Farcebook!

My friend [ of preFaceBook times ] Ian Aitken asked me to join a book discussion forum he wanted to start on FaceBook. Reluctantly I agreed. I say reluctantly cos the Social Networking scene is all a bit too 21st Century for me. However, I signed up and dutifully did the thing where you click on the people you recognise as family, friends, acquaintances and people you’ve just met – maybe once or twice. Suddenly your email inbox is jammed not only with those you have clicked but also those who know those you have clicked and those who might think they know you through those who you’ve clicked and have clicked your clicking mates and other clickers who are just hanging round the etherWeb wondering who the click they can click next. It’s not clicking funny!

Actually, within three straight hours of trying to make sense of it all and return all the notes of goodwill, interest and minor insults, I found it strangely addictive. It’s been ineteresting to see some of my clickers [who are a few clicks older than me] clicking away fit to bust, adding friends like there’s no tomorrow! I’ve been invited to get thrashed at Scrabble by a lady minister, offered a peek at a singles profile [ whatever the click that means ! - I declined being a married clicker !!], given a recipe, found another friend who likes Tahini, got scared when threatened with fellowship and generally been overstimulated… I’m not going to sleep properly for about three days now!

A spin-off from this was seeing a thing called Shelfari…which I dutifully joined.[ see previous post ] Seems a much more sensible booky forum thingy to me. But it also asks you to click friends, family and the rest. No escape there then!

Anyway -  I must dash, I’ve got to get changed and go out to Choir Practice. I’m currently enjoying Thursday nights in the company of The Buckie Choral Union, rehearsing for our Christmas Concert on Dec 14th in the Fisherman’s Hall. Hope to see you there. I’ll be one of the blokes in a dinner jacket! What a click – eh!?

The Gaza Blockade

Fact Sheets

#62: The Gaza Blockade

(November 24, 2008)

The State of Israel set up a blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2006 after the terrorist organization, Hamas, obtained control of the area. In recent months, in response to barrages of rocketfire from Gaza into Israel, sanctions and security around the area have been increased.

Although Israel has tolerated many months of rocket attacks on their cities, international outcry from the United Nations as well as worldwide media has focused almost entirely on the Palestinian plight in Gaza, which they assume to be a result of the blockade.

Despite the terror onslaught, Israel sends thousands of liters of fuel into Gaza every day, and electricity from Israeli power sources is not being witheld. Interestingly, Palestinian Authority sources maintain that there is not a shortage of fuel in Gaza. They accuse Hamas of stealing thousands of liters of fuel from local Gazan companies and then telling the media that there is no fuel left. Fatah members also claim that Hamas is lying about the fuel shortage “crisis” for propagandistic reasons. On November 24, 2008, Israel opened the crossings to the Gaza Strip and allowed through humanitarian supplies, including medicine, food and fuel.

Additionally, the Ministry maintains that commercial crossings between Gaza and Israel have been kept open – especially since the June 19, 2008, “state of calm” which allowed for a 50% increase of material goods into Gaza. The materials that are allowed into the terrority include medicine and medical supplies, food, some fuel and building materials. Gazans in need of medical assistance in Israel have continued to be allowed in. Even after the “state of calm” was broken by Hamas, those Gazans seeking medical treatment in Israel were still allowed to do so although they were chaperoned during the process. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs posesses daily delivery statements from Israel into Gaza since the June 19 agreement. These published statistics prove that the media and the High Commissioner for Human Rights are incorrect in reporting that the Israeli government has been preventing humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

Indeed, Hamas is not only witholding supplies from the Palestinians in Gaza but the organization is also spending all of its resources on weapons of terror instead of material goods that a government is expected to provide for its citizens.

The relative peace in Israel for the last several months was broken in early November 2008 when Hamas again began to fire rockets into Israel in response to Israel’s raid of an illegal militant tunnel from Gaza. Israel has maintained a “calm” front and has not retaliated to these rocket attacks with military measures. Instead, Israel increased security around the Gaza border on Tuesday which prompted criticism from the United Nations.

Later on November 18, 2008, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called for a stop to the Israel-enforced blockade of Gaza. Pillay declared that the situation in Gaza was one that impeded upon the humanitarian rights of the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. The suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, she claimed, was the fault of the Israeli government. Only in Pillay’s last sentence did she mention Hamas’ rocket attacks on Israel – the sole reason for the imposed blockade.

The Israeli representative to the United Nations, Aharon Leshno-Yaar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took strong offense at the High Commissioner’s statement and her inaccurate assumptions. Pillay’s blatant oversight of Palestinian violence towards Israel was especially outrageous because over 170 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel in the past ten days alone.

UN critics question why Israel did not open the Gaza blockade during the nearly six-month ceasefire and allow for supplies to be delivered to the Palestinians. The UN’s assumption that Israel has not permitted the entrance of material goods into Gaza, however, is simply incorrect and has been formed out of Hamas-led media ploys.

Media critics and the United Nations have consistently ignored the terrorist attacks on Israel in favor of a focus on Palestinian suffering. As always, they seem to dismiss the basic cause-and-effect connection between Hamas-led violence and the plight of the Palestinians. Were Hamas and, for that matter, the PA willing to maintain a legitimate ceasefire, Israel would feel secure enough to dissolve the blockade of Gaza.

Snippets

I’m so busy! Not work stuff or anything like that…just too much wonderful stuff to do and not enough time in the day.

Been discovering more fascinating material on the blogosphere, been fighting the powers of viral darkness but now restored and risen, been blessed [ again ] on Sunday at a local fellowship and then BLESSED in Jasciah last night.

So much to read and have discovered Shelfari [ see addition to links at right ] so I can share easier and prettier, but right now off to listen to a Podcast and hopefully read some more of this and that and the other …..

Catch you later!

Just …..

….. back from ten days in Israel with a gang of pilgrims from the High Church in Elgin.

We had a very interesting time in that although I’d been before on a sponsored bike ride for EMMS fundraising for the Nazareth Hospital, Louise has never been and so I had great fun watching her drive the camera and we both enjoyed  our whistle stop tours round Jerusalem, Caeserea and Galilee. We didn’t have enough time to do any of it justice, but we know what we’d like to do and see if ever we go again.

I was alarmed at how naive are some christians that we met whilst there. They appear to have bought into the lie of Israel = Bad, Arab = Good. There are good and bad aspects to both sides of that sorry situation, but in times of vastly increased anti-Semitism, it is important that an impartial understanding is reached by the Christian in order to direct prayer. We know from Scripture what is going to happen in these coming days and we are told that it is good to pray for the peace of Israel. Sadly we met people who neither know or understand the history of the 20th Century, who seem incapable of looking things up for themselves in order to make an informed judgement and hold a sound opinion on the Middle East that is not just terrorist, anti-Semitic propaganda. They have obviously not spent much time reading their bibles and actually researching for themselves but are happy to parrot the humanistic claptrap that “supports” those who stand for violence, lies, deceit and genocide. Remember the Holocaust – because that’s what the Arab Extremists want to do all over again and the West is looking like either helping or standing aside.

I have been a supporter of Israel since a boy, and having read widely about Israel and the Middle East situation I feel I’ve got a pretty good , open minded stance. The Israelis have not always done things wisely or well, but at least they admit their guilt when wrong and seek to make amends. They are not interested in annihilating anyone but simply want to be left in peace. They are their own harshest critics and they have a free and open society and press that allows and seems to encourage dissent and opposition. None of these are enjoyed in any Arab country.

I would recommend the following books as an antidote to the toxic outpouring of the terrorists and their supporters.

“One Palestine – Complete ” by Tom Segev

“Myths and Facts [ a guide to the Arab -  Israeli conflict ]” by Mitchell Bard

“The Source” by James Michener …… actually a very well researched novel giving a rich insight into the history of Israel, land and people.

Check out my link to the publisher of ‘Myths and Facts’ on the tab at right called Israel

Now back in a cold, grey Morayshire and it’s unpacking time along with playing catch-up with the news and mail.

Loved the fact that Lewis won the WDC. Justice if you ask me. Still laughing at all the conspiracy theorists who now claim it was rigged in his favour when they’ve spent almost two seasons claiming he wasn’t being fair by actually racing, wasn’t punished enough, too competitive, too smarmy. too arrogant, too anything else they wanted to throw in. To me he’s just a new Schumacher -  winning is all so don’t get in my way. Most of the other drivers at various times this season have proved to be hyocritical, immature and just plain jealous.

Intrigued that Barack Obama won the US election. That should sharpen the prayer life of the far right evangelicals in the US of A. I’m intrigued since soem of the Christians I know over there don’t seem to like him. There are still quite a few Americans who are racists and some ultra-racists called white supremacists who will not take kindly to Obama’s victory.

It’ll be interesting to see how he’s going to sort out the American input to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Interestingly enough he is very pro-Israel and that makes him fine with me. I don’t understand America enough to go any further than that. But the next months will be very tricky for him, his country and the rest of us watching on.

It’s dark now and almost time for tea….. and since I’m cooking it I’d better get a move on!