File this under: You can’t make this stuff up.

Okay, the setting: There’s a 400-year-old giant chalk outline of a pagan fertility god in a field in England. Sensing a publicity moment, Fox hired the field next to the pagan god and put a giant painting of Homer Simpson (in his undewear) brandishing a donut.

The pagans are not amused.

Pagans have pledged to perform “rain magic” to wash away cartoon character Homer Simpson after he was painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant.

The 17th century chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality.

Many couples also believe the 180ft giant, which is carved in the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset, is an aid to fertility.

[...] A giant 180ft Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was painted next to the well-endowed figure in a publicity stunt to promote The Simpsons Movie released later this month.

It has been painted with water-based biodegradable paint which will wash away as soon as it rains.

Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation, said: “It’s very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing.

“We were hoping for some dry weather but I think I have changed my mind. We’ll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away.”

But this is the capstone of quotes:

She added: “I’m amazed they got permission to do something so ridiculous. It’s an area of scientific interest.”

Okay. Let’s stop a moment and compare: 180-foot giant naked pagan, not ridiculous. 180-foot giant seminaked Homer, ridiculous.

Who says pagans have no sense of humor? Okay, well, besides everybody.

Update: Here’s a bigger picture. And here’s the Wikipedia entry explaining the giant’s origin.

Someone posted images of the final chapter of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows online.

I have no desire to read the ending before the novel is published, but be warned. If you don’t want to know, stay away from spoilers between now and the time you have the book in your hands.

The Italian Foreign Minister thinks that Israel should stop isolating Hamas. This is what is wrong with people like him: They acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization, then say that if we don’t “engage” Hamas, it might push them closer to—a terrorist organization. Really. The logic of that is utterly, well, stupid.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema said Hamas is a “significant and substantial” part of the Palestinian people, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Tuesday.

D’Alema expressed fears that isolating Islamic groups like Hezbollah and Hamas will push them towards international terror network al-Qaida.

“Hamas has carried out terror attacks, but it is also a ground roots movement,” he said.

Actually, Hamas is an Iranian-funded arm of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, but don’t let facts get in the way of your lack of knowledge.

“Not recognizing the government elected democratically is not exactly a lesson in democracy, and pushing such a group into the hands of al-Qaida is not in the international committee’s interest.”

The Taliban were not permitted to run for government in Afghanistan. Ba’athists were not allowed to run in Iraq. But in the terrortories, Hamas members were allowed to run against all advice from Israel and the PA. What, exactly, would be the reason for this?

Oh, right. Israel Double Standard Time.

So, you think this guy thinks the U.S. should sit down and talk with Al Qaeda? I’m betting yes.

I’m sorry, but I fail to see much difference between the attitudes of Europeans about Jews today, and the attitudes of their grandparents and parents in the 1930s and 1940s. So the results of this poll by the ADL come as no surprise to me.

In a companion survey to one fielded several months ago in five European countries, a new survey of an additional six countries shows similarly that millions of Europeans believe the classical anti-Semitic canards that have persistently pursued Jews through the centuries. The findings released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today revealed that half of the Europeans surveyed believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than one third believe that they have too much power in business and finance.

Overall, half of those surveyed in the six countries believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country, with a majority of respondents in Austria, Belgium, Hungary and the United Kingdom saying they believe that this statement is “probably true.”

High levels of those surveyed across Europe still believe in the traditional anti-Jewish canard that “Jews have too much power in the business world.” Overall, nearly 35% of all respondents believe this stereotype to be true; in Hungary it is 60%.

Similarly, European respondents still adhere to the notion that “Jews have too much power in international financial markets.” Overall, 35% of those surveyed cling to the traditional stereotype, in Hungary it is 61%.

Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Overall, 44% of those surveyed believe it is “probably true.” A majority of respondents in Austria, and Hungary believe it to be true.

And oh, yeah. We killed Jesus.

Overall, 20% of those surveyed continue to blame Jews for the death of Jesus.

And it’s all Israel’s fault.

Overall, 23% of respondents say that their opinion of Jews is influenced by the actions taken by the State of Israel. Of those whose opinions are so influenced, nearly two-thirds — 64% — say that their opinion of Jews is worse as a result of the actions taken by Israel.

Yeah, because that’s totally normal. After all, every time the IRA blew up a bomb in London, people went out and beat up the Irish in Boston. Oh. Wait. No, they didn’t. Because that would be stupid, even though Boston’s Irish population was a main source of funding for the IRA, and everyone knew it. Because IDST stands for Israeli Double Standard Time, not Irish Double Standard Time.

And by the way, Jews: Shut up about the Holocaust already. Damn. You’d think no one else had ever had a genocide perpetrated against them by most of Europe.

In responding “probably true” to the statement “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust,” the 2007 survey found:

Austria – 54%, up from 46% in 2005
Belgium – 43%, up from 41%
Hungary –58% up from 46%
The Netherlands – 31%, down from 34%
Switzerland – 45%, down from 48%
The United Kingdom – 28% no change

Which is why Finkelstein’s book “The Holocaust Industry” sells so well.

In sum: The above survey is why I just don’t buy that new “Jewish renaissance” b.s. the Times was feeding us about Poland. There are almost no Jews left in Eastern Europe, and they still hate us as much as their parents and grandparents did. So no, I don’t think Jews will be returning there anytime soon.

Palestinians that Hamas will not allow to re-enter Gaza because they refuse to allow Israel any control over the crossing are rioting in Egypt.

About 100 Palestinians smashed doors and windows inside an airport building in this Egypt-Gaza Strip border town early Tuesday after being trapped there for more than a month since the border’s closure, police and one of the rioters said.

Dozens of anti-riot police with batons and shields stormed el-Arish airport and clashed with rioters, injuring two of them, one of the rioters, Mohammed Ali, told the Associated Press.

A police official said that more troops have been deployed to the airport after Tuesday’s clashes, fearing more riots and violence. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

And the British National Union of Journalists, who are boycotting Israel, will presumably take great offense at this:

An Associated Press reporter was denied entry into the airport Tuesday but saw dozens of riot police deployed outside the building.

What’s that? They won’t care because it’s not Israeli soldiers denying entry to the press? No! I don’t believe you!

They had expected to then travel onward to the Gaza Strip, but they have been stuck in the el-Arish airport since Egypt sealed off its border with Gaza after the militant Palestinian Hamas took over Gaza last month.

The Palestinians, mostly students and government employees, trapped inside the airport have complained of increasingly desperate living conditions.

“We are living in a 100 square meters. There are no services. Water is salty and masses of mosquitoes attack us every night,” Ali told the AP on the telephone early Tuesday.

Along with the 100 Palestinian in el-Arish airport, there are about 4,000 other Palestinians stranded on Egypt’s side of the Gaza border.

Palestinians stuck in the eastern Sinai Peninsula say they are having trouble finding food and shelter - shortages they blame on local authorities and Palestinian factions indifferent to their plight. A large number lack enough money to pay for lodging and instead are sleeping in mosques and under trees.

Actually, it’s closer to 6,000, according to other reports. And oh yeah—the Palestinians keep shelling the crossings with mortars, but the world blames Israel for not opening them. Because after all, it must be Israel’s fault. They’re the oppressor. Right? Right?

Wrong.

Expect almost no mention of this in the mainstream media. Now imagine that this same thing was happening on the Israeli side of a border crossing, and take a guess how many news articles you would read about it. Thousands, for sure.

Guy Bechor writes in Ynet about how bad this deal with Abbas is for Israel:

Back to Oslo illusion

Israel’s immunity gesture will restore terror infrastructure in West Bank
The Palestinian terror infrastructure in the West Bank has been embroiled in an existential ordeal for at least a year: The IDF’s successful nightly targeted killings, which employed the element of surprise, have completely impeded its operations.

Instead of plotting terror attacks against Israel or against Israelis, Fatah activists, particularly those operating within the ranks of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, as well as Jihad activists (Hamas is not particularly prominent in these activities) are busy seeking refuge, escaping and living underground in constant fear of the IDF. This is one of the IDF’s key successes in the war against terror that has completely shattered what has remained of the Palestinian intifada.

The collapse of the terror infrastructures was very perplexing for the Palestinians because albeit it being originally established against Israel, it also represented Fatah’s strength against Hamas. Fatah demanded a truce from Israel that would also include the West Bank (and in exchange guaranteed progress in the Gilad Shalit affair – although it has no control over his destiny) and in any case asked for immunity for hundreds of persecuted activists.

Now Fatah activists will get what they wanted from the Israeli government. The West Bank will once again become an immune paradise; anti-Israel terror will be restored without interference and will pose a serious threat to Israeli society, which has experienced relative stability and calm in recent years.

Read the entire depressing op-ed. And if this isn’t enough for us, we have a new summit being proposed by President Bush. I predict nothing major will come of this, particularly since the Palestinians are once again pulling the final-status trick out of their hat. Let us note that terrorism has never stopped, the Palestinians refuse to acknowledge the Jewish origin of the Temple Mount, and the “right of return” is still on the Palestinian table. This conference will do nothing but give W. a photo op.

And on the same day that summit is proposed, rockets launched from Gaza struck an Israeli home. Not that the mainstream media noticed. They’re too busy talking about how Israelis and Palestinians are dancing in the streets over the new peace plan. Well, except for Hamas.

In Gaza, Hamas rejected the Bush proposal, calling it a “crusade” against the Palestinian people. Isolated in Gaza, and facing a crackdown in the West Bank, it remains unclear how or whether Hamas would try to undermine the conference.

Um. Let’s take a look at history, shall we? It’s obvious how Hamas plans to undermine the conference. Expect major terror alerts in the days before, and pray that the Israeli intelligence services can stop the planned terror attacks. Oh, and definitely expect a barrage of kassams into Israel.

Sorry. Nothing is going to come of this peace conference, because having terrorists sign a peace of paper swearing they will not be terrorists any more is about as valid as, oh, I don’t know, the Munich agreement of 1938. That would be the one that Neville Chamberlain said would bring “peace for our time.” And we all know how that ended.

I’m still seeing normal user comments go into the spam queue. There’s not even a spam score; they’re being tagged with question marks. I’ve recovered a few more and taken out something that I think may be confusing Spamkiller, but I really don’t know what’s going on.

If your comments disappear, that may be why.

I really like this quote: Ban Ki-Moon says he has “done a lot” to get Hezbollah to release the soldiers they kidnapped a year ago.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that he has “done a lot” to try and free kidnapped Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Shalit, but stressed that this was a matter that must be handled discretely.

Speaking on the backdrop of a rally outside the United Nations building in New York, demanding the international body do more to release the captive soldiers, Ban said, “Because of the sensitivity involving the safe return of the soldiers, I have not said much publicly. The less said publicly will be better for the situation.”

Okay, the UN is on it, everyone else can go home now. Because it’s not like the UN has ever failed at anything it tries to do, like, say, prevent genocide in Rwanda, stop the murders in Darfur, keep Egypt from attacking Israel, and stop Hezbollah from re-arming.

Found the entire exchange about Eldad Regev, Ehud Wasserman, and Gilad Shalit on the UNSecGen site:

Q: Mr. Secretary, thousands of people will be demonstrating a few blocks from here regarding kidnapped Israeli soldiers. That was a main reason for the war last summer. It’s been a year; they haven’t been freed. What is the latest that you can tell them regarding the fate of those soldiers? And will you be speaking out more to demonstrate the need for their release, although we understand there are other prisoner issues related, as always, to the Middle East?

SG: Because of the sensitivities involving the safe return of Israeli soldiers, I have not said much about this issue, what I have been doing. I think the less said publicly may be better for the resolution of this issue. In fact, I have been doing a lot through my facilitator to have the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah. And I have also spoken many times, on numerous occasions, to Palestinian leaders to free, release Corporal [Gilad] Shalit. These efforts will continue.

See? He’s done a lot, and has spoken to Palestinian leaders many times. It’s a slam dunk. The soldiers will be free in, uh, well, let’s face it: When Iran and Syria say they will be free.