When will they learn?

Anyone who knows Tel Aviv well, knows that Hamasger is a very busy dual lane road that carries you from one of the main highway exits into central Tel Aviv and at 8am in the morning it is jam-packed with rush-hour traffic. This morning while waiting for a light to turn green, I could not help being utterly shocked to see, in my rear-view mirror, 5 boys come careening down Hamasger on their bikes. Totally ignoring the red light they shot through and one of them narrowly missed being hit by a car coming out of the side-street.

Never-mind the fact that these boys were riding in the middle of a very busy road and ignoring the traffic signals - not one single boy was wearing a helmet!!! Where I grew up in Australia it was illegal for you to ride a bike without a helmet, and so too should it be here. If someone falls off a bike – it has been proved that the risk of severe brain damage is drastically reduced if they wear helmets.

Where are the parents of these boys – what would have happened if the car had hit and killed one of them. What of the poor driver who would be affected for life – The parents of this stupid boy who would sit at home and cry "why me – why did this have to happen to my innocent, beautiful little boy." What a waste!

I blame the parents! I blame the government!

God Changed Sides

Simon Barnes of the Times summed up Liverpool's epic victory against AC Milan in last night's European Cup Final: "It was as if God had Changed Sides."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1628459,00.html

New Nushworld Feature

A few weeks ago my husband wrote this beautiful post about the present I gave him for his Birthday. In honor of his post and the fact that he loves his iPod so much - Nushworld now has a new feature. On the left-hand-side of the page you will now see an "iPod song of the Day" link. Everyday we will post the song that makes our day that much more fun.

Enjoy!

PS I am working on getting a live link there so you can listen to the song of the day - stay tuned!

A Cure for Insomnia: AC Milan Versus Liverpool

If you're looking for a cure for insomnia, I strongly suggest you watch tonight's European Cup Final between AC Milan and Liverpool. You will find yourself dropping off within seconds of the snoozefest. Neither team will try and play football. They will both try and cancel each other out with mind numbingly dull defensive play, even though AC Milan, at the very least, has exciting attacking potential.

When was the last time you saw an exciting Cup Final of any kind? When was the last time you saw an FA Cup Final, European Cup Final or World Cup Final that set your pulse racing? The most exciting games tend to come much earlier in the competition. These days, Cup Finals are the mother of all anti-climaxes, at best. Caution and negativity come to the fore in such games. Managers are more scared of losing, it seems, than actually winning, and therefore adopt unadventurous tactics. Liverpool are the embodiment of a cautious defensive team.

It pains me to say this but I was more than a little ashamed by Arsenal's ultra-cautious defensive tactics, in winning the FA Cup on Saturday. Yes, it was great to see Arsene and the boys get one over Alex Ferguson, but why did Wenger have to betray his principles, and play ugly in order to beat the Mancs? In the last few years, under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have played breathtakingly beautiful attacking football. So why the regression to negative football? Wenger even admitted that his main concern was not conceding a goal.

The fact that Henry was injured is no excuse. Arsenal had enough attacking options on the field. Pires anyone? Ljunberg? Bergkamp? Van Persie? Reyes? Vieira? Most football teams would die to have that plethora of attacking talent! I can only surmise that Wenger was so desperate not to lose to Manchester United again, that he was prepared to try anything, including playing for penalties. Yet this strategy could so easily have backfired, as Manchester United could have won the game ten times over (much as I hate to admit it). I almost felt like the George Graham era had returned with a vengeance. It could have been 1993 all over again - when Graham's Arsenal played the less attractive football against the more fancied Sheffield Wednesday, yet ran out winners with that last minute Andy Linighan goal. I was at Wembley that night, and even as an Arsenal fan, I felt sorry for the Sheffield Wednesday fans.

So back to tonight. Expect a no-score bore stalemate tonight between two unadventurous teams.

If only the teams would play end to end stuff, and go for the jugular. I wouldn't bet on it, though. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

For my South African friends

(People unfamiliar with the ways of our female co-religionists in Darkest Africa shouldn't try to understand this. They're a world apart, psychologically as well as geographically.)

In the true spirit of modern democratic Sarth Efrika, the ladies of the Jewish communities have decided to demonstrate that they are fully tuned-in to, and comfortable with, the social milieu of "the New South Africa" by learning and frequently using a word of the local language.

And the word is ....

Umshlanga!

Baby wants a dummy?

What an exciting shabbat. Arsenal won on penalties against Man U in the FA Cup final. Poor Ferdinand, blubbering like a baby when they lost, baby wants a dummy? Talk about bad losers! I think Arsenal deserved to beat Man U. because they killed the champs winning - 49 games, no defeat - run with a very dubious game half way through the season. On ya gunners - you showed them!!!

I take back all my curses directed at Lehman this season you came through in the end. Thank goodness you stayed in the box.

Now that's out the way we have Eurovision to look forward to - watch this space!

I love you Gran

My beloved Granny z"l passed away on Sunday. My gran and I were very very close and the one thing that will always remind me of her, was her love for me and vanilla milkshakes. Gran thank you for all the cheaky comments you used to make under your breath that amused me so much. You inspired me to always be as strong and loving as you were to all of us. I never said it enough but thank you also for the beautiful engagement ring you gave us. Everytime I look at it I will remember you. I am sorry I could not be there to say goodbye but I think you know that I will always be with you.

I love you!

Schizophrenia in action

I spent Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut in the Galil and came away from the experience absolutely blown away! This was the Israel I grew up with and had forgotten about. I'm just a bit older than Medinat Yisrael, and all through my youth was an ardent Zionist, not your wimpy Habonim socialist, but a died-in-the-wool Betarnik, who knew every word of the creed (Yodefet, Masada, Betar!). Our heroes were Trumpeldor and Jabotinsky and Begin, (may their memories be for a blessing). Israel for us was a clean, bright, positive image, the place where Jews were strong, handsome, honest, hard-working, proud with good reason, prosperous by the work of their own hands, etc etc etc. We fought when we had to, but didn't go looking for a fight. We wanted peace and we worked together as one people, with common purpose and a sense of brotherhood, to achieve it. This image was embedded in my brain, and it sprang to life again over the last two days.

First the sad part. I visited the Military Cemetery in Nazaret Illit, where my cousin Terry lies buried, killed on Yom Kippur 1973 in the opening battle. He was only 21 years old and he has no family left here. I took my 6 year-old grandson with me, who got a charge out of seeing his own surname on the gravestone - an instant bonding for him. This was the Israel I remembered, of honour, bravery and commitment. I call this sad, but I got an emotional injection from this visit that far exceeds anything I've had from a Shul service in years.

Then the joy, spending Yom HaAtzmaut on a Dati Leumi yishuv. The
effervescence of the Shul service, with choir, keyboard, clapping and singing all through the prayers. Afterwards, a typically "Israeli" concert, starting an hour late, completely amateurish, but who cares. The dancing, the singing, the fireworks (eventually!). The sense of togetherness, of Am Yisrael. This was the Israel I grew up with.

So you may ask, why is this piece called Schizophrenia? Because I drove back home, in my flag-bearing car, through Ramat Beit Shemesh, and had my car pelted by Jews throwing rotten fruit. I read later that there had been flag-burning incidents here - my home town! My first reaction, after the disgust and anger has subsided, was to say that I must move, get away from these pigs parading as people. But I realise that this small personal incident is in fact symptomatic of the sickness that infests all of Israel. We are a schizophrenic country, and you can't escape this by moving around inside the sick body - eventually the poison will find you. We need a cure. One thing I know for sure, the cure doesn't start with Glick-style negatives. No diet is going to fix us up. The opening paragraph of the suggested cure has to be "We must do this and this so that ..." not, "Your policy is wrong because I say so".

Who will invent the Prozac for our beloved land!

A sobering thought

I have so often heard people saying bad things about living in "this country", albeit I am guilty of doing it myself. Inevitably it happens after a typical Israeli experience at the bank, with the builders on your house, with the traffic... You get the point. My husband gets this year's award for the most amounts of "I want to leave and go back to...".

The old adage goes, "the grass is always greener." I am not sure if it is or it isn't but driving home from work today I had an almost fleeting, very real desire to be anywhere else other than Israel. I have never felt it as strongly as I did today, and of all days? The one thing I always say to people who complain about Israel and express a desire to leave is to imagine how much worse it would be if we did not have this country, if the Jewish homeland did not exist and we were unable to come and go freely. Would we really feel so nonchalant about Israel and it's, what I like to call, quirks?

It was this thought that brought me back to reality. I was ashamed of my fleeting desire to leave. On this very sad and special day I had betrayed, for just a second, all those people who had given their lives defending my freedom and right to live here in peace. We MUST do everything to keep Israel our Jewish homeland, even if that means giving back a small peace of it (pun intended).

With that in mind. Chag Sameach and enjoy your barbecues. As a true Australian (even though I was born in South Africa) it warms my heart that the Israeli way of celebrating Yom Haatzmaut is to light up the barbie, shame about the shrimps though!

American Scandal

This year's American Idol deserves a name change. First Abdul is accused of having a relationship (she is not married so who cares) with a contestant in 2003 who didn't even make it into the top 13... Again - who cares? It would be a scandal if he had won...

Then Scott Savol is all over the news for beating his girlfriend, claiming "everyone gets angry sometimes, doesn't mean I am violent". Much bigger scandal is the fact that he managed to stay in the competition for as long as he did and here's why:

Wednesday's vote was a disappointment for organizers of votefortheworst.com, a Web site that was conspiring to get the least talented contestant the record contract prize. Savol, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, was their pick. The Web site became a victim of its own popularity when a crush of visitors led to its shutdown Tuesday night.
"We had a big traffic problem yesterday at 5 p.m. (PDT) before the show aired on the East Coast, more than 200,000 hits," founder Dave Della Terza said Wednesday.

Which makes American Idol all the more sadder this year than it ever was - shame really because I quite enjoy the show.

Still think Bo is going to win!

A word we should use very carefully

Most dictionaries would agree basically with the definition of the verb transport that I find in the Americal Heritage Dictionary, namely ...

1. To carry from one place to another; convey. 2. To move to strong emotion; carry away; enrapture. 3. To send abroad to a penal colony; deport.

In Jewish history, however, the word has a whole different connotation, because it was a term used by the Germans in the context of their carefully planned and executed program to kill all the Jews within their reach. Jews were "transported" to the death camps. Those who were condemned to the living hell of the forced-labour camps lived in mortal fear of a "transportation", which they knew meant something even worse than the torment they were already suffering.

A Jew should therefore use the word trasport very carefully. I was shocked to hear it used in the same sense as the Germans had, in a discussion of the "proper solution" to the Israel/Palestinian problem. The Palestinians should be "transported" out of greater Israel, thereby eliminating the problem. I was sitting at the Shabbat table and literally had to bite my tongue, out of respect for my hosts, to stop myself from speaking. Worse still, there was no disagreement from the 7 others around the table.

What are we coming to? I have been barely able to think about anything else since that meal. Nothing is the world should be leading us to think like the Germans. There is no excuse for them, and there would be no excuse for us. Make no mistake, I am a Zionist; I completely believe that we have a right to the Land, and a duty to do everything we can honourably do to maintain our Homeland. But "transportation" is not a solution, it is a poison. Germany will never erase the stain of its past, and we have the duty to future generations of Jews, our children and grandchildren, not to burden them with the guilt that their forefathers had been guilty of such a sin against humanity.

A story to make Yom HaShoah even more special

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006658

In preparation for this year's Yom HaShoah, a Jewish school in New York discovered one such act of defiance and survival. At a recent parents' meeting at the progressive Abraham Joshua Heschel School on Manhattan's Upper West Side, two fathers of young daughters introduced themselves and learned, remarkably, that both of their fathers had been born in the same small Ukrainian town.

The Heschel parents, an American and an Israeli, realized that, since there was only a single Nazi transport from the town, both of their fathers were undoubtedly on the same train bound for an extermination camp in October 1942. The American told of his then 19-year-old father, who escaped by jumping through a plank he had dislodged from above a window in the car. His father, telling the story, always added that, before he jumped, he pushed a boy up and out through that loosened plank.

The Israeli instantly knew who the boy was, for his own father had always told of how there was an opening too high for him to reach--he was then age 11--and of how an older boy lifted him up and pushed him out. The two boys never saw each other again, but each, miraculously, survived the war by hiding in Ukrainian farms and forests. Now their children, so far in time and space from these events, came to learn that their daughters are in the same class.

You only miss something when it's lost

I tuned in to a BBC discussion on the election outcome, and heard a lot of talk about PR. My brain, tainted by US-speak, translated that as Public Relations, and I was wondering whether even the BBC has enough stupidity to imagine that Michael Howard could have done better if he'd had effective PR. Getting him to win this election was the equivalent of the original miracle of creation ex nihilo since the man has all the public presence of a 3-day-old prawn. Watching him talk on TV, the most fascinating thing about him (including what he is saying) is the gap between his two front teeth. Not even the most rabid masochist can endure more than a few seconds of him before crying "stop!".

But it turned out that they were talking about PR as in "Proportional Representation". They are bewailing the fact the the system in the UK allows Labour to win a 66 seat majority with barely 36% of the total vote, and only 3% more than the Tories. Bring in PR, they say, and we'll get responsible government.

No. No! NO!!!! We've got PR here, and it SUCKS. At least in the UK, you have a representative in Parliament. You may be unlucky enough to get George Galloway, but if that's as bad as I think it is, you can move. In Israel, you can't escape. You're stuck with a whole Knesset stuffed full of Galloways, or people that make him look morally and intellectually superior. The only way you can get away from them is to die.

So to my Pommy friends (all two of you) I say, you'll miss your current system 2 days after you choose the first UK governement by PR. What you've got, to paraphrase Churchill, is a terrible system, but its way ahead of whatever comes second.

Truly Unbelievable - You have to watch this!

By all accounts, the British general election campaign was very dull.

The outcome was rather more exciting, with Blair's majority significantly reduced by Tory and Lib Dem gains. George Galloway's shock win in Bethnal Green certainly caused a sensation, as he took a safe Labour seat that the party had held since 1945.

George Galloway is an odious demagogue, who exploited the racial tensions in the area for his own gain.
Unpleasant though Galloway is, I think Jeremy Paxman went OTT in this astonishing interview. It has to be seen to be believed. Enjoy!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/blog/4519553.stm

A Minutes Silence

...Where were you when the siren went off today for Yom Hashoah? I was having my car tested because I want to sell it. 70% of the workers and people at the Mosach were Arab and yet they stopped when the siren went off and hung their heads in silence. Amazing when you think there are ultra-orthodox (mainly Haredi) areas in Israel where they won't play a memorial siren to honor the fallen Soldiers on Yom Hazikaron! More about this next week.

...For some reason Galgalatz only plays Hebrew music on Yom Hashoah. Not sure if it really makes that much difference but I guess it is a way of showing some respect!

...A few years ago someone I know (no I am not telling) did not realize it was Yom Hashoah, when the memorial siren went off she thought there was a war breaking out and she grabbed her baby and locked herself and the baby in the bomb shelter. She didn't come out for a few hours and then only to grab the phone to call he mother to find out what was going on :)

...WE SHALL NOT FORGET!

Thierry Henry Speaks Out Against Racism

As well as being one of the most talented footballers on earth, (and one of the cutest, according to my wife!), Thierry Henry is also an eloquent spokesman in the campaign to kick racism out of football.

He has written a fine article in the Times on the issue.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,278-1597611,00.html

Racism in football is a controversial, emotional subject. It can reflect society itself, but football’s high profile means it can also create news around the issue. Yet governments are not able to tackle these problems easily. It is up to individuals to make their mark and do what they can in their field too.

Poetic justice for Chelsea

Like everyone else in England (except for Chelsea fans), I was cheering Liverpool to victory last night in the epic Champions League semi-final encounter against Chelsea, even though I'm an Arsenal fan. This was not only because Chelsea are London rivals of Arsenal, or even because of the crude way in which they have bought success.

Chelsea cheated their way to victory in a previous round of the Champions League against a glorious Barcelona team. Ricardo Carvalho clearly fouled the Barcelona goalkeeper, in the run-up to Chelsea's goal that knocked the Spaniards out. Hugh McIlvanny, a distinguished British sportswriter, has been outspoken in his condemnation of Chelsea's misdemeanours.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2094-1593498,00.html

So Chelsea' s elimination from the Champions League by a controversial Liverpool goal was poetic justice of the highest order. Incidentally, the Kop proved that dedication and devotion to their team is worth so much more than the millions that Roman Abramovich has poured into the nouveau riche Johnny Come Latelies of west London.

As Simon Barnes of The Times put it,

The Liverpool crowd had done an astonishing thing. They made Chelsea play worse than they can, they made Liverpool play better than they can, they made the referee turn a crucial decision their way. That’s 23 people all behaving in the way that the Liverpool crowd wished. It was, in the most literal sense, a triumph of hope over expectation.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,762-1597205,00.html

That is not to say that Liverpool played attractive football. Far from it. Shortly after they scored, they retreated into a shameful bunker, and barely resurfaced as an attacking force. In short, Liverpool defeated Chelsea at their own defensive game. A plague on both their houses, I say!

Since Liverpool will be representing England for only the second time in a European Cup Final, since 1985, I hope that they will actually try and play some football in the Final against their Italian opponents AC Milan, and be a credit to the English game. Or is that too much to ask?

exposure

Google search Janglo

Nushworld 3rd on the list :)

I Love My IPOD

Yes it's official!

I love my IPOD.

When my wife bought me the IPOD for my birthday, I did not get that excited. For starters, I'm not a Geek, and have no idea how these things work. To be honest, I still don't! My wife just put tons of my CDs (and even a few of her own) on the IPOD, and hey presto, I now have my own private radio station/jukebox (call it what you will) !

The thing is tiny. Not much bigger than a match box. On frustrating and exasperating days at work, the IPOD keeps me sane. It is actually a little toy, and I feel like an eight year-old boy with his action man. For me, the IPOD comes into its own when it is on shuffle mode. Now, for instance, this is what my IPOD has thrown at me:

1. Carl Orff - Carmina Burana
2. Rachmaninov - Vocalise
3. Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around
4. Dvorak - Allegro Con Fuoco
5. The Police - Walking on the Moon
6.Beethoven - Symphony No.2
7. Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance
8. Starsailor - Fidelity
9. Gustav Holst - Saturn - The Bringer of Old Age
10. Joan Jett - I Love Rock N'Roll (my wife's contribution!)

It's the aural equivalent of throwing all your kitchen ingredients into a pot, and making a broth out of it!
The taste makers may not approve. It doesn't seem quite right musically, but it is certainly fun, even if the music doesn't gel.

I have my work cut out to get my wife a present that she will appreciate as much!

My father used to say

My father always used to say you learn a new lesson every day. I was not aware that Israel was suffering from "overpopulation" of teachers in its' schools. I was also not aware that teachers are "overpaid" so I was shocked to read the following article in today's JP.

Education Minister Limor Livnat had justified the ultimatum by explaining that the ministry must inform local authorities about whether or not a mass dismissal of teachers would take place in time for them to prepare for the new school year in September.
In accordance with Rachlevsky's and Livnat's warnings, the ministry distributed a letter to school district directors during the first week of April instructing them to prepare lists of teachers in the category of "unnecessary" subjects such as fashion and agriculture, and teachers working less than a third of what is considered a
full-time job. At the time, Livnat had blamed the teachers' unions for "dragging their feet" to arrive at a "dead end," making it impossible to prepare the letter in time for implementing the reform next year. She also accused them of focusing on "short-term interests" and trying to "preserve their power as organizations" rather than thinking of what is in the students' best interest.

Because - hey part-time teachers don't have real jobs? Oh and those "unnecessary" subjects are the things that are not in the students best interest. Puhlease! As someone who failed academically at school, had it not been for the "unnecessary" subjects that I chose outside of Science and English literature I don't think I would have managed to go as far as I did.