Photohunt: Any

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!

To look for other photo hunters, go there.

***

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

IowaHawk hits the nail:

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?

And an answer comes out of the blue: personal strap on Mexican rocket helicopters!

And I share his conclusion too:

As long as it cuts down my travel time to the liquor store, who am I to quibble?

Yep.

Via Dick Stanley.

Miscellaneous reading

It's always nice to know that someone thinks about us: UNRWA: Refuge Of Rejectionism.

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.

Nu nu...

Have a nice day.

Police vs Olmert - round 5

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 another case 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:


Uhu. Cool.

The Silent Scream Of The Asparagus

This... boggles... my... remaining... gray... cells... beer please... more beer...

The sick Pappe strikes again - whoops, it's a coincidence!

Ilan Pappe, the ex-Israeli professor of (what he considers) history, a pro-boycotter and fierce anti-Zionist, has been interviewed by a neo-Nazi newspaper. Quite extensively.

Needless to say, a profuse explanation ensued (read the linked article), and there is not a lot to say. Instead, I shall just quote a succinct and to the point summary by David Hirsh from the linked article.

Whoops, it was a mistake! Oh well that's OK then, could happen to anyone. Except it doesn't happen to anyone, does it? It happens to anti-Zionists rather alot. Which is a strange coincidence, because antizionism has no connection whatever to antisemitism, does it?

It was coincidence when it happened to the AAUP as they were preparing to sit down with the boycott campaign in an Italian villa.

It was coincidence when Mearsheimer and Walt, as well as Tony Judt were feted by former leader of the KKK, David Duke.

It was a coincidence when George Galloway ended up in the same Syrian TV studio as David Duke, arguing the same thing; and it was coincidence when Joseph Massad uses the same term "Jewish Supremacism" to describe Zionism.

It was coincidence when Mick Napier of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign relied on neo-Nazi websites to construct an apologia for the murder of Yeshiva boys in Jerusalem.

It was coincidence when his colleague John Wight linked to a Nazi website from Engage.

All these links between Nazis and antizionists were coincidence because there is no connection between Jew-hatred and Israel hatred.

Indeed...

Sunday links

Haveil Havalim # 164 is up! Rejoice and read it A to Z, Yids!

Haveil Havalim # 164 - no names edition

Have you noticed the post that precedes this brand new and shiny Haveil Havalim # 164? This post is what I normally do on Sundays - I put a link to the latest edition of HH, to make sure that my lonely reader or two get rerouted to something really worthwhile.

And I wouldn't change my ways because of some slight logical problem with this one, because this is what I was conditioned to do by the Founding Father - the one and the only Soccer Dad - every darn Sunday. Unfortunately, this time I cannot deal with it by a mere one-liner. It is my cro burden to schlep this time. I don't know how I have volunteered to do it. There must be some hallucinogenic component in the matzos they bake in that Reshon-Le-Zion place. At least the place smells this way when you drive by. But it's too late in any case, besides I wouldn't want to piss off Jack.

And I shall do it like a man - when the bottle is uncorked and the goose is out of the oven, a man must fall to. Which I am going to do in a moment, without any further fancy footwork. But first, to use the proven copy/paste technique - a bit of introduction to the HH newbies from an excellent HH # 162 by Yaaqov Ben Yehudah (who, as it appears, based the text below on Batya's original):

Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs -- a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It's hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by Jack. The term 'Haveil Havalim,' which means "Vanity of Vanities," is from Qoheleth, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other 'excesses' and realized that it was nothing but 'hevel,' or in English, 'vanity.'

Yeah, all that jazz, you know, maximum two posts per your weekly submission and stuff. So let's go!

Holocaust Remembrance Day

This image was created by Dzeni. It contains the names of 1,692 victims of the Shoah. These names were found on the Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims. The boy in the image is taken from the famous Warsaw Ghetto Photograph.

This image is also special for another reason. It is part of the Holocaust Yellow Badge in Art Exhibit which opens in Safed (Israel) today. This is the first time Dzeni's work has been exhibited

The really large image can be seen at the preceding link.

And another way of remembrance: Israeli Air Force pilots fly over Auschwitz.


On a related subject: From Auschwitz to the IAF.

And yet another powerful reminder:

That is what can happen, what usually happens, even what eventually and inevitably always happens, when you arrogantly claim Moral Superiority for your Utopian ideas over the messy, imperfect, flawed, but constantly improving and very Human endeavour called "Science". Please read all of the linked post.

How do you measure it? How many is six million?

More remembrances. And more.

And what about Germany then and now?

Post-Pesach blues

Many of us still slowly recover from that Big Fress called Pesach, and here comes mufleta! As if a person in the throes of a heart attack needs a stroke... But fasting after Pesach? Come on, it is not like the life is ending right now... As a side remark - mufleta must not be mixed with muffuletta, although both are deadly.

How not to get sick at the family reunion - too bad it comes late, but there always is the next Pesach.

But to cool down you can always look at some pretty flowers.

And here comes a solution for your matzo Overstock.

Oh Israel!

Jews and Palestinians - how could there be any common ground? I am the one asking questions today, thankfully.

When has Israel lost its way - politically speaking, or Think Big.

When this Déjà vu will come to an end? "Ceasefire" - We Cease, They Fire.

Que sera, sera, or a beautiful eulogy for Noam Apter, RIP.

Hudna - is is good for the Jooz or is it not so? That truce that never was...

Two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed in fairly rapid succession, yet the British press first called these attacks “random,” and the perpetrator is not being charged with a hate crime. It looks like the name of the perp, one Mohamed Jama Ahmed, has some Nordic roots that are being investigated.

Who is that liberal in Jerusalem? Sari Nusseibeh, it appears. Hmm...

Could Baby Assad's regime be flipped (I suspect Baby Assad has already flipped a few times)?

Imagine Neville Chamberlain without the mustache, but with great teeth suitable for peanut consumption... And read carefully why pariah should be careful about pariahs. Yeah, and what about that amendment of the terrorists list?

Whatever the Israelis offer, Syria won't give up its alliance with Iran... Could be. Much depends on the size of the carrot vs the size of the stick, methinks.

Does Jewish anti-Zionism have a future? I would say, even a tapeworm has some kind of a future. But SFW?

Now to some practical aspects of urban renewal. The old sewage issue rises its ugly head again.

An idealist supporter of Israel - will he do good in the notorious South African Mail & Guardian?

Anti-Semitic attacks up worldwide. Is it related to the oil prices, I wonder?

Close but not quite there - about the small-mindedness in our media circles.

But What Do You Do When You Need Eggs?

You simply don't get it: I am not a crook, I just love being investigated!

Holy Agriculture or Holy Land? Or is there something else besides these two?

Do we really negotiate with Abbas or just going through the motions?

Yes, we do like to whine. True.

Does Hamas know what Hamas really wants?

When a schoolmaster is a terrorist - watch the kids!

Why Does it Matter Who Killed Them?

In preparations to the Independence Day. And reality inversion alert. More...

And BBC being fair on Israel? I will be...

The Methodists aren't interested. Now we could be disinterested too.

A wall in our happy seaside bubble.

Welcome back to the rat race, you gutsy victim of a terror attack!

Beggars cannot be bombers? Beg your pardon.

And let's not forget the new Olim - there are unexpected benefits of meeting new immigrants.

Oh boy... have we shown them Babylonians...

Three beautific smilies and invasion of Israel. Cool.

Has New York Times Coverage Of Israel Actually Improved? Flying pigs come to mind.

Judaism and Jewish Culture

Many of us married men will agree that our better halves are blessed not only by spiritual strength, but spiritual strength is a very important component of the great unknown. Rosh Chodesh Iyyar celebration underlines this.

Can you imagine if potatoes were considered kitniyot? I cannot, to tell the truth (where is my tongue? aha...)

Time for Birckas HaIlan - the blessing over trees. Always a good idea, methinks. And more on this subject, with cool pictures and an explanation.

And I think you will be following one of the best Jooish traditions if you Help David's Nephew Provide Guide Dogs for the Blind in Israel.

Is the observant community capable of addressing criticism from within? I would add a question of my own - will such a discussion be open to all, including us secular grunts?

I purely fell in love with that "Oh, I forgot you’re frummer than I am." Hope you do too.

If there's no buy-back, may we eat our sold chametz? I wouldn't know, would I? I have barely graduated from "don't kill what you ain't gonna eat"...

An opponent's voice is sorely amiss so far in this chapter, thus A Few More Questions For Theists and Especially Creationists.

I am not sure The Battle of Algiers Never Ends belongs to this chapter, anyway it's a beautiful story, and it keeps giving.

"Prepone" - the opposite of "postpone"! I am already pining to use the word.

It's a relief that burqa is not what the Torah recommends. I mean it. Otherwise, how... oh well.

A Committee for Jewish Music? Interesting.

And how a walk in the park can cause some interesting thoughts.

General

It is difficult to believe, but in some places you are guilty when you get raped.

Astrologist or astrologer? A holocaust revisionist will do in this sorry case.

Title of Generalissimo Associated with Boundless Reverence. If you don't know what the heck it means, don't call your therapist, read the post first.

Imagine you are a Muslim supporter of Israel. What will Quebec media say to or about you?

Confession of a neo-Zionist. Short but succinct.

Organic-shmorganic. Duh.

Rekindled romances - do we need them?

Does One Wright Makes Obama Wrong For America? Most of our American correspondents seem to think so.

A new candidate for for the position of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Cool.

A racist's fondest dream.

Which one is a greater threat to the well-being of Islamic Republic of Iran - Barbie or Spiderman?

To engage or not to ENGAGE? No, it's about engaging Syria. Good luck!

What do Arab states give to Palestinians? Empty words galore.

Fun

Some people think that this is a good reason the Brits lost their empire. Others are simply amazed by such a blooper from the land of Political Correctness...

I have decided that, after all, this professor of French history and cinema is funny. But I was told a few times that my sense of humor is freaky. I wonder, though, whether our professor could accompany his lectures on a banjo...

An honest mechanic - not an oxymoron anymore, it looks like. But love bombs - no, my offspring know better than to tinker with my beloved Treo.

Obam-A-What?

And isn't it a perfect cause to adopt the Simply Jews flag? It is straight and simple, at least!

Japanese hot bath and Wisconsin? Go figure.

Kabalistic urban legend? Wow, that's really mysterious.

Do you want to know the secret of man's happiness? I suggest you better forget it quick.

The day will come and the day will provide another picture.

Castaration - not a spelling miskate.

Do I detect a slight dissatisfaction with the clergy?

You might be dead but:

And some people are still looking for their luggage, it looks like. Awful quiet there.

Another kind of genocidal Jews and their views on Evil.

Cats (v. short)

Some people don't know it yet, but there are only two cats at the top of the feline pyramid, here is one of them (usually on his back).

So there, it's not negotiable, so move on, please.

Meta HH

As you have noticed, I have decided to skip the bloggers' names (or nicknames, as the case may be) and the blog titles. This is why "no names edition". I have adopted the technique used by Pat aka Dr. Sanity for her Carnival of the Insanities, and your opinion on this could be of value. That is, if I ever get another mental blackout and volunteer again for another round of punishment...

A general remark: all submissions (and more) were posted here - no censorship of any kind.

And another copy/paste from Yaa'qov:

Please send your posts for the next edition of the Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival via the Blog Carnival Submission Form. I found [me too!] this to be very helpful in organizing your posts this week. If you're interested in hosting or receiving more information about the carnival, please contact Jack at talktojacknow-at-sbcglobal-dot-net.

And don't forget to count the days to Lag B'Omer! Or, at least, get all your unneeded wooden stuff outside for these little goniffs, otherwise they'll steal your fences, gates and window frames.

Hey, they are not celebrating our Independence Day!

With the same inevitability as increase in terrorist attacks and rocket scientists' activity toward Jewish and Israeli holidays, the so called Jewish anti-Zionists get restless during the period. The phenomenon usually manifests in a joint letter, published in a sympathetic newspaper. And in UK you can hardly get a more sympathetic one than The Guardian, of course.

This time the wretches couldn't even wait for the Holocaust Remembrance day to be over.

In May, Jewish organisations will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. This is understandable in the context of centuries of persecution culminating in the Holocaust. Nevertheless, we are Jews who will not be celebrating.

And then the usual tripe, half-truths, distortions, etc. And the usual list of signatures with painfully familiar names. The democratic nature of the list is touching - professors, writers, thieves, rabbis, you name it.

There is one thing I would like to understand better: why should a person declare with such pomposity and publicity that he/she doesn't celebrate this or another holiday? I mean, if I decide not to celebrate, for example, St. Patrick's day (rest assured I shall not do so, it's just for illustration) - should I get a space in a Turkish (to use another example) newspaper to announce this decision to the world?

There is another issue unclear to me: who asked these people to celebrate? As far as I know, Olmert is too busy these days, what with all these investigations and stuff, and his ministers are too busy watching him - not to miss the moment he stumbles or blinks first.

And the last, but not the least: who cares? As far as I, and the other 99.9% of Israeli citizens are concerned, this whole list could collectively kiss our collective rosy posterior.

And it is only of respect to the place where this post will appear that I refrain from posting a certain picture I have in mind. This one.

Cross-posted on Yourish.com.

The shitstorm is rising (again)

I have thought about revisiting that old post of mine, but TUI has done a new one already and I cannot do better anyway. So here.

Agenzia delle Entrate - wow, that's heavy, dudes!

From this blog:

...news comes from Italy that the Agenzia delle Entrate – the department of revenue - has made available online for all to see citizens’ annual incomes, searchable by anyone with an Internet connection.

I got to read it three times, I swear. I mean, I could know what that cat from across the street who drives a Ferrari and is partial to hair gel makes a year? And how much is my partner hiding from the department of revenue? And... wow, I still cannot get it down.

But the most amazing part is this:

What’s interesting about this story is that one might expect general outrage at the revenue department’s initiative to make such highly personal data public. But a quick look at two online opinion polls published by two of the major national newspapers shows that the outrage is not as widespread as it might be believed. At the time of writing this, sixty four percent of the readers who replied to the poll answered that they saw nothing wrong with the initiative – while 34 percent of respondents replied that making data available online was too much (La Repubblica).

It mean what? Confusion...
Nah, not really. I have just decided to air the good ole Mr. Confusion here. The conclusion must be crystal clear to all. Maybe even to the Italian department of revenue, who should be really worried by now...

What is sure that Italian folks are really hoopy froods who know where their towel is. And more power to them!

Another twisted PAIR

The term "twisted pair" in elementary tecno-slang means:

A form of wiring in which two conductors are wound together for the purposes of canceling out electromagnetic interference (EMI) from external sources; for instance, electromagnetic radiation from unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, and crosstalk between neighboring pairs.

In this case, unfortunately, it's another PAIR. Not from the world of electromagnetism, but twisted nevertheless. PAIR stands for - no more and no less - Plan for Arab-Israeli Reconciliation. Probably also for the two founders: Rachel Neuwirth, President and Bertram Cohen, Vice-President.

Let's start with the Fundamental Principles:

1). Truth and peace, especially in the Middle East, are inseparable.
2). Reciprocity must operate throughout all stages of the peace process.
3).The bias and double standards that the international community and the great powers have manifested when seeking to acts as mediators or arbitrators of the Arab-Israel conflict must end.
4). The vital interests of all sides must be respected in any peace agreement.

Not bad, you will probably agree. Unclear where this leads, but you shall see in a moment. We are going to the Summary. Instead of beating around the bush, let's skip directly to paragraph d) of Part III summary:

A phased, peaceful, long-term resettlement solution. It demands full recognition for Jewish rights while preserving legitimate Arab rights. The Palestinian Arabs would be offered a far better future, including a much larger independent state of their own, than under any competing plan.

Oy vey - why didn't anyone think of this before, I wonder? We'll just go and resettle our cousins, while preserving legitimate Arab rights! Brilliant. While a few thinkers of lesser caliber offered before just to resettle the Palestinian Arabs (we wouldn't want to use that rude word "transfer", would we?), our twisted pair begot a revolutionary idea - Resettle and Preserve!

You can see a bit more details on the implementation of this plan in Part IV, but don't expect too much. It is crowned by this extraordinary statement:

Given the right attitudes this conflict becomes among the most easily solvable.

Right. Given wheels, my auntie will be...

Anyway, there is one more exceptional leap of logic in this document that I would like to share with you. There is an FAQ section that contains only 1 (one) question:

Question: How can you achieve your PAIR Initiative considering all the obstacles?

And the answer contains the following historic reference:

Some critics of our plan accurately cite some of the obstacles that will confront its implementation as if that proves it is impossible of attainment and stating that argument ends the discussion. That argument ignores history which shows that determination and persistence has, time and again, overcome strong opposition. One example out of many is the woman’s suffrage movement in America.

And more, proving to the questioner what persistence and willpower can do. I see more parallels to the woman's suffrage movement and its victory. For instance, the woman frequently ends up today owning the house and a good part of the family's other possessions (after a divorce), while the ex-hubby gets... er... what the heck - Resettled! Now I can see where the real inspiration comes from. Probably a good lawyer could also explain to the hubby in question that his legitimate rights are being Preserved.

Any questions? No? I thought so...

I, though, have a question: do we need this kind of PITA now?

In related news: professor Weiss strikes again.

SOS Israel redesigns Israeli flag to display country’s destruction as it protests government policy ‘offering us for slaughter.’ Star of David is replaced by Neve Dkalim hesder yeshiva after Gaza pullout.

Like he doesn't know that the Israeli flag has been already redesigned. By the Elders here, no less. And that the bird could be flipped in his direction too.

More PITA...

Sandra Dewi video again?

It must be something in the air, I submit. But then you get another chance for relaxation and a break in your feverish surfing for that video. Take five:

Feeling better already? At ease...

Ronaldo arrested for altercation with transvestites

As if he doesn't have enough troubles:

It was a spectacular own goal from the man once considered the best striker in the world. Ronaldo, the AC Milan forward, was questioned by police yesterday after an altercation with transvestites in a Rio de Janeiro motel. Carlos Augusto Nogueira, a police inspector, said that Ronaldo admitted he knew they were prostitutes when they met but did not realise they were transvestites until they reached the motel.

It looks like it is not only the knee that should be monitored - The Man needs to have his eyes examined as well...

Via H.

Scuba divers for beginners

"Divers" is not a typo, as you shall see presently.
Mmm...