Blog | Yourish.com | Cutting straight to the point

Prince Harry naked photos!

Posted on 08/25/2012 by Meryl Yourish

No, not really. I just wanted to see if you’re paying attention.

It’s a rainy Saturday here in Richmond, and I am formatting the novel. I’m hoping to publish it next week. I have a new blurb.

It’s been hundreds of years since the Darkness last surfaced, a grim time when both humans and Catmages lost their lives. But now the Wild Ones work with humans again, and thirteen-year-old Andy Cohen gets the surprise of his life when a talking cat shows up in his front yard. Goldeneyes, a powerful Catmage, needs Andy’s help. Darkness Rising, Book One of The Catmage Chronicles, coming soon.

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

A court in a small region of Germany banned circumcision, and we were told that it was nothing to worry about. They weren’t going to arrest any rabbis for performing the act on Jewish babies. Germany was going to fix it on the national level.

And yet, a rabbi has been arrested in Germany for peforming a circumcision. So Germany is once again arresting Jews for performing Jewish rituals. Way to go, Germany!

The German legislature is said to be working on a fix. That’s what they said months ago when the first ruling came down against circumcision, but this time, the entire Jewish world is united in outrage.

Meantime, Rabbi Goldberg, who performed the bris, says the law won’t stop him from performing more.

Germany will probably pass a law allowing religious circumcisions. But there are still places in Europe that have outlawed kosher slaughter, some as long ago as the 1800s (Sweden). And in France, echoes of the 1930s are running through the country.

The chief rabbi of Lyon, Richard Wertenschlag, has received a letter threatening to “punish a Jew for every complaint the Jews make on TV.”
The threat came in a two-page letter delivered to Wertenschlag on Aug. 10. It contained two photos of a concentration camp, according to Dr. Richard Prasquier, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, CRIF.

Last week, Ban Ki-Moon criticized the Iranians for their calls to destroy Israel. This week, he is attending a conference of nonaligned nations held in Iran. He is going to be photographed shaking hands with a smiling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, just like he is in this picture. It sends the message that the UN doesn’t actually care that a member state is violating the UN Charter by threatening another member state with destruction. And he is doing it in spite of calls by the U.S. and Israel to stay home.

The world does not like the Jews.

Posted in Anti-Semitism | Comments Off

Wednesday briefs

Posted on 08/22/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Seriously? You’re quoting DEBKA and expecting me to take you seriously? So much for Arutz Sheva news ever being taken seriously by me anymore. The second you quote DEBKA, you have lost all credibility.

Our enemy, Iran: The EU refuses to call Hezbollah a terror group, allows it to operate more or less freely within EU borders, and what do you think is going to happen now that the Mad Mullah In Chief has called for more terrorist attacks against the West? It isn’t only Jews they’re after, idiots. They will kill you, too.

Why they’re better: No wishy-washy both sides need to stop the violence excuse. Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack by Israeli teenagers on Israeli-Arab teens that left the Arab hospitalized and the Israeli teens in prison.

Up is Down Dept.: An unnamed Egyptian official insists that Egypt isn’t breaking the treaty by sending tanks into Sinai without Israel permission, and anyway, they’re going to do what it takes to clean out the Sinai even if that means amending the treaty. So basically, it’s Mafia rules. What I can’t figure out is why Ynet titled the article “Egyptian official calms fears over Sinai deployment” when it states the exact opposite. What, is Ynet picking up Ha’aretz writers or something?

Posted in Iran, Israel, Middle East, Terrorism | 10 Comments

Tuesday brief briefs

Posted on 08/21/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Hamas is feeling the heat: They arrested one of the terrorists behind the June attack, and are swearing cooperation with the Egyptian government. If only I didn’t know that the minute the dust settles, the Morsi government will be aiding and abetting Hamas whenever possible. Think not? Well, look at how they’ve re-militarized the Sinai in violation of the Camp David Accords.

Iran, Iran, Iran: Let’s see. It’s upgrading short-range missiles. The foreign minister continues the calls for Israel’s destruction. And those “crippling” sanctions the Obama administration is always bragging about? Well, South Korea resumes Iranian oil imports next month. South Korea. You know, the country that we protect from North Korea. The one we shed blood and treasure over. Also, Iraq is helping Iran get around the boycotts as well. Awesomeness above awesomeness. You know, if we did have a 100% foolproof missile defense shield, I’d say put it up and let the rest of the Middle East duke it out (but send help to Israel).

Posted in Hamas, Iran, Israel, Middle East | 2 Comments

From the IDF, to Aly Raisman

Posted on 08/20/2012 by Meryl Yourish

You must read this note on Aly Raisman’s Facebook page from an IDF officer.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/103134354/Note-on-Aly-Raisman-Facebook-Page-from-IDF-Officer

Posted in Israel, Jews, World | Comments Off

Obama is in trouble

Posted on 08/19/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I didn’t believe it before. But I’m starting to believe it now.

Seventy-plus men walked out of the ground, overalls and hardhats covered in coal dust, and onto the risers of a stage built for a Mitt Romney speech.
To onlookers, mostly press and staffers, the image was stunning.
To the 2,600 family members gathered in the gravel parking lot or under tents, eating hot dogs and drinking pop, it was a moment of immense pride.
This is what we do, said Tim Wiles: “We make things. We provide energy for the state, food for our families, and businesses are sustained around the county because they make money from us.”
The 54-year-old miner added, after listening to Romney: “This election is his and Paul Ryan’s for the taking. They need to be bold and remind people of what we stand for, that we are the backbone of this country.”
“America still is that competitive frontier,” said Josh Kinney, 32, standing beside him.

Whoa.

Obama and the Democrats are currently counting on their on-the-ground staff, who are supposed to get more people out to vote Democrat in November than Romney can convince to vote for him.

I’m starting to think their ground campaign isn’t going to count nearly as much as I feared it was going to be. It won’t matter if Romney and Ryan can convince more people to vote for them. And they’re doing a hell of a job so far.

Posted in American Scene, Politics | 2 Comments

More flying pigs, EU version

Posted on 08/19/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Catherine Ashton, who never finds a criticism of Israel that she can’t get on board with, is criticizing the latest Iranian calls for Israel’s destruction.

The EU foreign policy chief said on Saturday that comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called Israel a “cancerous tumor” with no place in a future Middle East, were “outrageous and hateful”.

And I’ve suddenly figured out why we’re seeing winged pigs.

Catherine Ashton’s language was unusually forthright for the West’s chief negotiator over Iran’s nuclear program.

Ah. It is a sop to Israel. They’re playing the “See, we can criticize Iran!” card in order to try to get Israel to swear off going after Iran’s nukes militarily.

Ashton “calls upon Iran to play a constructive role in the region and expects its leaders to contribute to de-escalate tension and not to fuel it”, Saturday’s statement said.

See? It’s all blather for effect. Note that neither call was followed with, say, a call to condemn Iran in the UN, since it is obviously violating the UN charter.

Move along here. Nothing to see.

Posted in Iran, Israel, Middle East, United Nations | Comments Off

Scan the skies for flying pigs: The UN chief condemned Iran

Posted on 08/18/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I’m sorry, but I think I have a sudden fit of the vapors. I can barely breathe. Can this be–true?

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon sharply criticized Iran’s supreme leader and president on Friday, describing their latest verbal attacks on Israel as “offensive and inflammatory.”

Wh–what?

“The Secretary-General is dismayed by the remarks threatening Israel’s existence attributed over the last two days to the Supreme Leader and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the UN press office said. “The Secretary-General condemns these offensive and inflammatory statements.”

But–but–but–

“In accordance with the United Nations Charter, all members must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

[THUD]

Posted in Iran, Israel, Middle East, United Nations | 2 Comments

This is a test of the automatic updating system

Posted on 08/17/2012 by Meryl Yourish

This is only a test.

If this had been a real update, you would be seeing something different.

Oh. Wait.

Updating it before it’s about to be retired does seem rather a lot to do, but my hosting service insisted on it.

Posted in Site news | Comments Off

Iran calls for Israel’s destruction, again

Posted on 08/17/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Think we can say they really want to destroy Israel yet?

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad says that “The very existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to humanity.” Looking forward to hearing Juan Cole insist that he means it’s the government of Israel that must go, not Israel itself. Especially after we hear this:

“The Zionist regime is a malignant cancer, if even one cell remains on Palestinian land, the current situation will continue in the future,” the president said and warned: “Zionists want to spread.”

The AP has it right, for a change, even down to the headline.

Iran: Israel’s existence ‘insult to all humanity’
Israel’s existence is an “insult to all humanity,” Iran’s president said Friday in one of his sharpest attacks yet against the Jewish state, as Israel openly debates whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said confronting Israel is an effort to “protect the dignity of all human beings.”
“The existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to all humanity,” Ahmadinejad said. He was addressing worshippers at Tehran University after nationwide pro-Palestinian rallies, an annual event marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

But the Guardian’s Iranian apologists felt the need to change the headline.

Iran: Israel’s Zionist regime ‘an insult to humanity’

Both the AP and the Guardian seem to have missed this quote, however:

“The Zionist regime is a malignant cancer, if even one cell remains on Palestinian land, the current situation will continue in the future,” the president said and warned: “Zionists want to spread.”

See Juan. See him spin. Spin, Juan, Spin.

Just in case you believe Juan that the Iranians just want the current Zionist government replaced with one a bit more sympathetic to the Palestinians, perhaps you should take another look at this quote by an Iranian general:

“[Al-Quds Day] is a reflection of the fact that no other way exists apart from resolve and strength to completely eliminate the aggressive nature and to destroy Israel,” Jalali said, according to a report by Iran’s ISNA news agency.

It leaves nothing to the imagination. So when Professor Cole does deign to report on the current al-Quds day celebrations, he will be sure to ignore the calls for Israel’s destruction. Because that’s what disingenuous people do: They ignore facts that disprove their little worldviews.

Did you know that these calls for Israel’s destruction by a member state of the UN go against the UN charter? Of course not, because the media never reports that angle. The UN has ignored them for years, however, and in the IOC-controlled General Assembly, an anti-Iran statement would never make it through. Welcome to another day in Israeli Double Standard Time. But don’t worry! It only occurs on days that end with a “y”!

Posted in Iran, Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Media Bias, Middle East | 2 Comments

The subtle media bias of a simple image

Posted on 08/16/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Look at this image. Pretty straightforward, right?

Wrong. (Full-size image here.)

Let’s dissect it, piece by piece.

1. Biden and Obama bookend Romney and Ryan. Newspaper and magazine editors know where your eye goes first. Guess which team is in that position?
2. Biden and Obama are smiling. Romney and Ryan are not.
3. Biden and Obama are fully lit and clear. Romney and Ryan have shadows on them. Ryan’s is even a little creepy, with that shadow of a hand reaching across his chest.
4. Biden’s and Obama’s faces are well-lit and clear. Romney is in shadow, and Ryan is a sickly shade of yellow-green.

I worked in publishing for a long time. I know the process that goes into choosing a photograph before it is sent out to the world. There’s no way the contrasts in the above picture happened by accident. The shading of Ryan’s face, the shadows on the Republican candidates, the full sun, smiling faces on the Democrats–all on purpose, by the photo editor and whoever signed off on the photos. Oh, they’ll deny it to the rooftops. But look again at the contrasts in those photos, and tell me that it’s not deliberate.

Your media bias, deconstructed.

Oh. And it’s in a piece that decries how ugly the campaign has become so far. Yeah. Ironic, isn’t it?

Posted in American Scene, Media Bias, Politics | 4 Comments

Hey, Girl…

Posted on 08/15/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Eveything you need to know about Paul Ryan in one quote

Hey, Girl’s home.

Posted in American Scene, Politics | Comments Off

Wednesday briefs

Posted on 08/15/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I’m sure he just meant it rhetorically: An Iranian general said specifically that Israel must be destroyed, but don’t worry–Juan Cole and the rest of the Iranian apologists will figure out a spin on how he doesn’t really mean he wants to destroy Israel. Bonus warning about the link: Do not click the link if you don’t want to see Mad Mahmoud in a bedsheet.

Just another life-or-death decision in Israel: In what other nation on earth does the government have to decide whether or not parking garages will make good bomb shelters? And the UN has the nerve to call out Israel for every action they make against the ones that send the missiles?

Coup, shmoup: Israel’s defense establishment isn’t all that worried about the change of generals made by President Morsi. Well, that’s good news. But look at the matter-of-fact way this paragraph is written:

Until now, despite the visceral anti-Israel hatred prominent in Egypt’s media, Egyptian military officials kept in close touch with their Israeli counterparts and coordination between the two militaries was good. The Israeli and Egyptian chiefs of staff even held meetings in Brussels during NATO conferences.

Yeah, they say they hate us but we work with their military, so it’s all good… geez. Once again, no other nation in the world suffers the hatred that Israel suffers, not even those that starve their own people or commit genocide unflinchingly. REAL genocide, not the fake genocide that people keep saying Israel is perpetrating on the Palestinians. You know, the one that has seen the Palestinian population explode. Like someone said, worst genocide ever.

Posted in Iran, Israel, Middle East | Comments Off

So how’s that Arab Spring working out for you?

Posted on 08/14/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Say, remember all those people and pundits who said last year that the Muslim Brotherhood didn’t want to rule Egypt?

Yeah, not so much. After firing the top non-MB generals and replacing them with one who has MB leanings, Morsi is now saying he will review the peace treaty with Israel that demilitarizes the Sinai.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will discuss amendments to the 1979 peace treaty with Israel to ensure Egypt’s full sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula, the president’s legal adviser claimed on Tuesday.
In an interview with al-Masry al-Youm, Mohamed Jadallah said there was no conflict between Morsi and the Higher Military Council. He stressed that none of the military leaders intervened in the election of the new defense minister and chief of staff and that the president had the prerogative to make changes in the top military brass.

So now you know why he fired the generals.

This is the only thing that puzzles me over the current events. Morsi is currently going against Hamas by shutting down Gaza and demanding they turn over any Hamas terrorists that helped the jihadists attack the Egyptian outpost before heading to Israel. Apparently, these actions by Hamas have not satisfied the Egyptians.

Immediately after the Sinai killings, Hamas ordered the closure of around 1,000 smuggling tunnels along its border with Egypt to prevent possible infiltration by attackers.
Several tunnels have remained operational bringing food, fuel and construction materials into Gaza, but Hamas has said it would be willing to see all the underground passages closed if Egypt agreed to defy Israel and let goods flow through Rafah.

What I’m thinking is that Morsi has to be seen as harsh on Gaza–for now. Sixteen Egyptian soldiers were murdered as they sat down to their break-fast meal during Ramadan. The Egyptian populace is furious. So Morsi has found a scapegoat (the generals), shut down the Rafah crossing because the jihadis got help from there, and now is going to play a waiting game. When the furor dies down, look for Rafah to reopen and Hamas to become in good odor again.

What I see is something I don’t like at all. I see Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood laying the groundwork for a war with Israel. They are going to try to get Israel to agree to let them have more and more militarization of the Sinai, which would be yet another border that Israel would have to defend if things come to war.

And let’s face it: It’s not a stretch to think that the MB was somehow involved with the terror attack. It was going against Israel, after all, and all of the jihadis have shown that they don’t care if they murder their own on the way to murdering Jews. We’re all “infidels,” after all.

Any way you look at it, things are not going well in the Middle East. Awesome job, Smart Power Obama administration. Maybe you could send Hillary Clinton to smooth things over again. Like she did last time. Oh. Wait.

Posted in Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Middle East, Religion, Terrorism | 2 Comments

An open letter to the NY Times editors

Posted on 08/13/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Dear New York Times editorial staff:

You do realize, don’t you, that most of the people who read your paper weren’t going to vote for Romney/Ryan anyway? Seems to me you’re just wasting space going off on Ryan twice in two days.

Worried much?

Posted in American Scene, Politics | 1 Comment