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Wednesday Link Encyclopedia 

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Clarissa

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The commodification of life. And there’s nothing that can stop this process for as long as there is no higher good than giving human toys to bored rich consumers.

Obama can’t buy Israel’s love no matter how much money he throws at it. A tiny fraction of this sum, though, would be enough to do real good for my university. Just saying.

I wish people took at least a couple of courses in the Humanities to avoid writing such intensely dumb things about literature. 

Academic research is not “part of gift economy.” It’s part of branding. Why are there so many pompous asses in the world?

I love this blogger’s letters. They make me feel warm and cozy. I like talented people. 

And Israeli envies Germans their Merkel. Hey, I get it. You stare at Bibi’s dumb visage for a few years, even Merkel becomes a Santa Claus..[The link might act up but if it does, please believe me, it says what I say it does. I can post quotes in the comments.]

And to brighten up your evening, here is a hilarious article in micro-agressions class. Such fun!

28 responses to “Wednesday Link Encyclopedia ”

  1. Alana Avatar
    Alana

    ““I’ll give you an example,” Ms. Marlowe said. “I went to a conference. I was talking to this man. I thought he was black. I was talking about diversity and social justice.”

    “He said, ‘I’m Cuban,’” Ms. Marlowe told the crowd. “I assumed he was black because he was the same skin complexion as me, and the same type of hair.”

    You can’t be Cuban and black at the same time? This makes no sense at all. Has she never heard the term “Afro-Cuban”?

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      This cynical broad will say whatever to make a quick buck off dumbass colleges that can’t find a better way to spend money. My hatred for freaks like her is intense.

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  2. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    “Obama can’t buy Israel’s love no matter how much money he throws at it.”

    Obama isn’t after Israel’s love. (He and Netanyahu hate each other’s guts.) He’s trying to get his “pro-Israel critics” to vote for Hillary to keep his legacy going.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Dreidel, congratulations, you just came up with something even funnier than the article on microaggressions. :-))))))

      I like it when people can still surprise me like this.

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      1. Reed Avatar
        Reed

        Actually (and this may be the first time I’ve said this), I suspect Dreidel’s analysis is absolutely correct. It’s pure American (specifically: Democratic party) politics.

        And why this is amusing to you, Clarissa, is a mystery. What’s up with that?

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Read the link and it will become clear.

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        2. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          A short resume:

          Obama has showered both Israel and Saudi Arabia with aid and weapons for years, and in practical terms he has been one of the most reliable supporters of both governments, but no matter how much he does for these clients neither they nor their supporters here in the U.S. are satisfied. However much Obama supports both clients, the recipient governments still believe that he is too hard on them, neglects them, and works against their interests.

          http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/obamas-futile-efforts-at-reassuring-bad-clients/

          Note the source.

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  3. el Avatar
    el

    I was especially interested in the second post:

    Мемуарное (житейское)
    http://algalagan.livejournal.com/316927.html

    Мемуарное-2(теперь не мое, перепост, но продолжает предыдущую тему)
    http://algalagan.livejournal.com/317312.html

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      What a great post. Thank you! What this author is saying is absolutely crucial. People from our part of the world sometimes ask, “But how come I need long-term psychological help just to function on a basic level?” The answer is right here.

      Even just reading the post might be therapeutic to people because we all know the truth deep down.

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  4. el Avatar
    el

    If you are interested – there are 4 posts in the series on the following topic:

    Вот наблюдая за тем, как мои корреспонденты пишут о “февральском перевороте в Киеве” я все время удивлялся: ну ладно, им Путин рассказал они поверили. А вот интересно – а что они попытались понять?

    И я задал вопрос. Не для троллинга, не ради подъема рейтинга – из любопытства.
    …
    ОПИШИТЕ ПОШАГОВО И ОТЧЕТЛИВО КТО, КАК И КОГО СВЕРГАЛ – КАКОВА БЫЛА ПОСЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬНОСТЬ ДЕЙСТВИЙ, КОТОРАЯ ПРИВЕЛА К СМЕНЕ ВЛАСТИ. Причем для президента, кабмина и Рады отдельно – переворот это ведь смена всей власти

    Part 1
    http://trim-c.livejournal.com/1265979.html

    Part 2
    http://trim-c.livejournal.com/1267983.html

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  5. el Avatar
    el

    О невыгодности войны
    http://sergeyoho.livejournal.com/136630.html

    Btw, I read Yuval Noah Harari’s “A Brief History of Humankind” and enjoyed it. I suppose the blogger referred to this Harari.

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  6. el Avatar
    el

    ‘It took on a life of its own’: how one rogue tweet led Syrians to Germany
    One year ago, a tweet made Germany the promised land for refugees entering Europe – and changed the course of history
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/25/it-took-on-a-life-of-its-own-how-rogue-tweet-led-syrians-to-germany

    AND

    In an eastern German town which has become synonymous with xenophobia, police broke up a fight between 80 locals and 20 refugees on Wednesday.
    …
    This is just the latest in repeated conflicts in the town between refugees and locals.
    http://www.thelocal.de/20160915/police-far-right-saxony-refugees

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  7. el Avatar
    el

    A few days before the Berlin election, Frauke Petry, head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) said Chancellor Angela Merkel is a worse leader because she doesn’t have children.

    “I have four children, Merkel has none,” said Petry in an interview with stern.

    “Kids help you see beyond your own periphery. And that’s what Merkel doesn’t do.”
    …
    The chancellor herself has commented on the fact that she never had children.

    “It just didn’t happen. My life took a different path,” she commented on the issue a few years ago.

    But Merkel earned harsh criticism for her relationship to children again when she brought a 14-year-old Palestinian refugee girl Reem Sahwil to tears last year during ARD’s Morgenmagazin, telling her that Germany could not take in every refugee.

    http://www.thelocal.de/20160915/petry-bashes-mutti-merkel-over-childlessness#disqus_thread

    Btw, the girl’s family “has won permission to stay in Germany for another year” as the result of Merkel’s remark. And they are from Lebanon:

    \During the televised debate for young people – which was about ‘living in Germany – Reem told Merkel that her family was informed they would have to return to a camp in Lebanon imminently.

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  8. el Avatar
    el

    Goodbye, Nice Thing: German Train Personnel to be Given Pepper Spray, Attack Dogs
    …
    To be more precise, one of the Nice Things we are losing in Northwestern Europe is the existence of very safe and orderly public spaces in which members of all social classes can mingle freely with minimal risk of a threat, disagreeable spectacle, or bodily injury. Parks, public swimming pools, trains, plazas, outdoor festivals, sidewalks, etc.
    …
    Experience and studies show that it takes only a small increase in perceived danger and lawlessness to drive large changes in individuals’ risk-perception and behavior.

    If nothing’s done to intervene, what will happen is the creeping privatization of German life.
    http://www.germanjoys.eu/2016/09/german-train-personnel-to-be-given-pepper-spray-attack-dogs.html

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      The creeping privatization is underway everywhere, not just Germany. And has been for a decade.

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  9. el Avatar
    el

    A soldier was lightly wounded Friday in a stabbing attack at the Gilbert Checkpoint in Hebron.
    …
    This is the fourth terrorist attack to take place within the last few hours. It was preceded by a stabbing attempt, in which a Jordanian man of around 20 years old was shot and killed after running toward Border Police at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate in an attempt to stab a police officer.
    …
    A vehicular attack attempt also took place on Friday, when two terrorists—a man and a woman—tried to run over three Israeli teenagers with their car near Kiryat Arba. The man was shot to death and the woman was severely injured during the event, while the three boys were slightly injured. The woman terrorist’s sister had reportedy tried in the past to carry out her own vehicular terrorist attack near Kiryat Arba.
    …
    In a third, seemingly unrelated incident, a bus driver was lightly injured from rock throwing along Route 1.

    Dozens of Palestinians created distrubances aong the central and northern parts of the Gaza Strip Border by lighting tires on fire and throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks toward to the border fence. IDF forces shot one suspect who attempted to cross the border, who was seemingly hit, though the extent of his injuries and general codition are unclear.
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4855674,00.html

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  10. el Avatar
    el

    And Uri’s latest positive column provides a contrast to the above comment:

    It Can Happen Here
    http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1474036974/

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  11. el Avatar
    el

    Наша дорогая домоуправительница нашла-таки возможность решить миграционный кризис, пристроить всех беженцев на высокооплачиваемую работу и спасти Германию от неминуемого конца. Итак, суть гениального предложения. Уважаемая госпожа Меркель предлагает массово обменять сирийские права на немецкие всего за 500 евро!
    http://hryu.livejournal.com/186974.html

    AND

    Г-жа посол о переменах в Украине, политике США и санкциях
    http://trim-c.livejournal.com/1289074.html

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      The driving licences item: I hope it’s fake because if it isn’t, that can only mean Merkel has experienced an extensive episode of brain damage.

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      1. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        “The driving licences item: I hope it’s fake”

        I don’t think it is. Focus (where the link is) is a relatively reputable news organization.

        I think it’s more a case of trying to save some face and trying to find excuses for the continuing inevitable rolling disaster that is her refugee policy.

        It isn’t a serious proposal, it’s another explanation on how Germany has let her nobel ideas down.

        It’s astounding that the most powerful country in Europe can’t find anyone to make a run for her position.

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  12. el Avatar
    el

    Почему японской молодёжи трудно создать семью? Расслоение в обществе продолжается
    …
    в 2010 г. почти 3 млн японцев среднего возраста проживали со своими родителями, что составляет 16,1% от их возрастной группы. Однако их число и процентное соотношение продолжает расти. Количество безработных среди них также заметно превышает количество безработных среди их ровесников, состоящих в браке.

    http://www.socialcompas.com/2016/09/09/pochemu-yaponskoj-molodyozhi-trudno-sozdat-semyu-rassloenie-v-obshhestve-prodolzhaetsya/

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      There is zero connection between income and fertility anywhere in the world. But the attempts to find a link continue.

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      1. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        ” income and fertility ”

        not even secondary?

        I thought the primary link was that more education (in general, but especially female education) = less fertility with female labor participation being a secondary factor (since better education usually ends up being reflected in greater employment)

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        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          The richest people everywhere have very few children, while the poorest have a lot. Except maybe in Saudi Arabia but that’s not a place where women count as people.

          The USSR where everybody worked and everybody had the same access to the same education is a good test area. The well-to-do were not known for having many children. What they did have was maybe fewer abortions because they could get contraception.

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          1. cliff arroyo Avatar
            cliff arroyo

            “The richest people everywhere have very few children, while the poorest have a lot”

            That’s a connection between income and fertility, which you just wrote doesnt exist….

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  13. el Avatar
    el

    Defense establishment paying for leaders’ ego issues

    Op-ed: Both Netanyahu and Obama are to blame for the complicated negotiations on America’s military aid to Israel in the next decade.

    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4854218,00.html

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  14. el Avatar
    el

    The sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to play down the link between sugar and heart disease and promote saturated fat as the culprit instead, newly released historical documents show.

    The internal sugar industry documents, recently discovered by a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, and published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that five decades of research into the role of nutrition and heart disease, including many of today’s dietary recommendations, may have been largely shaped by the sugar industry.

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  15. el Avatar
    el

    Just ended reading this:

    Alone Among Jews / Catch the Jew! recounts the adventures of Tuvia Tenenbom, who wanders around Israel of our time calling himself “Tobi the German.” In the course of numerous interviews Tuvia extracts information, sentiments, hidden theories and delusional visions motivating the miscellany of peoples forming the present-day Holy Land.
    http://jewishtheater.org/Jewish%20Theater/Alone-Among-Jews.htm

    Interesting what you would think, had you read the book. His interviews do sound genuine to me. And he truly went everywhere both in Israel and in PA, using made-up identities to make people hide less from him than usual. He talked with settlers and with the right hand man of Abu Mazen, visited the Muslim part of Jerusalem and participated in the Muslim demonstration, stones and tear gas (from IDF soldiers) included. He even went to Jordan on some peace seminar, paid by Europeans. Btw, Uri Avnery whose column we sometimes read appears too. 🙂

    A few times the interviewees do say something interesting from intellectual point of view. Most often the interest lies in understanding what motivates all those people.

    I learned the most about NGOs and European-American involvement in the conflict, in general. Tuvia’s interviews with Europeans who come to protect Palestinians and with Red Cross workers were very illuminating.

    I think the blog’s readers would understand Israel better after reading the book and do recommend it to you. It’s funny too. Of course, he often is provocative on purpose, pushing people, but they do often say or do something of interest in response and also talking with people lets one have a different kind of understanding than one gained from reading books and academic articles on the conflict. To understand us one would need to do both.

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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