Monthly Archives: December 2009

Constants and variables in the Middle East

Posted on 12/16/2009 by Soccerdad

Ethan Bronner writes about Israeli PM Netanyahu: After a long career supporting Israeli settlements in occupied land and rejecting Palestinian statehood, Mr. Netanyahu said last June that he accepted the two-state idea. Three weeks ago, he imposed a 10-month freeze … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, palestinian politics | Tagged | Comments Off

I’m so unhip, Golden Globes version

Posted on 12/15/2009 by Meryl Yourish

So the Golden Globe nominations are out, and it turns out that the only nominated film I’ve seen is “Up.” And you know, I really don’t care. I don’t watch any of the nominated TV shows, either. Tried a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Television | 5 Comments

It’s the most anti-Semitic time of the year

Posted on 12/15/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Hanukkah attacks on Jews are up sharply this year, after being down last year. The worst attack is not the Muslim that bit off a Chabad rabbi’s finger during a menorah lighting. The worst is this methodical, matter-of-fact attack on … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Holidays, Religion | Tagged | 5 Comments

Goldstone’s innumeracy

Posted on 12/15/2009 by Soccerdad

Martin Kramer recently wrote a devastating post about one aspect of the Goldstone report. The most important sentence in this section of the Goldstone Report is this one: “Mr. Amr Hamad indicated that 324 factories had been destroyed during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time | Tagged | Comments Off

The AP spin: Hamas calls for destruction of Israel are “suggestions”

Posted on 12/14/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Really, you just can’t make this stuff up. Buried deep inside the whitewashed AP version of Hamas’ anniversary festivities in Gaza is this nugged of wisdom from the AP, which purports to show the moderation of the terrorist group even … Continue reading →

Posted in AP Media Bias, Hamas, Israel | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The last refuge of terrorists

Posted on 12/14/2009 by Soccerdad

Mary Anastasia O’Grady on FARC’s NGO friends: The 5th Front’s territory includes a town called San José de Apartadó, which was designated as a peace community in the mid-1990s under a plan proposed by the local Catholic diocese. The idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | Tagged | 2 Comments

Palestinian intransigence – the long and the short of it

Posted on 12/14/2009 by Soccerdad

Barry Rubin – the long of it The attractiveness of unilateralism is understandable. Why make a deal with Israel that might require recognizing it as a Jewish state, taking a bit less territory on the West Bank or having to … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | Tagged , | Comments Off

Exhausting weekend open thread

Posted on 12/13/2009 by Meryl Yourish

The kids wore me out. They win. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Posted in Life | 2 Comments

Life at Full Volume, Yourish version

Posted on 12/12/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Is it truly only 8:15? Sarah’s kids have been here since about 2 p.m., and I’d swear it feels like at least twice as long. I think it’s because I cooked. Last time I had all four, I ordered pizza. … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | 6 Comments

Hanukkah First light video

Posted on 12/11/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Of course.

Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments

Snarkly

Posted on 12/11/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Of course he’s claiming the insanity defense: The Seattle JCC shooter who proclaimed he was a soldier of Islam when he was on his way to murdering one and wounding five others, is trying the insanity defense. The jury is … Continue reading →

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Media Bias, News Briefs, Religion | 5 Comments

Poll dancing

Posted on 12/11/2009 by Soccerdad

Ben Smith repeats an egregious lie based on a single poll question. (via memeorandum) The survey, by Jim Gerstein, asked Israelis (both Jewish and Muslim) whether a series of terms describe President Obama well, and 39% of respondents said the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | Tagged | 1 Comment

Twinsday

Posted on 12/10/2009 by Meryl Yourish

This post was originally published on May 19, 2004. The twins are now in second grade, and Twinsday is no more. (It’s been replaced by Gaming Lunch With Sarah, of which I will write more later.) There’s a new day … Continue reading →

Posted in Blasts from the past, Life | Comments Off

The War President’s Peace Prize

Posted on 12/10/2009 by Meryl Yourish

If you read the text of Barack Obama’s Nobel prize acceptance speech, a 4,000-word text that he apparently wrote much of himself, you can see what our president thinks about using force to defeat fascism. And I have to say, … Continue reading →

Posted in The One, World | Tagged | 4 Comments

3 questions on the freeze

Posted on 12/10/2009 by Soccerdad

A few weeks ago when Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced a freeze on construction in Judea and Samaria, there were a couple of points in his favor. According to Evelyn Gordon it helped Netanyahu shore up his political support. … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | Tagged , | Comments Off

Another historic first for Obama!

Posted on 12/09/2009 by Meryl Yourish

The president who loves to be first has another first to add to his list of accomplishments: The lowest approval ratings ever for a president at this point in his term. (And may we point out that this part in … Continue reading →

Posted in American Scene, The One | Tagged | Comments Off

Silence is Goldstone

Posted on 12/09/2009 by Soccerdad

Judge Goldstone has been emphatic that his report on the Gaza war criticized both sides. The report by Goldstone, a South African jurist, lambasted both sides in the December-January war, which killed up to 1,387 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Hamas, Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time | Tagged | 1 Comment

Wednesday briefs (not boxers)

Posted on 12/09/2009 by Meryl Yourish

Hamas to world: Goldstone report exonerates us. You know, you really can’t fault their logic. The commission went out of its way not to name Hamas. So when Hamas says that’s proof that they committed no war crimes—even firing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hamas, Israeli Double Standard Time, News Briefs, United Nations | 2 Comments

The ongoing refuge of the refugees

Posted on 12/08/2009 by Soccerdad

As I noted a few weeks ago and Elder of Ziyon did yesterday, Palestinian refugees have no legal status in Lebanon – or in any Arab country. So when Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinians, went to Lebanon the … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel | 3 Comments

Tuesday Snarky Newsy Briefsies

Posted on 12/08/2009 by Meryl Yourish

EPA to Americans: Stop breathing, you’re poisoning the planet! Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s “Greenhouse gases,” but it’s still CO2, and the science is not settled, no matter how many times the media and AGW adherents repeat that phrase. I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Iran, Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, News Briefs | Tagged , , | 3 Comments