Traffic cones to say ‘you will obey’ lane restrictions

Apparently a new generation of self-propelled GPRS and laser-enabled traffic cones are on their way to exterminate an errant driver or drunk student near you.

Librarians behaving badly - Part 2

This one is for Library Girl. Yet another fund raising event, this time by semi nude librarians.. I raised my eyebrows at:

Diane Bowman, senior librarian at West Hampstead, Kilburn and Belsize libraries and a fan of Calendar Girls star Julie Walters, said she got the idea after reading about the actress’s role.
“I just came into work and asked people if they would like to do something similar and I was amazed – they couldn’t wait to get their bras off,” she said.

Never worked for me though.

Google Gmail

I signed up for a Google gmail account today. I shall test it thoroughly and report back some time this year. Privacy worries? What me?

Oslo Delusion

Steven Plaut writes an article minimising Israeli casualties since the founding of Israel. The reference to "the number of Jews
murdered every two days at Auschwitz at the height of its "efficiency." " is unpleasant. In common with most "right-wingers" he moans the desire of Israelis to live in peace whatever the Palestinians do and even seems to express a longing for the good old days in Lebanon. Hands up all those IDF soldiers who'd like a return trip to Beirut.

Thought so. There are always plenty of objections to any plan, whether it be where to go for a picnic or World War II and how to fight it. The right in Israel are universal in their absolute inability to come up with any plan that will bring peace for Israel than 'carry on regardless'.

Iraqi flag

I note that the new Iraqi flag was designed in London by Rifat Chadirji He just happens to be the brother of Nassir al-Chaderchi, the chairman of the Iraqi committe supposed to produce a new flag design. Not a good start to anything. Still, there has to be a flag for the 'handover' in June but I would put 'flag that Iraqis won't open fire on' at the top of my wish list. Lawrence has a post on this as well but is far more sarcastic ironic.

Americans and irony

A comment I left on Moxies blog lead to a torrent of visits from Moxie readers. Whilst musing on this I wondered about Americans and irony, often confused for sarcasm. An interesting article on this can be found here.

A favourite author of mine is Bill Bryson probably a pleasant cross between the USA and the UK. His books are delightful and he speaks on this subject as well.

On returning home one day, I noticed my neighbour piling branches on his roof rack, obviously getting rid of the debris from a trimmed tree. "I see you're busy camouflaging your car " I said.
" "No," he replied with a bewildered look , "I'm taking them to the dump"

I may have got the text wrong as I'm quoting from memory but the gist is about right. Americans do appreciate irony in the main but in the right context. I shall compose an ironical piece for the weekend.

I also left a comment on the Head Heeb's blog. That proved problematic as his anti spam filter took the words 'national sense ' , made a comparison and decided that this could be national.se , a Swedish record site allegedly blocked for spamming. I would choose my words more carefully except that I don't know what the rules are.

Will someone please order in more silver stakes…

Just when you thought we were safe from the classical Foreign Office Arabists and their fellow travellers besotted by Islam: A bunch of undead sorry retired British diplomats have put pen to paper (or perhaps as modern as a typewriting machine) lamenting that those decent Arab chappies are just not getting a fair look-in from TB’s government and that’s just not cricket…

Following a classic justification of Arabist views by Menzies Campbell (a LibDem colleague of Jenny I Could Fancy Myself A Suicide Bomber Tongue), Louise Ellman was in fine form with a very spot-on response and rebuttal including a key point that the letter says nothing about the terrorism the Palestinians and other Islamists are waging on Israel.

Why I like it here no 367

As a passionate foodie I am ever delighted that I can get some of the best food in the world (I do not mean the most expensive) in London. The quality of food available (in shops, farmers’ markets, cafes and restaurants) in London has developed out of all recognition (as have my culinary tastes) from when I first washed up here in the late 1970s.

Amazingly (for those who think mushy peas is still the English national veg) 13 of the world’s top 50 restaurants, according to trade rag Restaurant Magazine, are in the UK and 9 of those are in London (compared with 7 in Paris, 7 elsewhere in France and 9 in the US).

There is a huge variety of eating places (from budget informal to luxury blow-out) serving a wide range of wonderful food inspired from all over the world. There are farmers’ markets all over London selling fresh, often organic, food. The most gourmet is Borough Market. One of the other best is just off Marylebone High Street. There are also delectable speciality shops such as La Fromagerie for stinky fermented milk products (Interest declared: Good Sport works there.)

We even have two organic/natural foods supermarket chains, which bear little resemblance to dirty dingy hippiedippie wholefood shops. The largest, Fresh and Wild, has just been bought by Whole Foods Markets, a fantabulosa American organic/natural foods supermarket group. I plan my US trips around the distance from their stores.

While Europe is a eunuch, America is our only shield

Max hastings writes in the Guardian of all places and calls Europe a eunuch. I'm sure he didn't mean Tony Blair who was described as having 'cojones' by President Bush. he quotes Samuel Berger, former NSA during the Clinton years:

In all those things, I was wrong. To quote Berger again, the Bush administration believes the US "does not need to seek legitimacy from the approval of others. International institutions and international law are nothing more than a trap set by weaker nations to constrain us."

Oh dear. From an unreconstructed Reagenite I could understand. Still, Max Hastings does have some worries.

I was among those who wobbled about the war in Iraq. I never doubted that the allied armies could easily get to Baghdad, that Saddam Hussein's demise was good for Iraqis. But I believed the invasion was misconceived. Not for 50 years have the Americans displayed the skills or staying power to reshape nations. Invasion seemed certain to damage, not assist, Bush's misnamed "war on terror", by highlighting US double standards towards Israel and Islam

Jerusalem Post

Last month I wrote a letter via email to the Jerusalem Post. As I don't buy the paper every day, I failed to notice that my letter was published on the 31st March 2004. It shows on a jpost web search but I'm damned if I'm going to pay $2.50 for something I wrote so there's no URL. Well, OK, here it is if anyone has a paid subscription. For the record, I'll reproduce the original email here. What was actually published might be JPost copyright.

I regret that Angela Paul from New Zealand and Jonathan Riech from Florida
have been so badly informed about Amnesty International. It's (sic) wrath falls on
us all including the Palestinians. A good example would be it's report of
the 11th July 2002 which roundly condemns, lock stock and barrel, terrorist
attacks.

Indeed, AI goes even further than just rhetoric. I quote:

'However, no violations by the Israeli government, no matter their scale or
gravity, justify the killing of Sinai Keinan, Danielle Shefi, Chanah Rogan
or any other civilians. The obligation to protect civilians is absolute and
cannot be set aside because Israel has failed to respect its obligations.
The attacks against civilians by Palestinian armed groups are widespread,
systematic and in pursuit of an explicit policy to attack civilians. They
therefore constitute crimes against humanity under international law. They
may also constitute war crimes, depending on the legal characterisation of
the hostilities and interpretation of the status of Palestinian armed groups
and fighters under international humanitarian law.'

Just because Angela and Jonathon haven't heard of it or the Post doesn't see
fit to print it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Adrian Edmonds

/"\ ExpatEgghead http://expategghead.blogspot.com

\ / ASCII Ribbon campaign

X against html email,

/ \ and news.

I'm rather proud of that one.

Post note: I am ashamed of my misuse of the apostrophe though.

Memorial Day

Tonight we remember the 21,781 soldiers who have died for Israel since 1860. I will remember them.

English language assualted in Ha'Aretz

The article is about the implicit threat to Araft which has been much in the news recently. My point however, is not with the content, rather it is with the use of a dreadful word 'actualized'. What is wrong with happen?

ANZAC Day

Today is ANZAC day. Thanks to all the Aussies and Kiwis who gave so much in two World Wars.

Arafat must diet

Prime Minister Sharon continues to make headlines but perhaps a period of quit is called for. Personally I believe he has no intention of doing anything with Arafat but is bent on winning the Likud vote. Either way nothing will happen until next summer except torrents of words.

The Head Heeb

I am always grateful to the Head Heeb for his blog. He points to a Haaretz article on a settlement I wouldn't mind joining. It's in the Negev and they have a story worth reading. I shall awaken "She Who Must be Caressed" with the news that I will give up our house to-be near Tivon and move to a dusty caravan in the Negev. Shabbat Shalom.

Life imitates art imitates life imitates art…

Here’s Ze Grauniad getting all hot and bothered about Richard Desmond (who is Jewish) doing a Basil Fawlty Nazi walk-and-talk about German and English twits.

Double standards or no change there then

Well done Saudis for finally starting to face facts.

I am waiting, still waiting, still still waiting, to see the international condemnation of these killings similar to the tirades heaped upon Israel recently….

"What should be done with Vanunu?"

Maariv have a poll on Vananu which offers the following choices:

• Kept in jail
  
• Allowed out of country
  
• Killed
  
• Don't know

I am appalled that a newspaper could even suggest that killing is an option. If I offered a poll offering mass execution of the Likud party and all members of the Yesha council I would be prosecuted and quite rightly so. You may make your views known to Maariv at the following addresses:

• editor at maariv.co.il
  
• legalese at netvision.net.il
  
• otherisr at actcom.co.il

Israel Midnight Cafe

Please come with me to the Israel Midnight Cafe and have a coffee. Warning. Grauniad readers may be offended just as I was.

Billions wasted due to IT skills deficit

El Reg has a neat article on the lack of skills in the UK IT market to implement large scale projects.

"We looked at a range of studies showing that only around 16 per cent of IT projects can be considered truly successful. Even conservative estimates put the cost of such failures into tens of billions of pounds across the EU," said Basil Butler, chairman of the working group that produced the report.

Play it again Sam. They might also write about the skills deficit amongst software developers. I have been tasked with getting the documentation written for work. Just writing down what is needed is a challenge. Getting it done will be horrific.

I note that a three year degree course in computer science at the Technion here in Haifa will include one afternoon on software reliability, two days on software testing and very little on documentation. It is little wonder we have to rewrite software modules so often. It;s easier than writing down what we have.

Disengagement plan

The opposition inside Likud is growing. This is bad news for Sharon, Israel and President Bush. Expect fireworks when the results are announced.

Crazed cyclists sent down

Two more lycra louts are off the streets of Bournemouth and Leeds respectively.

In Bournemouth a mad cyclist was jailed for 16 months. He caused £250,000 of criminal damage by slashing tyres of nearly 550 vehicles. Apparently his 10 day rampage was in revenge for what he seemed to think was motorists not treating him with sufficient respect.

In Leeds a paranoid cyclist has been jailed for three years. He was convicted threatening two pedestrians and holding replica handgun (gas-powered ammunition-using so actually capable of doing real damage) a to the head of one of them.

In both cases CCTV camera footage was instrumental in the capture and evidence to convict.

The London streets are full of similar self-righteous inconsiderate buffoons who clearly have inferiority complexes, inadequate lives and death wishes. They run red lights, ride the wrong way down one-way streets, don’t stop at zebra crossings, hold up traffic gratuitously and….much more. This type of irresponsible cyclist is a danger not just to pedestrians, motorcyclists and motorists but sensible cyclists as their behaviour reinforces the poor image of cyclists among other road users. This can lead to even less regard for cyclists on the roads.

It seems obvious that if someone has Issues (eg paranoid or defensive) with motorists and cars they should not be cycling, especially not in busy city centres.

Slicks

A very old weapons cache has been discovered in Kibbutz Lahavot HaBashan. This probably comes from the Mandate period when making , collecting and hiding weapons was almost a national sport.I would love to know what was in there.

Salam Pax

I shall remove him from the blogroll as he seems to be working for the media now. The link is to an article in the Grauniad.

A few nights ago, a small local hospital in the town of Musaiyab was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade. Luckily, no one was hurt. But what is really funny is the fact that the guy who fired the missile went to the hospital the next morning and apologised, saying it landed there by mistake: "Nothing against you guys - it was supposed to hit something else." Well, that's a relief. The guy shot a hospital by mistake and went to apologise. It's called manners. I bet his mum is proud

Vanunu

Israeli media is full of the imminent release of Mordechai Vanunu who was sentenced to 18 years in prison and is due for release tomorrow. The main argument is about the restrictions that may or may not be placed on him after his release.

He was convicted of revealing details of Israel's nuclear program to a British newspaper, and snatched from Italy after being enticed from the UK to Rome by a rather fetching Israeli female who offered unspecified services but only outside the UK. A strange kink but evidently believable in his case.

I will make comparisons with Pollard who is serving life in the US for espionage. Not good comparions mind you, but they are there. I am constantly reminded that the search for a constant set of values, morals and laws is never ending.

The future of Weblogging

Vulture Central has a excellent article on blogging.

If online publishers, and particularly newspaper and current affairs publishers, syndicated the meta information on every article they published (title, author, date, introduction, and so on), readers could more easily find, review and organise those that were of interest to them. As writers they might choose to post a Weblog commenting on particular articles.

If publishers then used the ‘track back’ model to list an appropriately edited selection of these comments, in the context of each article, readers could follow the developing discussion and commentary. Tied to reputation management and good presentational tools, this would be likely to facilitate a greater awareness of new ideas and a more engaged (and possibly more informative) debate about them. And for the beleaguered publishing industry it would create greater engagement with its current readers, and may open up new audiences as well.

Well, yes. There's more on aggregation.

If it could be realised it would at least break open the small and slightly incestuous circles into which the blogerati have settled, allowing their ideas and those of the blogging masses to spread more widely.

Certainly. Finally, we have the rather brave:

And it would break open the out-dated model of knowledge development and discussion still being peddled by the unduly smug proprietors of the fourth estate. ®

A thrumbs down for dead tree media. I would add television news to that which seems to be radio with pictures these days.

News

I refuse to include any links this morning. The news ranges from averagely poor to bad. As the sirens sound everywhere today and Israel pauses to remember the Shoah I shall be fervently wishing for a better future for Israel and all it's inhabitants.

Holocaust Memorial Day

It's Holocaust Memorial day starting just now. We still have the video of my wife's mother made by the Shoah Foundation.

Kinneret

A day at the Kinneret was enjoyed by all. I even went for a swim. I was hoping for a nice quiet day but I see Israel has just knocked off another Hamas leader. The Hamas pension fund will be running out at this rate.

Haaretz - Web diaries become hot medium for talk on Israel

There is an article in Haaretz about blogs. I think this is the first one Ha'Aretz has done. I was interviewed for this one. A good article. No clickable links though but there again, there wouldn't be in the dead tree version. Just one point. I have never said 'I've gotten' ever. I'm British.

Disengagement plan

We seem to have a plan. Just the Likud vote and then the Knesset gets to chew on it. The two letters exchanged between Prime Minister Sharon and President Bush are here and here.


Curiously , there is also a powerpoint presentation with the same letter in it. I haven't found the full details yet other than what is reported in the news. Google shows around 2,890 stories on this one.


I shall wait and see like most Israelis.

Kinky Friedman for Governor of Texas. Yeeeehah!

What a refreshing antidote to the Bush dynasty. Kinky Friedman is running as an independent candidate for governor of the great state of Texas in the 2006 elections.

If I could vote in Texas y’all I’d sure as hell vote for Kinky. Just check out some of his campaign slogans, quips and promises:

• Kinky Friedman for Governor: Why the hell not?
  
  

• I’m the oldest living Jew in Texas to not own any real estate.
  
  

• If you elect me the first Jewish governor, I'll reduce the speed limit to 54.95.
  
  

• I do not carry a gun myself, so if someone is going to shoot me, they better remember to bring their own weapon.
  
  

• The first thing I'll do if elected is demand a recount.
  
  

• We know that the governor of Texas does not do any heavy lifting. So I'll let the lieutenant governor do all the heavy lifting; he'll deal with the legislature and I'll be involved with anything that has nothing to do with politics
  
  

• If elected I’ll make it illegal to de-claw cats.
  
  

• Texans pronounce Jewish with one syllable 'he’s Juush' but pronounce Jew with about 12 syllables 'd’ya know he’s a Jjjjjeeeeeeeeewwwwww'.
  
  

• Kinky for governor. How hard could it be?
  
  

This is the same Kinky who fronted country band The Texas Jewboys (songs include I’m an Asshole from El Paso and They Don’t Make Jews like Jesus Anymore) before becoming a writer of mystery novels. He’s also involved in serious causes such as humane animal shelters and initiatives to bring Israelis and Palestinians together.

My grandfather was also a southern Jew born in Louisiana and lived in Texas where my mother was born. My grandmother was a posh German Jewish Californian (how she ended up in Texas and how they vamoosed back to California is story for another post).

High tech worker demand soars in Israel.

Demand for software developers has increased 148% over the same quarter last year. Yippee! There's life yet.

EU braces for software patent demo | The Register

Vulture Central points out that the EU seems determined against all odds to import the broken patent model from the US. You can find out more here.


My opposition is based on the fact that:

If Haydn had patented "a symphony, characterised by that sound is produced [ in extended sonata form ]", Mozart would have been in trouble.

Likud -disengagement.

On the 29th of April, the 190,000 registered members of the Likud party will vote for or against Arik Sharon's disengagement plan. The Prime Minister has agreed in advance to abide by the results.


This is a valid exercise in democracy for the Likud party on what party policy should be. It is not a definitive vote on the disengagment plan. The idea that 100,000 people have a veto of the affairs of the other 6.6 million is not supportable. The anti campaign appears to be very well funded. Large billboard posters have appeared everywhere I travel in the North.

Spring cleaning

Never mind Pesach, there’s nothing like Parents Visiting to catalyse a thorough spring cleaning (those bits that Cleaner does not do) inside and out. Mine are coming over for their biennial visit to London. Then they head North to re-live the days when my father worked at “RAF” (actually US Armed Forces and National Security Agency) Menwith Hill. He’s now retired but Parents just lurve Harrogate and the wilds of Yorkshire.

419 redux

So it's not the widows and orphans of African dictators that want to give us loads of money. It's ex Baathist Iraqis as well.

Holiday

Northern Israel was heaving with visitors today. The radio said some 1.5 million of them. Our trip to the Kinneret was abandoned and we went to the science museum in Haifa instead. We have a friend whose husband has to go to Mexico for work so we went along with her and her four children. Now I do remember what two years old are like but memories are fickle. I am now exhausted.


I feel very sorry for Mr Mexico. Flight to London, then to New York and then to Mexico. 27 hours travelling to fix one machine then back again.

High tech wages

High tech wages are on the rebound again in Israel. A good sign. even tourism is showing a resurgence after a long drought. I shall be going to the Kinneret tomorrow to view the water.

Too much news

Far too much to comment on or point out. The traffic is heavy in the North as people flock to public parks. The sun is shining, it's not too hot and the family is well. That's enough for now.

Holidays

Due to a dispute at work over unpaid wages, I now have 5 whole days off. Son Number one has gone to a three day party called Bombamella down south. In the meantime, I have some cans of paint to get out of their containers and onto walls.

United States Patent: System is broken

Would somebody over the pond please fix your patent system? It's broken if Microsoft can get a patent on:

Abstract

A gaming system includes a hard disk drive for storing applications and other data. The hard disk drive has multiple storage areas for storing different types of data. Each application executed on the gaming system has an associated data storage area and is prevented from using data storage areas associated with other applications. When saving a game, the saved game data may include a descriptive name of the saved game, a graphic representation of the state of the game when the game was saved, a description of the game state when the game was saved, and a date and time that the game was saved.

The idea of a patent system is to reward inventors and allow them to recover the development costs.
It is also supposed to reward innovation. Saved game states has been around ever since

Colossal Cave written in 1976 which was the same year
Microsoft was founded.

Cancer Facts

I shall be bringing this snippet of prostate cancer news to the attention of She Who Must Be Stroked. It would appear that frequent sexual activity may be associated with a lower risk of total and organ-confined prostate cancer. If you love your man, make sure he's getting enough.

Changing of the Guard

UK troops in Iraq are due for a turnover today. Troop strength is around 8,700 at the moment. My yet to be born grandson will be reading much the same around 2017.

Spammer

For those of you who dislike spam and spammers, here is a tale to warm the cockles of your heart. Another one bites the dust.

Seder night

What a lovely evening it was. My first Sephardi seder with a very pleasant family. We shall invite them all next year. I feeling a bit bloated though. A very long walk is called for. 'She Who Must be Cuddled' was worried over being a few metres from the Green Line but it was fine.

Pesach

It's Passover here and we would like to wish all our readers a pleasant peaceful holiday. I shall ignore the well meant advise about eating too much. A 5,000 calorie meal once a year won't kill me.

So farewell then

After several delays it’s finally leitraoat to Israel’s outgoing ambassador to Britain Zvi Shtauber. Some of his parting shots quoted in today’s Observer include:

[Re. anti-Jewish sentiments in Britain] If there is a concern, it is a growing anti-Semitism, covered in a [veneer] of being anti-Israeli, that is coming from the Left. All along we were afraid of the Right. Now there is an unholy alliance between the Left and Islamic fundamentalists.

Anti-Semitism is a successful ideology. It is very important to make a stand.

[Re. peace] It will not be tomorrow, Why would a boy in the Gaza Strip who has been told that Israeli agents deliberately spread Aids [among Muslims] want to make peace with us? There are TV programmes all over the Middle East broadcasting the worst anti-Semitic slurs. They have a huge effect.

Original Google

It seems so long ago that Google started.Here's the original web page. The link came from The Unofficial Google Fan Club.

Powell Blames C.I.A. for Error on Iraq Mobile Labs

So there weren't any mobile labs inIraq then. So what were those trailers I saw pictures off last year? In a related article I see that it is claimed Iraq was put to Tony Blair at a White House dinner 11 days after 9/11.


I picked up an old book yesterday called 'Twenty years of crisis', published in 1941. It examined why the nations of the world failed to bring about an edn to armed conflict in the world and especially Europe. One repeated item caught my eye. The author points that Nations tend to act first and work out the principles later.