As you may have heard, Radiohead‘s Tel Aviv concert went ahead. By all accounts (locally) it was a great success.
This is how the Guardian chose to headline its report:
This is how the Guardian, had it been a bit more frank, should have headlined its report:
And this is how the Guardian, had it been completely honest, should have headlined its report:
The Guardian’s (rarely seen) honest face
For a society flush with hi-tech successes, and ever increasing numbers of hi-tech startups, there are aspects which lag somewhat behind other mainly western countries. For example, much of the bureaucracy refuses to accept email and insists on fax messages. (An MK proposed legislation to fix that, but whether it becomes law is still open to question.) As another example, official websites can be a bit clunky, are often ugly, and have not quite grasped the concept of the need to refresh and maintain content. And there’s also the issue of blindly following a website template, even when it’s patently not suitable. The last category is amply illustrated by the following web page, as pointed out to me by Sarah-Lee.
As of writing this link generates:
A world first? An FAQ with no questions?
Check this out, and try not to laugh while you read it. Only lawyers could tie themselves up in logical knots about the intellectual property rights of a macaque monkey.
The famous monkey selfie at the heart of the storm (Copyright: David Slater. Or Naruto the monkey. Not sure which) Caption: The Register
“After decades of being able to attack Israel with no opposition, the PLO has no idea how to handle someone who actually shows that the emperor has no clothes.”
The Elder of Ziyon on target. There’s lots more to enjoy, so read the whole piece, here.
The row about the offensive and stupid decision of the New York Times to omit Marwan Barghouti’s bloody past (and present?) doesn’t go far enough in exposing what the true face of evil is. Try the following link for a deeply personal, yet restrained and factual commentary on the Marwan Barghouti background his supporters don’t want you to know about. Just click here.
From the Times of Israel in an article (here) about the behavior of Channel Islands officials during World War 2, under German control:
In August 1945, a British intelligence report stated, “When the Germans proposed to put their anti-Jewish measures into force, no protest whatever was raised by any of the Guernsey officials and they hastened to give the Germans every assistance.” The author went on to note that, by contrast, there were considerable efforts made to protect the islands’ Freemasons.
So, prepare for the next wave of antisemitism, and become a Freemason now!
There are many who believe, with considerable justification, that the core of the British Establishment is riddled with antisemitism. It’s a quiet, ever present hate that every so often boils up to the surface. It can appear as a Nazi fancy dress, a Nazi gesture, or something more direct and abusive. (It is occasionally dressed up – lightly disguised – as political commentary attacking Israel.) You can well see how those harboring such hate would have no hesitation in administering the orders from their German conquerors.
It does appear that such hate has now broken out of the Establishment, and is widely settled among the hearths and homes of British Society. Or. do you think that is too pessimistic an observation? Does the press pick unfairly on the social media slurs of youth, or the temper tantrums of politicians in heat, that truly are of no substance? Or does what’s on show represent the tip of a deadly iceberg?
As part of my January trip to the UK, I popped up to Glasgow to see my brother, and do a cemetery visit. I went to Glenduffhill Cemetery on the morning after a short snowfall had turned the usually dreary place into something of a black and white postcard. It’s never a cheery place to visit, despite the efforts to make the gardens bloom and flourish, but the snow changed the atmosphere into something more stark, and more beautiful. Continue reading
The Jewish Chronicle has a very interesting article on this topic by Robert Hannigan, the Director of GCHQ. As he says:
“I rarely write in public. But the death of Rolf Noskwith earlier this month, at the age of 97, prompts me to tell the story of our remarkable group of Jewish staff at Bletchley Park during the Second World War and the years that followed.”
Apart from the historical narrative, note the confirmation of the close connection between the British and Israel signals intelligence communities. Read it all here.
This exhibition – subtitled ‘Records and Rebels 1966-1970’ – is on at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London until 26 February 2017. Sponsored by Levi’s and Sennheiser, it was heavily promoted, and all the feedback was positive. I’m not so convinced. Continue reading
Susan and I are just back from a trip to the UK. On trips into London city center, I was struck by how many people were sleeping rough. I had seen that before, but never in such numbers. I don’t know what the reason for the change is, but it’s a human tragedy out there, and obvious to the world. I hope to hell somebody there is doing something about it. The sight of so many cardboard, newspaper, and rag hovels reminded me, again, about how fortunate I am.
I did think about documenting the situation with some pictures, but a modest dose of reflection led me to the conclusion I would be wallowing in other people’s misery. I also thought that the explanation given by some Londoners – immigration – sounded too pat. Further, it didn’t fit with the fact that those rough sleepers I heard speaking were decidedly native English speakers. Regardless, it’s horrible.
