"If you want to understand me, watch my movies."

wow! my 100th post. Woulda gotten here much earlier if I hadn't been so lax and busy.

I guess it's apropo that my 100th post be about Movies.

Here's a movie meme I found.


TOP 3 MOVIE MEME (not in any specific order, I just did them alphabetically)

The same movie can appear in more than one category.

Top 3 Favorite Action Movies:
1. Die Hard
2. Dirty Dozen
3. Reservoir Dogs
Top 3 Favorite Animated Movies:
1. Finding Nemo
2. The Incredibles
3. Toy Story
Top 3 Favorite Biographical Movies:
1. Man on the Moon
2. The Rookie (not the one with Charlie Sheen, the one with Dennis Quaid)
3. Walk the Line
Top 3 Favorite Classic Movies:
1. Best Years of Our Lives
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. Stalag 17
Top 3 Favorite Courtroom Dramas:
1. A Few Good Men
2. Inherit the Wind
3. Twelve Angry Men
Top 3 Favorite Documentaries:
1. Moonshot
2. One Day in September
3. (Can't think of a 3rd)
Top 3 Favorite Dramas:
1. American Beauty
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Sideways
Top 3 Favorite Historical Movies:
1. Gettysburg
2. JFK (ok, maybe not completely historical)
3. The Right Stuff
Top 3 Favorite Horror Movies:
1. Signs
2. Silence of the Lambs
3. Sixth Sense
Top 3 Favorite "Juvenile" Comedies:
1. Animal House
2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
3. The Naked Gun
Top 3 Favorite Musicals:
1. Fiddler on the Roof
2. Sound of Music
3. West Side Story
Top 3 Favorite Romantic Comedies:
1. The Apartment
2. Four Weddings and a Funeral
3. Keeping the Faith
Top 3 Favorite Science Fiction Movies:
1. Frequency
2. Star Trek: First Contact (By far the best of the 10 Star Trek movies)
3. Star Wars (all 6, I know it's cheating)
Top 3 Favorite Sports Movies:
1. *61
2. Fever Pitch
3. Seabiscuit
Top 3 Favorite Superhero Movies:
1. Spiderman 2
2. Unbreakable
3. X-Men
Top 3 Favorite Thrillers:
1. Memento
2. Silence of The Lambs
3. Leon
Top 3 Favorite Trilogies:
1. Die Hard
2. LOTR
3. Star Wars
Top 3 Favorite War Movies:
1. Black Hawk Down
2. Gettysburg
3. Saving Pivate Ryan
Top 3 Favorite Westerns:
1. Dances With Wolves
2. Rio Bravo
3. Unforgiven


I tag Stacey, Jack, dot co dot il, Kasamba and Elie because i doubt they will all have time to do this since it's a long meme.

Have a great day

J.

Quote from Chaplin (1992)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Why? We're getting higher ratings for this graphic than we've ever had on this show."

Just wanna thank Jameel for helping me with my new graphic.

...and just in time for Yom Yerushalayim. (He sent it to me earlier in the week, but I had techincal problems and wasn't able to upload it until today.)



Shabat shalom

J.

Quote is from The Truman Show (1998)
------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"It is a pleasure to see you, your excellency, and I would be honored to expedite your clearance through security."

As I'm sure you already noticed, I haven't had much time or the inclination to post much this week. Today, I got to work and told myself that I would have to think of a topic to write about because it's about time.

I just couln't think about anything until I received a phone call from my brother a few hours ago. He went to Europe on a business trip and got back to Israel early this morning.

His first comment to me was "don't even think about trying to leave the country while the injunction is still in effect" (I don't recall if I mentioned this yet, but since the separation, my STBex got a court injunction barring me from leaving the country for 1 year and Jcop Jr. can't leave until he's 18...don't ask I can rant about that for a while if I chose to.)

Anyway...

My brother told me that he received a little extra "attention" from ElAl security both on his way to Europe and on his way back.

On the way there, they only asked him if he had any children and what their ages were. He answered and then they let him thru.

On the way back, they took him aside and first asked the children question and then things got a bit interesting...

"Do you have any siblings living in Israel?"
"yes, a brother"
"whats his name?"
"J-cop"
"and where does Jcop live?"
"I actually don't know" (laughing)
"What do you mean that you don't know where your brother lives?"
"Well, he use to live in xxxxx, but he's now in the process of getting divorced and doesn't live in a set place. He moves around a lot."
"ah"
"BTW, why are you asking me these strange questions? I've never been asked these things before."
"Your last name is red flagged"
"oooookay"
"Have a nice flight"


Now we obviously don't have any real proof that the extra questioning was due to my "situation", but after having spoken to a number of people who fly regularly, this seems a bit out of the ordinary.

Shabbat shalom

J.

Quote is from Battlefield Earth (2000)


------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"He is trying to convince me that any independent contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when it was destroyed"

I just saw this on Jack's Shack and I had to link it.

This is great

J.

Quote is from Clerks (1994)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"What's the matter? Steroids make you deaf?"

I'm a baseball fan, but I don't like what's been going on lately...

J.

Babe Ruth vs Bonds
By John Steigerwald

What if The Babe came back for 4,000 more at bats?

How many more home runs do you think Babe Ruth would hit if he returned in his prime and played until, say, 2014? Think he'd hit 42 more home runs and finish one ahead of Henry Aaron at 756?

Henry Aaron hit 755 home runs in 12,364 at bats.

Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs in 8,398 at bats.

Who was a better home run hitter?

Would nine more seasons and 4,000 more at bats cancel out the legitimate argument that Ruth never played against a black player or that he never played in a night game?



Would nine more seasons hitting against pitchers, who are throwing off a mound that was lowered in 1968, put his numbers out of sight forever?

How about nine more seasons of hitting against, say, 150 pitchers (my quick estimate) whose ERAs wouldn't have kept them in the major leagues for a week?
How about nine more years with armor on his elbow?
How about nine more years in ballparks that were built to produce more home runs?
How about nine more years on steroids?
Are you getting the picture here?
Henry Aaron hit 41 more home runs than Babe Ruth, but it took him 3,966 more at bats.
Depending on when you're reading this, Barry Bonds has about 9,225 at bats.
That's about 870 more at bats than Ruth and 3,000 fewer at bats than Aaron.
The difference between Ruth and Bonds is about a season and a half. Give Ruth another season and a half and he's up to about 760. Think Bonds could beat that?
I don't think so.

There's a respected baseball historian named Bill Jenkinson who had a lot of time on his hands and did enough research to conclude that Bonds would have to play at least another 10 years to hit more home runs than Babe Ruth would have hit if he had played in this era. Mike Berardino wrote about him in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on May 10.

Jenkinson says Ruth lost at least 50 home runs because of a long forgotten rule that required a ball to land in fair territory AFTER it left the park to count as a home run. If it curved around the foul pole and landed in foul territory it was a foul ball. The biggest factor, according to Jenkinson, is the difference in the size of the ballparks. He was able to track down multiple newspaper accounts of over 600 of Ruth's home runs. There was quite a bit of detail in those accounts and he was able to plot the distance and direction of almost every ball that Ruth ever hit.

I told you this guy had a lot of time on his hands.

Jenkinson took that information and put those balls into the average modern day ballpark-330 down both lines, 375 to the power alleys and 405 to center-instead of the huge parks from Ruth's era. Ruth did have a 257-foot right field line at the Polo Grounds and 296 at Yankee Stadium but Jenkinson's research showed that most of Ruth's home runs went to right center, left center or straightaway center field. He says the short right field lines were worth about three home runs per year. It was 429 to right centerfield at Yankee Stadium and 490 straightaway. Left center was 470. Because Ruth was pitched away so often, he hit a lot of fly balls to left center. That's a lot of long outs that would be home runs today.

Jenkinson told Berardino, "I really want people to know how often this happened. It was a regular occurrence."

Here's Jenkinson's clincher: Barry Bonds has hit 35 home runs of 450-plus feet. Ruth hit at least 245.

So, how many home runs would Ruth, according to Jenkinson's exhaustive research, have hit if he had played in the Barry Bonds era?

Would you believe 1,150?

Let's say he's off by 200. Bonds would still have to hit about 235 more to catch him.

I've decided to give Ruth another 15 home runs a year if he had played his last eight years juiced. That would put him at 1,270.

Let Barry put that in his syringe and shoot it.

Call me when Barry's sitting on 1,269.

Quote is from The Running Man (1987)

------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I want the name of this flying whatchamacallit to go with the Daily Planet like bacon & eggs, franks & beans, death & taxes, politics and corruption"

I found these two cartoons and I thought you all might enjoy them too.

I'll hopefully have a normal post later today.

J.






Quote is from Superman (1978)


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Did Albert ever discuss his political convictions with you?""Albert don't have no political convictions. He's an American!"

I know I've gotten a bid political lately, but I just want you all to know that I dont favor either side in America (Dems or Repubs), I just like when people poke fun at both sides. I'm an equal-opportunity practitioner of political humor.

J.



In the news...(jokes)

Dick Cheney’s approval rating is 18%. That’s slightly higher than Osama bin Laden and a little lower than Mad Cow disease. Imagine how low it would be if he hadn’t shot a lawyer? Rumor has it Cheney is so desperate to get his approval rating up he is thinking about shooting an IRS agent next. (Alex Kaseberg)



Newsweek reported Friday that advertisers will spend a half billion dollars on the NCAA tournament. It's a competitive market. According to polls, basketball is America's second favorite indoor sport, but the other one has more spectators on the Internet. (Argus Hamilton)



President George W. Bush announced today that he would no longer preside over so-called town hall meetings across the United States and that those duties would now be outsourced to a "presidential customer service representative" stationed in Bangalore, India. (Andy Borowitz)



President Bush angrily responded to questions during Tuesday's news conference about whether he wanted to go to war. He insisted we didn't go into Iraq because he wanted war; we went into Iraq because he wanted to get re-elected. (Jake Novak)


President Bush said today that his plan to fight terrorism is simple and straightforward; go after the evil doers, track them down, find them where they're hiding, and sell them our ports. (Jay Leno)



Chrysler Corporation is adding a new car to its line to honor George W. Bush and Dick Chaney. The Dodge Drafter will begin production in Alabama this year. (Author Unknown)



Condi Rice flew to the Bahamas Wednesday where she was besieged by questions about her interest in the NFL Commissioner's job. She could use her experience to help bring a team to Los Angeles. She gets along great with the president of Mexico. (Argus Hamilton)



Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said that his department would beef up security at the nation's chemical plants by compiling a complete list of plants that are vulnerable to attack and publishing them online. (Andy Borowitz)



Montana law students are seeking pardons for World War I seditionists. Those are people who were jailed for criticizing the government. Today those people are called "Democrats." (Jake Barach)




Quote is from D.C. Cab(1983)
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"You do too much - college, a job, all this time with me... You're not Superman, you know."

Here's a "light" post

Yesterday, I was home sick from work with a stomach virus and decided that it was the perfect day to catch up on some movie watching.

In anticipation of this summer's expected blockbuster, Superman Returns, I watched the original Superman (1978) and then its sequel, Superman II (1980). I hadn't seen either of them in over a decade and watching them brought up so many memories of my childhood and adolescence.

I recall as a child after seeing Superman II in the theater that I had trouble sleeping that night because of the battle between Superman and his 3 nemesis' over the skies of New York...I mean Metropolis. I also recall being slightly embarrased when I saw young Kal-El exit the ship that brought him to Earth, buck naked, like the day he was born.

My mother told me years later that she lost all respect for Superman once he slept with Lois Lane. I didn't lose respect for Superman, just Christopher Reeve. C'mon Margot Kidder? (ya gotta be kidding).

I also recall the awe I felt watching those movies years later in my teens and loving the fight between Supes and his rivals. Never thought III or IV were any good, but the Superman franchise was definately revived by Lois and Clark and Smallville. And soon Brian Singer and "Superman Returns" will hopefully explain whats been going on in the "real" world.

Superman has always been the "original" superhero for me. He was my first real exposure to super-humans, but until I saw Kill Bill 2 last year, I never thought the most obvious thing about him.

No not the fact that Lois and everyone else couldn't see what difference glasses make to a person, but actually the fact that Superman is one of the few Superheroes whose secret identity is a human, not the other way around. Clark Kent is his secret identity, not Batman to Bruce Wayne or Spiderman to Peter Parker (I know Spidey and Supes don't live in the same multi-universe, so don't get me started on that....)

Amazing that we need Quentin to tell us that fact.

Who was UR favorite superhero from the movies?

You now know who mine was (*lets see what happens with it in July....)

J.

Today's quote is from Spider-man (2002)

------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Bush told the people to rise up against Saddam. They thought they'd have our support. They don't. Now they're getting slaughtered."

I can't help myself, found another good one.





Quote is from Three Kings (1999)


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"You wanna make the elephant fly, don't ya? Well, you gotta use a lot of 'chology. You know, psychology. Now, here's what you do. First, you, uh..."

was sent this by a friend...

Tough Love vs. Spanking ~

(a psychological conundrum)

Most of America's populace think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,

A Friend




scroll down








Quote is from Dumbo (1941)
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"No matter where you run into it, prejudice obscures the truth"

Here's two more just for you Amishav

J.









Quote is from 12 Angry Men (1957)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"I don't mean you walk around morning to night whackin' 'em upside the head like someone from the other side"

Full quote: "I don't mean you walk around morning to night whackin' 'em upside the head like someone from the other side but you terrorize 'em once in a while just to keep 'em in line. Know what I mean?"



This is for Stacey from Stacey's shmata (a fellow former mid-westerner--no Texas is NOT a mid-western state) who like most of us, she also doesn't like this guy very much.

Sorry to have brought out all that anger Stacey

J.

Quote is from The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"If you build what, who will come?"

There is only one thing I miss about living in the states. Maybe by next year that'll change. Saw this article from the NYTIMES.

Israel Dreams Big, as in Big League
By MURRAY CHASS

PEOPLE go to Israel for different reasons. Some go to see historic sites, some go for religious reasons, some go to visit their children and grandchildren. Larry Baras goes to Israel to build a professional baseball league.

Baras, founder and operator of a specialty baking company in Boston, is going to Israel next Thursday for the next step in getting his league ready for what he plans to be its debut next year.

"Hopefully I'm going to select some of the venues," he said in a telephone interview. "As soon as I get some of the venues in place, we'll go after sponsorships and start selling tickets."

The man has an ambitious plan, considering that baseball and Israel usually are not mentioned in the same sentence. But interest in the sport has been growing, and the country has an amateur baseball league and three softball leagues as well as youth leagues.

Given that Israel has no baseball stadiums, Baras's project, especially its estimated time of arrival, may be unrealistic, but a former major league general manager likes the idea so much that he has joined as director of player development.

"I met with Larry and was really impressed with his enthusiasm," Dan Duquette, former general manager of the Boston Red Sox, said yesterday. "The program and the objectives of the league really excited me."

Commissioner Bud Selig is also enthusiastic about the idea. "I am 100 percent not only supportive," he said, "but I have been trying to figure out ways to make it happen. It's a subject very near and dear to my heart."

Duquette, who has created a youth sports academy in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, recalled that when he worked for the Montreal Expos, the owner, Charles Bronfman, talked about "bringing baseball to Israel."

By establishing the league, Baras has another goal: getting Israel into the next World Baseball Classic in 2009.

"We would recruit some Jewish-American major leaguers and minor leaguers," Baras said. He noted that Mike Piazza played for Italy in this year's inaugural classic and said, "They did it with a bit of a stretch. We don't have that stretch. We have the law of return."

Under that concept, any Jew is eligible to become a citizen of Israel. That means an Israeli team could include Kevin Youkilis, Gabe Kapler and Adam Stern of Boston, David Newhan of Baltimore, Shawn Green of Arizona, Brad Ausmus of Houston, Mike Lieberthal of Philadelphia, Jason Marquis of St. Louis, Scott Schoeneweis of Toronto, John Grabow of Pittsburgh and Scott Feldman of Texas.

But first the Israel Baseball League has to come into existence. To achieve that goal, Baras has recruited some impressive non-playing talent.

Besides Duquette, he has Daniel Kurtzer, former United States ambassador to Israel, who is set to be the league's commissioner. As advisers, he has Andrew Zimbalist, the Smith College economist, and Marvin Goldklang, a limited partner in the Yankees and owner of five minor league teams.

"It's a project that is so intriguing to me I have to be involved," Goldklang said. "Whether we can make it happen for 2007 remains to be seen."

In his visit next week, Baras will study soccer stadiums in Israel with the thought of converting them for baseball use for what he expects to be a season of about 48 games with six teams, 20 players to a team.

"From what I have been told," Baras said, "there are some soccer stadiums that seat between 3,000 and 5,000, which is what we're looking for. We're not going to start with Jerusalem and Tel Aviv because they don't have the facilities we're looking for."

Rather, he said, he will look at towns like Bet Shemesh, which is between those two major cities.

"A lot of Americans live there," Baras said. "They have 200-plus kids playing baseball there, and they have a soccer stadium. It's near the main highway, and the train from Jerusalem stops near the stadium, I am told."

Israel may be the land of milk and honey, but it's not a land of baseball players. Where will Baras find them? He plans to model the league on the Italian league, where, he said, 60 percent of the players are from the United States.

Baras, 54, said he would advertise for players in baseball publications and seek minor league players, former players and undrafted college players. Israel has a thriving basketball league populated by many foreign players.

The long-range plan, though, is to grow their own players. Duquette's goal, Baras said, "is to develop players so that by the start of Year 6 at least a quarter of the players will be native Israelis."

Duquette said they will develop players at an academy they will build in Israel. Their timing is good. Israel has just established a sports ministry, and its head has said there will be a new emphasis on sports in the country, especially on sports other than soccer and basketball.

In trying to attract an audience, the Israeli league will also follow the model of the Italian league. There, Baras said, "a lot of the entertainment value transcends the game itself" with pre- and post-game and between-innings entertainment.

"It will be a family-oriented fun venue," he said. "Israeli spectator sports have a male-dominated audience. You seldom see women and children."

Baras, an orthodox Jew, said he came up with the idea for the league last summer.

"My first thought was what can I do to help Israel," he related. "I had reached the stage of my life where I wanted to do something. Being passionate about both Israel and baseball and having familiarity with minor league baseball, specifically unaffiliated baseball, I said, 'Why can't we do that over there?'

"Not only was I met with some skepticism, but I was skeptical," he added. "But as time went on, I realized it could be done."

Now he just has to do it.

Quote is from Field of Dreams (1989)


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"And this is all because of you. I mean, not directly, but in some far-fetched six degrees of Kevin Bacon-way."

Here's a quick post before shabbat. The following is a list of some strange searches people did and came across my blog today.

Moshav Bitzaron
THE ONLY ARAB RULE FOLLOWING CONQUEST IN 633 B.C. LASTED JUST 22 YEARS
Ari Zivotofsky neuroscience
sad depressing love stories
Angolans and Israeli traveling
2 minute facts about Jerusalem

and these were all just in the last few hours

check out Chavelah's post about her one year blogiversary.

Can u believe I was so close to actually meeting the Purple Parrot, which would make me only 4 degrees of seperation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Shabbat shalom

J.

Today's quote is from Scream 2 (1997)
------------------------------------------------
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo."

A friend sent this article from Arutz 7 to me.

Israel´s Water Buffalo Deemed Kosher
17:06 May 09, '06 / 11 Iyar 5766
by Hillel Fendel

At the behest of two Bar Ilan University researchers, Israel's Chief Rabbi has declared the water buffalo a kosher animal. A different animal, the American bison, has long been considered kosher.


The two researchers - Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky, a Bar Ilan University neuroscience researcher, and Dr. Zohar Amar, of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology - with the help of Dr. Ari Greenspan, a Jerusalem dentist, have been studying the topic of obscure animals and their kashrut status for years. Their research has produced much evidence that may lead to the granting of kosher status to pheasant, guinea fowl, partridge, and others - and now, the water buffalo is kosher due to their work.

Presented with a host of evidence indicating its kashrut, the Rishon LeTzion, Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, has now agreed to issue kosher certification for the water buffalo. This will enable water buffalo breeders to market the animal's kosher meat and kosher milk under the official authorization of the Chief Rabbinate.

Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Zivotofsky was first asked to explain the significance of Rabbi Amar's ruling, in light of the fact that buffalo meat in the United States has long been considered kosher. "It's two different animals," he said. "The animal in the States is what we call bison, while the one here is water buffalo, known in modern Hebrew by its Arabic name, jamoose. Some call it by its Hebrew Biblical name te'o, but the truth we can't be sure that it's the same thing."

A-7: "Is that lack of certainty not a problem?"

AZ: "No. The Torah mentions two signs of a kosher animal: It must chew its cud, and must have split hooves. In addition, as Rabbi Amar insisted on, another sign mentioned in the Talmud is that it must have no upper front teeth. We therefore found a skull for Rabbi Amar to examine, and he found that there were no front teeth. Another condition, required by the Chazon Ish, is that there be a tradition about its kashrut status. So after a lot of work and running around, we also found several shochtim [ritual slaughterers] and m'nakrim [those who remove forbidden veins and fats] who remember dealing with this animal. We showed them pictures of the buffalo, and they remembered it; the buffalo used to roam widely here in Israel in the Huleh Valley and elsewhere. Based on this evidence, Rabbi Amar ruled it kosher."

Buffalo are currently raised in Moshav Bitzaron, just east of Ashdod, having been brought over from Italy. Zivotofsky says that these buffalo are the same as those that used to live here in Israel. "The Italian Jewish community still uses these animals today for their milk and meat," he said.

"Another sign," Zivotofsky said, "though not a conclusive one, is that the word 'buffalo' appears in the Shulchan Arukh [the seminal Jewish law code] as a kosher animal. Where did author Rabbi Yosef Karo know this word from? The answer is that he was quoting Rabbi Isaiah of Terrani, Italy, and so it is likely that he is talking about the very same animal that came from Italy and that is now being raised in Bitzaron."

Water buffalo meat has market potential within Israel and abroad. Authentic mozzarella cheese is produced from water buffalo milk, which is also noted for its medicinal uses.

Zivotofsky said that his next project is to try to ascertain the kashrut of yak: "This will be much harder, for there is no tradition regarding it, but it appears to fulfill all the basic requirements of a kosher animal. If anyone can get us a yak skull, it would help us greatly."

Busy guy, certifying kosher animals AND sueing Condaleeza Rice at the same time!!!

Nice to see that someone is watching out for us by making sure we have more kosher meat (hopefully not certified by the guy from my last post) and someone fighting for the rights of the holy city of Jerusalem.

If you want to read more about the validity of buffalo being kosher click here

Quote from Fletch (1985)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"A cut of meat is kosher. A piece of fish, savory foods, and all kinds of dang things are kosher, but a probation report is not kosher.

Full Quote- A cut of meat is kosher. A piece of fish, savory foods, and all kinds of dang things are kosher, but a probation report is not kosher. A probation report is merely a probation report.

another one from Haaretz

Kosher inspector jailed for 6 months for importing non-kosher meat
By Itim

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Sunday sentenced for six months in jail a kosher inspector convicted of assisting meat importers to smuggle and import non-kosher meat into Israel.

At the time of committing the offense Aharon Rabinowitz, 56, was a slaughterhouse inspector for the Chief Rabbinate and was in charge over the inspection of imported kosher meat. The court convicted him of stealing kosher certificates from the rabbinate and selling them to meat importers, thus allowing them to bring into Israel non-kosher meat and selling it as kosher meat.

The court ruled that in 1996 Rabinowitz allowed the importation of the uncertified meat as kosher and as having been slaughtered by butchers certified by the Chief Rabbinate in Israel. But the meat was actually imported without the required supervision, with fake and stolen certificates used by importers to bring into Israel large quantities of meat.

The charge sheet stated that only two stolen certificates were seized in the investigation, which Rabinowitz sold for $10,000 to a meat importer. The prosecution could not establish how Rabinowitz used other stolen certificates.

Judge Eilata Ziskind ruled "the severity of the offenses extends beyond the financial issue when the Chief Rabbinate is the body responsible in Israel for the issuance of kosher certificates and when the majority of the public relies on these certificates."

"The defendant, as a Chief Rabinnate employee and a rabbi, who was expected to be most attentive to these sensitive issues, betrayed the principles and essence of his position and committed the severe offenses of which he was convicted," the judge said.

Despite the fact Rabinowitz committed the offenses ten years ago and was fired from his job without compensation, the court insisted that "committing fraud, breach of trust and stealing documents for money, require in the name of the public's interests a deterring punitive measure - a jail sentence - which is the appropriate punishment for the severe offenses, due to the harsh blow to the public."

Judge Ziskind sentenced Rabinowitz to six months in prison, to be converted to public service and imposed a NIS 30,000 fine.

He got off too easy. ONLY 6 months. Guess his real judgement will come from the judge of Judges who wasn't appointed

J.

Quote from City Hall (1996)



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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"All this for a loaf of bread?"

from haaretz

Gov't said set to put off budget vote amid bread price row
By Haaretz Service

The coalition will delay by two days a scheduled Monday Knesset vote on the 2006 State Budget, after several Pensioners and Labor legislators voiced strong objections to a hike in the price of basic bread, Army Radio reported.

The step followed a warning by a senior Pensioners party legislator that his faction could bolt the Kadima-led government over the price rise. Several Labor MKs threatened to boycott the Monday vote, citing the bread issue.

The NIS 284.2 billion budget, together with the Economic Arrangements Law, were to have been brought before the Knesset for its first reading on Monday.

But Pensioners MK Moshe Sharoni said Monday morning that if the faction was unable in the Knesset Finance Committee to overturn the decision to raise the price of basic bread, the party might leave the coalition.

"We didn't come here for the chairs. I'm asking myself where the Labor Party is in all of this, the so-socially minded party, which constantly sang the mantra of social welfare? Where are they now?"

Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich, saying that the price rise in basic bread "hurts only the poor," said that changes would be made to the budget before its final reading.

Yachimovich and fellow Labor lawmakers Nadia Hilu and Yoram Marciano all planned to boycott the Monday vote in protest, the radio said.

Sharoni called the timing of the price hike "unfortunate," adding that the government's way of thinking was "abnormal and anomalous."

"The government is giving NIS 1.3 billion to Shas, and doesn't have a few millions to allocate in order to keep from raising the price of bread.

"I'd like to ask, 'How many electronic engineers have come out of Shas to date? How many academics came out of all the billions they have wasted?"

Sharoni said he believed that the other six members of the Pensioners Knesset faction shared his views on the bread price rise. "We are an independent party, and we will decide on the basis of what is good for the pensioners. We don't make our decisions on the basis of what is good for Kadima."

...and it starts to crumble from within

J.

Quote from Aladdin (1992)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"You can't say 'Bomb' on an airplane! "

Get a load of
this

US federal security officers arrested an Israeli and four Angolans on Sunday, on suspicion of plotting an attack on a passenger plane at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The five were traveling back to their home countries on Saturday after attending helicopter training school in Texas, said Steven Siegel, a spokesman for the FBI's Newark office.

Fellow passengers on Flight 1874, which had departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, became suspicious of the men because they were speaking in foreign languages and had "aircraft flight materials" with them, Siegel said.

A federal marshal on the plane notified authorities at Newark Liberty about the men's behavior.

Police officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, took the men into custody soon after the plane landed around 3:20 p.m., said a Port Authority spokesman. The men had no weapons.

After being questioned by authorities, the five were found to pose no threat and were released, an FBI spokesman said.

Makes you wonder in what language the Israeli was speaking to the Angolan's. Nice to know that there are Israelis who speak Portuguese or maybe he knew Kikongo, Kimbundo, Umbundu, Chokwe, Mbunda and Oxikwanyama?

So who was the Israeli REALLY speaking to and in what language?

Sounds a bit biased, doesn't it?

and since when does Steven Segal work for the FBI? ;)

J.

Today's quote is from Meet the Parents (2000)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"How did your uneducated kind ever take Jerusalem?"

Unbelievable, 3 posts in one day. I think it's a record for me.

-J


Crucial facts about israel and jerusalem...

1. Israel became a state in 1312 b.c., two millennia before islam;

2. Arab refugees from israel began calling themselves "palestinians" in 1967, two decades after (modern) israeli statehood;

3. After conquering the land in 1272 b.c., jews ruled it for a thousand years and maintained a continuous presence there for 3,300 years;

4. The only arab rule following conquest in 633 b.c. lasted just 22 years;

5. For over 3,300 years, jerusalem was the jewish capital. It was never the capital of any arab or muslim entity. Even under jordanian rule, (east) jerusalem was not made the capital, and no arab leader came to visit it;

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the bible, but not once is it mentioned in the qur'an;

7. King david founded jerusalem; muhammad never set foot in it;

8. Jews pray facing jerusalem; muslims face mecca. If they are between the two cities, muslims pray facing mecca, with their backs to jerusalem;

9. In 1948, arab leaders urged their people to leave, promising to cleanse the land of jewish presence. 68% of them fled without ever setting eyes on an israeli soldier;

10. Virtually the entire jewish population of muslim countries had to flee as the result of violence and pogroms;

11. Some 630,000 arabs left israel in 1948, while close to a million jews were forced to leave the muslim countries;

12. In spite of the vast territories at their disposal, arab refugees were deliberately prevented from assimilating into their host countries. Of 100 million refugees following world war 2, they are the only group to have never integrated with their co-religionists. Most of the jewish refugees from europe and arab lands were settled in israel, a country no larger than the state of new jersey;

13. There are 22 muslim countries, not counting palestine. There is only one jewish state. Arabs started all five wars against israel, and lost every one of them;

14. Fatah and hamas constitutions still call for the destruction of israel. Israel ceded most of the west bank and all of gaza to the palestinian authority, and even provided it with arms;

15. During the jordanian occupation, jewish holy sites were vandalized and were off limits to jews. Under israeli rule, all muslim and christian holy sites are accessible to all faiths;

16. united nations security council up until 1990,

97 resolutions out of 175 were against israel;

in the general assembly:

429 resolutions, out of 690 were against israel;

17. The u.n. was silent when the jordanians destroyed 58 synagogues in the old city of jerusalem. It remained silent while jordan systematically desecrated the ancient jewish cemetery on the mount of olives, and it remained silent when jordan enforced apartheid laws preventing jews from accessing the temple mount and western wall.

Quote is from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"As chairman of the welcoming committee, it's a pleasure to present a Laurel and Hardy handshake to our new [finally looks up]... nigger."

Saw this article in ha'aretz. (wow two posts in one day)

Soldier ousted from unit for refusing to shake Halutz's hand

By Amos Harel and Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondents

Sergeant Hananel Dayan, the decorated Israel Defense Forces soldier who caused a furor last week when he refused to shake hands with IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz "to protest the expulsion" of settlers from the Gaza Strip, was expelled from his unit.

Dayan, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Psagot, serves in the 188 Armored Corps Brigade ("Barak"). He refused the handshake during an Independence Day ceremony Wednesday at the President's Residence in Jerusalem. On Thursday, Brigade Commander Colonel Moshe Sheetrit decided on the disciplinary measure after speaking with Dayan.

Sheetrit decided that Dayan "chose to express a personal protest of a political nature and in so doing caused damage to military discipline and the value of service. In expressing his personal position, he violated the brigade's values of comradeship, mutual trust and partnership."

Meretz legislator Zehava Galon said Sunday she opposes the disciplinary action taken against Dayan.

Speaking on Israel Radio, Galon said "as an advocate for human rights I cannot approve of the measures employed against [Dayan]; this has nothing to do with being a leftist or a rightist."

This week the Head of the Personnel Directorate, Major General Elazar Stern, is to decide whether to withdraw Dayan's commendation and whether to bar him from any command positions in the IDF.

Stern also met with Dayan on Thursday in what he called a "hearing." Stern claimed that Dayan deceived his commanding officers because he had planned his protest ahead of time but denied any such intention when asked about it before the ceremony. He also refused to apologize for his action.

The Dayans' lawyer, Adi Keidar, claims that a handshake is not a military command and said the family was considering appealing to the High Court.

The Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria announced this weekend that it "shakes the hand" of Dayan, "who saluted properly but refused an act of friendship such as shaking the hand of a political chief of staff who is not friendly to the national-religious public, and that's an understatement."

The council called Dayan's expulsion from his brigade one more sign of the dictatorship that had taken over the country's leadership in general and had unfortunately even penetrated the IDF.

The anti-disengagement "Jew does not expel a Jew" movement plans to raise money for Dayan and to give him a commendation of their own.

The Orange Cell student movement also decided to award a commendation to Dayan for "proving his excellence both as a soldier who received the president's commendation and for sticking to his moral principles and refusing to shake the chief of staff's hand."

I think the Rabbinical council said it best "who saluted properly but refused an act of friendship such as shaking the hand of a political chief of staff who is not friendly to the national-religious public, and that's an understatement."

J.

Quote is from Blazing saddles
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it

Saw this interesting article today.

With the new government barely installed, times may be speedily changing in ways many voters hardly expected.

The defunct Shinui has been replaced in the present coalition by its nemesis Shas, whose leader Eli Yishai has been entrusted with none other than Ehud Olmert's old Industry and Trade portfolio. His first order of business was to announce that from now on he will "strictly enforce Saturday-closure regulations at malls and roadside shopping centers," where for the past few years weekend commerce has been booming.

Three years ago, when Olmert held that job, he suspended the activities of Druse inspectors charged with fining businesses open on Shabbat in contravention of the law. At the time, Olmert was cheered by Shinui, which set out to alter the anyway rickety status quo on religious affairs.

Yishai has announced that he will employ more Druse inspectors (Olmert's crew had dwindled to a mere three) to report on commercial enterprises operating delinquently during Shabbat. Such businesses will be fined.

Yishai declared his intention "to put an end to Saturday shopping sprees." By one ministry estimate, the phenomenon of Saturday labor has grown so rampant that an estimated 230,000 Israelis - mostly Jewish - work on the Jewish Sabbath. Brisk Saturday business means that some stores gross well over double their intake on any given weekday.

Yishai is right to note that not only religious traditions are involved but also very social-oriented legislation, which seeks to ascertain that employed personnel get Saturday off, as they are currently guaranteed.

The pro-Saturday-business lobby maintains that a midweek day off is available as compensation for Saturday employment, but this isn't as simple as it sounds. In a milestone decision last year, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that "existing Shabbat legislation protects workers' rights and that only a universal day of rest, shared by all family members, can afford them one free day that all can spend together. Alternative time off will not achieve the same social aim." The court unequivocally determined that "a uniform day of rest is in the socio-national interest" and that "mobile days of rest serve employers, not employees." Armed with this ruling, Yishai will be difficult to oppose. Olmert may be loath to do so, and not only due to coalition expediency. He himself was severely taken to task by the attorney-general in 2003 when dropping his mini-bombshell to proclaim that he wouldn't stop Saturday business, thereby clearly violating the 1951 law that prohibits the employment of Jews on Saturdays.

While Yishai's planned crackdown will doubtless be portrayed as autocratic, reactionary, coercive and restrictive, the fact that cash registers keep ringing on Saturdays has not necessarily rung in freedom, certainly not for employees who find it harder to get jobs or keep them if they prefer not to work on Shabbat. Those not powerful enough to stand up to big businesses are easily victimized.

Thus far the main beneficiaries of lax enforcement of the law were kibbutz-owned out-of-town shopping centers and large chain outlets in some malls. Small urban stores that must stay shut are losing clientele to patently unfair competition. Shopkeepers who cannot afford hired help face a choice between working a seven-day week or going under.

Existing compromises that allow entertainment and dining out on Shabbat keep the law from being oppressive. We hope Yishai will uphold it without excesses that smack of a culture war. The flipside of Shinui provocations isn't what this nation needs, especially not at this juncture.

Ideally, what we need isn't a Shabbat indistinguishable from ordinary weekdays but a five-day workweek and a two-day weekend to offer Israelis the weekend shopping they crave. Until then, we need sensible governance that respects the diversity of our society and the status quo it has yielded on Shabbat observance.

The main question is: Do we live in an Israeli state or a Jewish one? I like the idea of a 5-day work week with a two day weekend. (shabbat-Sunday)

Have a good week

J.

Todays quote is from Chariots of Fire (1981)
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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln

"Tout le même, I must thank the pipe-smoking Colonel Arbuthnott for a remark which finally resolved all my confusions about this extraordinary case"

I was tagged by Lady-Light for the A-Z Meme, so here goes:

Accent: I dont think I have one, but growing up in the Mid-west after living 8 years on the East Coast, made me think I did (or was it everyone else who had the accent) try pronouncing Orange, drawer and my favorte silly Mid-west word POP. IT"S SODA!!!!

Booze: Not a fan of liquer, got drunk once back when I was 23 and ended up breaking a door, not a pleasant experience (maybe a future blog topic)

Chore I Hate: Batheing,(just kidding) I really hate doing the floors (washing, sweeping)

Dogs/Cats: Not a pet person

Essential Electronics: TV, DVD, Laptop, Cellphone.

Favorite Perfume/Cologne: Right Guard ;)

Gold/Silver: White Gold. Silver is too much of a pain to clean

Hometown: Jerusalem

Insomnia: Only on Saturday nights, if I slept too much over Shabbat

Job Title: Ex-Cop and now the unofficial "computer guy"

Kids: 1 son, J-cop Jr.

Living Arrangements: Mobile for the time being 9until we come to some kinda divorce settlement

Most Admired Trait: Knowing ALOT about movies and TV shows

Number of movies I've seen since 1998 (Original q was Number of Sexual Partners): 1003...1004 (really and that isn't also the answer to the original "N" question)

Overnight Hospital Stays: Besides my own birth and my son's (he was born at 5am), had my tonsils taken out when I was 27, spent two nights in the hospital

Phobia: The fear (that we all have) that I will spend hours on a post and no one will read or comment on it

Quote:I don't swear for the hell of it. Language is a poor enough means of communication. We've got to use all the words we've got. Besides, there are damn few words anybody understands. from Inherit the wind (1960)

Religion: Jewish (or so I'm told)

Siblings: 3+3

Time I usually wake up: 5:10am

Unusual Talent: Being able to remember pointless facts about movies and the rest of the entertainment industry

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Mushrooms

Worst Habit: Procrastination and preferring to read blogs instead of work

X-Rays: X-Ray vision would be nice, but how does Superman see people, he should only see their skeletons

Yummy Foods I make: Corned Beef, Brisket, many kinds of other meat and chicken dishes...oh and I'm a vegetarian....NOT

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

I tag My Bald Sheitel, Chavaleh, Annabel and Amishav

Todays quote is from Murder on the Orient Express (1974)


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The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
– Abraham Lincoln