The Scribbler

2007 eh? What a year. I always find it quite a challenge to think back over the previous eleven months. January 2007 seems like such a distant world. The only thing I really remember from that time is the execution of Saddam Hussein. Isn't that tragic? Isn't it sad that I lived through thirty one days of a month and I only remember one horrific moment. It gets worse. I remember February primarily because of our trip to Eilat - and that's it. Then again, it is a more pleasant memory. I suppose I should remember this year because it was the last one I lived through before crashing into the ginormous 4 0. It hasn't been an easy annum either. I endured a lot of shit in my last school and although I am much happier, I'm also much more hassled and stressed, trying to keep up with the crushing workload. I take this all in my stride because I hope that the next academic year will be easier, granted that I will have been in my current post for a full year. So what do I hop...

EU CONDEMNS PALESTINIAN CHEMICALS SMUGGLING DISGUISED AS HUMANITARIAN AID The European Union on Sunday condemned a Palestinian attempt to smuggle chemicals used to make explosives into Gaza by marking it as humanitarian aid from the European Commission. An EU official called the act detrimental for the Palestinians and said, "If this was an attempt to misuse the name of the EU or European Commission it would be an isolated criminal act and we condemn it." The comments were made after the IDF released a statement on Sunday saying that a truck carrying 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate, a banned substance that can be used to manufacture explosives and Qassam rockets, was discovered at a border crossing in the West Bank. The IDF statement noted that the chemicals were disguised in sugar bags that were marked as humanitarian aid provided by the EU. A photo of the bags showed a white sack with black print on it reading "EEC 2 Sugar Exported from EU". The EU official said ...

What is it about the lust for power that made an intelligent person like Benazir Bhutto end her eight year exile in relative safety, ultimately to leave this earth in a pool of her own blood? It is not as though she didn't know she was living on borrowed time. No sooner had she arrived back in Pakistan, than an attempt was made on her life. So why stay? Why risk the most important thing she had? Was gaining power worth it? I just can't understand her reasoning for coming back and staying. She could have gone back into exile and called it a day for her political career - I don't think she had would have had a problem finding a job. However, she stayed, knowing she was a target. Its a no-brainer. So another world leader succumbs to the lethal vanity of power and her death ends up being another statistic to add to the over-bloodied board of political assassinations. Forget the simplistic adage about power corrupting. In plain and simple words - it kills.

I'm going to cut to the chase and reveal that I absolutely loved this movie. Rarely has a film lived up to its title, but the entire affair is truly enchanting, from beginning to end. The acting is fabulous, the songs (especially the Central Park number) captivating, the characterisations....what more can I say except.... GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! Really, please don't miss it - it is a gem. My Rating *****

I would like to wish all my Christian friends and visitors to this site a very spiritual and meaningful Xmas. May you celebrate the day in peace, within the bosom of your family and may your prayers of peace for all mankind, be gracious to the good Lord whom we all look up to for guidance over the next twelve months. Thank you most sincerely for supporting this site through thick and thin over the last three-and-a-half years.

FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director TO: All Employees DATE: 4th November RE: Christmas Party I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23rd, starting at noon in the private function room at the Grill House. There will be a cash bar and plenty of drinks! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...please feel free to sing along. Exchange of gifts among employees can be done at that time; however, no gift should be over $10.00 to make the giving of gifts easy for everyone's pockets. This gathering is only for employees! The Managing Director will make a special announcement at the Party. Merry Christmas to you and your Family. Pauline ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FROM: Pauline Lewis, Human Resources Director TO: All Employees DATE: 5th November RE: Holiday Party In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important hol...

I'm really not quite sure what to make of Tony Blair's conversion to Roman Catholicism. On the one hand, I believe it is perfectly within his right to take on whatever religion he wants. At the end of the day, he has the freedom to choose his own spiritual path. Saying that, I very much hope that that he embraces a more modern interpretation of Catholicism - the kind which doesn't blame the Jews for the death of Christ (as per the last two millennia ) I also believe it most uncharitable of people to call him a hypocrite for his past views. Maybe it's my Jewish sensibilities, but we hold that when one moves up the spiritual ladder, as Mr Blair is undoubtedly doing, the rest of us do everything to encourage him/her and at the same time, avoid bringing up past decisions and actions. Why shoot someone down when they are trying to reach a higher spiritual plane (assuming that their aim is to avoid becoming a fundamentalist and as a result, taking on homicidal intent)? I wi...

I get daily emails from Memri , the Middle East Research Institute , whose raison - d'etre is to provide accurately translated English texts of articles in the Arab media, for the non-Arabic speaking world to read. Many of their reports provide a fascinating insight into a media that many of us feel secluded from, not least because our Arabic isn't exactly up to scratch. With this in mind, I felt it important to reproduce the email that was sent to me today, so that it receives some more exposure in the blogging world that many of us seem to be inhabiting. "Saudi Academic: "Muslim Organizations, Leaders Must Condemn Terrorism – Our Enemies Are Translating Statements of Each and Every [Islamic] Scholar, Imam, and Charity Spokesman" Articles in the Arab press repeatedly warn about MEMRI's monitoring of the Arab media, and call on the media not only to moderate extremist statements but also to condemn terrorists and their supporters in no uncertain terms. In a...

No, the title isn't a misprint. Imagine you were looking at me right now (a frightful thought I know). If you were, you would see a face that's been through the scholastic wars. My nose is blocked, my throat went on holiday about a week ago, but was kind enough to leave me with a voice and my eyes are so darkened by their dark southern pockets, that I've started wondering if I'll ever resemble any member of my family. Yes folks. I've survived the first fifteen weeks (or is that weaks) at my new school. However, it hasn't been too bad. In fact, at times, I've even had some fun. The work is at times crushing, the kids, often even more so, but I'm kind of addicted to the place. I don't know why I work so damn so hard, but I feel that it's something I just have to do. Am I making any sense? I am definitely going to do my best to enjoy this holiday and proverbially chill out. I have a lot of take-home work, but I point-blank refuse to let it get in t...

Firstly, an apology/explanation. I know that I haven't been posting here for quite a while. I will give you an honest excuse (something that teachers have to believe all the time...) but I really do not have the time during the school term to sit down and start writing blogs. Last week, I was so busy that I didn't check my email for three days. That said, I haven't and will not forget you guys and gals. Please keep checking back, because I do update this site, albeit less frequently than previously. With the holidays coming up, I plan to write in more often. To make up for all of this, I present you with the following, text of which you've probably already seen, but I'll stick it on anyway: WHAT TEACHERS MAKE wow! The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teache...

I'm conducting a totally unscientific (but highly appropriate) experiment. I want you to put your hand up if you believe that Iran stopped it's nuclear reactor program back in 2003? You can put your hand down now-if it is raised. Please put your hand up if you think that the so-called declaration that the Iranians were no longer involved in their missile program, had less to do with concrete fact and more to do with saving the last vestiges of President Bush's rapidly diminishing credibility? Do you feel sort of silly sitting there scaring at a screen, with your hand in the air? It's OK , you're in good company. I really don't know what the Americans are up to. If they were hoping to pull off some sort of vanishing trick (e.g. the disappearance of tangible evidence that the program is no longer operational), they should have looked to aping David Copperfield, instead of the late, lamented Tommy Cooper (a British magician who had a knack of botching every trick...

I have decided to make life a smidgen easier for you. If you have difficulty remembering the URL or web address of this site, you can type in http://tinyurl.com/226bhf and you'll get here just as quick. The choice is yours. www.cwscribbles.blogspot.com or http://tinyurl.com/226bhf Now don't say I don't spoil you.

I really didn't know what the day had in store. Before Shabbat (the Sabbath) came in, she gave me my birthday present, an incredible JVC digital camcorder, which I can't wait to use (and which I spent the Sabbath day reading about in the instruction manual). We were invited to a very special evening at the local synagogue, where the youth movement my daughters attend on Shabbat , Bnei Akiva , were holding a Friday night dinner. All went well until I popped out and came back to be greeted by the host asking if anyone was celebrating their birthday on the next day and when inevitably, my name came up, 150 people sang me Happy Birthday. I refused to tell them how old I was (despite everyone there knowing). The spectacle was repeated on a smaller scale in the little kids service that I helped to run this morning. I still didn't let on to my age, singing ("you already know") to the familiar refrain. All well and good. Dana had a special surprise when I came home. I ...