I heard this Israeli citizen on the radio this morning. She had lost an aunt and uncle to Hamas. She said she was okay with using humanitarian aid as a “card” in the war and that withdrawal of aid might impose “just enough suffering to make the Palestinians reject Hamas”.

What aspect of the experience of the Jews in the last several thousand years could possibly make her think this? A culture that’s been persecuted for thousands of years by the larger societies within which they’ve been embedded, and that has not lost its essential jewishness. In fact, Judaism has been strengthened by persecution.

The absolute inhumanity of what she was saying infuriating

the ruling class can survive any crisis as long as the working class pays the price

https://interconnected.org/home/2024/05/31/camera

Mind-blowing speculation

Scripting News: Monday, April 8, 2024
— Read on scripting.com/2024/04/08.html

In London last year we went for a walk on the south bank of Thames. A good part of that walk in the most touristy section between two of the bridges is devoted to a wall of remembrance for victims of COVID; names, with stenciled hearts. Many of the stencils had hand painted links to adjacent hearts representing related family members who had died.

The scale of the exhibit, probably over a mile long, counterposed with the tiny size of each painted heart and name, is very moving. It led me to wonder if there were something similar here in the US; I couldn’t recall hearing about such a thing. I determined to make a local wall for Whidbey Island. But of course I forgot about it, until I read Dave’s comment.

https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2024/02/02/nimble-nationality-will-define-state-capacity/index.html

This showed up in my feed today, and I feel a surprising sympathy with the message. The author discusses sin and forgiveness from an Anglican perspective, and compares their understanding with our society’s current thinking regarding sins of history.

https://danluu.com/nothing-works/

A nice analysis of the flaws in stock MBA thinking

“WHAT HAPPENED? La Roja, who were initially staying in Palmerston North – a city in New Zealand – have now shifted base and moved to Wellington. As per media reports, the primary for their shifting of base camp was boredom as the team felt there was nothing much to do in Palmerston North” https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/spain-leave-women-world-cup-base-camp-palmerston-north-boredom-city-mayor-inviting-night-out/blt8ed2f7d94c46da9b#:~:text=WHAT%20HAPPENED%3F%20La%20Roja%2C%20who%20were%20initially%20staying%20in%20Palmerston%20North%20%2D%20a%20city%20in%20New%20Zealand%20%2D%20have%20now%20shifted%20base%20and%20moved%20to%20Wellington.%20As%20per%20media%20reports%2C%20the%20primary%20for%20their%20shifting%20of%20base%20camp%20was%20boredom%20as%20the%20team%20felt%20there%20was%20nothing%20much%20to%20do%20in%20Palmerston%20North

Christopher Lydon is shocked. Shocked! At the recent treatment of a Harvard president at the hands of a House subcommittee, and the subsequent folding of the administration. He wonders how we got here.

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9yYWRpb29wZW5zb3VyY2Uub3JnL2ZlZWQ/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9yYWRpb29wZW5zb3VyY2Uub3JnLz9wPTM2MjA1?ep=14

Before the Nazi administration of Germany turned that country into the most despised on the planet, it represented the peak of Western civilization. Some of the greatest educational institutions in the world were in Germany. It might behoove us to ask what happened to them in the period between the Nazis taking power and the advent of World war II.

https://cdm.link/2024/01/phil-niblock-unstoppable/

I played at Experimental Intermedia downtown sometime in the ’90s, and I’ve been at several events there. Memorable. A nice short eulogy from Scanner, too.