A Peek into Others' mind » October 5, 2008

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(44 unread)

October 06, 2008
7:32
And Now for Some Antoine Dufour
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

Some very clean, complex fingerpicking from Antoine Dufour.
[Video]

6:57
Lebanon to Sue Israel for Selling Falafel, Hummus and Tabouleh
» ‎ Israellycool

A few years ago, Greece won a motion in the EU’s highest court saying that only Greek feta cheese may be called “feta” in Europe.

The Palestinian Arabic media is reporting that Lebanon is trying to sue Israel for selling traditional Lebanese foods as well.

The autotranslation is a little muddled, but it appears that Lebanon is upset over Israel marketing hummus, falafel, tabouleh and fattoush.

The president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association claims that Lebanese losses over Israel selling these foods rather than Lebanese is in the tens of millions of dollars annually.

For the record, falafel is supposed to have been invented in Egypt, the earliest verifiable use of hummus was in Syria, and tabouleh and fattoush are both from the Levant as well.

So, will Lebanese food manufacturers be suing any other Arab or Levantine countries who market these foods as well?

Apparently not. The articles about this refer to this lawsuit as a new type of “resistance” - meaning it is just like terrorism against Israel, but meant to take place in various legal venues for the purpose of hurting Israelis economically rather than physically.

(We’ve seen Arabs upset over Israelis making falafel in the past, and it is always good for a laugh.)
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5:58
From Clarion: A Protocols of the Elders of Islam?
» ‎ LobeLog.com

A Guest Post by Eli Clifton:

The past month has brought great scrutiny upon the elusive Clarion Fund–the funders of a nationwide distribution of Obesssion: Radical Islam’s War Against the West. Despite the increased attention, Clarion may be pushing for their own “October Surprise” in a brand new documentary released Sunday.

Clarion, on which we have published a recent investigative piece, is the surprisingly well-funded group that emerged in recent months to disseminate anti-Muslim propaganda in the run-up to the November election.

The film, The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America seems, perhaps even more explicitly than Obsession, designed to stir up a climate of fear in the United States in the weeks before the presidential election.

So what is The Third Jihad about exactly? The trailer on its websites says very little, but the brief synopsis tells us more than the film makers may have hoped.

On October 3rd the synopsis reads as follows:

“After the FBI releases a radical Islamist manifesto describing how to weaken America from within, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a Muslim American and former physician to the US Congress, decides to investigate. The Third Jihad is about what he discovered.

How is radical Islam operating inside the West? Is a subversive “cultural jihad” underway? How does radical Islam plan to bring America to its knees? What is the endgame?”

And a couple of weeks ago the synopsis mentioned an “infiltration”, a “dominating of North America” and “destroying Western civilization.”

On September 21st the synopsis read:

“The Third Jihad focuses on an FBI-discovered secret document—the manifesto of the American Muslim Brotherhood. It describes the ‘grand jihad’ goal of destroying Western civilization from within by infiltrating and dominating North America.

The film reveals the agenda of the radical Muslim leaders in America and provides viewers with an impressively crafted look at the immediate dangers posed.”

Ah, secret, recently uncovered documents. A “goal of destroying Western civilization from within.” A grand conspiracy organized by a globally networked religious minority. Sound familiar yet? Could be because it’s echoing one of the most influential and persistent conspiracy theories of all time. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The Protocols, which first emerged in 1903, detailed the sinister Jewish plan for world domination. A proven forgery, the document played important roles in the rise of Nazism and during the Great Depression. Still published today, the Protocols, widely available on the internet, serve as a playbook for anti-Semites seeking to portray Jews as pulling the strings of global power through their business, cultural and political influence.

Daniel Pipes, who appears in Obsession, writes the following observations about the Protocols in his book: Conspiracy: How the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From.

“The great importance of the Protocols lies in its permitting antisemites to reach beyond their traditional circles and find a large international audience, a process that continues to this day. The forgery poisoned public life wherever it appeared; it was “self-generating; a blueprint that migrated from one conspiracy to another.” The book’s vagueness — almost no names, dates, or issues are specified — has been one key to this wide-ranging success. The purportedly Jewish authorship also helps to make the book more convincing. Its embrace of contradiction — that to advance, Jews use all tools available, including capitalism and communism, philo-Semitism and antisemitism, democracy and tyranny — made it possible for the Protocols to reach out to all: rich and poor, Right and Left, Christian and Muslim, American and Japanese.”

So it looks as if The Third Jihad has taken a lesson from one of the most influential pieces of anti-Semitic propaganda ever produced. Clarion seeks to tell us that a secret document, authored by Muslims, details the systematic way in which Muslims plan to “infiltrate” and “dominate” Western civilization and destroy it from within.

One hundred and five years after the Protocols of the Elders of Zion first appeared, it is amazing to see the same ideas, paranoia, conspiracy-mongering, distrust and racism manifest themselves in such a blatant manner.

Here is a trailer for The Third Jihad:

4:52
Associated Press: A Full Court Press Against Sarah Palin
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

They’re relentless.

The latest Associated Press masterpiece of journalistic malpractice: a headline that goes right to the edge of saying Sarah Palin called Barack Obama a terrorist (which she did not): Palin defends terrorist comment against Obama.

They’re parroting Obama campaign propaganda, word for word, and doing everything they can to minimize William Ayers’ terrorist acts.

But while Ayers and Obama are acquainted, the charge that they “pal around” is a stretch of any reading of the public record. And it’s simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts. Obama was 8 years old at the time the Weather Underground claimed credit for numerous bombings and was blamed for a pipe bomb that killed a San Francisco policeman.

Can you spot the world’s biggest straw man in that highlighted sentence?

4:18
Carnival of the Insanities
» ‎ Israel Matzav

The weekly Carnival of the Insanities has been up and running for several hours now, but since my browser crashed right after I opened it, I forgot to post this link, so please go check out the Carnival of the Insanities NOW so that Dr. Pat doesn't ban me from it. Thank you.
3:29
How the UN 'Human Rights Council' intimidates critics of Islam
» ‎ Israel Matzav

These are two videos of the proceedings of the UN 'Human Rights Council' in Geneva on Tuesday, September 23 - ironically the anniversary of the Jewish date on which the 9/11 terror attacks occurred. Watch what happens to NGO representatives who try to point out that 'Islamophobia' is overblown or that the 'Council' is neglecting real issues of discrimination because of it. Watch how they get shut
2:50
Celebrating Eid-al-Fitr, Egyptian style
» ‎ Israel Matzav

Some 150 Egyptian men in Cairo 'celebrated' the end of Ramadan the same way they did last year: by sexually assaulting women in public. The Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan was once again marred by sexual harassment in the streets of Cairo when Egyptian police arrested dozens of young men suspected of sexually assaulting women in the streets, according to a local

2:02
Fluffy Bunnies: Harmless?
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

The Associated Press seems to sense, in some dim way, that they may have gone a little over the line with that ludicrous “analysis” by Douglass Daniel that tries to accuse Sarah Palin of racism for mentioning Barack Obama’s association with former Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers.

In the latest revision, they’ve changed the headline from “Analysis: Palin’s words carry racial tinge” to: Analysis: Palin’s words may backfire on McCain.

Maybe not as much as this nasty bias will backfire on the Associated Press.

But the story also includes this unbelievably crass statement from “Democratic strategist” Jenny Backus:

“It’s a giant changing of the subject,” said Jenny Backus, a Democratic strategist. “The problem is the messenger. If you want to start throwing fire bombs, you don’t send out the fluffy bunny to do it. I think people don’t take Sarah Palin seriously.”

In an article about Sarah Palin’s subtle subtext of racism, this very unsubtle sexist slur against the Governor of Alaska goes unremarked, reported straight, as if it were a simple observation, nothing more. These people are completely beyond shame, both the Democrats who say these things and the Associated Press who enables them.

But remember, not all fluffy bunnies are as harmless as they seem.
[Video]
(Hat tip: Sharmuta.)
0:30
Tech Note: Tabular Exorcism
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

The latest change behind the scenes is huge, but hopefully you won’t even notice.

Ever since LGF began, back in the Paleostinky Era, our main template has been based around a simple HTML table with three columns. No nested tables (gasp!) or anything like that, but in the world of web wonks, this kind of table-based design is akin to walking around with a piece of spinach stuck between your front teeth.

So at long last we’ve ditched the tables, flossed our web choppers, and deployed a modified version of the three column floated layout described in this excellent book: CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions: Andy Budd, Simon Collison, Cameron Moll.

There may still be some bugs to work out, but the worst of them have been crushed. The layout looks the same in Internet Explorer 6 and 7, Safari 3, and Firefox 3.

One big advantage is the increased accessibility. Using this sort of floated layout allows us to have the main content column actually appear first in the source listing, before the left and right sidebars; this means that visitors with impaired vision who use screen readers no longer have to wade through the whole left sidebar just to get to the real stuff.

There’s one area left in the template that still uses a table: the navigation panels that appear at the top and bottom of the middle column. But that’s due for an exorcism too.

UPDATE at 10/5/08 6:24:16 pm:

Main template exorcism completed, and I didn’t even need to call in Bobby Jindal (sorry, couldn’t resist). The navigation panels now use an unordered list, with everything floated, including the opening <ul> tag, which keeps all the floated <li>s from overflowing their containers. Because we all know how painful that can be.

And that leaves us with one more area of table abuse: the top line of each comment, with the commenter’s information, rating buttons, etc.

0:27
Haveil Havalim #185
» ‎ The Muqata

I am pleased to announce that Haveil Havalim #185 is now live and ready for your consumption.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

October 05, 2008
23:19
AP: "Plan for US diplomatic outpost in ...
» ‎ War and Piece

AP: "Plan for US diplomatic outpost in Iran dropped; political concerns among reasons"The Bush administration has shelved plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran, in part over fears it could affect the U.S. presidential race or be interpreted...

22:41
obama loves israel so much…
» ‎ Body on the Line

that i think he loves it more than the u.s. in the midst of a financial crisis he seems to think that one budget item we must preserve american military exports and donations to the zionist terrorist state: U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama has promised not to cut foreign aid to Israel if he is elected [...]

21:44
In his own words
» ‎ Israel Matzav

Barack Hussein Obama's terrorist friend Bill Ayers on Israel (Hat Tip: Thanos via Little Green Footballs). Outrageous. Two years ago Joel Klein, Chancellor of the NY public schools, bowed to a heated and disingenuous attack by a group of zealots against any American academic who had the temerity to deviate from Israel’s elaborate,self-aggrandizing, and thoroughly dishonest story of itself,

21:40
SNL: Queen Latifa as Gwen Ifill, Tina ...
» ‎ War and Piece

SNL: Queen Latifa as Gwen Ifill, Tina Fey as Palin, incredible. Guy playing Biden also hilarious (Scranton is just "an awful, awful terrible place.")...

20:45
AP does editorials now
» ‎ The Muqata

Guest post by Lurker:

The American news media was always biased toward the left, but never, in my judgement, were they as blatantly obvious about it as the Israeli media. That seems to have changed, however. Get a load of this Associated Press article from today. It's about Palin's remarks regarding Obama's "palling around" with 1970's Weather Underground terrorist bomber Bill Ayers. (Ayers held a parlor meeting in his home in 1995, at which Obama spoke, to promote Obama's campaign for State Senator. He also donated to Obama's campaign in 2001. See more in this New York Times article.)

As you read the AP article, keep reminding yourself that this is supposed to be a news article from America's premier wire service, not an editorial or a political campaign ad. Note particularly the following paragraphs:

While it is known that Obama and Ayers live in the same Chicago neighborhood, served on a charity board together and had a fleeting political connection, there is no evidence that they ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts.
Nonetheless, Palin made the comments at two appearances in separate states.

Clearly, the AP has decided for the rest of us that hosting Obama in his home doesn't constitute "palling around". And never mind that Palin didn't say that Obama and Ayers were associated at the time of the Ayers' terror attacks.

In an interview with CBS News earlier in the week, Palin didn't name any newspapers or magazines that shaped her view of the world. On Saturday, she cited a New York Times story that detailed Obama's relationship with Ayers.
I suppose that if the AP has no ethical problem with the publication of subjective value judgements and even implied falsehoods in their news articles, then we should not be surprised that their journalistic ethics do not bar snarky, sarcastic innuendo either. Update: Incredibly, the AP didn't stop with this. They've now decided that because Palin has dared to speak about Obama's relationship with a terrorist, she is therefore a racist. See here for details.

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
20:02
Look who's backing McCain/Palin
» ‎ The Muqata

Guest post by Lurker:

From the Muqata U.S. election campaign bureau:

Here's something interesting that seems to be getting rather short shrift in the news media: Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), is supporting and campaigning for McCain and Palin. No kidding.

Long Beach Press-Telegram:
Palin was introduced by Shelly Mandell, the president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women. Mandell supported Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary, but has now endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket.
In thanking Mandell, Palin cited a quotation from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that Palin had seen the day before on a Starbucks mocha cup: "There's a place in hell reserved for women who don't support other women."
(The quotation was slightly off. Albright used the word "help" instead of support.")
After the cheers died down, Palin made it a two-fer: "Let's see what a comment like I just made, how that is turned into whatever it'll be turned into tomorrow in the newspaper."
CBS:
Shelly Mandell, president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Organization for Women and a self-described lifelong Democrat, introduced Palin at the event.
In rarity for a Republican event, Mandell bragged about her efforts campaigning for the failed Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and her support for Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1984.
"I know Sarah Palin cares about women's rights," Mandell said. "As vice president, she will fight for you. She cares about our children and she cares about women's lives."
In another rarity for a major party national candidate, Palin discussed a quotation she found on a cup of coffee from Starbucks Friday by former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a Democrat who served in the Clinton Administration.
"'There's a place hell reserved for women who don't support other women,'" Palin quoted. "Let's see how that comment is turned into whatever it's turned into in tomorrow's papers."

Can you imagine? A feminist leader daring to support a woman, instead of the men whom her own organization endorses?
I can't imagine that this departure from NOW's orthodox groupthink bodes well for Mandell's future in that organization...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

19:41
Associated Press Hits Bottom, Digs
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

The Associated Press article on Sarah Palin’s comments about William Ayers is a Category 7 jaw-dropper. Apparently, now even criticizing Obama’s associations with white violent radicals is racist: Analysis: Palin’s words carry racial tinge.

Palin’s words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee “palling around” with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn’t see their America?

Her reference to Obama’s relationship with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were “pals” or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

Obama, who was a child when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers’ radical views and actions. ...

In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers’ day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.

Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as “not like us” is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.

This really is the election in which the mainstream media have thrown all their claims to impartiality right into the sewer. It’s sickening to see.

(Hat tip: Jorline.)

19:32
demonizing, criminalizing, terrorizing
» ‎ Body on the Line

I spent the Eid Al Fitr holiday pretty much locked up in my house so I could write. I left a couple of times to get food at the market in the old city, but I barely left my house. This, of course, was my choice. When I went back to school today and I [...]

18:40
Ayers Was on Woods Fund Board with Obama When He Stepped on Flag
» ‎ Little Green Footballs

Barack Obama was much older than 8 when William Ayers was photographed stepping on a US flag in 2001, for an article in which Ayers said he had “No Regrets” for his violent actions in the Weather Underground.

In fact, at the same time Ayers was in a Chicago alley desecrating the flag, he and Barack Obama were serving on the board of the Woods Fund together: PolitiFact | Obama served on board with Ayers.

Deborah Harrington, president of the Woods Fund, a philanthropic organization in Chicago, said Obama was a director from 1994 through 2001. That overlaps Ayers’ time as a director by three years. It also means Obama served with Ayers for the final months of 2001, after Ayers made his comments to the New York Times.

18:34
Ways to Beat Smoking
» ‎ Israellycool

You are probably all familiar with the health warnings on cigarette packets. You know, warnings like Smoking causes lung cancer…Smoking clogs your arteries…Smoking May Lead to Your Weird Relatives Bashing the Living Daylights Out of You.

Two Malaysians died and one was severely injured in a ritual designed to help a man overcome his chain-smoking habit and to rid his wife of her asthma and liver diseases.

State news agency Bernama reported that four close relatives smashed the couple’s heads on a table and beat them with crash helmets and brooms as part of a ritual to help them overcome their health problems.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Ku Chin Wah said the ritual was suggested by the relatives who the couple visited as part of celebrations to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, where they complained of their ill-health.

“Following this, a 23-year-old male relative suggested that the couple undergo a ritual which involved all family members joining forces to beat up the couple to rid them of their ailments,” Ku told reporters on Thursday, according to Bernama.

The 15-year-old daughter of one of the four assailants walked in on the ritual, was severely beaten and was admitted to hospital, Ku said.

On the positive side, they’re not smoking any more.
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18:19
Headline of the Day
» ‎ Israellycool

…comes courtesy of IranMania:

I’ll say.
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17:54
Modiin and Raanana: Flipping out?
» ‎ The Muqata

Two Israeli cities, Modiin and Raanana have been in the news lately, due to 2 extremely strange news items. Since many bloggers live in these cities**, I'm interested in their feedback...(I guess Petach Tivkva should be lucky they didn't appear in this post.)

** Commenter Abbi posts here @ The Muqata too... Apologies if I forgot to give you a link...will gladly update the post :)

Story 1 -- Modi'in
A high school in the central city of Modiin forbade a student to bringing his tefillin onto school grounds, threatening to expel him.

"It started on the first day of school," says A, an 11th grader. "Two classmates of mine told me they wanted to put on teffilin every morning, and asked me to take them to a rabbi to have them checked. I did that, and the rabbi found the tefillin to be damaged and in need of repair."

For the time being, A. started bringing his phylacteries to school, and in their free time, during breaks and free periods, the three would gather at a small classroom which was not being used, and put on the phylacteries for a few minutes every day.

Other students heard about this and asked to join them, and they would all meet every morning. This went on uninterrupted until one day the students wanted to put on the phylacteries when a class was cancelled and their regular classroom was occupied.

Instead, the group entered the school library, where the librarian pointed them in the direction of the unoccupied photocopy room.

When the students returned to the same room the following day, the librarian told A. that the school principal, Nurit Zak, wanted to see him in her office.

A.'s mother was amazed by the decision. "I am shocked and astonished," she said. "We came from France, where such things happen on occasion, but we never imagined that they could happen here, in Israel. It hurts me that he was punished so severely, as if he had brought drugs or alcohol to school."

The high school principal refused to respond and directed us to the Modiin Municipality's spokesperson, who said that "nothing is stopping those who wish to put on teffilin at the school privately and personally. The student was asked not to bring his tefillin to school and to pursause others to join him." [source: ynetnews]
This past Friday, I took my 5 year old to buy new pairs of tzitzit -- at our local "moetza datit" (religious community council -- they also sell Judaica, books and religious items). Unfortunately, it was closed. While walking away, my 5 year old queried, "Where is the Moezta Chilonit" (the "secular community council" -- a non-existent concept...or so I thougt) I didn't have an answer for him till now -- it must be run by the Modiin high school principle, Nurit Zak.

Story 2 -- Raanana
This past Shabbat, dozens of religious teenagers blocked cars on the "Sheshet HaYamim" street in Ra'anana. This is a very unusual event, as Raanana has always been seen as a city of good neighborly relations between the religious and secular communities. City officials are extremely concerned that this will inflame tensions in the city and degragde the relationship between the two sides.
The event took placed on Friday evening, close to midnight, when approximately 60 teenagers took to the street and closed it to traffic. They reportedly told the shocked drivers, "It is forbidden drive on Shabbat"
When one motorist's vehicle was blocked from driving, she called the municipal hotline who sent the police and munipal security patrols to the scene -- they disperesed the crowd which was next to the Ariel religious school.
Despite this being a unique event, the Raanan education department will start a campaign among the religious students,"in order to ensure these events do not reccur in Raanana" [source: mynet (Hebrew)]
I can understand religious Raanana teenagers wanting to teach their fellow neighbors about the importance of Shabbat, but blocking the road? That will not win them any brownie points with their neighbors...let alone convince anyone to stop driving. Maybe give out leaflets, or even hold up banners at the side of the road about the holiness of Shabbat, but blocking the roads? What's going on in Raanana?
It's almost Yom Kippur...can't we keep these sort of incidents to a minimum?

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

17:43
remember georgi and russi?
» ‎ East Med Sea Peace

it seems as though georgia was not the only student leading up to the recent outbreak of violence with russia.. while 1000 people's overnight death shocked the world - it was much more digestable when other news replaced the developments 24 hours later as georgia bowed down quickly and called it quits..

well thats apparently how israel plans to settle the next cross border dispute in the region.. a massive huge indiscriminate blow of disproportional force.. whereby everytown from which a missile is sent shall be deemed a military base.. after allegedly training the georgians and leading them to failure we apparently drew some conclusions of our own..

pros: shorter conflict time - results driven - less casualties in the long run - long term deterrance against additional conflict - terrorists wont be able to hide behind recycling bins and animal shelters

cons: huge destruction - heavy civillian toll - uncertain outcome in terms of potential for political remediation - there will be little hope for those who dont clear out fast

food for thought - we're not russia by any stretch of the imagination.. we dont feed or fuel europe nor do we account for over 140,000,000 people on this planet.. the russian neighbourhood bully policy may not work so well for cute little us..

hope none of these thoughts get the chance to be tested..

17:27
IDF Praises Yitzhar's Youth
» ‎ The Muqata

In a move that has shocked Israel's media, the IDF Shomron Brigade Commander, Itzik Bar awarded an IDF commendation to...a 9-year-old resident of the Yitzhar community, Tuvia Shtatman.

Three weeks ago at 6 AM on a Saturday morning, a Palestinian terrorist infiltrated the Shalhevet community of Yitzhar and set fire to a home.
Nine year old Tuvia ran outside to see what was going on and began to alert people that there was a fire. The terrorist saw Tuvia, ran after him, attacked him, and stabbed him repeatedly with a knife.
Not losing his cool, Tuvia continued to yell for help, and bravely fought off the terrorist, breaking the knife and throwing it to the side. In response, the terrorist threw Tuvia off a 4 meter (12 foot) embankment, and fled.

Miraculously, Tuvia only suffered minor injuries.

This past Friday at the IDF Shomron headquarters, IDF Commander Itzik Bar presented an IDF commendation to Tuvia and stated, "I am astounded by the bravery and heroism of Yitzhar children -- despite [this young child's] slight build, he determinedly fought with the terrorist." [source]

For some reason, this story has not been picked up by Israel's mainstream media.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד

17:26
Who is the 'Jewish Council on Education and Research'?
» ‎ Israel Matzav

A very Jewish-sounding organization called the 'Jewish Council on Education and Research' has been churning out pro-Obama videos at a torrid clip and seems to have an endless budget. Their latest video has recruited a panoply of leftist former army and Mossad officers who support Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama. In Israel, where most of the country serves in the IDF, there

16:57
Suicide bomber strikes in Mosul
» ‎ BBC News | Middle East | World Edition

Three women and three children die when a suicide bomber detonates his explosives during a US raid, officials say.

16:25
Politico: "Branding his opponent as 'erratic in ...
» ‎ War and Piece

Politico: "Branding his opponent as 'erratic in a crisis,' Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is preempting plans by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to portray him as having sinister connections to controversial Chicagoans. ... But Obama isnt waiting to respond. His campaign...
16:06
Miami Herald:Medley defense contractors who won millions ...
» ‎ War and Piece

Miami Herald:Medley defense contractors who won millions in federal earmarks through Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart employed a Capitol Hill lobbyist who pleaded guilty recently in an unfolding congressional corruption probe. ... The lobbyist, Cecelia Grimes, admitted in July to destroying evidence...

14:02
Most Embarrassing Moment Thread
» ‎ Israellycool

Ok, so I revealed that very embarrassing incident (amongst other things), so now it’s your turn.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
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11:28
Israel astronaut diary on display
» ‎ BBC News | Middle East | World Edition

Pages from the diary of the Israeli astronaut killed in the Columbia space shuttle disaster go on show in Jerusalem.

11:28
'Obama Youth': Shades of 1934?
» ‎ Israel Matzav

Here are two videos that I found quite frightening (Hat Tip: Boris C.). The first video is approximately 4 minutes. In the first 3:30 it shows kids being propagandized by Barack Hussein Obama's supporters. The last 30 seconds shows the 'Hitler youth' being propagandized the same exact way. Note how both have the overbearing display of flags,posters,etc. Glassy eyed children blindly reciting what
10:45
Rudy Giuliani on Sarah Palin
» ‎ Israel Matzav

Here's an interview with former New York City mayor and Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Sarah Palin's performance in Thursday night's debate. Bottom line: He loved it. Let's go to the videotape. I wonder if he's rooting for the Red Sox this year.

10:27
هلوسة و شخبرة: بدون تكليف
» ‎ Syria Planet

شو حلو تطلع فيك شاشة الموبايل، يتنططلك شي رقم ، يمكن ناطره و يمكن لآ، تتجاهل كلمة "رد" أو "رفض" ، يملكك شي من حنين لما فاتك من ارتكاب لعشق المراهقين او جبروت البالغين ، انو هالشخص يلي عم يرنلك و يمكن ئاعد بالطرف التاني من الكرة الأرضية كل همه و تفكيره أنك ترد عليه، و انت بس عم تصفن بالشاشة عم تضوي و مرتاح تماما انو أخيرا تأكدلك شي مرة انو في حدا عم يفكر بس فيك بهاللحظة بدون ما يكون في حيرة عندك انو يا يا ترى عم اخطر عباله او لآ بس انت مابدك ترد عليه!هيك لمجرد أن تعذبه..و لتضحك قليلا.
فأنا
اتسلى بتعذيب البشر في غربتي
يوميا

شو حلو تتحرر من ارتبا طك بكل شيء انت عبد له متمسك فيه لتحس انك عايش.
شو حلو ما يعود يهمك حدا. او انك تفهم حدا أو انك تفسر حالك لحدا ، او شلون ممكن الواحد يعيش مع حدا ولحدا.
شو حلو أنو تقرا قصايد العشق ، نفس القصيدة يلي كانت عم تبكيك من سنتين ، وتحكي لحالك " ولك مين كاتب هالغبا تبع : انت السما و انت الأرض وانت هادا الشي يلي بين السما و الأرض"0

شو حلو انو تسلّم أن كل هذه المصطلحات من: يمين و يسار و معتدل ،شيوعي ، ريديكالية ، اشتراكية امبريالية،متشدد ثورجي و قومجي ،أنسانية، عربي ، سوري ، يهودي مسيحي مسلم اسماعيلي درزي شركسي ، علوي و شيعي اخترعها شخص ما ، مات ، لكن بقيت وراءه هذه المصطلحات التي لن افقهها يوما. ويلي قرأت تعريفاتها مية مرة ، وبرجع بنسى مين كان مين.0

شو حلو تفتح صفحة بيضا و ما فيك تمليها ، لأنو كل شي بمخك نزلتو على ورق، و كل شي بقلبك شخبرتو يعني مساحة العمل بمخك كانت عبارة عن 30 صفحة و مساحة الأحساس بالقلب كانت يمكن 30 شخبرة و من ثم توقف العمل لأنه هذا المخ لم يحمل كل مساحة هالتفكير و القلب ما حمل كل هالضجيج .0

شو حلو تبطل تحس انو فلسطين هي اول الدنيا و هي آخر الروح، شو حلو ما تحس و بس .. لا رح توصل لأول الدنيا و مو بأيدك آخر الروح.

شو حلو تطلع بعيون العالم وقت يحكو.

شو حلو تسمع عيونون شو عم تحكي ، و يهربو من عيونك ، بعد ما كنت انت يلي تهرب بعيونك من العالم.

وشو حلو تصير الساعة شي 4 الفجر وعندك هالأحساس انو انت أنسان بهالدنيا. بدون تكلف ، مش فاهم أشي. مش ماسك أشي ، مش عارف أشي( هيك تحكي مع حالك بالفلسطيني، لأن مابتعرف تحكي مع حالك بالسوري) أنو شو هادا تجاهل للكينونة؟ 0

شو حلو شباك الكنيسة يلي ماسكينو كل العالم و بيئعدو قباله كل ليلة، بيطلعو فيه، بيحكوله كل شي ، و بعدين بيفصلوا الخط ليقدروا يناموا.. يعني مو طبيعي كيف جينات البشرية بتشتغل!! و ان بطلت تروح عالكنيسة لتئعد ئدام الشباك و تعترف للشيخ بكل الخطايا، لأنو أغلب المصطلحات القاضية بتحرر البشرية طلعت ضد هالشي، فاشتغلت الجينات و اخترعت شباك يومي بدل ماكان اسبوعي!! 0

شو حلو لما تطلع بخلئتك مشكلة، تحكي لشو عصب ، لشو انقهر، يمكن بكرا موت، و يبطل فيه مشكلة.

شو حلو انو العالم تقرا هالتدوينة و تحكي : يااااي شو حلو، و هز براسي اني مسدئة أني شي حلو...0
يحرئ كفر الوسادة الخالية...مع الخبز الحافي... 0

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10:27
Ahmad Edilbi's Blog |: marry_me
» ‎ Syria Planet

لفتت نظري منذ أيام هذه المقالة التي قمت بحفظها منذ زمن في حاسبي لإعجابي بها ، وقد تم تناقلها بين الأصدقاء على العناوين البريدية بكونها دعابة ليست إلا .. ولكني صراحةً أراها أكثر من ذلك .. لذا أحببت اليوم أن اعرضها بشكل ملخص عليكم بكونها مثال اجتماعي مفيد جداً لفهم آليات التسويق .. وبكونها ليست [...]
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10:27
مدونة علوش: منازل تعرض للبيع
» ‎ Syria Planet

في دراستنا كنّا نستذكر أزمة الكساد الكبير سنة 1930 [تواجه صعوبة في الولولج إلى موقع ويكي العربي؟!، اضغط هنا] وكأنّها لن تحضر أبداً، وأنّ العالم تعلم درساً قاسياً في تلك الفترة ولن يسمح بتكرارها.

درسنا بعد ذلك أزمات الأسواق المالية الكبرى، من آسيا إلى أوروبا وحتى أزمة السوق المالي السعودي الأخيرة، وكيف تتبخر مليارات الدولارات في الهواء لا لشيء سوى لحالات بيع هستيرية.

لكن أزمة الرهن العقاري؟ هي ثغرة حقيقيّة لم يكن أحد يتوقعها خصوصاً من أكبر وأضخم اقتصاد على وجه الأرض الذي تعلم الدرس في القرن الماضي وذاق ألم الكساد الكبير، الخسائر وصلت لأرقام فلكية لا يستطيع العقل تحملها، ومع ذلك الاقتصاد الأمريكي منتصب القامة ولم يسقط [بعد]، شيء يدعو للتأمل أكثر والتعمق بشكل أكبر في اقتصاد أمريكا المرعب.

آلاف الأمريكيين خسروا منازلهم، المصدر: Daquella manera

يسألني أصدقائي عن الأزمة الحالية وكأنها جديدة، يريدون أجوبة، يريدون جواب شافي دقيق كامل يصف الحالة بالكامل، وهذا بالضبط لا يستطيع أيّ اقتصادي فعله، فالأزمات المالية في الوقت الحالي تتداخل مع عوامل ومتغيرات بالملايين تتعلق من نفسية الإنسان إلى وضع السوق.

الأزمة المالية الحالية بدأت السنة الماضية واليوم نشاهد بعض من آثارها، الآثار الموجعة لم تظهر بعد، انهيار المؤسسات المالية هي بداية لحالة تصحيح شديدة ومؤلمة للسوق، يتبعها بشكل حتمي حال لم تتدخل الدولة انهيار في جميع القطاعات الصناعية والتجارية وتوقف النمو الاقتصادي وتحقق الركود، نعم لقد ذكرت أنّ ما يحدث هو تصحيح قاسِِ للسوق، كيف؟ استمر في القراءة.

الفقاعة؟ هل تدركون ما هي الفقاعة، ما أجملها وهي تكبر وتكبر، تستمر في نفخها وأنت تعلم أنها ستنفجر، لكن مع ذلك تستمر في نفخها، ثم في لحظة واحدة تنفجر، وتتلاشى وكأن شيء لم يكن، كان هناك فقاعات عديدة، أهمها فقاعة الدوت.كوم في سنة 2001 حيث انهارت جميع شركات الانترنت ولم يبقى إلّا بضع شركات تُعدّ على الأصابع، وفقاعة الانترنت هي المحرك الأساسي لنشوء ما يدعى اليوم بشركات الويب2.

الفقاعة الحالية هي فقاعة العقارات، العقارات الأمريكية التي وصلت أسعارها للسماء واستمرت في الصعود، الجميع يريد الاستثمار في هذه السوق، لكن مهلاً أي استثمار يتطلب الشراء بسعر والبيع بسعر أعلى منه، ومهما كنت ذكي ستصل إلى مرحلة لن تجد من يشتري منك بسعرك العالي، وهنا تضطر إلى البيع بسعر أدنى مما اشتريت وهنا بالضبط تبدأ موجة انخفاض الأسعار.

هذا أحد عوامل انخفاض الأسعار التي تعتمد على الطلب والعرض، هناك عوامل أخرى، كالوضع السياسي وسوق العمل وغيرها، المهم أنّ أسعار العقارات بدأت في الانخفاض.

لكن قبل أن تنخفض أسعار هذه العقارات، كانت قد مُوّلت بقروض رديئة دون ضمانات كافية تدعى بالقروض العقارية الرديئة مقابل فائدة عالية غير ثابتة لتغطي على المخاطر، عندما تتقدم بطلب قرض عقاري رديء يمنحه لك البنك مقابل ملكية المنزل الذي ستبنيه، مع سعر فائدة عالي متغير.

بالطبع هنا أسعار العقارات في ارتفاع مستمر، فهي صفقة رابحة، ابني بمليون وبيع بمليون ونصف، لكن ماذا لو أردت البيع وكان سعر المنزل نصف مليون؟.

عند هبوط أسعار العقارات، يرفع البنك سعر الفائدة لمواجهة الأخطار المحتملة وبذلك يرتفع قيمة القسط الذي عليك أن تسدده، ومع انخفاض سعر منزلك لن تكون قادر على السداد لمدة طويلة، فتعلن إفلاسك، فيقوم البنك بطردك من المنزل ويعرضه للبيع عبر المزاد العلني، المشكلة أنّ حالات الإفلاس وصلت لمئات الآلاف ومع عرض مئات الآلاف من المنازل للبيع، سينخفض سعرها زيادة عمّا انخفضت عليه، وبذلك ينشأ للبنك ديون معدومة، أي لم يستطع البنك تحصيل الديون المستحقة.

البنك لا يمكن أن يستمر إذا لم يكن هناك من مودعين، وعندما يعلن البنك عن ديون معدومة بالملايين أول شيء في الصباح الباكر تقوم به كزبون، هو الذهاب للبنك وسحب رصيدك منه، فنفسية الإنسان بالفطرة تفعل ذلك ولو كانت حسابات الإيداع مؤمن عليها مئات المرات.

لكن عندما تكثر حالات السحب يتعرض البنك لسحب مفاجئ غير متوقع، ولا تكفي السيولة التي لديه لتغطية السحب المفاجئ، قد يقترض من البنوك الأخرى مثل البنك المركزي، وهنا تقرأ في الجريدة المالية، أن البنك الذي تستثمر في أسهمه قد اقترض من البنك المركزي، فتشعر أنت كمستثمر بالخوف، وتبدأ حالات بيع جنونية في سوق الأسهم للتخلص من أسهم البنك، وأسهم البنك تمثل رأس ماله، وبذلك ينخفض سعر السهم، وينخفض معه رأس ماله.

فيطالبه البنك المركزي برفع رأس ماله وذلك بأن يشتري أحدّ ما أسهمه التي تم بيعها، أو إصدار أسهم جديدة، أو يعلن إفلاسه، فيقوم رئيس مجلس الإدارة بجولات مكوكية إمّا للحصول على قروض وتسهيلات أو يندمج مع بنك آخر، وإذا لم يتحقق ذلك، يتم إعلان إفلاس البنك ويطلب الحماية، فيتحرك البنك المركزي لشراء أسهم البنك وقد يصل الشراء إلى 80% من أسهمه وبالتالي يصبح البنك مؤسسة عامة!!.

أمّا إذا لم يتحرك البنك المركزي للحماية فعلى البنك السلام، يتم البدء بعمليات التصفية وتسديد مستحقات الدائنين بالترتيب، وقد تنتهي أصول البنك ولا تكفي لتغطية مستحقات الدائنين، خصوصاً الدائنين العاديين [حملة الأسهم العادية]، وبالتالي، تكون خسارة محققة.

وعند انهيار البنوك يصبح من العسير الحصول على قرض، وتصبح تكاليف الاقتراض ببطاقات الائتمان مرتفعة، تنخفض السيولة لدى الأفراد وينمكش الاستهلاك فتتكدس البضائع ويكون الكساد، إلا إذا تدخل المصرف المركزي [وهذا ما يحصل] ضاخاً الترليونات من الدولارات في الأسواق المالية ولصالح البنوك لتسهيل عملية الاقراض والابقاء على وجود نشاط استهلاكي، خشية حصول هكذا كساد.

حسناً، فهمنا كل ما سبق، لكن لماذا تستمر الانهيارات المالية، لماذا لا تتوقف عند حدّ هذا البنك، لماذا؟!!، هذا ما سأذكره في التدوينة التالية بإذن الله.

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10:27
uramiumian thoughts: davidomnisentientluminance4hd
» ‎ Syria Planet

كل انسان هو بيت بأربع غرف:- عضلية- عقلية- روحية- عاطفيةأغلبنا ميال للعيش بواحدة أو اثنتين، إن لم نمر ونعش بهذه الغرف الأربعة ، على الأقل لترتيبها وتنظيفها وتهويتها لن نكون أشخاصاً متوازنين أصحاء
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10:20
Israeli Police proudly dispays new crowd control weapon
» ‎ Wake Up From Your Slumber - The Truth Will Set You Free

The Jewish state has long been denounced internationally for their attrocious human rights abuses abd for using a multitude of wepons against the peoples of the la

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9:31
Mofaz to end 'time-out' today
» ‎ JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

Almost three weeks after Kadima loss, transportation minister returns with list of demands for ministry.
9:30
'Israelis resilient

A Peek into Others' mind » October 5, 2008

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