Good afternoon. I had errands and an attack of laziness this morning so I am a bit later than usual. We have a bit of sun right now but that is supposed to change. The weather forecast for the next two or three days is absolutely miserable as winter Storm Gerri is supposed to roll through. If we had any plans we would have changed them but since we don't have anything that will take us out of the house we are set.
GZero has a good article on why 2024 is a year we might not want to remember when it is done. I don't think we will get off so lucky because the consequences of the year's events will constantly remind us of it.
Jan 12*****************************************************************
The predicted storm has arrived. I am looking at heavy, wind-driven snow at the moment. When I woke the first time and came down stairs to finish the night in my recliner (the cats double teamed me to get me out of bed) the pavements were clear and most of the last snow had melted off the south-facing grass. Now everything is covered again. I just saw a snow plow go by. We plan to hibernate for at least the next week.
A stray thought come to mind as the news is still going on about the contest between The Former Guy and Judge Engoron over his attempt to make his own closing argument that comes out of a story in English jurisprudence. A man was in court because of some misconduct by his wife. The justices told him the law demands he "control" his wife. He replied that if the law demanded that of him "the law is an ass." The Former Guy's lawyers are in the same position when the Judge ordered him to "control your client." Yeah, like that will happen. No one controls The Former Guy--not even The Former Guy.
It has been a good day for needlework. Worked on the embroidery on a pillow case. I am almost half finished with the first of a pair. Also spent a couple of hours on a new stash buster blanket. I saw the stitch pattern on line and started it a couple of days ago. I have about seven or eight inches done. I wanted to pull out some aida cloth squares I have had around for ages so I could thread in some grid lines and mark center. They would make some nice cross stitched pieces to incorporate into larger work. I guess I am going to have to dig into my stash and find them but that is a task for another day.
Is anyone surprised that the U.S. and U.K. struck at Houthi military sites overnight? After some time warning them and only getting escalating drone strikes against shipping, it was only a matter of time considering how much of the world's shipping goes through the Red Sea.
Joshua Frank posted a good piece on Tomdispatch on the destruction of Gaza. My own thoughts: First, it is amazing how quickly the conversation has moved from the atrocities Hamas (and other Palestinians who also went through the fence) to an utter condemnation of Israel. No one has ever said how justice for those Israelis killed, kidnapped, or raped would be achieved. Second, I don't see any real path toward any justice for Palestinians who may not have been associated with Hamas. Third, somewhere early in Israel's war on Hamas it morphed into a war on Palestinians which shows just as much mercy for them as Hamas showed for Israelis. I don't know if the genocide charges will be proved legally but the situation can be considered genocide by any reasonable layman's definition.
This Goats and Soda article on NPR raises questions in my mind. First, who is the real recipient of food aid: the people in other countries who need food or American agribusiness (we don't have that many farmers any more). Second, can we really feel generous if pay tax money to our agribusiness for food which the recipients can't use, aren't really nutritious, or spoils before it reaches the people we are supposedly helping? Third, did anyone research what the potential recipients needed, perhaps by asking local people? If they didn't it seems the height of arrogance to assume what we chose to "give" was something they wanted or needed. I put the term in quotes because the "gift" was bought with our taxes. And, according to the story, our politicians are trying to double down on a dysfunctional system by forbidding any money or vouchers that local people can use to buy from local producers. It reminds me of my long deceased ex-mother-in-law who kept giving expensive gifts that were really not gifts but attempts to control us and our use of those gifts. We finally stopped accepting them.
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