Kyoshi

Double post.

^Just wanted to add they've even brought out Hilary Clinton and her husband, and the former is not having a good time of it. She got heckled pretty brutally. There's a million plans right now and none of them look particularly good.

I know. I guess 20+ days for me qualifies as a few since it's less than a month, especially in this context (it has surely factored into why Israel is trying to fast track the Rafah invasion. I don't imagine they want to be dropping bombs during Islam's holiest month). EDIT: The point I'm trying to make Is, it seems like everyone is running around a bit more hastily right now. Blinken spends half his time in North Africa and the Middle East, and it feels especially rushed. Biden tried to talk with Muslum leaders and got turned down, now he's taking with the king of Jordan, who I think previously rebeffed him too ... its like DNC had an emergency meeting and decided, "okay, from now on we're going to do EVERYTHING. we need the Arab/Muslim vote back as soon as possible." And as a result, no plan is particularly refined. They're all just throwing stuff at the wall with the hope it will stick because there's some fast approaching deadline i.e. Ramadan. So yeah ... maybe not a few days, but soon enough to qualify as "too soon." Apologies for grammar errors. Typing on my stupid phone.

Will check this when I have the time. Thanks for the recommendation.

I've kind of been following the election build-up (because everyone is having an election this year for some reason), and one segment** focused on how kids in some of the poorer islands/villages/provinces go to school, and it kind of broke my heart, mostly because it looked so familiar (I'm rural South African). **it was on the news so I unfortunately don't have a link. But the top 3 candidates are all running on education, and each aspect is maybe as important as the next, but each one is so neglected, they can be split into three separate campaign footholds.

Not saying that I know for sure-sure, but it seems other Muslim and Arab nations were trying to unseat SA as the Muslim/Arab "leader nation," especially after the war in Yemen. SA flexed its muscles and the mutiny didn't happen, but South Africa** being the country to take Israel to court, as opposed to a majority Arab or Muslim nation, was very embarrassing I'd say. There's no doubt in my mind that Saudi Arabia's current position has nothing to do with morality or brotherly love towards Palestine. They're trying to save face. Also, American arrogance and militarism has not helped. It's also Ramadan in a few days; normalisation RIGHT NOW is an absolutely terrible idea; the whole world is watching, especially the Muslim and Arab worlds. Saudi Arabia needs to wash its image a little. But I expect they'll come back to the table once things die down. **Chile, Mexico and Indonesia also having their own cases is making things worse. Palestine has really been abandoned by their "brothers," only Indonesia and Yemen stand with them in "word and deed," and they're not very powerful either. Yemen is still coming out of its own tragedy. So really, the question has been, for a very long time, where is the Arab world in all of this? More specifically, where is Saudi Arabia? Why are they allowing this?

^congratulations!

Yeah no, I'm not taking this bait again.

"VEEP is a documentary." Although, one can't be sure if it's about Harris or Haley.

I figured since we were engaging in reductive, intentionally nonsensical, ad hominem arguments, I may as well give it my all.

Exactly this. It's truly frustrating to watch so-called politically-literate people just ignore all of that. Of course Israel has been investigating UNRWA for months. I expect that they investigate literally every aid agency in Gaza and the West Bank on principle. The Hamasification of Palestine is intentional because it always provides the US, UK and all the others with the cover of, "but what if we're actually funding terrorists?" That's why these "But Hamas ... but Hamas ... but what about Hamas" arguments are especially circular. Someone on Twitter said it best, its like cutting off funding to the NHS because of Lucy Letby. It's collective punishment, it's punitive, and if the ICJ didn't make that ruling, would this investigation have yielded these supposed terrorists?

That should have been implied. Naturally.

Since you continued to deliberately miss the point, it seemed apt to be as ham-fisted as possible. I'm glad it finally landed.

again, you're being deliberately disingenuous. i have looked inside myself and the point i'm trying to make is simply this - israel is a settler colonial ethno-fascist apartheid theocracy that propagates propaganda in an effort to justify its genocidal actions. i hope that's clear enough.

You're being deliberately disingenuous here. You know it makes a huge difference when headlines come out saying "Hamas beheads 40 babies," vs when they say "there was a baby among the murdered civilians." Ask yourself why someone would say the first if it isn't true and you'll get your answer.

Israel does this constantly. They make a truly shocking claim that will have you on their side without question, click bait if you will. And then later, very very very quietly, they will retract the statement such that it barely makes a dent against the original statement. They also do it with accountability, like when the IDF killed Shireen Abu Akleh, the admission of guilt was so quiet that if you weren't following the story you would have missed it completely.

This particular post has been bothering because it was just too familiar. Here's a report about another aid organisation suddenly being labelled a terrorist organisation, very notably, after an inquiry into the r*p* of a Palestinian boy by Israeli prison authorities. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/israel-criminalized-group-following-report-raped-palestinian-child The one thing the Israeli prison/war machine can do "very well" is find terrorists among aid organisations. Somehow, it's always when they're called upon to do better and treat Palestinians better. So of course as soon as the ICJ said Israeli must stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, they blocked aid completely. To use an analogy, Israel has been behaving like an abuser throughout its entire occupation. Everything it's required to do better because its crimes are brought to light, it retaliates by punishing Palestinians.

I completely understand how you feel. The western intelligentsia is truly something to behold. That people can debate humanity is something that will forever shock me.

we can try to "intellectualise" this all we want, but whatever side you stand on, you can't deny this was a loss for israel. they stand accused of genocide. the ruling today literally means they are on trial for genocide. surely that means something; hopefully it means israel is PR-conscious enough to at least attempt redemption. but i honestly have no faith in them.

^thank you.

please excuse my ignorance, i'm genuinely curious, but shouldn't a religious leader (or some council of them) inaugurate something like that? i guess i don't trust politicians in general, especially in election years, and this is kind of "uncomfortable" given that a mosque was razed and there seems to be a growing nationalist movement. but i'm not Indian and my discomfort is really just something i feel, not a general condemnation of the temple itself ... not necessarily i guess ...

congrats on the deal. i'm very sorry about your father.

I'm finding the conversation very interesting because I've always wondered how it gets decided that movies are impactful/audiences actually connect with them, because I must be one of few people who were genuinely waiting for this film. My whole family, in fact. We've already had repeat watches because we genuinely enjoy the franchise, can connect with the strong environmental themes, and are eagerly awaiting the so-called Ash people rumoured for Avatar 3. This isn't directed at you, but I personally find most of the criticism against the franchise rather lazy, like one guy made a bunch of bullet points against it and now everyone just sort of picks from that list to argue why the movies are "bad." Stuff like "can you even name the main character at the top of your head?" The answer doesn't matter IMHO. My favourite book of all time is "The Remains of the Day" and I kid you not when I say I couldn't name the main character two weeks after putting it down. Bit it still remains the most profound story I've ever read. I guess what I'm trying to say, in a roundabout way, is that people might simply enjoy the franchise. At least enough to explain the ridiculous box office numbers. The story is "simple," sure enough, but some things, IMHO, are allowed to be. I'm South African, my history dictates that I NOT have to imagine overly complex motivations for human cruelty. Humans are shit, for the most part. Especially when you factor in capitalism. A lot of mines and petroleum companies STILL have to be bullied into prioritising human life and the environment over money. Just a year ago (IIRC) the Wild Coast was in danger from Shell. There's nothing complex about that. If someone wrote that story, it really would be that straightforward. So I guess the "it's too simple" argument kind of baffles me.

... and this is why I'm staring a #ReleaseTheNamiAndWeiCut campaign.

i also wanted more prax, but more just because i really liked the character, i didn't care if he would add anything to the series. i just wanted a "keeping up" sort of thing. "where are they now?" same with avasarala's family. at least one throwaway line about how her descendants are doing. i think if kit's chapters went to mei and nami, i might have actually cared more for them, as opposed to slogging through just because i understand that something huge will result from them. maybe establish that kit is living on that other world through convos on the ship and that would be enough to justify alex leaving sol; also establish alex hasn't kept in touch with kit, build up the guilt throughout the book until at the end he has no choice but to follow his son, even though we never meet kit so to speak. imho we really didn't need kit's chapters. mei and nami forever woohoo!