Monday: Hili dialogue

It’s September! But also Labor Day: September 1, 2025, and National Burnt Ends Day, celebrating the best part of barbecued ribs. And here is the September page from The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, showing harvesting at the Château de Saumur, which still stands.

Google, where you work for huge salaries and have plenty of breaks and free snacks, has a celebration of REAL WORK as its Labor Day Doodle. Click on the icon to see where it goes:

It’s also American Chess Day, Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, World Letter Writing Day (when was the last time you wrote an actual letter?), National Cherry Popover Day, National Tofu Day (in the UK), National Gyro Day, and Emma M. Nutt Day.  As Wikipedia tells us,

Emma Nutt (July 1860 – 1915) became the world’s first female telephone operator on September 1, 1878, when she started working for the Edwin Holmes Telephone Despatch [sic] Company (or the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company) in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Nutt is second from left below, next to her sister Stella Nutt.  Here’s how to celebrate it:

Some ideas on how to observe the day include these (some of the links don’t work):

• Simply make a phone call to someone and dedicate it to Emma M. Nutt. Or, better yet, call the operator and thank them for their services. Although these operators do not operate a switchboard like Nutt did, they still provide assistance to many customers.
• Read a book that focuses on telephone switchboard operators, such as The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers, Girls on the Line, or The Operator.
• Read A Wonderful Fifty Years, an autobiography by Edward Holmes, who Emma M. Nutt worked for.
• Make a stop at The Telephone Museum in Waltham, Massachusetts.
• View some photos of telephone operators throughout the years.
• Watch a film that features switchboard operators.
• Watch Operator, a short film on the telephone operator profession that was produced in 1969, or Switchboards, Old and New, a short film from 1932.

See Emma below (read the caption):

Readers are welcome to mark notable events, births, or deaths on this day by consulting the September 1 Wikipedia page.

Da Nooz:

*Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, has issued a number of directives and “recommendations” to push back against Trump’s threat to send the National Guard to our city.

Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order Saturday calling for President Donald Trump to “stand down” on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The order also affirms that the Chicago Police Department doesn’t take orders from anyone other than the mayor.

Chicago police will not “collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement,” according to the order.

Johnson’s directive also urges the federal law enforcement officers on the ground in Chicago “to refrain from wearing masks” and to identify themselves by agency and badge number.

Chicago Police, including undercover officers, will be required to wear their full uniforms.

“It gives a clear directive” about who’s in charge, Johnson told reporters after signing the order. “This is about making a clear distinction about what our law enforcement engages in vs. what the federal government engages in. This president is not going to come in and deputize our police department.”

The mayor’s executive order follows a memo from the Department of Homeland Security requesting use of the Naval Station Great Lakes north of Chicago as a home base for immigration operations in Chicago. Local officials said nearby suburbs could be affected, too.

Separately, Trump has vowed to send the National Guard to Chicago to address crime, similar to actions his administration took in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

Because crime in Chicago has actually decreased in the last year, there is probably no need for government policing here. What’s clearly happening is that Trump is showing off his power and almost surely wanting to use the National Guard to help deport undocumented immigrants, of which Chicago has many. But Johnson hasn’t been a good mayor, and I doubt he’ll be elected instead of some Democratic opponent.

*An Australian journal of medical psychiatry has refused to publish an apology for pushing “gender-affirming care” (h/t Ginger K.)

Open warfare has broken out in the normally sedate world of Australian psychiatry after a leading medical journal refused to publish a paper by three prominent psychiatrists who want the profession’s governing body to ­“acknowledge its culpability” in gender affirming medical treatment for children and apologise.

The paper called on the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists to support a statutory compensation scheme for “the growing numbers of people harmed by gender affirming interventions for minors”.

The three psychiatrists, Jillian Spencer, Roberto D’Angelo and Patrick Clarke, submitted the paper to the RANZCP’s journal Australasian Psychiatry but were told: “We regret that we cannot publish your paper on this ­occasion.”

Or on ANY occasion, for sure. But wait! There’s more!

Journal editor Jeffrey Looi said that “after careful deliberation, and under the eternal pressure of space restraints, the Editorial Committee has concluded that your paper is not suitable for publication”.

Professor Looi attached “feedback from the peer review which you may find useful”.

One of the two anonymous reviewers slammed the paper as “reading far more like a political tract than a rigorous academic essay”, and claimed that publishing the manuscript “would risk embarrassment for the journal”.

The reviewer claims the manuscript is “rife with mischaracterisations and bold claims unsupported by arguments”.

A second reviewer claimed that if the RANZCP accepted “culpability” at this point it could cause “a high degree of harm to the already disproportionately targeted trans and gender diverse population”.

Professor Looi declined to ­answer questions from The Australian about why the piece was rejected and how the reviewers were chosen. Journalist and contributor to The Australian Bernard Lane has since agreed to publish the paper on his Gender Clinic News website.

he controversy highlights growing concern among doctors at the treatment of children with gender dysphoria and frustration at the college’s failure to firmly ­reject gender ­affirming care. In 2023, the RANZCP acknowledged shifting international evidence on transgender healthcare and puberty blockers, and declined to endorse gender­ affirming care as the key intervention for children who believe they may be transgender. But Dr Spencer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, says the College must go further and accept responsibility for failing to challenge the model over the past two decades.

Meanwhile, the usual stuff is going on that shouldn’t be:

Dr Spencer, a senior staff specialist in the Queensland Children’s Hospital’s consultation liaison psychiatry team, was suspended from clinical ­duties in April 2023 over her ­approach to transgender patients.

Dr Spencer was apparently ­accused of transphobia, but other doctors had also raised concern about the operation of the hospital’s gender clinic and the young age at which vulnerable patients with complex presentations were being prescribed cross-sex hormones.

. . . . In a statement, the RANZCP said: “While acknowledging the diversity of views, it is the RANZCP’s position that assessment and treatment should, at all times, be patient-centred and evidence-informed, underpinned by empathy and respect”. It noted the National Health and Medical Research Council is developing new guidelines for the care of trans and gender diverse people under 18 with gender dysphoria. The new guidelines are expected to take three years to develop.

Well, compensation might be a bit much, but there are enough data out there to not have to wait three years before developing new guidelines. And I don’t care nearly as much about apologies as for reform as about reform itself. We already know enough to stop injecting kids with hormones or giving them surgery before a sufficiently advanced age of consent, and to stop “affirmative care” in favor of objective therapy. We have the Cass Report, for crying out loud, and we know that the bulk of children with gender dysphoria will, if not given hormones or “affirmation,” turn out to be gay—no hormones or surgery neededm, and with the possibility of a good sex life.  Apparently Australia is as far behind the times as is the U.S.

*Speaking of Australia, its Prime Minister, as well as security officials, have confirmed that Iran directed arson attacks against Australian synagogues and businesses, leading to a severance of diplomatic relations. Bolding is mine:

On 3 August, tens of thousands of Australians marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge under the banner “March for Humanity—Save Gaza.” Among them were former foreign minister Bob Carr, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore, and federal MP Ed Husic. Behind the politicians and celebrities stood a tall bearded man at the very front of the procession, holding aloft a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Carr later claimed he hadn’t noticed the picture. Yet he posted photos of himself standing directly in front of it to his social-media accounts. The symbolism was grotesque: at the centre of Australia’s largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in history stood the figurehead of the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

Here’s the photo.  Maybe he didn’t know who the Ayatollah is???

The optics did not end there. Not only was the portrait of Khamenei held up at the “march for humanity” but so was the black shahada flag, appropriated by the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, flown by Youssef Uweinat, a convicted Islamic State recruiter, released from prison only last year.

Such symbolism has become even more disturbing in light of revelations this week. On 26 August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with Mike Burgess, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) confirmed that the Islamic Republic of Iran directed the arson attack against the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, a Jewish-owned business in Sydney. Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador—the first such expulsion since the Second World War—suspended operations at its Tehran embassy, and said it would legislate to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

Investigators say the IRGC used a web of proxies—including organised-crime intermediaries—and traced funding flows, including cryptocurrency transactions, to local operatives. More incidents are suspected.

. . . And yet, Western activists continue to romanticise the Palestinian cause in the simplest of binaries: the “oppressed” against the “oppressor,” colonised versus coloniser. In this telling, the history of the conflict is airbrushed away, Hamas disappears from view, and Iran’s authoritarian theocracy—an Islamist regime that executes dissidents and flogs women for showing their hair—is conveniently ignored. The binary may provide ideological comfort to radical leftists, but it flattens reality and corrodes moral judgment. This callousness was laid bare by gender theorist Judith Butler in the aftermath of the 7 October massacres, when she insisted: “The uprising of October 7 was an act of armed resistance … It is not a terrorist attack, and it is not an antisemitic attack. It comes from a state of subjugation and is directed against a violent state apparatus.”

Here’s the odious Judith Butler saying this stuff:

We all know that Iran does this kind of stuff, and good for the Aussies for expelling the Iranian ambassador and calling its own ambassador back from Iran. But they should also adopt the Cass Report.

*Another flotilla is setting sail to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, this time also including Greta Thunberg but also more boats.  (h/t Norm).

A flotilla of ships departed from Barcelona to the Gaza Strip Sunday with humanitarian aid and activists on board in the largest attempt yet to break the long Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

This comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory. Food experts warned earlier this month that the city was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is carrying food, water and medicine. Activists on board demanded safe passage to deliver the much-needed aid and the opening of a humanitarian sea corridor, according to a statement. The almost 23-month war has killed more than 63,000 people, with at least 332 Palestinians dying of malnutrition, including 124 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Once again the AP doesn’t say the Gaza Health Ministry is Hamas, nor offer a caveat that people dying of malnutrition may have preexisting conditions.

The maritime convoy of about 20 boats and delegations from 44 countries is claimed to be the largest attempt to date to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip by sea, which has now lasted 18 years. They will be joined by more ships from ports in Italy and Tunisia in the coming days, on the route from the western end of the Mediterranean to the Gaza Strip, organizers said.

Thousands of supporters flocked to the Barcelona pier, some of them wearing kaffiyehs and chanting “Free Palestine!” and “Boycott Israel!” to send off a wide variety of boats, flying Palestinian flags, from rundown old luxury yachts to tiny wooden sailboats and industrial-looking vessels. One of them, the Sirus, is more than 100 years old.

Around 70 boats are expected to take part in the final leg of the journey, flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek told Spanish public television after the departure. The fleet could reach Gaza around Sept. 14 or 15, he added.

I suspect that this will end the way the last one did, with Israel tranferring the people to temporary detention and then returning them to their home countries.  Israel well understands the optics of a violent confrontation, and so one will not occur onless those on the flotilla are unwisely carrying weapons. But for sure Greta will hollar like a kookaburra that she was being “unlawfully detained.” She should have stuck to climate change.

*The iPhone 17 is coming out in early September, and the Wall Street Journal discusses whether you should replace your old one. Now I’ve never understood why people want to replace a perfectly good iPhone, but I suppose there are those with a lot of dosh who want all the new bells and whistles (note below, though, that your older iPhone might be okay with the coming free upgrade). I suppose these are the same kind of folks who buy a new car every couple of years, even though their old one is perfectly fine.  Read the article (archived here) and decide for yourself. Their recommendation is to simply upgrade your phone (new screen, battery if power <80%, and install the free upgrade). I don’t need a screen, my power is still 87% after several years, and the upgrade is automatic.

When the scent of pumpkin spice lattes starts to fill the air, I know it’s time for those texts from friends and family: “Should I get the new iPhone?”

My answer? Ehh, probably not. Temptation to upgrade will be high after Apple’s AAPL -0.18%decrease; red down pointing triangle Sept. 9 launch event. And there are very good reasons to buy the new model. But just because your oldie but goody suffers from sluggish performance, short battery life or a cracked touch screen, it isn’t doomed to become e-waste.

By spending a little on repairs, you could save hundreds of dollars and extend your current iPhone’s life by a year or more. Plus, it’s worth waiting for the imminent iOS 26 software update, which will add new tricks to recent older hardware—at no additional cost.

That all depends on your model and its condition. Is your current iPhone…

…more than six years old? Upgrade. Apple supports iPhones with new software updates for about seven years. The version of iOS expected next month doesn’t support iPhone XS, XS Max or XR, or any earlier models. These updates include crucial security fixes, and outdated software can put your data at risk, so yes, you’ll need new hardware.

…a 2019 or newer model? Update. iOS 26 comes with a live translator, spam-call screener and other helpful new capabilities, though the “liquid glass” redesign will require some adjustment.

A note: Even if your model is compatible with iOS 26, some tricks are only available in the newest iPhones. Apple Intelligence, which includes access to ChatGPT via Siri and Genmoji, only works on iPhone 15 Pro, all of the iPhone 16 models (including the 16e) and of course the iPhones Apple is about to announce.

…feeling slow? Or short on battery life? Repair. A battery replacement can help with performance and battery life. As your iPhone’s battery ages, the device is designed to draw less power, which means occasional unexpected shutdowns.

Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. If the capacity is below 80%, you should replace your battery. That should cost $99 or less, depending on the model.

If your battery is above 80%, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Deleting unused apps or uploading photos to the cloud can help with speed too.

…cracked? Repair. The cost depends on your model and the damage.

Apple’s online tool can spit out an estimate for an Apple Store screen swap, which generally runs between $199 and $379. You typically make an appointment and then wait about 30 minutes.

I’d have this done at the Apple store, where the fixes are under warranty. I had a new screen save installed a while back at Apple, and it was about 50 bucks. And I used to have them replace the batteryin my old iPhone 5, which was running fine but had to be replaced as it would no longer support Apple software. My one beef with the 13 is the photo quality, and that’s what I use my Lumix point-and-shoot camera for good shots.

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, the dialogue is puzzling: does Hili want fleas?

Hili: Where can one buy the joy of life?
Andrzej: At the flea market.

]In Polish:

Hili:  Gdzie sprzedają radość życia.
Ja: Na pchlim targu.

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

From Keith, funny signs from WallingforSign.com, which appears to be a convenience store in Seattle:

From Jesus of the Day:

From Meow, apparently a 30-year-old moggy:

I’m about ready to give up on Masih and she’s apparently gone the route of replacing tweets with podcasts. Well, maybe she reaches more people that way, but here I’ll have to put in her substitute:

I’m consoled by the precious gift of your butthurt. pic.twitter.com/neng3dalBe

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 28, 2025

“UFC” is “Ultimate Fighting Championship”

i’m seeing UFC live for free 😂 pic.twitter.com/EOZF61UpGr

— Punch Cat (@PunchingCat) August 24, 2025

This also happened at the University of Chicago, but the resolution, I recall, was that dissenters could give part of their money to another cause.  But that resolution is somewhat unsatisfactory, for unions of graduate students, like unions of all types, should not promulgate ideological or political opinions unless they bear directly on the union’s mission:

Stanford graduate students are being forced to pay dues to a union that supports BDS and other causes such as “public subsidies for ‘gender-affirming care.’”

“Union leadership insists that such coercion is routine.”

Stanford says dissenters “will be fired unless we pay up.”… pic.twitter.com/J3cMhF5w3r

— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) August 29, 2025

From Ricky Gervais. I don’t know what movie this is; does anyone?

One of the best movie opening scenes.

pic.twitter.com/dcf6eQlBvf

— The Ricky Gervais Clips (@gervaisclips) August 30, 2025

One from my feed. I saw this video and thought the guy was an utter jerk, but isn’t this too much punishment? I don’t know.

UPDATE: He took the hat from a kid on camera… and now his entire business is getting torched.

The man who selfishly snatched the signed cap at the US Open has been identified.
His name is Piotr Szczerek, CEO of a Polish paving company called Drogbruk.

The internet didn’t just… pic.twitter.com/Aviv0uW7cD

— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) August 30, 2025

One I reposted from the Auschwitz Memorial:

This Hungarian Jewish man, clearly proud of his chickens, was gassed to death immediately upon arriving at Auschwitz.

— Jerry Coyne (@evolutionistrue.bsky.social) 2025-09-01T10:43:53.704Z

Two posts from Doctor Cobb. First, a lovely bird:

Painted Bunting at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, South Carolina#birds #nature

— Mike Melton (@mikemelton.bsky.social) 2025-08-31T04:06:24.958Z

. . . and a post that Matthew humorously embroiders:

I bet if you get too close the lid suddenly flips up and his skeleton pops up like a jack-in-the-box.

— Matthew Cobb (@matthewcobb.bsky.social) 2025-08-31T08:58:58.649Z