I thought in Britain it was GREY and in the U.S.A. it was GRAY. Was I wrong? (Sorry about changing the subject).

BTW: There was something I wanted to say about kvelling too, but I was sidetracked by a film on TV and now it's late. Another time.
posted by Imshin 20:21

Tempting
Go see Laurence's tipjar. This man is seriously unhinged.
posted by Imshin 20:11

Not fair
Lynn B. sent me over to The Death Clock and I thought I was sure to be told I would live forever, especially now my diet has been such a success and I'm skinny and gorgeous and planning to write a book about my revolutionary dieting method and make millions. Alas, they wanted my weight in lbs. and my height in inches and feet. Sorry, no can do. These are foreign concepts for me. Hey, wait a minute...think think... can't fill in the form...think think...maybe that means I will live forever, after all. Yippee!

Don't be downcast, if you are brighter than me, you can do the conversion (that is if you don't usually deal with strange things like lbs and the likes) and find out how long you've got, statistically speaking, you lowly mortal you!

Update (I thunk thunk again. Us skinny and gorgeous gals have to think much more just to stay in the same place): Pity Idi Amin died so soon (see below), I could have tried out my diet on him. I'm calling it The Eat Less Diet. Whatever you do, don't try John's diet. Mine is far superior.
posted by Imshin 19:43

I see Idi Amin Dada, ex-tyrant of Uganda, went to meet his maker while we were in Mitzpe Ramon this weekend. You'll remember we also had an axe to grind with him, here in Israel. He lived to the ripe old age of 80, and died comfortably in a Saudi hospital, unlike hundreds of thousands of his countrymen whom he slaughtered, many by reportedly feeding them to the crocodiles (Hebrew link), and unlike our own seventy-three-year-old Dora Bloch who was dragged from her hospital bed in Entebbe, and brutally murdered, following Operation Entebbe. Charming man.
posted by Imshin 19:26

Electricity
To readers from any of the cities that were blacked out (if I have any, and in the hope that you are back with electricity and are able to read this), I hope you and your families are all safe and well. I'm sorry you had to endure such an experience.

posted by Imshin 19:06

Something I've noticed lately.
I keep seeing English speaking kids with American accents accompanied by what looks like Israeli grandparents. They're everywhere, at the beach, in stores, in the apartment across the way. Seeing them shopping in stores amazes me most. They are buying clothes, specs, and whatnot in Israel because…? It can't be cheaper, surely. Could it possibly be perceived as cooler? I find this difficult to fathom. Last week at the beach when we were in the sea jumping over the breaking waves, Youngest, affectionately known as "The Fog Horn" was screaming at the top of her voice with every approaching wave. I was trying to get her to stop this to no avail. My ears weren't enjoying the sensation. A little girl near us, one of the aforementioned American grandchildren, hitherto quietly behaving herself, noticed this and, obviously thinking this was the way to go about things in this part of the world (not far from the truth actually), commenced screaming as well, while looking at Youngest with those trusting "lets be friends" eyes kids have (and adults don't). Youngest completely ignored her. Of course she did, she was too busy deafening her long-suffering mother.

I wonder why I never noticed this summer influx of descendants of ex-Israelis-gone-to-seek-their-fortune-overseas before. Maybe they haven't been for a while because of the Terror War and now that they're daring to return they're all the more noticeable.

posted by Imshin 08:59

I made Hillel's Beit Cafe. Cool.
posted by Imshin 07:32

Something that should be understood
Part of a very interesting debate on Tal's blog, includes Tal's remark "It's a bit surreal that we're discussing it in terms of "who started it?". ie. since attacks on civilians are supposed to be crimes against humanity etc."
And again (and again and again):
Killing civilians, indiscriminately, en masse, cannot ever be regarded as an appropriate or acceptable response to the killing of a soldier, freedom fighter, warrior, terrorist (call him or her what you will) nor innocents who were regrettably killed by mistake, or even by lack of caution or negligence, as a result of their physical proximity to this person (an occurrence that far greater steps should be made to avoid). Until this is understood, deeply understood, really understand (with no "Yes, but..."s) by Palestinians and their supporters in the West, no peace is possible in this country.

Why do we have to repeat this again and again? Shouldn't it go without saying?

posted by Imshin 07:23

Life's funny like that
Here's me bitching about my lack of air-conditioning (fixed), which actually wasn't so bad, because my apartment is quite breezy even on the hottest day, and here comes that big power cut in the US to show, once again, that there is always someone worse off than me. Another thing it made me appreciate is that I live and work, and my girls go to school, in the same area. So should anything happen, I'm nearly always in walking (or running) distance of all members of my immediate family (siblings and parent not included, sadly). This is one reason I prefer living in the central part of Tel Aviv proper, and not in one of the quieter, cleaner suburbs.

posted by Imshin 07:20

It's effing hot. My brain is effing addled. Otherwise I wouldn't dream of using such language. Or linking to this. Don't look at me like that, Bish found it (here).
posted by Imshin 22:08

Today was Tu B'Av, the Jewish day of lovers. White clad maidens no longer run around among the vines these days, it's far too hot anyway, but there were plenty of nice shmaltzy love songs on the radio all day. ABBA did very well. So did The Carpenters. And Youngest stuck yellow Post-Its all over the apartment with "Love Day" messages.

posted by Imshin 22:01

Airconditioner on the blink
Am in no condition to blog. Am in no condition to do anything.
posted by Imshin 19:57

Well I'm back from running after Youngest's bicycle. She's learning to ride. I'm getting some exercise. Of course, in Israel everyone you meet while doing this has suggestions about the better way to teach your kid to ride a bike. They're not really interested to know this is the third child you are teaching and you do actually know what you're doing (I taught Eldest and Eldest's friend, much to Eldest's friend's mother's relief). The only problem is I always seem to do this in the summer, meaning it is hot and humid.
posted by Imshin 20:36

Hudna log – final entry
Two suicide attacks this morning, one in Rosh Ha'ayin and one in Ariel. Two murdered and about 13 - 15 wounded. That's it as far as I'm concerned. The false ceasefire farce is over. Israeli security forces were thwarting attacks all along and had a lot of information about planned attacks. Also a lot of attacks were taking place, they just didn't manage to injure or kill very many, so it was convenient to ignore.

Update: Tal discusses and explains correctly that the Hudna farce will continue and we will be blamed for all, as usual.

posted by Imshin 16:50

Hebrew speaking Ear??! Honestly! Why do I write these strange things?
posted by Imshin 16:12

Actually, he wasn't yet 16. His birthday would have been in a fortnight's time. He looks even younger than 15 in the photo. The anti-aircraft missiles were not aimed at any aircrafts, because none were in the air when the attack took place. Even the Guardian reluctantly mentions this, in their usual style of hinting that they don't believe anything the Israelis say. The Guardian doesn't bother to point out that the Hizbullah also sometimes aims at civilian aircrafts on the Israeli side of the border. They couldn't do that. It would make Israel look like it was in the right. This way they can make it look, as usual, like it was Israel's fault that a kid in a not very affluent border town (to put it mildly) got killed while busy working at his summer job.

In today's Yediot Aharonot (print), Sever Plotzker (I just love that name, it's so wonderfully weird, even to a Hebrew speaking ear) points to Hizbullah's irrelevance since Israel got out of Southern Lebanon. He says that they have lost not only their reason for being (getting Israel out of South Lebanon) but also their advantage as guerilla fighters. They have grown in size (by enlisting large numbers of unemployed youths [and by acquiring large amounts of ammunition with the help of their patrons from among Arab sovereign states]) and thus have become more vulnerable to attack. He says they often organize Nazi-style parades in South Lebanon towns and villages, these days. When they were fighting Israel, he points out, they didn't parade. Now, although they try to sell themselves as supporting and aiding the Palestinian national struggle, in effect all they have to offer their followers is a Humeini style Islamic revolution. This isn't very popular in the Arab world these days, he says, and in Iran it is downright unpopular.

Maybe it's time to hold their Syrian patrons accountable, before they kill more children.

Gil has more on this issue. [I would also like to point out (re Gil) that working on your tan can give you skin cancer and make you age prematurely. Sorry. Couldn't help it. I know it's none of my business]

posted by Imshin 12:34

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