases. With this strategy, Hamas will drag the process out for months.

    That’s the plan and everyone knows it. We shall see if Israel ever restarts the fight. They *must* if Israel is to survive. Not only will protracted delays give Hamas time to regroup and rearm—and give the international community more time to work its hate campaign against Israel. But Hamas has learned a lot about Israeli war tactics by the way that Israel has prosecuted the war so far. So, if the war starts up again, Israel’s tactics will offer fewer surprises and Hamas will be stronger.

  14. I still wonder why you start the “Da Nooz” with “The good news is that more hostages have been released (three terrorists for every hostage, of course)” when not too far below you state “Some of these detainees may actually NOT have been charged, as Israel allows those detained to be held without charges almost indefinitely, a practice I abhor. Others are being held for seemingly minor offenses like “throwing stones” (which is a crime, even in America, as it is a threat to bodily harm), but others released were held for attempted murder, stabbings, and so on, and an appreciable number were members of terrorist groups.” What is happening is a tragedy: no doubt. So thanks for that second statement which is very helpful.

    1. When the British government tried internment without trial in Ulster, from 1972, IIRC (I remember it being headline news, on the mainland), the IRA (and the then-trivial splinter groups) the IRA command called it “our greatest recruiting sergeant, ever.”
      After – is it 56 years? – of operating this strategy, I’m sure the Israeli government have squared this circle and found a way to make it useful and effective.

  15. Let’s hope that Israel has an operational reason for a pause at this time. Whether that be to replenish munitions stockpiles, shore up defenses, rotate personnel, or to assess battlefield damage and next targets, a slackening of the operations tempo is not necessarily detrimental.

    That said, I also fear that Hamas will use this to regroup, turn world opinion further against Israel, and ultimately pressure them to stop the offensive in Gaza.

  16. “… is clearly to buy time for Hamas.”
    It is also certain the the Israeli Intelligence and IDF will be using the time wisely.
    Both have had a major wake up call by reason of failure to protect.
    No nation imo can be called weak when you have nuclear arms sitting in a bunker.

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