Last week, I heard the usual rustling of tissue paper on the sofa and glanced over to see Gracie in her nest. But it wasn’t Gracie.

It was Tig.

So of course, I grabbed the camera. And remarked on what a brat Tig is, because he knows that the tissue paper is Gracie’s special nest, and yet, he felt the need to take it over from her. Because he is Top Cat.

She didn’t much care.

He didn’t really want to stay there forever, but I think Gracie’s little reverse psychology trick worked. Because sure enough, Tig stopped sleeping in her nest and went back to snoozing in the kitty condo. Or by the chair next to me while I work. And Gracie? Sometimes she’s back in the nest.

More often these days she sleeps on the back cushion of the sofa. It’s softer. And plus, she looks so much cooler on the back of the sofa.

Shabbat Shalom. May your Shabbat be as peaceful as Gracie’s nap.

This one is such a tempest in a teapot, and yet, the Google News count is 123 stories and growing. (Oh, and by the way, fuck you, Gawker, and your “we’re so cool that anti-Semitic jokes aren’t anti-Semitic” attitude.)

Some rabbis have figured out a way for observant Jews to get the new book on Shabbat:

In fact, according to a Jerusalem Orthodox rabbi who asked not to be named, if Harry is paid for before Shabbat, no Jews work in the store, and the store did not open specifically for Jews, then it is permissible to walk there on Shabbat and get the book.

They’re going to go to a shop in east Jerusalem:

Want to get your hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Jerusalem only hours after the worldwide release at midnight on Friday? You won’t find it in west Jerusalem, not even at Steimatsky’s.

Instead you will have to take a trip down Jerusalem’s Diagon Alley, otherwise known as Salah A-Din Street in the east of the city and visit Imad Muna, owner of Educational Books, who is opening his store four hours earlier than usual, at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, to sell the last installment in the series. And Muna is willing to take pre-orders for those who do not handle money on Shabbat.

And this is simply an overblown story that I was ignoring, but looking at some of the annoying takes on it got me to post about it.

Reuters, of course, gets the runner-up prize in offensiveness, for these three paragraphs:

Harry Potter, the world’s most famous boy wizard, has fallen foul of Israel’s rabbis.

That was the lede. Here are the other two:

The Sabbath runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, during which pious Jews shun business dealings. While most Israelis are secular, the country’s shops generally close over the Sabbath out of convenience, a sense of tradition, or to avoid paying mandatory fines and overtime to staff.

[...] “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is the seventh and last adventure for the boy wizard created by author J.K. Rowling. Many religious Jews have tried to prevent their children from reading the books, citing its “pagan” content.

I haven’t said this lately, but I hate Reuters.

Funny, but you know what I haven’t seen published about the Harry Potter books? That many Christians refuse to let their children read the books due to its “pagan” content. And I personally know a family of religious Christians (Baptists, I think) whose children have not read the books and are forbidden to see the movie because it’s all about witchcraft. They are representative of a number of American Christians—probably larger numbers than religious Jews who don’t shop on Saturday—and yet, there are no articles about how Harry Potter is not read in that segment of society.

Say, while we’re at it, let’s compare the reaction of religious Jews with the reaction of Muslims who take offense at something that violates their religion. Here’s what Jews do:

Plans to launch the last instalment in the best-selling children’s book series in Israel over the Jewish Sabbath have drawn threats of legal action by a religious government minister.

Yes, that’s right. We use the laws. There will be no rioting, no book-burning, and no shop-smashing or bombing. Which, I suppose is why the media is so free with the insults about those silly religious Jews, who take offense about very public Sabbath violations in the Jewish state.

Hey, I’m not pretending that I’m as Shabbat-observant as I should be. But I’m not going to insult those Jews who are Sabbath-observant. I’m just not nearly as cool as Gawker. Or Reuters.

Who are schmucks.

I haven’t written about them in ages, but yes, if it’s Friday, this must be Bilin.

An Israeli photographer and two Palestinian protesters were wounded Friday in scuffles with security forces during a demonstration against the security fence near the West Bank town of Bil’in, west of Ramallah.

One of the Palestinians was struck in the head by a rubber bullet. He was evacuated to a hospital in Ramallah. The other Palestinian was treated at the scene.

The photographer was hurt by a smoke grenade and he too was treated at the scene.

Normally it’s the soldiers who get injured. And on average, almost no Palestinians, because the majority of the “peace” protesters—who are actually protesting the security fence every Friday—are “internationals,” a euphemism for bored twentysomethings who hate Israel (and usually America) and come to the terrortories to enable Palestinian victimization, e.g., the ISM.

I just wanted to give a shout-out to Rudy Guiliani.

Giuliani Would Be Acceptable Nominee to Nearly 3 in 4 Republicans
PRINCETON, NJ — Even though Rudy Giuliani’s views on some issues are out of step with most members of his party, nearly three quarters of Republicans say the former New York City mayor would be an acceptable presidential nominee to them, far more than say this about any other Republican candidate.

[...] Seventy-four percent of Republicans say Giuliani would be an acceptable GOP presidential nominee in 2008, easily the highest percentage among that field of candidates. The next tier of Republican contenders is acceptable to a smaller majority of Republicans, and includes former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (59%), Arizona Senator John McCain (57%), and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (53%).

And I would like to point out that Rudy is totally acceptable to this former Democrat voter who nevertheless always considered herself an independent.

I want Rudy in ‘08. And that poll is really, really good news.

I think it’s time I actually started sending some money his way.

Hey, did you know the new Elders have a website? And that on that website, you can find some really nifty information. For instance, one of their backers is the Bridgeway Foundation. Check out the Bridgeway Foundation’s requirement for their partners:

Update: Wrong Bridgeway Foundation. This seems to be the one that’s funding the so-called Elders. The blockquoted text below is incorrect

Partners of the Bridgeway Foundation are characterized by a commitment to one of the following sectors in the fulfilment of their mission:

• Community-based organizations in our local Cambridge , Ontario region
• Evangelical Christian organizations with national influence that specialize in the areas of education and society in Canada
• Evangelical Christian organizations with a base in Canada who are impacting the developing world (Asia, Africa and Latin America ) through sustainable development and mission work. Priority is given to projects in countries in which Bridgeway has a history of involvement.

But… but I thought the Elders are “nonpartisan”? Isn’t that interesting… they’re funded by a Christian Evangelical organization. A Canadian one, too. Not American. Hmmmm.

Over on the Elders site, check out their privacy policy:

5. We operate an automatic opt-in policy, which means that when you communicate with us and provide us with your personal information:

  1. we may use your personal information to respond to your questions and comments; and
  2. we may use your personal information to send you information that you have requested or that we feel may be of interest to you.

6. We may also use your personal information, or permit selected third parties to use your information, to contact you with information about goods and services which may be of interest to you.

8. We may share your personal information with any of our related companies.

Cool! They’re going to use our personal information to put us on mailing lists and sell! Now that’s something we’ve never seen before. These Elders are really innovative and fresh!

Wow. I can’t wait to see what kind of work these “Elders” are going to do. I sure hope they manage to stay awake during meetings, though. I know it gets kinda tough at their age.

Colin Powell proves that it’s a good thing he’s not running the show any more. He thinks it’s okay to deal with Hamas, in spite of the fact that Hamas reiterates at every opportunity its wish to destroy Israel.

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday the international diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East should find some way to talk to Hamas.

“I don’t think you can just cast them into outer darkness and try to find a solution to the problems of the region without taking to account the standing that Hamas has in the Palestinian community,” Powell said in a radio interview.

He said Hamas, which controls Gaza, is not going away and enjoys considerable support among the Palestinian people.

“They won an election that we insisted upon having,” Powell said. “And so, as unpleasant a group they may be and as distasteful as I find some of their positions, I think through some means, the Middle East Quartet… or through some means Hamas has to be engaged.”

Okay, actually, I agre with that last quote. By all means, engage Hamas. Use tanks, bombs, missiles, and lots of ordnance. Because that is the only kind of engagement that the organization understands, and it’s the only kind of engagement it deserves.

What part of “We’re going to destroy Israel” doesn’t Powell get? Because I’ll be happy to explain it to him in words of two syllables or less. Here: Hamas hates Israel. Hamas wants to destroy Israel. Hamas also hates Jews. Back to second sentence.

If you think I am exaggerating in any way, I suggest you read the Hamas charter, which includes references to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and quotes the part of the Koran that talks about killing all the Jews.

The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.

Sure. Talk to them. You’ll get really far, farther than anyone else has ever gotten. Say, how’s that deal to get Gilad Shalit out of Hamas hands going? Not so good? Well, what about that army Hamas is working on? Think it’s just for peaceful purposes?

Shyeah. Talk to them. Right. That’ll work.