Because the CW in Richmond pre-empted the Gilmore Girls two weeks ago, and we never got around to finding the episode on YouTube, and if they ran it a different night, we couldn’t find out, because, well, season seven is nothing at all like one through six, and we care much less about it as a result. But it was a critical episode (Lorelei breaks up with Christopher! Woo-hoo!), so we went on search today, and found it. In WMV. In 15 separate zipped files. But we found it, and we watched it, and now, our lives are complete.

Okay, first, stuck in this royal “we” crap, must stop.

Second, no, my life is not yet complete, but my viewing of Gilmore Girls up to two weeks ago is.

And third: I really do love the Internet. It totally rocks.

…plus c’est la même chose.

Yes, it’s the same old story. Only worse.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in France jumped sharply in 2006, lifted by attacks following the brutal murder of a young Jew at the start of the year and by the war in Lebanon, a Jewish group said on Monday.

CRIF, the representative council of Jewish institutions in France, said physical attacks on Jews rose 46 percent to 112 last year from 77 in 2005.

Anti-Semitic “actions”, including both assaults and lesser attacks such as throwing objects or causing material damage, rose 40 percent to 213 from 152, while the number of threats rose by 7 percent to 158.

CRIF said the rise in attacks appeared to have been fuelled by the murder of Ilan Halimi , a 23-year-old Jewish man whose death at the hands of a group of kidnappers in February last year shocked France.

Read that again. Attacks rose after Ilan Halimi was tortured and murdered. The scumbags were egged on by his murder.

Here’s the thing. CRIF, like most French Jewish organizations, tends to play down attacks on Jews. It is a rare thing to see them complain that attacks are up. Even when they are.

Time to bail on France, my fellow Jews.

If you were to read this story, you’d really wonder what the hell Nablus had done to deserve being invaded by the IDF.

The Israeli army pulled its troops and armored vehicles out of the West Bank city of Nablus early Tuesday after a three-day operation targeting Palestinians militants, Palestinians said.

No Israeli forces were visible in Nablus at dawn Tuesday. But the army did not confirm the end of the raid the largest military operation in the West Bank in months which left tens of thousands of residents in the city’s center confined to their homes while troops combed houses and alleys for wanted men.

Adli Yaish, the mayor of Nablus, said the Israeli forces were gone and called on residents to resume their normal lives.

“We have to continue living,” Yaish said, urging students and teachers to attend school Tuesday. Municipal workers already had begun cleaning the streets in the raid’s aftermath, Yaish said.

But Nablus district governor Kamal Sheikh said he feared the army had only briefly halted the operation and that it would soon resume.

“I think the Israeli military action is not over,” Sheikh said.

Six paragraphs in, and all we have are vague references to “targeting militants.” We have lots of sympathy for the innocent residents of Nablus, whose only misfortune, apparently, was to have some “militants” among them.

Let’s take a look at the Ynet article, shall we?

Palestinian sources reported on Monday evening that Israel Defense Forces soldiers were beginning to withdraw from the West Bank city of Nablus.

The Palestinians reported that dozens of IDF jeeps were leaving parts of the city, particularly the Old City. However, they expressed their doubts over the possibility that the operation was coming to an end. The IDF refused to respond to the Palestinian report.

Meanwhile, the IDF concluded two days of an intensive activity, in which forces have been operating against terror infrastructures after receiving intelligence information.

During the operation, which was launched Sunday morning, large Israeli forces entered the West Bank city. The soldiers uncovered three explosives laboratories containing explosive devices, LAW antitank rockets, materials for preparation of explosive devices and additional weapons, including military equipment and ammunition.

Oh, the Israelis found weapons labs! And antitank rockets, and other means of murder. Huh. Who knew?

Apparently, the AP doesn’t want you to. Not until the eighth paragraph, anyway:

The army said the Nablus raid was necessary because most of the suicide bombers trying to enter Israel from the West Bank come from the city. Troops arrested five wanted militants and uncovered workshops used to manufacture explosive devices and bomb belts, as well as a studio where suicide bombers recorded their farewell statements, the army said.

And let me point out again, that in the AP story, palestinian spokesliars are identified, while IDF representatives are not. Yet another step in the dehumanization of Israel. Which is picking on poor, innocent little Nablus.

Or words to that effect.

Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

“We need to stop endlessly repeating ‘You’re special’ and having children repeat that back,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. “Kids are self-centered enough already.”

Granted, there is that (apparently mis-attributed to) Socrates quote about how the youth of today aren’t anything at all like when he was growing up. But this is a study by, uh, psychologists. Who also came up with the study that Democrats are saner than Republicans. So we’re talking salt-grain territory here, but—and this is a big one—I agree with this study. Therefore, I accept its results. (Insert stupid ascii grin here.) Actually, it seems to be a fairly broad study.

Twenge and her colleagues, in findings to be presented at a workshop Tuesday in San Diego on the generation gap, examined the responses of 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory between 1982 and 2006.

The standardized inventory, known as the NPI, asks for responses to such statements as “If I ruled the world, it would be a better place,” “I think I am a special person” and “I can live my life any way I want to.”

The researchers describe their study as the largest ever of its type and say students’ NPI scores have risen steadily since the current test was introduced in 1982. By 2006, they said, two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982.

This explains much, like the propensity for many-pierced children to think that expressing themselves the way that they want should have no effect on getting the jobs they apply for. And apparently, it starts young:

As an example, Twenge cited a song commonly sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques” in preschool: “I am special, I am special. Look at me.”

“Current technology fuels the increase in narcissism,” Twenge said. “By its very name, MySpace encourages attention-seeking, as does YouTube.”

Huh. I used that tune to teach my students the names of the Hebrew months. They learned them by the time they sang the tune twice. It’s an effective teaching tool.

By the way: In every generation, a report like this comes out. So we’re back to the salt shaker here—but I do think there is much more emphasis on the self than there was twenty years ago, and again forty years ago.

I’m from the era first called “the me generation,” and I always resented it. It isn’t all about me. It’s all about my generation.

Yeah, there goes that invisible ascii grin again.

I told you they’re batshit crazy.

Iran’s president said on Sunday the country’s enemies had hatched a range of plots to push the Islamic Republic to give up its disputed nuclear programme, including driving up the price of tomatoes and other food.

But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said such tactics would not work, Iran’s ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.

[...] “In order to harm us, they (enemies) make plots, for instance they come and push tomato prices up in the market. They think we will give up our ideals with their plots,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech in which he said Iran would not reverse its atomic plans.

But fear not! Help is on the way.

“Of course, God willing, the problem of meat, chicken and tomatoes will be solved. One should be aware that our revolution is like a bulldozer … the enemies think by throwing a few small stones and sand they can stop this bulldozer,” Ahmadinejad said.

Next thing you know he’s going to steal our own campaign slogans. A chicken in every pot!

Louis Farrakhan may be dying of prostate cancer, but he’s going out the same anti-Semite he’s always been.

“Farrakhan may have held his anti-Semitic views in check while on the dais, but if this is what he wants people to read, then the leopard hasn’t changed his spots,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.

My suggestion for him: Faster, please.

Here’s hoping his successor isn’t a Jew-hater.

And oh, yeah. This post will bring out the trolls. Watch for it. If they slip through moderation, please don’t answer them.

Update: Yep, got one. Here’s an excerpt:

When Minster Farrakhans speaks on Muslim Issues, I don’t hear any of you saying he’s anti-muslim, or Anti-Christian, or Anti-Anything but Semetic, which means a pereson origination from Africa-Black

[...] Slavery was more attrocious than the Holocust, though both were bad.. but slavery’s affects are long lasting, into today, yet the victims of the Holocust do not suffer social, ecconomic, and other long term disgraces.

Yet we can label a man who has raised up Black People to respect themselves, take care of their families, communities and people as Anti-Semetic.

Do you really see and understand how IGNORANT you all sound and seem?

Uh-huh. We did not approve the comment, nor will we. But he’s right. The victims of the Holocaust are not suffering long-lasting effects, what with their being dead and all.

I may have to put the whole thing in a post for all to see.

That would be due to my new contracting position. Although I am working from home, I’m finding it’s just as difficult to turn 24 hours into 30. Go figure.