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Everything is Relative

Cell size and scale.  

Very cool - use the slider to zoom in.

Hold On, We're Lefties, We're ALWAYS the Good Ones

Hat tip: Andy92J

A Taste of the J Street Conference (Feh)

Jennifer Rubin writes:

For those who want to get a taste of the goings-on at the J Street conference, this, this, andthis provide plenty of flavor. As Noah alluded to in his post, if you think ridiculing Elie Wiesel, including Hamas in the peace process, cheering a Palestinian woman’s support for a “one-state solution,” booing those who would criticize the Goldstone report, and opposing all sanctions against Iran make for a “pro-Israel” conference, then the phrase has lost all meaning. But all that and more was on full display at the J Street fest. 

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Delicious Recipes

At this month's Kosher Cooking Carnival.

A Statement From the Commander of the IDF

IDF Chief: We Won't Rely on Others for Our Security (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said in Berlin on Monday:

• I, Gabi Ashkenazi, the son of Josef Ashkenazi, may he rest in peace, a Holocaust survivor from Bulgaria, am here today as the commander of the Jewish defense force - the Israel Defense Forces, and proudly carry the flag of the State of Israel - the state of the Jewish nation.
• Our obligation [is] to always remember and never forget the worst atrocities in the history of mankind,...to never take the threats of those who would harm us lightly,...to ensure our security ourselves, and never let anyone else control the future of Israel.
• Even today, leaders of states publicly declare their desire to destroy the State of Israel - they reject the sovereign and national right of the Jewish nation to exist.
• Our legitimate struggle against the terrorist organizations that disrupt the daily routine of our citizens has been used as an excuse by anti-Semitic advocates, Holocaust deniers and other hostile sources. Their attacks give legitimacy to the atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel.
• The Israel Defense Forces, the shield of the Jewish nation, is not an army that advocates war - rather it is an army of defense. We do not look for battle, but nonetheless, if war is forced upon us we will do everything necessary to enable the citizens of Israel to live in their homes securely.

Morons R Nice!

Kisses!  Hugs! Luv to anti-semites!  Becuz if we r nice to them, the anti-semites will luv us.  

The university affiliate of the left-wing lobby J Street has dropped the words "pro-Israel" from its slogan out of fear those words would alienate potential student members, The Jerusalem Post reports.

"We don't want to isolate people because they don't feel quite so comfortable with 'pro-Israel,' so we say 'pro-peace,'" said American University junior Lauren Barr of the "J Street U" slogan, "but behind that is 'pro-Israel.'" 

You know, I hate to say it, but this actually could be construed as a "Jewish conspiracy."  Pretending to be one thing while being another...?

Is it a lie?  Or isn't it?

Is it stupidity?  

Do they hate Israel and their fellow Jews?  

Or is it simply garden variety cowardice?

"Shh!  We are pro-Israel, but we aren't going to say it, or act like it!  Whatever you do, just don't tell the guys who want to kill us!  We are going to pretend to agree with them so they won't hurt us!  Neat trick, eh?  That way, we don't have to fight, and maybe if we give them anything they want, the big bullies will leave us alone!"

Maybe these young morons don't understand that things don't work that way. Perhaps they've forgotten history (or never really learned in the first place) - - the long lines of nice European Jews walking all peaceful-like into the gas showers, giving bullies exactly what they wanted. 

Didn't that work out well for us?  Gosh, let's do it again cause it was so much fun the last time around.  

Here, let me help.  Blow these words up really big on a huge piece of paper and tape it to your back:

KICK ME




Also see: Gag me with a spoon

2009 Survey of American Attitudes on Israel

Poll: American Support for Israel Remains Solid(Reuters)
    According to a new nationwide survey of American attitudes released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Monday:
    67% see Israel as a strong, loyal U.S. ally.
    By a 3-1 ratio, the American people express more sympathy with Israel than with the Palestinians.
    64% of Americans believe that Israel is serious about reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
    53% believe leaders of the Arab world will continue to refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, even if Israel stops all further construction in settlements.
    56% believe a Palestinian state must not be established until the Palestinians end the violence and accept Israel's legitimacy.
    In addition, 83% believe that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and 54% support U.S. military action to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons, up from 47% in 2007.
        See the full survey: 2009 Survey of American Attitudes on Israel, the Palestinians and Prospects for Peace in the Middle East(ADL)

Does President Obama agree with the majority of Americans?

The Next Star Trek Movie

A round up of rumors.

If Only

I think the president could improve his poll ratings markedly if he simply took all the things he has said about Limbaugh, Hannity, Fox News, the town-hallers, and his domestic critics and instead applied that invective to Iran, radical Islam, Russia, and Venezuela, and, in turn, took all the outreach things he's said the latter and applied them to the former.

                                        - Victor Davis Hanson

How Many People Are in Space Right Now?

 Click to find out.

Please, No! I'll Tell You Anything!

Biopsy Results

Negative.  : )

Two more tests to go and then I am all finished.  

Still having cramping and bleeding from the biopsy.  Tomorrow is a week since it was done.  Hoping it will pass soon.  

Not the President He Said He'd Be

"Not only has President Obama failed to live up to [his promises], it appears that on more than a number of occasions he’s made a conscious decision to break them."

******

The decline in Barack Obama's popularity since July has been the steepest of any president at the same stage of his first term for more than 50 years.

*****

...the administration is digging in and doubling down even though its conduct has invited scorn from pundits of every political persuasion and become the object of ridicule.

*****

A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill — and not just from Republicans. “It’s a mistake,” said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania. “I think it’s beneath the White House to get into a tit for tat with news organizations.”

A Cool Graphic of Every Mission to Mars

"Though most missions to the red planet have failed, the success rate is definitely improving."

An Overdue Post

Reading a post on Leora's blog about favorite childhood books reminded me about a post I've long been meaning to write.  

When I was a little girl, my parents gave me a book of fairy tales for Chanukah.  I fell in love with the book - not only were the stories well-written, but the illustrations were beautiful.  I liked it so much in fact, I used to take tracing paper, make outlines of the pictures, and then color them in with colored pencils.  Without a doubt the book had a great influence on me and helped feed a growing interest in art. 

Years later, my brother married a widow with two little girls who were just the right age to appreciate the book.  Being single and having no children, I gave it to them along with several others, thinking they were on loan and I'd get them back one day. And so, when they reached their teens I asked to have the books back. Sadly, they no longer had them.  I can't recall the other books I gave them - they didn't matter to me - but the loss of this book of fairy tales really hurt.  I'd intended to share it with my children one day.  Unfortunately, I had no idea who wrote, published or illustrated it, so there was little hope of finding it again.  

Over the years, whenever I'd look in a bookstore to buy books for my children, I always searched through the fairy tale books, but never found it, or anything as well-written or as beautifully illustrated. Flash forward to March of 2009.  I am reading the Bookworm Room blog, and find that Bookworm has written about THE BOOK!  I nearly fell out of my chair as I realized it.  Long story short - within minutes I found it on Amazon and was able to purchase a used copy in excellent condition.  It was not the exact same edition that I had originally, it did not have my mother's inscription in it wishing me a happy Chanukah, but it was close enough. My mother, by the way, was the real driving force behind my interest in art.  She used to take art classes and paint and she always encouraged me to draw and color.  I have fond memories of sitting and coloring with her.  It was just like her to pick this book out - she would have been drawn to the artwork too.

A belated and very hearty THANK YOU to Bookworm (hope you get to read this post) for helping me to rediscover the book and also to Leora for helping me remember to write about it.  

Whatever did we do without the internet?  It is still seems so miraculous and wonderful to me to be able to find half-remembered and long lost things.  Though I found the book too late to give to my daughter, if one day I should be fortunate enough to have granddaughters, you know they will be receiving a copy.

Illustration by Adrienne Segur

Also see: A tribute to Adrienne Segur

Moonlighting as a Rabbi?

Image via Bangitout

A Simulated Trip to Mars

Volunteers wanted.

Star Trek News

Might they be bringing back Captain Kirk?

They might.

Space Painting

Wow - that's cool:

Super Sprayer - The most popular videos are a click away

Weapons, Nations, and Logic

"The problem with Iran is its regime; its nuclear program is merely a symptom of that problem. Do you lay awake at night worrying about Britain's nuclear weapons? France's? Israel's? Of course not, because stable democracies in general, and stable democratic allies in particular, aren't a threat. If your neighbor is an upright and responsible citizen, who cares if he has a gun? If your neighbor is a complete whackjob and criminal, you sure as Shinola care if he has a gun. Armed neighbors aren't a problem, dangerous ones are. The same logic applies to nations."

                                                                    --columnist Jonah Goldberg

Speaking of Nightmares...

Are We Overdiagnosing, Overtreating Breast and Prostate Cancer?

That's been my own personal nightmare for the past 8 years.  

For two decades, healthcare professionals and organizations have been making a concerted effort to increase participation in breast and prostate cancer screenings, and the numbers have increased. About 50 percent of men at risk of prostate cancer have a routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and about 70 percent of women older than 40 report that they have had a recent mammogram.

It was hoped that increased screening would result in a reduction in deaths from breast and prostate cancer, yet overall cancer rates are higher, more men and women are being treated for breast and prostate cancer, and the incidence of later-stage or aggressive disease has not declined significantly.

One possible reason for these unexpected results is that breast and prostate cancer screening may be overdiagnosing low-risk cancers, and thus leading to overtreatment, without significantly reducing the burden of aggressive or more serious cancers. “So the basic assumption of these screening programs that finding and treating early stage disease will prevent late stage or metastatic disease may not always be correct,” the authors [of an article in the latest edition of the journal of the American Medical Association] state. [LINK]

Warmongers or Peacemakers

Who will be responsible for scorching the earth?

Regarding "Penny Pinching Jews"

RJC [Republican Jewish Coalition] calls for apology from South Carolina GOP leaders Penny-pinching Jew image was ignorant and insensitive

Washington, D.C. (October 20, 2009) --  RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks issued the following statement today:   Edwin O. Merwin Jr., chairman of the Bamberg County (SC) Republican Party and James S. Ulmer Jr., chairman of the Orangeburg County (SC) Republican Party wrote an opinion piece published in The Times & Democrat newspaper on Sunday in which they attempted to support Sen. James DeMint of South Carolina, who is a good man and good friend of the Jewish community. Unbelievably, they drew on an old and malignant stereotype of Jews as penny-pinchers in their attempt to praise DeMint's efforts to look out for his constituents.   It is difficult to comprehend how men in positions of leadership in a state Republican Party could demonstrate such ignorance and insensitivity in the year 2009.    From the way the article is written, Merwin and Ulmer apparently believed that the image of the Jew as penny-pincher was a praise of Jewish frugality. In fact it dates back to the centuries of anti-Jewish persecution in Europe, when Jews were forbidden to own land or conduct any business other than money-lending, which was closed to Christians by Church law. It is an image of a kind and of a time with forcing Jews to wear a badge on their clothing or enclosing them in ghettos, cutting them off from religious, social, and economic freedom.   We call on Mr. Merwin and Mr. Ulmer to apologize to the Jewish community and to educate themselves about the history of the image they used in their article.    The Republican Party has long fought hatred and prejudice and has reached out to minority communities, including the Jewish community, with a message of respect, freedom, and opportunity. This week, Mr. Merwin and Mr. Ulmer have done a tremendous disservice to their party. ### This statement can be found on the RJC web site at: http://www.rjchq.org/Newsroom/newsdetail.aspx?id=8a342afd-b72c-45b9-832e-b0cf6e9fb728

Birthright: He's Going!

Middle son just received notification that he will be able to go on a Birthright trip to Israel over winter break.  He's majoring in International Politics, is currently taking his 3rd semester of Hebrew and really wanted to go. 

Mom thinks it's very, very, very cool.

Today is the Day - Updated

Biopsy day. Have been trying to come up with excuses to not have it done for the past week. Husband, daughter and mother are having no part of them. I am surrounded by bullies. Yes, I know.  They care.  It's nice. But I don't wanna do it and they are lined up like schoolmarms slapping rulers against their palms.  "You WILL take the test or face THE CONSEQUENCES."

Called doc to ask for pre-medication.  She said sure, no problem and not to worry, she'd be giving me a shot of novocaine in the cervix.

I feel so much better knowing that.  

Practicing for later: ARGHHHHoooooowwwEEEEEEK%*$#@*#$*&?!!!

Checking schedules on cheap flights to Borneo.  They'll never find me...

Update:

Well, it is done.  No walk in the park, but it wasn't exactly the Inquisitioner's rack either. Not as bad as I thought - despite the warnings from the nurse ("the cramps will be sharp, but the doctor will warn you - just breathe with them and try not to tense up"), what I'd read on an internet message board ("it was worse than childbirth!") and my stupid imagination run amok ("Better run far away as fast as you can - - this is going to be worse than 2 root canals, 3 c-sections and the bloody murder you watched on CSI last night...")

Going to be laying low until tomorrow, and then back to usual activities. Results in 5-7 days.