The EMS units here have changed their emergency tones from a wail to the European undulating racket so as not to scare the public.
In the office where I work, we keep the window open a crack so that we can hear the siren.
We had a siren again yesterday morning, and another one today, at around 10 am.
It doesn't make my blood boil. It doesn't drive me into a rage of hatred. It simply makes me sad that in 2014 ANYONE has to be in their bomb shelter or protected area.
We should be bigger than this, we should be better than this.
If you want 'facts' about Gaza, you can find them below / here.
If you want opinion about the war, here are some videos:
From the US Senate:
From a famous US Jew (parental consent is advised):
In all honesty, I'm just tired of it all. "You killed 3 of ours so we're going to get 33 of yours" who are we? The Crips and the Bloods from West Side Story?
Peace and love guys, peace and love.
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Rugby, NFL and GoT
In between the air raid sirens and news alerts on my facebook stream, there are a few posts that are little nuggets of goodness and fun. Just whats needed in Casa Jumblerant these days.
And for all of you NFL fans out there, here is a neat comparison of American Football vs. Rugby.
I'm not sure who wins there, but at least we get to see some impressive smashes!
Talking of some serious skills, here is the Queen's Guards playing GoT theme tune, and I believe it is outside Buckingham Palace (or Buck House as Aunty liz like to call it).
This game of Thrones remix is awesome. Just a genius at work. Enthralling to an extent that I kind of forgot what it was about and watched him at work.
More of his work can be found here and on SoundCloud here
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Grammar
"Yo Grammer so bad it don't make no sense!"
Yes. Quite.
Having been schooled by no less than a Booker Prize judge, I can assure you that my grammar is quite good.
Even "Weird" Al Yankovich would agree:
He spoofs "Happy" by Pharrell too, joined by a plethora of famous people:
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Yes. Quite.
Having been schooled by no less than a Booker Prize judge, I can assure you that my grammar is quite good.
Even "Weird" Al Yankovich would agree:
He spoofs "Happy" by Pharrell too, joined by a plethora of famous people:
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Gaza Facts
There are 3 common mistakes I'm tired of seeing. I don't want to get into political arguments right now, just set straight some facts.
1. Gaza is the most densely populated city in the world:
3. Gaza is one of the poorest regions in the world:
Gaza Strip's Human Development Index is usually around the 100th in the world (out of 177) (b). Higher than Egypt or Syria, but lower than the Palestinian average.
Life expectancy in Gaza is around 107th in the world, higher in fact than Glasgow (SNP likes to flaunt this). The Palestinians are the largest per capita recipients of foreign aid in the world and the 8th fattest nation in the world. By all global accounts, Palestinians are neither rich, nor poor, but strongly in the middle.
(a) WikiPedia - List of cities proper by population
(b) WikiPedia - Human Development Index
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
1. Gaza is the most densely populated city in the world:
Gaza city is not even in the top 85(a). In fact, there are many cities that are denser than Gaza. For example, London, Cairo and New York.
2. Gaza is occupied by Israel:
Gaza has been 100% cleansed of Jews in 2005. In the same year, Israel also formally declared an end to Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip. Presently, There isn't a single Israeli soldier on Gazan soil. Israel doesn't fully control Gaza's borders either, since the strip has a Southern border with the sovereign state of Egypt. The latter fully controls at least one crossing, but chooses to keep it closed for their own political and economic reasons.
3. Gaza is one of the poorest regions in the world:
Gaza Strip's Human Development Index is usually around the 100th in the world (out of 177) (b). Higher than Egypt or Syria, but lower than the Palestinian average.
Life expectancy in Gaza is around 107th in the world, higher in fact than Glasgow (SNP likes to flaunt this). The Palestinians are the largest per capita recipients of foreign aid in the world and the 8th fattest nation in the world. By all global accounts, Palestinians are neither rich, nor poor, but strongly in the middle.
(a) WikiPedia - List of cities proper by population
(b) WikiPedia - Human Development Index
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sirens, Home and the Iron Dome
A few people have asked me to write about my experiences in the last week or so, here in Israel.
Just a few fun facts for you: I'm a father of 2, husband, employee, manager and, obviously, like to think of myself as just another normal guy.
Siren Song
It was with a sense of disbelief that I walked into the air-raid shelter at work last Wednesday morning. This is the kind of thing everyone was expecting:
But this is more like what it was:
So it didn't phase us that much.
And then that evening we had the siren at home.
A different kettle of fish altogether when you have to gather up your kids and put them in the protected room.
The mere fact that every structure built after the Gulf War has to have a reinforced room, by law, tells us all a bit about what kind of area we live in!
Luckily, this time around, we need only stay int he shelters for 10 minutes, and there is no 'all-clear' sounded. People just decide when it works for them.
Iron Dome
What a game changer! Or is it? Similar to the Patriot Missile System int he Gulf War, I think we're going to be hearing a lot about 'near misses' and shrapnel falling all over the place, but for right now, it is keeping us mentally safe too.
Not to give too much away, but there is an Iron Dome unit about 1km from our home, and boy is it reassuring when the rockets blast off! Scary, loud and somewhat worrying just how thin our defensive line is, but altogether I wouldn't say 'no' to it.
Funny side note - I was reading the blog post Game Changer by In From The Cold all about Iron Dome and its benefits, when I heard a couple of loud bangs yesterday. yes, it was the Iron Dome at work again.
Politics
I don't care about the politics. I care about people I don't know throwing explosive rockets at my house.
Here is a politician talking about the situation:
So for now there is talk of a cease-fire. Thats great. It just doesn't take the threat away, it just leaves it standing. An en passe that cannot be resolved.
Having said that, Hamas is getting attacked on TV and elsewhere by it's old friend, Egypt:
So whatever happens in this region in the next 12 months is anyone's guess!
Although I doubt we'll see a one state solution any time soon.
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant
Just a few fun facts for you: I'm a father of 2, husband, employee, manager and, obviously, like to think of myself as just another normal guy.
Siren Song
It was with a sense of disbelief that I walked into the air-raid shelter at work last Wednesday morning. This is the kind of thing everyone was expecting:
But this is more like what it was:
So it didn't phase us that much.
And then that evening we had the siren at home.
A different kettle of fish altogether when you have to gather up your kids and put them in the protected room.
The mere fact that every structure built after the Gulf War has to have a reinforced room, by law, tells us all a bit about what kind of area we live in!
Luckily, this time around, we need only stay int he shelters for 10 minutes, and there is no 'all-clear' sounded. People just decide when it works for them.
What a game changer! Or is it? Similar to the Patriot Missile System int he Gulf War, I think we're going to be hearing a lot about 'near misses' and shrapnel falling all over the place, but for right now, it is keeping us mentally safe too.
Not to give too much away, but there is an Iron Dome unit about 1km from our home, and boy is it reassuring when the rockets blast off! Scary, loud and somewhat worrying just how thin our defensive line is, but altogether I wouldn't say 'no' to it.
Funny side note - I was reading the blog post Game Changer by In From The Cold all about Iron Dome and its benefits, when I heard a couple of loud bangs yesterday. yes, it was the Iron Dome at work again.
Politics
I don't care about the politics. I care about people I don't know throwing explosive rockets at my house.
Here is a politician talking about the situation:
So for now there is talk of a cease-fire. Thats great. It just doesn't take the threat away, it just leaves it standing. An en passe that cannot be resolved.
Having said that, Hamas is getting attacked on TV and elsewhere by it's old friend, Egypt:
So whatever happens in this region in the next 12 months is anyone's guess!
Although I doubt we'll see a one state solution any time soon.
kthanxbai!
Jumblerant