andrewrgross
This is so exciting. I worked in a lab where we were trying to do this, and so I was very aware what a gold rush we were in. I'm so glad to see that it's actually happening.
This is truly a watershed moment in science. This is going to mark a major turning point in cellular medicine from theory to commonplace care. Eventually, this will end the pharma industry's insulin cash cow.
But it's even bigger than that. Because once we can engineer cells that produce a natural product, the next step is to engineer cells that produce synthetic medicines. Antidepressants, birth control, hormones, weight loss drugs, boner pills... The frontier is huge, lucrative, financially disruptive for pharma companies and life changing for patients. This is a big moment in history, and we all need to be fighting harder than ever to end for-profit healthcare. Otherwise we're going to end up with subscription licenses to our own bodies.
Finally! As an Angelino I can tell you that this took a lot of organizing and was a long time coming.
I wonder if this girl considers herself Palestinian. It describes her as a Bedouin, but it's really unclear to me whether Israeli Bedouins see themselves as Palestinians or not.
I think that historically, the Bedouins were a distinct cultural group from the non-Bedouin Palestinians, but it's also really complicated to get any ethnographic information for me as an American, because Israeli media and middle east scholarship has traditionally erased Palestinian identities, instead calling Palestinian Israelis "Arab Israelis". Do people like her family actually see themselves as apart from Palestinians? Or do they recognize themselves within this term, but keep their mouths shut because of how dangerous it is to say such a thing out loud? I do notice that in the article there is a screenshot from a tiktok of people celebrating her suspension, and the screenshot calls her "The Palestinian girl". Is this because she is one? Or is that just them applying it as a slur? I'm very curious.
Either way, as you say, it's wild that "Supporting Palestine" is such hostile accusation to be levied at her. It's just crazy. I feel so terrible for her, and also angry at what Israel has become. I think it's always been bad, but naked hostility and racism is so, so, SO much worse in this generation than it was even 30 years ago.
This appears to be paywalled.
I don't know why this sticks out to me, but it's kind of nuts that as far as I can tell, the IDF and the Israeli government haven't even given a pretense for what legal authority they're drawing on.
The military referenced a "court order", which appears to be based on the Israeli domestic court system, but officially Ramallah is entirely under the legal jurisdiction of the potempkin government of the Palestinian Authority. But the IDF didn't even bother to go through this puppet government: they seem to have just shrugged and cited the ancient legal ruling of Bigger stick v. Smaller stick and robbed a news office of tens of thousands of dollars of equipment and office space at gun-point in broad daylight.
Everytime they get bolder, that's a very bad sign.
This is such a weird, unproductive observation that people make all the time.
First: my point is that we in the US should recognize that Israel's actions are making the US and Israel less safe. It would definitely be nice if Hezbollah stopped fighting, but that is essentially a non-sequitur. It's not a counter argument that what Mossad did is a good idea that any of us should support.
Second: this observation that they could end the war by not fighting is true of every side in every war. Russia could end their war in Ukraine if they stopped invading. Ukraine could end the war if they surrendered and let Russia invade them. Hezbollah and Israel could both end this war by not fighting it. What practical guidance does that provide?
I'm not interested in watching this like a history channel documentary. When I type, I'm expressing what I think we should all say and do as people with (supposedly) the ability to influence our governments. I don't have control over Hezbollah. I don't really have control over Israel or the US either, but at least I'm supposed to.
The reasons why this is such a big f'g deal are many.
First, this IS textbook terrorism. An entire country full of civilians is paralyzed with fear of any item blowing up at any moment. In addition to the killing and maiming, this is deliberate.
Second, Mossad is innovating new theaters of warfare. Others will imitate this. This further legitimizes any place -- hospitals, schools, houses of warship -- as legitimate venues for bombing. And that includes in the US.
Third, this is ANOTHER escalation! Most of us don't want a giant regional war! And yet people act like Hezbollah was so provocative that they gave Israel no choice. Netanyahu is clearly the instigator! Hezbollah is actually in a terrible place to fight a war. They do not want this, but feel constantly compelled to maintain their credibility. They have repeatedly taken a minimalist approach because they really don't want to fight this war. This could end instantly if Israel just accepted a ceasefire in Gaza. Ironically, Israel is escalating in Lebanon because there is basically nothing left to blow up in Gaza and Netanyahu needs a constant war to stay out of jail. The claim that this is to let residents in the north go home is the same as the claim that the war in Gaza was to bring back hostages. A year later, ask the kibbutzim how that worked out.
All of this is common knowledge in Israel. The head of the military is about to be replaced for repeatedly stating that all of this is contrary to Israel's security!
It's just insane.
I agree, although so far there don't seem to be enough of us.
From a technical standpoint, this is an incredible achievement. From a moral or rational one, though, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS IS TERRIBLE.
I just don't even have the energy to list all the ways this is an insane and destabilizing thing to do. Fuck. God, I wish we had any electoral power of America's terrible foreign policy.
What a fresh new hell this is.
I'm 38. I remember a few times when I was a kid needed to call a classmate urgently. Like, maybe i needed to know what math problems we were assigned as homework. For folks I knew well, I might have their number written down in a book in a desk drawer, but for anyone else I would have to look up their last name in the white pages and read down a list trying to find the right number.
Was their dad's name Prescott? No, that's not an ethnic match. Here's a David. That sounds right. Oh! And it's on Beacon! That's the right neighborhood! That's got to be it!
I think about it all the time. You could find your teacher's house and just go drop off a fruit basket or something if you wanted. It was crazy! It was just assumed that if someone wanted to find your house it was probably for a sensible reason. Why otherwise? If you're paranoid or a public figure then maybe you'd choose to be unlisted, but for anyone else there's no point in it.
Simpler times, for sure. I'd still like to go back. I think it was worth it. The alternative doesn't seem to work. We're all getting constantly harassed with robo calls and stalked on line. At this point, the only people who don't know where we live are the ones who might drop off a casserole. We've gained nothing.