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Morning!

QBwATHICG for partita. LB was a quick zirconia-ambush.

Happy solving!

We have a mother robin on the nest she's built by our bedroom AC unit--right up against the plastic pull-out wing that fits the unit to the width of the window frame.  There was one egg earlier this week, when ALHS took a look while she was off the nest; I don't know if there are more by now.

I need to get our hummer feeders out this weekend. Also, the red wing blackbirds have been back for a couple of weeks already.

The latest, from the NYT.

QuoteChaos and Oppression
The central question for universities responding to protests is whether to prioritize the preservation of order or the desire of students to denounce oppression.

QuoteCollege Protesters Make Divestment From Israel a Rallying Cry
The campaign is likely to have a negligible impact on the companies or Israel, but activists see divestment as a clear way to force colleges to take action on the issue.

QuoteConflict in Israel and Gaza, in Photos
A surprise attack by Hamas put Israel and the group that controlled Gaza at war. Here are images from the assault and what has followed.

Good morning!

Pangram early on, and then genius. Missed papyri, partita, and a couple of other words that I should have found.

Happy solving!

Quote from: smallcleanrat on April 24, 2024, 06:47:32 PM[. . .]

Why is the short version rude?

[. . .]

Where do all these rules and protocols come from anyway?

[. . .]

Don't know how much science is in the book, but the answer to your questions: culture. The dominant norm in the USA and Canada is to utter a couple of short sentences in this situation, rather than only "I'm leaving now." Are there exceptions? Yes. But usually something like "I've got to get to class now. See you later" is sufficient.

It gets even more fun when interacting with people who have different cultural norms.

My parents taught me how to shake hands and make eye contact, how to properly answer the phone ("Redux residence. Wahoo speaking."), and how to scoop my soup spoon with correct decorum.  All of this was directed at adult behavior and was worthless in junior high.

Your book offers advice that is different in degree and kind to these but is still in the same kingdom, it seems to me---these are simple social survival techniques like eating soup correctly.  No one will be offended by them.  I'd suggest using them only when necessary or when feeling insecure.     

Quote from: dismalist on April 24, 2024, 11:12:48 AM

QuoteI can't think of any example where a superior military power was actually able to dislodge a rag tag militia that can hide among the populace, take a few pot shots, and disappear back into the crowd.

It is forgotten that the French military won the Battle of Algiers and, indeed, controlled Algeria. Algeria gained independence because of support from outside. This was called "the internationalization of the conflict". This strategy has been imitated by the PLO, and now Hamas. Placing armed fighters among the civilian population is intended to cause lots of civilian casualties, which are then thought to stimulate outside support.

I don't think it will be successful because the Battle for Gaza is being fought by a neighboring, independent country with an existential interest in complete victory, something that metropolitan France never had -- French soil was not seriously threatened by the NLF.

Less dramatic historical memory surrounds the Malayan Emergency [1948 - 1960] because the British defeated the insurgents.

^ This.

Viet Nam is a great example.

The US Civil War was a classic example. On paper, the North should have won in 20 minutes. They had all the industry, weapons, wealth. What did they have to do to the South, and how long did it take, for them to finally get the South to surrender?

Been reading a book recommended to me by the clinic where I received my diagnosis.

It's called The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults. It was written by a professor at UCLA who directs a clinic offering social skills training to young people.

I've been seeing what I can glean from it, even though I am no longer in the high school/college-aged demographic the book is aiming to help.

---

I'm puzzled by a section in the book describing how to exit conversations.

(1) First, it says not to make your farewell too short (e.g. "Well, gotta go." or "See you later."), as this "would seem strange and possibly rude." It says it's better to give a reason for going (e.g. "Well, the bell is about to ring. I better get to class.") and then add on that "you'll see or speak to them later."

Why is the short version rude?

(2) But then the book cautions not to make the farewell explanation too long: "When people go on and on trying to explain why they have to do something it often sounds fake or made up."

I would have thought the reason not to go into too much detail would be that people are quite simply not likely to be interested. What about a detailed explanation makes it sound fake? Why doesn't lack of detail/vagueness make an explanation sound fake?

This was the book's example of an explanation that's too long:

Quote"Well, the bell is about to ring and I have a science midterm. I don't want to be late because I've been late five times this semester and I don't want to get in trouble. My professor gets really uptight when people show up late and I don't want to make her mad right before an exam. So I better get going."

Does that seem fake? I don't get it.

(3) Then there's the case of how to leave when you're in a group but are being excluded from the conversation. (This is the scenario I find myself in a lot).

QuoteSlowly look away as if you're distracted by something. When you look away, make sure that you don't look all the way behind you. Instead, look to one side or the other or look at a personal item such as a mobile phone.

And then the advice about what to say (explanation + farewell) applies.

So...what is the purpose of looking to the side? Is the whole point to pretend something else has got your attention and that's why you're leaving? Isn't that being fake? Is being fake ok as long as you're not perceived to be fake? And why can't you look behind you?

---

Does it seem like this book is offering advice I can trust? Where do all these rules and protocols come from anyway?

Quote from: Parasaurolophus on April 24, 2024, 08:29:44 AMSome T1, some refereeing.

Finished and sent my referee report. Did a little of T1.

Quote from: apl68 on April 23, 2024, 07:10:33 AMI've heard of the old poem "The Face on the Barroom Floor."  This kind of takes things to a new level.

Now we have the updated version:  The Mandible on the Bathroom Floor