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Friday 1 December 2006

Does any one recognize this Rabbi?

My wife and I obtained what I'm fairly confident is an original oil painiting that was on Ebay.

Yes occasionally there are genuine oil paintings on ebay. [Caveat Emptor]

Its is quite old, and looks to be genuine.

[Now its possible it may be a painted copy of an original, but it is an oil painting]

We would dearly like to know who it is.

If any one knows or would like to theorise please feel free.



Bagelblogger Always Fresh!

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Seeing Stars in your Eyes


I'm in a funny mood today.

I actually feel guilty because I haven't posted.


Weird.

Anyway to get out of feeling guilty I decided to pull out my Mr Nice Guy suit, geez talk about dust!

Anyway one serious bout of hayfever later and here's a post after all.

If you notice the Stars of David and derivatives and wish you could just type these in, well if you know how to install a font, you can.

Now unless you use them in a picture, or to print something with, you won't be able to use them in your blog as other people will not have this font, (like many other fonts), all they will see is gobble gook lettering or your default web font.

If anyone wants this font leave a comment or email me.

Bagel

[End]


Bagelblogger Seeing Stars!

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Thursday 30 November 2006



Ahmadinejad has sent a letter to American people

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

O, Almighty God,
bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You,
and make us among his followers.

Noble Americans,

Were we not faced with the activities of the US administration in this part of the world and the negative ramifications of those activities on the daily lives of our peoples, coupled with the many wars and calamities caused by the US administration as well as the tragic consequences of US interference in other countries;

Were the American people not God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking, while the US administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any objective portrayal of current realities;

And if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity;

Then, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you.

While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together.

Both our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection.

Both greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as compassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and bullies.

We are all inclined towards the good, and towards extending a helping hand to one another, particularly to those in need.

We all deplore injustice, the trampling of peoples' rights and the intimidation and humiliation of human beings.

We all detest darkness, deceit, lies and distortion, and seek and admire salvation, enlightenment, sincerity and honesty.

The pure human essence of the two great nations of Iran and the United States testify to the veracity of these statements.

Noble Americans,

Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world.

Hundreds of thousands of my Iranian compatriots are living amongst you in friendship and peace, and are contributing positively to your society. Our people have been in contact with you over the past many years and have maintained these contacts despite the unnecessary restrictions of US authorities.

As mentioned, we have common concerns, face similar challenges, and are pained by the sufferings and afflictions in the world.

We, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad day-light, in front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding innocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at students in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief.

No day goes by without a new crime.

Palestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children, and are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their children. What mother wouldn't?

For 60 years, the Zionist regime has driven millions of the inhabitants of Palestine out of their homes. Many of these refugees have died in the Diaspora and in refugee camps. Their children have spent their youth in these camps and are aging while still in the hope of returning to homeland.

You know well that the US administration has persistently provided blind and blanket support to the Zionist regime, has emboldened it to continue its crimes, and has prevented the UN Security Council from condemning it.

Who can deny such broken promises and grave injustices towards humanity by the US administration?

Governments are there to serve their own people. No people wants to side with or support any oppressors. But regrettably, the US administration disregards even its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people.

Let's take a look at Iraq. Since the commencement of the US military presence in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced. Terrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. With the presence of the US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty. The US Government used the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just a lie and a deception.

Although Saddam was overthrown and people are happy about his departure, the pain and suffering of the Iraqi people has persisted and has even been aggravated.

In Iraq, about one hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from their families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current US administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded and their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and government.

Their mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their discontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of miles away from US shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have been sent to Iraq.

I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure.

Noble Americans,

You have heard that the US administration is kidnapping its presumed opponents from across the globe and arbitrarily holding them without trial or any international supervision in horrendous prisons that it has established in various parts of the world. God knows who these detainees actually are, and what terrible fate awaits them.

You have certainly heard the sad stories of the Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib prisons. The US administration attempts to justify them through its proclaimed "war on terror." But every one knows that such behavior, in fact, offends global public opinion, exacerbates resentment and thereby spreads terrorism, and tarnishes the US image and its credibility among nations.

The US administration's illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to outside its borders. You are witnessing daily that under the pretext of "the war on terror," civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed. Even the privacy of individuals is fast losing its meaning. Judicial due process and fundamental rights are trampled upon. Private phones are tapped, suspects are arbitrarily arrested, sometimes beaten in the streets, or even shot to death.

I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it.

The US administration does not accept accountability before any organization, institution or council. The US administration has undermined the credibility of international organizations, particularly the United Nations and its Security Council. But, I do not intend to address all the challenges and calamities in this message.

The legitimacy, power and influence of a government do not emanate from its arsenals of tanks, fighter aircrafts, missiles or nuclear weapons. Legitimacy and influence reside in sound logic, quest for justice and compassion and empathy for all humanity. The global position of the United States is in all probability weakened because the administration has continued to resort to force, to conceal the truth, and to mislead the American people about its policies and practices.

Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people.

My questions are the following:

Is there not a better approach to governance?

Is it not possible to put wealth and power in the service of peace, stability, prosperity and the happiness of all peoples through a commitment to justice and respect for the rights of all nations, instead of aggression and war?

We all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent.

But, can terrorism be contained and eradicated through war, destruction and the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents?

If that were possible, then why has the problem not been resolved?

The sad experience of invading Iraq is before us all.

What has blind support for the Zionists by the US administration brought for the American people? It is regrettable that for the US administration, the interests of these occupiers supersedes the interests of the American people and of the other nations of the world.

What have the Zionists done for the American people that the US administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors? Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?

I recommend that in a demonstration of respect for the American people and for humanity, the right of Palestinians to live in their own homeland should be recognized so that millions of Palestinian refugees can return to their homes and the future of all of Palestine and its form of government be determined in a referendum. This will benefit everyone.

Now that Iraq has a Constitution and an independent Assembly and Government, would it not be more beneficial to bring the US officers and soldiers home, and to spend the astronomical US military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and prosperity of the American people? As you know very well, many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness.

I'd also like to say a word to the winners of the recent elections in the US:

The United States has had many administrations; some who have left a positive legacy, and others that are neither remembered fondly by the American people nor by other nations.

Now that you control an important branch of the US Government, you will also be held to account by the people and by history.

If the US Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But if the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American people would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent elections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the current administration's policies. These issues had been extensively dealt with in my letter to President Bush earlier this year.

To sum up:

It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force and injustice.

It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion.

It is possible to provide welfare and prosperity without tension, threats, imposition or war.

It is possible to lead the world towards the aspired perfection by adhering to unity, monotheism, morality and spirituality and drawing upon the teachings of the Divine Prophets.

Then, the American people, who are God-fearing and followers of Divine religions, will overcome every difficulty.

What I stated represents some of my anxieties and concerns.

I am confident that you, the American people, will play an instrumental role in the establishment of justice and spirituality throughout the world. The promises of the Almighty and His prophets will certainly be realized, Justice and Truth will prevail and all nations will live a true life in a climate replete with love, compassion and fraternity.

The US governing establishment, the authorities and the powerful should not choose irreversible paths. As all prophets have taught us, injustice and transgression will eventually bring about decline and demise. Today, the path of return to faith and spirituality is open and unimpeded.

We should all heed the Divine Word of the Holy Qur'an:

"But those who repent, have faith and do good may receive Salvation. Your Lord, alone, creates and chooses as He will, and others have no part in His choice; Glorified is God and Exalted above any partners they ascribe to Him." (28:67-68)

I pray to the Almighty to bless the Iranian and American nations and indeed all nations of the world with dignity and success.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
29 November 2006


References:
CNN: Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans
From the Daily Times Pakistan: ‘Ahmadinejad sent letter to American people
Full text of previous letter to G.W.Bush: The President of Iran's Letter To President Bush

[End]


Bagelblogger Usually Always Fresh, very smoky at the moment!

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Mr Bagel under the spot light



Don't tell me how this happened, but one minute I'm exchanging pleasantries the next minute this rather gruff guy carrying a violin case has me bailed up telling me its time to sing.


It was either dinner at Vladimir Putins or a JBlogger interview. Not wanting to hear that Music from the Blogmeister .

I figured a JBlogger interview would be the easiest, now I'm not so sure.

If you want to check out Blogmeister's Previous Character assassinations, here are his victims: 1. Life-of-Rubin 2. SerandEZ

If you ever wondered what made Bagelblogger tick then Jewish Blogmeister will soon have the Interrogation err, interview up.

Visit the Cruel fiend here:

Jewish Blogmeister

[End]


Jewish Blogmeister Thanks..I think?

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Mahmoud cares about you Yanky Infidel.

Ahmadinejad sent letter to American people

TEHRAN: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to the American people, which will be released in New York, a state newspaper reported.


The newspaper gave no details of the letter, but it would appear to be an attempt by the firebrand president to reach out to Americans over the head of their government.


The state-run newspaper Iran reported the letter in bold type on its front page, saying "the five-page letter to the American people will be released by Iran’s representative at the United Nations".


Ahmadinejad wrote a rambling, 18-page letter to US President George W Bush in May, which Washington criticized for not addressing Iran's nuclear program - where the US is leading the drive to impose UN sanctions on Tehran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium.


Iranians in the street were disappointed by the cold response to the May letter because, while it did not make clear proposals, it was the first official communication between the two countries' presidents since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.


Earlier this month, Ahmadinejad said he was planning to write a letter to Americans.
"Many American people asked me to talk to them in order to explain the views of the Iranian people," Ahmadinejad told reporters, referring to his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly session in September.


Ahmadinejad has alienated many Americans by calling for Israel’s destruction and repeatedly dismissing the Nazi Holocaust as a myth. He also strongly supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese faction Hezbollah, which the US State Department lists as terrorist organizations.


Twice this year, Iran has proposed talks with the United States over Iraq, but Ahmadinejad has said that for such negotiations to take place, Washington must change its behavior. On Sunday, he said Iran was ready to help the United States get out of the "Iraqi quagmire if the US changes its bullying policy toward Iran."


Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1979 when, after the revolution, militants seized the US Embassy in Tehran and kept 52 people hostage for 444 days. ap


BB: This should be a very interesting letter. Could it be that Ahmadinejad is using the classic tried and tested military tactic of divide and conquer? He knows there's diverse opinion in the US right now.

I'll be interested to see the American public's receptivity to this letter.

Here's hoping Americans don't let their memories fail them.

References:
From the Daily Times Pakistan: ‘Ahmadinejad sent letter to American people

[End]


Bagelblogger Usually Always Fresh!

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Wednesday 29 November 2006

Bodgey Bagel's Caption Contest Number 6

Week 6 Of Bodgey Bagel's Incredible Caption Contest!

For Entry into Bodgey Bagel's Caption Contest Week 6
Leave your Caption for the Photo in the comments.

All entries must be in beforeWednesday 6th December

Up for the challenge?

Caption away! Leave your entries in the comments section before Wednesday 6th December.
May the best caption win!


The Winner of Last weeks Contest No 5:(29th Nov)

[Click Read More..]


The fourth 'almost famous' Bodgey Bagel Weekly Photo Caption contest.

The 5th Bodgey Bagel Caption Contest winner is.....Drum Roll

1st Place: I'll take off as soon as I get a good 'tail' wind. [ elliot ]



2nd Place:

"Camouflage." Check.
"Wings." Check.
"X-ray vision goggles." Check.
"There's no way those humans will even notice me in this gear! All systems go and ready to take off for mission 'get steak'." [ ~ Sarah ~ ]

=3rd Place: "Whaddya mean there's no such thing as an A10 Wartdog?" [ Rodney Dill ]

=3rd Place: I'll be here for hours, now that the cat is Airtraffic Controller. [elliot ]

4th Place: The Rex Baron won every dogfight. [ McCain ]

5th Place: DRUDGEBREAKING: The Whitehouse just released today that the reason for Sec. Rumsfeld's forced resignation was due to his adamant support for the reintroduction of the B-29 PooperFortress. [ Rodney Dill ]

Honorable Mentions:

HM: Snoopy, the "great WWI flying ace", did not (adjust ?) to the newer technology. [ dennis ]

Bagel's Dishonourable Mention: Rover was an expert at aerial dog fights[BB]


Fantastic entries,thanks you guys! Bagelblogger





Other blogs with Caption Contests:





Outside the Beltway




Rightpundits.com


The Clash Of Civilizations


Willisms


Commonwealth Conservative


Bullwinkle Blog


The Right Place


Bravozulu


The Gone Rick Motel


Blogmeister USA


Cowboy Blob


SgtStryker


Wizbang Blog


With Thanks to all those that entered - Bagelblogger.



Bodgey Bagel's Caption Contest 6 Get those Captions in!!


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Just another unarmed Palestinian civilian



If this rock hit someone would it cause serious injuries or possibly death?
Do you think these Palestinians are trying to inflict injury?
Well, they're ' unarmed ' to some, are they civilians or legitimate targets?

If you think they're civilians, would you think the same way if one of these rocks killed you're love one?
If they we're a casualty should they be recorded as armed or unarmed?

Would they be recorded as armed? I'm interested in what people think?

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Bush Fires!!: Falling Trees and No Electricity

Seems Today has been rather busy.

Not only have we experienced and are still experiencing a rather close bush fire, the only road into the area (for everyone including fire engines) was blocked for more than two hours when a monstrous gum tree fell across a series of power lines. It hung perilously across the access road floating on live voltage power lines.

Emergency Electrical workers were called out as well as local council workers whilst relieving firefighters had to wait for the road to clear.

In amongst all this I had to go into town for an important appointment, which is another post to come.

Coming back from this appointment we were prevented from coming home due to the fallen tree across power lines which was hanging over the road. The worst part was where we live, if we don't have power, we don't have water, nor bathroom facilities. Because of our remoteness as soon as the power goes out we basically live in the stone age. We have to go and fetch water from one of our water tanks. We have a rope tied to a bucket and with some effort we bring the water up.

This has always been a nightmare scenario. It seems round were we live, the first thing to go when there's a fire is..... the electricity goes out.

Well with no electricity we don't have any water.


This fellow was pretty friendly I had raced home when we could finally get through and came back to take a few photos of the crew clearing the rather large tree from the power lines.

What you see in the back ground is about half the tree remaining hanging across power lines. Before it had been cut the tree was so large and its weight so much that its former canopy cover the entire road.

Right: Pretty friendly Koori guy [Native Australian], he wasn't phased by anything. I went to take a picture of the scene with him in profile and he couldn't believe I wanted ' his ugly mug ' in the photo.


I was amazed to see the work crew progressively cut the tree shorter and shorter, whilst having to always adjust the position of a cherry picker.


I still find it hand to understand how the weight of such a large tall eucalyptus [gum tree] could have been not only supported but stopped from falling the last 10 meters of its fall. The force exerted by the tree in its falling must have been huge.


After a few hours work people were able to move past with traffic direction

We had high winds, which are really bad for bush fires, because of the Drought in our state, everything is really dry. The part of the State where I live is usually pretty lush at this time of year, this year its very dry. The dry and high winds caused trees every where to fall.

At my daughters primary school there is a ' landmark gum' which had been around for more than a century. Apparently without warning the office heard a thunderous 'cracking' sound, and now it no longer stands proudly marking the Primary school. Luckily the children were all in their classrooms and the tree was away from any buildings.

I heard off an old timer once, his theory on why trees fall. What I've seen since has proven him right time and time again.

He said to me,
"don't you worry about them gums. They've been standing tall for longer than you and I can remember. There's only one thing you need to know about gums, if its been really hot, I mean really hot for a long time, then it rains, 24 to 72 hours later if a tree wants to fall it will.

Ever since I heard that, it seems he has been right 98% of the time.


If you look closely you can see the power wires supporting the tree.


This photo shows clearly the perilous situation, the tree loppers had taken about 10 meters[30 ft] off the tree already when they started to get to the delicate part.
I thought Chainsaws and power lines didn't seem like a good mix.


Despite my reservations I took a gamble and stood almost under
the power cables to catch this photo of a large section being felled.


BUSHFIRE!

If you read the previous post you would have realised we had fires very close by.


A rather Peaceful scene belies the danger of a bush fire.

Despite the expanse of water and the rather idyllic rural scene, the area we live in contains some very heavy forested areas. We live on the most heavily forested section on a bluff. We've seen footage of what happens when fires go up treed bluffs, and its scary.

The way our house is built it basically overhands a cliff with 50 metre high gum trees, despite its breath taking vista of the river and valley below, once we smell smoke we live on edge.


Despite the goings on the local Dam ducks didn't seem to worried.


I get the feeling they've seen this all before.
Come to think of it, living in a dam and having wings, you would think you wouldn't have too much to worry about when it comes to fires would you not?


When you see the local Rural Fire Service volunteers flat out
taking it easy getting their breath back, you know there
must not be too much to be worried about.

These guys do it for love, they don't get paid and they spend much of their spare time doing training courses.

S
o unless there's a massive flare up and a big change of wind, it seems for now the fires are under control.

Apparently there's some pretty heavy duty bulldozers currently dozing fire breaks.


You might wonder why we panic so much when there's fire any where near? Well this is where we live. We live in a house surrounded by huge trees basically buried in bush hanging onto a cliff. The photo to the right is a blurry enlargement of the centre of the photo below it.

It doesn't look to high in the photo but theres a river and creek in between and its a lot higher than it looks in the photo.



This photo was taken ealier this afternoon,
the photo looks blurry because of the smoke.

Update:
These are the latest photos taken within the last ten minutes, it's turning dusk here, seems like the fires are flaring up again. Now that its coming onto dusk you can easily see the flames of these area near our house.

These photos are taken from the back Verandah you can make out in the photo of the house. The dam you see in one of the photos is the same dam the emrgency vehiccles were parked next to this afternoon. The dam is right next to the turn of depicting the cows in the above photo.

OK the photos aren't too great thats because its actually quite dark outside.


You can't see it but there are lots of emergency vehicles surrounding the blaze.



This photo depicts the dam that is just in front of where we live,
this photo like the other two is taken from our back verandah.
Ok.
Thats it from 'Bagelblogger Central Fire Command'. Check you soon !

[End]



Bagelblogger Usually Always Fresh, very smoky at the moment!

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Tuesday 28 November 2006

Australian Publisher censors book over Muslim Sensitivities


Scholastic Australia, a publisher of books for children and youth, has refused to publish a book it commissioned - because the villains are Muslim terrorists.




Australia's national daily The Australian reports that Scholastic pulled the plug on a book by award-winning novelist John Dale after booksellers and librarians said they would not stock the adventure thriller.


Andrew Berkhut, a Scholastic general manager, said the company had canvassed "a broad range of booksellers and library suppliers," who expressed concern that the book featured a Muslim terrorist. "They all said they would not stock it," he said.


Scholastic Australia is part of Scholastic Inc., the largest publisher and distributor of books, magazines, educational and multimedia materials for children in the world. Scholastic Australia's website says it "has a strong commitment to children and education" and that it "believes that children and educators deserve the best - access to the highest-quality literature and learning materials from Australia and throughout the world."



Yet Dale's book, "Army of the Pure," was canceled because of its content - despite its fulfillment of all other Scholastic criteria. "There are no guns, no bad language, no sex, no drugs, no violence that is seen or on the page," Dale said, but "because two characters are Arabic-speaking and the plot involves a mujaheedin extremist group," Scholastic's decision is based "100 per cent [on] the Muslim issue."


Dale said the decision was "disturbing because it's the book's content they are censoring."


In March 2004, The Australian reported, Scholastic commissioned Dale to deliver "a tough, snappy thriller" that would cause young readers to "break out in sweats and their eyes to bulge without giving them actual nightmares." Scholastic later described Dale's writing as "almost flawless." Dale is the director of the Centre for New Writing at the University of Technology.


Scholastic also said that the story about four children chased by Afghan terrorists after discovering a plot to blow up Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor was a "gripping page-turner."


Dale's agent, Lyn Tranter, branded the move to withdraw the book a "gutless" publishing decision.



The Australian notes that the decision clashes with the recent publication in Australia of two books that attack the struggle against Muslim terrorism: Richard Flanagan's bestselling "The Unknown Terrorist," which is dedicated to David Hicks, a Westerner who was imprisoned after fighting side-by-side with the Taliban, and Andrew McGahan's "Underground," in which terrorists are portrayed as victims driven to extreme acts by the West's extreme struggle against Muslim terror.


The WesternResistance.com site opines, "It seems that despite the world in which today's children are growing up, where Muslim terrorists seem hell-bent on causing widespread publicity through acts of terror, politically-correct libraries and booksellers would rather delude everyone with the lie that there is no such thing as Muslim terrorism."



BB:
I feel this is more than just over the top Political correctness. This is a international corporation that is deliberately trying to avoid any controversy with Muslims, they are desperately trying to avoid any kind of Muslim back lash similar to the Danish cartoon episode, it is a cowardly decision driven by commercial interests.

What we have here is a Western corporation consciously censoring books to the dictates of radical fundamentalists.

The simple fact is unless you're an emu with your head in the sand, we can't deny the impact that fundamentalist Muslims have had in today's world and to censor themes about this, in children's books is simply denial of the worst kind.

I don't believe children should be taught to hate, such as in Saudi Arabia with the education system systematically focusing hatred towards Jews, but I also don't believe that we should hide ourselves or our children from the truth.


And the truth is Muslim fundamentalism contains an element of extremism that is deadly and kills thousands of innocents.




[end]


References:

The Australian: Islamic Fears kill off children's thriller

Arutz Sheva: Australian Publisher Nixes Book Over Muslim Sensitivities


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National Security 101 Learning from our Past Mistakes - The Fall of Troy

Video Link missing to Aussie Trojan Video Satire

[sorry]
Searching for it on Youtube



Coming from the same state as Sydney, Australia
when I see this, I don't know if I want to laugh or cry.

[end]

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Monday 27 November 2006

From the People we have a ' cease fire with' comes this.

Gaza: Bomb explodes at Fatah radio manager's home
A bomb exploded outside the home of the manager of a local Fatah radio station in Gaza on Monday. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. Last week, gunmen shot at the car belonging to a Fatah official who criticized Hamas during an interview on the radio station, Israel Radio reported.

BB: Heck any one criticizes me, I just bomb them too.
Who needs complaint departments.

References:
JPost.com: Gaza: Bomb explodes at Fatah radio manager's home


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Sunday 26 November 2006

Israel, Palestinians OK Gaza Cease Fire

This article written by Associated Press Writers is certainly
nowhere near the worst in bias I have seen.
But just to give the reader a hand I thought I might try
a little ' Bias and real intent' translation.
[Click Read More...]


JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire Saturday to end a five-month Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state, but early violations by Palestinian militants tempered hopes the accord would help revive long-stalled peace talks.

The Israeli military said early Sunday that it withdrew all its troops from Gaza in the hours before the 6 a.m. cease-fire took effect. But occasional rocket and mortar fire from Gaza continued to strike Israel within the truce's first hour.

The IDF has withdrawn from Gaza


BB:
Yes, it's official we have a ceasefire. It may have already have been broken basically before it began, but hey being a Palestinian militant you can't expect them to abide by any normal rules regarding honor.


IDF tanks withdraw from Gaza

"Let's hope that's just the problems of the beginning," Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said. "But if Israel is attacked, we will respond. If there are Palestinian factions that are not part of the cease-fire, it's hard to see how the cease-fire will hold."

BB: Seems the Israeli Spokesperson already has bad forebodings about the sincerity of this cease fire.

Will this be another example of the Palestinians making a peace treaty, but failing to reign in militants. Under the pretense of ' not under control' Palestinian militants will still attack Israel. Israel will finally respond after many provocations, only to be accused by Hamas of breaking the peace treaty. You have to be cynical with the Palestinians, they are so duplicitous in everything they do.

Above: Masked gunmen holds homemade rockets during an Islamic Jihad press conference in Gaza City, Thursday Nov. 23, 2006.

[Homemade just like 'mum' used to make?..
They look a little better than Home made!]

A spokesman for Islamic Jihad, Abu Hamda, said his group fired three rockets into Israel at 8 a.m., two hours after the start of the truce, and denied his group had signed on to the cease-fire agreement.

BB: So Israel is supposed to commit to a Cease Fire where only some of the Palestinian militant factions will abide by, again we see the Palestinians set up the ' its not us, we don't have any official control ' over them rouse.

This is exactly why any peace talks with the Palestinian authority are a waste of time, concessions are made by Israel to only mean nothing at a later date. Israel withdrew from Gaza a year ago, to have Hamas not recognize Israel??

Above: A masked gunman holds a homemade rocket during an Islamic Jihad press conference in Gaza City, Thursday Nov. 23, 2006.

However, top Islamic Jihad leaders had said they were part of the deal, and the new rocket fire suggested they were not in control of all their cells, clouding prospects for the truce's longevity. Hamas militants reported on the group's official Web site that they had launched rockets into Israel at 7:30 a.m. and 7:55 a.m., saying they had not stopped their attacks because some Israeli troops remained inside Gaza. Israel said all its troops had pulled out early Sunday.


Above: A Qassam rocket lies on the ground in the southern Israeli town of Sderot November 23, after it was fired by Palestinians in Gaza.


BB:
Top Islamic Jihad leaders said"they had not stopped their attacks because some Israeli troops remained inside Gaza. Israel " sure, and not only that, we couldn't help have a few free pot shots.

A spokesman for the Palestinian government, Ghazi Hamad, said that all armed groups had committed to the agreement, and termed any violations rogue acts.

"There is 100 percent effort to make this work, but there is no guarantee of 100 percent results," Hamad said.


Above: A Qassam rocket lies embedded in the ground in the southern Israeli town of Sderot November 22, 2006, after it was fired by Palestinians from the Gaza Strip

BB: Here's that Palestinian logic again, Israel you stop defending, and we'll pretend that we're not officially sanctioning 'other previous un heard of groups' from attacking you.

The truce agreement, if it holds, would be a significant achievement for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as he tries to put together a more moderate government to replace the one currently led by Islamic Hamas radicals. Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party, hopes a deal with Hamas will persuade the West and Israel to lift crushing economic sanctions against the Palestinians.


Above: In this image relased by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni stands next to a pile of Qassam rockets that fell in recent months in the Sderot area, as she speaks with foreign diplomats visiting the town Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006.

BB: Yes it may indicate a significant achievement, pretty well a miracle if the cease fire is obeyed, and that's why it's even more unlikely for Hamas to observe it. For Hamas this is a Hudna, time to equip itself with anti tank missiles through what has to be one of the most porous borders for arms smuggling in the Middle East.

The sides announced the cease-fire Saturday after Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Saturday to tell him he had arrived at an agreement with all Palestinian factions - including those allied with Hamas - to stop all rocket attacks and suicide bombings from Gaza.

BB: and the West Bank?

Abbas asked that Israel, in turn, stop its military operations in Gaza and withdraw its forces, and Olmert agreed, spokespeople for both leaders said.
Above Right: Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh
discuss Power sharing many months ago



BB:
Well that's positive, and it seems despite the media spin Hamas is putting on it, that it may not have been exclusively a Hamas/Palestinian initiative either if we read between the lines of Abbas telephone call.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said from Gaza City that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and the Palestinian factions had agreed to reinstate a truce between Israel and the Palestinians reached in Egypt in February 2005.


BB:
Until such time as enough anti tank missiles and other munitions are delivered via Iranian assistance that is.

Earlier in the day, various militant factions had denied reaching a cease-fire agreement. But after it was officially announced, they acknowledged the accord and said the denials were linked to power struggles among them.



BB:
Palestinian power struggles affect cease fires,..no you would never believe it. I'm sure when Abbas starts looking like he accomplishes things, things might change and Haniyeh will rear up Hamas's ugly terrorist head.

Israeli forces originally entered Gaza in late June in an effort to win the release of a soldier captured in a June 25 cross-border raid by Hamas-linked militants and still in captivity.

Right: Mahmoud Abbas Paradoxically seen as
the Moderate force in Gaza

BB:

Now this expression is so artful, talk about Palestinian media spin. Escaped Prisoners are captured, Criminals are captured, Intruders are captured, but soldiers inside Israel. They're not captured they're ruthlessly kidnapped and held hostage for ransoms. Which is totally against the Geneva convention Mr Haniyeh.
But Israel soon widened its operations to target militants who had intensified their near-daily rocket attacks on communities in southern Israel. Despite international criticism over Palestinian civilian deaths, Olmert had pledged earlier this month to continue the offensive until Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza significantly decreased.

BB: Yes, and the rockets would eventually decrease, do you think the Palestinians have stopped firing rockets because they respect and love Israelis? Or is it because they are enduring to many militant casualties?

Instead, the rocket fire in November has more than doubled from October.

BB: An obvious temporary reaction to the Israel's campaign to hold terrorists responsible for their actions.

Would you expect anything less initially?

The capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit in June and the subsequent Israeli offensive cut short efforts by Olmert and Abbas to restart peace talks that broke down six years ago. A truce could help to create the momentum to get talks moving.


Lies,Lies and More Lies when is Cpl Gilad Shalit going to be returned?

BB: Capture? Baloney, he was kidnapped, after an Israeli position in Israel was attacked with no warning.

"We welcome the announcement and see this as a positive step forward," White House spokesman Alex Conant said Saturday evening in Washington. "We hope it leads to less violence for the Israeli and Palestinian people."

Above: Israeli soldiers, wounded during military operations in Gaza, are evacuated by comrades in Kibbutz Mefalsim November 23, 2006.

BB: Of course it is hoped it will lead to less violence.

The violence over the last five months has killed more than 300 Palestinians, mostly militants. Earlier this month, 19 members of an extended family were killed in an artillery attack in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, prompting worldwide calls for Israel to end its offensive. Israel expressed regret for the loss of civilian life and blamed the deaths on a technical problem.


Above: Israeli soldiers, wounded during military operations in Gaza, are evacuated by comrades in Kibbutz Mefalsim November 23, 2006.

BB: Now there's something you don't usually see, a media outlet saying ' mostly militants!', it's a shock to even hear this expression with regards Palestinian causalities. The Palestinian's love putting a spin on causalities, even Terrorists formerly referred to as Militants normally referred to as 'Activists' are now being referred to as 'Residents', yes it's undeniable they do actually reside when their not killing people.

Five Israelis have been killed during the offensive - three soldiers in Gaza and two civilians hit by rocket fire in Israel. In addition, two other soldiers were killed during the cross-border raid on June 25.


Above: Members of an Israeli family survey their damaged house following a Qassam rocket attack in the southern city of Sderot Saturday November 25.

BB: So rather than minimize it, in the last five months there have been at least 5 IDF soldiers killed, and at; least the same in civilians counting the kidnappings of Civilians, and rocket fatalities. There has been countless residents of Israel injured by the thousands of Palestinian rockets fired indiscriminately at Israeli towns.

On Saturday, a rocket hit an unoccupied house in southern Israel, and blasts ripped apart two cars carrying militants in northern Gaza, killing at least one and wounding several passersby. One vehicle was struck by missiles fired from an Israeli aircraft, and the source of the other blast wasn't known.


Above: An Israeli man stands in a damaged house following a Qassam rocket attack in the southern city of Sderot Saturday November 25.

BB: On Saturday a Palestinian rocket that was indiscriminately targeted towards civilians in an Israeli town was very fortunate to have hit an house that was empty at the time. It ripped apart part of the house upon impact.

Israel targeted a vehicle carrying militants in northern Gaza, there were unconfirmed reports that several passer bys, taking advantage of the situation feigned shock so as to add to the casualty figures of civilians.


Above: Palestinians gather around a destroyed car after witnesses said it was hit by an Israeli missile in Gaza November 25.

BB: The source of the other blast is strongly suspected to be a Palestinian ' work accident ' or in more honest terms, an explosion from the manufacturing of rockets, bombs and I.E.D's. destined to be used against civilians.

Three other militants were killed in clashes with Israeli troops elsewhere, including two hit by Israeli fire near the main Gaza-Israel cargo crossing, Palestinian officials and Hamas said. The army said it had no information about fighting at the Karni passage.

Above: Palestinians inspect the damage to a car after it was hit by a shell fired by an Israeli tank near Jebaliya, in the northern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 25.

BB: 3 terrorist were prevented from killing civilians.

The West and Israel placed economic sanctions on the Palestinians after Hamas won legislative elections in January because the militant group refused to meet international demands to renounce violence, recognize Israel and honor past peace agreements.


Hamas, Nov. 23, Palestinian Fatma Omar An-Najar is seen
before carrying out a suicide bombing next to Israeli soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian grandmother blew herself up near Israeli troops in northern Gaza .
How many days will it be before Israeli soldiers are accused of targetting a 'poor old Granny'. Do you wonder why? Any body can be a suicide bomber in Palestinian society

BB: Palestinians learnt that comes power comes responsibility, by voting in terrorists, there was a price to pay, by the whole of Palestinian society.

Hamas and Fatah have been in talks in recent weeks on the formation of a more moderate government of professionals to replace the one led by Hamas. Another major element of the talks is the release of the captured Israeli soldier in exchange for Palestinians that Israel holds.

BB: Hamas and Fatah have been arguing about having token figures or stooges to pretend they are in power, whilst the power structure doesn't really change. This is thought as a strategy to fool the U.N. into resuming the humanitarian payments. Talks about the unlawful kidnapping of an Israeli soldier that is being ransomed by the Palestinians in breech of the Geneva convention are stalling as Hamas demands an unreasonable amount of militants to be released, who will undoubtedly come back and kill more Israelis.

Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, was in Cairo to discuss both issues with Egyptian mediators, but there was no word of a breakthrough.

Above: Khaled Mashaal, Leadership by proxy, ...
and avoidance of military responsibility by proxy

BB: Khaled Mashal whilst in Egypt talking to a Egyptian mediator, made a passing remark how remarkable it was that Palestinians were able to smuggle anti tank weapons into Gaza. With this they both smiled.

Mashaal said his group was willing to give peace negotiations with Israel six months to reach an agreement for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. If the talks failed, however, he threatened a new armed uprising.

BB: Mashaal said it would take about six months to suitably re arm the militants in Gaza and the West bank.

The double-edged comments were his strongest confirmation that the Islamic militant group would allow Abbas to try to negotiate with Israel. But it was also the first time he has set a deadline with an explicit threat of a new uprising.

BB: As a strategy Hamas decided as a desperate move to allow the appearance of a change of power, thus allowing the recommencement of U.N. aid, this would need to last about 6 months until Hamas surreptitiously seize power from Fatah again.

"We give six months to open real political horizons ... We agreed on the national accord to establish a Palestinian state, with the June 4, 1967 borders," he told a news conference in Cairo, referring to Israel's borders before it captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. "They have to seize this opportunity," Mashaal said. If an agreement is not reached within that time frame, Mashaal threatened a new confrontation with Israel. "Hamas will become stronger and the resistance will resume ... and will go on with a third uprising," he said.

Above: A Palestinian protestor confronts an Israeli soldier during a protest against Israel's controversial separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin.

BB: We want what we lost in the 1967 war, it's so unfair that we tried to annihilate the Israeli's, that they won. and that a price should be paid for our wanton aggression. As soon as they're stupid enough to give us back the high territory that we lost, we shall use this to win back the territory form the 1948 war, and then we will drive the rest of the Zionist pigs into the sea and, err. We want peace.

Israel had no immediate comment on Mashaal's proposal.

BB: The Israeli official roared with laughter that the Palestinians would think Israel would be so dumb.

Mashaal said "great strides" had been made in negotiations over a new government. But he said "more time" was needed and stuck to Hamas' rejection of a Cabinet made up of technocrats rather than politicians from the two parties.

BB: We still haven't figured out who will make the best puppets.

He also blamed Israel for failure to reach a deal for the release of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Above : A Palestinian woman attends a rally in support of Palestinian
Hamas-led government in the eastern part of Jerusalem Friday November 24.

BB: We have demanded an unusually high amount of Palestinian terrorists be released as we need more suicide bombers in 6 months time when we re start the intifada again.

"We are not the reason behind postponing the decision; the postponing of a settlement is due to the other side," Mashaal said of a prisoner swap.


BB:
We would like to present ourselves as reasonable. We want to make the world think we are not murdering terrorists that deserve no quarter given. We would also like to use the Israeli public in our efforts to win the release of a huge amount of terrorists for our new campaign. We are despicable and like to remind the Israeli public of the consequences that could happen if we aren't given in to. We would also like to remind the Israeli public that we really like them, and promise not to kidnap more Israeli's when we get rewarded for this kidnapping.

References:
The Columbus Dispatch:
Israel, Palestinians OK Gaza Cease-Fire

By AMY TEIBEL and IBRAHIM BARZAK
Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak contributed to this report from Gaza City, Gaza Strip. AP writer Nadia Abou El-Magd also contributed from Cairo, Egypt.

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