Some of our more attentive readers may have noticed that the post Lesson well learned was signed by JC. Some of our less attentive readers decided that (as was usual lately) the post is written by me. Not so.
It was an omission on our side not to mention this significant reinforcement earlier, and to remedy this omission - please welcome JC - the new and very talented member of the Elders' organization. Some of you who are more Internet-savvy can dig up a lot of information about JC, and in the spirit of openness that permeates our outfit lately, I can say - good luck to you, folks! In fact, most of what you need to know about him is here. And here. And... go read it all, in short, I am not a cross-reference machine.
Anyhow, re that spirit of openness that permeates: even Mossad and Shin Bet, our less important executive branches, have their own Web sites by now, so why not allow more information about Elders to flow? Especially when the information is so confusing... So, if you were afraid of the Elders yesterday, do not be afraid today. Be scared to death.
Now about crocs. Re the question "Excuse me, Snoopy, but what in the world is a Croc?". Ehehe... What can I say? This is a question I have been asking my youngsters a few years ago. It is clearly a mistake on the part of the Elders. We haven't been watching them closely enough, and here is the result:
Originally intended as a boating/outdoor shoe because of its slip-resistant, non-marking sole, Crocs introduced its first model, the Crocs Beach, in November 2002 at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show, selling out the 200 pairs produced at that time. As of 2007, the product line has remained popular, indicated by high sales growth, and has the characteristics of a sustained fad, with both ardent support and disapproval.
Since we are right now in process of dealing with this phenomenon, I can only say that I am a (suspicious) owner of a pair of Crocs:
Again in the spirit of openness - I have chosen the carrot-colored ones, the easier to be detected from a search helicopter in the desert. And to frighten toddlers.
As to the cabbage: cabbage contains a lot of effing vitamins and stuff and is supposed to be awfully good for your health. Otherwise I don't have a slightest bloody idea why I am mentioning it. Sorry.
The fact is that giving up land is a lazy and easy way out. Every other nation on the face of the Earth would fight tooth and nail to keep its borders secure and its territory safe. There is no such thing as painful concessions; they lead to death and destruction. Use history as your lesson. And what applies in the larger scheme of things applies here and now.
My daughter looked down, somewhat despondent, somewhat confused and somewhat lost for words. I on the other hand had taught her the most important lesson of all, protect what’s rightfully yours and remember that appeasement usually returns to bite you on the arse (or ass, not the animal.). And so our family was able to relax around the swimming pool, with plenty of space, sun loungers for all and even a coveted small plastic table that wasn’t covered in ketchup or cigarette ash.
To say the pool cafe was packed would be an understatement. We sat with the family somewhat squashed into our little corner. Move the table kids, I ordered and we all stood and lifted the table to make more space for our little family. The very English tourist (we love tourists etc etc etc) on the table nearest to us carried on regardless, and as I did my brash Israeli thing, (still a bit of English in me so I didn’t ask him to move his table) his upper lip got stiffer.
“Look here”, he suddenly blurted out, “this isn’t some bloody land grab, move back to where you were”. My wife looked at me and shook her head, my kids looked at me and shook their heads, but I couldn’t resist. “What do you mean, land grab?” “Well its what you Israelis seem to do best and while I’m at it I might also say that it really embarrasses the rest of us, it costs a fortune to come to Israel, we try and support you and in return you bombard villages and steal land for ‘security’ purposes, I could go on but I’ll stop”.
The now more diplomatic people would have backed away, let him have his five minutes, but not me, I had a nation to defend, so after a few words about how he was an uneducated, self hating BBC Jew, I threw his Crocs into the swimming pool thinking it would be a harmless yet effective message of don’t mess with the natives. I hadn’t accounted for the fact that concealed in the end of his Croc was his wallet.
“Oh dear”, he commented, actually it was a bit more brazen and a bit less stiff upper lipped. Bugger, I thought, as the scenario of having to explain to my wife where all our cash and more had gone in reparations for this, as he would desribe it, unprovoked and disproportionate attack.
I jumped into the pool to retrieve his Crocs and now very soggy wallet. Nothing inside was ruined or missing so a heavy sigh of relief from my side but eyes still blazing on the other.
“Wait a minute, I know you. My goodness it must be twenty years, don’t you recognize me? We were in school together, don’t you remember?”
I did and we spent the rest of the holiday reminiscing, kids playing together and wives chatting like long lost friends. The latest Israeli war long forgotten.
The moral of the story? Well I can only think of one. We need to remember who we are where we came from and where we’re going.
While America's secretary of state devotes her time to doomed Israel-Palestinian talks and America goes ga-ga over a candidate whose main foreign policy strategy is to talk to dictators, still another crisis strengthens radical Islamists and endangers Western friends and interests.
Frankly, unlike prof. Rubin, I was never sure that the tragedy of 9/11 has changed the world as much as it should have. But it doesn't detract from the powerful article in any way.
Sounds like speaking in tongues? Wait till you watch this:
"Pizzica" in fact seems to be the name of a traditional dance of Puglia, a region in the south of Italy. While the song sounds eerily familiar, it's quite an experience.
Hizbullah and its allies have just pulled off what may well turn out to be a coup d'état in Lebanon.
If Hizbullah's triumph is left unchecked by the mostly Sunni Arab world, non-Arab Iran will have moved a step closer toward regional hegemony.
Latest intelligence assessments suggest Teheran could have nuclear weapons (and hard-to-overcome cruise missiles to deliver them) even sooner then originally feared.
US President George W. Bush is scheduled to be here on Wednesday and Thursday to help Israel celebrate 60 years of independence, and also to push hard for a "shelf-agreement" between Jerusalem and an enfeebled Palestinian Authority.
Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is set to arrive to press the Olmert government to accept Hamas's offer for a Gaza cease-fire.
Syrian President Bashar Assad may be growing impatient over the Golan Heights.
Now, if you have remained seating near you computer, instead of being already at your medicines cabinet groping for a strongest tranquilizer, here comes the punch line (notice the capital letters - that's for you, visually impaired):
CLEARLY, THIS is not a good time for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to be focused on anything but running the country, addressing a vital range of security, foreign policy and (let's not forget) domestic agenda issues. There is also the matter of his cancer that must be attended to. But realistically speaking, how can he be paying complete attention to his job and his health while under multiple investigations by police and prosecutors?
Now comes the quiz:
Where was this editorial published?
Who is the author (but don't overextend yourself on that count)?
And the last one: in a country not besieged in such a horrible way (say, Switzerland), would an (allegedly) thieving person with an (alleged) prostate cancer be a better candidate for the post of PM?
Andrew Ian Dodge (here he is - on the right - during one of his carefree uncouth years):
decided that he doesn't want to be carefree (or uncouth) anymore, and here is the first result:
The rest is history, and we can now see (or, rather, listen to) the first fruit of the union - a Wedding EP CD. The CD Baby blurb on this CD says:
In the wake of Andrew's current battle with colon cancer; the tracks are all the more apt. Both for those who attended the wedding and those who know the couple; this will be a pleasant reminder of happier and easier times.
I would like to amend this quote: let this CD be a precursor to more happier and easier times!
Now you better go and buy that CD:
Or else (you know the possible results of not heeding a hint from the Elders).
The theme for this week PhotoHunt is undefined. What with my latest hobby, you are getting to be served a series of bird's facial expressions. Of course, we are usually mistaken ascribing to animals emotions similar to ours. It just doesn't work this way. However...
Doesn't this one look somewhat condescending?
And this one a bit suspicious?
I feel that the one above is a trusting soul, don't you?
And the one on the right, listening to the report - doesn't he look a bit stuck up?
And the lady here - isn't she planning to give her hubby a hard time when he gets back tipsy of all the nectar?
Nah... it's all in our imagination. At least I hope you enjoyed the pictures, and have a great week!
If you liked what you have seen (or read) in this post, add your link in the comments:
I promise to visit your place as soon as possible!
Like all males in my age cohort, every day is a struggle to deal with the same angry, burning question: where are those jet packs we were promised in the 60's?
Yes, we elected a President who appears to have been a thoroughbred sleazeball, and our Prime Minister is now in the thick of his fifth criminal investigation. But hey, we’re alive, our economy is very strong, our democracy works, and even if we don’t know where we’re going, we’re still standing, and that’s a lot given what’s happening around us. Israel at 60.
Do we have a right to exist? Mmm... a good question. Do we need to ask it? No, but some people do. Them one-stater morons.
Suspend your cynicism? Never. But can Israel reach a goal of $50,000 a year per capita product (more than double the current $23,000) by 2028? Easily, what with the dollar going down steadily at the current tempo...
Zoology is becoming the strongest hobby of Mahmoud the Mad, it seems:
Israel has come to its end like the dead rat it became after it was beaten in the (Second) Lebanon War.
So far Olmert has survived four investigations that ended with police and prosecution cleaning some egg off their faces. There are few other ongoing investigations in more or less moribund state.
Thus the sudden appearance of yet anothercase out of nowhere (an IBM salesman would call it a "blue bird") is a real gift for some PM hopefuls. Especially after reading something like this:
"But this time seems very serious, and it seems eventually, we don't know if it will be days, weeks or months, in the end, he may not be able to continue to be prime minister," one source said.
Sweet dreams. There is not much to go by meanwhile, mostly due to the gag order still maintained by the court.
So I wouldn't bet my last hard-earned shekel on the success of police in this (or any other) case, nor would I bet against such eventuality. And, of course, one just has to consider another angle:
"We need to look into the conduct of the systems that lead the investigations…since he was elected, the prime minister did not have one moment of rest. This is an abnormal situation, it's unhealthy and unnatural." The senior Kadima source said.
Which is kind of true too. There definitely is something akin to a hunter's excitement "wow, here he is, let's see if we can bag this one" in the air with at least three recent PMs. It has become a kind of national pastime - watching the Wile E. Coyote vs Road Runner - like activities focused on one goal only - to get The Man, no matter what.
All this is not to say that I am getting sentimental about Olmert. Far from it. On the other hand, the natural question of his possible replacement fills me by dread.
On yet another hand... no, I am allowed only two hands, so enough already. Duh.
Anyhow, happy Independence Day:
No, this is definitely not the one I meant. Here is the one:
Again in the spirit of openness - I have chosen the carrot-colored ones, the easier to be detected from a search helicopter in the desert. And to frighten toddlers.
