The typical Palestinian way to end internal strife is to attack Israel. Like clockwork, here come the mortars.

Three mortar shells struck the western Negev late Saturday night, causing neither damage nor injury.

The shelling come amid fears that Palestinian infighting in the Gaza Strip would spark renewed rocket attacks against Israel.

But it looks like the battle is over, and Fatah lost again. Although they did take out a couple of Hamassholes (as Lair calls them) before giving up.

Hamas security forces asserted control in a Gaza stronghold of political rival Fatah on Saturday, following a day of battles with mortars and machine guns, ending with the surrender of the Fatah-linked Hilles clan.

Four Hamas gunmen and two members of the Hilles clan were killed and at least 80 others were injured, including one critically, during the clashes. Among those injured were 12 children and a woman.

Sources in Gaza said following the clashes that Hamas gunmen fired mortars at Palestinians who were trying to escape to the Gaza-Israel border fence, near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Other Gazans turned themselves in to Hamas forces, the sources said.

Please note that there will be no outraged statements by the UN SecGen, or any other politician, over the fighting in Gaza, nor the fact that children have been wounded and killed. Because once again, Israel didn’t do it, so it doesn’t count.

Meantime, those Fatah clan members who headed for Israel? They got in.

Several dozen Fatah members who fled Gaza City following Hamas’ raid on a stronghold of the Hilles clan were allowed to enter Israel through the Nahal Oz terminal after laying down their arms and undergoing an initial interrogation.

Three Palestinians who suffered injuries during the infighting were taken to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba for treatment. One of the Palestinians was reportedly in serious condition, while the other two sustained modrate and light wounds. Seven more Palestinians were taken to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon; six of them were listed in serious condition and another suffered moderate wounds.

Remember that the next time the Palis and their pals try to tell you how bigoted and awful the Israelis really are. Israel: The civilized country. Gaza: Still living in the Middle Ages. The proof is out there.

I have a 1987 gold American Eagle proof set, with certificate of authenticity, that I’d like to sell and I’m trying to decide: Quick way via coin dealer, or slower way via eBay?

Proceeds are going to go to my closing costs.

Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know all about the IE7 Sitemeter bug. I thought it was fixed today, but apparently it is not. Sitemeter has been removed, so you can read this site in IE7 now.

I will refrain from saying, “Get a REAL browser.”

Oops. I said it.

Update: Never mind. I had a Sitemeter fix, but I don’t like the suggestion, so I’m removing it. Something about it isn’t sitting right with me.

Update 2: It is fixed, accoring to SiteMeter.

Lots of pictures from which to choose (I am feeling very Strunk & White this morning, if not positively Funk & Wagnalls.) But I chose, and here they are:

Urban Sprawl

It’s a common sight, and one that never ceases to amuse me.

Going green

The Tigster is urging us all to go green. Well, actually, he’s sleeping on his chair at the table, which happens to have a bag of stuff on it. Gracie long ago staked ownership to the one right next to me.

Two levels of sleepiness

They’re getting along much better, but Tig isn’t sharing Gracie’s bathrobe. (Which is actually my robe, but when I put it on the sofa, it kept her from sleeping on my chair. Easier than picking her up and moving her every time I want to sit down.)

Miss Gracie has nearly fully accepted Mister Tig. They were playing last night, after he mrowed and mrowed and mrowed her to play with him. At one point, they ran upstairs to play and I heard the thumpity-thump of little kitty feet (there is no pitter-patter, even when it’s just Tig, who is nearing the seven-pound mark). It makes me smile. A lot. I am still fairly stunned that Gracie changed from a nasty, hissing old witch to a cute, kitten-like playful cat. Tig’s one of the sweetest cats I’ve ever known, and apparently, he’s sweet enough to win over even Gracie. Although when I think about it, Tig 2 didn’t so much as play with Gracie as bully her. Now she has a playmate who doesn’t try to beat her up all the time, and she’s discovering it’s rather fun to chase each other around the place. When Tig and I have our regular bedtime play session, Gracie pops in to have her turn as well. At the age of eleven, she’s rediscovering her youth.

This is not to say that she doesn’t smack him down occasionally when he gets too annoying. But that’s good, too. I took him away from his mother, and he needs an adult cat to set boundaries. I’m really hoping the dynamic doesn’t change as he gets older and bigger. We shall see. In the meantime, we shall document the stages of Tig’s growth, and his changing relationship with Princess Gracie. And of course, I’ll share with you.