The Scribbler

These days, there are a helluva lot of action movies out there. The vast majority consist of some guy going around shooting criminals and getting himself into all kinds of bother in the process. The pyrotechnics often take over the plot, which usually looses steam by about the second reel in. Then there is Die Hard. In my opinion, this group of movies have always stood apart from the usual fare, due to clever scripting and plotting and of course, not least as a result of the maverick casting of Bruce Willis in the title role. You want to believe that John McLaine does exist somewhere. His physical pain and vulnerable vest reminds you that this hero can bleed and despite it all, kill the bastards who came to get him. He wisecracks his way through numerous adventures, managing to carry us along with him - hoping that he'll succeed in the end. Yes, I like the Die Hard (or DH) movies! However, twelve years is a long time to wait for a new movie and on the face of it, I didn't h...

I've come to believe that, sadly, most people seem to thrive on hearing about the misery of others. Just watch your friends' faces perk up when they hear the latest (usually negative) gossip about others. There's nothing more fascinating than hearing that so and so is going through a bad time. Yes, you feel terrible for the person and give them all your sympathy, but deep down, you know that when bad things are happening, its better that others get inflicted. You might read the above and think that I'm being particularly callous, but deep down, I bet you agree with me. It is human nature after all. It therefore gives me great pleasure to give you some more news to pique your interest. Are your ears pricked up yet? Do I have your full attention? Yes? Then I'll start... Guess what, Kiki's back! Now, to the vast majority of you, the name "Kiki" means nothing. Who is Kiki? And what's the big deal about her being back? Most importantly, what's BAD a...

Now as you probably know, I have not read the Harry Potter books yet, which is probably a mistake, granted that I've now seen all the films. This one, which at times is so dark, really makes me wonder whether the Director has had an almighty row with the lighting crew. There really is very little light, both visually and in the storyline, which jokes aside, I am told accurately reflects the sombre mood exhibited in the books. That said, I enjoyed 2/3 of this movie, particularly Imelda Staunton's delicious performance as Dolores Umbridge , as well as Harry's turn as class teacher. I'm afraid the final reel left me cold as I literally lost the plot (nodding off for a moment didn't help either). Thankfully, those nice people at Wikpedia .com explained it to me, which sort of defeats the purpose of the film's director, who didn't do a very good job in clarifying the murky denouement . I also felt the pace lagged at times - something that I haven't really ...

I'd really been looking forward to seeing this movie (not unlike virtually everyone else in the western world) and the chance to see it as soon as it came out, was something that I was not going to pass up. So I bought tickets for the three oldest girls and myself and took them to the cinema yesterday morning - without disclosing what we were seeing. This was only the second screening of the film. The surprise virtually complete (it would have been, had a woman in front not sat down ten minutes before the film started and asked me if we were watching "The Simpsons " - of course Dassi's ears pricked up and she'd heard our conversation), I sat back and prepared myself to enjoy what what would no doubt be an hour-and-a-half of unadulterated entertainment. The movie started and I was instantly hooked. The jokes came thick and fast and our modest audience (it was only 10 am after all) laughed appreciatively , soaking up the feel-good atmosphere. Then, after about qua...

Tisha B'Av (lit. the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av) is the one day in which we Jews look back in both anger and sadness at the multitudinous calamities that have befallen our nation over the Millennia - most of which eerily took place on this very day. So, here I am, at 6.26 p.m, nearly at the end of this sometimes tortuous day. How do I feel? How can I really understand what it means to lose a Temple (or two), face the thought of being evicted from Spain (the inquistion kicked into action on Tisha B'Av) or even look across the ruinous landscape of six million deaths? What can Tisha B'Av really mean to someone like me, who was born after we regained Jerusalem, Hebron and the Golan in 1967? Today, according to one website, 100,000 Jews prayed freely at the Western Wall. And here I am fasting for the destruction of Jerusalem? We have Yom Hashoah and Holocaust Remembrance Day to mark the "H" word. The deaths of our great-uncles and aunts, cousins and distant ...

Five years ago, I was privileged to participate in my first ever family reunion. It featured my maternal grandfather's family and was held in the country that two of my grandparents hailed from, namely Holland. As part of the visit, we were taken on a guided tour of Elburg , from whence my ancestors originally came and we also strolled around Amsterdam, where we were given a history of the the Jews in Holland and I was shocked to discover that the Netherlands ranks as having one of the highest numbers of Jewish deportations. In Amsterdam, we visited the chilling site (a theatre) where the Jews were gathered together and sent off to their deaths. On a memorial wall therein, I saw the engraved names of numerous family members, along with a record of where they ended up - Auschwitz. When you consider that, as of 1940, there were 140,00 Jews in Holland, which made up 1.6% of the general population (including 34,000 refugees from the Germany, Austria, Bohemia and Moravia), you reali...

10. Wall postings are something we've been doing for years at the Kotel (Western Wall) 9. News Feeds, loshon hora (gossip) made easy 8. Poking, the shomer negia way to flirt (i.e. flirting without physical contact) 7. $1 USD diamond rings! 6. Updating your status is better than your mom telling the world you are now single 5. Tagging photos brings Jewish geography back into the picture 4. Social networking; a nicer way of saying protectzia (i.e. its not what you know...) 3. Mark Zuckerberg (facebook) vs. Tom Anderson (myspace)..last name says it all 2. Only colors: Kachol v' Lavan (blue and white, the colours of the Israeli flag) 1. We are the people of the Book...we just got superficial. (c) http://www.bangitout.com/ ----

This is extraordinary and not something that I've ever experienced, but today, I am experiencing what can only be termed as "job bereavement". Now before you think I'm going doolally, I should explain that it's the teachers I'm missing, not the students! Working as we do in a challenging environment, I for one, feel as though these people are members of my extended family. Over the year or two we spent time together, we went through so much, that the resulting wonderful friendships we formed mean a great deal to me. As a result, I am finding it hard to contemplate never working with these fellow teachers and friends again. If you are a teacher, you will probably understand exactly what it is I am trying to express here. Teaching is not like an office job. We don't say goodbye at 5 pm and disappear into the ether of the weekend. Some of us still communicate with each other when the school gates are bolted and the lights in the building have long been extin...

It has really been an emotional rollercoaster of a day. It started off in registration time, when my lovely Year 10 tutor group presented me with a signed card and box of deluxe Ferrero-Rocher chocolates. I got a little gushy, telling them that they had always been my favourite class and how happy I was, when told that I would be their co-tutor. I reckon that if you can't get emotional on the last day of term, just when you're going to leave - you'd better quit the profession. I gave out some jelly sweets and went into my class for the first period. I couldn't believe my eyes. Some little "expletive" had actually walked off with both my computer and sound system. Apparently it happened last Friday. Maybe, leaving the school wouldn't be so hard after all! Anyway, I managed to fix up another class room so that some of them could use a computer to watch a DVD. Break came along, a final few moments with my class and then we all went down for assembly, where th...

Well, this is it folks. The "Last Day At School". I feel kind of sad, knowing that I won't be working with these other teachers again (unless we end up in the same school), whilst at the same time, glad that I don't have to teach some of the more challenging kids again (unless they get permanently excluded and end up in my new school). Mixed emotions for sure.

If you, like me, are fond of puns I think you'll enjoy these. If you don't, please stay well clear of these: I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. Police were called to a daycare where a three-year-old was resisting a rest. Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. To write with a broken pencil is pointless. When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal. Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking. We'll never run out of maths teachers because they always multiply. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A. The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it. The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. The dead batte...

Day 1 A parent of one of the children going on the trip very kindly offered to give me a lift to the school. We gathered outside the building and ticked off the kids as they were brought in by their parents. It all felt pretty surreal, being in the vicinity of school with these kids and their mums or dads at 11.00 at night. We boarded the bus and were off by 23.35 The kids were obviously hyper and I knew that I wouldn't get too much sleep. There were four of us teachers and thirty three kids. We were lucky to have a really friendly driver, whom I found out would be staying with us throughout the entire trip, which was nice to have. We made our way down to Folkstone , to catch the Eurostar to Calais. To my astonishment, the place was full of school-kids, all making their way through the tunnel - despite the fact that it was 2.30 a.m! I was intregued when I saw another coach turning up in the car-park...but when three came along, I realised that this travelling at night lark is the...

The evening is drawing in and I am apprehensive about the upcoming experience. What will it be like? Will it be fun? What will the kids be like? Will I get any sleep? Will I fight with my colleagues? So many questions. At present, not a glimmer of an answer. I guess I should just relax and go with the flow. I've never really done this sort of thing before and so trying to predict what will happen is probably pointless. The next two days will certainly be memorable....I just hope for all the right reasons.

I've now reached the last day of the last full week of my time at my current school. Hard to believe but in five school days' time, I will be embarking on a brand-new scholastic adventure. These last two years have certainly never been dull. The experiences that I've racked up must surely count towards something. These haven't been easy times, but I'm grateful that I experienced them at the start, as opposed to the end of my career. I now need to build upon these foundations and strive to be a better teacher. Ahead lie six weeks of rest, relaxation and recharging. I will try to use the time wisely, finishing off some marking for my current Year 10s and slowly gearing myself up in time the start of the new academic year. Yesterday, I told my favourite class (the very same Year 10's) that I was leaving and they were genuinely upset. You could have heard a pin drop after I made the announcement. We'd built up a wonderful learning relationship and we were equa...

I've just spent the day in my new school and it seems like a totally different world. It is easy for me to look at it through rose coloured spectacles, but I'm resisting the urge to do so. I marvelled at students sitting there in an IT classroom without continuously playing computer games or surfing the net. I also met teachers who had been in situ for nearly ten years and showed no inclination to leave. I could write more, but sometimes, the shorter the prose, the more powerful the point made. Read through the lines on this one, friends. Read through the lines.

I decided to make another attempt at buying some cd - r's this afternoon. I went to the a different supermarket and promptly managed to lock myself out of my car. I tried to call Dana to ask her to bring some copy keys to me and just then, my mobile battery died (isn't that bloody typical?). So there I was, car-less, key-less and phone-less (and cd -r less for that matter). Fortunately, I had taken my card with me, so I was at least able to get into the store and buy the accursed disks. I also met someone I knew who let me use their phone to call the wife. Things were looking up. Until it started raining. I swear, you couldn't make this up. Fortunately, less than an hour later, thanks to my shining knight in metallic-green armour, I was re- acquainted with the inside of my vehicle. SuperDana as usual, saved the day. In retrospect and in light of recent events, I really do wonder if someone up there has a problem with my buying recordable cd's ....

My mother sent me this (and she's one of the few of her friends who has actually kept up with the rest of us!) The computer swallowed grandma. Yes, honestly its true. She pressed 'control' and 'enter' And disappeared from view. It devoured her completely! , The thought just makes me squirm. She must have caught a virus Or been eaten by a worm. I've searched through the recycle bin And files of every kind; I've even used the Internet, But nothing did I find. In desperation, I asked Jeeves My searches to refine. The reply from him was negative, Not a thing was found 'online.' So, if inside your 'Inbox,' My Grandma you should see, Please 'Copy,''Scan' and 'Paste' her And send her back to me! This! is a tribute to all the Grandmas who have been fearless and learned to use the computer........ They are the greatest!!! We do not stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing. Never B...

I've just had an extraordinary encounter. I turned up to a mega-supermarket just after four o'clock. According to British Sunday Trading Legislation, all shops can be open for a maximum of six hours. Fair enough. However, the doors were still wide open and I could customers milling around inside, whilst others were queuing. The security guard who was standing there (who didn't look too bright) refused me entry because it was after the allotted hour (he said that if he did, he would lose his job) I explained that I only needed to go in quickly to buy some recordable cd's and I would be out. He refused and was soon joined by another Einstein who informed me that the customers inside had to pay for their shopping and vacate the premises by 4.30 So let's get this straight. I am standing at the door, wanting to make purchases. People inside are at the tills waiting to pay. The doors are wide open and I'm being denied access. The Manageress came along and spouted the ...

I would say that by now, on this site, I've pretty much established my political leanings. I'm conservative, right leaning (but not too far, although it's all relative anyway) but ultimately pragmatic. Carrying this baggage, I really can't understand how Olmert can even consider releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners to help bolster Abbas, when Gilad Shalit and co are sitting/lying in captivity, one year on from that war. So Olmert frees these people and then what? Does Gilad go back to his family? Do Ehud , Ron et al , go back to theirs? What will we get from this "exchange" (a inaccurate term if ever there was one). I understand that the prisoners don't have "blood on their hands". Yes, I get it, Olmert . But why not use them as bargaining chips against our boys? Why are you doing the so called decent (but naive) thing when you know that Abbas is no better than Haniyeh , despite the facade he presents as being a moderate - why why why?...

To all my friends and family Stateside - have a great July 4 th and may G-d bless and protect America over the next twelve months.

I've added a new link to the left hand column, which is represented by an Israeli flag and the legend "support Israel". Please take a moment to click on it and show that you too are a supporter of the incredible State of Israel. As our enemies do everything in their power to demonise and de -legitimise our precious little country, please join me and others in our struggle to fight this blatently anti-Semitic movement. There will always be boycotters and their ilk who use their intelligence to push through their misguided and malevolent agenda but as long as we stand tall and united, they won't succeed. These people, by their actions are standing shoulder to shoulder with the kind of vermin who drove a flaming car into the entrance of Glasgow Airport. Remember, the Holocaust didn't start overnight - Jewish businesses were boycotted first and professionals were denied jobs. Does this sound familiar? By clicking the link, you are standing up for the only true de...

I just had to post this funny about the terrorist attack in Glasgow (and apologies for the language)

If you cast your mind back half a year or so, you might remember my review of a Status Quo concert that I attended (you can read it again here ). I wasn't too impressed with the music (to say the least) but I have to give the group credit for the wonderful cover displayed on their forthcoming new album and concert - In Search Of The Fourth Chord. Quo might have given me a migraine...but they do have a fabulous sense of humour! (c) www.statusquo.co.uk

It looks like the UK is in for another summer of fear, if the events of the last forty-eight hours are anything to go by. Miraculously, no-one has been killed (aside from one of the bombers and he doesn't count) , but these events remind you that we are not safe, irrespective of how cocooned we imagine ourselves to be. The new PM has ratcheted up the warning level to "critical" which means diddly-squat to the average man or woman on the street. I'm just grateful that I won't be flying out of any British airport over the summer as I can imagine that its going to be a hellish experience.