Once again we have scientific research detailing the differences between the "Straight" brain and the "Gay" brain.
Turns out, surprise, surprise, that the brains of gay men and straight women have similarities in the area of the brain that has to do with emotional response and communication, while the brains of gay women and straight men have similarities in the area that focuses on spacial perception.
The source of this oh so progressive info: The Guardian - Gay men and heterosexual women have similarly shaped brains, research shows.

I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous.
Seriously.

Scientists at the prestigious Stockholm Brain Institute in Sweden also found certain brain circuits linked to emotional responses were the same in gay men and straight women.

Biology doesn't count for much in our modern society.
Emotional responses were similar in two segments of the population which are by default considered "Other" and lesser than the ruling population?
Gosh, I wonder.

The results could explain a University of London study earlier this year that found gay men and straight women share a poor sense of direction compared with heterosexual men, and were more likely to navigate using landmarks alone.

Don't you just love the way they phrase things.
Yes, all gay men and all straight women have "poor sense of direction".
Those cunts and homos shouldn't be driving, eh.
As though having a a good sense of direction enabled you to be a better participant in society's larger scheme.

The research is part of a larger effort to identify differences between the male and female brain, in the hope they will shed light on why some mental disorders affect men and women differently.

Perhaps it is because we are taught to behave differently to ailments?
While no doubt that the biochemistry of males bodies and female bodies are different, ignoring social ordering and societal structuralism is like trying to put together a puzzle in which you have none of the frame pieces and you don't have a picture of the puzzle to compare with.

For example, major depressive disorders are far more common and persistent in women, while autism is around four times more common in boys than girls.

Because women, in general and not all, have less avenues for independence and are constantly bombarded with mixed messages on what they must do in order to be a Good Woman - Western society, obviously, seeing as this article doesn't mention any queers or hetero's of colour, it is safe to assume that of the 90 volunteers they were all white and of a certain class (though perhaps not, as this research is trying to be "objectively scientific" while taking a bio-sociological stance. Hypocrites).
As for autism being more common in boys... perhaps, maybe, I dunno, it presents itself differently in girls!
Isn't that exactly what the research is trying to show?!

Oh and by the way? Where do the bi men and women stand in this little experiment. Any Transgenders (or are they in the same categories as gays and lesbians). Anything at all about intersexed or genderqueers.

Yeah, no so much.

Gah, these things piss me off so much.
Scientific research my peachy ass.

Reading headlines and articles like like this one, proves, that in a way, these people are so incredibly obtuse as to be considered actually stupid.

Just the headline of the linked article: Olmert: Next U.S. administration may not be as accommodating.

Accommodating to what, pray tell? Protecting Israel from the consequences of its destructive policies. Demand actual fucking change to the way Israel has been treating it's minorities within Israel proper and the role of the IDF in the Occupied Territories!

Fuck it, this article just pissed me off.

The presumption, Olmert's arrogance, the assumption that any administration will actually do anything to anger AIPAC.

I can't really analyze this at the moment, because I'm just going on my gut feeling here; but something is off here and I don't know what.

Thoughts?

Body of the text for the linkphobic:
( Olmert: Next U.S. administration may not be as accommodating )

Because of the holiday I had a very long weekend in which I managed to actually meet friends, earn some money, write a short paper for Lit. (about Foucault, don't tell me that takes five minutes, because I will have to kill you).

There's a lot in the News about stuff that may or may not go on in Gaza, which is worrying, because that means a whole lot of dead people.
Always a negative.
A positive is that the Shalit family have received a letter.

Another plus is that Hamas and Fatah are communicating. Yes, actual communication between the Palestinian factions which makes me feel optimistic, though again, my cynicism is getting the best of me and I have the feeling they're just doing it for show in order to try and get more sympathy from governments while leaving the actual people to rot in Gaza and the West Bank.

Leadership in these parts is quite nauseating.

I was discussing with a friend of mine who we were going to vote for in the elections, which have yet to be confirmed, but with the way things are looking it's not a long shot that Israel will be having elections not too long after good ole Uncle Sam.

Who are my options do I hear you ask; well it looks like every time I think about I can't help but shudder. The only person I wouldn't "mind" so to speak, out of the big three (Netanyahu, Barak and Livni) is Livni. I would never vote for Kadimah as it lacks any kind of moral or social fiber and stands on a platform of "security".

Axing the top three of Labour *snort*, Likud *vomit* and Kadimah *aforementioned above*, I'm left with Meretz (social-democrats), Hadash (communists) and the Green party (yes, the environmentalists).
I'm leaning towards the greens, as they've yet to get any seat in the Knesset and haven't been corrupted beyond recognition.

Ach, this is very frustrating!

I think I need to go back to Foucault and read about how as a Subject my identity is established by language and that if I'm not in the discourse I cease to exist.
Neato!

It would appear I volunteered to lead a team aimed at busting the myths and misinformation concerning the Occupation towards the Student body at TAU, my Uni.
I really like being a part of the Student Coalition*.

Dude, talk about stress, especially since my fellow team leader lives quite far away from me and both of us have tons of stuff to do academically. But both she and I thought that the most important thing to get out there is the fact that there is a whole lot of misconceptions in the Israeli public (in this case the average TAU student) concerning Gaza, Sderot, '67 and its consequences (for which this activity is being done, this week is the 41st anniversary to the Six Day War and the Occupation of those extra pieces of land), the Settlements in the West Bank and the whole "1984" mentality of "Security is Peace".

I think I need to get some of my friends to join this and spread it around, hopefully we'll get a large audience at Uni.

A new subject related to the above.

Every Wednesday there's a Happening on Campus, which I hadn't noticed was a regular thing, it just seemed that the Student Union *snort* arranged stalls and booths sponsored by various private companies on random days... it's quite nauseating. The Union *snort* isn't really interested in actually representing the student body (my faculty rep is such a bitcah I can't even describe how much she irritates me!) and "earns" money by getting these companies to participate in these Happenings.
There's not much to say, other than that the Union considers us consumers and not the actual people they exist for. That, and it's just a political jumping board for the Union Committee, which in and by itself is fine, but not when they use my fees to use it for their own benefit!

I had a point.

Oh, the Union has put the financial support they are meant to supply to the Student Coalition on hold, in an attempt to shut up any kind of critical or oppositional action that the Coalition has put forth.
Which is at once irritating and hypocritical.
They're meant to support any kind of student action or activity (so long as it isn't treason, and I'm sorry, criticism of Student leadership doesn't count as national treason!).

I hope the low key activity the Coalition has planned for the end of the month, won't be brought to a sudden halt because the Union has decided to go into cahoots with more "moderate" factions in the University activist population. Apparently the demo that the Coalition and the committee for Arab Students put on the 15th of May to commemorate the Nakba wasn't well received and a Zionist Student Coalition was formed based on the Coalitions organisation.

So here's to hoping the Union has a new Chair next year that isn't an ass and that the committee have an iota of integrity.

Who am I kidding, my cynicism gave me a big pinch when I wrote that sentence.

*Which is just a shorter way of saying "The Coalition of Students for Left Action and Students Against the Occupation".

My big bro suggested that I translate my previous entry as would be of interest to my f-list that doesn't read Hebrew.
I though about and so here is the translation. I hope I manage to put some of the metaphors and idioms forth strongly enough, as the entry contains quite strong language.

---

As it's said: You don't say!*
Our foreign minister, "suggested" that there may not be a peace agreement with the Palestinians by the end of 2008.

Did it actually cross somebody's (anybody's) mind that there would be the slimmest of chances to reach an agreement by the end of this year?
With the detention, the siege, the dis-communication between the Palestinian factions and the building of settlements and outposts in the West Bank. Was there any kind of hope, that even if Abu-Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] had some kind of political clout, that something would come out of it? In any event he's in Israel's pocket which in the USA's pocket, for the next ten years at the very least. Israel, that doesn't give a toss out of its National Erection about the residents of Sderot and the Kibbutzim that surround Gaza, isn't even interested in the Palestinians because, Oy Vavoi, Iran is threatening us, with A-Bombs! A-Bombs they will develop in the next decade, five years, next year! רחמנא לצלן [GD forbid].
Never mind that the USA has a clear economic interest in Iran (and is using Israel as the ultimate weapon against, well, anyone they want), after they lost the country following the Islamic Revolution (and all its wonderful oilfields which are nationalised and can't be invested through the Free market, sanctions or not).

Of course there won't be an agreement, not this year, not next year and not in two years time (I'm willing to pay money to whoever bets against me and wins) because Israel isn't interested in changing the status quo - so rockets are falling in Sderot, so what? It strengthens the citizens and they are a good example to the state of Israel.
Who cares about a few Towel-heads swimming in sewage, they're future terrorists any way, we don't need no agreement with them! Gilad Shalit? Yeah, sounds familiar. So do Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, aren't they overseas?

The war in Lebanon wasn't Entebbe 2 like Halutz, Olmert and probably Peretz as well, hoped for. Gilad Shalit will remain as Ron Arad 2 for a little longer.

An agreement with the Palestinians, yeah right! At least minister Livni gave a proper disclosure... with suggestions and guesswork, but c'mon... it was clear from Annapolis, wasn't it?

*It's important to note, that the Hebrew news update was much shorter and didn't mention the French foreign minister, Hamas, Haim Ramon or anything other than what Ms. Livni said to Ms. Pelosi.

---

I suggest you read the comments from my previous post, as the discussion between me and hemlock_sholes is not badly written: here.

I'm tired.
I'm never taking a course that requires me to wake up at six AM.
Or alternately I could start going to sleep at reasonable hours...
But fuck that right?

But the fact that I'm tired won't stop me from reporting this shit, that went down in the beginning of last weekend and which may or may not be resolved.
It pissed me off royally.
Beyond the tragic and cruel nature of these invalidated conversions, it spotlights a grave and important matter about the relationship of religion and state in Israel.
That it is rotten.

I got into an argument about what is acceptable involvement of religious establishment in the state.
Personally, I think they can fuck off, since these establishments are chauvinistic, sexist and racist.

There is no civil marriage in Israel, the closest we have is common-law unions which were established so that "un-marriageable" couples could have legal standing.
Who are the "un-marriageable" you ask - they are members of the population that cannot get married through the Rabbanut. The system was initially built for couples who according to Halakha couldn't marry each other: Cohens and divorces mainly. But this also includes Mamzerim (bastards) who cannot marry through the Rabbanut, Jews cannot marry Muslims or Christians, nor can Muslims and Christians marry each other, there is no same-sex marriage either.
This, is of course easily solved by marrying elsewhere; Cyprus, Canada, the USA, Anywhere that allows foreign nationals to marry.

And after marriage (which brings great civil benefits) comes divorce (more and more these days and don't let anyone tell you otherwise).
It's a great invention, Jews are practical that way.
Of course it is the Husband that must grant the Wife the Get (divorce), she can "choose" whether to accept it or not. Not that the man would give a shit, all he needs in order to have a Halachikly legal family (while not divorced to his first wife) is something like a 100 signatures from 100 Rabbis and he can marry and have (halachicly)legal children - bigamy and polygamy are illegal in Israel - so he can ignore with impunity the pleas his Wife makes so that they can be rid of each other. There are sanctions, monetary usually, but go beg a Yeshivah Bochur to pay alimony when he can't sustain himself without a wife, or just a run of the mill asshole who doesn't want to pay alimony and that putting him in jail only postpones the writ of execution of whatever he owes his wife, his lawer and his children should he have any. The wife, due to all this, is now an Aguna - another side effect of the Rabbis revocation of the conversions - there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Agunot women in Israel.

My side of the argument was that we either take the anti-patriarchy hammer and bash the Rabbanut until nothing is left of that racist, sexist establishment, or have the state acknowledge the fact that there is more to Judaism than Orthodoxy so that that the pluralism we pretend to have in Israel have some basis in reality.

A mixture of reform and revolution - I'm more keen on rebuilding from the grassroots, but others kind of like the way things are... or at the very least don't mind the way things are; seeing as the privilege of being born Jewish has the added bonus that no one will be nosing around our private life and checking to see if we're actually being Jewish.

It makes me sick.

I've heard people say it takes time for these things to change, after all blacks in the USA only got civil rights in the 60's of the 20th century and the women only got the vote less than a hundred years ago.
Change is slow but it happens.

Yes, change is slow... when those in power have no incentive to change, when the atrocities that these establishments perpetrate don't touch their lives, then change can be slow.
When the status quo is just fine and dandy to The Man, then change can be slow.

Classical liberal* bullshit.

*No offense to any liberals who may be reading this.

I'm not going to make it to the May Day march happening in Tel Aviv today and I mentioned it to Mummy, because I share things with Mummy and generally she likes it when I share things her.

She said that May Day is passé. That it doesn't mean anythings anymore. That only old pensioners still want to march and that only the crazy Left factions still choose to march, that they're on the fringe of the political map.
And now that the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore it's a meaningless communist holiday.
She said that when she lived in South Africa and communism was illegal and she marched in Anti-Apartheid demos on that day it meant something.

Well, it does still mean something.
It's not a "communist" holiday.
The official title for May Day is International Workers Day, or International Workers Rights Day.

In this era; in which temp workers have almost no rights in their work place.

In which the minimum wage in most countries doesn't correlate with the standard of living.

In which the welfare system discriminates against single parent families (usually singe mothers as we know).

In which there are one day strikes where bosses make promises and get the workers back on track but in fact nothing changes.

In which my friend who works as a Barista in a chain doesn't see the point of a union because she isn't going to stay long enough at the job for it to do any good.

In which strikes demanding better pay, better terms, better education are ignored by the government and completely miss the opportunity to show a united front, in Solidarity, for education, higher learning and a future for those who will get a mediocre education.

In which globalisation enables the movement of cheap labour from a "Third World" country to a "Western" country and these workers are used, abused and can barely sustain themselves because they send the majority of their wages back to their families;

In which the lining of ones pocket is more important than the fact that the majority of the peoples pockets are empty.

In which a burgeoning food crisis is immanent and those who grow the food will have nothing left because it will all be taken and distributed all over the world just so "we" won't be without our precious rice.

In which small business, like my Father's pharmacy, have to compete with giant chains and he works so hard to make sure his children want for nothing and works from eight AM to eight PM, being the boss, the worker and the professional.

In which 19(!) families control 34% (maybe more) of the income of Israel's 500 leading companies - Ynet Article.

In this era of exploitation, by-any-means-necessary-profit, "voluntary" over-time, Life Style and unsustainable economics, it is imperative to mark a day, be it a traditional one or a new one, so long as it's international, where those who are exploited, used and have their rights/see their comrades rights being abused move together in solidarity for a better future for everyone.

And to those who say; there has always been exploitation, there has always been inequality, there have always been those who have and those who don't.
I (and I'm sure many others) say: if there is no change, there is only stagnation and the only "always" that comes from that is death.
...
Um, yeah.
I'm done.

Happy (after)May Day Everyone!

"The head of the criminal affairs bureau in Lower Austria, Franz Polzer, said Mr Fritzl had admitted sexually abusing his daughter repeatedly during the time he imprisoned her".

May I please ask; why is no one calling what this disgusting excuse for a human being did, rape?
Why is it sexual abuse, when it happens between family members?
Why are "incest" and "molestation" used instead of calling it what it is?
Is there any doubt that this so-called father forced his daughter into becoming a sex-slave and having seven children of his children?

That... man... should be castrated, thrown into a jail cell (solitary confinement at that) for the rest his natural life and never see the light of day again.
Of course, that kind of justice isn't what's given out to sex offenders these days.

If I weren't so angered by this, my mind would be boggled.

When they've been forced into marriage.

Sometimes I fail to understand the logic of the world that I live in.

You know, the kind of bravery it takes for a little girl to run away from a house where she has was forced to "consummate the marriage" by her twenty-something "husband" is extraordinary.
The girl is eight.
EIGHT!
The whole idea of child brides, never mind teen brides, but Child Brides is beyond me. Isn't that institutionalized pedophilia?

The good news is the marriage was annulled, and the girl has gone to live with her family and will be returning to primary school.

Child brides make as much sense to me as "honour killings" - it's a "cultural thing" so it's okay. That's the way "they" treat women and children.
Who are we in the "West" to judge?

But see it's not the way "they" treat women and children. Women and children, in every culture, whether it's in this monolith we call the West or in "Ethnic" (I hate this word) cultures, will suffer for being women and children - especially female children.
I'll tell you how I feel the West has changed, instead of "honour killings" we have women and girls who are raped and murdered by their boyfriends, husbands or colleagues.
The majority of women who have been murdered, were murdered by their exes.
Instead of child brides we have child prostitutes.
The trafficking of women and children into sexual slavery is a pan-global phenomena.

So in the "West" there women can work, own property, choose to not marry, choose not to have children, wear pants and sneakers, not wear make-up etc.
In the "West" women can love who they want, speak out against gender based crimes, they can be doctors, lawyers, engineers, factory workers, writers, editors, actors, performers, leaders... they can go into any profession if they so choose.
I get to have more choices.
Which is a great consolation prize no doubt - this is said seriously.

My point is Relativism, as my Ethics professor said in the first lecture is "Moral Bankruptcy". If you're (editorial you) going to say "well, it's their culture, who are we to judge" - please make sure you understand the what makes a "culture", a culture and how it relates to the culture you're living in.

Here is the text to the article about the amazing little girl who got me ranting about the stupidness of moral and cultural Relativism: ( Under the Cut )

Sorry to spam, but it's important.

Over the past days since the terrorist attack on the Yeshivah on Thursday, there have been countless articles, op-eds and News coverages regarding Mercaz Ha'Rav (which is the ideological cradle of religious-zionism) and calling for retaliation against the attack.

Today Knesset Spekaer Dalia Itzik mentioned what should be done:

The head of the yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Shapira said "we must destroy the mourner's tent. This isn't normal. In any other place they would destroy it." Itzik replied "it is not a legal question at all. We must demolish the tent and the house."

In what place is it normal to (corporally) punish the family of a dead man, because he committed a crime.
The man is dead! He isn't going to be doing anything anymore.
Demolishing a house, a mourning tent is so unethical and immoral, not to mention the most counter-productive thing to do ever! Because us destroying more houses is going to create a better dialouge for peace.
I can see it now, huge headlines all over the papers: "Houses Ruined in the Name of Peace".
Yes, sacrifices have to be made.
And people need to be punished.

Collectively, of course.

I hope ICHAD are on this.

Al-Qaeda has kidnapped two Austrian tourists in North Africa.
But they have a very good reason.
Really!
It's in response to the IDF's action in Gaza... seriously.

Why are they only telling the world now, over a month after the fact?
Someone explain to me how kidnapping innocent people, from a country that has very little to do with either Israel, Palestine or Tunisia.

Never mind, I'll do it:
Hostages, using people of Very Western Country as leverage and showing that no one is spared from the conflict, obviously.
This isn't new.
But it's going to be a big pain in the international community's side. When these people were just missing, they were just that. Missing.
Now they need to be rescued.
Because they'll be murdered.

Lovely.

Oh and Israeli tabloids are calling Syria, Lebanon and Iran "Axis of Evil".
For fuck's sake! I know it's just tabloids, but they're freebies and it's read by thousands of commuters everyday on the trains (they're also given out at malls and large intersections - I'd forgotten but during the war in Lebanon, they were handed out at the entrance to the IDF HQ).
Why oh why do I do this to myself?!

PM to tell Rice: Israel reserves right to act freely in Gaza.
Is he fucking serious?!
I cannot believe this is the actual policy that Olmert is dictating!
Well, it's already quite clear that everyone has gone completely ape-shit.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will stress to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at their scheduled meeting in Jerusalem Tuesday evening that Israel reserves the right to act freely in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups.

Uhhhhh... no Israel doesn't have the right to act freely there are a few things that kind if disallow free military acts:
#1 Regard to Human Life - oops, sorry, only Human life in Ashkelon is considered worth worthy of living... my bad, forget about that one.
#2 Proportionate response - Oh, damn, sorry, no such thing as proportionate response from us, because Israel makes sure that only terrorist groups are targeted. Yeah, everyone holding a flag, or rock, or any kind of national symbol... my bad forget about that one.
#3... I'm sure there's a third reason, somewhere.

I like Olmert's response to the criticism:

In response to criticism from abroad that Israel is using excessive force in Gaza and killing civilians, Olmert said at the meeting: "Israel is defending its residents in the South, and with all due respect, nothing will prevent it from defending them, and no one has a right to preach to us for acting in self-defense."

With all due respect, this operation (whose goal is to stop the missiles firing) should have been done at some point during th past seven years - and certainly not in this scale of destruction towards the Palestinians - if the "Residents in the South" are so important. Because for the past seven years the people of Sderot and the Kibbutzim were left hung out to dry and as soon as Ashkelon (4th largest city in Israel) became a target, an all out slaughter began.

Pull the other one, it may even have a few bells on in with which we can use as a missile alert system.

Things are tense as you can probably imagine.
I'm not really good at putting my point across when it comes to things I'm passionate about, there are often times where my chronic foot-in-mouth disease becomes acute.

I always end up sounding so emotional and irrational and blubbery, as though those are bad things and make my arguments thinner. It's bloody irritating that the only times my views are even listened to is when I speak "logically", "unbiased" and "rational".
As though there's anything logical, unbiased and rational in the situation we're living in.

Yep rockets, sieges and disharmony... the balanced way of life. *sigh*

I think I give the impression, or I actually may be, a whole lot more moderate than other activists I'm in touch with.
I'm as anti-Occupation and pro-Human Rights as they come... but I can't deal with hypocrisy.
The hypocrisy of "Anarchists" who fight for the right of National Determination while saying that another kind Nationalism is wrong - "we only fight against the Occupation!" - yes, well that's all very nice isn't it, if your point of view is so narrow you can't see the wide spectrum of where you're standing.
Like I previously mentioned, I believe that since Jews have a homeland, Palestinians deserve the same thing.
Often when I mention this to the more anti-Zionist people I know (my kind of post-Zionism is too moderate for most of them, as I've said) and I ask them what will you do if there is no longer an Israel? Where will you go?
What does that matter? They reply.
A great deal - citizens of the world we all want to be, but to be rootless and disconnected from where we come, to be doomed to become "Wandering Jews" again... that kind of Cosmopolitanism kind of ended in disaster... more than once.

Maybe it's the memory of persecution, maybe it's just a sense of unfairness, but I was born here and this is the only home I know and I want it to be a better place for my Nephews, Niece and my next potential Nephews and Nieces and maybe even potential children.
To just give up and go? To abandon what's been built here, what's been accomplished and what can still be built and accomplished?
That seems like anathema to me.
I won't give up on being Israeli, because I want to have allies and friends (in Palestine and beyond) and not wander loosely in the world with only a memory.

And in a less wolly manner: my brother, that clever guy, if only he wrote his ideas (hint-hemlock_sholes-hint).
He has great suggestions for non-violent direct action which would really be constructive if people were made aware of how powerful they could be.
I'll definitely pass those ideas along to people who might actually be able to do something.

---

I wish I had time to write feminist comic book and sci-fi criticisms like I used to, but all I do now is read my articles for Uni and my News feeds and blogs.
Doesn't let my brain veg in a constructive manner.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm the daughter of immigrants.
Maybe it's the fact that I find hypocrisy distasteful.
Maybe it's because I really am *shudder* a statist at heart.

Perhaps this is simply because this is the reality of the situation and no matter how humanist I am in my philosophy, I'm not the one who runs the current socio-political paradigm that creates that huge divide between Israelis and Palestinians.

It's no secret that I sympathize and empathize with Palestinians and Palestinian national self-determination... this is because it is the basic human and civil right of every nation on earth to live in a territory as a home-land. It is what I was taught (and understood) Zionism to be for the Jews; what Zionism actually was and is in praxis is not what I want to write about.

Because of the Zionist movement, Jews did create a home-land in historical Palestine (now Israel and the Palestinian Authority).
The problem is that Israel is a colonial remnant with all the baggage that goes with it.
Israel is different that other colonial remnants, is that it came late in the game and it has now based itself and isn't going anywhere.
Nor do I believe it should.

The history that we all go back to - 1948, 1967, 1987, 2000 etc. It doesn't do any good.
It doesn't matter anymore who started what and when.
Only that we finish it.
By communication, by stopping the usurpation of land, by shifting the status quo even if it pains those involved.
By agreeing, not on a Hudna, but an actual two sided agreement and not a unilateral decision.

It's not in Israel's best interests to keep the people of Gaza under siege and/or attack or keep building settlements in the West Bank. On the other hand it's not in Hamas' best interests to keep bombarding Sderot, the West Negev and beyond, and for Abu-Mazen to start flashing sabers.

Intifada #3 is in no ones interest.

Except the USA.
They get money.

BTW, you can call me naive all you like, but other than what I suggested, there really is only the annihilation of one or both of the Nations in question, which I don't think anyone wants.

I didn't write about this yesterday because I was all about ME, which is sometimes what this LJ is for.

This is "old News" by now, but Sderot and Kibbutzim of the Western Negev were bombarded yesterday with over 50 Qassam Rockets.
50 Qassam Rockets.
At least one person died and several other have been critically injured, maimed and traumatized.
The retaliation and in these cases it always a retaliation, was the usual IDF and IAF maneuvers.

What I find most interesting is that in the International News sites, the retaliation was written about first, giving the obvious impression that that the Qassam rockets were launched in retaliation to the military action done by Israel.

Such. Utter. Bullshit.

I'm a big talker and I'm all for talking with Hamas, but when the complete and utter disregard they show towards their own people by launching rockets that are designed to hurt my people, because my people have the Big Guns and on TeVi, Big Guns look much worse than little rockets despite the damage wrought by both.

The ones who suffer the most are the civilians on both sides of the border. It doesn't matter if they're Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim, Bedouin or Christian.

Hamas' goal isn't to liberate Palestine, it never was, it is to recreate the Caliphate and bring the Umma together and then go out on a Holy War against the West.
And like most of these kinds of groups (al-Qaeda, the Taliban, etc.) they were created in order to fight the real enemies... the Communist or Marxist Identified groups - or in the case of the Taliban the Soviets themselves.

Old News? Ancient History?

Maybe, but it's certainly a way to see the interconnectedness of it all.
Until the USA decides that it no longer supports Nations that give money to Hamas and Hizbulla (and it's not just Iran, far from it) and that "spreading Democracy" is not the way to go, but co-operation and actual fucking communication; you can bet that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict will continue.

High Court upholds Katsav sex crimes plea bargain

( Body of the Text for the Linkphobic )

I really have no idea what to say about it.
I'm so angry I don't know what to do with myself other than to say that this is so wrong, unjust and so full of shit the brown is oozing out of this whole situation.

I'm loathe to use this word for fear that it will insult other men, but this man got away with it. Really he did.
He's not going to jail, he didn't "commit" rape, the major "alleged" sexual assault crimes were dropped and all he's left with is a sexual harassment charge and a "non-violent" assault.

Did I mention that there is no fucking justice in this world?

I heard, at the time when this was all over the News, that he was being slandered and he even accused the media of persecuting him and mentioned the word "Lynch".

I think of "A" who had her identity revealed at some point (which goes against the victim anonymity law) and how she was called a whore and a prostitute and how she brought it on herself and all the regular victim-blaming spiel and thought "is no one going to say anything about abuse of power and position".
Because this is exactly what it is - say, he really didn't (though I sincerely doubt it) rape those women - someone came forward and accused this man of forcing himself on her, with the expectation of compliance.
Yes, in the eyes and minds of these men in high position it is expected of women to comply to their whims and wishes, after all, almost all the women they are surrounded with around the office are there to serve them.

How dare those women not be available sexually, that unthinkable that they not want to submit to my power and dominance. How dare those women complain, they should be greatful I find them attractive and want to sleep with them.
This is, quite obviously, said with great scorn, sarcasm and anger.

If you're interested, here are the related articles which can be found at the bottom of the page linked above:
Katsav plea bargain signed: President to admit to indecent assault, resign today.
Tens of thousands protest in Tel Aviv over Katsav plea bargain.
Shendar: Public misled on Katsav plea bargain.
Source: High Court shouldn't cancel Katsav plea bargain.

For a non-Israeli view on this check out the BBC article and related stories linked on that page: Israel upholds Katsav plea deal.

It's true you know.
I mean, there should be a "duh" factor here, but it's not a really a fact that one can take for granted.

I remember not too long ago (May 2007) the whole world was outraged at the murder of Dua Khalil, which I also wrote about at the time.
Yes, it was disgusting.
What's more disgusting is that since then very little has been done to stop these murders, which are more common than not.

In Israel it too happens much more often than people suspect, or more to the point, care.

What frustrates me more than anything; more than the lackadaisical police work in matters of this kind; more than the attitude of appeasement certain factions of the liberal/radical left have towards extremists, simply because they aren't Western, is that this attitude is nothing more than well concealed racism and sexism.

Yeah, I hears the gasp. How, do I hear you ask?

It is racism because this kind of "custom" would never be tolerated in "civilized" society. It is racism because if a white woman or girl were to be murdered in the name of "honour" the authorities would call it a heinous crime.
It is sexism because it ignores the fact that women are not merchandise to be procured and then discarded and thrown away if she doesn't work the way she "should". It is sexism because women are people.
It is inhuman.
Period.

To say that this sort of treatment towards women is a "cultural" thing is pretty insulting to the people of that culture don't you think? What, only Western women have the right, excuse me, the privilege to stand up and leave and create a different, new life for herself.
Even if it is a "custom" this "honour before life" crap, the woman, girl, who has brought shame onto the family has the right to live her own life! For fuck's sake, most of the girls and women murdered in the name of honour are virgins (as though that makes a difference), those who aren't were most likely raped and those that weren't raped and chose to sleep with someone are allowed that choice as human beings.
Because women are people, no more and no less than any other man.

The whole world said "this is wrong" when Dua Khalil died, because like in the old days it was made public, so public the entire world tuned in to see a young 17 year old be murdered for being seen with a man not her kin and religion.
The whole world said "this is wrong" when the Qatif Girl was sentenced to 200 lashes for being found in the company of a man not her kin after she and her boyfriend had been raped.

If we're already on the subject of people speaking their minds: I hear people criticize Ayaan Hirsi-Ali, Nonie Darwish, Wafa Sultan and other Muslims (or former Muslims) whom immigrated from Arab and Muslim nations, for selling themselves to a right wing agenda, or for being overly critical of the countries from where they came and I'm angered by that.
While I have issues with the political views of some of the people I mention above, I wouldn't ignore what they have to say about extremist Islamistic regimes, they know where they come from.

No, seriously, WTF?.

This is, surprise-surprise, Saudi Arabia showing just how much their laws encourage the disposal of women.
Witchcraft.
That's right, this woman has been accused of witchcraft; one of her accusers is a man who claims she bewitched him into impotence... Impotence!

According to Human Rights Watch she is illiterate and during her arrest was coerced into giving her fingerprints and wasn't even read the charges against her.

Yep, the Saudis at it again. Not that this should be any surprise seeing as when it comes to the treatment of other human beings Saudi Arabia is notoriously lax in their laws as to what defines a human being.