When a Drop of Water Falls

Here is a cool video that shows in super slow motion what happens when a raindrop hits a puddle:

They even have some guy who explains the bouncing effect.

Our Friends at Haaretz

Our friends at Haaretz have done it again. They manage to twist the news to make it sound completely different from what actually happened while still strictly telling the truth.

Yesterday, a Jewish family moved into a house in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Here is how Arutz 7 described the event:

“The family moved into their new home in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, after the High Court ruled that land is owned by Jews. However, an Arab family remains in a part of the multi-unit building.”

The article goes on with:

“Police escorted the new family into their home on Tuesday even though one Arab family refuses to move out, despite the court approval for the Jewish family to take over the property. Police are at the scene to prevent a confrontation by protesting Arabs and pro-Arab groups and are trying to convince the Arab family to leave peacefully.”

Now lets look at how Haaretz presented the story.

First, lets see the headline:

Settlers force Palestinians out of East Jerusalem home

Check that out – it was the settlers who forced out the Arabs.  All of the sudden, the law doesn’t matter. It’s those settlers who did something wrong here. (Note: the article has since been changed on the web site but the main points still apply to the new article as well.)

Now let’s see how they describe in the article what happened:

“Rioting settlers forced a Palestinian family from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah out of their home on Tuesday, after the district court denied the residents' appeal to remain on the premises.”

First, it was rioting settlers. Not settlers who just wanted to finally move into their house.

Second, of course the article has to use the Arab name for the neighborhood Sheikh Jarrah – to further delegitimize the rights of any Jews to be there.

Next, the sentence sounds like the Jews had minimal right to the house as opposed to the years and years of court battles that they rightful owners had to go through to finally have the right to evict the illegal Arab squatters.

I don’t know why I get upset every time Haaretz does this, but here it is again.

Great Ad

I have received a number of comments about my lack of posting. I don’t want anyone to say that I am cut from my audience (whomever of you are left) and that I am out of touch with the common man. So, in order to get a post up I am going the easy way and posting a video.

It is in ad for Intel and it is quite funny. Interesting to see if you laugh with or about the people in the ad.

Embedding doesn't seem to work, but click here to see the ad.

And That is Bike Riding

Following up on the jump rope like you have never seen it video, here is some bike riding like you wouldn’t believe.

It starts off a little slow, but hang in there  - this guy does things on a bike that will blow your mind:

Now That’s How You Jump Rope

Growing up, jumping rope was always thought of a  kind of girlish. This assessment  changed a bit when we realized that boxers jumper rope since it was great exercise and good for your coordination as well.

But, I never knew  jumping rope can be for show as well.

Check out this video:

…And We’re Back

After enough nudging by various people (can you say shiputzim  ??), the time has come to maybe post again.

Instead of politics or anything, I have been saving this gem up.

This video has been making the rounds , and for those of you haven’t seen it, its a real classic:

Even Bush Gets It

(or perhaps this post should have been called Why Doesn’t Olmert Get It)

A mind boggling story appeared in Haaretz of all places today. You can find the whole thing here.

For those of you too lazy too click through or even for those who will, I’ll quote the amazing part here:

“After Olmert updated Bush on Israel's indirect talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, the U.S. president demanded, "Why do you want to give Assad the Golan for nothing?" the sources said.
"It's not for nothing," Olmert insisted. "It's in exchange for a change in the region's strategic alignment."

Bush persisted: "Why should you believe him?" And to that, Olmert did not reply. “

For all his problems, even Bush realizes its pointless to give away the Golan to Syria. Why doesn’t Olmert get it?

Cool Math Show

I know some of us (and me included) think it’s cool when we multiple two digit numbers in our head, but this guy has us all beat.

Enjoy.

NASA/Life Pictures on Google

This may not actually interest you as it does me, but since I probably know way more about the various NASA projects in the ‘50s and ‘60s (Mercury, Gemini and Apollo) than is really necessary, I found this latest Google development to be fascinating.

It seems that Google is now hosting and has available for viewing all the old Life images. 

What makes this good is that Life of course has tons of pictures from their deal with NASA in the 50’s and 60’s.

For example, type in 1960s NASA and you will get to see all kinds of goodies like:

Great Headline

In today’s Headline of the Day segment, we have a classic headline. You can zoom in an read the fine print, but even so it’s still funny.

Election Thoughts

Mrs. S. mentioned how  she  was expecting some election analysis which seems to be a reasonable thought.

The truth is I don’t have much to say on the matter. I was/am not a big fan of Obama and you have to wonder how much damage he can do in four years.  For most of us, our main focus is of course how things will affect Israel and I not optimistic on that – especially with Israeli Prime Ministers who will cave in to American pressure (and unfortunately I am including Bibi in that list.)

In addition, on a more local American scene, now that the Democrats control both Congress and the White House, they will be able to appoint as liberal judges and justices as they want.

But enough on that pessimism.  The truth is by Monday night we knew that Obama was going to win.

For the past 18 elections going back to 1940, the Redskins are 17-1 in picking the winner.

It goes like this: If the Washington Redskins win their last home game before the election, then the incumbent party wins. If they lose, then the other party wins. Actually, until 2004, this had successfully predicted 17 straight elections. In 2004, the Redskins lost to the Green Bay Packers, but the incumbent Republicans (George Bush) won anyways.

But even at 17-1, it’s tough to argue with success.

And lo and behold, the Redskins had to go and lose Monday night to the Steelers – presaging the Democratic victory.

And so us Redskins fans got stuck with a double whammy this week: both the Redskins and McCain losing.

Children

Today’s Quote of the Day brings this piece of wisdom:

"Children are all foreigners." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kids may not understand this quote, but I don’t think parents need any explanation at all.

A new way to read Garfield

I never was a big fan of Garfield. He was fun to try to draw but that was about it.

I have recently discovered a site (Garfield Minus Garfield) that offers a new way to read the comic strip. The site removes Garfield from every frame leaving only Jon doing seemingly odd things.

The site describes itself as:

Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle.

Here is a sampling:

The site also is very rss friendly and seems to me the way to read it. Even without Garfield, the comic is still not great, but it is amusing on some level that even a one sided conversation can still make some kind of sense.

It also makes you wonder how many other things – including real conversations – in life would still make sense if you take out one of the participants.

I think a fair number of them will which doesn’t say much for those converssations or the participants themselves.

The Banking Mess Explained

If you were wondering how the whole banking mess happened and what the subprime crisis means, here is a great clip to explain it.

It is actually a couple of British comedians and was made apparently in 2007:

The amazing thing is -  if these comedians understood it so well then, how come nobody else did until the whole thing blew up in everybody's faces.

Statisticians

As we enter the final leg of various election seasons, it pays to remember today’s Quote of the Day:

Statistician: A man who believes figures don't lie, but admits that under analysis some of them won't stand up either.  -- Evan Esar

A.K.A. Pella

There has been some questions on who sang the Adon Olam in the Master Of The Universe post.

The group that sings it is called A.K.A Pella. You can hear snippets of Adon Olam and other songs from that CD here. A careful listener might recognize most of the tunes from elsewhere.  A lot of the songs seem to have a similar meaning or theme as the original song. (For example listen to the clip for Ki Malachav and see if you recognize it.)

For the curious amongst you, Adon Olam seems to be based on this song ( I am not sure of any meaning connection there – though it is a nice tune):

Here is another video set to one of their songs (SImilar to how the Adon Olam one was – though not the same powerful message). I am guessing a few of you will recognize the tune ( In this case I think the connection to the original is more obvious):

If you want, you can hear clips from their first and second more traditional CDs as well.

Here is also one of the lead singers of the group (Zevi Daniels), singing the National Anthem at a recent Orioles game:

Interestingly, people’s reactions to the video differ as upon seeing the clip someone commented to me: “Did you see the sheitel on his wife?”

I should also point out that I have never heard one of their whole CDs and just know them from these clips.

Shout Out plus a Bonus

I have to give a shout out here to ASG of Our Shiputzim fame. On his recommendation, I installed Windows Live Writer Beta.

It definitely seems much easier to write entries this way rather then the standard blogger web interface. I’m not saying the entries will be more frequent now, but I think I will enjoy writing them more this way.

And now as a bonus, I recently came across this clip again. Many of you have probably seen it before, but I am guessing it has been a while and this is one of those clips  (for of those of you who like this sort of thing) that are still enjoyable on a repeat viewing.

 

Master of the Universe

Here is a great video which can help put you in the right frame of mind for the upcoming Yom Kippur.
Admittedly, it really would be more appropriate for and in the spirit of Rosh Hashana when we crown/acknowledge Hashem as King of the World. However, the underlying message is still really powerful and can help focus you for your tfillot.



One more thing which comes to mind, when seeing some of the scenes in the video though, is how amazing this world that Hashem created is.
It's great that we were created in such a way to appreciate the beauty and grace in such "little" things as a sunset or even a spider sitting on its web. I know evolutionists have theories how every little thing can be explained by natural selection but I find some of it to be a bit far fetched. I mean, how does a genetic mutation to allow us to enjoy the sight of a field of sunflowers help someone survive better?

Along similar lines, when I was taking physics in college, we were learning about calculating the pressure of liquid in a tube and the force when the tube branches. The professor explained that apparently the most efficient angle for such a split to get the most flow in a branching tube is something like 77^a degrees.
The professor then went on to say that they did some study of all the branches in the veins in a persons body and the average angle for all the branches was.... (wait for it....) 77^b degrees.
When I heard this, I, of course, was struck by how perfect Hashem made our bodies.
The professor then concluded this whole thing by saying: "You can see the power of evolution at work."

---

a - Under the heading of Honesty in reporting, I should point out that since this happened a few years ago and I don't remember all the details, I just made the number 77 up. Please don't let that detract from the story which I am guessing is still relevant whatever the number actual number was.
b - The same caveat would apply to this number 77 as well - though at least I am consistent when I make numbers up.

Biased Headline of the Day (BHOTD)

I should start off by pointing out that by the time I got around to writing this blog entry, it has lost some of its punch.
But its main point still remains:
Today, a Palestinian woman through acid in a soldiers face. When Haaretz first reported the story, they did it in a very strange fashion: (Now here is where I lose my punch since they have already changed the headline. But, the original headline went something like this):
"Near Nablus, Woman Throws Acid in Soldiers Face"
(Again my wording may be a bit off a bit but the main point is accurate)
Note what is written there - a very vanilla, adjective free - Woman. True if you drill down through the link and read the article there was mention that said Woman was a Palestenian Woman. But just by reading the headline there is no mention of that.
For all we know or can tell, (and I am sure Haaretz is hoping you will think that) it might have been a Settler Woman who threw the acid.
Of course, you can be sure that if it was an actual Settler Woman who threw the acid (not that they would have done that) but if one had - it would have been clearly spelled out in the headline and left no doubt in your mind that it was the evil, violent, extreme right wing, Settler who threw the acid.

As mentioned above, Haaretz has actually changed the headline - it now calls the perpetrator as a Palestinian Woman - but I think my main point remains.
In fact, if you read the article, you can see how Haaretz takes every opportunity to attack the Settlers - and takes advantage of the situation to again make mention of the supposed "Settler Rampage".

Carlebach sung Phonetically

This has been going around and so you might have seen it already but I wanted to just add in my thought.
In case you missed it, here is the Ray Chews Boy Choir sing a Carlebach classic:


When I saw it, my first thought was at least they picked a good song for learning and singing phonetically ( I am assuming here that not all the choir members know Hebrew.)
I mean Ki Va Moh Ed is a lot easier to say then singing all of Pischu Li was for this Gospel Choir:

Men's Fashion History

Well, it appears we seem to be getting back into this blog thing again.
So here is something a little different.
Esquire magazine (oddly, my subscription seems to have run out but it is available online if you want) has a segment with the history of men's fashion over the past 70 years.
It's interesting to see some of fashion's development - from single to double breasted suits and back.
Call me old fashioned, but the clothes from way back are kind of cool.
While it would be cool if double breasted suits came back, I think we can leave the bowler in the closet.

Cute Stuff

I am not usually one to go into these kind of things but when a little kid gets shoes it's kind of cute.

Am I back?

Short answer:
Probably not.

Long answer:
I recently got a new phone from work (the best - or at least cheapest :) way to get a phone but that is a topic for another post) and it has a camera built in. I have never had a phone with a camera before (though the wife already has had two - but that is also a topic for another post).
After I took a picture with it, I noticed that there is an option to send the picture to a blog.

As a technical guy, I wondered how it worked and as a (former) blogger I was intrigued with the potential. So I waited for something that was blog-worthy.
When I was at the pool last week, I noticed that it was quite crowded (also a topic for another post) but for some reason, one corner of the pool had space. So I took a picture and today I tried sending it the blog. It actually worked really well and you can see it there in the previous post.
(Typing on the number pad to send the picture with some interesting text is another challenge in and of itself).

After checking the blog to see how it worked, I thought that perhaps an explanation as to why a post suddenly appeared was necessary. Hence this post.
But, will I carry on? It seems doubtful to me but one never knows, do one?

Pool

Plenty of room in the corner

Begin vs Olmert

As usual, I must start a post by commenting that I haven't posted in a while. However, as in the past, I came across something that has to be noted for those who missed it.

Menachem Begin was someone who had a lot of aspects to him.
People remember the freedon fighter or his giving away of the Sinai in a so called peace deal with Egypt.
But, there is one side that, I think, is usually gets forgotten, and this is sad because it is this part of him which made him great.

In fact, some one told me that the Begin museum does Begin a huge disservice by not portraying this aspect of him at all.
I am referring to his apprecation for the specialness of the Jewish People and their place in history and the world.

There was a column in the Jersualem Post recently that compared Begin's behavior to the way in which Olmert has been recently scurrying around the world and sniveling and kow-towing before various Heads of State.

The whole column itself is worth a read but I will quote one story to you here (for those who aren't too good at clicking on links)

From The Jerusalem Post:
"THREE WEEKS later, the very same issue cropped up once more when prime minister Begin first met president Jimmy Carter in the White House. As their encounter drew to a close, the president handed the premier a piece of heavy bond White House stationary on which the formal communiqu to be released in their name was drafted.

"I trust this will meet with your approval," said Carter in his reedy Georgian voice.

Begin ran his eye over the one page text, and said, "Totally acceptable, Mr. President, but for one sentence."
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, an unruffled man as a rule, who had invested much effort in drafting the document, became momentarily agitated. After a year at the job he had perfected a manner of drafting such joint statements designed to convey as little meaning as possible.
"And what might that be?" he asked.

"Please delete the sentence which reads, 'The United States affirms Israel's inherent right to exist.'"
President Carter's steely pale-blue eyes flared in surprise. "It would be incompatible with my responsibilities as president of the United States were I to omit this commitment to your country," he said. "To the best of my knowledge, every Israeli prime minister has asked for this public pledge."
"I sincerely appreciate you sentiment, Mr. President," said Mr. Begin, his tone deeply reflective as if reaching down into generations of memory, "But it would be equally incompatible with my responsibilities as prime minister of Israel were I not to ask you to erase that sentence."
"But why?"
"Because our Jewish state needs no American affirmation of our right to exist. Our Hebrew bible established that right millennia ago. Never, throughout the centuries, did we ever abandon or forfeit that right. Therefore, sir, we alone, the Jewish people - no one else - are responsible for our country's right to exist."

An Important Lesson with Humor

It's been a while since the last post and a few of my many vast and wide-spread readers have been kind enough to point this out to me, so perhaps it's time to post again.
This time, it is a Calvin and Hobbes that gives me a good excuse to post.

The following comic is a classic Calvin and Hobbes and is a tremendous example of the power of a comic and one might say the "gadlus" of Bill Watterson. In four little pictures, Watterson manages to make you stop and think about things for a minute but then at the same time, he makes you laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Just Tremendous.
(OK Perhaps I just oversold this a bit - but anyways, enjoy)

What the world needs...

I know I haven't posted in a while but I couldn't let today's quote of the day pass without comment since it is something I think all the time.

Oscar Levant: "'What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.' "

The truth is that I hadn't heard of Oscar Levant before, but thanks to that great quote I have become a fan. (For those wondering: he is a pianist, composer and a comedian - more info here)

It's enough to make you sick

Once again, the Israeli government has decided to destroy Jewish houses purely for political reasons.
All talk of law and order is just a big smokescreen to distract from the real reason. If law and order was the only thing that motivated these people then they would also be busy demolishing all the illegal Arab building that is going on.

But as before, the media acts as the smoke generator for the law and order cover story rather then clearing the air about what really goes on.
By reading or listening to the general Israeli media you would have thought that all the Police violence yesterday was caused by the cops having to defend themselves rather then them coming in swinging as the following story from the Arutz 7 email news report describes:

"We were outside the 5th house, with the goal of forming a line to stop the police from climbing into the windows. We had planned in advance, because of modesty and the like, that when the police would tell us to go, we would go right away. But they didn't let us. They just set upon us - all of them: Yasamnikim, Border Guard, soldiers, everyone - and didn't give us a chance. I screamed, 'I'm going by myself!' but they didn't care; I heard them saying, 'Smack them! Get them!' They hit me with a club on my leg, and then they pushed me to the ground and smashed me with clubs twice more - once on my face, right near my eye. Miraculously, he didn't hit me on the skull; I saw others right near me bleeding from their heads, unconscious - it was just terrible... It was just by miracle that nothing worse happened to me."

Someone commented to me that it's enough to make him want to join Neturei Karta. I am not sure if I agree 100%, but I can understand the sentiment.

Some interesting links

Today we have some interesting links for our readers.

The 40th year of Eli Cohen's (Our man in Damascus) Yahrtzeit is coming and so some articles are starting to be written about that.
Here is one that has some interesting information on his personality and how or why he got caught. (Note: registration is required)

On a different topic altogether, here apparently is the future (or at least one future) of Jewish music. It seems, Matisyahu has started quite a trend. For full the full effect, make sure to watch the video there as well.

First Refuge of the Scoundrel

Though I am running the risk of turning this blog into an analysis of various famous quotes, I will present another good quote

Michael Crichton: "'Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.'"

Any connection between this quote and the actions of the pro-hitankut crowd in their constant assertions that the majority of Israelis wanted such a giveaway is made at your own risk.