All that you have is your soul (Tracy Chapman).

Sunday 31 December 2006

2 0 0 6

I recently purchased a DVD box set of the Spaghetti Westerns, so I thought it would be an interesting idea to look back over my last twelve months and recall the events that were good, bad and ahem....ugly!

The Good

Watching Michal (6) teach herself to read over the summer, to the extent that by the end of the year, she is at the same level as her seven-and-a-half year old sister.

Celebrating ten years of marriage - and being truly amazed that my wife has still managed to stick by me. G-d the woman is courageous.

Successfully completing my NQT qualification and becoming a "real" teacher.

The trip to Liverpool (possibly the highlight of the year).

Finally buying that laptop I'd promised myself.

Celebrating my parents' 45th anniversary.

Helping my mother choose a new Tom Tom satellite navigation system and knowing that as a result, her arguments with my dad will have immediately halved.

Getting a nice pay-out from the insurance company after one of our cars was written-off when someone drove into the rear and damaged the bumper.

Having our cousins J. and his daughter A. come and stay with us for a week...and seeing a picture of Dana in biker gear. Also meeting cousin JF again for the first time in twenty odd years.

Dassi meeting her idol, Jacqueline Wilson.

Tali loosing some more teeth.

Shira starting kindergarten and then nursery.

Finally getting Broadband.

Discovering that Krispy Kreme donuts are Kosher.




The Bad

Having to deal with some truly horrendous students. Particularly in 8J.

The limitless amount of money we seem to be spending to keep on repairing our family car (yup, the same one that was hit.

Finding out the bitter truth that Twinkie Bars are no longer Kosher (a definite low point).

The Status Quo concert (sorry Larry).

Shira's difficult potty training period.

Taking the kids to "March Of The Penguins" and having to endure the hostile reaction from my bored children. (I loved the movie BTW).

The hell that was OFSTED.

That toothache.




The Ugly

Watching a friend of mine being victimised and finding myself standing up for him, despite some strong opposition from people who think they're more important than they actually are.

The teenage bastards who went joyriding one night and in the process, smashed the front right hand panel of my "new" car.

Being ripped off by my bank for getting overdrawn (over my limit) by 26p. I did get some money back but I shouldn't have been penalised in the first place.

The "Holocaust conference" in Iran and Israel's bloody nose in Lebanon as well as the continuing rise in antisemitism in the UK.

Almost everything Ken Livingstone and George Galloway have said over the last twelve months.

The theft of my memory stick and sunglasses at school.



I could think of others but I reckon these events pretty much sum up the rhythm of my year. It is gratifying to see that the good things outweigh both the bad and ugly events and that's how it should be.

So, dear friends and family, here's to 2007 and let's hope my 40th year (I am coming to terms with it, but very, very slowly) is way better than my 39th and that by this time next December, I'll have more good things to write about, fewer bad things and absolutely zero 'ugly' events to relate.

Happy New Year!

Saturday 30 December 2006

The Correct Course Of Action

I'm in a meditative mood.

I'm thinking about the things in life that I believe in one hundred percent. One of these is my rock-solid belief in the existence of G-d and His constant presence in the world. Another is the willing acceptance of the tenets of Judaism, through which I choose to live my life.

Aside from that, there's not much else I can say that I truly believe in to the same extent (and I'm not talking about relationships with family etc). With all this in mind, I will add one more belief - the execution of Saddam Hussein was something that had to happen.

Why do I add this ugly event to such an exclusive list?

Let's start from the premise (as I do) that Saddam Hussein was one of the few people on earth who could be termed as being genuinly evil. He is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, not through neglect or misadventure, but in the full knowledge that, what he was doing was, in his twisted mind, the absolutely correct course of action. Men, women and children were massacred in the most sadistic manner and Saddam didn't bat an eyelid.

That my friends is evil.

How does one judge someone who has acted in such a manner?

1) Do you allow him the right to live - a gift that he took from so many people?

2) Do you lock him away and leave him to rot out the rest of his life in jail - but still give him the right to live?

3) Or do you shame him in front of the world, demonstrate that his actions are beyond anything that is humanely acceptable and that, as a result of his behaviour, he must face the ultimate punishment?

Without any hesitation whatsoever, I go for number three.

This is why I believe that Saddam just had to be executed. Any other decision on the part of the Iraqi Government or Western World for that matter, would have sent the message to other members of his "club" of despots that they can do whatever they like - to whomever they like - and as a result, they will never have to face the prospect of being deprived of the thing that matters to them most, namely their life.

Saddam's execution will hopefully send chills down the backs of any other bloodthirsty dictator who thinks that he cannot and will not be held accountable for his actions.

When I hear the idiots at Amnesty International or other such bodies deploring the execution of Saddam, I realise that the inmates have finally taken over the asylum. Where were their "authoritative" voices when he gassed the Kurds or rained 39 scuds down on the innocent citizens of Israel? What did they have to say about the fact that he also paid $15,000 to the family of each suicide bomber who carried out an attack in Israel (no wonder the Palestinians mourn his demise)?


There will be repercussions but, at the end of the day, there was no other option. Evil must be eradicated for good to prevail.

Saddam's execution was an example of such eradication and that is why I believe so strongly in it's taking place.

Thursday 28 December 2006

Movie Review: Happy Feet



My dad and I took three of the girls, minus Dassi to see this movie.

The parts that I did see (when I wasn't ferrying either Michal or Shira to the toilet) were pretty impressive. The singing and dancing scenes were sensational and the bit where they fall off the top of an ice shelf and free-fall into the void below, was truly eye-popping. In the world of CGI animation, a new standard has been set because this film was visually breathtaking.

However, proceedings were seriously let down by a derivative story-line and rather awkward "message" (for a kids movie) about human interference in the penguins' Eco-system. I think my kids were too young to really appreciate the flick and they didn't get that much out of it. Parents of young children beware!

I recommend the movie, if only for the animation, soundtrack and astounding choreography.

Shame about the 'plot' though.

Teacher's Rating

***

So Guys, Can You Relate?



I can relate to this.

Can you?

Wednesday 27 December 2006

Movie Review: Flags Of Our Fathers



I booked tickets on the phone for a friend and myself.

I needn't have bothered as we were the only ones in the cinema. I don't think I've ever been privy to a private viewing before, but it was certainly an experience. What's more, if you're going to have a screen to yourself, it might as well be for a movie that reeks of quality and Flags of Our Fathers is such a film.

Watching this movie, one couldn't ignore the input of Steven Spielberg, who was joint producer. At times, this seemed like a parallel version of Saving Private Ryan, from the similarly staged beach scenes (minus the startling sound effects that made the former movie so memorable) to the deployment of washed out colours.

The cast is uniformly superb, in particular Ryan Philippe, whom I hadn't rated too highly previously. He went beyond the 'pretty boy' image and delivered an achingly believable performance as John Bradley, through whose eyes we witness the soaring highs and plunging depths of the Battle for Iwo Jima.

Clint Eastwood, who is proving himself to be one of the greatest directors, takes us into the heart of what heroism is (and isn't) about and this is never more apparent than the way in which he portrays the story of the truly tragic Ira Hayes.

Flags Of Our Fathers tells an important story and one which is as relevant today as it was back in 1945. My only gripe is that it's strongest asset (i.e. the involvement of Spielberg) is also its greatest debit, in that it lacks the impact of Spielberg's epic and as a result, the battle scenes seem as though they were shot at the same time as Mr S's movie.

Had the former not been made, this film would have delivered the knockout blow that it should - granted that we are talking about a true story (although Saving Private Ryan did accurately portray the invasion of Normandy).

Highly recommended (especially if you can get yourself a private screening)

Teacher's Rating

****½

Tuesday 26 December 2006

Iraq - An Interesting Viewpoint

Remember about that party I told you about two posts ago?

Well, before the mother of all headaches burst its way into my cerebellum, I was having a really interesting conversation with an expatriate Iraqi Jew, who has been in the UK for seven years.

He is convinced that the real reason why the Americans and British are staying in Iraq, is to use the country as a launch pad for an attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities. I was thinking about this and came to the conclusion that he might have a point. It would certainly make a lot of sense, granted that both countries (and most of the rest of the world, including quite a few Sunni Arab dictatorships) have no interest whatsoever in seeing Shiite Iran go nuclear.

In fact, the recent declaration by Egypt et al that they want to acquire such weapons (presumably to counter the Iranian threat) seems all the more understandable, granted the danger that a nuclear Iran would pose to the region - and for that matter, the rest of the world.

I thought that I should add this little soupcon of information, so that well-meaning but naïve British citizens (or other nationals) who stumble accross this posting realise that the presence of our two countries in Iraq is not necessarily a bad thing.

After all, this might avert the outbreak of the next world war.

Monday 25 December 2006

Very Funny

Please click here.

Ho Ho Ho!

I came back this afternoon from a friend's baby celebration with a thumping headache. I don't know where it came from but after taking some paracetamol and sleeping it off, it returned to it's hiding place.

This is all very well and good, but it's now 00:30 and I'm wide awake and raring to go.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to spend the rest of night peering through the garden window looking for Santa.

And a Merry Xmas to all of you who celebrate!

Saturday 23 December 2006

A Shira Classic

This afternoon, I asked Shira (aged three) where her bottom was and she replied:

"Here it is, behind me!"

Friday 22 December 2006

The First Sleepover

It has been a very special night for Michal as she attended her very first sleepover (aside from staying at grandparents, which doesn’t really count). I can’t wait to see her enthusiastic response when I pick her up!

It’s definitely moments like these that I thank G-d I’ve been given the gift of children.

Thursday 21 December 2006

Holidaze

School's finished for 2006 - yay.

It was so much fun standing around the kitchen this morning at 7.30 in my dressing gown, knowing that I didn't have to rush out into the dark, foggy morning (second day of fog - what's going on here?) within the next fifteen minutes.

I'm looking forward to two weeks of school-free tension. Instead I'll have to keep the kids from killing one another, keep the wife sweet, make sure the parents are happy.

Then again, I've been told that going out into the brisk (foggy) morning air is also quite therapeutic...

I Feel Much Better Now

Ahmadinejad said yesterday:

"Today, it is the United States, Britain and the Zionist regime which are doomed to disappear as they have moved far away from the teachings of God."

I can't tell you how much better that makes me feel. If his understanding of the 'teachings of G-d' are that you should build nuclear weapons, actively support terrorism and deny the Holocaust, I'm more than happy to subscribe to any religion aside from his.

However, at least we Zionists are now in good company. People of the US and UK - welcome to our club!

Tuesday 19 December 2006

Carter - The Old Buffoon

I have never rated Jimmy Carter very highly. The truth is that Israel and Egypt were itching to make peace in 1978 and this would have happened irrespective of whom was sitting in The White House. The fact that it happened to be Jimmy Carter is coicidental. Remember that he came into Office after "battling" against Gerald Ford, a lame duck president if there ever was one. Hell, I could have even beaten Ford!

Were it not for Watergate, Carter would still be growing his peanuts.

I don't like the man, never have. His one term of office is not particularly memorable and the debacle of the kidnapping of Americans in Iran, justifiably brought his pathetic political career to a grinding halt.

Recently however, he has outdone himself in showing what a sad old fool he is by bringing out a book with the 'enchanting' title: Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid.

In this useless tome, he blasts Israel (excuse the pun) for her "shameful" treatment of the Palestinians. I mean, how dare the Israelis build a barrier to stop suicide bombers coming in and destroying entire families. How could they?! That the bombing stopped virtually overnight as the barrier went up seems rather unimportant to this grand old shmuck of politics.

Peace in the Middle East, according to Jim-boy, will never happen as long as those dastardly Israelis hold onto Palestinian land. Then again, Israel leaving Gaza achieved a lot of good didn't it? Instead of the good ole occupation, we now have Kassam rockets slamming into our cities and the Palestinians going around bumping one another off before you can say "Jimmy Carter is a loser".

Much better then, eh Jim?

The sad truth is that Carter is an irrelevance. He serves no purpose whatsoever aside from trying to feebly push his own little agenda. Like an actor who has taken on one too many roles, he just shows himself up at ever opportunity as being the old buffoon that he's become.

Go to bed Jimmy, the world doesn't need you anymore.

And to be really honest, it never did.

Monday 18 December 2006

Fatah vs Hamas

So the Palestinians are going around killing each other instead of the Jews.

Am I bothered?

Not one tiny bit. In fact, I give them my blessings to continue for as long they like.

Sunday 17 December 2006

Review: Status Quo

My good friend, Larrythelamb very kindly gave me a ticket to the Quo Concert at Wembley Arena last night, as his daughter had not been able to attend. I have to say that I'm not much of a fan, but hey, what the hell!

So we went, his son, brother and a friend and I. The evening didn't start that well, granted that the support bands were pretty horrendous. The first proudly exclaimed that they were Australian and I spent the next half hour waiting for them to get the first plane back home. In fact, they were so bad that I left the auditorium twenty five minutes in.

Quo came on at 9 pm and apparently performed a "stunning" set. Not knowing their songs didn't really help and all I could hear was one excrutiatingly loud song after another. Saying that, people were having a great time, so I know that I was pretty much alone in my negativity.

I took it for about an hour until I feel the need to walk out, head throbbing and feeling myself becoming partially deaf. One of the stewards, a very nice girl offered me a set of earplugs and this helped immeasurably in my enjoyment of the next hour. Additionally, eighty minutes in, they actually played some that I knew, such as Whatever You Want and Rockin' All Over The World. On hearing these, my attitude changed and I had a fantastic time bopping along - for approximately six whole minutes.

Sadly, these two songs signalled the end of the concert! They came back, played another excrutiatingly long and melodiless mess of a song but redeemed themselves somewhat with a great version of Burning Bridges, followed by Rock And Roll Music (a Beatles' standard) which endeared them to me a little more. Saying that, as performers, they were extremely likeable.

And then it was over. Everyone left happy and I spent the rest of the evening trying to hear properly again.

Larry, I really appreciate your generous offer and I did have a good time, but next year, I don't think I'll be joining you. The most fun I had was watching everyone else (including Quo) having a rocking good time. Glad I went along though.

Thursday 14 December 2006

The Miracle of Chanukah

The wonderful Jewish festival of Chanukah will be starting tomorrow night. More than two thousand three hundred years ago, another meglomaniac called Antiochus tried to wipe us out. The Hasmonean boys told him where to go and despite all odds, we rescued Jerusalem from his clutches. The temple was ours and Chanukah was born.

Antiochus also wanted to "wipe us off the face of the earth" through trying to force us to take on his alien (Greek/Syrian) practices. Surprise surprise, he failed. Some things never change and if Ahmedinejad thinks he can succeed where so many others have failed, maybe he should stop organising moronic conferences and start researching the fate of his predecessors.

Hitler didn't manage to finish us off, concentration camps and all. My Chanukah message to him and anyone else who thinks he can "wipe Israel off the face of the earth" is this - go read your history books.

Happy Chanukah dear friends - as the old song goes, we will survive.


We'll screw you over Ahmadinejad, you Iranian dipshit. We survived the Babylonian, Roman and Nazi leaders and you...


- you're just a little pisher compared to any of them.

The Role Of Holocaust Denial In The Ideology And Strategy Of The Iranian Regime

By Yigal Carmon, President of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Today, December 14, 2006, a symposium titled "Holocaust Denial: Paving the Way to Genocide" was held at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. MEMRI President and Founder Yigal Carmon spoke at the symposium.

To view Iranian Holocaust denial clips,
please click here.

The following are his remarks:

The persistent Holocaust denial of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad raises a vital question that needs to be addressed: What function does this denial serve in the ideology of the Iranian regime and in its strategy? The answer to this question bears cardinal importance to the future of the State of Israel.

When we, at The Middle East Media Research Institute, collect and analyze the statements made by Ahmadinejad and others in the Iranian regime, we can distinguish two major goals, both of which lead to the same conclusion: the Iranian regime's Holocaust denial is not a manifestation of irrational hatred, but a premeditated and cold-blooded instrument to achieve its goals.

Denial of Israel's Legitimacy

The first of these goals is the attempt to deny any legitimacy to the creation and continued existence of the State of Israel as a safe haven for the Jews after the Holocaust. In order to achieve this goal, he proclaims that no Holocaust occurred, and that if Jews were indeed harmed in World War II - a claim that requires thorough and "objective" research - this was no different than the experience of others in World War II. At any rate, Ahmadinejad and other top Iranian officials claim that this "myth" cannot justify the establishment of Israel in Palestine.

Elimination of the Zionist Entity, i.e. Israel

The second goal is - as often proclaimed by Ahmadinejad - to "wipe Israel off the map." His Holocaust denial is therefore planned, intentional, and premeditated. He is aware that as long as the world remembers the Holocaust, it will resist any new attempt to perpetrate another genocide against the Jews. Thus, eradicating the memory of the Holocaust is essential in order to achieve his goal.

Demonization

In order for Ahmadinejad to bring his plans to fruition, however, he has to demonize the Jews and the State of Israel. Demonization is a necessary precondition for genocide. As we well know, Hitler first engaged in a major campaign of demonization of the Jews before actually murdering them en masse. Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regime are taking the same path, and are conducting a similar virulent, antisemitic campaign of demonization.

To this end, Iranian state-controlled television produces various TV series dedicated to the demonization of Jews. These include classic blood libels, depicting Jews as using the blood of non-Jewish children to bake their Passover matzos, and as kidnapping non-Jewish children to steal their body parts. Jews are reduced to sub-human levels, depicted as pigs and apes. They are accused of persecuting the Prophet Muhammad in voodoo ritualistic scenes, and as tormenting a historic figure reminiscent of Jesus on the Cross. All these TV series exist alongside others that deny the Holocaust.

Again, it should be stressed that all these phenomena are interrelated, and are state-directed at the highest level. It is most indicative that Ahmadinejad's first public appearance after coming to power was made before television producers.

All this is done in order to achieve the goal of demonization of Jews and Israel, which, as I mentioned earlier, is vital for their elimination. However, it is not possible to demonize a people as long as it is viewed as a victim of the Holocaust. Therefore, as long as the Jews are perceived as victims of the Holocaust, this demonization cannot take root. Holocaust denial is thus vital, in order to wipe out the image of the Jews as victims.

This is the reason why these three elements - Holocaust denial, the elimination of the State of Israel, and demonization of the Jews - are constantly present in statements by Ahmadinejad and other senior Iranian officials.

Let us hear the Iranians in their own words. True, many of these statements have already circulated separately in the media. But hearing them together, in the context I have just outlined, will enable us to understand their function and significance within the ideology and strategy of the Iranian regime.

In his well-known speech at the Iranian "World Without Zionism" conference on October 23, 2005, Ahmadinejad laid out his views on the State of Israel. It is an absolute evil, a tool in the hands of the West to dominate the Muslims. In reply to those who ask if it is indeed possible to bring about a world without America and Zionism, he says: "You had best know that this slogan and this goal are attainable, and can surely be achieved."

Later, he cites Khomeini: "The Imam said: 'This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history.'" Commenting on this statement by his spiritual mentor, Ahmadinejad says: "This sentence is very wise. The issue of Palestine is not an issue on which we can compromise." Later he adds, "Very soon this stain of disgrace [i.e. Israel] will be purged from the center of the Islamic world - and this is attainable." This speech clearly announced the ultimate goal: the elimination of Israel.

At the Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting, which took place in Mecca in early December 2005, Ahmadinejad made statements that explicitly tied this goal with Holocaust denial: "Some European countries are insisting on saying that Hitler burned millions of oppressed Jews in crematoria. They insist so much on this issue that if someone proves the opposite, they convict him and throw him into prison. Although we do not accept this claim, let's assume that it is true, and we ask the Europeans: Does the killing of oppressed Jews by Hitler [justify] their support for the regime that is occupying Jerusalem?..."

This statement by Ahmadinejad is telling. The implication is that the Holocaust is the only justification for the existence of Israel. The line, therefore, is twofold: a) the Holocaust is a myth, and b) even if it is true, it cannot justify Israel's existence. In either case, Ahmadinejad's primary obsession is not with the Holocaust, but with Israel's very existence. If the Holocaust gets in the way of achieving this goal, it must be denied.

Later on in the same speech, he adds: "If you [Europeans] think that you committed an injustice against the Jews, why must the Muslims and the Palestinians pay the price for it? All right, you oppressed [the Jews]. So put some of Europe at the disposal of this Zionist regime..." Again, the guiding principle is that Israel cannot exist. Holocaust denial is important to Ahmadinejad because the Holocaust lends moral justification to the creation and continued existence of the State of Israel.

In the speech you saw earlier on the DVD, from December 14, 2005, Ahmadinejad once again linked these two elements together. He calls the Holocaust a "myth," but also adds: "If you [Europeans] are correct in saying that you killed six million Jews in World War II... If you committed a crime, it is only appropriate that you place a piece of your land at their disposal - in Europe, America, Canada, or Alaska..." Once again, Holocaust denial is important to Ahmadinejad first and foremost as a means of de-legitimizing Israel's existence, and since the goal is the elimination of Israel, the speech includes the necessary element of demonization as well.

Then the Iranian president takes pains to portray the Jews as the true oppressors, and not as victims. "Zionism itself is a Western ideology and a colonialist idea, with secular ideas and fascist methods, which was founded by the English. So far, with the help and direct guidance of America and part of Europe, [Zionism] is slaughtering the Muslims." Later on in the speech, he says: "An important question that the Western countries and media must answer clearly is: What crime did they [i.e. the West] commit at that time [i.e. WWII] that the Zionists are not committing today? In essence, Zionism is a new Fascism..."

This, therefore, is Ahmadinejad's truth: the Zionists are the true oppressors and murderers. But while at times Ahmadinejad claims to differentiate between Zionists and Jews in general, in truth, this campaign of demonization uses and abuses history to depict Jews throughout the ages - not Zionists alone - as oppressors and murderers.

As you have just seen in the DVD, the true Holocaust, as portrayed by Ahmadinejad, was committed by the Jews: for example, by the Jewish king of Yemen, Yosef Dhu Nuwas, who, he claims, burned the Christians in the early days of Christianity, and by the Iranian Jews, as described in the Book of Esther. Moreover, Jews in modern times are continuing their murderous ways: killing large numbers of Christian children in London and Paris - again, as you saw with your own eyes - in order to procure blood for Passover matzos.

To sum up, Holocaust denial is an inextricable part of demonization, on the way to the final goal: the elimination of Israel.

All these elements figure prominently in the identity and works of those invited by the Iranian regime to the Holocaust denial conference in Tehran. First and foremost is their explicit opposition to Israel's existence. This is why members of the anti-Zionist Jewish sect of Neturei Karta were invited, following the ongoing, strong ties maintained by the Iranian regime with them. Then comes the demonization of Jews in order to justify the agenda of elimination. Thus the invitation of Holocaust deniers, such as Frederick Toben, who not only denies the Holocaust, but also claims that the Jews intentionally spread the AIDS virus in the U.S.

In essence, the speech made by Ahmadinejad at the Holocaust denial conference best illustrates the role of Holocaust denial in the ideology and strategy of the Iranian regime. He begins his speech by addressing the Holocaust deniers participating in the conference: "Iran is your home, and here you can express your opinions freely, in a friendly manner and in a free atmosphere." Then, without batting an eyelid, he adds: "The life-curve of the Zionist regime has begun its descent, and it is now on a downward slope towards its fall... I tell you now... the Zionist regime will be wiped out, and humanity will be liberated."

Wednesday 13 December 2006

Letter To The Iranian Embassies

I have sent this email to the numerous Iranian Embassies dotted around the world.

"Dear Sir,

My grandmother lost virtually every single member of her family in the Holocaust. I am therefore appalled to read that Iran, a country with a notable history of tolerance and acceptance of all nations should be hosting a "conference" which gives a platform to some of the most anti-semitic and racist human beings on the planet.

I wish that the Holocaust had not taken place. I wish that over six million people had not simply vanished between the years of 1939 and 1945. I wish that one and half million children had been given the chance to grow up and contribute to the world, instead of being murdered - simply because they born Jewish.

You are an Ambassador for your country. You have a duty to present your country in the best possible light. I therefore ask you to do everything in your power to educate yourself and your countrymen in what really happened during World War II. Go to Auschwitz, visit the Yad Vashem website, talk with survivors and then make your mind up whether the Holocaust is being "exaggerated".

You owe it to yourselves and your country to learn the real truth about the Holocaust. It did happen and it could happen again if conferences like the one that has taken place in Teheran are given any sort of legitimacy.

Thank you for your time."

Let's see if any of them bother to reply.

Clever Anagram

An anagram of "eleven plus two"

is "twelve plus one"!

Kick Them Out II

You won't be surprised to read that I'm not the only who feels disgusted by the behaviour of these so called "Jews".

Have a look at this piece from the Totally Jewish website:

One of the most senior members of religious anti-zionist sect Neturei Karta was this week facing total isolation from the Jewish community after attending Iran's Holocaust conference.

Manchester-based Rabbi Ahron Cohen has long courted controversy as the mouthpiece of the British arm of Neturei Karta, appearing alongside controversial figures considered to be enemies of the Jewish people.

But anger in Manchester reached fever pitch this week after it emerged he had visited the internationally-condemned meeting in Tehran.

Indeed, feelings were running so high that the Manchester Beth Din issued a statement on Tuesday condemning Rabbi Cohen’s involvement and questioning his status as a rabbi.

The statement said: "'Rabbi' Ahron Cohen has for a long time been ostracised by the vast majority of Jews for associating with and thus giving support and legitimacy to the enemies of Israel and the Jewish nation. He represents an insignificant minority and even amongst zealots is considered to have crossed the threshold which divides rational viewpoint from fanaticism.

“By attending a conference called to promote the denial of the Holocaust at which many of the most virulent deniers are present, he is guilty by association whatever gloss he may wish to put on participation. His involvement is a stab in the heart of the Jewish Community and of all decent law-abiding people and coming from one who styles himself ‘rabbi’, it brings disgrace on our Community and desecrates all that Judaism stands for.”

Rabbi Cohen recently clashed with Zionist leaders at a Palestine Solidarity Meeting in the Quaker Friends Meeting House in Manchester, when they challenged him for giving his support at such an anti-Israel event.

Addressing those criticising him, who included Lucille Cohen, President of Manchester Zionist Central Council and Vice President Herzl Hamburger, he repeatedly shouted: "You are not Jewish, Zionists are not Jewish"

Following a recent attack on his Salford home when it was pelted with an estimated 1,000 eggs, Rabbi Cohen sought police protection.

Meanwhile, local Holocaust survivors expressed disgust at his behaviour.

"It is one thing to be anti Israel and support the Palestinians but it is quite another to deny the Holocaust," said Gisela Feldman, who escaped from Germany on the St. Louis. “We need to make our feelings known and let this so-called rabbi know what we think of him."

Among those condemning the conference was London Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford.

Baroness Ludford, European justice spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, said: “I am appalled by the convening of this conference, the main goal of which appears to be providing a platform for anti-Semitic propaganda.”

“When the list of invitees includes former leader of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke and well-known international Holocaust deniers such as Georges Thiel, the claim that this conference is about ‘objectively examining historical fact’ rings utterly hollow.”

"On one level Holocaust denial is farcical and absurd since the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis against 6 million Jews is so well-documented that no sane person could deny it. But on another level, it is very dangerous when a member state of the United Nations wraps anti-Semitism in a spurious cloak of anti-Zionism in order to stir up mischief and hate."

Tuesday 12 December 2006

Kick Them Out

The presence of "orthodox" Jews at the Tehran Holocaust Conference makes me sick to the stomach. These men are a disgrace to everything that our nation stands for and believes in and most importantly, by allying themselves with a bunch of neo-Nazis and Islamic extremists, they totally violate the memory of every single Jewish person who died in the Nazi genocide.

If I ever have the misfortune to meet these ghastly pieces of shit, I will spit in their vile faces and do everything in my power to ensure that they were excluded from every single Jewish gathering that they wished to attend, including counting them in as members of a Minyan (a quorum of ten males over 13 required to make up a prayer congregation). They should be immediately ex-communicated and buried in a separate plot - if at all. For all I care, their bodies can rot in the street.

They are not worthy of calling themselves members of the Jewish people. Let's kick them out!

Monday 11 December 2006

New Website Polls

Just to inform you that I've replaced the polls on this site with a new bunch, so please feel free to start voting afresh. The questions are randomised with the hope that you will come across a new one each time you visit (don't all rush at once as I could only think of six topics!!!)

I am however particularly interested in reading your responses to the teacher-parent query.

The Gold Sashed Toothless Wonder

Tali managed to come home proudly wearing the "gold sash for best behaviour and achievement" in her year group. How she managed to get this is an mystery to both Dana and myself as she hasn't exactly been deserving of such an honour at home. If anything, we should be getting this prestigious award for demonstrating remarkable patience in the face of reckless and determined adversity from our soon to be eight-year-old.

Like everything in life however, when you gain you also lose. On this occasion, she swallowed one of her front incisors - hence the photograph below (and also check out the aforementioned sash).

Meanwhile, Back In Downtown Tehran...

Anti-Semites head for Iran to query Holocaust
By Colin Freeman, Chief Foreign Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph


President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is to give a personal audience to a delegation of foreign academics – including Britons – attending a Teheran conference that will question whether the Holocaust took place.

President Ahmadinejad will welcome delegates.

The two-day "Review of the Holocaust: global vision" conference, which begins tomorrow, is expected to include more than 60 foreign researchers from 30 countries, including known anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers. Ahmadinejad has caused international outrage by describing the Holocaust as a "myth" and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

Despite condemnation of Teheran for hosting the conference, foreign delegates arriving in the capital have said that they are hopeful of a personal meeting with the Iranian president.

Fredrick Toben, a German-born Holocaust denier who lives in Australia and who has been convicted in Germany of inciting racial hatred, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I would be disappointed if I was not to meet him, although I can't tell you any more than that. It's like meeting the Queen in England – I wouldn't comment beforehand."

Neither the Foreign Office nor the Iranian embassy in London was able to provide details of Britons invited to the event, but Toben, who is staying with other delegates in a government guesthouse in Teheran, said they were to be joined by Michele Renouf, an eccentric socialite and friend of David Irving, the Right-wing historian who was sentenced to three years' jail in Austria last February after disputing the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Originally from Australia, Lady Renouf was thrown out of London's Reform Club in 2003 after trying to get Mr Irving invited to speak there. In an interview in 2003 she described Judaism as a "creed of domination and racial superiority". Last month she was banned from addressing the far-Right British National Party, because it believed that her views were extreme.

Toben said: "I understand she is on a flight already. It will be her first visit to Teheran."

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Manouchehr Mohammadi, said last week that the conference was being staged because of the lack of answers to questions posed by Ahmadinejad.

Literature for the conference, hosted by Iran's Institute for Political and International Studies, describes the Holocaust as "one of the most important propaganda tools to politically justify the support for the Jewish people in the 20th century".

Although the organisers insist they will pay "full respect to the Jewish religion" and intend it to be a non-political examination of facts, critics say it will be little more than a talking shop for anti-Semitism.

A spokesman for the American State Department, Sean McCormack, said: "It is just flabbergasting that the leadership of that regime continues to deny that six million-plus people were killed in the Holocaust."

Another article can be found here

(c) The Telegraph.co.uk

Sunday 10 December 2006

3's

A long running bone of contention between the wife and I, revolves around our differing tastes in music. Whereas she likes keeping up with the latest bands, hits and such like, I'm very happy to stick with what I know and more importantly, like.

You can put forward reasoned arguments for both camps. However, since this is my blog (!), I will simply state that, if I ever heard music in the charts that matched the musicianship and quality of the people that I like to listen to, I would readily give the new bands/singers a chance. However, when I'm humming songs by people like Lennon and McCartney, Paul Simon or Bob Dylan, these unfortunate newbies have a pretty high bar to reach.

Their case has not been helped by the superlative recent offerings emanating from some of the aforementioned gentlemen. I say this, because I am currently listening to the latest Dylan production, Modern Times and without exaggerating, it's an absolute stunner. Paul Simon's recent album Surprise was another belter and McCartney's Chaos And Creation In The Backyard showed him to be no slouch in the songwriting stakes either.

It's great to see that these so called "oldies" are still producing work of immense substance, particularly through albums released within the last eighteen months or so.

I mustn't be too harsh on the wife. She is a big fan of Queen, so there's still hope that she might come around and, what's extremely encouraging, is that she's commented most positivily on a number of (the oldies') songs she's accidentally heard when listening to the radio, driving my car or even (gasp) watching MTV!

My "friends" are still demonstrating their membership of a dwindling club. I just wonder how many of today's artists will be eligble to apply when the entire club is reformed, in Dylan's words, beyond the horizon...

Joke

A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Chanukah cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Chanukah stamps?"

The clerk says, "What denomination?"

"Oh my G_d," the woman says, "has it come to this? Give
me 16 Orthodox, 22 Conservative, and 12 Reform."

Friday 8 December 2006

Ask Toto


"I don't think we're in Kensal Green anymore, Toto".

There are certain things in life that just don't happen:

Children will never come into a classroom in my school and sit down quietly.

Vegetarians won't suddenly be swayed by a McDonalds ad to bite into that oozing cheeseburger.

No-one will ever be interested in talking to the nerd who walks into the party and announces that he's just got a cracked copy of Office 2007.

And Tornadoes don't suddenly appear in suburban North West London streets.

Well, you wouldn't thought it would you - until it happened yesterday morning.

I mean, what the hell. Where did that come from? I've heard of freak weather conditions but tornadoes in Kensal Green? Why Kensal Green? Why not the vast open spaces of Hampstead Heath? Or the flat land that consists of Norfolk?

But Kensal Green???

Now, please don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against Kensal Green. It is a perfectly habitable neighbourhood. It's just that....it doesn't seem right for a tornado to target this particular pocket of London.

Maybe Dorothy was right.
Toto does have all the answers.

Thursday 7 December 2006

The Past Is Never Far Away


Please click on the cartoon to view it properly.



Anti-Male Jokes

On a wall in a ladies room . .. "My husband follows me everywhere"
Written just below it . " I do not"


Q. Why are married women heavier than single women?
A. Single women come home, see what's in the fridge and go to bed. Married women come home, see what's in bed and go to the fridge.

Sunday 3 December 2006

Father And Son

I've spent the most wonderful afternoon in the company of my father. He wanted to take me out for my birthday and so we went to an American Diner for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon not doing very much but chatting and basically chilling out.

It's a shame we don't do this more because it was so lovely to spend the time just with him. It is afternoons like these that make our lives on earth worth all the hassle we have to put up with.

For a few hours, there was nobody else to come between us - my father and I.

Pasta Passion....and Pistols



We've just come back from playing this murder mystery game. There were four couples and each of us took on the role of a character. I was Bo Jalais, the grape-grower and dressed up for the part (including the essential black beret).

However, Dana, as Tara Misu absolutely stole the show with her ravishing outfit and frighteningly authentic Italian accent. I won't spoil events by revealing the identity of the murderer, but this really was an evening to remember.

The Italian cuisine (Dana's spaghetti and meaballs) was also the perfect addition to a wonderful soiree and immense fun was had by all. The fact that this also doubled up as my birthday party made it all that more special.

Mamma Mia!