Today at sundown Hanukkah has started. It will last for 8 days and here is what it celebrates :)
The year was 164 BC
Enjoy :)
VERY HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday 27 November 2013
Sunday 24 November 2013
Iran's nuclear deal (for whom?)
It will be less about Israel and more internationally today.
Today in newspapers they proclaimed a great success - signing a deal with Iran on halting its nuclear program in exchange for vast Western economic help. It is said to be success in negotiations and a road to peace, but is it really?
Let's look a it closely. Does Iran need complicated and expensive nuclear energy for peace purposes? I don't think so. The country sitting on oil with gas prices ranging around 0,15$ per liter or less hardly needs to invest in this type of technology before tending to other needs.
Do they need Western economic help? Yes, for the first time in years they might use some as due to the restrictions put on it for last few years the crisis set on. It means that the restrictions were working.
Were the Western negotiators willing to put this pressure in order to halt and dismantle nuclear program under supervision? No, it purely is supposed to be halted. But its goal was never pacifist one and nobody in Iran was really denying it. And it is not only aiming towards regional hegemony and - possibly - destroying Israel (which was announced loudly by Iran's president). It is also close enough to Europe to dictate some of European politics, using dirty bombs as arguments, information (true or untrue) about missing nuclear material or threatening its sources of energy not only in Iran but the whole region.
And it doesn't take a genius to guess who and what does Iran wants to protect. It is Islamic republic, home of Khomeini and Islamic revolution, a country as hostile towards West as they make it. Yes, it is engaged in eternal bloody war in Muslim world between Sunni and Shiite but it has governors adept enough at socio-technics to be able to (for a time) unite them formally against common enemy if need be. And they have many friends in the region.
Now look at the demography: in 1956 Iran had app. 19 million residents; in 2009 already 75 million, in 2050 it is expected to have app. 105 million residents. Compare with app. 500 million in the whole EU with its 10% Muslim minority (so, app. 50 million people).
Now look at what has been said by Iran's authorities lately:
"The wave of Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world"
"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of Islamic nation's fury"
"Global equations undergo changes, this is their nature"
"The UN structure is one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam"
Do they sound scary? For me they do, words of fanatics - ready to kill and die and send others to their death always do sound scary.
We are taking about reasonably rich, powerful, fast-growing country with over representation of military-oriented young men, with fanatical government and authorities acting as if under attack by anybody in the West and as if representing Islam (no just Iran) - in its whole. It strongly brings to memory words of Nasser at the dawn of 6 Days War. It also brings to memory the times where 2 sides acting on different principles were engaged: conquistadors and native Indians, Romans and Huns, Europeans and Mongols in XIII century, or - more recently - Hitler and Deladier / Chamberlain. One side believes the other will be appeased by economic help and transfer of wealth (diminishing in Europe, not required in Iran which IS a rich country), the other operates under principles of faith, lust for power and belief in its holy mission.
Let me compare to quates:
“Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure, a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”(President Obama, today)
"I have returned from Germany with peace for our time." (Neville Chamberlain, 1938, just after Munich conference, less than a year before WWII)
Today in newspapers they proclaimed a great success - signing a deal with Iran on halting its nuclear program in exchange for vast Western economic help. It is said to be success in negotiations and a road to peace, but is it really?
Let's look a it closely. Does Iran need complicated and expensive nuclear energy for peace purposes? I don't think so. The country sitting on oil with gas prices ranging around 0,15$ per liter or less hardly needs to invest in this type of technology before tending to other needs.
Do they need Western economic help? Yes, for the first time in years they might use some as due to the restrictions put on it for last few years the crisis set on. It means that the restrictions were working.
Were the Western negotiators willing to put this pressure in order to halt and dismantle nuclear program under supervision? No, it purely is supposed to be halted. But its goal was never pacifist one and nobody in Iran was really denying it. And it is not only aiming towards regional hegemony and - possibly - destroying Israel (which was announced loudly by Iran's president). It is also close enough to Europe to dictate some of European politics, using dirty bombs as arguments, information (true or untrue) about missing nuclear material or threatening its sources of energy not only in Iran but the whole region.
And it doesn't take a genius to guess who and what does Iran wants to protect. It is Islamic republic, home of Khomeini and Islamic revolution, a country as hostile towards West as they make it. Yes, it is engaged in eternal bloody war in Muslim world between Sunni and Shiite but it has governors adept enough at socio-technics to be able to (for a time) unite them formally against common enemy if need be. And they have many friends in the region.
Now look at the demography: in 1956 Iran had app. 19 million residents; in 2009 already 75 million, in 2050 it is expected to have app. 105 million residents. Compare with app. 500 million in the whole EU with its 10% Muslim minority (so, app. 50 million people).
Now look at what has been said by Iran's authorities lately:
"The wave of Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world"
"Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of Islamic nation's fury"
"Global equations undergo changes, this is their nature"
"The UN structure is one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam"
Do they sound scary? For me they do, words of fanatics - ready to kill and die and send others to their death always do sound scary.
We are taking about reasonably rich, powerful, fast-growing country with over representation of military-oriented young men, with fanatical government and authorities acting as if under attack by anybody in the West and as if representing Islam (no just Iran) - in its whole. It strongly brings to memory words of Nasser at the dawn of 6 Days War. It also brings to memory the times where 2 sides acting on different principles were engaged: conquistadors and native Indians, Romans and Huns, Europeans and Mongols in XIII century, or - more recently - Hitler and Deladier / Chamberlain. One side believes the other will be appeased by economic help and transfer of wealth (diminishing in Europe, not required in Iran which IS a rich country), the other operates under principles of faith, lust for power and belief in its holy mission.
Let me compare to quates:
“Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure, a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”(President Obama, today)
"I have returned from Germany with peace for our time." (Neville Chamberlain, 1938, just after Munich conference, less than a year before WWII)
Thursday 21 November 2013
Promised land (for the birds)
Many people do not know, as I didn't until somebody gave me a clue, that very few species of birds are capable of flying long distances over the sea. Most migratory birds prefer to fly mostly over the land and thus seek the route from Africa to Europe's nesting grounds and back with as little oversea flying as possible. Israel is not only on the way, it is on the very center of the way.
It is very convenient passageway for migratory birds, home to many non-migratory ones and - due to decades of protection law enforcement and general welcoming by people and institutions alike - nothing short of the garden of Eden for the birds.
Twice a year through Israel, the country smaller than Belgium and in half consisting of desert, 500 million birds fly on their way to/ from Europe. It is their resting ground. And - in an addition to some 230 migratory species - there are approximately 270 species native to Israel which in total gives only 150 less species than one may encounter in the whole of the USA.
There are more than 10 institutions dedicated to research, help and watching birds and huge areas are under protection for their use (one of the mos famous is Hula Valley in the north).
In Eilat former garbage dump site was transferred to bird-feeding station as area's salt marshes have been transformed and no longer can support that many birds. It is ilegal in Israel to kill or even stress birds (the last giving way for many jokes about what stresses the birds, still they are very welcome guests to the country).
No wonder that each yer thousands of tourists come to Israel for the exclusive purpose of bird-watching. It is rare delight for anybody interested in birdwatching and for most of us who just like to have a glimpse at the wonders of our world. See for yourselves :)
It is very convenient passageway for migratory birds, home to many non-migratory ones and - due to decades of protection law enforcement and general welcoming by people and institutions alike - nothing short of the garden of Eden for the birds.
Twice a year through Israel, the country smaller than Belgium and in half consisting of desert, 500 million birds fly on their way to/ from Europe. It is their resting ground. And - in an addition to some 230 migratory species - there are approximately 270 species native to Israel which in total gives only 150 less species than one may encounter in the whole of the USA.
There are more than 10 institutions dedicated to research, help and watching birds and huge areas are under protection for their use (one of the mos famous is Hula Valley in the north).
In Eilat former garbage dump site was transferred to bird-feeding station as area's salt marshes have been transformed and no longer can support that many birds. It is ilegal in Israel to kill or even stress birds (the last giving way for many jokes about what stresses the birds, still they are very welcome guests to the country).
No wonder that each yer thousands of tourists come to Israel for the exclusive purpose of bird-watching. It is rare delight for anybody interested in birdwatching and for most of us who just like to have a glimpse at the wonders of our world. See for yourselves :)
Wednesday 6 November 2013
75th anniversary
It is 3 days to the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht (crystal night) - the night in 1938 when the biggest pogrom in pre-war Nazi Germany happened.
Synagogues were burnt, homes and small businesses invaded and ruined, people beaten and robbed, 91 Jews lost their lives (usually beaten to death). And it was all state-organized, legal (Nurnberg statutes were already introduced effectively putting Jews outside any protection of law whatsoever).
It was very black night in Europe being followed by much blacker years.
Today in Europe Antisemitism is very present. Synagogues and Jewish schools and meeting houses are under protection, guarded often 24 hours a day. There have been cases of setting fire to them in Sweden, UK, France and many other European countries. Jewish schools welcome pupils with safety gear comparable to the one on airports - at least in most places (and as the case of shooting rabbi and children in Jewish school in France shows - for a very good reason). There is movie on youtube showing Jewish school in UK under heavy protection of CCTV cameras, security personnel and with bullet-proof windows. All with the comment from English policeman that it is indeed very necessary as assaults on it are common.
It looks like after Holocaust, after 6 years of the most terrible war, after wiping off 6.000.000 of its Jewish citizens (98% of the prewar population in Europe) Europe has learned nothing.
What a shame that at the same time when most European children usually walk to the nearest school without giving it the second thought and visiting churches for religious or touristic purposes is normal-day activity Jewish community in Europe lives n fear and is - AGAIN - under attack.
At the same time when bulbs, vacuum cleaners and alike are discussed by EU bodies as sooo important issue Jewish citizens of Europe feel in few places as they did shortly before the Kristallnacht.
It is real SHAME for all Europeans, myself included and I feel it deeply - all I may do is write about it, and talk about it. It is not enough, it is very little....
Synagogues were burnt, homes and small businesses invaded and ruined, people beaten and robbed, 91 Jews lost their lives (usually beaten to death). And it was all state-organized, legal (Nurnberg statutes were already introduced effectively putting Jews outside any protection of law whatsoever).
It was very black night in Europe being followed by much blacker years.
Today in Europe Antisemitism is very present. Synagogues and Jewish schools and meeting houses are under protection, guarded often 24 hours a day. There have been cases of setting fire to them in Sweden, UK, France and many other European countries. Jewish schools welcome pupils with safety gear comparable to the one on airports - at least in most places (and as the case of shooting rabbi and children in Jewish school in France shows - for a very good reason). There is movie on youtube showing Jewish school in UK under heavy protection of CCTV cameras, security personnel and with bullet-proof windows. All with the comment from English policeman that it is indeed very necessary as assaults on it are common.
It looks like after Holocaust, after 6 years of the most terrible war, after wiping off 6.000.000 of its Jewish citizens (98% of the prewar population in Europe) Europe has learned nothing.
What a shame that at the same time when most European children usually walk to the nearest school without giving it the second thought and visiting churches for religious or touristic purposes is normal-day activity Jewish community in Europe lives n fear and is - AGAIN - under attack.
At the same time when bulbs, vacuum cleaners and alike are discussed by EU bodies as sooo important issue Jewish citizens of Europe feel in few places as they did shortly before the Kristallnacht.
It is real SHAME for all Europeans, myself included and I feel it deeply - all I may do is write about it, and talk about it. It is not enough, it is very little....
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