How Blair handled it

The opening paragraph start with:

Watching Tony Blair is always instructive for Americans, and even the source of a bit of envy.

But they don't do they?

Weather

It's early orning here in Northern Israel. Fortunately we don't have the pain of losing children to Qassam rockets. Just fog, lots of fog, soon to be burned off by a powerful sun. It pains me to even think this, but withdrawal from Gaza isn't going to stop terrorists from building and using these things. We mustn't withdraw back from the border either. Only a political solution will do this and that's years away.

Whinger of the week

This guy is really getting on my wick. Call me new-fashioned but I think his latest video pleading with Tony Blair to encourage more terrorist fanatics just so he can be released is ludicrous. Didn’t he realise that if you play with matches you do stand a good chance of getting burned? I am tempted to quote the Red Queen here.

So guess which one is the Brit at a typical Israeli wedding. There's an obvious clue. 

Is there a doctor in the house?

I’m inching nearer to starting my PhD. Inching being the operative word.

I had intended to do a doctorate before now but delayed for two reasons: 1) I have never been able to save any dosh since my MBA from London Business School (in spite of the image) to enable me to stop work to do further academic study full-time; and 2) I originally wanted to do a cross-subject study of the gap between linear management theory as it is taught at business schools and the holistic reality of actually leading and managing people and organisations. For some reason this was seen as too threatening by the narrow-minded (literally), cosy subject-area hierarchies endemic in business schools.

Then someone turned me on to Birkbeck College (part of the University of London), which specialises in high-standard, part-time academic study for students who are grown-ups. One can go for any combination of letters (BA, BSc, MSc, DPhil, MPhil, PhD…) mainly in the evenings which is perfect. And they say they encourage cross-specialist law subject integration. I’ve just started the slooooowww process of talking to academics there prior to actually applying. Watch this space but don’t hold your breath…

And my mother is inching closer to the day when she will be able to say "my daughter the doctor."

Iran and WMDs

David of Rishon-Rishon muses on Iran and the growing threat from nukes. The last country to have a serious go at Iran's nuclear industry was our old friend Saddam. How about letting him out to have another go? After all he is on record as hating Persians before Jews. For those keen on the details, here's a guess at the WMD sites.

How F*cking American are you

Normally I don't do quizes. This one comes from the makers of South Park and made me laugh. I got there via the Wonkettes

whose page views made me green.

Jensen Button

So he's the best of the rest in Formula 1. Nice not to see Schumaker winning for once. Not that I can see the race in Israel of course.

Izz el-Deen al-Sheikh Khalil,

Bye bye yet another Hamas leader. I approve.

You Say Yusuf, I Say Youssouf...

I note that Yusuf Islam also known as Cat Stevens was denied entry to the USA recently. This may have due to a misspelling. Youssouf Islam was on the no fly list not Yusuf Islam. The TSA has also managed to stop a Federal Air Marshall from flying for several weeks and Senator Ted Kennedy. As my experience from biometrics proved without a shadow of a doubt, relying on one indicator is a waste of everyone's time.

Mrs Egghead's first name begins with 'A' in English. In Hebrew it can be alpeh or ein. She spells it with ein. Everyone else tries to do it with aleph. Of all the official documents she has, not one agrees with any of the others. Only the ID number stays the same and that's wrong on her army release papers. Trying to get this put right is expensive and time consuming and in a few cases, impossible. Terrorists called John Smith or Muhammed Ali get by easily I presume. I don't have an alternative though except for a better passport system which is coming.

Not a Fish (provincially speaking) now In

Ah, Imshin has the thoughts just right. I still have deep meaningful discussions with Mrs Egghead on what it means to be a Jew. I would be sadly puzzled if anyone asked me to define what being English was. Another Yom Kippur passes and next year, it'll be in our own house. The questions will be the same though, only the answers change.

Yom Kippur

So round it comes again. 24 hours of peace and quiet except for kids cycling all over the place. I think all nations should have one day like this.

TIME Magazine: A Blogger's Creed

So bloggers have a creed now do they? Good to know. Must get these pajamas washed in case anyone comes in. I am interested in the comparison between editing The New Republic with 100,000 subscribers and losing money to making a small salary from a blog with 100,00 readers per day.

I also note that the new Dictionary of National Biography came out yesterday. Running to 60 volumes and costing 7,500 UKP it took 12 years, 10,000 contributors to list the 50,000 distinguished or celebrated dead people across 2,400 years of history. The point is that the publishers do not expect to get their money back on the dead tree version. They'll use the Web.

Terrorism again..

I was very moved by the death of two Border Policeman yesterday in another suicide bombing in Jerusalem. I heard a Professor of Philosphy from Cairo University this morning on the BBC. He was again lambasting the West for it's many failings. As regular readers know I am not a supporter of the settlements. When this man started talking about the Palestinian problem and how the West had inflicted a 'open wound' on the body of every Muslim I wanted to hit him. Perhaps Israel is sinking further into my bones than I thought. I very much dislike hearing criticism of Israel from others. That's our job.

Israel won't enlarge settlements

That is except for 'natural growth'. You could drive quite a lot through that loophole.

Strike day

The Carmel hills were covered with cloud when I drove to work. The rubbish is piling up downtown and the roads were quiet. Yes, it's another general strike. I don't have Allison's problem of not being able to fly anywhere though. The last two times I was in between jobs the employment service was on strike so I've never been officially unemployed. I don;t see this one lasting though. The Unions hold all the cards.

So learn English already

The bureaucracy and the babble grows. The newly enlarged EU is having trouble finding enough translators and interpreters to deal with an ever increasing amount of debates and written material needing to be spewed out in an even greater number of obscure languages. The number of official EU languages shot up from 11 to 20 and now includes Czech, Lithuanian and Slovenian.

This is slowing down the EU decision-making process (which may not be such a bad thing) and MEPs and bureaucrats have been called upon to write shorter briefings and speeches. As if.

I find it hard to believe that a Czech MEP purports not to understand sufficient English (or at least German or French) and wants all documents in his native Czech. Sure it’s a good thing that as many languages are kept alive as possible (eg Ivrit). But in this day and age everyone should be learning a second language, which should be a world language if their first language is ‘small’, in order to help communicate in our increasingly global village.

Note to the French: English has already won the premier global language slot. Live with it.

My Year in Israel 2004-2005

I've found another Israeli blogger. Via blogger of sorts. Welcome.

Haaretz - Israel News

We have a married MK in Israel. The wedding had to be in Toronto as the couple are gay and they still have to have the marriage recognised in Israel. That will be a battle royal. Mazel Tov to former Meretz MK Prof. Uzi Even and his partner Dr. Amit Kamah.

Pushing democracy

This blog is firmly in favour of democracy and whatever the candidates and issues, voter turn out is important. This is why we bring you another voter incentive that might actually work. Probably best to view this in the privacy of your own corner of the universe.

Maariv International

I always love it when it is claimed that a “A Jew can also be an anti-Semite”. This time it's Minister Poraz reacting to Shinui objections to the regular opening of temporary synagogues during the High Holy Days in order to allow those who are not observant to attend prayer services during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

I would have thought this could be considered a good thing, not quite a state run scheme for turning citizens religious as Shinui claim. Mrs Egghead will be spending the day in the local Reform schul as usual. I shall make my penance by walking. Atlit and back seems too far this year. I shall be going East as West is too wet.

Telcos watch out

Skype is fab! Unlike previous internet telephony products, Skype (based on peer-to-peer) actually works. It is easy to use and the sound quality via broadband is excellent even on wireless networks. They’ve just released the first version for Pocket PC. Now I can talk absolutely free with anyone anywhere in the world who has Skype software on their PC, Pocket PC or laptop. Weird feeling though to be making a phone call walking around using a headset and an arm’s length Pocket PC/mic instead of a headset/mic and a mobile phone …convergence or ultimate divergence?

Britain to cut troop levels in Iraq

Hang on a minute. Didn't I just blog that Britain might be increasing troop levels in Iraq for the elections? I'm confused.

Belle de Jour

Bye bye Belle de Jour. World's most famous escort stops blogging.

Spam

Microsoft had a good idea to reduce spam. It's called Sender Policy Framework. In short, it makes it easy for a domain to say "I only send mail from these machines. If any other machine claims that I'm sending mail from there, they're lying." Along comes Microsoft enthusiatically supporting it all getting other players on board when along comes the inevitable brick in the broad highway that is today's Internet. Microsoft has a patent which could cover the idea and even worse, the licensing does not allow the Microsoft license does not allow sublicensing and requires separate execution by those who freely decide to distribute open-source software embodying the standard. That knocks it out of play as far as the open source industry is concerned. Nice idea but it's dead due to Microsoft trying to use it as a weapon to kill Linux.

Iraq again

So the official report now confirms what a lot of people thought before the war started. Saddam didn't have any WMDs or the means to make anything except a small amount of ricin. It's good that he's gone but the cure may turn out worse than the disease. I do not look forward to American and British troops spending the next 10-15 years trying to put the place back together again.

British soldiers are still there and just raided the offices of Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra after a soldier was wounded. I also note that Geoff Hoon, the Minister of Defence is prepared to send more troops for the election. Isn't this the wrong way round?

Firefox Version 1.0

Go get it and make Firefox wired and Internet Explorer expired.

Hospitals again...

There I was, sitting next to a hospital bed with a drip feeding something into my arm while I waited for it to have an effect. It helps that the head nurse was our next door neighbour. I always wondered what happened when a drip ran out and I was about to find out. As the last drops fell into the little tube above the regulator, it stopped. So far so good. I made a polite English cough and expectantly looked up for a nurse. Too busy for the moment.

As I watched with interest, the vacuum formed by the emptying of the bag decided to do what vacuums are best at. Fill up with something else. Fascinated, I observed my blood slowly creeping back up the tube. This isn't right I thought. I'm not supposed to be donating blood. I gave up on the English style of attracting attention and went into Israeli mode. That worked and my body fluids returned to where they should have been and I was sent home. Wonderful service and people as usual.

Shana tova

Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year.

Blogging

It's the holidays here. Shona Tova to you all. As for me I'm ill. See you later.

One brave man

Mathal al-Alawasi, a member of the Iraqi National Congress Party, was fired from his position in the party after visiting the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. He hoped for better relations between Israel and Iraq. Oh well, maybe next century.

Yet another security breach at Brenda’s

This time it’s the ‘fathers 4 justice’ crew scaling the outside of Buck House. Sure, these guys are getting good PR; but am I missing something or are these blokes shooting themselves in the foot? Aren’t they ruling themselves out of getting more access to their kids as a result of their direct actions which a judge may well consider not fitting for a responsible father?

Happy Birthday

Happy 21st birthday to our daughter somewhere in the depths of the Himalayas. Here in Israel, India is called 'Hodu' which is Turkey when turned back into English. We miss her.

Dispute over Roman bones halts underpass

Bones and Jewish burial customs, laws and prohibitions fascinate me for some peculiar reason. The latest spat is over some bones of persumably Roman Legionnaires found near Acco during the construction of bypass.

For those you want a quick run done on the current thinking , try here. Graves have become a political issue in recent years as various settlements in Gaza and the West Bank also have cemeteries. The religious right find it convenient to prohibit the moving of graves whilst Orthodox thought generally doesn't mind if it's for the public good. One school of thought states that after the flesh has left the bones, it's not a body anyway.

I am reminded of a settler I heard who said that "if anyone touches the grave of my murdered daughter, I will take up a gun and kill him". This is a problem that may become enormous. Time to get on with my novel set after the 1st israeli civil war.

Saudis sued over WTC attacks

At last someone is pursuing those actually responsible for the financial and ideological support given to islamic terrorist attackers. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Cantor Fitzgerald have started legal action against Saudi Arabia. Aside from compensating the corporations for financial losses, it would also be nice to achieve reparations from the Saudis to be given directly to survivors and loved ones of those murdered.

Sept 11th

It's come around again. Three years have passed since I was glued to the TV watching with horror. One of the marker stones history is littered with.

Home and away

Mrs Egghead is back home and feeling better. We are trying to slow her down. Thanks for all your concern. I shall try and make this a day of rest without chaining her to the bed.

Smoke signals

We are inching closer to a ban on smoking in public places in the UK. The government has issued yet another directional balloon. They may well be pipped to the post by the Scottish Parliament banning smoking in Scotland by the end of this year. And of course we all hope our Ken in London gets it together sooner rather than later.

Hebrew

I'm going to try this one out. My hebrew vocabulary shrinks as fast as it grows. In case you're wondering why there is an advert in the sidebar, well, I've signed up to AdSense. I need the income to move this blog to it's own domain at some point. I'll give it six months.

Blogmeet

I found this from Not a Fish who I must not use superlatives to describe. It's the blogmeet article from Ha'Aretz. Sarah calls it a BlogBash. Hmmm.

Hospitals again

Mrs Egghead had a very bad asthma attack early this morning so we visited yet another casualty room at 4 in the morning. The staff were wonderful as usual and she's better now but will have to spend a few days as an in-patient which she hates. Asthma sounds dreadful when it happens and this was as bad as I remember.
Whatever my left pondian friends may say, not having to worry over how much it costs is wonderful and for a moment I don't begrudge the very large tax bill I pay each month. Worth every agarot.

I’m a film star and don’t want any publicity which is why I’m going public with this

Oh come off it Gwynnie. If you really wanted to be alone by the paparazzi there are many ways to do it even in London.

Dismantling outposts - DIY style

First hire your crane. Drive to outpost, pick up trailer and then display in Tel-Aviv with a note saying, "Well, that wasn't so hard was it?" Repeat as necessary.

Confessions

I admit it. I have a secret I have kept from my wife for many years. Now that we have moved to Israel I can no longer indulge in this unspoken ' obsession that has no name'.

I am passionately in love with the BBC shipping forecast. This first fell on my ears working on motorway construction in the early hours of the morning. Since then I've even set my alarm clock to hear it in the early hours when Radio 4 in the UK has turned into an imitation of the old BBC Home Service. It is Zen prose poetry par excellence. I fully recommend it to troubled souls with sea in their blood. The text does not do justice to the wonderful audio but here is a taste.

AND NOW THE SHIPPING FORECAST ISSUED BY THE MET OFFICE AT 1130 ON TUESDAY 07 SEPTEMBER 2004

THE GENERAL SYNOPSIS AT 0700
HIGH CROMARTY 1039 MOVING SLOWLY EAST WITH LITTLE CHANGE. LOW PORTUGAL 1013 EXPECTED TRAFALGAR 1014 BECOMING COMPLEX WITH SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPING BISCAY 1015 BY 0700 TOMORROW

VIKING NORTH UTSIRE
NORTHWEST 5 DECREASING 3 OR 4, BECOMING VARIABLE IN VIKING. MAINLY FAIR. GOOD

SOUTH UTSIRE
NORTHWEST 5 OR 6 DECREASING 3 OR 4. MAINLY FAIR. GOOD

You can hear it here but in real audio only.

Muslim-West divide is on Anwar's mind

At last, an Islamic leader who dares to tell the truth.

Muslims were hypocritical for staying silent about

Saddam Hussein's brutal rule in Iraq, and in complaining about America's influence in the world but ignoring their own troubles, he said.

.

"This is the single biggest failure of Muslims at present," he said. "You don't have credible leaders, you don't have a real voice of conscience."

.

Muslims never blame themselves for their problems, he said. "It's the Americans and the Jews and the Christians," he said. "We are still in a state of denial."

I await the inevitable fatwa condemming him to death for apostasy.

Does SP2 cause bovine lesbianism?

A letter in El Reg explains the realities of Windows, XP, Service Pack 2 and what it all means. Exactly why this article should have included 'bovine lesbianism' is a mystery. I do remember asking my Mother why two of our cows were leaping on each other's back. I don't remember her reply.

On the same subject, my sister came in once and announced that the farmer at the end of the lane was very good to his animals. On being asked why she explained that she'd found him rubbing Vick on the chest of his ram because it had a cold. Further inquiries found out it was dye planned to show which of the ewes it had been tupping.

My son and daughter regularly lambast us for 'lying' to small children. They may retain their principles upto the point where they have their own rugrats. I , for one, refuse to explain, on demand, to a five year old why I share a bed with my wife and what we do there. 'Cuddle' will serve until he's over thirty.

Bush - Kerry

I have little to say on the forthcoming Presidential elections except that Bush will win. I would like to point out that the John Kerry site shows up in Firefox and the George Bush site only works in Internet Explorer. Definitely a sign.

Gmail

I have some more GMail (Google Mail) invites if anyone wants one.

Native American summer

Further to my previous whinging observations about the recent poor weather, it feels like summer has at last arrived in London. We’ve had 4 wonderful warm sunny days with at least another week forecast of the same. Yeehah!

UN and Syria

The link is the only reference I could find to who voted for and who abstained in the UN Security Council vote telling Syria to get out of Lebanon. it also states the need of " dismantling the weapons of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias " in Lebanon which is getting closer to 'do it now'.

Voting for were the USA and France and Angola, Spain, Germany, Benin, Britain, Chile and Romania. Abstaining were Algeria, Brazil, China, Pakistan, the Philippines and Russia. If memory serves, this is the first time in a while since this issue has come up before the Security Council and about time to. Syria will now have to make some move towards accommodating this request but a little as it thinks it can get away with. So what's next? A move against Syria for Bush's next term?

News from the centre of the universe (North London)

Just to put things in their proper perspective, today’s dead tree edition of the Ham & High (aka Hampstead and Highgate Express, the quali’y local paper to the chattering classes) has as its lead front page headline: "Hampstead to host the European yoga championships".

Blogmeet

Here is a list of the participants in the 1st Anglo Israel blogmeet held in Ra'Anana on the 2nd Sept 2004. This is the order they were written down.

• Jennifer


• Alifa


• Lisa


• Shai


• David


• Allison


• Rahel


• Brian


• Imshin Not a fish


• Sarah


• Noa


• Gilly


• David


• Rebecca


• Harry


• Balagan


• Alisa


• Civax


• Rebecca


• David


• Rishon-Rishon

If I missed anyone, let me know. All these will go to a special blogroll at some point. Rebecca even made a point of being here on a trip from Canada. Incredible.

Post post post. (Yes it is grammatical, just looks odd). That makes 21. Anymore?

Bloggers

I had a great time at the Blogmeet last night. Meeting Imshin from Not a Fish was like meeting royalty or a film star. There was a great turnout and everyone was wonderful. I shall post more when I can find the list of participants.

Blogmeet

There is a blogmeet tonight. I shall post tomorrow with selected highlights.

IKEA customers flat pack

Makes a macabre change from the usual stampedes on the way to Mecca. IKEA in Saudi Arabia, the mind boggles. Isn’t all that bare wood un-islamic and shouldn’t the table legs be covered up? OTOH it could be a good indicator of modernisation and moving away from that gold, velvet, over-upholstery, chintz and chandeliers.