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November 07, 2009Dancing the Hora at Ted IndiaJune 21, 2009Penal tour de FranceJune 20, 2009Iranian Election Protests - women all over the world should be proud.It has been hard to follow Girls are extremely active in all these rallies (a little less in night riots where patches of young men are more visible). They courageously charge anti-riot police, chant slogans in front of them, lead the crowd, etc., but they are equally beaten too.And here is what Roger Cohen of the New York Times has to say about the topic:  Women of Iran, if any suffragettes are watching, you must be making them proud! Watching Barack Obama play identity politics in a supposedly post-racial, post gender world kind of makes me sick. But seeing the bravery of women in Iran, now that is the kind of feminism that I can believe in.  Get Smarter - The Atlantic
June 19, 2009Zurich - City of your Dreams
 Actually though, this article gives London a backhanded compliment, and Zurich a backhanded slap. Here is what he writes: As for London, my home, it didn’t make the top 25 for many of the same reasons New York was omitted. So why am I still here? I can’t argue with the findings of the Monocle survey. Indeed, I once considered Zürich my dream city, with its speedy trains connecting me to skiing and Milan, its wonderful lake and bathing clubs, its pretty hillsides and solid Swiss apartments. Yet, when I eventually tried living there, I lasted less than a year. No matter how much the city had to offer, I couldn’t stand my narrow-minded neighbours. Zürich might have been a liveable city then but it wasn't a welcoming one. As I have said to my friends - I am really interested to find out what I am saying about Zurich in a couple of years. June 11, 2009Proud of IsraelFrom time to time, I come across something that makes me really proud of Israel. Israel: Military Robot Snake - 06-10-09 May 28, 2009Zurich's allright
if I were raising three kids and a dog, Zurich would be very high on my list of places to do it May 26, 2009Zurich Quality of lifeApril 07, 2009Cat Stevens - Lady D'ArbanvilleI heard this song on a recent Quantas flight, and found it hauntingly beautiful  Behavioural Economics on CheatingDan has some valuable insights on cheating and how it applies to the stock market.  March 17, 2009Immigrants can help fix the housing bubble - WSJI agree wholeheartedly with Lefrak and Schilling - there are very few problems that can't be solved by another million immigrants or so.  January 26, 2009Middle Eastern humourI have not posted in a while - why add to the oodles of written words when there is not much to add, and everyone is already saying what I think? But this series of jokes, which I got off an anonymous comment by Max on www.israpundit.com was just too funny Q: How many Iranians does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many Ayatollahs does it take to screw in a light bulb? Q: How many terrorists does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many terrorists does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many terrorists does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many members of the P.L.O. does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many Barack Obamas does it take to change a lightbulb? Q. How many Palestinians does it take to change a light bulb? Q: How many Palestinians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Q: How many Palestinians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Q: How many Palestinians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Did you hear about the Broadway play, “The Palestinians”? What did one Palestinian woman say to the other? September 19, 2008Catherine Mayer in Time Magazine on David Cameron
"Yet despite such constant self-exposure, an easy affability that reads as openness and his willingness to perform without scripts or teleprompts, Cameron remains an enigma. Part of what makes him hard to categorize is that he's above all a pragmatist, priding himself on reasonableness rather than ideological fervor."I think that this captures an important part of his personality. While I never became friends with him, I respected and admired his intellect and abilities at the time and now. As Catherine writes: "He came to Oxford equipped with a much more complete road map of what he wanted to do," says Guy Spier, who also attended Sinclair's tutorials and now runs an investment firm in New York. He remembers Cameron as an outstanding student: "We were doing our best to grasp basic economic concepts. David — there was nobody else who came even close. He would be integrating them with the way the British political system is put together. He could have lectured me on it, and I would have sat there and taken notes and learned how British politics was put together." August 22, 2008Merlin Mann on Time and Attention (Getting things Done)Merlin Mann on Time and Attention (Getting Things Done) Merlin Mann on Time and Attention (Getting Things Done) Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich - Mohammed styleAugust 21, 2008"Free Gaza"This mission to "Free Gaza" clearly has a lot of money and some very slick public relations minds behind it. August 11, 2008How to deal with bordering states, Russian style1,500 Reported Killed in Georgia Battle - NYTimes.com Russian push in Georgia
December 10, 2007From defenders to defamersKen Roth, reasonable people are watching your actions carefully. December 09, 2007Israeli Moslems Embark on a journey to MeccaNovember 29, 2007VDH - Iraq's Savage IroniesI still believe that things will turn out allright in Iraq in the end, and that, in spite of its mistakes and shortcomings, the current administration's actions in Iraq will be vindicated by history. November 20, 2007EO New York makes it into the Wall Street JournalEO New York was written up in the Wall Street Journal. It is an accurate representation of what happens in Forum - which is a kind of alcoholics anonymous for entrepreneurs.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119430972525083285.html EO-NY MAKES THE WALL STREET JOURNAL... The Mystique of Forum Once a month, eight New York area entrepreneurs cancel all appointments, power down BlackBerrys and cellphones and gather in a cone of silence. For three hours, they unload the triumphs, and more often, stresses, not shared with spouses, friends or boards: a marriage on the rocks, the pain of firing a long-term employee, depression that's usurped their passion for work. Protocols are strict. There are no excuses for latecomers -- 10 minutes stuck in traffic costs $100 toward the group's dinner -- and the price of regular absenteeism is their membership. No one gives advice; only similar experiences may be shared. Cross this line and you'll be cut off midsentence. In return, there are seven people you can trust with your deepest, and occasionally, darkest secrets. This is Forum -- a type of professional group therapy. Members of this particular collective belong to the Entrepreneurs' Organization, a 6,600-member international community of people who own and run companies. While forums are practiced by other business groups, they've flourished among the entrepreneurial set: 81% of EO members, whose average age is 39, belong to a Forum and there are 650 EO Forums world-wide. Members say there is innate understanding between them that is hard to achieve in traditional therapy, which some also seek. Because members are so identified with their companies, business and personal issues often are intricately intertwined. Hearing experiences of people coping with similar anxieties is what they seek from Forum. "These people feel the pressures of having other people's lives, and those people's livelihoods, on their shoulders whereas everyone else can just go home after work," says Verne Harnish, who founded EO 20 years ago. "That's unique." To get a window into this world, I sat in on a New York Forum's October session. Every member had to approve my presence. In exchange for their candor, I agreed to not attribute certain sensitive matters to specific individuals. Here's what unfolded: Continue reading "EO New York makes it into the Wall Street Journal" » October 31, 2007Mark Steyn: War, like life, is not a movie..Social Networks and voting behaviorThis is a very interesting book chapter on how to influence voter outcomes using social network analysis. http://www.extremedemocracy.com/chapters/Chapter%20Nine-Krebs.pdf October 29, 2007One Million VoicesA friend just sent me an email asking me to sign the One Million Voices petition Here was my response
To which he responded: Thanks. I can't help feeling we're all living in a twilight zone - nationalism is rising everywhere (witness the Scots, the Walloons etc.), yet we're also beginning to acknowledge that we live on one planet (witness climate change etc.) in one globalised, economic system. If nothing else, given that political change generally lags economic change, this suggests to me that (a) nation-states are becoming less relevant, though there will probably be more of them, and (b) the multilateral institutions need an overhaul. Where this leaves us on Israel/Palestine in the medium-long term, I confess I don't know. And to which I responded:
August 29, 2007Human Rights Watch: Hezbollah Rockets Targeted Civilians in 2006 War.
I take back what I have said in the past about Human Rights watch and Ken Roth.
August 23, 2007This is great: African HebrewsIsrapundit » Blog Archive » African Hebrews Here is the email that I wrote to the Rabbi: Rabbi Funnye, I just saw the video about you and your congregation that was posted on Israpundit. I had always dreamed about Jewish African Americans, and was so excited to see some videos of your congregation. Now I am hoping to visit, and meet some of you in person. July 20, 2007Ayaan Hirsi Ali really is awesomeJuly 05, 2007Request to sign a petition from Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
(To view all the signatures of the statement and to sign your name to statement, scroll to the bottom of this page after reading the signatures of the prime Nobel Laureates, Academic and University Endorsers.
Kenneth Arrow Lawrence S. Bacow Henry S. Bienen
Nancy Cantor Robert Carothers Gerhard Casper
Jared Cohon Scott Cowen Michael Crow Alan Dershowitz Stanley Deser Alfred Ebenbauer Jerome Friedman Sheldon Lee Glashow Clive W.J. Granger
Herbert A. Hauptman James J. Heckman
Richard Herman Avram Hershko
Tim Hunt Elfriede Jelinek Richard M. Joel
Eric R. Kandel Helmut Konrad Roger Kornberg Arthur Kornberg Leon Lederman James Moeser C.D. Mote Jr. Marshall W. Nirenberg Ross Paul David Politzer G. David Pollick Rajendra Prasad Jehuda Rheinharz Richard J. Roberts Richard L. Rubenstein Donna Shalala Ralph Snyderman Graham Spanier Shirley Strum Kenny Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Harold Varmus Leslie Wagner Steven Weinberg
Frank Wilczek Kevin Wildes, S.J.
Vladimir Zakharov Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Task Force on Countering Academic and Professional Boycotts
Edward S. Beck
Judith S. Jacobson Richard L. Lubman
Ed Morgan
Judea Pearl
Bruce Rubenstein Marius Usher
For Further Information: Contact Dr. Edward S. Beck, President, Other Petitions: The Stop the Academic Boycott of Israel Petition to UCU - University and College Union was created by Peace in the Middle East Society and written by Robin Deutsch and Ben Kaminski (pitmes@googlemail.com). • Visit Scholars For Peace in the Middle East website • To Sign this petition go to • To see current signatures go to • Please consider making a donation to SPME June 27, 2007This is a great presentation on branding.June 15, 2007British wacademic boycottFollowing a decision by the national union of journalists in the UK ( a trade union) to boycott Israel, many British journalists across the board ridiculed the decision, some even canceled membership, but by far the most interesting article to come out of all this is the one below. Subject: If you're going to boycott Israel - do it properly! Most of Windows operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel. So, set a personal example. Throw away your computer! Computers should have a sign attached saying Israel Inside. The Pentium NMX Chip technology was designed at Intel in Israel. Both the Pentium 4 microprocessor and the Centrum processor were entirely designed, developed, and produced in Israel. The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 in Israel by four young Israeli whiz kids. June 03, 2007Great view of TeheranAnyone who has lived in Teheran will like this picture.. A younger generation looks to take over the WJC
"Younger Generation Looks To Take Over World (Jewish Congress) - Forward.com" June 01, 2007Rabbi speaks out with moral clarityAnd he has my vote. Israpundit » Blog Archive » Rabbi speaks out with moral clarity The letter, published in Olam Katan [Small World], a weekly pamphlet to be distributed in synagogues nationwide this Friday, cited the biblical story of the Shechem massacre (Genesis 34) and Maimonides’ commentary (Laws of Kings 9, 14) on the story as proof texts for his legal decision. May 28, 2007Scull - entry on WikipediaI just made some changes to the entry on sculls in Wikipedia. Right now, much of the text is mine (this might not last very long.) Single Scull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia really is a very interesting place. Single Scull May 27, 2007Lebanese attacks on Palestinians are ignored by Human Rights Watch and othersThis article says it all. What Lebanon is doing in Hahr el Bared bares many similarities to what Israel did in Jenin. And Lebanon has already killed far more fighters than Israel killed in Jenin. Of course, when Israel did it, it was a massacre. When Lebanon does it, everybody yawns. Lebanese 'defensive shield' - no problem | Jerusalem Post The resemblance of the Lebanese chain of events to Israel's April 2002 assault on the Jenin refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield is striking. Israel launched its attack after sustaining seven suicide bombings in a two-week period, culminating in the bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya on Seder night, which killed 30 civilians. May 25, 2007Something good?Maybe, just maybe something good is happening in the Middle East right now. Fatah is battling Hamas in the Gaza strip, and the Lebanese army is battling Fatah al Islam (terrorists) in Palestinian "refugee" camps in Lebanon. What is good about that? Well, not every Arab wants to take an extreme line, and there are, Arabs outside of Iraq who have come to a point where they are willing to take up arms against their fellows. I hope so. May 23, 2007Human Rights Watch goes after Walmart.Yet more evidence that Ken Roth cares less about human rights abuses, and more about pursuing a political agenda. Wal-Mart Watch? - May 21, 2007 - The New York Sun During the Lebanon War last summer, Human Rights Watch took the position that Israel's self-defense from terrorists was a human rights abuse. Now it is taking the position that anything less than European-style rolling over in the face of labor unions is a human rights abuse. It's getting to the point where the left thinks capitalism itself is a human rights abuse, except when the capitalist is George Soros engaging in trading for the purpose of funding the leftist advocacy groups. May 21, 2007In memoriam - cartoon
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This email is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian peoples looking the other way! Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be "a myth," it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because the Islamo-Fascists want to do it again. This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Join us and be a link in the memorial chain and help us distribute it around the world. Please send this e-mail to 10 people you know and ask them to continue the memorial chain. Kashrut - think for yourself
April 16, 2007In memoriamIn Memoriam Recently this week, UK removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russia peoples looking the other way! April 01, 2007Obama inviteA friend recently invited me to an Obama fundraiser. After thanking him for the invite, I wrote this: Barack seems like a very smart guy with all the right qualities, who is going to leave Hillary battered an bruised, if not completely defeated. March 31, 2007300 - From Thermopylae to Warner BrothersWarner Bros 300 looks like a prequel to the videogame, and I'm not much into videogames. But, having read Victor Davis Hansen's review, I went to watch it the other night. The movie explains so well, and in such simple terms the West's battle with Islam. And in many ways, the politics of the movie mirrors today's. So much so that I found myself wondering whether it was really produced by the CIA or the US military. I left feeling uplifted. More than anything else, the movie communicates the message of freedom, and the capacity of our western culture to generate the heroes willing to die to defend it. Most of the audience were there to see a good action film. They were not there to cogitate on the nature of good and evil as it relates to our current times. But somehow, I felt that the film's commentary on what we face today was not lost. If the movie did not cause at least some Iranian generals to reconsider their policy of confrontation - even if just a little, I would be surprised. UN Watch. The United Nations Human rights council is a nightmareUN Watch rocks. Moreover, it seems that this speech might have had an impact on Human Rights Watch - which might just be developing a concience when it comes to repeatedly slamming Israel. March 18, 2007Yalla ya NasrallahThis may be in bad taste, but its great anyway. March 15, 2007Paris on YouTube by Aaron ByrdMy friend Aaron Byrd visited Paris with his fiancee and posted this video on YouTube. Its excellent! February 19, 2007Breakfast is late, so business is good: Via QuadronnoI have to confess that I once belonged to the social tribe that hangs out at places like Via Quadronno and St. Ambroeus. For most of that period, I had a BMW motorcycle that I could easily park. Now that I have a wife, children and no motorcycle, it's a little harder for me to get there and spend the time. Even Bottega del Vino in mid-town is becoming a stretch. And I have to say that I have not raised any money there, but I can say that I've met some very nice people at ViaQ.
SHARON COPLAN HUROWITZ was on her second cappuccino and fifth air kiss by 10:30 a.m. She was standing, as she often does Friday mornings, at the long marble coffee counter at Sant Ambroeus on Madison Avenue near 77th Street, a traditional Milanese restaurant done up with pink shimmery mosaics and crystal chandeliers. Within an hour, Ms. Hurowitz, a private art consultant dressed to the nines in an ivory Miu Miu jacket and Chanel ankle boots (''because you never know who you are going to run into,'' she said) had cemented dinner plans with a neighbor, set up an appointment to view an edition of Roy Lichtenstein prints, and swapped business cards with a Chelsea gallery owner. On alternate mornings, Ms. Hurowitz, who lives in the neighborhood with her husband and two children, has breakfast five blocks away at Via Quadronno, another Italian restaurant specializing in thick cappuccinos, flaky croissants and a well-heeled clientele. ''We always joke that Via Quadronno got my husband hired,'' Ms. Hurowitz said. When her husband, who runs a hedge fund, was negotiating for seed money with an investor, they realized both their wives frequented Via Quadronno and knew each other from mornings at the coffee counter. ''It was as if it solidified the deal,'' Ms. Hurowitz said. ''It was like they can trust us. They know where I'm going to be every morning.'' Such are the benefits of belonging to a Manhattan social tribe (or several tribes) whose members regularly languish for an hour or two on weekday mornings at European-style cafes. Drawn from the self-employed ranks of late-rising professions like fashion, art, publicity and Web publishing, these affluent breakfast clubbers avoid Starbucks as too common, preferring locales where it is not unusual to see black S.U.V.'s and chauffeured BMW's idling outside. Continue reading "Breakfast is late, so business is good: Via Quadronno" » December 30, 2006I have a hard time understanding anyone who takes Human Rights Watch seriously..In spite of being lambasted by Alan Dershowitz, Ken Roth at Human Rights Watch (HRW) seem to be determined to make a fool of himself. Check out their report on, "the 'hoax' that wasn't". Then check out Zombietime's refutation I read the two reports, and it is very clear to me that Zombietime has considered more evidence, in a more balanced fashion, and in more detail. Indeed, Zombietime takes care to go through the HRW report, dealing with every single point they make in painstaking detail. His report makes it pretty clear that HRW's report tries to "snow" the reader by either burying, or mis-representing important and useful evidence, so that they can slant the reader to their view. This contrast also makes clear immense power of collaborative, distributed efforts such as Wikipedia, the blogosphere and others. Zombietime's work is the result of many minds intent on uncovering the truth - where as HRW's effort is clearly the result of a few minds who want to reach a certain conclusion. Of course, if you are on the side of hezbollah and the terrorists, the HRW report gives plenty of (false) ammunition for your point of view. It just guts me that I can count some of their supporters (Upper West & Upper East Side liberals) as my friends.
But we have a right to expect more of the human rights community which, like the United Nations, continues to ignore the obvious when it comes to the Middle East. In its zeal to criticize Israel, it has substituted political fashion for clear and honest thinking. The inhabitants of the Middle East suffer as a result, and the cause of human rights suffers as well. Which would have been my description of Human Right's Watch entirely. Upon revieing HRW's site on "Israel and the Occupied Territories" sic. (I prefer the term "Disputed Territories"), it appears that they have started criticizing the other side - for using human shields, for cluster bombs and other abuses. Of course, it does not excuse the biased report on the ambulances - but it does suggest that the pressure being exerted on Human Right's Watch is working. It appears to me that Ken Roth is in a difficult boat. He's a very intelligent man, and he knows very clearly what the palestinian abuses are. But he wins kudos in the United Nations, and amongst some of his funders by bashing Israel and its friends. Thus, impartiality is compromised by the need to get funded. But the pressure exerted on him by Dershowitz and others requires him to tread a finer line. So now the production of reports on Israeli human rights violations - real and imagined has to be balanced with at least some reporting on palestinian abuses. The good news is that pressure - from Dershowitz, the blogosphere and others is working. December 27, 2006Okay, men are the inferior sex: Lacrosse fightsLacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the US about which I know nothing. So I thought that I would take a look at some videos of the sport on YouTube. To see lacrosse players fighting just boggles my mind - its much more violent than anything that one sees on wild-life videos of male rutting. December 20, 2006History BoysI just saw this film with Lory. The History Boys on Broadway - Limited Engagement - Official Site It captures much that is true about the experience that I had in studying and applying to Oxford. I highly recommned it. November 12, 2006Frank Dabba Smith (2006). The greatest invention of the Leitz family: The leica freedom train.For the last 10 years or so, I've been andevotee of Leica camera's. I've owned an M6 (stolen), an MP (to replace the M6), as well as the D-Lux (battered, but going strong), the Digilux 2 (impressive) and the D-Lux 2 (the Spier family's current work horse.) It now emerges that there is a story behind the Leica camera that is much more impressive than the camera itself: Leica's take amazing photos - even in the hands of amateurs like myself. This was taken with my new MP in a restaurant in Zurich under available light.
This one is was taken in Geneva.
But the book behind the camera is even better. The book apparently costs only $5. I found this Download file monograph - published 2002 which may well be the predecessor to the book which also makes a very interesting read. Freedom Train The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. From a nitpicking point of view, it wasn't the very first still camera to use 35mm movie film, but it was the first to be widely publicized and successfully marketed. It created the "candid camera" boom of the 1930s. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, utterly efficient Behind its worldwide acceptance as a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews. And Ernst Leitz II, the steely eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe, acted in such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler." As George Gilbert, a veteran writer on topics photographic, told the story at last week's convention of the Leica Historical Society of America in Portland, Ore. , Leitz Inc., founded in Wetzlar in 1869, had a tradition of enlightened behavior toward its workers. Pensions, sick leave, health insurance - all were instituted early on at Leitz, which depended for its work force upon generations of skilled employees - many of whom were Jewish. The 'Leica Freedom Train' As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities. To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas. Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family members were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong Kong and the United States. Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across Germany. Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean liner Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan office of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry. Each new arrival had around his or her neck the symbol of freedom - a new Leica. The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople, marketers and writers for the photographic press. Keeping the story quiet The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then, with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its borders. By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America, thanks to the Leitzes' efforts. How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it? Leitz Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced range-finders and other optical systems for the German military. Also, the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad, and Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United States. Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their good works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe. Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo after she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into Switzerland. She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment in the course of questioning. She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the living conditions of 700 t o 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them women, who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s. (After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from the European Academy in the 1970s.) Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic efforts. Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the "Leica Freedom Train" finally come to light. It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the Leitz Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born rabbi currently living in England. November 08, 2006Will it blend? Another reason not to eat big macsIt really is quite amazing what YouTube can bring into my living room. I must remember to watch this video next time I have the urge to eat a big mac. October 30, 2006Throw the Jew down the wellSacha Baron Cohen (SBC) is just the most amazing phenomenon. For the first time in what seems decades, we actually have biting satire instead of humour. Unlike Friends, Seinfeld and others - which just take what is ordinary about life and turn it into sit-com, SBC's satire is biting. In this case, look how quickly he gets his audience to enthusiastically sing along to "throw the jew down the well." Its not just funny. Its an incredible demonstration of all that it takes to get bigotry out of the average citizen. In this case its of the "US and A", as Borat puts it, but I'm sure that it applies to just about any other country as well. He's brilliant!
Here is another one - this time on jew-hunting. October 12, 2006My views on airport securitySolomonia has links to a couple of videos. The one on airport security summarizes my views entirely.
And here's another: October 09, 2006What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York TimesThis appears to be another version of the book, "Whale Done" by Blanchard. What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times I have no doubt that it works. September 12, 2006The Marriage Market in Babylonia according to Herodotus HistoriesI recently re-subscribed to the Journal of Political Economy - published by the University of Chicago school fo economics. On the most recent issue, here is the entry for the back page: The most ingenious in my opinion is a custom which, I understand, they share with the Eneti in Illyria. In every village one a year all the girls of marriageable age used to be collected together in one place, while the men stood round them in a circle; an auctioneer then called each one in turn to stand up and offered her for sale, beginning with the best-looking and going on to the second best as soon as the first had been sold for a good price. Marriage was the object of the transaction. The rich men who wanted wives bid against each other for the prettiest girls, while the humbler folk, who had no use for good looks in a wife, were actually apid to take the ugly ones, for when the auctioneer had got through all the pretty girls he would call upon the plainest, or even perhaps a crippled one, to stand up, and then ask who was willing to take the least money to marry here - and she was knocked down to whoever accepted the smallest sum. The money came from the sale of the beauties, who in this way provided dowries for their ugly or misshapen sisters. It was illegal for a man to marry his daughter to anyone he happened to fancy, and no one could take home a girl he had bought without first finding a backer to guarantee his intention of marrying her. Iin cases of disagreement between husband and wife the law allowed the return of the purchase money. Anyone who wished could come even from a different village to buy a wife. [Herodotus,The Histories, bk. 1, Babylonian Customs] Not politically correct, and very interesting... September 05, 2006Edward Luttwak weighs in on the Israel - Lebanon warEdward Luttwak has some important perspective and commentary on the recent war: Continue reading "Edward Luttwak weighs in on the Israel - Lebanon war" » August 28, 2006What are they watching? Human Rights Watch cooks the booksSome time ago, I attended a fund raiser for Human Rights Watch. There, I took Ken Roth to task for being so negative on alleged Israeli violations of human rights, while giving the Palestinians and others a free pass. Ken is very smart, and has a silver tongue. Unfortunately, he managed to keep the audience on his side, although I'd like to think that I at least sewed at least some doubt. Now, Alan Dershowitz has taken him to task for outright lies. He starts the article thus: When it comes to Israel and its enemies, Human Rights Watch cooks the books about facts, cheats on interviews, and releases predetermined conclusions that are driven more by their ideology than by evidence. Later on, he writes, How could Human Rights Watch have suppressed this evidence from so many different sources? The only reasonable explanation is that they wanted there to be no evidence of Hezbollah's tactic of hiding behind civilians. So they cooked the books to make it come out that way. Lastly, Alan Dershowitz writes, Many former supporters of Human Rights Watch have become alienated from the organization, because of, in the words of one early supporter, "their obsessive focus on Israel." Within the last month, virtually every component of the organized Jewish community, from secular to religious, liberal to conservative, has condemned Human Rights Watch for its bias. Roth and his organization's willful blindness when it comes to Israel and its enemies have completely undermined the credibility of a once important human rights organization. Human Rights Watch no longer deserves the support of real human rights advocates. Nor should its so-called reporting be credited by objective news organizations. Get it all here:
By ALAN DERSHOWITZ August 23, 2006Neighbourhood Bully - by Bob Dylan '82This song by Bob Dylan says it all.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD BULLY August 15, 2006Warsaw Ghetto uprising was an over-reaction
Thanks to Tigerhawk for this. August 13, 2006Yossi Beilin is living in la-la land...Let's stop pretending...August 08, 2006Senator Lieberman seems to have lost the Connecticut Democratic primaryFor what its worth, Senator Lieberman would have my (non-existent) vote if he ran as an independent.
Those Poor, Innocent Lebanese ...Irwin Graulich has some hard questions for the Lebanese...
You allow Hezbollah to store weapons, bombs and rockets in your basements. You turn a blind's eye when they carry arms into your restaurants, stores and buildings, yet you call yourself an "innocent civilian." Victor Davis Hanson - The Brink of MadnessQuestion. What is it about the world today that makes it feel as if it is 1938? Victor Davis Hanson has all the answers... August 04, 2006Status quo anteIsrapundit » Blog Archive » Status quo ante Filed under: Front Page, Israel Who wouldn’t want to go back to a time when: 1. we had the Sinai with its oil fields and strategic depth August 03, 2006Ted Pincus: To hell with PR - Its time to take off the gloves in the Mideast.The father of friend Mark Pincus is an Investor Relations/PR guy. He had the following to say in the Chicago Sun-Times:
By Ted Pincus In the current mideast conflict as at any other moment of turmoil, common sense says that the diplomatic card should always be played first to preclude bloodshed. But history has shown us that some conflicts have no diplomatic solution, as in two world wars and 9/11, where the enemy is sworn to kill you. When the cards are stacked against you,it’s wise to walk out of the game. That’s what both Israel and the But the real issue today isn’t the failure to find a diplomatic solution in the mideast, which I don’t believe will be found. Why haven’t the world leaders spoken out against this remarkable watershed event in human history in which –for Israel alone—the traditional rules are turned upside down and a monumental, unique double-standard applies? When was the last time a nation was attacked by unprovoked aggression and almost universally condemned for defending itself. When was the last time the defenders were demonized by charges of “disproportionate retaliation”? Was it following Pearl Harbor, when our response culminated with the incineration of over 400,000 civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki Hardly. Was it following the buzz-bombing of Britain, when the response led to the leveling of Berlin, Dusseldorf and especially Dresden, and the destruction of Germany Was it following 9/11, when the response was an invasion of Afghanistan and immense collateral damage? Did those responses ever need justification? And has anyone, anywhere, condemned JFK for nuclear brinksmanship in forcing Russia to remove its missiles from Cuba, 90 miles from our shores? Consider what our reaction would have been if 1900 of those missiles had landed on our cities –as experienced this past month by Israel in enduring the Hezbollah barrage. Yet from the outset, despite the obvious fact that terrorist aggression clearly violated U.N. Resolution 1559 and was an act of open war, Israel has been castigated not only by Islam but by most other nations around the globe, and on the floor of the U.N. itself, led by its esteemed secretary general in his even-handed wisdom. A Pew Research poll just completed shows of course outrage among Muslims (the majority of whom, in each nation polled, also deny that Arabs ever committed the 9/11 attacks, and are in full support of Osama bin Laden), but also venom among “neutral” populations where only 38 percent of the French, 24 percent of the British and 9 percent of Spaniards sympathize with Israel. And even in America, its staunchest ally, only 48 percent express support, Pew reports. It’s the sad continuation of a half century in which miniscule Israel has been honored with more U.N. condemnation resolutions than all other countries combined. I believe this has happened not despite the fact, but because of the fact that Israel, with less than 1/1000th of the world’s population, is an island of democracy whose $100 billion economy is larger than all of its neighbors combined, and proportional to its population produces more university degrees, medical advancements, scientific papers, and tech innovation like the cellphone, Windows XP, and the Pentium chip, than any other nation on earth. Witnessing this, respect long ago was replaced by envy and bitterness. What does all this say? It says that in this isolated case only, mankind’s rules of engagement do not apply. The very legitimacy of military response is in question, even in self defense, even to deter a fusillade of rockets, whose Iranian-made Fajr-5 may well reach Tel Aviv, as we speak. Hitler was noted for his mastery of The Big Lie. That specter has returned again, with Iran’s Ahmadinejad not only urging Islam to “wipe Israel off the map” but denying that another guy tried 65 years ago and succeeded in preventing 6 million Jews from ever reaching Israel. And The Big Lie always evolves with one insidious question: “Who would ever believe it?” Mel Gibson already has. Hollywood’s revered icon, who last year indignantly rebuffed anti-semitism accusations over his film “The Passion of the Christ”,this month managed to blurt out for the record his belief that “The Jews are responsible for all the wars of the world.” The world chooses to believe things for convenience. It has learned that truth or fiction can be rationalized. The most graphic dramatization of this phenomenon was Friedrich Durrenmatt’s 1956 play, The Visit, in which an enormously rich woman, on a vendetta against one man, demanded to an astonished village that he should be punished for an imaginary crime. When she offered to bestow her wealth on the entire citizenry, they slowly began to disregard his purity and convince themselves that he was indeed guilty, and ultimately executed him. Although it’s largely unspoken, that’s the scenario today, where well-intentioned, pious, peace-loving nations are sufficiently blackmailed by the oil producers to bend age-old beliefs and concede that, for Israel, there should be a dual code of ethics. In sum, the hostage can be easily sacrificed, and in good conscience. This ambiguity is now coupled with another equally fearsome evolution –the end of conventional warfare as we know it, and the rise of asymmetric tactics. As we found to our dismay in Afghanistan and Iraq, battle lines have evaporated, and so has the uniformed enemy soldier. Nowadays, everyone is a “civilian”—dressed as any harmless man,woman or child. The enemy intentionally imbeds itself in civilian networks, callously putting its own families at risk. The relative impossibility of combating this invisible foe, without creating collateral casualties, has been realized daily in Iraq and now Lebanon. “The human shield” has become the weapon of choice, like it or not. But isn’t it interesting that over the several weeks of war in Lebanon, not one government or news medium has reported any Lebanese casualties but the “400 civilian deaths”. Is it possible that not one Hezbollah fighter has been identified among them? Has Israe killed only innocents? Obviously, the PR War has been lost long ago by Israel and since 2003 by the U.S., as Pew Research reminds us monthly. There’s just no contending with a stacked deck. It’s automatic demonization. But there comes a time when humans and nations must put aside polite concerns about public opinion and shrug off the PR risks, when they’re fighting for their lives. Given the aspirations of the world’s religious fundamentalists, their oil money, arsenal, suicidal bent, and brand new mode of “all civilian warfare,” It soon may not be only Israel fighting for its life but the entire free world. In that struggle there’s something even more important than your reputation. It’s your skin. And in that card game, all bets are off. July 30, 2006Obsession, the movieObsession: What The War on Terror Is Really About - Google Video
July 29, 2006Victor Davis Hanson - a lexicon of this strange war.A “ceasefire” would occur should Hezbollah give back kidnapped Israelis and stop launching missiles; it would never follow a unilateral cessation of Israeli bombing. In fact, we will hear international calls for one only when Hezbollah’s rockets are about exhausted. “Civilians” in Lebanon have munitions in their basements and deliberately wish to draw fire; in Israel they are in bunkers to avoid it. Israel uses precision weapons to avoid hitting them; Hezbollah sends random missiles into Israel to ensure they are struck. “Collateral damage” refers mostly to casualties among Hezbollah’s human shields; it can never be used to describe civilian deaths inside Israel , because everything there is by intent a target. “Cycle of Violence” is used to denigrate those who are attacked, but are not supposed to win. “Deliberate” reflects the accuracy of Israeli bombs hitting their targets; it never refers to Hezbollah rockets that are meant to destroy anything they can. “Deplore” is usually evoked against Israel by those who themselves have slaughtered noncombatants or allowed them to perish — such as the Russians in Grozny , the Syrians in Hama , or the U.N. in Rwanda and Dafur. “Disproportionate” means that the Hezbollah aggressors whose primitive rockets can’t kill very many Israeli civilians are losing, while the Israelis’ sophisticated response is deadly against the combatants themselves. See “excessive.” Anytime you hear the adjective “excessive,” Hezbollah is losing. Anytime you don’t, it isn’t. “Eyewitnesses” usually aren’t, and their testimony is cited only against Israel . “Grave concern” is used by Europeans and Arabs who privately concede there is no future for Lebanon unless Hezbollah is destroyed — and it should preferably be done by the “Zionists” who can then be easily blamed for doing it. “Innocent” often refers to Lebanese who aid the stockpiling of rockets or live next to those who do. It rarely refers to Israelis under attack. The “militants” of Hezbollah don’t wear uniforms, and their prime targets are not those Israelis who do. “Multinational,” as in “multinational force,” usually means “third-world mercenaries who sympathize with Hezbollah.” See “peacekeepers.” “Peacekeepers” keep no peace, but always side with the less Western of the belligerents. “Quarter-ton” is used to describe what in other, non-Israeli militaries are known as “500-pound” bombs. “Shocked” is used, first, by diplomats who really are not; and, second, only evoked against the response of Israel , never the attack of Hezbollah. “United Nations Action” refers to an action that Russia or China would not veto. The organization’s operatives usually watch terrorists arm before their eyes. They are almost always guilty of what they accuse others of. July 21, 2006Victor Hanson - a strange war.Once again, Victor Davis Hanson is spot on. VDH's Private Papers::A Strange War So after 9/11, the London bombings, the Madrid murders, the French riots, the Beslan atrocities, the killings in India, the Danish cartoon debacle, Theo Van Gogh, and the daily arrests of Islamic terrorists trying to blow up, behead, or shoot innocent people around the globe, the world is sick of the jihadist ilk. And for all the efforts of the BBC, Reuters, Western academics, and the horde of appeasers and apologists that usually bail these terrorist killers out when their rhetoric finally outruns their muscle, this time they can’t. Instead, a disgusted world secretly wants these terrorists to get what they deserve. And who knows: This time they just might. July 17, 2006Moonbats - even in Tel Aviv...More than 500 protest in TA against IDF raids in Lebanon, Gaza - Haaretz - Israel News More than 500 left-wing activists gathered in central Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest the escalating violence in Lebanon and the Israel Defense Forces' continued offensive in the Gaza Strip. July 15, 2006Ten reasons to love the palestinian arabs...July 14, 2006Support for Israel from within LebanonI just wish, or perhaps hope, that this guy represents the majority of Lebanese: An open letter from a lebanese citizen to Ehud Olmert Your Excellency, It was about time, We Lebanese congratulate you on your recent actions against the Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. We urge you to hit them hard and destroy their terror infrastructure. It is not Israel who is fed up with this situation, but the majority of the silent Lebanese in Lebanon who are fed up with Hezbollah and are powerless to do anything out of fear of terror retaliation. Since Israel's forced withdrawal in 2000, pulling out due to pressure from the Clinton Administration, Hezbollah has not for one day ceased its terror incentives, acts of war and provocations at the border. Hezbollah, with the help of Syria and Iran, turned Southern Lebanon into a terror base supported by 12,000 Iranian missiles threatening every initiative for Peace in general and the security of Israel in particular. Unfortunately, the West should have understood from the beginning that diplomacy does not work with terrorism, neither the Saudi backed initiatives in Lebanon, it enforces terrorism and acts like a booster for Hezbollah justifications on the ground. The Lebanese are trapped within their own nation. We urge you not to hit Lebanese infrastructure, Lebanon is a friendly country, rather hit and destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure in the country. The IAF raids on suspected Hezbollah strongholds will have a limited effect on this terror organization; an infantry offensive is needed to clean up Southern Lebanon from the threatening missiles and launching bases , destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and consolidate security. On behalf of thousands of Lebanese, we ask you to open the doors of Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport to thousands of volunteers in the Diaspora willing to bear arms and liberate their homeland from fundamentalism. We ask you for support, facilitations and logistics in order to win this struggle and achieve together the same objectives: Peace and Security for Lebanon and Israel and our future generations to come. As of the fighting continue in the north of Israel in order to create security, at the Lebanon Israel border, we ask the world’s nations to endorse your political action and wish you full success in your deterrence against terrorism’s autonomy in Southern Lebanon and Gaza. Mr. Prime Minister, Help Lebanon in order to help yourself. July 12, 2006Dear Brethren, The War with Israel is OverThis written in the New York Sun: As Israel continues its incursion into the same Gaza Strip it voluntarily evacuated a few months ago, a sense of reality among Arabs is spreading. The new views are stunning in their maturity. This is what they are saying: • Dear Palestinian Arab brethren: The war with Israel is over. You have lost. Surrender and negotiate to secure a future for your children. We, your Arab brothers, may say until we are blue in the face that we stand by you, but the wise among you and most of us know that we are moving on, away from the tired old idea of the Palestinian Arab cause and the "eternal struggle" with Israel. • The Palestine you could have had in 1948 is much bigger than the one you could have had in 1967, which in turn is much bigger than what you may have to settle for now or in another 10 years. Struggle means less land and more misery and utter loneliness. It isn't going to get better. • You hold keys, which you drag out for television interviews, to houses that do not exist or are inhabited by Israelis who have no intention of leaving Jaffa, Haifa, Tel Aviv, or West Jerusalem. You shoot old guns at modern Israeli tanks and American-made fighter jets, doing virtually no harm to Israel. • Your young people are growing up illiterate, ill, and bent on rites of death and suicide, while you, in effect, are living on the kindness of foreigners, including America and the UN. Every day your officials must beg for your daily bread, while your criminal Muslim fundamentalist Hamas government continues to fan the flames of a war it can neither fight nor hope to win. • We, your Arab brothers, have moved on. Those of us who share borders with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, have signed a peace treaty with it and are not going to war for you any time soon. Only Syria continues to feed your fantasies that someday it will join you in liberating Palestine. The Syrians, my friends, will gladly fight down to the last Palestinian Arab. The war is over. Why not let a new future begin? What more is there to say July 06, 20062 Jew CrewMy friend Mark Pincus has started a new hardcore Jewish rap group. Mark Pincus Blog: 2 jew crew beeatch Its just 2 Jew cool. I've signed up for a pre-relase of the first album. June 28, 2006Web 2.0Libraything and Del.icio.us are two of the more interesting Web 2.0 sites that I've seen. June 20, 2006BullyingI was bullied at boarding school. More power to Fred Wilson for being open about it. I'm not sure how I would control myself if I knew that another child was bullying one of my children. June 19, 2006Human Rights Watch eats its hat, scrambles to get onto the right side of history
June 15, 2006Gaza beach libel1. Shrapnel removed from two of the wounded Palestinians evacuated to Israeli hospitals was not from Israeli made ordinance. But don't expect to hear that from the mainstream media. And don't expect the panoply of "human rights organizations" to take any notice. Here is a report by NGO monitor on Human Rights watch. Believe it or not, I know people who are actually friends with Ken Roth, and who support him wholeheartedly..
June 12, 2006Daniel Pipes - we can't just manage the conflict - we need to win it.Daniel Pipes is frustrated that the Israeli's just don't get it. Managing the conflict does not get us anywhere - we need to impose defeat on the enemy.
June 11, 2006Israel not behind the Gaza deathsThere is more an more evidence emerging that Israel was not behind the deaths caused on the Gaza beach. This all smells very much like Muhammed al Dura II. June 08, 2006Yossi Melman: Killing al-Zarkawi more important than Bin Laden
His status was also strengthened by the fact that Zawahiri and bin Laden have largely ceased operations, due to the determined U.S. pursuit, their distance from the main front, and also failing health perhaps. In effect, over the last two years, Zarqawi became a leader in his own right, and even challenged their leadership. For instance, he did not hesitate to carry out attacks against Shi'ites, despite their opposition.
June 07, 2006FT: Moonbat speech by UN official. Bolton enraged.“I spoke with the secretary-general this morning and I said, ‘I have known you since 1989 and I’m telling you this is the worst mistake by a senior UN official that I’ve seen in that time’,” Mr Bolton said. FT.com / World / International economy - Bolton enraged at speech by UN official The US ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday launched a vitriolic attack on Mark Malloch Brown, the UN’s deputy secretary general, after he said the US had failed to exert sufficient UN leadership at home and abroad. June 03, 2006Jerusalem Post: European support for the Palestinians crashesIts about time.... Jerusalem Post | Exclusive: European support for Palestinians 'crashes' New public opinion surveys conducted among "opinion elites" in Europe show that support for the Palestinians has fallen precipitously, according to a leading international pollster, Stan Greenberg, who has been briefing Israeli leaders on his findings in the past few days. There has not necessarily been "a rush to Israel" but there has been a "crash" in backing for the Palestinians, he noted. May 26, 2006Teheran Universities Erupt in Violence overnightMaybe this is where the solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions lie:
Gateway Pundit
Observations of the World from the Heart of Jesusland! May 23, 2006FT - Israel cannot always rely on US helping handI was incensed to see this article appear in the Financial Times commentary page today. I will have to leave it to the likes of Alan Dershowitz and others to fully rebutt Tony Judt's poison pen. I will take just one of his points. He writes: "Israel’s long-cultivated persecution mania no longer elicits sympathy. The country’s national narrative of macho victimhood appears to many now as simply bizarre: a collective cognitive dysfunction. Israel, in the world’s eyes, is a normal state; but one behaving in abnormal ways." Of course, all normal states exist in violent neighbourhoods, are subjected to continuous terrorism, are vastly outnumbered by peoples who seek to annihalate them, are seeking to retreat from territories they occupied in defensive wars for the sake of peace. What planet is Mr. Tony Judt on? Oh, yes. NYU studentland, and New York Times MSM land. But shame, Financial Times, Shame for wanting to join that bunch of kool-aid drinkers.
West bank terrorist stateI never understood why Israel gets to keep some 1.2 million Arabs, while the Gaza strip and the West Bank have to be made Judenrein. While I think that a Jewish person (Israeli or not) would be crazy to want to live in a place that puts them in harms way (e.g. Hebron in the West Bank, or Kfar Darom in Gaza), I fully support their right to choose to. James Woolsey, formerly a Director of the CIA makes the same point:
Today we cannot envision the 250,000 Jewish settlers who live outside Israel's pre-1967 borders being permitted to live at all, much less live free and unmolested, in a West-Bank-Gaza Palestinian state. But some 1.2 million Arabs, almost all Muslim, today live in Israel in peace among some 5 million Jews -- about double the percentage of Jews now in the West Bank as a share of the Muslim population there. Israel's Arab citizens worship freely -- one hears muezzins calling the faithful to prayer as one walks around Tel Aviv. They vote in free elections for their own representatives in a real legislature, the Knesset. They give every evidence that they prefer being Arab Israelis to living in the chaos and uncertainty of a West Bank after Israeli withdrawal. Common Sense on remittancesMy hero, Victor Davis Hanson, complains that remittances to Mexico are a negative. This opinion column debunks that idea rather effectively. WSJ.com - Mexican Working Capital But foreign "remittances," as these expat cash flows are called, are a force for economic and political good. As an economic matter, they flow directly from individuals in the U.S. to private individuals or businesses south of the border. This cuts out the government middleman and provides capital immediately for private investment or consumption. Rumsfeld's rules - Advice on government, business and life.In spite of all the negativity surrounding Donald Rumsfeld, I have tremendous respect for the man. To me, he appears to be someone who is willing to be unpopular if it means doing what he believes to be right. Whenever I hear him speak, my gut reaction is positive. That said, I have not read Cobra II - which I understand is pretty damning. Its on my list. The following is a list of maxims for the business of government and the business of life - written by Rumsfeld. I think that it is a valuable list. Many of these rules, reflections and quotations came from my role as chairman May 18, 2006Searing Inditement of Main Stream MediaGates of Vienna is a great blog. This article lays out at least some of what I've been sensing for a long time. Gates of Vienna: MSM Scrapings vs. Real Reporting Ultimately, the career path at MSM will have to change. Rather than hiring from within, or from journalism schools, the institutions that survive in MSM will hire direct from the blogosphere. The blogosphere will become the main training and recruiting ground for new journalists. May 16, 2006Lory and Guy
This is how we used to look before we had kids... May 14, 2006Restaurant in Zurich
I recently purchased a new Leica MP to replace one that was stolen. Even in this digital age with 8 megapixels and what have you, there is no question that analogue Leica's take great photos. May 04, 2006Victor Davis Hanson with a great article again
For now, our best peaceful weapon in the little time that we have left is, oddly, our own quiet and hope that a democratizing Iraq stabilizes, and in turn destabilizes undemocratic Iran. So let the loud Ahmadinejad continue to make our case why such a psychopath cannot be allowed to become nuclear. Meanwhile, give confident multilateral internationalists their long-awaited chance at diplomacy, and prepare for the worst. May 02, 2006Lou Marinoff - Sacred and Profane ExtremismFriend Lou Marinoff on why we need to chose the middle way. A couple of money quotes: On "Mutual Assured Demonisation" Ever since 9/11, an understandable concern among Americans and others is the specter of radioactive materials if not nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Islamist extremists. Deterrence theory “worked” during the Cold War precisely if perversely because proliferation of nuclear weapons threatened Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). In the last analysis, neither American nor Soviet leaders sought annihilation of their own populaces. However, deterrence works only until it fails; and if it ever fails then it never worked at all. Deterrence may fail spectacularly if applied to the “Mutual Assured Demonization” (the new MAD) between Christian and Islamist extremists. Nuclear terrorism may prove difficult to deter, while Christian extremism is by definition apocalyptic – and therefore prone to regarding nuclear retaliation as a fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelations. Thus a “worst case scenario” in the City of Man becomes grist for the mills of Christian extremists longing for Armageddon. Mutual Assured Demonization – whether an ayatollah’s vilification of America as “the Great Satan” or an Televangelist’s indictment of Islam as “a Satanic cult” – serve only to inflame and not to alleviate the “clash of civilizations.”
Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci theorized that one could bring down a civilization without firing a shot, by commandeering its cultural institutions. This is precisely what European and American neo-Marxists have accomplished, utilizing French postmodern philosophy (thanks to Trotskyite Jean-Francois Lyotard) and its seductive deconstructions of meaning and truth, morality and reality (thanks to Jacques Derrida) to infect millions of university graduates across a spectrum of disciplines with the virus of political correctness. In one of my public Philosopher’s Forums in Manhattan, an Ivy League graduate refused to assert that 1+1=2. She had been taught that all truths are “socially constructed,” and therefore that all assertions are equally valid (or invalid). Moreover, she had been conditioned never to say anything that anyone might find “offensive” – everyone being held accountable for everyone else’s mind-state, but never for their own. Logical anarchy is but a prelude to moral anarchy. For if no equation can be correctly solved, then no moral proposition can be justifiably upheld – demonization of white males and Western civilization excepted. Get it all here, or below Continue reading "Lou Marinoff - Sacred and Profane Extremism" » April 19, 2006Edward Luttwak - 3 reasons not to bomb Iran - yet.Edward Luttwak is a family friend and a military expert. I have not yet fully read this article, but I think that it is already bringing me back from a frenzied "bomb the bastards!" April 12, 2006Mark Steyn - this is an absolute must readI did not grow up in Western civilization just to see it cravenly capitulate to the forces of darkness. But as Mark Steyn makes clear, that is exactly what we appear to be doing. The last couple of paragraphs: Facing Down Iran by Mark Steyn, City Journal Spring 2006 April 09, 2006A meal to remember with HezbollahIn this piece about Hezbollah, Michael J. Totten give a chilling insight into what Hezbollah is like to deal with from a western point of view. While its all too familiar to some, I am glad that this is making it into the American media. Thursday night’s iftar — this one was only for women and journalists — was held outside Hezbollah’s territory across the street from the Marriott Hotel. The area was controlled, if that is the word, by the Lebanese government. April 06, 2006My bet is that Mearsheimer and Walt were paid off by someoneAlan Dershowitz has written a devastating response to Mearsheimer and Walt's paper on the Israel lobby. As they would say in middle England, "God bless his soul." At the end of his working paper, Dershowitz asks the poigniant question why? Why, given all the obvious inaccuracies and false evidence recycled from discredited sources, would these two academics publish such garbage? My suspicion (with no hard evidence) is that was someone who hates Israel/Jews who was willing to pay them to do it. That's why Mearsheimer and Walt have done silent. They now have their money/house in the Bahamas/whatever. And now, with their retirement amply taken care of, they can allow their academic reputation slide into oblivion. Why else the silence? April 04, 2006Biting analysis of Israel's electionArticles April 02, 2006Michael Crichton - ComplexityCrichton was recently written up in the New Republic. This talk is valuable.
Fear, Complexity, April 01, 2006When Cynicism Meets fanaticism - another great piece by Victor Davis HansonI sometimes feel as if I am just a pr - mouthpiece for a few great writers whose views are just left out of msm. Here is a choice paragraph from the latest piece by Victor Davis Hanson: Fifth, after the three-week victory of April 2003, we have now forgotten the earlier prognostications of millions of refugees, oil wells afire, and thousands of dead that were to follow in Iraq. Twenty-three hundred American fatalities are grievous losses, but must be weighed against three successful elections, and the real chance that such sacrifice might result in the first true Arab democracy emerging in Iraq, with ramifications beyond the Middle East for generations to come. Currently, tens of thousands of Iraqis are the only Arabs in the world who daily risk their lives to fight al Qaeda terrorists — something that just may be in America’s interest. Get it all here: March 06, 2006Malanie Phillips gets it. Daniel Goldhagen gets it.When will everybody else? February 19, 2006Iranian courses on suicide bombing, "Israel must be wiped out of the world"Here we have it in black and white. There is nothing more to add - at least as far as Iran is concerned. Jerusalem Post | Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World The Blogosphere saves the dayIts true. Although much of the mainstream media have already been intimidated into a state of dhimmitude, through their very desire to appease the muslims, they have reinforced the role of the blogosphere, who, of course, thought it natural and self-evident that they would publish the cartoons. Atlas Shrugs: The Muhammad Cartoons: Another Gutenberg Moment Dutch cartoon hits the spotFebruary 13, 2006Reuel Marc Gerecht on why the Hamas victory might actually be the beginning of the draining of the swamp.From Gerecht's lips to God's ears... Correctly understood, anti-Americanism when it accompanies the loosening of political controls in the Middle East is a sign that the status quo that gave us bin Ladenism and 9/11--the perverse marriage of autocracy and Islamic extremism--is coming apart. Under dictatorship, Muslims cannot evolve politically. They will not be able to confront the "baggage" that all Middle Eastern Muslims have with the West, especially the United States, and come to a livable consensus on how they are going to absorb Western ideas, influence, and money. Even in Iran, where the bankruptcy of a virulently anti-American clerical dictatorship has done wonders for the democratic ethic and the prestige of the United States, a functioning democracy is probably the only way the Iranian people will find a sustainable, peaceful modus vivendi with their complicated love-hate for America. It is democracy, not dictatorship, that can best take Muslims through the difficult religious reformation that is well under way among both Shiites and Sunnis. (Correctly understood, bin Laden is an ugly expression of protest against the region's rot.) Get it all here Satanic Verses Losing Civilization - Are we going to tolerate the downfall of Western ideals? - Victor Davis HansenQuite likely if you ask me. The news is not good. Here are some paragraphs: The Islamists are also sad bullies, who hunt out causes for offense in the most obscure places, but would recoil at the first sign of Western defiance. Turkey may say little to the Islamists now, but they would say lots if the European Union decided to pass on its inclusion into the union. Local imams sound fiery, but if the West is too debauched a place for any pure Muslim to endure, why then do they not lead, Moses-like, an exodus of the devout away from the rising flood of decadence, and back to the paradise of a purer Syria or Algeria? Read it all below. February 08, 2006Human Events Online...More sensible words from Human Events Online:
But three cartoons made political points. Get it all here... World shocked at Muslim ImageryThis is a great juxaposition of the cartoon images, and real images from the protests... February 07, 2006Voices of moderation in Islam
There is hope.. read it all here: February 06, 2006Danish CartoonsJanuary 31, 2006"Why should we recognize Condoleeza Rice, or Israel's right to exist?If this is indicative of what Hamas is going to be saying going forward, the prospects for peace really do look pretty bad. lgf: Hamas Leader: "Why Should We Recognize Condoleezza Rice, or Israel's Right to Exist?" Although Hamas will discover that it has to become responsible, my bet is that they take the same route as Arafat: They will quietly facilitate terror while officially denying it. Get ready for a whole new set of terrorist groups - different names, same people, same funding and same goal... Cuba 'blocking' American messagesThis is just too funny. I did not even know that there was a US interests section in Cuba. January 29, 2006Surprise Landside Vote for the Klan on the South BankGates of Vienna is just great. This entry puts the Hamas victory into its proper perspective. Surprise Landside Vote for the Klan on the South Bank Hamas withouth Veils - No more hiding behind the PAEmanuele Ottolenghi argues that, having won at the polls, it is a moment of truth for Hamas as well as for those that have turned a blind eye to its murderous intentions. We shall see... Hamas Without Veils. No more hiding behind the PA This is a good entry on Hamas in Wikipedia. January 03, 2006Must read - Mark Steyn
Why do the Washington Post and the New York Times not get it? October 15, 2005Gates of Vienna: Russia and the Caliphate sign a non - agression pactThe tag-line of "Gates of Vienna" states: "At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe. We are in a new phase of a very old war." There is still a significant divide in my world between people who are willing to accept this unpleasant fact, and those who are unwilling. The writer of Gates of Vienna writes a great entry on what our future might look like if we don't act. It is in the form of a press release, dated 2067.
September 18, 2005Pallywood - the Second DraftHollywood in the US, Bollywood in India and, now... Pallywood in Palestine. If you don't watch any on video on the internet, this is a must. It is chilling demonstration how news is manufactured, and wholeheartedly swallowed and served up to gullible western audiences. August 26, 2005Boarding SchoolI was trawling the net last night and I came across this article on the rigours of British public boarding schools. For anyone who has been there, its a great read: August 18, 2005Dear Friends, we made a mistake...This appears to be a powerful and moving admission of numerous errors from within Israels religous right-wing block. I've quoted from it below.
We tried to give new life to the Torah of Israel so it would suit the tasks of this generation, but the generation of rabbis that were born to us disappointed. Our Torah is not relevant to the real situation of the great majority of the Jewish people in this generation. Its language is cut off and its thoughts not directed to the simple and basic and existential troubles of our society. Jerusalem Post | Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World August 16, 2005Gaza disengagement - photoThis photograph summarizes much of what I feel about the Gaza disengagement. August 15, 2005Iran's nuclear weaponBorowitz is often very funny & right on the money. What is amazing is that most of the world is inclined to believe Iran's drivel regarding nuclear power. Iran’s new president-elect, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, raised eyebrows in the international community today by claiming that his nation is building what he called “the most peaceful nuclear weapon ever.” August 12, 2005Car Alarm RageThis is hilarious. I live in a New York apartment. I think for doing this to a car around 3 times a week. Salman Rushdie - the right time for an Islamic ReformationI like Salman Rushdie's writings. This is a good piece that he wrote for the Washington Post. When Sir Iqbal Sacranie, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, admitted that "our own children" had perpetrated the July 7 London bombings, it was the first time in my memory that a British Muslim had accepted his community's responsibility for outrages committed by its members. Instead of blaming U.S. foreign policy or "Islamophobia," Sacranie described the bombings as a "profound challenge" for the Muslim community.
Broad-mindedness is related to tolerance; open-mindedness is the sibling of peace. This is how to take up the "profound challenge" of the bombers. Will Sir Iqbal Sacranie and his ilk agree that Islam must be modernized? That would make them part of the solution. Otherwise, they're just the "traditional" part of the problem. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/05/AR2005080501483_pf.html Continue reading "Salman Rushdie - the right time for an Islamic Reformation" » August 11, 2005How much will Sharon Fork out for a favorable security council resolution?I had lunch with an Israeli friend yesterday who told me he had no doubt that Israel's defense against terrorism emanating from the Gaza strip can only improve after the withdrawal from Gaza. He may be right. But not if you read this article by Yuval Diskin from the shin bet, in makes some very worrying claims. How Much Will Sharon Fork out for a Favorable Security Council Resolution? Continue reading "How much will Sharon Fork out for a favorable security council resolution?" » August 06, 2005The Case against dis-engagement in GazaI recently met with Naomi Blumenthal at the Israeli Knesset. Amongst other things, she is against dis-engagement from Gaza - as is Netanyahu. Their problem with dis-engagement is that it makes the Gaza strip into a base for terrorists of all stripes - and endangers not just Israel, but the rest of the world as well. The reason why I am still in favour of disengagement is that it takes away the occupation pretext. Israel will still have the power of deterrence. Rather than acting as a local police force, Israel will be able to retaliate with full military force if terror emanates from Gaza. The opposing view is expressed below by Yoram Ettinger - formerly Israel's Consul - General in Houston. Continue reading "The Case against dis-engagement in Gaza" » June 18, 2005Annihalating Terri SchiavoAnyone who thinks that it was right to, "let Terri Schiavo die" needs to read this article that appeared in Commentary magazine:
It remains horrifying to me that Terri Schiavo was denied the kind of basic care that is regularly afforded to people in hospices. May 03, 2005Fania Oz - the Haifa and Bar Llan BoycottAs I understand it, Fania comes from the Israeli left. But it heartens my faith in humanity that she is not buying any of the madness coming from the British Association of University Teachers - who have boycotted two Israeli universities. http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111499921857221877-search,00.html?collection=wsjie%2F30day&vql_string=israel+and+british%3Cin%3E%28article%2Dbody%29
April 06, 2005France's new enemy: GoogleWhen google decided to index some of the English world's greatest libraries, I hardly expected it to cause waves in France. It turns out that I was wrong: "It appears that Jacques Chirac is thoroughly displeased with what he considers but the latest parry in the onslaught of American hegemony -- what the French call omnigooglization" dailypennsylvanian.com - France's new enemy: Google Now the French are going to try to out-google google?!? "The most troubling problem, however, is ideological in nature. Minister Donnedieu also threw in his two ducats' worth about omnigooglization, saying that Google's method of ranking search results by user popularity is disgraceful and reflective of an "American system" of commercial capitalism. The alternative? Jeanneney proposes a "committee of experts" who will determine which Web sites have more substantive value than others. The prospect of Jerry Lewis sites at the top of every result list is horrifiant." "Already, the world is laughing at France's expense. A Google search April 02, 2005Lou Marinoff - Philosphical PracticeLou does not mince his words in his book, and some of the entries are priceless. Early in the book, he bemoans the neglect of critical thinking taught by an oxymoronic, "postmodern education" system. In an example he writes of the mis-use of the word, "addict" for non medical conditions - and how this mis-use of the english language ultimately leads to the wholesale creation of professions and institutions that don't deserve to exist. He writes: "We speak literally of a heroin addict; figuratively of a "television addict." But when psychologists ignorantly or negligently drop the diacritical quotes, and imagine that they are really diagnosing "the disease" of television addiction, we experience the full sociological force of the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis: what begins by misusing language to reify putative entities that have no existence in extra mental reality, continues by elaborating social and professional structures that purport to diagnose, research and treat the nonexisting condition. The surest and quickest way to eliminate bogus "diseases" would be to eliminate those who reify them. Teaching the reifiers critical thinking would be more compassionate, but also much more laborious" !!! Well, that got my attention. And later in the book, when comparing Universities to Institutes, he writes: "The difference between an Institute and a University is also plain; the latter is an incomparably more robust entity than the former. The occidental Academy has survived the collapse of Athens, survived the dogmas of theocracy, survived the mind-numbing absurdities of Scholasticism, survived the enlightened nineteenth-century inclusion of Jews, Catholics, women, andother social pariahs of the day at University College London, and of the talented but impecunious at The City College of New York, survived the demonic twntieth-century exclusion by Nazism of, "Jewish Science", survived the psychedelic revolution of the 1960's, and will survive the current feminization, ethnocentrization, affirmative action, deconstruction, admission of illiterate, innumerate, and postcultural students, and the demonic exclusion of erudite "white" and "white-Jewish" males on the grounds that they have caused all the "problems"of occidental civilization (e.g., the establishment of democratic bodies-politic, the advance of science and technology, the creation of unprecedented economic opportunities, the doubling of life-expectancies) and that erudition is bad-and "diversity" good - for a University."Quite! The book is worth the read - no doubt! A Physicist Experiments With Cultural StudiesI met Lou Marinoff at the World Economic Forum in New Delhi in 2004. I am now reading his book, "Philosophical Practice". I am so enjoying it that I have been sifting through the notes for some of his sources. For whoever missed this the first time around, "A Physicist experiments with Cultural studies" is priceless parody, and is also deadly serious in helping the uninitiated (myself included) understand how damaging certain elements of the academy are. March 31, 2005Linda Schiavo: Killing the disabledI have taken this straight from Melanie Phillips diary. It is uncanny how her views conincide with mine - only that she expresses herself a lot better than I do. Melanie Phillips's Diary: Killing the disabled She quotes Linda Chavez a hispanic author and policital commentator as follows: 'We have been down this road before when we bought and sold Africans and their progeny as mere "property" and when our courts determined that the unborn are not persons unless their mothers choose to carry them to term. Now we seem on the verge of declaring -- de facto -- that the severely mentally deficient are not persons either. Who will be next -- the gay man suffering from AIDS-related dementia, the Alzheimer's patient who cannot feed herself, the infant with cerebral palsy or spina bifida or hydrocephalus? Will we suddenly find it convenient -- even merciful -- to let such people starve?' She expands on her thesis in this entry: A new age of barbarism
She ends that article as follows:
March 03, 2005Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | The war's silver liningWow. Even writers from the Guardian are starting to eat humble pie. Guardian Unlimited Guardian daily comment The war's silver lining we ought to admit that the dark cloud of the Iraq war may have carried a silver lining. We can still argue that the war was wrong-headed, illegal, deceitful and too costly of human lives - and that its most important gain, the removal of Saddam, could have been achieved by other means. But we should be big enough to concede that it could yet have at least one good outcome. Second, we have to say that the call for freedom throughout the Arab and Muslim world is a sound and just one - even if it is a Bush slogan and arguably code for the installation of malleable regimes. Put starkly, we cannot let ourselves fall into the trap of opposing democracy in the Middle East simply because Bush and Blair are calling for it. Sometimes your enemy's enemy is not your friend. March 02, 2005Israel intercepted order from Jihad leader in Damascus ordering the Tel Aviv suicide bombingBuried in this article in the Independent:
Israeli intelligence officers briefed ambassadors of the And all this from a member of the United Nations Security council. Its a scandal. The Arabs' Berlin Wall has crumbledAre we celebrating too soo, or are Bush's policies starting to show real vindication on the ground? Telegraph | Opinion | The Arabs' Berlin Wall has crumbled Who ever thought that the Middle East could be this exciting, or remarkable. February 28, 2005Syria - the latest thug on the scene in the middle eastSyria's thuggery in the Middle East cannot be appeased, or allowed ot stand. International News Article | Reuters.com What a sign of remarkable change in the Middle East that an Arab news station is willing to go public to a Western news agency about the death threats it received. It seems as if there are more and more people in the Middle East who don't want to do business the usual way. Yahoo! News - Palestinians Angry Over Tel Aviv AttackNow we find out if Abu Mazen is up to snuff, a break from Palestinians nihilistic path, and ally to the forces of civilization and freedom, or whether he's just more of the same, but wrapped in a different wrapper. February 27, 2005Melanie Phillips's Diary: The global warming scam - Eco -I have no clue whether or not global warming is really taking place or not. But I resent that any scientist who does not come down on the "right", or should I say, "left" side of the debate is considered questionable. lgf: Columbia Implodes!My sense is that Columbia University don't quite know what is about to hit them. Perhaps the President and the Provost should get in touch with Eason Jordan, or Dan Rather for a clue. lgf: Columbia Implodes! I wonder how long it takes for the website, "Columbiagate" to start. February 20, 2005Larry Summers - Professor Nancy HopkinsIts stories like this one about Larry Summers at Harvard, that renew my faith that our civilization will not, "go to hell in a handbasket" The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's brilliant scientist Steven Pinker put it better than I can: "Look, the truth cannot be offensive. Perhaps the hypothesis is wrong, but how would we ever find out whether it is wrong if it is 'offensive' even to consider it? People who storm out of a meeting at the mention of a hypothesis, or declare it taboo or offensive without providing arguments or evidence, don't get the concept of a university or free inquiry." February 14, 2005Victor Davis Hanson on Democracy in the National Review OnlineVictor Davis Hanson is great, to my mind. I have just finished his book, Ripples of Battle, and am now reading Carnage and Culture. Victor Davis Hanson on Democracy on National Review Online I am only sorry that I did not read about him sooner. February 08, 2005Dershowitz Says Faculty Members Work To Encourage Islamic Terrorism - February 8, 2005 - The New York SunFebruary 07, 2005Photo of Palestinian Boy Kindles Debate in FranceIt is becoming more and more apparent to the world's media that it swallowed a big one - hook, line and sinker from "Pallywood" when it reported that Mohammed Al Dura was killed by the Israel military. It is pretty clear at this point that the Israeli military did not kill Mohammed, and that it was firing from the Palestinian side that killed him. Watch France's Europe 2 engage in multiple machinations to prevent the truth form coming out. The New York Times > Business > World Business > Photo of Palestinian Boy Kindles Debate in France February 06, 2005CNN's line of fire - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED -Eason Jordan of CNN thought he was safe when he claimed that he knew of at least 12 journalists that had been targeted by the US military. Well, blogs such as Captain's Quarters and Powerline and Hugh Hewitt have "smelt blood". In my view, its only a matter of time before "Easongate" makes it into the Mainstream news. CNN's line of fire - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED - February 04, 2005 Also see: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=14613 and February 02, 2005!What if Bush has been right about Iraq all along?Perish the thought! Melanie Phillips's Diary: The Iraq electionMelanie Phillips's Diary: The Iraq election For the moment, they are routed. The grudging tones and surly looks of the anti-war camp, as they are obliged to comment through gritted teeth on the undiluted joy of the immensely brave and determined Iraqi people who have never in living memory been able to choose how they are governed, provides a shocking reminder of the moral sickness of the west. The anti-war camp is having to watch the awesome spectatcle of the assertion of the deepest human instinct for freedom -- an instinct they have done everything in their power to frustrate. At every stage of the Iraq war, they have talked down the enterprise, predicted dire outcomes, dwelt disprortionately on every setback and never reported the advances being made -- in short, mounted a propaganda assault based on lies in the service of defeatism and appeasement. In the process, they have given succour to the forces of darkness who have been stacking up the bodies of the murdered higher and higher against the incoming tide of freedom. But it didn't work. The Iraqis have pulled off their election against unprecedented odds and in the face of murderous violence. Their leaders have behaved throughout not just with astonishing bravery but with shrewdness, maturity and self-restraint. February 01, 2005BLACKFIVE: Bias Evident In Iraq WarIf I, on this experimental blog, link to another blog, I presume that I am a meta-blogger. January 31, 2005Tom Friedman: The Geo-Green AlternativeThis makes a lot of sense, and offers a smart and productive way for the democratic party to move forward. Especially in the light of this new book by Jared Diamond: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670033375/ref=bxgy_cc_text_a/102-7641227-0420957 Right now, the democratic party is where labour was in the UK during the thatcher years - with the looney left ascendant. There are still plenty of democrats who think that the election was stolen, that the exit polls should have been used instead of a final ballot count, and that democracy in Iraq means nothing, because it was all Bush's war, and the US should not be in Iraq in the first place, Saddam was a cuddly bear etc. etc. The democratic party needs to ditch all those people, because it makes them unelectable, and get on with the hard work of setting a viable alternative to Bush. Geo-green is a very serious candidate, which I could support. But until the democracts (and the Europeans?) come up with a viable alternative, he's got my vote. The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Geo-Green Alternative January 30, 2005IRAQ THE MODELInshallah, this is the future of the Middel East. How can I describe it!? Take my eyes and look through them my friends, you have supported the day of Iraq's freedom and today, Iraqis have proven that they're not going to disappoint their country or their friends. Is there a bigger victory than this? I believe not. I still recall the first group of comments that came to this blog 14 months ago when many of the readers asked "The Model?"... "Model for what?" Take a look today to meet the model of courage and human desire to achieve freedom; people walking across the fire to cast their votes. Could any model match this one!? Could any bravery match the Iraqis'!? Let the remaining tyrants of the world learn the lesson from this day. The media is reporting only explosions and suicide attacks that killed and injured many Iraqis s far but this hasn't stopped the Iraqis from marching towards their voting stations with more determination. Iraqis have truly raced the sun. How the media manufactures imagesMelanie Phillips's Diary: The Iraq electionThis is right on: Melanie Phillips's Diary: The Iraq election The Iraq election 'The same lib-left media, however, did not discount the legitimacy of the recently held Palestinian election in which somewhere around 30% of Palestinians did not, or could not, vote due to circumstances beyond their control. Nor would this lib-left elite suggest Canadian elections -- with similar or higher rates of voter non-participation -- are invalid. The same elite would not have confused the Quebec crisis of a generation ago, and violence in the Montreal-Quebec City corridor with all of Canada being subject to homegrown terror. And yet this is how all of Iraq is being viewed -- through the lens of insurgency located primarily within the Sunni triangle around Baghdad'. And then Mansur puts this in its correct historical perspective: 'During the last century, communist fellow-travellers in the West found nothing right in the effort of Americans and others who supported the cause of freedom in communist-controlled societies of the East. A similar lib-left mindset, presently at work in Canada and Europe, is unwilling to go beyond its petulant anti-Americanism and see for itself how raw the struggle for freedom is, as being witnessed in Iraq. The real story of tomorrow's election is not its flaws, but rather the common courage of people to defy insurgents as they quietly work to build a decent society'. Absolutely. January 28, 2005Melanie Phillips's Diary: The Beeb in the dockIts official! The BBC is biased. That's not news to some of us, but its good to know that people are finally paying attention. January 26, 2005Friends of Democracy - Iraq Election News - ReportsCivil society appears to be emerging in Iraq. How exciting! January 25, 2005BLACKFIVE: Soldiers' Voices - military action in Syria imminent?Even some of the troops feel that Rumsfeld should resign. Not because he is disliked, but because he mad some significant misjudgements. This makes interesting reading. Here's an even better bit: Everyone likes Rummy. However, nine soldiers think that he should resign immediately after the elections in Iraq. The rest think June is more appropriate for Rummy to step down. If a Commander in the field had the same kind of problems that SecDef had, he/she would have been removed. It's a responsibility issue, not a like/dislike issue. He should accept responsibility and step down. Most feel that it's not fair to have higher standards for Soldiers than for the Civilian leaders of the DOD. If we lived in the UK, I'd become a British NeoConIf we were living in the UK, I think that I would join the British NeoConservative movement. The Social Affairs Unit - Weblog: The Need for a British Neoconservatism Michael Howard may think he'll pick up voters by demanding that the Prime Minster cut short his holiday to deal with a tsunami, or by declaring how many times a 20-year old Prince should apologise for a tasteless joke, but no percentage points swing the Conservative way. Nobody appears to think, "he obviously cares the most - I'll vote for Mr Howard". Shadow Ministers may think they gain voter attention from stressing how much better they would do exactly the same job as the Ministerial incumbents, but they're not in power, and there's no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt. The best that the Conservative party seems able to hope for is that the public will at some point just get weary of the same old faces, and vote in new ones: which means a Labour government until roughly 2014. Conservatism in Britain is at a bleak point - and not just because the battle is being so poorly fought. Another way must be looked for. January 24, 2005The Jewish Chronicle "Zoo Rabbi" accused of heresyRabbi Nosson Slifkin has been accused of heresy by a group of powerful Orthodox Rabbi's for his writings on Torah and science. Zoo Torah - Judaism and the Animal Kingdom What I can't believe is that they actually want to excommunicate him, and prevent his books from being read. You would think that these Rabbi's have something better to do than excercise thought - control. Former Manchester Jewish Grammar School pupil Natan Slifkin, widely known as "the Zoo Rabbi" because of his love of animals, has fallen foul of the rabbinical right-wing for believing the world is millions of years old and that the talmudic rabbis held sometimes scientifically inaccurate views. January 21, 2005Ruth Wisse in the WSJ Gender Fender-BenderI am so grateful for voices like Ruth Wisse's. It helps to remind me that I am not going insane. IDF ISRAEL - 2 Weeks in the ReservesCheck here for some photographs of Israeli/Palestinian interactions that you won't see in the mainstream media January 20, 2005Brigitte Gabriel InterviewI am looking forward to watching this video. Brigitte Gabriel, a Maronite Christian from Lebanon--a righteous Gentile if there ever was one--spoke for the Freeman Center about how she survived Palestinian terrorism in Israel and how she was rescued, quite literally, by Israeli soldiers and physicians. (She prepared a special 45 minute video which I have mounted on my website. You may see it at www.phyllis-chesler.com). Sadly, she angered some people at Duke for naming the terrorists clearly and accurately. Dore Gold on why, for now, the UN is toast.Dore Gold on why, for now, the UN is toast. True, the U.N. is a huge complex of many sub-organizations -- and it may be difficult to monitor everyone. But the U.N. has a duty today to clean up its act before it asks for the trust of Israel or any law-abiding member of the international community again. Emotionally Focused Therapy - VideosThese videos/dvd's are expensive, but I'm really interested to watch them. Welcome to Emotionally Focused Therapy! January 17, 2005FT: UN warned it faces overhaul as crisis growsMainstream media is finally waking up to the idea that its not just the "right of Atilla the Hun" group that has a problem with the UN: FT.com / World / International economy - UN warned it faces overhaul as crisis grows "It was possible to see the first wave of the crisis as inspired by the US critics of the UN, but as a clearly neutral voice like Volcker starts to opine as he did in the commentary of the audit, it's a lot harder to shrug this off as a rightwing conspiracy," Mr Malloch Brown said. The media revolution: how the blogosphere brought down CBS andJohn Podhoretz writing in the weekly standard provides an excellent, and succinct summary of how the blogosphere brought down CBS and Dan Rather. A media revolution is taking place. Stockholders in Viacom, the parent company of CBS, may want to grill network president Leslie Moonves about fiduciary responsibility. Not because CBS has been forever tainted by the scandal, though it surely has been. Simply put, there was no reason for Moonves to spend half a million dollars of the network's money on a report that could have been written for free by an intern with a dial-up Internet connection and a decent knowledge of how to use Google effectively. Palestinian children in the line of fireThis comes from Getty Images. Getty Images Editorial - Detail View Is it surprising that Palestinian children are getting killed? What Or, how about this one: http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=51997452&cdi=0 I rate it as extremely unlikely that Palestinian children were not operating the mortar that got them killed. See here: http://www.aquamarinefund.net/archives/2005/01/new_york_times.html January 16, 2005When Harry met SacksPrince Harry is now set to meet the British Chief Rabbi over his wearing a Nazi Uniform. As far as Prince Harry is concerned, he's just a young kid who does not think very far. As
far as British society is concerned, there is something amiss where a
whole bunch of people from the "ruling class" can be at a party - even if it is a fancy dress party - and not be sensitive to the fact that Prince Harry, third in line to the throne, and a very public figure, is parading around in a Nazi uniform. The focus should not be on Prince Harry as much as on why a whole class of people seem to be oblivious to recent history. From: Paul According to today's 'Times',
Prince Harry is to meet Chief Rabbi Sacks, as a "Day of Atonement'
(their headline). Anyone who has ever read any 'insider' accounts of
life in the innermost sancta of the Royal family - especially the
treatment of those who are perceived to have overstepped the mark
(Diana and Fergie come to mind) -- will know the icy blasts that have
presumably already been sent in young Harry's direction. He is unlikely
to be attending any fancy-dress parties for some time. I am sure that
Rabbi Sacks will be kind and gentle with the young man (he might
delegate the task to his very charming Rebbetzin.)
I remain very uncomfortable at how this has become a "Jewish" issue. BLACKFIVE: Aiding and Abetting the EnemyBlackfive believes that the Western press is so one - sided and unbalanced in its reporting in Iraq, that it borders in the criminal. BLACKFIVE: Aiding and Abetting the Enemy Just yesterday, a major news agency's website lead read: "Suicide Bomber Kills Six in Baghdad" and "Seven Marines Die in Iraq Clashes." True, yes. Comprehensive, no. Did the author of this article bother to mention that Coalition troops killed 50 or so terrorists while incurring those seven losses? Of course not. Nor was there any mention about the substantial progress these offensive operations continue to achieve in defeating the insurgents. Unfortunately, this sort of incomplete reporting has become the norm for the media, whose poor job of presenting a complete picture of what is going on in Iraq borders on being criminal. Justice - Palestinian styleIn the Palestinian territories, the Palestinian Authority delivers justice down the end of a barrel. No due process, or presumption of innocence. You would hope that Abu Mazen would change that. He has not done so far. Two young Palestinian men suspected of "collaboration" with Israel were murdered in the Nablus area over the weekend. - Gruesome The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Ballots and BoycottsFinally, a Tom Friedman column that I don't disagree with. The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Ballots and Boycotts January 14, 2005Melanie Phillips's Diary: The trouble with HarryMelanie Phillips, you're spot on. January 12, 2005Psychotherapy - AEDP - Diana Wais, Diana FoshaGood friend Diana Wais recently become a faculty member of a branch of psychotherapy called AEDP - which stands for, "Accelerated Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy" This family of therapies - which includes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is very very different from traditional analytical approaches (Freud and Jung.) In addition to being a powerful form of psychotherapy, it makes fascinating reading for those who are interested in attachment theory. Although this link is to a site entitled "trauma resources", it has a wealth of resources for anyone. Here is the link to the site: Here is what the introduction to the site says: This is a professionally reviewed, non-commercial website for parents, teaching and health professionals and those who suffer from the effects of extreme stress. The intense and unrelenting stress that we focus on is known as emotional trauma. Lou Marinoff - American Practical Philosophy AssociationLou Marinoff is regularly on the faculty of the World Economic Forum. I met him in New Delhi, and spent a day with him at the Taj Mahal. In addition to being the author of, "Plato, not Prosac", he has founded the American Practical Philosophy Association: Masthead I have joined. You can learn more about Lou here: http://www.loumarinoff.com January 09, 2005New York Times buries its integrity so that it can engage in its traditional biasFamily loses 7 boys because they were firing mortars into Israel. In another example of New York Times bias, the story buries the reasons why they died, and fails to talk about the real tragedy. The Israeli army targets, with one tank shell, a group who are launching mortars from a field in Gaza into Israel. Seven boys from one family died. This is tragic. What is even more tragic is that these boys were allowed to be anywhere near the mortar installation. This write up by Steven Erlanger of the New York Times focuses much detail on the family's anguish, but fails to ask why the boys were launching mortars in the first place, who allowed them to get close to the equipment, and what sort of society it is that allows children to launch mortars against another nation. How reliable the New York Times is when it comes to biasing a story about Israel. Tom Friedman: Civil disobedience is only okay if its for causes that I approve of. Otherwise, you're an extremist.The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Remapping the Middle East, Maybe Tom Friedman of the New York Times engages in yet another round of Israel bashing by comparing the rightwing settler movement to terrorists. (Tom Friedman does not use the work terrorist, feeling much more comfortable with the "militant" code-word.) The Israeli settlers are not trying to subvert, or prevent democracy. They do seek to excercise their democratic right to civil disobedience. It seems that Friedman is applying a double standard: If the civil disobedience comes from the left, then that's all right. If civil disobedience comes from the right, they are messianic zealots who can only be compared to terrorists who are only deserving of being compared to terrorists. Tom, I don't buy it. January 08, 2005Dore Gold: Why Syria thinks it can get away with backing the insurgency in IraqhDore Gold: Why Syria thinks it can get away with backing the insurgency in Iraq Syria actively supports a number of terrorist organizations, including Hizbullah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the insurgency on in Iraq. On top of that, they continue to occupy Lebanon. Dore Gold reminds us that, in spite of all this, they continue to occupy a seat on the security council of the United Nations. What kind of crazy world are we living in if Syria can be a rogue nation, but hold its seat on the security council with impunity? This fact alone is all the evidence we need that the United Nations 100% morally bankrupt. January 07, 2005An email about France. My replyWhitney emails stuff to me on a regular basis. This was a list of jokes about France. In the intro he writes: It
really annoys me that the French were right about Iraq -- we now know
that Saddam DIDN'T have WMDs, that it WOULD turn into a brutal mess,
and that (while I hope I'm wrong about this) we would have been FAR
better off with a policy of containment. But I still think they behaved
abominably and love reading stuff like this... Here is what I wrote back... Subject: RE: France... The case for going into Consider that Remember that at the time the The fact is that the whole world was astounded at how quickly the Iraqi's no longer dying in the 10's of thousands per year at the hands of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. Palestinian elections: The Wall Street Journal considers these only the second set of free elections ever held in the Arab world. Semi autonomy for the Kurdish north - who run their affairs reasonably well. Emergence of moderate Shiite leadership in Co-option, even of the more radicalized Shiites of Iraq (Al Sadr) into the political system. The Sunni triangle is a problem. But whenever you try anything important, its going to look like a mess half way through. The elections at the end of the month are going to be imperfect, but I believe that they will have a profound impact on the Changes
are happening, but the liberal media are whining all the way, and are
moving the goal posts - because they just can't bear to think of the
idea that people that they hate so much are actually making progress. All those liberal whiners - instead of focusing on progress and what's good. Its so un-American! G Melanie Phillips's Articles: The Reporting of Iraq and Israel: An Abuse of Media PowerMelanie Phillips's Articles: The Reporting of Iraq and Israel: An Abuse of Media Power This is an excellent article on media bias in the UK. It also goes part of the way towards explaining why. January 06, 2005CE Army Fantasy Camp FAQSIf you like paintball, you'll really like this. Its even closer to the real thing. December 13, 2004Move America Forward - The Daily FileI like these people. November 19, 2004Victor Davis Hanson on National Review OnlineThis is an excellent explanation of the US's policy in Iraq. It still astounds me that there are so many people in the free world who want to see it go wrong. November 18, 2004Arafat: What, no virgins?!?November 02, 2004Books on my bookshelfBooks on my bookshelf right now: The Alchemist - Coelho |
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| © 2006 Aquamarine Fund |
want liberty!” accompanied her.
The US ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday launched a vitriolic attack on Mark Malloch Brown, the UN’s deputy secretary general, after he said the US had failed to exert sufficient UN leadership at home and abroad.
