"Fall"ing sights in Vermont - must see!

The Brattleboro Reformer (the local paper) is, oddly enough, not carrying this story, but the Boston Globe, bless their little black hearts, is (of course).

Kristen Podsiedlik (left) and Hannah Phillips said they feel strongly about having the freedom to go unclothed, while Andrew Wdowiak, who works at Everyone’s Books, said he’s grown tired of the display of public nudity by local teenagers this summer. (Photos by Dominic Chavez/ Globe Staff)

Yeah, I'll bet that Andrew kid is just sick of it, sick, sick, sick. :) And I'll bet you clicked just because you saw a photo credit, right? And you were expecting to see photos of naked teenagers, weren't you? Well, oddly enough, there aren't any on the internet. Ooops, yes there are! I forgot. Well, there aren't any being sponsored by the Boston Globe. Ooops, again. Silly me.

Oh, did I say Oddly Enough? Here's what Oddly Enough News (a Reuters subsidiary) has to say about this (they don't have any pictures, either, sorry):

Some have appeared naked in a downtown parking lot. Others rode their bicycles or simply strolled the streets in the nude.

Teenagers in the quaint Vermont town of Brattleboro are raising eyebrows this summer with brazen displays of nudity.

So far they haven't been arrested or ticketed: public nudity isn't illegal in the town of 13,000 people, unless it's done to arouse sexual gratification.

So now don't anyone go getting any kind of sexual gratitification by looking at naked teens wandering the streets in Brattleboro, Vermont, do you understand me? :) Good. I thought we were all grown ups here.

Oh, and not to be left out of the fun this weekend, AP News noted:

A music festival promoting nudity and rebelliousness set up in May in a downtown parking lot and attracted nude hula hoopers.

Hula hoops? Nude? Hmmmmm.

Well, do be sure to notice the fall foliage while you're wandering around Vermont looking for naked teenagers shaking their, erm, hula hoops. I hear Vermont's just lovely this time of year. Live free or die!


Ooops, wait, that's New Hamp-shah's motto but I'm from Bah-ston so how'm I supposed to know what the heck they say all the way up in Vermont? What's Vermont's license plates say again? Stay Home. No, just kidding, but do be sure to read New England Photographer, Philip Greenspun's tips for touring New England fall foliage hunting before you hit the road.

He gives no advice on spotting nude teens, but does have some rather snarky interpretations of New England's "notable sights to see" and he does note where the State Liquor Stores are located (this is very important because New Hamp-shah has some duty-free state lines! You would not want to miss out on stocking up duty-free...just don't let the State Police next door see you. Hint: they like Jack. No, no, I'm not suggesting you bribe them. Everyone knows NH State Police are not corruptible!)

-sry

Chavez Uncovers Coup Plot by USA?

Ah, Chavez, I see your Imperial Ass got our Imperial Memo after all. Nice to know the comm lines are still open!

I notice the names of the key players who rallied behind His Imperial Paranoia, and have bold-faced same for your quick and easy recognition.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez claimed Friday he had uncovered a plot to topple his government, blaming his political opponents and calling them "lackeys" of the United States.

His mention of a coup plot prompted whistles and shouts from thousands of supporters who filled the streets to welcome him home Friday after a foreign tour in which China, Malaysia and Syria offered to support Venezuela's bid for a seat on the 15-member U.N. Security Council.

"I have reports that the counter-revolutionary opposition has a plan to overthrow me in a coup," Chavez said.

And I have a news alert for you, Chavez: siding with Imperialistic terrorists like Syria, is not going to help your paranoid public image any. Oh, and did you notice that China, your good ol' buddy and pal, might be backing your claims against the US to your face but they are standing alone on the "Veto Board" of the UNSC ?

Washington is lobbying against Venezuela's bid and is backing Guatemala. The race will be decided by the General Assembly in a secret ballot in October.

The Security Council has five permanent members with veto power -- the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France -- and 10 rotating non-permanent members which serve two-year terms.

-sry

The Case for 2nd Civilian Airport in Israel

AMNON RUBINSTEIN (President of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel) contributed the following Opinion column to this weekend's JERUSALEM POST. Highlights only. Click for the full story.

The threat of Islamist terrorism against air travelers flying between Britain and the United States has caused considerable damage despite the fact that the recent plot was thwarted. Security checks all over Europe have been beefed-up, lines at airports have grown longer, flights have been canceled.

But all this is nothing compared to the damage that could have been caused had the planes been exploded, murdering thousands of passengers. Beyond the terrible cost to human life any successful attack would damage world aviation, tourism, international trade and even globalization.

If this is true for the West, it is all the more true for Israel. Any damage to our civil aviation system would represent an extreme blow to a country that is a tiny island in a hostile ocean with no effective alternative to its air routes to the world.
[...]
An additional airport is desirable for other reasons too - to encourage competition, prevent strikes and improve service. But the first and foremost reason is security. For that reason, it would be advisable for this airport to be built at sea so that planes taking off and landing do not have to fly over residential areas.

In the context of this essential security regime Israel must convince the international civil aviation authorities of the need to deprive those who support terror, in word or deed, of the right to fly. The international community must also cut off air ties with countries that are not partners in the war on air terror.

Mock Graveyards...because not enough really dead?

An Israeli man looks at military cardboard targets set by protesters outside the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem Friday, Sept. 1, 2006. Israeli reserve soldiers placed 117 cardboard targets, the number of soldiers killed during the fighting in Lebanon, in front of the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, as part of their campaign demanding his and other political and military leaders resignations. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

I missed this story on the Jerusalem Post site, but suspect we haven't seen the last of conflicted Israelis demonstrating Jerusalem. While willing to do what needs to be done when asked, no Israeli today wants to die without real, tangible results coming from it. Far too many have been dying senselessly in pigu'im (terrorist assaults) for far too many years in a row now, six going on fifty-eight.

-sry

French Foreign Legion to the...?

In case anyone's wondering where the so-called UN Peacekeeping "forces" are and what they're doing, here's an update.

Soldiers of France's Foreign Legion, Second Engineering Regiment, hold part of a temporary bridge as they prepare to install it to replace the destroyed one in the town of Damour, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 1, 2006, that was attacked in an Israeli bombardment during the 34-day long Hezbollah-Israel war.

Some 245 French soldiers arrived at Beirut airport Sunday to help the Lebanese army rebuild bridges destroyed or damaged by Israeli air strikes during the Hezbollah-Israel war.

The French bridge building soldiers are in Lebanon as part of a bilateral agreement between France and Lebanon and will not be operating as part of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL, to which France has pledged to commit 2,000 troops. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

And the story Yahoo! News claims is "related"? Iran offers cooperation on Israel-Hizbollah truce. I can't even get past the headline without making a derisive sound, but if I could, the first paragraph of the article of this "related" story would have me laughing with disdain:

Iran is widely believed to be the main arms supplier for Hizbollah in Lebanon. Although Iran funded and armed Hizbollah in the 1980s, it now says its support is primarily moral and political.

By contrast, Germany is offering to patrol Lebanon's coast rather than send ground troops. Yet Israel asked Germany to provide fighting troops, and Germany refused. Isn't that a historical paradox, Ambassador to Germany Shimon Stein was asked.

"In a way, it is," he responded. "Prime Minister Olmert recognizes that this is a different Germany, which has proven, more than many other countries, that it has internalized the lessons of the Holocaust. But the Germans are unwilling to put themselves in a position where German armed soldiers might have to face, or even shoot, an Israeli soldier. They are accepting the burden of their history, even if we, at least in this instance, are willing to overlook it."

Good for the Germans. Never forget!! German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung was asked in a newspaper interview about reports that the German force would number about 1,200.

"This is still being agreed, particularly with the Lebanese government. But I expect that the number will probably be greater," Jung was quoted as saying in the Neue Presse daily on Thursday.

More on the German involvement in UNIFIL efforts from THE JERUSALEM POST.

-sry

Child Abuse a la Gun Worshippers

As seen on LGF, direct from Yahoo! News, a masked Palestinian boy carrying a toy gun attends a rally in support of the Hamas government in Gaza City Friday, Sept. 1, 2006. The green head band reads in Arabic 'There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet'. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) This photo is #121 of 396 Yahoo! has assembled in a slide show - click through it. Interesting stuff. Like the following pictures of Al-Aqsa Brigade "members" (read: terrorists, who won't even show their faces or if they do, must fire their guns to feel like "real men" because they are so afraid of being real men who don't need to kill women and brainwash children just to get a testosterone rush. What are these guys all fired up about now? The usual in-fighting.
Here, Palestinian gunmen from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade hold their weapons during an anti-Israel rally in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus September 1, 2006. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK)

Above, the child was dressed up as to attend the rally in support of the strike by civil servants to force the Hamas-led government to pay them long overdue salaries continued in Gaza Friday. A rally which was part of a broader strike threat by unions linked to the opposition Fatah Party. Like I said, infighting. And over what? They say "Israeli Agressors!" but it's over money. International sanctions against Hamas have left the government unable to pay salaries since taking office in March.
Firing their guns make them feel better, I guess, but the only good terrorist is a dead terrorist and Al-Aqsa terrorists like these, are free to be a Martyrs Brigade in my book.

Please, you worship your guns so much, go. Go forth and kill yourselves and leave the rest of us alone in peace. How's that saying go again? Live by the sword, die by the sword. A sword is double-edged, last time I checked.

Be sure to read LGF's follow-on story, "Palestinians Threaten to Kidnap, Convert, Murder". Good stuff LGF!

-sry

To Hell & Back (IDF Regiment 931 video)

I'm here. I'm alive. I'm okay. That's what one of the commanders in IDF Regiment 931 said from his hospital bed. He was one of five WIA (and the only one "seriously" wounded) in one of Regiment 931's many trips north into Lebanon during the summer of 2006.

This trip on the night of Aug 6-7, 2006 was different, however, because this time the IDF'ers took along Israeli video journalist, Itai Anghel, who filmed much of the linked clip through an NVG he had to borrow from one of the soldiers. The 25-min. segment was later aired on Israel's premiere news station, Keshet, Ch 2 TV (I don't think their embedded movie player is working on non-Hebrew windoze browsers).

The other "different" thing about this particular night's roadtrip over the border was that the Hezbollah terrorists had decided to dress up in IDF uniforms, deliberately attempting to confuse the Israeli soldiers. It didn't work. The five wounded were not wounded in friendly fire, but rather, injured in direct engagements with the terrorists who were harboring rocket launchers inside a house, a residence that sits on a hill overlooking Kiryat Shmona, Israel.

This video is about 25 min. long and worth every second of it!! I'm adding a permalink to my list at the right. It's that well-done and worth watching, narrated in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Download and watch the Windows Media File movie (.wmv) now. If you can't view .wmv's on your computer, try watching the version embedded on the blog of fellow Anglo-Israeli blogger Lisa Goldman.

-sry

Shofar, So Good!

It's that time of year again, and Jews everywhere are gearing up for the High Holy Days. So is Jewish Impact Films with this LOL one-min quickie.

No special "Jewish knowledge" required to chuckle at this one, though I wonder, would listening to this 3 times fulfill my obligation as a Jew to hear the Shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah? Uh, no. I think not. ;-)

-sry

What the Terrorists Want

Bruce Schneier on what the terrorists want.

As seen on Making Light (Tor's Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden's happy little blog). I like the way you think, Patrick. But then, I always have.

-sry

Antithesis of "Support our Troops"

National Guardsman Brutally Attacked In Pierce County

Why can't I find any other, more national news coverage of this August 30th event? Oh, probably because it's just not spectacular enough headlines for anyone to care anymore. Grrr.... I feel as though things like this make a liar out of me when I tell people like Capt B "No, don't wonder, we support you guys." I don't like being made into a liar, even by obvious pundits and fools.

"During the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” said Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

KIRO TV has the only coverage of this I've found. Please hit the comments and tell me if you find out more on this insult to our national honor.

-sry

AWOL Marine Back After 19 Months

Really not sure how to feel about this one. You decide. Given that he went running to Cindy Sheehan's side...well, I won't spend more space on my blog here today. Moving right along.

-sry

US Marines "Own the Night" in Iraq

In the quieter western side of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, most night patrols are geared toward holding conversations with residents to build trust, acquire tips and erode the daytime influence of insurgents. But in other parts, such as the abandoned span of crumbling buildings that make up the city center, Marines are simply trying to keep insurgents from staging ambushes or planting more bombs.

Residents are often caught between roving insurgents in the day and the patrolling Marines at night. Though U.S. forces have recently pushed farther into the city, tens of thousands of people still live in neighborhoods that rarely see Americans.

Read the full story at AP News Wire.

-sry

Intifada or "Government"?

This is a follow-on note to my earlier item 'A New Intifada' for New Day, where I'd suggested that despite popular belief, Hamas and Fatah would turn to their usual infighting and simply beat on each other. Well, guess what?

Apparently, to Hamas and Fatah, "intifada" and "government" are the exact same thing. They have finally shown their true colors and let it be known that they cannot succeed in joining forces to create a peaceful unity government in the Palestinian Authority (that term is the oxymoron of the century!) No, instead, the terrorists will remain true to form and continue to turn to terror and anarchy as a hungry, thriving force within the Gaza Strip.

So can we now stop calling them "organizations" and just call them what they are: terrorists?

-sry

Egypt Still Aiding/Abetting Terrorists

Egyptian officials have told their Israeli counterparts in recent days that in exchange for the release of 500 Palestinian female and juvenile prisoners, the kidnappers of Cpl. Gilad Shalit would be willing to release the IDF soldier to Egyptian custody, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Two officers from Egyptian intelligence are currently stationed in the Gaza Strip and are said to be in touch with the actual kidnappers, who have passed on to them their demands.

The official Israeli government stance has been that Israel refuses to negotiate the return of Shalit so as not to encourage the kidnapping of additional IDF soldiers.

Good! Eygpt has been too willing, able and ready to "assist" Hamas, Fatah and other gun-runners in Gaza Strip by either looking the other way or outright assisting in the movement of illegal arms to the Palestinian terrorists. And this is not something new. This has been going on for many, many years.

As recently as the January, 2002 interception of the Karine-A illegal arms shipment of the Palestinian terrorists passing through Egyptian-controlled Red Sea. This was a huge embarrassment to Egypt--being caught in Yassar Arafat's pocket that way--but it clearly hasn't stopped them from continuing the game. And in case you're skimming the linked article (with its long list of the munitions seized by the IDF, be sure to notice the last 2 paragraphs:

On October 18, 2004, an Israeli military court sentenced the captain of the Karine A, Omar Muhammad Hassan Akawi, to 25 years in prison. Two officers, Riad Salah Mustafa Abdullah, and Ahmed Mahmud Abed al-Khadi Khiris, were sentenced to 17 years each for their role in the smuggling effort. A fourth suspect, Salem Mahmud Husseini el-Sankri, was set free in a Hizbullah prisoner swap after all the charges against him were dropped.

Akawi, Abdullah and Khiris were also involved in the Lebanese San Torini weapons smuggling ship that was intercepted by naval forces on May 7, 2001. That ship, also destined for Gaza, contained anti-aircraft missiles, RPG rockets, mortars, mines, rifles and guns sent by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Why am I quoting a 2-year old story? Because it's the same story today as it was then. Same players, same illegal and lying, cheating, card-shuffling tactics. The only difference today is that the names Hamas, Fatah and Hezbollah seem to be mutating into "official" associations of some kind on the world stage.

It's sickening that so little has changed, such clear and qualitative lessons are in our near-term past and yet... we keep treating the terrorists as though they are something better, something worthy of negotiation, something worthy of our time and effort and breath to speak to them.

They are not worth it. They are terrorists. Do not negotiate with terrorists.

Time to Wash The Car--umm, S-3 Viking!

Originally uploaded by Wiskow.

Wiskow sez:

This type of aircraft stopped being used at the end of last year, but I like this photo because it shows how they wash aircraft on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. :-)

I'd have to agree. Great shot, taken aboard (I think) the USS Kitty Hawk (since it came up during a search I did for Kitty Hawk photos ;-))

-sry

911mirror

Originally uploaded by lptl081

Is this an amazing shot or *WHAT*???

Based on the context in which I "found" this photo, I'm going to say it was taken *near* the USS Kitty Hawk of one of the carrier's helos....no further info is available or I'd share it so don't ask me, I Do. Not. Know !!

Why is everybody always picking on me? (that's the Coasters, in case you aren't up on your Oldies but Goldies music)

-sry

Don't wonder...just remember!

Saw this note by Capt B this morning on Blackfive (source is actually on OneMarinesView) and I really had to stop and wonder myself: How come so many people who've already made so many sacrifices are just going unnoticed by the MSM? Or worse, going unnoticed and unappreciated by the American public?!

I answered Capt B on Blackfive and wanted to put a note here, too. A small group of the Baen Books web community (Baen's Bar) denizens (Barflies) have assembled into the Barfly Baking Brigade. We have a Yahoo! group setup but only 3 soldier POCs in our database.

WE NEED MORE SOLDIER-RECIPIENTS!

Granted, one POC we already have is a Navy Chief on a carrier so that's really access to about 5000 sailors "Somewhere On The Seven Seas" (or intervening waterways ;-)

And yes, I'll admit, we also have a Supply NCO in Afghanistan at a depot with "an international presence" so there's a funnel for us to show what Good Americans we Barflies are sending goodies to share with our NATO buddies and pals.

Oh and there is Major Shane the Treadhead in Parts Unknown, though since we aren't really supposed to know where he is or where they're going, it makes it kinda tough to say whether or not they are still in Parts Unknown or maybe slipped a link over the line during the night. Ooops, no lines. No links! No never mind. Last we heard, he said the gang is just great and they are drowning in fudge, but that was a while ago. Next shipment to NeverNeverLand coming right up! :)

We are definitely seeking more volunteer soldier POCs. If you are willing to be the "name on the package" and think you and your buds could use some home-baked sugar (yeah, like there is ANYONE who might turn down home-baked anything while they're sitting out there in the middle of Podunk Central), just sign up for the group and enter your data in the database.

IMPORTANT: Since the group is moderated, you have to say who you are when you join or you don't get approved to have access ;-) Cutting down on the spam, sorry for the inconvenience.

Be sure to use my name (-sry or Sarah) and say you saw my note on Blackfive or here. If you cannot access Yahoo! (we've heard the USN in its wisdom has blocked the entire yahoo.com domain *groan*) just post a note here, give me an email addie where I can get back to you to gather your contact data and I'll enter it for you.

We won't turn down any new helpers, either, even if you are not a Barfly, you can join the Baking Brigade (or Barfly Bookers--don't ask, I won't tell) by joining the Yahoo! group.

The only "cost" we charge is you must tell us when the stuff arrives and well, we'd really like some more pictures to add to the BBB Flickr page, someone who does not know or work with or peck at or even cackle at CPL Mikel would be a welcome change. ;-)

-sry

Crawler...on the road again!

Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) heads back to Launch Pad 39B where it will ride out Tropical Storm Ernesto. Photo credit: NASA

Mission managers are confident in the ability of the rotating service structure to protect the vehicle on the pad (except that the RSS can't protect itself let alone the stack!!) Mission managers are considering Sept. 6, 7 and 8 as potential launch dates, depending on how Ernesto affects the center (read: they want to take their holiday weekend before worrying about this anymore because they already lost their "launch on time" bonus so they might as well enjoy Labor Day Weekend)

To get daily updates--or eventually get to watch the launch live on NASA TV whenever this thing really goes--just visit the NASA PAO's launch pages at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/index.html

At least half of what NASA PAO says is half-true and the other half is all buzz. In case you were wondering who to believe ;)

-sry

Qsst...the Q stands for Quiet

Lockheed Martin (aka LockMart) just can't stand the idea of getting out of the supersonic air travel business, it would seem. With Shuttle flights winding down over the next decade, guess what? LockMart's developed a Quiet SuperSonic Transport (QSST) at a mere $2.5 billion.

Yeah, that's up there. Well, LockMart didn't ever manage the "better, faster, cheaper" with the Shuttle Rocketships, why should they start with a Concorde replacement plane? Besides the hugely expensive plane will charge exorbitant rates for its meager seating space and service business executives and diplomats (wow, does that sound familiar to anyone else here??) At least the QSST is laid out intelligently (tables and chairs staggered throughout the cabin, giving more legroom for everyone versus Aerion's classic "Rack 'em up" layout)

The design of Aerion's new bird is "six feet in height, 6.6 feet in width" (see figure sketch to see how much "extra" space this leaves). For a short, small girl like me, this might not be so bad but most of the men I know are over six feet tall and really hate it when their knees start banging on things. I guess this Aerion's method of ensuring tall businessmen remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete stop ;) At least LockMart has tried to make the cabins more comfortable (see sim image seating below).

But Aerion's so much less expensive! Not really, they just play a good song and dance titled Aerion's "Dawn of the Supersonic Business Jet" (didn't we already have this dawn back about 30 years ago when the Concorde was streaking and booming across the Atlantic daily?) Aerion's real philosophy is summed up in the admission, "Perhaps the biggest hurdle a supersonic jet must overcome is financial in nature."

No, do you think? Actually, I think everyone building these tiny (8-person) but hugely expensive supersonic jets are focused on the sound effects and not worried about bringing costs down to an economically viable level. The law prohibiting sonic booms from civilian aircraft (US Code 49 Sec 44715), first introduced in 1958 (before sonic booms were really a problem), is the main focus of everyone in the game now--they're all hoping the laws will be redrafted to take account of newer, quieter technologies. See, if they can figure out how to make rocketship sounds legal, they can charge even MORE per seat!! But Qsst! Quiet! Don't tell anyone. There are real rocketship designers out there who'll be charging even MORE to leave the planet, not just whip around it at supersonic speeds.

-sry

25% of Israelis Living Below Poverty Level Now

Update: Israel's 2007 Budget announced; Deficit in wake of war will climb to NIS 3.6 billion (about $826 million USD). That's a 3.3% larger deficit than originally thought would result in the wake of this Summer of Rocket Rain.

---

According to the annual poverty report released on Wednesday by Director General of the National Insurance Institute (NII) Yigal Ben Shalom, 26.2% of Israelis (over 1.6 million people) were below the poverty line in 2005.



This is before there were over a million people displaced from their homes during the Katyusha Rocket Rain this summer. It also represents a 1.7% jump from 24.5% in 2004. IOW, there was a trend in place, even before the Katyusha Rocket Rain. The trend has been in place for several years, spiking of course, when the "new intifada" exploded in 2000 and dropping even more steadily when 9/11 impacted the world economy a year later, in 2001.

The Israeli Annual Report also found that:

• 769,000 children live below the poverty line, an increase of 55,000 from 2004 - over 35% of the children in Israel.


• One out of four families in Israel was below the poverty line, for a total of 410,000 families.


• In families with at least four children, the poverty rate rose to 58.1% from 54.7% in 2004, while 177,000 families in which one parent earned an income were defined as poor.


• One third of public and private sector employees were below the poverty line.

The report defined "below the poverty line" as an income of less than 1,868 NIS per person per month. (this is about US$450/month but check the currency converter for the Israeli Sheckel (NIS) versus US dollar as of today).

The fact that over a million Israelis were displaced, that half of them spent more than a MONTH in a shelter, with nothing, only to find what little they'd left behind was utterly destroyed, is just salt in the wounds of the ongoing struggle against poverty. Israel's economy isn't dropping quickly but is slowly and steadily heading towards such a high level of poverty, Israel runs the risk of falling from the "stature" of a being a First World Country into the Third World arena--for purely economic reasons.


Rich Jews? Yeah, I don't think so, not when you're homeless and starving and half of your country has just gone up in flames or been rocketted into rubble. But the world only thought THAT happened in Lebanon, right?

How Can You Help?

Either send money or help get the word out by linking to this blog, putting something on your own blog or just emailing your friends and family telling them about the needs of the Israeli people and The Land (see JNF below) and the following methods for contributing. If you don't have money to donate, that's okay. Your help getting the word out to people who do have money to spare is significant, too! Here're some ideas for some of the many areas of Israeli economy needing financial assistance to keep doing their Great Works.

Hadassah
Founded over a hundred years ago by American women trying to help Jewish women/children in Israel who were starving, getting no medical attention and found themselves stranded on the street without support or means of obtaining an income (don't forget, turn of the century, women had no rights to much of anything anywhere in the world, this is PRE-suffragette era).

Hadassah started out as an almost underground of women helping women, but has turned into more of a "Florence Nightingale" organization. You can learn more about Hadassah hospitals and medical breakthroughs (or special sponsorship scholarships and grants) by visiting the Israeli-based site for Hadassah: http://www.hadassah.org.il/English Today, Hadassah does extraordinary work in the medical fields, helping not only Jews but anyone who needs medical assistance and comes to their doors. In fact, many "special case" patients have been funded and sponsored (Bedouin, Palestinian, Lebanese--yeah, Israel's "enemies" come to Hadassah's doors and are given a free ride). More than half of all medical assistance in Israel is funded or provided by Hadassah. Most of Hadassah's funding comes from American women (I'm a lifetime member--it was a gift from my mother when I was 16 and it's a common mother-to-daughter gift in America now).

In August of 2006 Hadassah took a "mission" to Israel to offer hands and feet kind of help. Be sure to watch some of the Mission to Israel videos or just click on the donate now link in the popup window. (They have a popup specifically for current fundraising efforts so "allow" the popup if your browser blocks as a rule) In the US, there's really not much "to" Hadassah beyond its fundraising efforts. Hadassah "meetings" are a social gathering or "bake sale" event. Of course, Hadassah has a long history of having a bake sale to buy a tank, build a hospital, outfit a new infantry unit--you know, "women stuff." :-)

Friends of Israeli Firefighters has been working with firefighters in NY to train and outfit Israel's fledgling firefighter organization. After 50 years of planting trees, the Forest of the Gallillee was thriving with flora, fauna and natural beauty.

The Katyusha Rocket Rain has utterly destroyed thousands of acres of forest which will take another 50 years--or more--to rebound. Cost of regenerating damaged areas could exceed NIS 75 million over next two years. Israel's firefighters struggled to battle the fires while also trying to save human lives and both man and machine wore out far too soon to save the Forests of the Galilee. To help rebuild the depleted resources of the Israeli Fire Dept. (or get them better-equipped than you see here!!) send money to Friends Of Israeli Firefighters: http://www.foif.org/

If you want to donate money to plant trees, send money to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) which handles the "Save the Environment" efforts in Israel. American children working through the JNF have planted millions and millions (yeah, exaggerating but at least 100,000 in 50 years) of trees to date! They'll even send you a certificate telling you where "your" tree has been planted (not an exaggeration - it's one of the most fun things for a kid to get in the mail, addressed to them).

Help JNF Plant a Tree in Israel.


The Jewish Agency
This is an international non-profit organization that acts as a liasion between Israel and Jews around the world (in the Diaspora). The Jewish Agency is best known for facilitating the immigration of Jews from the Diaspora to Israel but the Jewish Agency also has taken a strong lead in the current effort to funnel humanitarian aid to Israel outside the "red tape" loop of international "efforts." The site offers languages besides English: http://www.jewishagency.org/

Lastly but not least, the International Fellowship of Christians & Jews (IFCJ) has been doing some phenomenal cutting of red tape. While this group's "status" or "allegiance" might be argued, debated and found fault with by both Christians and Jews in the US, the fact is, IFCJ has been operating in Israel and been nearly as good a "funnel" of money and liasion as the Jewish Agency has been in some situations where "Jewish Agency" gets doors slammed instead of opened. The IFCJ definitely has some controversial issues, but they also are doing some Good Works. Consider helping them--it's their ads you see on FOX News and banner'ed on the JERUSALEM POST web site everywhere. Just click one of them or go to:

http://www.ifcj.org/

If you cannot spare any money to send anywhere, please link to this blog, repost this information on your own blog or just send out email to your friends who do have money to make charitable donations. If you have the money, please send a donation to one or more of these organizations (These groups are all tax-exempt donation status).

...unless you prefer to support Hezbollah. Then you don't have to do a thing. They are already getting about $3 billion combined from US, Australia and other sources--all of it in HUMANITARIAN aid that the Lebanese people will never see unless or until they throw Hezbollah out of their government. Nasrallah will either hand out small amounts of aid in front of cameras and sell the rest for new arms or simply sell it all...that's how TERRORISTS work. Steal from the mouths and hearts of the human shields behind whom they hide.

-sry

Violence Erupts in Baghdad

Erupts? Did no one notice there's been a WAR going on there for some time now? Did it really take Yet Another "rash of killings" to catch the MSM's eye? Geez. And here I thought having our troops STILL THERE meant the violence had not yet subsided. Let's do some math:

Violence across Iraq has spiked in recent days, with more than 200 people killed since Sunday in clashes, bombings or shootings — despite U.S. and Iraqi officials' claims that a new security operation in the capital has lowered Sunni-Shiite killings there, which had risen in June and July.

Excuse me, but where's the spike? Have not people been dying in Iraq from RIF violence pretty steadily for several years now? Yes, yes, I know taking out Sadaam had some wonderful impact on the daily death toll, but that didn't end the War On Peace going on there. I don't know, maybe if anyone asked the folks on the ground, we'd hear about this as "continuing violence" instead of "erupting violence."

Yeah, not in a very satirical mood this morning. Worldwide violence does that to me sometimes.

-sry

Chavez Deals w/the Devil - This is news?

We already know--or you should--that Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez is a little out there on the side of the RIFs. Yeah, he's even "out there" for the RIFs sometimes, but apparently Syria's Assad has no problemo following along.

You know I'll just bet Nasrallah wouldn't either. That "brethren" thing, right? Say, maybe we could get them ALL together in one place, competing with each other like siblings? So far, we have Chavez arriving in Damascus, where he pledged to...

...stand by Syria in strong opposition to the US government's "imperialistic" aggression in the Middle East.

"We have the same political vision, and we will resist together the American imperialist aggression," Chavez told reporters upon his arrival at Damascus airport late Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad hosted Chavez at the hilltop People's Palace, where the two leaders strolled down a red carpet alongside a 21-gun salute. A marching band played both national anthems as the leaders reviewed the honor guard.

Officials of both governments will sign a document opposing Washington's "aggression" in the Middle East, Chavez said.

Since we are his "imperialistic enemy" I do suppose we'll be taking in his imperial subjects who don't want to serve his imperial ass. I know my Venezuelan friends in Israel are not happy with the man, never have been, never shall be.

If Chavez offers imperial shelter to imperial brethren such as Nasrallah, do you think, maybe we could just blow his imperial ass to kingdom come? That sounds like something he might like, right?

-sry

Hezzy Humor Strikes Again!

This stuff is getting better everyday! I got that one a few weeks ago but got a few new ones from my brother-in-law just the other day.

How do you spell "STOP THE KILLING" ? I think it depends on who you are! Clearly, in the old-fashioned RIF school, they not only have an Alternate History and an Alternate Reality, but an Alternate Dictionary!

Truth is, it really depends on what language you're speaking or...






...which little phrase book you have on hand, now doesn't it?

Did you know the Green Helmet Guy has gotten his own operator now? First he gets a blog (http://greenhelmetguy.blogspot.com/) now he's got an operator and next thing you know, he'll have his own movie studio. Oh, wait!! That was the last Lebanese debacle. Been there, done that. Cut!

Gitmo: Having fun yet boyz?

As Tropical Storm Ernesto hit the Dominican Republic with breathtaking scenes like this, Ernesto built strength and saved up his energy so that when he got to Cuba--where the Guantanamo Bay Prison (Gitmo) is located--Ernesto was a full-fledged Hurricane Cat 1. The RIFs could really have a fun old time of life here in the west, on the Hurricane Path, don't cha' think? Good job, Atlantic Jetstream!

The only drawback, of course, is that the Good Guys (US Military guards there) also had to brave the storm. Then again, given the disgusting liquids (urine, vomit, semen, whatever else is on hand) thrown at the US Military by the RIFs imprisoned at Gitmo, I do suppose some fresh briny sea is a welcome change.

War and Peace

Or War and Psalms. FYI: Jews read Psalms daily. The book he's holding appears to be one of those daily readers. They are small on purpose--so they can fit into a soldier's pocket...Just. Like. This.

See more really pretty and inspirational imagery from the 2006 Israeli Defense Forces, at work against Hezbollah's War on Peace
here (courtesy of Chabad Online)

-sry

'A New Intifada' for a New Day?

As though the Middle East isn't confusing enough for most, now we have infighting among the RIFs (or RISs--fill in whatever "S" word comes to mind!!) or whatever you want to call these asswad terrorists masquerading as "official" organizations. Oh, I'm sorry, is "asswad" someone's
Originally uploaded by name? Ooops.

The JERUSALEM POST tells us Fatah, which was started by Yassar Arafat, the Father of All That is UNholy, has decided to launch a brand spanking new "intifada" against Hamas. May they slaughter each other and leave the Free World alone at long last!

Fatah activists and officials in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are threatening to launch an "intifada" against veteran leaders of the party, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in an attempt to force them to accept demands for internal reforms and elections.

Go forth and intifada yourselves, boyz! With my blessing (good little Jewish girl that I am, I must bless you to your vile and much-deserved deaths).

-sry

Striking Against the Evil Empire

A WWWACie friend of mine, Scott Granneman (columnist for the ever-so-helpful, Security Focus) has written a great book published by O'Reilly (the only name in computer-related dead tree publishing) explaining why you should take a strike against The Evil Empire and instead, Get Firefox. Because I support both WWWACie people and dead-tree publishing as much as I hate, loathe and despise MicroSloth's Evil Empire, I wanted to be sure to promote this book.

Well thought out explanations of the ups and downs of internet browsing combined with the myriad of security risks you take when you let MicroBilly into your net.world all come together in a book even a net.newbie can follow.

In real life, Scott Granneman teaches responsible internet usage, security commonsense (which is neither common nor sensical in a world dominated by the Evil Empire) and often chimes into the WWWACieworld with the voice of reason. We artiste types can get pretty unreasonable.

Thanks, Scott!!

-sry

Icons and Photos

Even though most of you may think of me as being more of the Pinky type, I relate more to The Brain and the desire to Take Over The World. Alas, like The Brain, I have yet to achieve this great result. Give me a minute...

*narf*

This was not my hat - honest! I was holding it for someone. I'm serious! You see, my little brother wanted to be sure we'd all recognize him in the masses and masses of people who were actually graduating from Cornell University at the same time he--oh, you got it back when I said "Cornell University" didn't you? Yeah, I kinda thought that said it all. And he was a member of The Hangovers, too!! Go figure. Visit my Flickr site to see more of these.

And so it begins....

Reposting the world's news. That's what you're going to get from me here. You see, I just yack and yack and yack all over the net, in all sorts of email lists and web forums and these people all need to just get together and sit in one room--all so that Sarah of the Lazy Keyboard won't have to travel hither and yon.

Yeah, I'm not so good. There are NO HOLDS BARRED here. Sarah Unleashed. Rulez be damned because I haven't changed a single stupid rule since I sat in Usenet and said:

"Stupid rules are meant to be changed, not broken" -sry on sci.space.shuttle (ca. 1993)

Definitely the words of a naive young girl. Well, I've come a loooooooong way since then, baby!

-sry