Category Archives: Israel

Anat Cohen: Rule 5

Posted on February 2, 2011 | Comments Off on Anat Cohen: Rule 5

AnatCohen

She’s also a cool musician.

Indeed, she’s the Queen of the Jazz clarinet.

With an insightful interview here.

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Posted in Israel, Library, Music

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Reasons to side with Egypt’s dictator

Posted on January 30, 2011 | Comments Off on Reasons to side with Egypt’s dictator

“There are reasons not to expect Egypt to turn into a moderate, stable, and democratic state: There are few forces favoring this outcome; the rebellion has no organization; Egypt doesn’t have the resources to raise living standards and distribute wealth; extremist ideologies are deeply held and widely spread.”

A takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood, or some other extreme Islamist group, would not be pretty.

Not only would war with Israel be the likely result (with an Egyptian air force flying American-provided F-16s) but a new world spot for stonings, beheadings, and religious ranting and threats. A new seat of terrorist training and dispatch to the West.

UPDATE:  On the other hand, there already do seem to be some exceptions.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Israel, The War

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Holocaust Remembrance Day

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Posted on January 27, 2011 in Israel, Obituaries, Scribbles

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Neshama Carlebach: Rule 5

Posted on January 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Neshama Carlebach: Rule 5

NeshamaCarlebach

With all that long, red hair, she’s as pretty as she sings in her latest, with a Baptist Church choir, no less.

Although I still like this old, self-produced one the best, for the pure Jewish soul of her own given name.

But, at seven albums now, there are plenty to choose from.

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Posted in Israel, Library, Rule 5

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Auschwitz, the video game, canceled

Posted on January 4, 2011 | Comments Off on Auschwitz, the video game, canceled

The, ahem, “game” will not be released this month as planned. What a tragedy.

It doesn’t sound like the tasteless Sonderkommando revenge fantasy, a mod for the moldy 8-bit Wolfenstein 3D, was even very good. Just as well, no doubt.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Israel

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A Pigeon and a Boy: A Novel

Posted on January 2, 2011 | Comments Off on A Pigeon and a Boy: A Novel

This touching 2006 novel by popular Israeli writer Meir Shalev is a tender love story of two generations. The preceding one set before and during the 1948 War of Independence, when Western support was assured, and its successor, modern tale amid the widespread anti-Zionism spurred by Islamist and older hatreds.

The precedent determined the successor, the latter being impossible without the former, and that’s all I’m going to say about the plot. Except that it surprised me and I always like to be surprised by a story. The English translation of the Hebrew is easy and simple until, as in all good literature, you encounter some startlingly memorable phrase or idea. The story is happy and sad, funny and melancholy. Like life, only more coherent.

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Posted in Israel, Library

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Jihad Bells, Jihad Bells

Posted on January 1, 2011 | Comments Off on Jihad Bells, Jihad Bells

A little late for Christmas, granted. But just in time for the bombing of the Christian church in Alexandria. Only 21 dead, so far. Come on jihadis! You can do better than that. God is great! Etc.

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Posted in Israel, Obituaries, Scribbles, The War

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