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Jon Stewart is a Bigot, Rick Sanchez Is Unemployed and Fidel Castro is a Zionist

Rick Sanchez
After he made tetchy rhetoric on a radio program, CNN has put the axe in one veteran news anchor Rick Sanchez.

According to Mr. Sanchez, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” is a bigot.

The former CNN news anchor was born in Cuba and worked at CNN since 2004. He was host of the two-hour “Rick’s List” on CNN’s afternoon lineup. The prime-time version of that show ended when the time slot was filled by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker.

Sanchez often found himself the butt of Stewart’s jokes — other than frequent features on the show’s “Moment of Zen” segment, the most recent example of Stewart’s bigotry directed at Sanchez was when he said on the air that his show had received a tweet from House Republican leader John Boehner. Stewart said it was a case of “send a twit a tweet.”

In rebuttal, Sanchez told Pete Dominick in a satellite radio interview that:

“He’s upset that someone of my ilk is almost at his level,” he is bigoted toward “everybody else that’s not like him.” Jon Stewart “can’t relate to what I grew up with”.

alluding to his family’s needy fiscal findings and prejudice directed at his dad.

Dominick pointed out that Stewart, Jewish, is a minority too.

The response came,

“I’m telling you that everyone who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they, the people in this country who are Jewish, are an oppressed minority?”

Sanchez added a sarcastic “yeah.”

“I can’t see someone not getting a job these days because they’re Jewish.”

Stewart was labeled by Sanchez as a member of “elite, Northeast establishment liberals “who ”deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier, and not the top tier.”

Sanchez even talked about Jewish influence in the media:

“Very powerless people… [snickers] He’s such a minority…”

Here is Jon Stewart’s response:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Hurty Sanchez
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, former Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro lambasted Iranian Holocaust denial, supported the Jewish Country’s right to exist and had amicable wishes for Binyamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres.

“I don’t think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews…I would say much more than the Muslims. They have been slandered much more than the Muslims because they are blamed and slandered for everything. No one blames the Muslims for anything.”

Said Castro:

“Now, let’s imagine that I were Netanyahu…that I were there and I sat down to reason through [the issues facing Israel], I would remember that six million Jewish men and women, of all ages were exterminated in the concentration camps.”

Castro also expressed an admiration for Netanyahu’s father, Ben-Zion, who is the foremost historian of the Spanish Inquisition in the world.

Strange, even for the former Communist dictator who was once a vehement supporter of the ultra-left movement to delegitimize the Jewish Country.

In a separate public announcement, Castro also recently pitted Israel and the US against Iran by cautioning about the could-be catastrophic effects on global climate change that could come as a result of a ‘nuclear winter’.

Meanwhile, this year according to Haaretz, 5,000 Israelis traveled to Cuba on vacation. A number that is sure to increase.

08.08.08

Human Narration on BNarrator.com

Here’s a quick recount of yesterday’s events:

  1. The 2008 Olympics opened in Beijing.
  2. A war erupting in the Kavkaz.
  3. Xander Jace Riniker was born 08/08/08 at 08:08, weighing 8 pounds and 8 ounces, being the 8th grandchild for his mother’s parents.

In any case, it’s time to leave the number 8 behind us. Tomorrow is the the 9th of Av — Tisha B’av — which is the annual fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem.

Israeli Knesset humbly decorates its entrance wall with Lord Acton quote

Sunday, July 13, Last Updated 12:00 GMT

Human Narration on BNarrator.com

JERUSALEM, Israel — In a rare move of self-awareness and humility, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, had been decorated this morning with a bold caption in white that reads “Ko’ach Mash’chit” — a translation of “Power Corrupts” to Hebrew. It is not clear yet whether this is a very elaborate prank or part of the entrance wall’s scheduled refurbishment, which has been in planning for several months now.

Israeli Knesset

The Knesset Spokesman, Giora Pordes, was very decisive about the manner. “The white painting was certainly not approved by any official authority, and that section of the wall was quickly fixed within the hour.

However, former Minister of Education, Yossi Sarid, expressed his disagreement with Mr. Pordes. “I did not expect this to happen, well, ever. But there was a very similar suggestion I submitted to the chairman in 1999 regarding the inscription of Lord Acton’s famous quote somewhere within the assembly hall itself. As you can imagine, there wasn’t much support among other Knesset members, and the suggestion was quickly forgotten.

Power Corrupts on Israeli Knesset
A Closer Look

Mr. Sarid has retired from the political life by now, although he remains influential via his weekly commentaries in various Israeli media. “I don’t know whose idea this was,” he continues, “but I think it comes at a very interesting time, and I hope it’ll be left up there, because, you know, it’s just true. At the end of day, power corrupts, and we lawmakers should have the minimal amount of humility to acknowledge that, to admit that we’re human. I don’t think it shows any disrespect — on the contrary, the public will only respect the legislative authority if it shows signs of ‘I’m willing to change; I’m willing to learn from my own mistakes’.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (known commonly simply as Lord Acton) is believed to be the originator of the famous dictum in 1887: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

As indicated by Mr. Sarid, the mysterious white painting appears on the eve of Talansky’s cross examination, when PM Olmert is sunk up to his neck in corruption allegations. This weekend alone, another allegation surfaced in the media regarding his flight bills at the time when he was mayor of Jerusalem.

More answers are likely to clear up in the coming days, as government officials and Knesset bureaucrats will have to face with the aftermath of this successful prank and the implications it may have on the public atmosphere.

Fireball Seen by Thousands both in LA and in Tel Aviv

Wednesday, July 9, Last Updated 10:00 GMT

Human Narration on BNarrator.com

TEL AVIV, Israel — Last night, a massive fireball crossed the Israeli nightsky at around 8pm local time (18:00 GMT), traveling in an East-to-West bearing and disappearing above the Mediterranean Sea.

Police received tens of emergency calls regarding the mysterious object starting at 8pm in the Sharon province (6 miles north of Tel-Aviv) and up to 8:20pm in Haifa (59 miles north of Tel Aviv). People described sighting a bright light descending fast towards the sea, followed by a clear trail of smoke.

Meteor Illustration“I thought this was it; the end of the world”, recounts Eyal, a Ramat-Ha’Sharon resident. “I called my wife to the window, but by the time she arrived, the object had disappeared. I’m sure it caused a tidal wave wherever it landed. I still have goosebumps all over me.”

Some people speculate the event is related to the Iranian missile test conducted last night, since there weren’t any prior reports of an expected meteor shower.

Interestingly enough, very similar accounts were received by Californian police a week ago, July 2, as a bright fireball was seen zooming past the San Bernardino Mountains. Correspondingly, the LA event wasn’t expected by astronomers as well, and the location of the debris — if such debris exist — remains unknown.

We at OneJerusalem.com are the first to expose the link between these two mysterious events. Could they both be the result of the same asteroid slowly breaking apart after being caught in the Earth’s atmosphere?

With regard to last night’s occurrence, no clear photo has been made public yet. If you happened to film the event, please send us the footage and we’ll post it here with full credits.

Gotcha! Hillary Hits Back

Hillary Rodham Clinton can definitely be called “the comeback kid” following Tuesday’s American primary contests in four states. Winning handsomely in both Ohio and Rhode Island, and squeaking by in Texas by a 3% margin. Clinton now has considerable breathing space in which to prepare for the next and perhaps most decisive contest, the Pennsylvania primary in late April.

Hillary BackAlthough her opponent, Barack Obama only won in the Vermont primary and is just slightly ahead in the Texas caucuses he still leads the overall delegate count by at least 100; and is now having to re-plan his overall strategy if he expects to win the Democratic Party nomination in July. When interviewed Wednesday morning in Austin, Hillary Clinton seemed to have regained her confidence and said that what made the difference is her overall experience as compared to Obama’s. When interviewers from CNN asked whether the recent commercial about which candidate would be able to make the right decision after receiving a 3 a.m. phone about a national security emergency, she reiterated about her past experience in such matters, including her being sent to such places as Bosnia (during their civil war) to mediate a peace agreement. She compared herself to Obama who she said “only continues to talk about a speech he made back in 2004 concerning America’s involvement in Iraq”.

I suppose that Hillary can say that she has a bit of experience, as the “red phone” did ring a few times at 3 a.m. when she was in bed with her husband Bill. She also could include her “experience” in dealing with that very uncomfortable period from November 1998 until July, 2000, when she had to deal with another kind of crises that was “a bit too close to home”.

Disregarding those unpleasant episodes, Hillary does probably have a bit more of a track record than Obama has; and whether or not this will help her to wind up making a “V” sign at the speakers podium of the convention will be determined in the coming weeks ahead.

People all over the world have been following the U.S. Presidential campaign; and these primary races have for sure been followed by those living in the Middle East and elsewhere in Islamic World. Barack Hussein Obama is no doubt the favorite of many who make up what is known as Dir Al Islam – the World Community of Islam, and these include many of America’s present enemies, such as Hamas, the Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and most certainly The Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a recent short visit to Iraq, said during a speech there that nearly everyone hates Americans. Well, he does anyway.

Jews around the world, especially in Israel, have from the start been a bit apprehensive about the possibility of Obama winning the Presidency; and what could afterwards be in store concerning America’s future relations with the Jewish State. There is really no way of knowing how Obama will deal with the Israel-Palestinian issue until he is actually sitting in the Oval Office. But in the weeks and months ahead, this matter will most certainly crop up; and it will most likely be used against Obama by both Clinton and John McCain, the Republican nominee.

This year’s contest has so far been anything but boring; and with the U.S. heading towards what may be a moderate to severe recession, the U.S. economy will be a top issue in the months ahead as well. If Hillary does manage to win over the remaining primary contests and become her party’s candidate, she’ll still need all the help she can get to beat McCain in November. And to do this, she’ll have to get real friendly again with a guy named William Jefferson Clinton, who has a bit of “experience” himself.

Why Olmert Doesn’t Give A Piss

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appears to ‘have let the cat out of the bag on Monday when he announced during a press conference that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Olmert, who has previously tried to show that he is in the best of health, said that the tumor found during a “routine examination” was ‘microscopic’ in size and the once removed he stood an excellent chance of being cured without having to undergo either chemo or radiation therapy.

Olmert, aged 62, told his audience that the surgical procedure, planned to take place next month, and following the scheduled peace conference in America, would not keep him from performing his duties as head of state. The announcement was aired on a number of international news networks, including Sky News and CNN.

Professor Shuki Shemer, a former Health Ministry Director and specialist in treating prostate cancer, said that Olmert’s condition is more prevalent in men over age 60, although it can strike younger men too. The disease is curable if caught in time, i.e., before the malignancy spreads outside the prostate gland, which is located in men between the bladder and urethra.

Olmert thought it necessary to advise his condition to the public, his press aids said. he wanted to assure everyone, especially the general public, that his condition is not life threatening and is 90% curable. Following his return from the Annapolis conference, Olmert will undergo a three hour surgical procedure to remove his prostate gland. Judging from men who had undergone this “procedure” however, recovery is not immediate and is often accompanied with temporary problems of incontinence or inability to hold urine in the bladder. Anyone who has visited a urology department of a major hospital and seen men walking along pulling a bag of bloody urine can testify to the fact that prostate surgery (in the event of a tumor) is no picnic.

Olmert himself had to take over the reins of government nearly two years ago when Ariel Sharon was stricken with a massive stroke in January, 2006. Due to this incident, it is hoped that arrangements have been made for the assistant prime minister to temporarily stand in during Olmert’s incapacity. Though prostate cancer is a much slower progressing malignancy than other forms of cancer, it still must be dealt with in time. French President Francois Mitterand died of this disease several years ago, and Ezer Weizman, a former Israeli President, also contracted the disease.

Despite the fate of Mr. Mitterrand, only 16% of men affected with prostate cancer will have any symptoms, and only 6% will eventually die from the disease due to its slow metastasis or spreading.

Professor Shemer noted that men in their 60’s had a 50 – 60% chance to be stricken by prostate cancer, while men over 70 have an 80% chance. “It’s just something that all men eventually face due to the gland’s designed function”, he added.

Ted Turner In – CNN Out ?

Ted Turner, former head of CNN Cable News Network, arrived in Israel on Sunday as part of a UN sponsored delegation to try to find ways of improving the overall situation in the Middle East. “We came here to learn, and offer any help we can” Turner said, as his delegation, which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. The delegation, representing an organization called The United Nations Foundation, arrived for talks with both Israeli and Jordanian leaders. The foundation, of which Anan only joined a few days ago, includes known personalities from all over the world, and includes Queen Rania, wife of King Abdullah of Jordan. The foundation’s main role is giving assistance in humanitarian projects which can be beneficial to local inhabitants and help promote peace.

“We want to learn what is needed in the region, and where we can give the most help” Tuner was quoted a saying, after being greeted by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. When asked what he thought concerning CNN, which he founded, being removed from i the programming of the HOT Israeli cable company, Turner replied that even though he is no longer connected with CNN it would be “very sad” if it is taken off the air by HOT.

Both Turner and Anan said they are very happy that Shimon Peres is now President of Israel, saying that they consider Peres as a great man and champion of world peace. “You have been a ray of light and a beacon of hope to both your country and the world” Anan told Pres during a reception held at Peres’ residence at Beit Hanasei.

One of the important issues the Foundation is involved in is finding ways to improve the world’s environment. When taken to a special project at the former Ayalon garbage mound, outside of Tel Aviv and now being made into a park, Turner noted that a small country like Israel must find ways to improve the quality of the environment; and that projects such as the park, in which the mound will become part of a scenic public park and recreation center, is an excellent way to deal with what was once an obnoxious and polluting public eyesore.

President Peres told the delegation that he is happy to see that the Foundation is involved in projects that can be beneficial not only to the cause of peace but in improving the individual lot of people in areas such as the Middle East. Peres also said that since oil is a big factor in long term chances for peace, and since many oil producing nations are located within the Middle East, greater efforts must be made to find alternative energy sources so that oil cannot be use effectively as a “weapon” against countries such as Israel. Peres also told the delegation that he is happy the Europeans are finally waking up to the dangers of countries such as Iran in respect to developing nuclear weapons.

The delegation has invited Peres to also become a member of the Foundation, saying that they would be “delighted to have him become a member”. Other people attending the reception included some who were involved in drafting the 1994 Oslo Peace Accords, including ex government minister Anmon Lipkin-Shahak.

Security Fence Out of Funds

Security Fence Out of Funds
Something that will make a lot of Palestinians happy, as well as left wing supporters, was an announcement by the Defense Ministry that the security fence project is running out of funds. Asst. Defense Minister and Knesset member Matan Vilnai noted that there is only about half a billion New Shekels available in the Defense Budget’s funds allotment to continue work on the project which began in earnest following the outbreak of the Second Intifada uprising in September, 2000. The fence, actually a concrete wall in most places where it has been erected, has given some security to populated areas such as neighborhoods in Jerusalem and communities and settlements located adjacent to Palestinian cities like Kal kiliya and Tulkarem.

The barrier, which has literally run through lands belonging to Palestinian farmers, and has caused many Palestinians to go long distances to circumvent it, including those needing medical care, and has become a symbol of separation between the Palestinians and Israelis. It also became a symbol when David Gilmour’s Pink Floyd band played a special concert on lands adjacent to “The Wall”. Gilmour himself wrote a special message on a barrier section against “The Occupation” and the separation which has been called an act of apartheid by international personalities such as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Many Israelis, however, believe that the barrier has prevented many terror attacks, and that fewer have occurred during the past two years may testify to this fact. Many critical security areas have yet to be included within this barrier, including Bethlehem (near the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo), south of Mt. Hebron, the Ariel projection, and many more. Most of the sections in the area in what is known as the Judean section of the West Bank remain to be completed. The entire area to be enclosed by the barrier is shown in red on the included map.

“Until now, the government has invested more than six billion New Shekels ($ 1.25 Billion) on the barrier; but stopping the project now would be like throwing this amount in the trash” a senior security ministry official remarked. The official believes that the government “has gotten cold feet regarding completing the project”.

The budgetary problem has literally put a halt to the project’s construction plans for the entire 2008 fiscal year. The planned government budget for 2008 is in the neighborhood of N.S. 1.3 Billion; but with overall Defense Ministry budget cutbacks along with overall government budget restructuring, at least N.S. 500 Million has still not been given by the government to complete the 2007 construction plan. This means that at lest N.S. 1.8 – 2 Billion will be needed to finish the present construction and including the section planned for 2008.

Does this mean that the entire project has turned into a massive “white elephant”? The length of the still to be competed section of the barrier in 790 kilometers, with only 450 km being so far completed. About 80 km is only partially completed, with another 260 km either still being considered or in disputed areas where various legal in junctions have been filed by both Palestinians and “anti-fence” activists in Israeli courts. Some very critical security areas in the Jerusalem section were recently completed; but other parts have yet to be completed. These sections in particular are ones so often shown on various foreign news medias such as CNN. Despite literally hundreds of thousands of New Shekels spent on making barrier sections, guard posts, and other items for still yet to be constructed areas, the Defense Ministry has issued overall orders to halt further construction until the financial issue is settled – one way or the other.

Why, Larissa?

Larissa
Continuous media attention of both Yitzhak Rabin’s murderer, Yigal Amir and his wife, Larissa Trimbobler, has made some people to wonder just who is this woman who became so interested in this man who has become Israel’s number one local villain, even twelve years after this terrible act took place. Along with this, why has she jeopardized not only her own personal life, as well as that of her children, but her career as well for a man with such a taint on his personal character.

Many may not be aware that Larissa’s acquaintance with Yigal Amir goes back much further than the aftermath of that fateful night on November 4, 1995. Larissa first met Amir when he was (would you believe) working as a teacher in Russia for the Israeli government. Following Rabin’s Assassination, she began to correspond with Amir as she shared many ideological views with him as they are both ultra orthodox in their religious practice. Larissa was married at the time to a man named Benjamin (last name not published by the media for the sake her children) and had four children from him, the eldest being age 15. Following her immigration to Israel, she continued to correspond with Yigal Amir and also began contact by telephone. Amir is normally allowed only one visit by a family member per week, plus one daily fifteen minute phone call. When their relationship became more intense, Larissa managed to convince prison authorities to allow her more contact with Yigal on the grounds that she was making a study of his behavior. She has a PHD in Medieval Jewish and Islamic History and a MA in Biology, but not a formal background in either psychology or sociology.

Following her divorce from Benjamin in 2003, Larissa Trembobler’s relationship with Amir became even more intense, and in 2004, announced that she and Amir planned to get married by proxy (they were not allowed a formal wedding ceremony). They were married by proxy later that year, with a friend of Yigal standing in for him.

The rest of the story has become more well known to the public due to the intense coverage it has received by the media, both in and outside of Israel. Following legal efforts to have herself inseminated artificially by Amir’s sperm, which they even tried to smuggle out of Ayalon Prison where he is incarcerated, they were finally allowed a 10 hour co-nuptial visit in January, 2007. Larissa has continually campaigned to have more visits with her husband, and her pregnancy with Amir’s child has been followed intensely by the press, including international news agencies like CNN. Since announcing her engagement and subsequent marriage to Yigal Amir, she lost her employment position at Open University, and has had to support herself and her children by undertaking editing and translation work. She also published a book in Russian with her ex-husband entitled: A Mirror for a Prince. She has a web-blog in Russian which is said to be gaining in readership.

At the time of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Yigal Amir was a third year law student at Bar Ilan University. He had a girl friend, Maraglit Har-Sheffi who had similar right winged views as he did. Following Rabin’s murder, Har-Sheffi was tried and convicted of conspiracy, due to her alleged knowledge of Amir’s intentions to murder the prime minister. Although she proclaimed her innocence of this crime, she was convicted and served several months in prison. She still claims that she is innocent, and many believed she was framed.

As for Amir himself, a growing movement of right-winged and religious supporters have been waging a campaign to free him from prison. While some of these supporters are saying that he has “suffered enough for his crime” others are saying that he is innocent and did not actually kill Rabin. Larissa would naturally like to see her husband gain his freedom, especially since she is about to give birth to his child – and a son at that. Prison authorities are not planning to grant him any special consideration to attend the ritual circumcision of his son; and both judicial and government authorities alike agree that Yigal Amir will never gain his freedom.

So, why did Larissa do what she did, especially in light of her own children, whose lives will be greatly affected forever by her actions? What’s more, what about the child about to be born? What will his future be, and how will this affect him? Only time will answer these questions, and many will agree that time is often a cruel mistress.

O.J. Simpson “Rides” Again!

OJFormer football star, actor, and murder suspect O.J. Simpson was back in the slammer again after his arraignment on a number of criminal indictments, including burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and just plain nastiness. In fact, Simpson was literally “caught in the act” this time, by video cameras at a Los Vegas hotel and casino who Simpson and two other men are accused of trying to ‘acquire’ some valuable sports memorabilia, the kind of stuff that would sell really well on internet sites like Ebay.

What really makes things appear to be going badly for the ex-college and pro football star is that he was originally denied bail; situation that usually only happens in very severe crimes, including Capital crimes like murder. The reason for not granting bail stems from fear that Simpson my try to “jump bail” and escape. After some careful maneuvering by his trusted attorney, O.J. was finally released on $150,000 bail, and immediately left for his home in Miami Florida. His “exit” from police custody was filmed and is almost as interesting as when he was being chased by half of the LAPD following his indictment for murdering his ex-wife, Nicole, and her boyfriend, Ron Goldman.

After managing to extricate himself from the double murder rap involving his ex-wife, and her boyfriend, O.J. was sued by the victim’s families and wound up having to pay them nearly 33.5 million dollars in compensation. He declared bankruptcy to protect what little assets he had left following his paying off his high priced legal team for both trials. His fortunes seemed to go from bad to worse afterwards, and when he wrote and published a book called “If I Did It” dealing with his supposed role in the double homicide, the victim’s families were able to secure an injunction preventing Simpson from realizing any royalty profits from the sale of his book, and they would have ownership rights to all revenues generated from its sale. The book has been renamed: If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer.

Perhaps his financial dilemmas made him so desperate that he tried to pull of this Vegas heist, with all its implications. The LVPD didn’t give him any ‘respect’ however, and they along with possibly thousands of others would no doubt like to see Simpson put behind bars for a long time, if not for life. Simpson claims that the sports items were stolen from him and he was simply getting them back. His story appears to be a bit ‘sketchy’ as the guns used in the alleged robbery were said to have been recovered, and his accomplices are said to belong to the “Los Vegas Community” (the mob) with whom Simpson is rumored to have “connections”.

When interviewed Sunday by CNN talk show host Larry King, Kim Goldberg, Ron Goldberg’s brother, said that this indictment “at least partially vindicates my bother’s death by this person”.

Speculation as to why Simpson was with a group of four armed men is making the case against him even more complicated. The “sports memorabilia”, connected with O.J.’s own college and professional sports career, including a purple jersey from Southern Cal University, his alma mater, tightens an already taught legal ‘noose’ about his neck. Ron Goldman’s family have requested custody of these items as their sale would be partial compensation for the amount that Simpson still owes them. Due to his declaring bankruptcy, almost all of the settlement award money is still unpaid. Simpson’s new legal predicament will give talk show hosts like Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, and David letterman fresh new “material” to use in their nightly warm-up monologues. There is also speculation that Simpson may actually have been “set up” by persons acting on behalf of the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Being framed, seemed to be one of the more logical possibilities, as a lot of people want to nail this guy.

According to U.S. jurisprudence, Simpson cannot be retried for the murders of his ex-wife and Goldman. If convicted of these new crimes, O.J. could face a prison term of ten years to life imprisonment. At least in this respect, the Brown and Goldman families may finally receive their ‘pound of flesh’.

Hold Me Back

Iran and Syria CelebrateThis is not the typical post I would have in mind for the New Year and in case I forget later SHANA TOVA folks… I just can’t help it, as I am sitting here waiting to get into the car and drive with the masses to my in laws I hear about the Syrians calling in their reserve army units and escalating their air defense troops. It reminds me of these guys that after they get pushed or shoved, tell their friends to hold them back or they will just go ballistic (pun ??) on their would be opponents. These are also usually the guys that after the smoke clears are the ones on their way to hospital.

Another school yard antic is this delayed response, and getting all riled up a week after the deed. When this alleged attack happened Wednesday night last week the Syrian papers and media said nothing. The Israeli side, in an uncommon act of control, didn’t even acknowledge anything happened (I am so proud of this quiet by the way). But then the local papers and the media started heating things up. The Turkish government wasn’t happy with the silence from Israel, then the North Koreans came out with a scathing statement about how shitty we are and how we deserve to get our ass kicked (back to that later).

Assad Bad BoyYesterday, CNN laid out the whole thing and Christian Amanpour started giving us all a play by play of what happened in the desert that night. By last night CNN said:

“One Bush administration official said Israel had recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea,” the paper wrote. “The administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria”.

So today, a week after the attack, the Syrians are going on alert. Basically after the cow was taken out of the barn, screwed up the ass, milked and tattood, they are now locking down the barn….Interesting.

I am not sure about the details (and like it that way), but I like the connection with North Korea and it explains why they got all huffy. I mean they got all that cash to stop their nuclear program and they quickly turned around and gave whatever they had to the one group of idiots that is likely to use it (I want to suggest the North Koreans get the Noble Peace prize by the way). What I like even more is the fact that now the Hamas and Hezbollah are supporting Syria and encouraging it to take action. Assad is behaving like he is asking his friends to hold him back.

Last night our new president Shimon Peres spoke and you know what, he was great. I think he finally found his true calling. He was asked about the Syrians and he smiled and said, Assad doesn’t want peace. We wanted to talk and he refused. He is constantly trying to help Hezbollah turn Lebanon into another Iran and we won’t let that happen. For the first time I can remember Peres was clear, concise and down to earth.
And that’s the bottom line. Assad has been cruising for a bruising for a long time and last week he got it. He has been playing the field on behalf of the Iranians, killing off any chance for a stable Lebanon and lately making threats of war towards Israel. So last week, we allegedly, smacked his ass silly!

The 2 caricatures are from Moshik – One is Assad celebrating the Second Lebanon War and getting the blessing “May the next war be yours”, the second is Assad writing on the blackboard that he promises to be a bad boy. These were sent to me a while ago and I never used them. I think that now they are relevant reminders as to why Assad got smacked.

Shana Tova Everyone 🙂

“God’s Warriors” – The Aftermath

Christiane Amanpour
CNN, that ‘impartial’ cable news service that always seems to favor certain “interest groups” appears to have really outdone itself this time with the recent presentation of a three part program entitled “God’s Warriors”; shown initially between August 22 to 24th. Directed and moderated by the network’s most prominent news reporter, Christiane Amanpour, the program began by portraying the activities of Jewish extremists, located mostly in Israel, who believe that they have the right to use whatever means possible to reinforce their claim on the biblical covenant to the Land of Israel. In addition to interviewing a number of Jewish activists, this segment of the program also mentioned other factors that continue to receive international criticism; including the ‘security wall’ or fence still under construction in Israel, and “Jewish lobbies” in America such as AIPAC; which many claim to have too much influence on American foreign affairs.

The other two segments dealt with Islamic and Christian radicals, whose international messages are also receiving more than their share of attention in the media.

It is the segment dealing with Islam, however, that has the most ominous message to the world’s more than 6 million inhabitants. This religion, which more than 1.3 billion people claim to adhere to, has created the most controversy and is one that holds the most potential danger to Mankind.

Ms. Amanpour claims that she had tried to be as impartial as possible in portraying the positions of people representing three of the world’s great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This ‘impartiality’, however, seems to have severe flaws in respect to which religious group has received the most criticism in respect to its potential danger to humanity. And that “group”, is one in which its representatives are a very miniscule segment of the total planet’s population.

CNN has never been very partial to Israel, or to Israel’s position in respect to what has been occurring in the entire Middle East; to say nothing of the world itself. It’s understandable, when viewing the international version of this news network, as one sees many commercials from Arab and similar companies; including airlines, banks, telecom companies, and even real estate companies offering viewers expensive commercial and residential properties in places like Dubai and Bahrain.

Prior to the showing the 3 part program, a special Larry King Live program had as it’s guests representatives of the three mentioned religions, including Rabbi Marvin Heir, Founder and Dean of the Simon Weisenthal Center, which deals with keeping the message of the Holocaust alive before the world. Rabbi Heir, along with the other guests: Rev. John McArthur, Pastor of Grace Community Church: Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of the Organization for the Separation of Church and State; and Dr. Maher Hathhot, Senior Advisor for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Rabbi Heir’s opinions became even more distinct after he had the opportunity to view the entire series; especially parts dealing with Islamic militants and radicals.

Rabbi Heir wonders how a network like CNN, and a renown reporter like Ms. Amanpour, can dedicate so much “attention” to the activities of a group of “Jewish radicals” numbering less than 200, when Islamic radicals, including suicide bombers and other “Holy Martyrs” number into the millions and are literally scattered all over the globe. He also wonders how activities in the so-called “occupied West Bank” can be compared to activities of groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas, whose combined acts of terror and “martyrdom” have already resulted in thousands of people killed and many more thousands injured; to say nothing of literally billions of dollars of property destroyed including the World Trade Center, Embassies, and other locations too numerous to mention.

The entire world Jewish population numbers no more than 16 million – a miniscule fraction of both Christianity and Islam. And while Judeo Christian relations seem to be improving, and Israel appears to have many friends among fundamentalist Christian organizations, the “relationship” between Muslims and Jews is now at a historic all time low. This reality is particularly ominous when one compares the relationship between the country of Iran, once an ally of Israel, to what is transpiring today; when Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has openly called for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the map”.

CNN, founded originally by media mogul Ted Turner, a rumored Anti-Semite, has never been overly friendly to the Jewish State. With Ms. Amanpour’s program, God’s Warriors, that ‘relationship’ is bound to deteriorate even further. It is an outright pity that for the sake of having one’s ‘bread’ buttered, one must play the tune of the ones who provide that butter. It’s not to say that other vested interest groups also provide funds for radicals, including Jewish ones. It must simply be pointed out that those representing Muslim interests, especially in the energy sector, seem to wield a lot of financial clout. And that clout became clearly evident in the production “God’s Warriors”.

Iraqi Car Wash

Iraqi Car WashThis is a cute picture from AFP that caught my eye. An Iraqi kid washing a US jeep in Baakuba. It’s very very hot these days in the Middle East and so every picture which shows water and someone cooling down gets attention (even if its a Hummer)..

On a happier note for Iraqis the gunfire heard there today was actually a good thing:

“celebratory gunfire resounded across Baghdad and revelers poured into the streets after Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to clinch its first Asian Cup soccer championship on Sunday while mosques broadcast calls for the shooting to stop.” “Those heroes have shown the real Iraq. They have done something useful for the people as opposed to the politicians and lawmakers who are stealing or killing each other,” said Sabah Shaiyal, a 43-year-old policeman in Baghdad. “The players have made us proud, not the greedy politicians. Once again, our national team has shown that there is only one, united Iraq.” CNN

Mazal Tov

WhiteSmoke Writing Software

WhiteSmoke Writing Software

WhiteSmoke develops writing software. In addition to the traditional English grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks found in word processors, WhiteSmoke provides an enrichment feature that suggests context-based additions to users’ texts, plus an online dictionary that includes translations and a thesaurus. The patented technology stimulates the human thought process when it reads, classifies, and stores millions of English texts.

The company developed this artificial intelligence tool that is able to scan databases from news sites such as CNN and The New York Times, and studies documents from Harvard and Yale on an ongoing basis to learn how English sentences are used real-time in business, medicine and every-day life.

When a user activates WhiteSmoke software he sends text to the server, which then parses the text and returns it to the user with relevant choices for text enrichment. WhiteSmoke software is compatible with all applications; the user’s text is automatically sent to the WhiteSmoke server upon activation. An OEM version also exists, consisting of a set of client and server tools that enable websites and writing platforms to provide users access to WhiteSmoke.

WhiteSmoke has been in business for three years. Notable investors include Shlomo Touboul, evolution VC, and Yair Goldfinger, a founder of online chat giant ICQ.

Online Hanukkah and Christmas Sales Break Records

Hanukkah MenorahI spoke to the owner of MostOriginal.com, a unique gifts and Judaica Gifts store, and it was interesting to get a perspective of online sales for this Israeli based ecommerce store. Christmas and Hanukkah has been very busy this year in terms of online sales breaking all existing records and showing a 25% increase over last year – CNN reported that this last Wednesday sales topped $760 Million for the day.

Hanukkah DreidelIt seems that the busiest online shopping days have been Mondays as most people do their shopping online. Reasons to shop online are convenience, shipping and speed (cost came 4th in surveys). In this gift store clients have been getting the classics like the Hanukkah Menorah, the traditional Handmade Hanukkah Dreidel (see pics), and a recent edition this Christmas season, Kabbalah bracelets and jewelry, made famous by celebrities around the world. Although the store ships from Israel it has been offering free standard shipping and response has been very positive reports the owner.

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