The Scribbler

Out of the bottoms of babes...

Firstly, a word of warning, if you are an ophiophilist, stay away from this film, unless you are masochistic in the extreme. For the rest of us ophidiophobics, this is a highly entertaining movie. True, there were some gory moments, but the script is so over-the-top in its gleeful depiction of the snakes having their dinner (on humans of course), that you can’t help but laugh and cringe - often at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, from start to finish, although it really did get a little too gruesome at times, hence the loss of a star in the rating. Go and see, but leave eating the popcorn until the credits. Recommended for those who enjoy very black comedies. The Teacher’s Rating ****

This week, we are celebrating a slew of birthdays. My father’s was two days ago, Michal’s is today and Shira’s will be on Thursday. I won’t reveal how old my dad is, but everyone who sees him comments as to how young he still looks. Thank G-d he’s in good health and long may this remain. I live for the moments when he sees his granddaughters and his face lights up. Happy birthday dad! Michal is six today. She hasn’t had the easiest time, being the third of four girls, particularly when her older sisters cast such long shadows and set extremely high academic standards. However, in her own way, Michal is starting to come through and make a mark of her very own. She is blessed with both looks and charm and has already demonstrated a keen eye for the clothes she chooses to wear. I know that this year will see her shine like never before and it’s not before time, because she deserves to have her moment in the spotlight. We recently went bowling and Michal wiped the floor with the three of u...

I'm sure you will be relieved to read that this is my last posting on the trip. I had to include this site because it really is strange. Liverpool Council felt that the best way to honour the Beatles was to name a council estate after them. This is situated in one of the poorest areas of Liverpool, Edge Hill. Just to give you an idea of the layout, you have a long, winding road (!) called John Lennon Drive, with three much smaller roads branching off of it. These are (in order of location) - George Harrison Close, Paul McCartney Way and Ringo Starr Drive. At the end of John Lennon drive, we were horrified to note two adjacent houses that had been firebombed. Why Liverpool Council chose to honour the greatest popular musical group by having a council estate named after them, is a total mystery to me. Odder still, was my desire to go there (thanks again John) and take photographs! Here's the evidence (I also took pictures of the roads, but I don't think the residents would be...

Having visited the important places (including the rebuilt Cavern Club), we spent the rest of the time going into wierdsville. Our first port of call was the Liverpool John Lennon Airport... ...where we were greeted with this sign: ...and this rather interesting artifact! I'm sure you would admit that it's not the most usual view you would expect to see in an airport car-park!

Although the coach passed infront of the houses at 251 Menlove Avenue (John's) and 20 Forthlin Road , we only went in as part of the National Trust tour. We did stop outside Paul's house when we took the coach tour, but only went in on the next day. The custodian of the house picked us up from Speke Hall, a historic country house in the east of the city and took us to both abodes. The visit to John's house was fascinating and quite moving. We walked around and I spent quite a bit of time in his bedroom, imagining him sitting there with Paul and writing songs like Love Me Do and Please Please Me . I can honestly tell you that it was a real thrill to find myself in the very same room, at 20 Forthlin Road, where John and Paul wrote such classics as I Saw Her Standing There and When I'm 64 . This was the 12 seater mini-bus we travelled in:

On the left (out of sight), you have the barbershop, the shelter on the roundabout is in the centre and the bank on the right. Below, a very proud Beatles fan!

This was surely the highlight of the tour and I returned here numerous times to take photos for the following montage. You cannot appreciate this site, unless you walk/drive around it with the song playing in your head. I'm going to try to bring the song to life for you with the help of a few photographs. In Penny Lane, There is a barber showing photographs.... On the corner is a banker with a motorcar (the Lloyds Bank on the corner)... In Penny Lane, there is a fireman with an hourglass (the Allerton Fire Station down the road) ... Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout, the pretty nurse... In the next post, you will see Penny Lane, with all it's components together, under blue suburban skies!

Amongst the many areas we visited on the coach tour, one of the most moving were the outside gates of the Salvation Army's Strawberry Field orphans home. Just being there and hearing the song in your head, made for a very special experience. Sadly, the home and grounds (which haven't already been developed) are now for sale. Let's hope that this important landmarked isn't destroyed and lost for future generations of fans.

We made our way to the beautifully restored Albert Dock and into the Beatles Story Museum, which is a must if you're a fan visiting Liverpool. You walk through numerous sets that recreate key moments in the Beatles' lives. To say more, would be to spoil a really great trip. Having gone through, we made our way to the bus stop to pick up the Magical Mystery coach tour of Beatles' related places in Liverpool. I can feel that I'm probably starting to bore you with my travelogue...but bear with me because the best is yet to come!

In my last post, I didn't mention that although two of us came up to Liverpool, we in fact travelled with a third person...well sort of. A little while ago, I downloaded a genuine John Cleese voice to give me directions when using the Tom Tom Sattelite Navigation system in my car. "John" proved to be invaluable throughout the holiday as he directed us all over the place. On the first evening, fresh in from London, we felt hungry and decided to go out looking for somewhere to eat. I reckoned that where there was a tourist information bureau, there would be probably be some eateries. We were advised to go to Birkenhead and I dutifully followed the instructions. We arrived at the deserted ferry terminal and realised that, although the Liverpool skyline was charming to look at, it didn't fulfil our gastronomic needs. A man who was there advised us to get to a "better part of Wirral" like Hoylake, where we would be sure to find some grub. I turned the car around ...

I'm back from what might be one of the most unforgettable weeks of my life. My friend S. and I went up to Liverpool for four days, stayed five and returned to London, with the sights and sounds of the city, stampeding their way through our minds. Firstly a word of warning. If you are not a Beatles fan, please skip this entry, because it is going to be very, very anorakish. However if you are... Roll up for the mystery tour....ssstep right this way! Rather than boring you with a day to day report, I am compartmentalising the different locations. Since there are a considerable number of photographs, I am going to post each section separately. We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast (B&B) guest house called The Cheriton. This was situated in the beautiful suburb of Caldy, which forms part of Wirral , a picturesque peninsula that sits on the River Mersey and faces Liverpool. Here are few photos of the Cheriton's magnificent gardens: The house is run by a lovely couple, Sonja ...

I bumped into my English high school teacher this morning on the way to Shul (synagogue) and told him about my forthcoming pilgrimage to Liverpool on Monday. He suggested that I was in fact carrying out my Hajj , a term which I immediately decided to use as a moniker to describe my long awaited trip. I will therefore be giving all of you guys a rest, whilst I go on my Beatles Hajj, for four days, starting Monday. I expect that it will be a religious experience and will only serve to further cement (if at all possible) my total adoration of the Fab Four and their splendiferous music. NB: I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for that teacher, since he coached me to an ‘A’ in my English Literature ‘O’ Level when I was 16. You don’t forget things like that.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Tony Blair, explaining how I, as a Jew and Zionist, really appreciated his unwavering support for Israel. I also noted that he was one of the few world leaders to understand what was really going on in the Middle East. Today, I received a response from Downing Street, written on 15th August: “Dear Mr….., The Prime Minister has asked me to thank you for your recent letter and to tell you that the views you expressed have been carefully noted. Yours sincerely, MD Direct Communications Office” I would like to believe that Mr Blair has read my letter and not just passed it on to one of his plebs. At least the letter has been personally signed by MD, so that’s a start!

My Year 13’s get their ‘A’ level results today. I don’t know who is the more nervous. If they do really well, it will make me look good, even though I only taught them one unit. However, if they flunk that unit, what will it say about my teaching? Yeah, I’m nervous…

This is the kind of TV programming that Iranian kids are shown. Please note that the picture freezes between 04:14 and 05:13, although the dialogue continues. At 05:14 the animation resumes. If you are Iranian, I would be fascinated to know what is said during that minute - please feel free to leave a comment. My kids watch Dora the Explorer and Recess.

For all you Elvis fans out there, please know that I really do feel for you today.

By Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post. Not since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait has a Middle Eastern leader made such a grievous strategic mistake, both in underestimating his foe and miscalculating the impact of his own course of action. Inexperience at the helm combined with hesitation and uncertainty produced an unmitigated fiasco, one that raises serious questions about whether this person is truly fit to lead. While many might view the above description as referring to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his handling of the war in the north, there is in fact another figure in the region, one to whom it would appear to be even more applicable. And that person is none other than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Sure, Teheran and its ally in Damascus are no doubt celebrating Israel's agreement to the dubious UN cease-fire. If you listen carefully enough, you can probably still hear them clinking their glasses together as they toast the damage that was done to the Jewish state. O...

There is definitely an air of unfinished business hanging around the hills and valleys of Lebanon. Like many others, I am disappointed that Israel chose to finish her campaign before achieving all the objectives she had set herself. I don’t trust the UN to carry out its mandate, at least in the mid to long term time range and the refusal of Hezbollah to give up its weapons doesn’t exactly fill me with the greatest confidence that things are going to get better. I appreciate the pressure that Israel was under to enter the cease-fire but really, what was the point, if this was only delaying the inevitable resumption of hostilities in the near future? No doubt, Hezbollah is currently feverishly stockpiling its weapons cache and I start wondering whether the lives of so many young men and civilians were tragically sacrificed for an operation that was halted before it had a chance to achieve any tangible results (e.g. the return of the soldiers or the significant reduction of a missile thre...

Here are some photos that you won't (surprise surprise) see on the CNN, or BBC or even Sky websites. They show a side of Israel that the media conveniently choose to ignore. It gives me great pride to share these with you:

If you have any doubt about the spirit and the determination of Israel at this dangerous time for us, our soldiers, and our nation, watch this video clip and be uplifted by this latest Israeli song that is top of the hit parade. "Yalla Ya Nasrallah, We'll screw you, Inshallah, And send you back to Allah, With all the Hezb-Allah !!" Apparently, according to the Powerline blog , periodically, as a form of psychological warfare, the Israelis have been hacking into Lebanese television and playing this video. It must drive the Hizbullah mad (he he he). The subtitles don't do the Hebrew justice, although the chorus pretty much sums up the contempt we feel for this Nazi.

This is a fascinating exposé of the thinking going on in Iran right now. I found the article on Debka.com , an intelligence site. Tehran Takes Gloomy View of the Lebanon War and Truce August 14, 2006, 3:35 PM (GMT+02:00) While the damage caused Israel’s military reputation tops Western assessments of the Lebanon war, DEBKA file ’s Iranian sources report an entirely different perception taking hold in ruling circles in Tehran. After UN Security Council resolution 1701 calling for a truce was carried Friday, Aug. 11, the heads of the regime received two separate evaluations of the situation in Lebanon – one from Iran’s foreign ministry and one from its supreme national security council. Both were bleak: their compilers were concerned that Iran had been manipulatively robbed of its primary deterrent asset ahead of a probable nuclear confrontation with the United States and Israel. While the foreign ministry report highlighted the negative aspects of the UN resolution, the council’s docume...

Shabbat/Saturday was a particularly bloody day in the annals of Israeli military history when twenty four young men lost their lives. An extremely sad day for the Jewish people. Each of these souls’ deaths is a tragedy in itself, but one struck me as being particularly devastating. Staff Sgt. Uri Grossman, 20 was the son of famed novelist and peace activist David Grossman (author of The Yellow Wind , 1988). He was killed on active duty in Lebanon when his tank was hit by a missile. He was a member of a unit who took part in Israel's final push deep into Lebanon, which was aimed at maximizing Israeli gains against Hezbollah guerrillas before a UN-ordered ceasefire came into force (at 5 am this morning) . This came a day after his father publicly stated that he “could no longer support Israel's battle in Lebanon after the government there offered to send troops to patrol the border to prevent future attacks on Israel”. David Grossman has gained a great deal of respect amongst man...

With producers like Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, you know that you’re in for something special – and believe me, I wasn’t disappointed. This is a dazzling, hilarious, creepy and yes, pretty scary movie. The animation is so good that you wonder if you’re not looking at actual real-life footage. The characterizations, in particular that of Chowder are quite remarkable and the story grips you in a vice (come to think of it, pretty much the same way the house treats it’s visitors…) I would strongly caution against taking kids to this movie, unless they are older (we’re talking at least aged ten) because it is quite frightening at times (I jumped in my seat at one point), but if you’re up to it, this is wonderfully delicious treat of a movie. Please do yourself a favour and travel those extra miles/kilometres to see it in 3D, as it well worth the effort. The Teacher’s Rating * * * * * In my opinion, the best animated movie since The Incredibles.

I’ve got to say that I think Israel is making a huge mistake by agreeing to this cease-fire. I do not want to see our boys in Lebanon, any more than their parents want them there – but I just feel instinctively that this agreement will only lead to more bloodshed. I’m sure that the Hezbollah and Iranians are dancing in the street at the thought that, by agreeing to the ceasefire, Israel is, for all intents and purposes, admitting defeat. The kidnapped soldiers have not been returned, the missiles are still falling and Hezbollah remains intact, with its arsenal virtually untouched. Finally, I don’t trust the UN at all… ….on the other hand, it might be a tactical ploy by Israel to see whether the Lebanese or Hizballah will change their minds about signing on. Maybe a case of who will blink first?

There is a concept in our religion of someone (either Jewish or not) who is a Tzaddik – a saintly man, and the obverse, a person who is Rashah – an evil man. Unfortunately, there are far fewer tzaddikim ( the plural of Tzaddik) than there are Resha’im . I think of a recent (Gentile) Tzaddik and immediately Pope John XXIII comes to mind. I would also say that Tony Blair (at least in his dealings with the Jewish people), with his unwavering support for Israel has behaved in a saintly manner. He may not be a Tzaddik , but he’s certainly on the way to getting there. Sadly, we also have more than our fair share of Resha’im at present. The more obvious ones are the odious President of Iran and his sidekick, Nasrallah. However in Britain, we seem to be afflicted with a few politicians who are without a doubt enemies of the Jewish people, although they will claim that it is Israel they have a problem with – not the Jews (an oxymoron if I ever heard one). One notable Rashah is George Galloway, ...

Whichever way you look at it, today’s news is pretty grim: “Hizbullah guerrillas shot down an Israel Air Force helicopter over southern Lebanon. Seven soldiers were killed and eleven others were seriously wounded in clashes with Hizbullah operatives throughout southern Lebanon. One soldier from Brigade 7 was killed after an anti-tank missile hit his tank in the village of Kantara in the eastern sector. One soldier was killed and five seriously wounded during clashes between a force from the Nahal Brigade's Battalion 931 and Hizbullah gunmen in the village of Randuyia in the western sector. In the same village two other soldiers were killed- one from the Nahal and the other from Armoured Brigade 401 - during clashes with guerrillas. Two other soldiers were killed and one more was seriously wounded when a tank reversed into the soldiers from Battalion 51 of the Golani Brigade in the village of Hadta in the central sector. In the same village, one Golani soldier, from Batallion 12, wa...

Please click the above link.

Please be aware that some people might find the following footage very upsetting. However, I feel the need to post it here, to highlight the depths that some people will go to, in order to further their evil aims. It goes without saying that the child pictured below was tragically killed as result of the war and not in way targeted by the Israeli forces. I was personally shocked by the disrespect shown to the young boy's body. Is this really what this world has come to?

At first everyone thought they were just blowing smoke, but the debunking of a Reuters photograph by a group of Web sites has launched a fiery online war in which bloggers have taken on the mainstream media. Bloggers, or writers on web logs, were the first to reveal that a Reuters photograph depicting plumes of black smoke rising over Beirut was doctored to enhance smoke above the city. The Web site www.LittleGreenFootballs.com is credited with first revealing the scandal, which has been dubbed Reutersgate, but the affair has spread far wider than the Reuters News Agency and into several of the most esteemed media outlets. More than a dozen accusations of staged or doctored photographs have made their way through various Web sites in the past several weeks. None has been treated by the news outlets as seriously as the original Reuters incident, which saw the photographer Adnin Hajj fired and over 900 of his photos removed from the Reuters wire list. But numerous other outlets - includi...

Today, Dana and I are celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary. As we commemorate this important milestone in our lives, I have thinking about how fortunate I am to have her still standing by her man - despite the overwhelming pressure she's sometimes felt to ditch me. I am not the easiest of people to be around. Let alone, to live with. Our first nine years were a constant struggle of me not having found a job I was happy with. At times, things looked pretty desperate, particularly when I was out of work and seeking social security. Yet, throughout, she stayed with me and shared my frustrations and negativity and cried her own bitter tears. I have come to realise how truly blessed I am to have met and married such a very special human being. There have been good times, in particular, the arrival and growth of our four amazing daughters and I, for one, feel more contented with my life than ever before, although I know that this feeling is not shared by both of us. Yet, here we are...

 

Surprise surprise. British police have uncovered a plot to blow up at least ten aircraft in mid-air between the UK and US. Passengers have been barred from carrying hand luggage onto any flights and are reduced to putting their essentials into transparent plastic bags. I’ll repeat that: People are walking around airports carrying their essential belongings in transparent plastic bags. Welcome to our world circa 2006. No doubt, this is an Al Qaeda  influenced plot and of course, Israel will be held responsible for bringing about this situation. The mere fact that such an operation probably took months, if not years to put together, will be conveniently brushed aside and the “conflict in the Middle East” will be bandied around as a convenient reason for Islamic nutters to go around blowing people up. When will people get it into their dense, impenetrable skulls that Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and such like are one and the same? When will it become apparent that the war Israel is...

Credit where credit it due - the BBC have reported the incident and you can read the fully story here .

I received this email from Reuters: “Response (Z) - 08/07/2006 08:53 AM Dear Reader, Thank you for contacting Reuters with your comments regarding the Reuters photo of burning buildings in Beirut. The photo has been corrected and you can read our Editor's comments on the matter at the following webpage: http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsRoom.aspx . Please note that due to the huge volume of e-mails sent to the Editor daily, we may be unable to provide a response. However, all comments are read and taken into consideration. We appreciate your feedback and we hope that you continue to use and enjoy the Reuters website. Kind Regards, Z Reuters Corporate Webmaster”

Here are some more details regarding Reuters admission that the picture was doctored: From Honest Reporting.com “Faced with an onslaught of bloggers taking up the case and demonstrating how clearly the picture had been doctored, Reuters finally came clean and admitted that the picture was a lie. Attempting to stop the worldwide distribution, Reuters issued this "photo kill" with the accompanying text: PICTURE KILL FOR LBN20 TRANSMITTED AT APPROXIMATELY 1408GMT ON AUGUST 5, 2006. PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE WAS IMPROPERLY USED ON THIS IMAGE. A CORRECTED VERSION WILL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THIS ADVISORY. PLEASE REMOVE THE IMAGE FROM YOUR SYSTEMS. WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. “ This episode demonstrates the power of the blogger.... people, we rock!

It’s nice to see that we can make a difference, as witnessed by this piece on the ynet site . I was one of a number of people who emailed Reuters to ask them to investigate the photos: Reuters admits altering Beirut photo Reuters withdraws photograph of Beirut after Air Force attack after US blogs, photographers point out 'blatant evidence of manipulation.' Reuters' head of PR says in response, 'Reuters has suspended photographer until investigations are completed into changes made to photograph.' Photographer who sent altered image is same Reuters photographer behind many of images from Qana, which have also been subject of suspicions for being staged. A Reuters photograph of smoke rising from buildings in Beirut has been withdrawn after coming under attack by American web logs. The blogs accused Reuters of distorting the photograph to include more smoke and damage. The photograph showed two very heavy plumes of black smoke billowing from buildings in Beirut after ...

There is strong evidence that a photographer at Reuters, Adnan Hajj has been doctoring photos to incriminate Israel even more in the bombing of Lebanon. If true, this is a gross manipulation of the public’s perception of the war and Reuters has a duty to launch in immediate investigation. If not, it risks harming the reputation it so prides itself with. Then again, the BBC will print the pictures whether or not they are authentic, as they lost any sense of “proportionality” (there’s a word you hear banded around a lot these days) years ago in reporting what is actually going on the war, as opposed to their institutionalised distortion of the truth. Have a look for yourself here and please feel free to leave a comment voicing your own opinion of whether or not you think the photos are faked.

For those of you who have come here looking for some insights into teaching, I sincerely apologise that not a single recent posting has anything whatsoever to do with the teaching profession. I’m sure you will appreciate that, with a month to go of holidays (yeehah), I am concentrating on some other issues that shape my world. However, please still feel free to stay, read, comment, vote etc. I intend to start writing about the profession again when I start realising that I’ve got classes to instruct and not a single resource prepared for this endeavour. Unfortunately (or not), I haven’t yet come to this realisation.

As a point of note, I’ve just changed all the poll questions and replaced them with new ones. I will try to update them more often (it’s amazing the things you think about when you’ve got time on your hands….one more month of holidays….nice!). Please do vote as I can then gauge what you think about the site from your responses.

A few days ago, Tony Blair made, what I believe to be, one of the greatest speeches of the last quarter century. This world leader has a clarity of vision that is frankly breathtaking. He can see exactly what is going on and is one of the few leaders to really appreciate the threat of Fundementalist Islam. I recently wrote to him to express my appreciation of his stance on the Middle East and in particular, his unwavering support of Israel. He is a true friend of the Jewish people. It takes a very courageous man to stand up for his beliefs and risk his political career for what he believes is the right path to take. I am in no doubt that Tony Blair will go do in future as one of the greatest leaders of the Western World, ranking alongside such luminaries as Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. With all of the above in mind, I have reproduced his speech in its entirety. British PM Tony Blair Speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, August 1, 2006 Overnight, the news came throu...

This is an excellent article from The Jerusalem Post . Large sections of the international media are not only misreporting the current conflict in Lebanon. They are actively fanning the flames. The BBC World Service has a strong claim to be the number one villain. It has increasingly come to sound like a virtual propaganda tool for Hizbullah, and as it desperately attempts to prove that Israel is guilty of committing "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity," it has introduced a new charge - one which I have heard several times on air in recent days. The newscaster reads out carefully selected "audience comments," and among these we are told that "Israel's attack on Lebanon" will serve as "a huge recruitment drive for al-Qaida worldwide." But if anything is going to win new recruits for bin Laden and his like, it will not be Israel's defensive actions, which are far less damaging than western TV stations have been trying to con...