Sunday, January 14, 2024
In bed at 10:30 after another scare with Lilly, up at 7, Lilly sleeping in the living room. NO SPECTRUM INTERNET AGAIN. -2°, high of 10°, Wind Chill Advisory, -20 to -34°° . The wind is W at 20 mph, gusting to 35 mph. The wind chill is -24. Sunrise at 7:21, sunset at 4:40, 9+19.
Treadmill; pain. 20:01 & 0.50 at 3:30 while watching Israel's defense to South Africa's charge of genocide at the World Court.
I'm grateful to be alive and to see sights like this on a cold, windy Sunday morning.
Another Lilly scare. I got up to go to bed at 9 last night but Geri called to me that Lilly was in trouble again, couldn't stand up, again, and appeared to be in pain. She called David who came over to help get her into a car to take to the Blue Pearl Pet Hospital. By the time David arrived, she was on her feet and walking, even wagging her tail. She went outside twice, the first time to no avail. We are facing the grim reality with her. We are probably unable to lift her or get her into or out of a car to take her to the vet's office or hospital. Geri gets down on the floor and comforts her. If I get on the floor, it's a struggle to get up. I still call Lilly "Puppy" but she is 14 years, 3 months, and 1 week old. Our hearts are aching.
She has been lying on the floor of the living room since I got up an hour and a half ago. Ordinarily, she gets up when I get up and goes out to relieve herself. Should I wake her up or let her sleep? If I wake her up and she can't stand, what do I do? I'll get dressed to be ready to take her to the emergency hospital if necessary. . . I just noticed she has an open sore on her left front elbow. Is this from her struggles to stand up?
I see Lilly's struggle with standing and with her gait and I see myself.
Spring and Fall
to a young child Márgarét, áre you gríeving Over Goldengrove unleaving? Leáves, like the things of man, you With your fresh thoughts care for, can you? Ah! ás the heart grows older It will come to such sights colder By and by, nor spare a sigh Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you will weep and know why. Now no matter, child, the name: Sórrow's spríngs áre the same. Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed What heart heard of, ghost guessed: It ís the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for.
Bitterly cold temperatures today through Tuesday.
Medical discrimination against seniors with disabilities. This morning's WaPo has a feature story about America's lack of preparedness for the approaching tide of elderly baby boomers with disabilities. A shocker: only 57% of surveyed doctors said they welcomed patients with disabilities. Another shocker: during the height of the pandemic, when crisis standards of care were developed, people with disabilities and older adults were deemed low priorities. These standards were meant to ration care, when necessary, given shortages of respirators and other potentially lifesaving interventions. Also, most doctor's offices don't have accessible equipment, including examination tables, for people with disabilities.
World Court, South Africa v. Israel, day 2. The proceedings remind me a bit of the U.S. and our two different worlds situation between Republicans and the rest of us. Israel's opening argument is strong and powerful and reminds the Court and the world both of the barbarism of the October 7th massacre and kidnapping of Jewish citizens of south Israel and of the hundreds (thousands?) of rockets fired into Israel but also of Hamas' avowed purpose to repeat such attacks to the end that the state of Israel be destoryed. I noted however the advocate's description of the 2007 accession to power of Hamas in Gaza as a result of violence and Noam Chomsky's description, in his talk at the UN which I watched yesterday, of the same event as the result of a free and fair election by the Palestinian people of Gaza. And of course there is the widely believed theory that Israel withdrew from Gaza, which it had occupied since the 1967 war, mainly to create a split within the Palestinians so as to make negotiations for a 2 state solution futile. Israel's second advocae, a Professor Shaw, who appeared in English barrister's regalia, also referred to Hamas's violent taking of power in 2007. Which is it? Free election or force of arms? Professor Shaw had an embarassing situation while arguing. He was reading his 'speech' and stumbled when a page was missing. On another occasion, his pages were out of order. A public speaker's nightmare. The two arguments so far have been largely jurisdictional, attacking both the existence of genocidal intent and the existence of a "dispute" within the meaning of the Genocide Convention, though delivered 'in high dugeon' and including charges that South Africa is a supporter of Hamas. Israel's thrid advocate addressed 3 matters: (1) Hamas's military tactics and strategy; (2) Israel's efforts to mitigate civilian harm, and (3) Israel's efforts to address humanitarian needs in Gaza despite Hamas's obstruction. There were two other presenters on behalf of Israel, the first of whom addresse the various relief sought by South Africa and the second of whom wrapped up.
The arguments on behalf of Israel was very professional and inpressive, but they were also not simply legal, but perhaps legalistic. South Africa's case is perhaps not on terribly sound grounds legally, but it hit hard and is indeed gut-wrenching, describing acts and conditions caused by Israel's war in Gaza that arguably fit the definition of genocide IF done with genocidal intent. Consequently, much of the case seems to turn on that question, i.e., whether there is a basis for finding, at least preliminarily, that Israel is acting with genocidal intent. The Court is composed of 15 members from all over the world and I have no idea how they may rule or when they may rule.
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