View source for Blog/December 2009/Dec 18th

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{{bheader|Dec 18th|Devar/5770/Mikets}} 

Hi again! 

Happy birthday, brother!  (he's eight years older than I... check the blog from two weeks ago to figure out how old I am, if you care).

A week's worth of [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260930881821&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Hanukkah]!  Leaving work early every day so I can light the candles on time, while still meeting deadlines.  Avoiding ''sufganiyot'' as much as possible.  Finding new ways to irritate people.  It's been a busy week!  It rained all last night, so I checked the [http://www.ims.gov.il/IMSENG/ALL_TAHAZIT/HOMEPAGE.HTM Israel Meteorological Service] to see what the forecast is.  Here, in their words, is the forecast for today: "A risk of flooding in low lying areas,and in the sothern and eastern vadies. A fress sw` winds. Swiming in the MED. sea is dengerous due to high waves."  Yikes!  I'll try to avoid swiming due to the denger!!

Irritations this week included [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135003 Google removing Shomron from Israel]. Not only them: "Speedtest.net" removed ''all'' their Israeli servers, so only Pally servers remain.  I complained, and they gave me a half-assed explanation saying that maybe there was a performance problem with the Israeli servers.  Right.

Treppenwitz says it's time to get [http://www.treppenwitz.com/2009/12/getting-a-few-things-off-my-chest.html a few things off his chest].  He should have started with Obama's [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NGQyYzg3MmY3YWFhYTkxYTkzMTQxMGUxYTdhZTk3ZjY= egregious lack of honesty].  Unfortunately for Obama, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/science/earth/18climate.html the Chinese] won't roll over for him on climate controls.  He is finding out that, outside of the bastions of moral relativism of the Western world, the Real World (tm) is not impressed with his words.

In [http://www.rightsidenews.com/200912127750/editorial/jerusalem-the-eternal-capital-of-israel.html Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel], the deadbeat Belgians have so far [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260930892592&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull refused to pay 14 ''million'' NIS] in back-rent due on their consulate.  They "don't recognize" the new owners (new since ''1983''!) and so haven't paid rent since then.  These are the people lecturing Israel on morality and ethics.  So are their neighbors the Dutch, who are trying to figure out whether or not to boycott [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135023 Ahava].  Ironically, they probably don't know the name means 'love'.  Then the British issued an arrest warrant for [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126088596179392051.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_world Tzippi Livni].  She [http://israelinsider.ning.com/forum/topics/reuven-koret-tzipi-livni-blew blew her opportunity] to resuscitate her moribund political career.  Ah, Europe, how I despise thee!

Now the Israeli government has approved a [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260447411507&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull two-year, voluntary test phase] for using biometric IDs.  Under this system, national ID cards would have chips on them which store the person's fingerprints and facial profile.  Naturally, these data would be stored in a central governmental database.  One might think this a good thing, since after all we have to deal with terrorists and assorted other nogoodniks all the time.  Think again!  The government has shown no reluctance whatsoever to collecting all sorts of information on whoever it doesn't like at the time.  So let's say you attend a demonstration.  The police video the crowd, and every individual attending is immediately identified by the national database (which, we are assured, will be kept absolutely secure.  Sure it will).  Really, think again...

And good news:
* The [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135030 Canadians] are showing some steel.
* Israeli doctors [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260930874314&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull restore the sight] of a baby from Gaza who was born blind.  Because we're, you know, war criminals and thugs.
* A naïve [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/12/did-you-pack-that-mac.html American supporter of our enemies] gets her Mac PowerBook blown all to Hell and back.  I guess you could call it a [http://reason.com/archives/2004/07/01/big-mac-attack Big Mac Attack].
* Store offers special on [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gnm2C1B8vbI/SyiB1Fm0eaI/AAAAAAAAEM8/lgmoHKfjFdA/s1600-h/chanuka1.jpg Hanukkah ham].

An interesting thought from my friend Fred, [http://alittlebiteast.blogspot.com/2009/12/answer-is.html whose most recent blog] I read this week.  Quote: "I think what I’m going to do when people who are preparing to make aliyah ask, as they often do, what should they bring with them?, I am going to make the following SUGGESTION. “Here’s something I didn’t do, and therefore I am constantly forced to improvise on the topic. I wish I had a list of everything, ''everything'', that went wrong back in The States because it is so easy to lose perspective when you’re having a difficulty here and you forget you had exactly the same problem back where you came from…".  True words, my friends.

Until next week,<br>
Shabbat shalom!<br>


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