Seriously...I'm studying. No seriously.

First off, Happy Memorial Day Weekend to everyone! And thank you to all those who fought and died to make the U.S. the great country it is today.

Second, it's officially summer time in Israel. I know this, not because of any standard calendar or because girls are wearing considerably less clothing or because people's perfume of choice these days is coconut-scented tanning oil, but because there aren't any more major holidays to keep us out of school.

I raise this important point because some of you have expressed concern that I am not actually studying here, but rather squeezing in an M.A. degree while being a professional vacationer. Perhaps the fact that we've had five vacations of no less that two days each has tipped some of you off. But I want to assure everyone that my studies are coming along quite well. I be learning stuff real good, I swear.

With that said, here are some pics from my weekend in Herzilya, a beautiful city just north of Tel Aviv. Started the day at the beach:


Upon arriving in Herzilya, none other than Theodor Herzl is there to greet you. Funny how that works out...


The beautiful beaches of Herzilya...


I don't really know what the deal is with me and palm trees...


After forgetting to apply adequate sunscreen, thus giving myself a healthy does of melanoma, I went with with my cousins to the final Maccabi Haifa soccer/football match of the season against Maccabi Herzilya. For the record Haifa won, 2-0.

First...footage of the smoke bombs that went off in the Haifa "Green Apes" section. Haifa's Green Apes are Israel's wackiest fans. And I'm happy to report that my cousin, Elad, is one of their ringleaders. I'm so proud.




In the middle of the Green Apes madness...


My cousin and Green Apes leader, Elad, is the one wearing the hat. Whether there's anything inside the hat remains a mystery...

Another fun Israeli weekend in the books. I think this coming weekend I'll stick around Jerusalem and study. No really.

-E

What would YOU do...

...if rockets hit your neighborhood gas station like this?



The southern Israeli town of Sderot has been getting blasted by Hamas Quassam terrorist rockets for years now. This is nothing new, of course. Sderot has been under attack despite the fact that Israel left Gaza a few summers ago. Gaza is the area which, we were all told, would be stabilized once the occupation ended. After all, the "occupation" - that delightfully ambiguous term - is the root of all the problems in the Middle East, right? End the occupation, end the problems, right?

Well the occupation of Gaza is over and yet, Hamas is still lobbing rockets into Israel's towns where children go to school and parents work to support their families. Doesn't take a genius to understand what they're really after...

-E

Mickey Hama-ouse

Quiet as a mouse?

Straight from the "what planet are these people from" file, witness the latest horrific display of child abuse by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that shares power in the Palestinian national government.

Hamas has refused to take a children's show off the air which contains a Mickey Mouse look-a-like who preaches Islamic domination as well as hatred of Israel and America...the country that created Mickey Mouse.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/hamas_mickey_mouse

I hope all the children's abuse organizations are seeing this. It is a revolting, horrific, and disgusting display of brainwashing on the part of this democratically-elected party. Anyone who actually thinks Hamas wants peace and can be dealt with legitimately after this display ought to be institutionalized. Glad to see Palestinian elections brought a homicidal death cult to power.

What would Tugboat Willy say?