What books did you read as a kid that stuck with you?

oB1 undercover aftermath:
Obi wan let it slip that PALPATINE was the one who insisted that Anakin not be told.
to keep everyone out of the loop
(undercover sop - tell nobody before, and as few as possible after in case id needed again)

No obvious changes at first, but does give cracks and opening for Krell pong arc to go differently.
mainly, Anakin flat out refusing to be at chancellor beck and call, ... at least not from middle of an active battle from.


second one

TBB time travel to battle of kamin.
muse is interesting that mace Windu, com ponds also in (one of) clones city.
echo vs ventress.  A lost lightsaber /crystals that abandon her.
wrecker pile drive the aqua droids while incursion happens.
no tech, it's after season 2. Yes crosshair, possibly end of season 3?
omega and Emma K also drop in

Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza?

If we want to hold people accountable for serious crimes, we need to be serious about the words we use.

“Genocide” is not a vibe or a metaphor. It isn’t a synonym for “really bad thing” or “many people dying.”

It’s a legal term with a specific legal definition. Using the word accurately matters - not just for justice in this conflict, but for justice anywhere the term is invoked.

Where the Word “Genocide” Comes From

The word “genocide” was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin to describe what the Nazis were doing to Jews, Roma, and others in Europe. Lemkin combined the Greek word genos (race or tribe) with the Latin -cide (killing) to describe the deliberate destruction of a people.

His idea became the foundation for the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, or “Genocide Convention.” This treaty - ratified by nearly every country in the world - defines what genocide is under international law. It’s the legal standard we still use today.

The Legal Definition of Genocide

Under Article II of the Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as:

Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:“
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
© Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

[source]

Three key points matter here:

1. Intent is required. Accidental or collateral harm does not qualify.


2. The targeted group must be destroyed "as such.” That means killing or harming people because they belong to the group - not because they are, say, enemy combatants.


3. The acts must aim at physical destruction. Displacement, hardship, or even occupation are not themselves genocide unless they’re part of a plan to wipe out the group.

Does What Israel Is Doing in Gaza Meet the Legal Definition of Genocide?

1. Is there an intent to destroy Palestinians “as such”?

No. This is the core element of genocide, and it’s the one that is not present. Israel’s stated goal in Gaza is the destruction of Hamas—a terrorist organization that murdered over 1,200 civilians on October 7, 2023, and continues to fire rockets and hold hostages.

Israel has repeatedly said it is not at war with the Palestinian people. Its military objectives, whether you agree with their execution or not, are directed at Hamas fighters, infrastructure, and command centers.

Even critics of Israel’s conduct, including legal scholars, acknowledge that intent is not demonstrated.

Intent to destroy a group is very different from intent to destroy an enemy that embeds itself within that group. The tragedy is real—but tragedy is not the same as genocide.

2. Are civilians being killed because they are Palestinian?

No. Civilian casualties in Gaza are not being targeted “as such,” but occur in the context of urban warfare where Hamas deliberately embeds itself in hospitals, schools, mosques, and densely populated civilian areas.

This is a tactic Hamas has publicly embraced. Hamas senior leader Khaled Mashal stated on October 19, 2023 that he views the current loss of civilian life in Gaza – brought about by Hamas’ strategy of using human shields – as essential: “No nation is liberated without sacrifices… In all wars, there are some civilian victims. We are not responsible for them.”

When combatants hide behind civilians, it leads to civilian casualties. That’s tragic, and under the laws of war, precautions must still be taken - but this is not the same as intentionally targeting civilians for the purpose of destroying them as a group.

3. Are conditions of life being inflicted to bring about destruction of the group?

No. This clause refers to tactics like starvation, medical denial, or forced exposure that are part of a coordinated plan to kill off a population.

While there have been devastating humanitarian consequences from the war - including shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies - there is no evidence that these are intended to destroy the Palestinian people.

In fact, Israel has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian aid, even while fighting Hamas. It has opened multiple aid corridors, coordinated with international partners, and even paused military operations to allow supplies in.

The IDF has also implemented leaflet drops, text messages, and broadcast warnings to urge civilians to evacuate combat zones. You can disagree with how effective or sufficient these measures are - but they are not consistent with a strategy of genocide.

Popular Genocide Claims From Social Media

“The International Court of Justice said Israel is committing genocide!”

False. South Africa brought a case to the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide. The ICJ has not ruled that genocide is occurring. They didn’t even rule that a genocide could plausibly be happening.
......
.....

Words Matter

So, is what Israel is doing in Gaza genocide?

No.

• Not by the letter of the law.


• Not by the evidence.


• Not by the standards we use anywhere else.

That doesn’t mean everything is justified, it doesn’t mean no crimes have been committed, it doesn’t mean civilians haven’t suffered.

It means we need to be careful, responsible, and honest when we use words like “genocide,” because once those words are emptied of meaning, they lose their power to stop the very horrors they were meant to prevent.

— answered by unsolicited-opinions

Speak gently! -- It is better far
To rule by love, than fear --
Speak gently -- let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!

Speak gently! -- Love doth whisper low
The vows that true hearts bind;
And gently Friendship's accents flow;
Affection's voice is kind.

Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild: --
It may not long remain.

(has a parody in Alice and Wonderland).

Radio morning show.
not a talk show,
FM station.

spirit 88 point9 . . .

or was it on KLove?

I am kicking myself for NOT saving copies of fan works hosted on sites other than FFN and AO3.

in particular, an excellent Multi fic universe that is a delightful fusion of MagGyver (series staring Richard Dean Anderson) and The Sentinal.
oh, and two fics that also blend the ATF verse of The Magnificent Seven.

i know the link - site that I first found (posted only there by author?) WolfPupsDen.skeeter63.org
but the page won't load, and with the WayBack Machine being a stubborn goose, can't get a backup going either.

black raptor dot net hosted the two Magnificent Seven crossovers.  Had hoped I could find at least two of the fics there.  (There are other excellent writers and awesome stories still posted online, but not Cindy Comb fics)


Cindy Combs was/is the author pen name.
title I remember is "synchronization in chaos"
I enjoy reread the entire series over the holidays.

the one I am most concerned about never finding again, is the one where the clone of Jack O'Niell meets Blair Sandburg, A. Macgyver, James Ellison, SAM (Sean A Malloy) and Cory.
(Pretty sure Cory and Ian are the authors creations.  Pretty much everyone else is a canon character of The Sentinel, MaGyver, Stargate SG-1, The Magnificent Seven, or a different TV show that may or may not be named in the end notes).


EDIT:
remembered another fic title (and fusion/crossover) while digging through the FFN archives in search of Cindy Comb works.

there was a Due South crossover with the MacGyver and Sentinel fusion.
Story title is “Hot time in Chicago”.
Actually, there was a scene or three using Gary from EARLY EDITION (that one, I recognized) and at least two characters from another TV show that is/was set in Chicago.

I miss the Diagnosis Murder bits later in the series.
Quite a fun read, even if they are rather long.

post script:
the stories and tales that BOTH Jim Elison and Blair Sandburg are happy to share with their friends and family were once hosted on black panther productions dot net.

did once save a copy of a few fics from those collaborations (stories written as if the official ending to the Sentinel was just the midpoint - fan authors added two or four more seasons) but that was at least two computers and a laptop ago.

modern iPads don't come with a port to link flash drives anymore.
shame.

I see all our technical information going the way of the Phoniecians, (inventors of the alphabet, scholars say) who used papyrus.
papyrus and not stone, or clay, or other materials that would survive centuries.

Do you want a theological answer?  (Sin)

the philosophic response?  (Disobedience)

or A simple yet Biblical revelation?

the reason the Loving God can and does allow pain, suffering, death, murder destruction and everything evil and unfair to both exist and damage the world is BECAUSE he loves us.

See, we were given Free Will and ability to choose.  yes?
Okay.

one of the most painful things any lobpving parent or guardian will do is LET US SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF our choices.
sometimes That means discipline (time out for not obeying).
sometime that means unwanted side effects (burnt fingers because we touched the hot stove).

too often, that means the innocent suffer.

Its simple answer, but it's an accurate one.