Wednesday Night #2297

Wednesday Night Decorum
As the wars on Iran and Lebanon continue and expand, the topic becomes ever more sensitive, personal and worrisome to many of us. Therefore, I would like to remind everyone that at Wednesday Night, it is the topic that is on the table, not one or more of the personalities around the (virtual) table.
While  not supporting the policies of the Israeli government vis à vis Gaza or Lebanon, the pervasive influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee  (AIPAC), or the pronouncements of repulsive Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the West Bank, such opinions  are  neither anti-Semitic , nor anti the Israeli population. We all have Israeli and Jewish friends or relatives who oppose the Netanyahu government. And we all deplore the attacks on Jewish schools, synagogues, institutions, or individuals
By the same token, while it is hard for some to applaud Donald Trump’s war on Iran because it is difficult to encourage anything he does, this in no way suggests support for the  oppressive theocratic regime that has ruled Iran since 1979 and been responsible for the imprisonment, torture and deaths of tens of thousands of individuals. But many deplore the clumsiness of the conduct of the war and the administration’s lies about motives, results and rumored negotiations. Moreover, the geopolitical ramifications including virtual obliteration of news of Russia’s war on Ukraine are a gift to Putin, and Xi as well.

Gulf War III
There is no way to avoid news of the war. Nor is there any way to verify it. A topic that Andrew Caddell covers well in this week’s column The truth will out —We have greater access to information, but it’s also an era in which the cacophony of different noises can overwhelm our thinking.
Furthermore. there are an increasing number of reports that Israel and the US have divergent objectives -Surprise!- Tehran Dismisses U.S. Cease-Fire Conditions as Israel Orders 48 Hours of Attacks
Tehran offered its own terms to end the fighting that include a demand for reparations. Israel, concerned that the war might end before it can dismantle Iran’s weapons programs, plans to ramp up its attacks.

Aviation is suffering from a double whammy
On the one hand, with the failure of Congress and the President to reach any agreement on the funding of DHS, the staffing situation at US airports has reached crisis level, with effects felt by airlines and airports around the world.
It may also have been a contributing factor to the Air Canada collision at La Guardia.
At the same time, the War in the Middle East Is Affecting Flights to Europe, Asia . . . and Almost Everywhere — Extra layovers, longer routes, and increasing airfares—even travelers who aren’t flying anywhere near the conflict might feel the effects.

Dare we bring up the Air Canada president’s unilingual expression of sympathy to the families of the two pilots killed in the collision? What is wrong with the man? Yes, he should step down.

Some good news from France where French local election results give unexpected lift to centrist parties and it appears that the odious Mr. Orban might be defeated in the forthcoming elections (12 April) In Hungary

Robert S. Mueller III, 81, Dies; Rebuilt F.B.I. and Led Trump Inquiry
He imposed the most significant overhaul of the F.B.I. in its history. After concluding that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election, he became a target of the president’s anger.
Mueller leaves behind a multi-decade legacy where he worked with presidents on both sides of the aisle. See Long Reads/viewings below for Rachel Maddow‘s reaction and tribute to the monumental legacy he’ll leave behind.

Social media addiction
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury held Meta and YouTube liable for claims their platforms are addictive and have harmed young users, and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million in damages.
The verdict was the first in a series of trials expected this year in which plaintiffs’ lawyers are testing a novel legal theory claiming that Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok caused personal injury through defective products.
Thousands of individuals, school districts and state attorneys general have filed similar lawsuits. This week’s win could open the door to an avalanche of similar claims.

Varia

Had always thought this was the stuff of urban legends. It seems it is now fact.
Meet the Rich Retirees Moving Onto Cruise Ships Full Time
A growing crop of seniors is selling it all and heading to the high seas, for good.
At any age, vacation logistics and planning can be a hefty undertaking. It’s why cruises, with all their conveniences, have become incredibly popular among American families. Now they’re also booming with retirees, who are increasingly looking to live (and not just vacation) aboard.

If only Margaret and Ron, our two greatest Opera fans, were still with us for this story!
Finally, an Opera About Economics
Superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel takes on The Wealth of Nations.
David Lang, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, has created a musical meditation on Adam Smith’s book “The Wealth of Nations”, which made its debut this week at the New York Philharmonic, is a musical meditation on the seminal book by Adam Smith, often credited with helping create the field of economics.
Lang’s oratorio explores Smith’s central themes, including the idea that economic systems are based on self-interest, and features a chorus and soloists reciting and singing excerpts from the book.
The piece aims to show that economics is a profoundly human subject, and that the value of money lies not in its value, but in the connectedness between people, with Lang saying “the point of money is not a measure of value but a measure of connectedness”.

In Finland, the secret to finding happiness is to not try
If you believe the research regular sauna use may do more for your health than quitting smoking. …some studies have also confirmed the claim that the path to improved mental health, even to happiness, may run through what researchers unromantically call thermotherapy chambers.
But I didn’t get the sense that Finns, who’ve been using saunas for thousands of years, were influenced much by the studies, or any quest for a happy life. Perhaps that’s the real Finnish trick – not cracking the code to happiness, but quietly opting out of the chase. Letting life be what it is. If it’s dark, cold, hard, or quiet, let it be.
Maybe their secret is treating happiness less as a hedonic treadmill of joy, and more as a steady rock of contentment you can stand on.

Long reads/viewings

Rachel Maddow joins “The Weekend: Primetime” to react to Robert Mueller’s passing and the monumental legacy he’ll leave behind. (video)

Strait of Hormuz 3-Week Recap | What is the Status of the Ships, Transits and Escort Mission? (video)
What’s Going On With Shipping: Recap of the first three weeks of the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran with a focus on commercial shipping in and around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.

Carlos Lozada: The U.S. Is No Longer the Leader of the Free World
Rather than leading the free world, the United States is striding across the globe seemingly free of restraint, forethought or strategy, exerting its power because it can. In a matter of months, the Trump administration has captured Venezuela’s president and tossed him into jail in Brooklyn and has pummeled Iran’s theocratic leadership in a war that is ricocheting across the Middle East and upending the global economy; now the president says he will have “the honor of taking Cuba” next. Trump in his second term is like Michael Corleone in “The Godfather,” settling all the family business.

Colin Robertson reviews
‘The Innocent Canadian’: Diplomacy and Intrigue in Wartime London

Jeremy Kinsman: The Echoes of Suez in the Strait of Hormuz