Chit Chat

By Peloni

From now on comments on every post must relate to the content of the post.

Comments that don’t relate to the post must go here.

Any person who contravenes this demand will be put on moderation. Also their offending comment will be trashed.

The reason for this demand is so that people who want to read comments which pertain to the post, don’t have to wade through the chatter.

Everyone will be happier.

April 16, 2020 | 9,217 Comments »

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  2. US expects Israel to respond to Iran’s attack on Saturday night, but in a limited scope
    Despite cautions against further escalation in the region, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s representative to the UN, said that Israel ‘reserves the legal right to retaliate. The world cannot settle for inaction.’
    Israel National News
    Apr 16, 2024, 8:21 AM (GMT+3)

    NBC News reports that the US announced it expects Israel to respond to Iran’s attack on Saturday night, but in a limited scope, most likely targeting Iranian military forces and Iranian-backed proxies outside Iran, or striking shipments or storage facilities with advanced weaponry that are sent from Iran to Hezbollah.

    This announcement comes following conversations that were held between US and Israeli officials even before Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. Iran’s attack on Israel comes in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Syria, killing two of Tehran’s top generals.

    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388568

    So, now the US is completely in charge of anything Israel does.

    My only hope is that this will not result in the TSFS or one (Arab) state in place of Israel.

  6. @Edgar I just remembered another of my favorite biting satires when I was a kid. I had a modern library paperback (remember those from a 100 years ago, all cloth content and they never decay, real works of art) of “Zuleika Dobson” by Max Beerbohm. (1911)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuleika_Dobson

    My memory was triggered by my saying “in the ’20s and ’30s of the last century” I’ve I grew up reading fin de s’iecle (turn of the century really) novels and always wanted to be able to say that (a phrase that was frequently used i( I mean, “employed” see I just wanted to sound fancy schmancy and pretentious-like with my limited vocabulary 😀 ) in the works I read. Werkes. Woikes*) 😀

    *Little bit of assimilated Jewish self-satire in Victor Borge’s “phonetic punctuation” bit: he says with a Brookllyn, now Long Island, Jewish accent, “hoid” and then corrects himself to “heard’ in his usual aristocratic Danish accent. 😀

    Reminds me of the joke I heard from my parents – a lot – when I was a kid about the Jewish lady who is trying not to give away her ethnicity at some duke or baronet’s dinner table and accidentally spills the salt. “Oy” she exclaims. And quickly follows with, “Whatever that means.” 😀

  7. @Sebastien
    Yes, I saw that. It is intolerable that the Israeli population should be forced to uniquely suffer such outrages as these with impunity as the perpetrators of these crimes are hailed as heroes and victims. This can not be allowed to persist.

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  8. @Sebastien Zorn

    Does anything ever change [emphasis mine]?

    … it is certain that the Jews were among the ablest soldiers of ancient times… …Throughout their history they had to fight powerful and aggressive nations, far better equipped, situated and numerous than they, including the successive lords of the earth. the Egyptians, Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks and Romans.

    Access to weapons and armor was poor. An even greater weakness from the aggressive viewpoint of the ancients, was the Jewish preoccupation with moral problems under a philosophy of living dominated by what the baffled Romans described as “the superstition of an invisible god”.

    The Hebrew Impact on Western Civilization, Ed. by Dagobert D. Runes, 1951 (p. 721)

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  11. Somebody on Facebook posted a meme about a Jewish tradition that says goodness will be saved in the world by 36 good men who won’t know who they are or that they have been chosen by God to play this role. This is how I responded:

    This is a joke I learned as a kid (I'm a 2nd generation Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor on my father's side and my Jewish-American mother learned Hungarian so I could have learned it from either of them, by way of background: Scene takes place on a commuter train from Budapest to the suburbs either between or before the 2 world wars: So, this guy is sitting on the aisle and a young man walking buy says, hi, and he studiously ignores hiim. Hey, the guy sitting next to him says, why did you snub that polite young man. He's from Pocs (pronounced Poksh, nobody knows where it is but it sounds a lot like Chelm, there are no honest men in Pocs. If I say hello to him back, he might invited me to his home, and then I'd have to invite him to my home, he might meet my daughter, get married. Nol way! Wait just a minute, I'll have you know I'm from Pocs. There's lots of honest men in Pocs. Oh, yeah, name 20. Name 20, what do you mean, who knows 20 names off the top of his head, do I carry my rolodex around? OK, name 10, Tem. tem. look my tooth hurts, I had a fight with my wife, I can't think straight. Alright then, name ONE. Thinks a moment then comes back brightly, "Must be from Pocs?

    1

  16. @Ted Belman

    It was a put up deal.

    EXACTLY.

    I wouldn’t even find it unimaginable that Israel was in on it also.

    Here is something from 10 days ago:

    https://swentr.site/news/595497-iran-warns-us-israel/

    Don’t fall into Israeli ‘trap’, Iran warns US
    Iran has warned the US to “stay away” from any potential clash between itself and Israel, while Washington has cautioned Tehran against targeting American facilities, Iranian presidential aide Mohammad Jamshidi said on Friday.

    1

  19. I believe that Bidan arranged with Iran, the extent of the response and Biden agreed to prevent retaliation.
    Thus after the response was over, all partners in defending Israel including Britain, France and Saudi Arabia all came out against retailiation.
    It was a put up deal.

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  20. @Michael “A travelling salesman drove past a farm one day and noticed a pig with one wooden leg. He didn’t think much of it until a week later, driving by the same farm, the pig had two wooden legs. The third week, the pig had three wooden legs, and finally, after seeing the pig the fourth week with four wooden legs, he had to stop to inquire about it.

    He tracked down the farmer and asked him about the strange sight. The farmer told him, “Well, that’s the greatest pig alive. About a month ago, he saved my wife and kids and me from our burning house by waking us up in the middle of the night just in time to escape without any harm!”

    The salesman continue to prod the farmer about the pig’s wooden legs. “Well,” the farmer replied, “this pig is just like one of the family. He’s a really great pig. A couple of weeks ago, our youngest boy fell in the creek, and this truly wonderful pig fished him out just in time to save him from drowning! He’s one really great pig!”

    The salesman, starting to lose his patience, again inquired about the wooden legs, to which the farmer replied, “Last week, I fell off my horse and my foot got caught up in the stirrup. This great pig ran along side of the horse and me and untangled me and truly saved my life. What a great pig – the greatest pig in the world!!”

    Losing his patience, the salesman finally shouted, “All right already, That’s enough! He’s a really great pig – a REALLY great pig! But what about his wooden legs?!”

    To which the farmer replied, “Well now, a great pig like that – you don’t eat him all at once!”‘

    -Prairie Home Companion

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  21. I think perhaps Michael is a fan of Jonathan Swift and means the opposite of what he says? I try to think the best of people for as long as I can.

    A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick,[1] commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift in 1729. The essay suggests that poor people in Ireland could ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to the elite. Swift’s use of satirical hyperbole was intended to mock hostile attitudes towards the poor and anti-Catholicism among the Protestant Ascendancy as well as the Dublin Castle administration’s policies in general.[2] In English writing, the phrase “a modest proposal” is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

    I read it when I was in high school in the 1720’s. I only read contemporary literature at that time.

    —
    Oh, apropos of nothing, here’s an interesting historical tidbit courtesy of Wikipedia. Edgar, what’s your opinion?

    “Juvenal’s Satires, giving several accounts of Jewish life in first-century Rome, have been regarded by scholars, such as J. Juster and, more recently, Peter Nahon, as a valuable source about early Judaism.[11]”

    “11. Peter Nahon, 2014. Idées neuves sur un vieux texte : Juvénal, Saturae, 6, 542–547. In: Revue des études latines 92:1–6”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenal

    —
    Though I must confess I’m more familiar with contemporary scholarly accounts of the period like that of Mel Brooks on the Last Supper

    https://youtu.be/VA1sx-vyWVk?si=tKG1PsayX2wFIjgt

  22. @Michael

    What IS your day job? FSB, like others here?

    no,

    FSBPT: The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

    like others here, present company included. 😀

  23. Sebastien, you said,

    I think you hate Russians.

    You think wrong. Obviously, you have never been downwind of a pig farm. It stinks to high heaven; but I still had bacon this morning. As usually, you’re trying (unsuccessfully) to be funny.

    BTW, What IS your day job? FSB, like others here?

    2

  25. @Bear’ Someone is watching over us

    I do believe that based on objective evidence not faith as I explained to Michael. This was another article that convinced me.

    Hand of God’ prevents rocket from striking its target: Israeli Iron Dome operator says sudden gust of wind blew missile into sea when defence system failed
    The commander claims that the divine intervention stopped the missile
    ‘I witnessed this miracle with my own eyes,’ the commander
    Obama has signed bill granting xtra $225 million to the Iron Dome system
    Israeli officials say it has a success rate as high as 90 percent
    By JILL REILLY

    PUBLISHED: 05:43 EDT, 6 August 2014 | UPDATED: 12:02 EDT, 6 August 2014
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2717659/Hand-God-prevents-rocket-striking-target-Israeli-Iron-Dome-operator-says-sudden-gust-wind-blew-missile-sea-defence-failed.html

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  26. @Bear Well, proportionality would seemingly dictate that the same number of missiles be fired at anyplace Khamenei might be lurking and give them an opportunity to shoot them down if they can.

    2

  29. Over 200 missiles fired at Israel so far, IDF spokesman says; Israeli fighter jets continue to intercept cruise missiles beyond Israel’s borders. via @N12News
    & @ynetalerts

    Israel Radar

  30. The Israel Link is reporting that a child, 10 year old, first reported as a boy and later as a girl, who was struck by falling debris from a ballistic missile.

    No one else is reporting the child’s death.

  32. Senior sources confirm: Israeli response to Iranian assault will be “significant and powerful”; security cabinet convenes to discuss next steps. via @ynetalerts

    Radar News

  33. 99% success rate in shooting down drones, cruise & ballistic missiles by IDF.

    USA & Jordan also shot down drones over Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

    One injury to a Israeli Bedouin reported who was hit by falling remnants of missile.

    OOPPs I was trying to give timely news update to those who do not have the ability to listen and watch Hebrew timely news. Sorry I am in moderation so this was a waste of time. My mistake.

  34. IDF spokesman tells Israelis: Iran launched ballistic missiles, explosions may be heard due to interceptions or impacts; red alert sirens possible in large areas of Israel. via @N12New

    IDF says dozens of ballistic missiles fired at Israel, @N12News
    reports

    Israel Radar

  35. 272 Red Alerts active right now across Israel.

    Air raid alerts across Israel, drone and missile attacks from Iran underway, massive explosions heard, air defences engaging

    IL RedAlert

  38. Marco Rubio, Vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee and member of the gang of eight, says: “The attack on Israel by the regime in Iran is going to be more extensive than initially expected”

    Faytuks News

  42. “A senior U.S. official told ABC News they now think there will be anywhere from 400 to 500 drones and missiles launched at Israel from Iraq, Syria, southern Lebanon and the Houthis but that the bulk will be launched form Iran”

    ELINT News

  44. In the coming hours the U.S. expects missile launches from Iran and southern Lebanon — and maybe even the Houthis — as well as drones. The Iranians are trying to overwhelm the Israeli air defenses, per Israeli official

    Faytuks News