The death toll continues to rise in Gaza with the latest estimates at over 11,000, including over 4,000 children. And given Israel’s relentless bombing and the almost complete cutting off of water, food, medicine, and fuel to the Palestinian populatioon, those numbers are undoubtedly going to rise, with many people dying excruciatingly of hunger and thirst.
Adam Conover has a podcast series called Factually! where he tries to clarify important issues by inviting knowledgeable guests and having a thoughtful discussion with them. He is a good interviewer who does not try to make himself the center of attention but instead asks probing questions and allows the guest to speak uninterrupted. This is quite rare with TV interviewers. Some of you may recall Conover used to have a series Adam Ruins Everything where each episode humorously debunked popular myths. The new series is more serious in tone, though he does interject some levity when appropriate.
In a recent episode recorded on October 26, 2023, he interviewed Nathan Thrall about the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank and I found it to be one of the best discussions about this very complex situation. Thrall is an American journalist and former director of the Arab-Israeli project at the International Crisis Group who lives in Jerusalem with his family and has worked with many groups in the region.
It was a sober and enlightening discussion. The interview is about an hour long but well worth listening to. Although I follow events in that region fairly closely, I learned many new things from Thrall about the nature of the situation of the Palestinians and the Israeli occupation and the history of the conflict.
Yeah, I for one do recall.
For me, that’s not much of an encomium. I saw some of that series.
I already know more than I need to know. So, not for me.
I will note that Thrall’s credentials on the topic seem quite good, not dissing him at all. And I’m don’t really doubt Adam is an OK interviewer when he’s not wrecking stuff.
I found Bassem Youssef’s recent conversation with Piers Morgan very useful, mostly because Bassem did three quarters of the talking and Piers was making an effort to not be Piers-like. Hence my calling it a conversation and not an interview.
@ 1 Morales
Ruining is not wrecking. You ruin good scotch by adding coke. You don’t wreck it.
I’m probably repeating myself, but I don’t understand the motivation of people who post to say they’re not interested in a thing. Like… nobody cares? You just go and do something else. This isn’t a post about the interests of John Morales. It’s sharing a video the poster thinks worthwhile. Replying to say you’re not interested seems so pointless.
(And to preempt Morales inevitable comeback -- yes I’m aware I’m posting to say I’m uninterested in something. In my case it’s more an observation of the absurdity of the behavior, not just to express disinterest pointlessly.)
Heh heh heh.
I wouldn’t know about such subtleties, not being as literal as you.
🙂
Nah, it’s just your typical lack of self-consciousness.
But fine, you’re not posting to say you are not interested in my comments.
(On the contrary, I am not only interesting to you, but indeed I am fascinating, O obsessive fanboi)
<snicker>
Well, then — you don’t understand your own motivation, by your own words.
(“I know not why I do what I do”, quoth my gushing fan)
This is not the first time nor shall it be the last time I note your wallowing in the fundamental attribution error.
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Anyway. An entire comment that has zero to do with the topic at hand, and everything to do with how you perceive me and my posting.
(As always, you do exactly what you accuse me of doing. Well, except for the being successful at it part)
Interesting talk by Thrall for us to know the real reason behind this continuous conflict.
Looks like no one wants to compromise so innocent people are being slaughtered with no end in sight.
Oh, gods, SHUT UP, JOHN..
True picture has been given in this interview which has explained why it is such a ruthless war. Finally the innocent are always the victims who suffer due these conflicts which is unacceptable under any circumstance.
There are no gods, Kitty.
It’s quite notable you rail against me and not against the person who seeks to harass me. But that is the way of wannabe bullies, that you reveal yourself inadvertently.
Anyway.
Post is about Mano spruiking Adam’s interview with an expert on the subject of (and I quote) “the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”.
Not really about me, except when such as you and SullenBub make it your business to post merely to rail against my very presence. I mean, whyever comment on the topic at hand when you can rail at me opining about it?
—
I take this opportunity to correct my typo above; when I wrote
“I will note that Thrall’s credentials on the topic seem quite good, not dissing him at all. And I’m don’t really doubt Adam is an OK interviewer when he’s not wrecking stuff.”
I actually intended to write
“I will note that Thrall’s credentials on the topic seem quite good, not dissing him at all. And I don’t really doubt Adam is an OK interviewer when he’s not wrecking stuff.”
but I had an editing mishap.
Just to correct the record.
Thanks for the opportunity, kitty.
I pretty much quit ftb because of Moraleless. Like a bad habit you can’t break though, I do drop by every month or two when I’m bored. But reading your comment #5 WMDK Survivor, I thought I’d mention that I literally don’t read anything that that idiot posts. As soon as I see a comment by him, I scroll down to the next comment. He never has anything valuable to add, so why bother? My 2c, YMMV, but it’s been working for me.
Ignorant and proud of it.
Ah well, another netizen who posts about me, rather than about the topic at hand.
It happens a lot.
Anyway. Post is about Mano spruiking Adam’s interview with an expert on the subject of (and I quote) “the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”.
Anyway, I think the troll has been fed.
I listened to the whole thing and while I can’t say I learned anything -- the situation of Palestinians is as horrible as I imagined; Israel’s policies are exactly what I assumed them to be -- I do recommend listening (it’s a video but you don’t need picture).
The interviewee puts a human face on it via an incident involving a traffic accident with a school bus, using this specific incident to show the actual effect in day to day life of Israeli policies.
This perspective of considering real people’s lives I think is important to remind us this isn’t just statistics of deaths, but real human suffering. 🙁
Having said that, it”s tough listening. It’s bleak. If you’re hoping for an upbeat ending… don’t. Seek out cat vids as required for a mental health break.
Stylus for Firefox (or Stylish for Chrome) is a useful extension.
li.comment-author-<<insert-WP-account-name-here>> p { display: none; }
@ xohjoh2n, 11: You have just immeasurably improved my experience of FtB -- thank you!
(Actually, changing the “p” to “*” results in a bit cleaner display, but still without messing up the comment numbering.)
I already know more than I need to know…
That’s hilarious, John. Now go back to bed.
#4, #8 John
It is hard to imagine a post that speaks as clearly as these do of your desperation to argue (and be smug and snide). In particular, a mere five words stinging you to reply with two hundred speaks volumes of a pent-up impatience to start the next tirade. Kicking it off with some record-breaking pettiness -- treating a figure of speech as if it had been meant literally -- classic.
Oh and again with the pathetic disapproval = bully whinge!
“Ah well, another netizen who posts about me, rather than about the topic at hand.”
Speaking of posting about other commenters rather than the topic at hand, I give you posts 4, 8 and 10.
How much more than what I already know do you imagine I need to know?
(What, you think you know how much I know? Heh)
—
Well then, your imagination is a withered thing.
Heheheheh — “wannabe bullies” is not a whinge, it’s derision at the feeble and ineffectual attempts at it. Tricky!
(But I can’t deny your disapproval is pathetic, so you’re at least that self-aware)
—
So, more comments exclusively about me and about how I am perceived.
What, my retorts to people who post only about me and their feels?
Be aware those are retorts, as is this comment.
They are in addition to rather than instead of my ordinary comments.
Don’t like them? Don’t post your grievances about me and you shan’t get my retort.
I already told you and some of the other snipes how this desire to talk about me results in retorts about me. Fewer, generally — for example, this one response is to two separate commets.
I put it to you that if you dislike my regular comments, interjecting to say how much you dislike me commenting generally results in additional comments.
Ah well.
Meantime: The post is about Mano spruiking Adam’s interview with an expert on the subject of (and I quote) “the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”.
Why people imagine it’s about me is left to psychiatrists to determine.
Thanks for proving Holms’s point @16, John.
You are funny, bee that rages.
Proving that I retort to people talking to me about me?
(When did you imagine I disputed that, instead of actually asserting it?)
BTW, those would be existence claims, not universal, so not a proof.
That’s the problem of induction.
—
Bonus bon mot:
“Now go back to bed.”
“Why? I’ve already slept more than I need to”
🙂 Having fun now.
In the news:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/12/gulf-states-fend-off-call-from-iran-to-arm-palestinians-at-riyadh-summit
Really, post #12 is post of the year. I cannot recommend it enough.
#17
“Well then, your imagination is a withered thing.” -- Notably you dispute the ‘hard to imagine’ bit, but not the ‘speaks of your desperation to argue’ bit.
“Heheheheh — “wannabe bullies” is not a whinge” -- Yes it is, you are still characterising pushback in comments as attempts to bully.
“But I can’t deny your disapproval is pathetic” -- Reminder: the person you characterised as a wannabe bully was not me, but WMDKitty.
“So, more comments exclusively about me and about how I am perceived.” -- He says, in the midst of a snide comment adding nothing to the original topic.
Retorts are ‘posting about other commenters rather than the topic at hand’.
“I put it to you that if you dislike my regular comments” -- Dislike? I post to point out errors, bad reasoning, hypocrisy and the like. You are just the main font of such on this blog, and I describe you as a troll. No animosity there.
___
“Proving that I retort to people talking to me about me?” -- Another reading failure. No, he was referring to my “…post that speaks as clearly as these do of your desperation to argue” claim. Pay attention.
Heh. Someone sure is desperate, Holms.
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Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic for its inhabitants.
Good of you to finally admit it. Bye.
That truly elicited a RL laugh, Holms.
Heh.
—
Situational-wise, pressure is increasing on Israel and support is waning to the degree that their murderous rampage in Gaza and obstinacy in persisting with a policy of eradication of Hamas — basically, the converse of Hamas’ rampage in Israel (to be fair, to territories whose ancestral inhabitants were Palestinian) and obstinacy in persisting with a policy of eradication of Israel.
Anyway, only one side gets billions of $ from the USA and vetoes in the UN Security Council. And it’s not Hamas.
[Hey! Garbled after editing. There’s your chance, Holms!]
[Oh yeah, and access to things like Iron Dome and F35s]