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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. Which email newsletter was that from, Donkey?
  2. This is a good analysis of the GQP's current situation and certainly reflects the second part of PJ O'Rourke's famous quote: "The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, and then they get elected and prove it." And to emphasize that, read the last three lines of this piece.
  3. Lots of good detail from that reporting. At the 26-second mark of the above Twitter video clip, you can see the "soil heap" that's being referred to. I think in American English we'd call it a slag heap. Anyway, this google map link shows the area that's the primary focus of that account, along with Avdviivka, Stepove, and Berdychi. I don't think I realized how very close it is to the major city of Donetsk (only about 10 miles from the city center mas o menos).
  4. Quelle surprise Hamas Fails to Make Case That Israel Struck Hospital A senior Hamas official says “nothing is left” of the munition that hit the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City last week, killing hundreds. Israel says the explosion was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. Six days after Hamas accused Israel of bombing a hospital in Gaza City and killing hundreds of people, the armed Palestinian group has yet to produce or describe any evidence linking Israel to the strike, says it cannot find the munition that hit the site and has declined to provide detail to support its count of the casualties. Within an hour of the blast on Tuesday night, the Hamas-run Gazan health ministry accused Israel of attacking the Ahli Arab hospital, a medical center in Gaza City where scores of families had been sheltering. The allegation was soon denied by Israel but quickly accepted and amplified by Arab leaders across the Middle East, setting off unrest throughout the region. The claim was widely cited by international news outlets, including The New York Times, before Israel issued its denial. But in the days since, as new evidence contradicting the Hamas claim has emerged, the Gazan authorities have changed their story about the blast. Spokespeople have released death tolls varying from 500 to 833, before settling on 471. The Hamas-run health ministry has also declined to release further details about those 471 victims, and all traces of the munition have seemingly vanished from the site of the blast, making it impossible to assess its provenance. Raising further questions about Hamas’s claims, the impact site turned out to be the hospital parking lot, and not the hospital itself. On Sunday, Hamas turned down requests by The Times to view any available evidence of the munition it said had struck the hospital, claiming that it had disintegrated beyond recognition. “The missile has dissolved like salt in the water,” said Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official, in a phone interview. “It’s vaporized. Nothing is left.” Salama Maroof, the head of the Hamas-run government media office, said in a text message: “Who says we’re obligated to present the remnants of every rocket that kills our people? In general, you can come and research and confirm for yourself from the evidence we possess.” For Palestinians, the accusation of Israeli responsibility for the blast has cemented the perception that Israel’s response to the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7 has been disproportionate and vengeful. The Hamas-run Gazan health ministry says that Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 Palestinians, 40 percent of them children, and the high reported death toll has undermined international support for Israel’s counterattack. But to Israelis, the accusation that Israel hit the hospital is part of a grand deception aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Israel’s response to what officials say was the deadliest single attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
  5. Like pulling teeth today on most of the puzzles. Wordle 856 5/6 ⬛🟨⬛⬛🟨 🟨⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #134 🟪🟪🟩🟪 🟪🟩🟪🟪 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 Weekly Quordle Challenge 18 5️⃣7️⃣ 4️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟩🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Weekly Quordle Challenge 18 5️⃣7️⃣ 4️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟩🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 637 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Blossom Puzzle, October 23 Letters: E F I N R T U My score: 284 points My longest word: 9 letters 🌹 💐 🏵 🌷 🌺 💮 🌼 🌸 🌻 Play Blossom: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/blossom-word-game #Worldle #640 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #313 (4/9) (0 hints) ✅✅✅✅ https://imois.in/games/travle/ ClickWord.org Daily 261: 548 points (top 20% 🎊) 14 words: 🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟥🟧🟨🟨🟩🟩🟩 💪 Best word: 94 points 🔥 Streak: 3 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily261
  6. Far-Right Candidate Heads to Runoff in Argentina Election Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, performed worse than polls predicted and will face Sergio Massa, Argentina’s economy minister, next month. After leading in the polls for months, Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian economist, tumbled to second place in Argentina’s election on Sunday, sending him to a runoff next month that will be an important test of strength for the global far-right movement. Mr. Milei, 53, will face off against Sergio Massa, 51, Argentina’s center-left economy minister who finished a surprise first Sunday and who will now try to persuade voters he can save the nation of 46 million from the economic turmoil that his government helped create. Mr. Massa earned 36 percent of the vote, to Mr. Milei’s 30 percent, with 92 percent of the votes counted. Candidates needed to surpass 45 percent, or 40 percent with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff. Since winning the primary election in August, Mr. Milei had been leading most polls, with Mr. Massa in second. But many voters on Sunday showed that they preferred a more familiar candidate — Mr. Massa has spent more than two decades in Argentine politics — to Mr. Milei, who has spent his career as a corporate economist and then television pundit. “For Milei, this should be a shock,” said Ignacio Labaqui, an Argentine political analyst. Mr. Milei received nearly the same percentage of the vote as in the primary election, he said, while Mr. Massa’s support grew after a campaign focused on the dangers of a Milei presidency. “Massa has a very strong chance to become Argentina’s next president,” Mr. Labaqui added. Mr. Milei has dominated the national conversation and received blanket media coverage in Argentina in recent months with his brash outsider campaign centered on radical proposals to eliminate the nation's central bank and replace its currency, the Argentine peso, with the U.S. dollar.
  7. Israeli Reservist From Maryland Is Killed Near Lebanon Border Omer Balva, 22, was among the 360,000 reservists Israel had mobilized. He was near Israel’s northern border when his unit was struck by anti-tank missile fire, the Israeli military said. An Israeli military reservist who was raised in Maryland was killed on Friday when anti-tank missile fire struck his unit near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the Israeli military said. Omer Balva, 22, was among the 360,000 reservists that the Israeli government had mobilized in an immense increase in its military forces ahead of an expected ground invasion of Gaza. Mr. Balva was a staff sergeant in the 9203rd battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade, according to the Israel Defense Forces. He moved to Israel after graduating from high school in Rockville, Md., in 2019 and was a student at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel, where he was studying for a degree in business administration and economics. Ethan Missner, a close friend of Mr. Balva’s since childhood, said that the two had talked “almost daily” for their entire lives, except when Mr. Balva was training with the Israeli military. “Since we were 6 years old, I’ve spent, you know, endless time with him,” he said. “I truthfully don’t know a single person that’s ever fought with Omer,” Mr. Missner added. “And I think that that’s a superpower Omer had, that he can know and be close to so many people and he was just only sweet.” Mr. Balva was on vacation in the United States when he was called up to fight in Israel, Mr. Missner said. He said that Mr. Balva had been traveling with his girlfriend of four years, whom he had planned to propose to soon. Before Mr. Balva left for Israel about a week ago, he stopped in Maryland and spent some time with Mr. Missner, who said that his friend’s top concern was making sure his loved ones were not too worried. Mr. Balva’s parents were already in Israel when he arrived and he spent two days with them before he was sent to a military base, Mr. Missner said. “He died fighting for the people that he loved and a country that he loved,” Mr. Missner said. On Sunday, Mr. Missner and his family watched a livestream of Mr. Balva’s funeral in Israel. Thousands of people attended, he said, and the speakers included Mr. Balva’s parents, his three siblings and his girlfriend. Mr. Balva graduated from the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, outside Washington, in 2019. The school said in a statement on Instagram that Mr. Balva was “an unabashed advocate for the State of Israel.” In a 2018 school presentation, Mr. Balva described his family’s long history with Israel and said that his parents had moved to the United States in 1996 for business reasons. He wrote in the presentation that he hoped to move to Israel as an adult and to raise his children there. In 2019, the year Mr. Balva left for Israel and began his compulsory military service, he wrote a letter to Mr. Missner. “I want you to know,” he wrote, “that every time I’m sad I go to this one thought of me and you at 24 or 25 with our families on vacation, the thought of us with wives and children we love and are able to support always brings a smile to my face.”
  8. That one I got due to spending a year in France where they call the English "les rosbifs" like how the French are called "Frogs."
  9. Yeah, I understood what each of the four categories was supposed to be, but there was too much overlap. I think I may have been able to put it all together had I known that "trifle" has a separate definition than what I've always known it to mean.
  10. Yeah, I'm trying to be realistic in my thinking here. Hamas has got to go, but we insist Gazans do it themselves without any outside support. So, then, Israel has to be the "bad guys" and do it themselves, causing all kinds of uproar, but then we also know that Bibi et al have been supporting Hamas all this time to keep Fatah from being a viable counterbalance within Gaza. So, if we (the collective voice of peace, democracy, and moderation) aren't supporting the only known group that might have sway, aren't we then setting up the Gazan public for failure? It's kind of a Catch-22, don't you think?
  11. And, again, as I asked on the previous page, what support have opposition forces within Gaza, both political and military, been receiving from Hamas's enemies? It's an honest question because I'm not sure it *is* realistic without getting that support. If they have been, maybe it should be increased. I know that Fatah lost to Hamas some 15 years ago in what was basically a civil war in Gaza. Do they even have a presence in Gaza now? If so, why haven't they been getting assistance?
  12. Agreed on all counts, and yes, I'm very aware of your final point. Also, maybe, we can consider in light of what the occupation has done to foster destructive sentiments within Gaza and the West Bank and what might actually be possible in a more just situation. And to those who point out that ordinary Gazans have a responsibility to oust Hamas with no means (or unspecified ones), I'd argue that Israelis have that responsibility too -- except the latter do have the means to do so at the ballot box. I'd also like to highlight this piece by Roger Cohen about peace advocates on both sides appearing in today's NYTimes because it's important to recognize and support their efforts. No paywall link: https://archive.ph/U52pF
  13. I agree with your five points, but how do you expect normal Gazans to accomplish this alone under the conditions that Gaza is (and has been) under? Has any opposition to Hamas been supported by Hamas's enemies? If not, why? If so, what the fuck have they been doing? That's not a rhetorical question, either. I frankly do not know.
  14. How about we look at recent polling of Israelis, and y'all tell me what it says about their sentiments regarding peace, principles of democracy, and occupation? Also, compare their results to what we've discussed on this thread regarding potential solutions. "These numbers are actually horrifying." https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israeli-polls-regarding-peace-with-the-palestinians Almost getting to that threshold of people in a parliamentary system where people fundamentally do not agree with the principles of democracy. Totally muddled response. Large majority of Israeli Jews don't want a two-state solution by Arabs do. What?!? I was told Palestinians wouldn't support it! Interesting wording here in that it assumes all of the current internationally recognized boundaries, plus the West Bank and Gaza, are all considered "the Land of Israel." https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/opinions-of-israeli-jews-and-israeli-palestinian-arabs-toward-each-other Also, it's interesting to note that Arabs living in Israel are consistently more optimistic about the prospects for peace. Is there some sort of misunderstanding? Maybe Jewish opinions of Arabs are totally wrong. It seems Jewish opinions of Arabs are consistently more negative than vice versa. The majority of Jews prefer segregation. More Jews than not don't want to learn about historical and cultural Arab content. Arabs are scared to go into Jewish areas while Jews either suspect Arabs or consider them enemies. Maybe we should consider not blaming the Palestinians for everything.
  15. Looks like fucking Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but now it's Shitty Shitty Boom Boom.
  16. Interesting piece of the Ukrainian commando raid into Crimea from a few weeks ago from NYTimes Inside the Commando Raids Unnerving Russia in Crimea (no paywall link)
  17. Wordle 855 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟩 ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #133 🟩🟦🟩🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟩🟪 🟩🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟩🟪 Daily Quordle 636 6️⃣4️⃣ 7️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Daily Sequence Quordle 636 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟩⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #639 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #312 (3/7) (0 hints) ✅✅✅ https://imois.in/games/travle/ Blossom Puzzle, October 22 Letters: A C D E M P R My score: 294 points My longest word: 10 letters 🌺 🌸 💐 💮 🌻 🌼 🌹 🏵 🌷 🌺 Play Blossom: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/blossom-word-game ClickWord.org Daily 260: 446 points (top 40% 👏) 15 words: ⚛️🟪🟪🟥🟧🟧🟧🟨🟨🟨🟨🟩🟩🟩🟩 💪 Best word: 138 points 🔥 Streak: 2 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily260
  18. Got one. Edit: my feed must be delayed.
  19. That article was a good reminder of all the various forces keeping folks from protesting now, but I still do wonder about the future. I guess it boils down to whether Russia loses this war, because I have to think there will be some sort of reexamination or retribution for when/if that happens. As you know well, wars that Russia loses tend to lead to revolutions.
  20. Yeah, no doubt. Maybe I'm just in one of those moods this morning, but it's just shocking that it's seen as acceptable for a few square unstrategic kilometers.
  21. Such a stupid fucking brutal waste of human lives. I do wonder how this will be judged by Russians after the war is over (and hopefully lost by them). There's nothing "glorious" about it. Part 1 From the first tweet that didn't embed.
  22. All greens and still took four tries. Wordle 854 4/6 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬛⬛🟩⬛ 🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #132 🟨🟦🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 Daily Quordle 635 5️⃣6️⃣ 4️⃣9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟩⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 635 4️⃣6️⃣ 8️⃣9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #638 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr Going backward from destination to origin made this one easier. #travle #311 (12/19) (0 hints) ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ https://imois.in/games/travle/ Blossom Puzzle, October 21 Letters: E H I G L N T My score: 361 points My longest word: 11 letters 🌸 🌺 💐 💮 🏵 🌷 🌼 🌹 🌻 🌸 🌺 Play Blossom: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/blossom-word-game Could've probably scored a little higher but really wanted to make this happen and had to wait until the end to get the K. Totally worth it and was a 104-point move. ClickWord.org Daily 259: 480 points (top 20% 🎊) 14 words: ⚛️⚛️🟪🟪🟥🟧🟧🟨🟨🟨🟩🟩🟩🟩 💪 Best word: 104 points 🔥 Streak: 1 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily259
  23. Distract, delay, deflect for 10 years. Oops! It's time for a new Census, and we're still in charge of drawing the map! Jesus
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