Gaza: Shiite Happens

Click on the link for the full-sized image

GAZA, March 27 (AP) — An earthen embankment around a sewage reservoir that was filled to capacity collapsed Tuesday, and officials said it spewed a “tsunami” of waste and mud that killed five people and forced residents to flee Umm Naser, a village in the northern Gaza Strip.

Read the rest here.

Israel sent sump pumps, and offered other aid but - well, you already know about the reply, right?

Seven Qassam rockets landed Wednesday across the western Negev. No injuries were reported in the attacks.

The rockets landed in open fields near Ashkelon and Sderot. One of the Qassams fell near a strategic facility in the Ashkelon industrial area south of the city.

That "strategic facility" would be where the nation's Reading power-station, oil depots and Israel's own waste-treatment facilities are located. Guess Hamas wanted to share the joy. Read the rest here.

Oh - and the metal the rockets were made from? Sewer pipes Israel sent to Gaza to build their sewage system.

Annnnd - this just in:

Army attacks target in northern Strip from air, hits Qassam launching cell. Palestinian report civilians hurt in strike, one of them sustaining critical wounds.

Read the rest here.

Doing radio in America is kid stuff, really...

Serious "awwww" factor goin' on here, huh?
For more most excellent photography,
click the tyke on the nose...

And soon, I'll be back with the news from the Peachtree State. Don't touch that dial (hey - who remembers "dials?"... sort of like a button you could twist)

AIPAC LIVE/PRERECORDED COVERAGE

Go here to watch:

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/specials.asp

Israeli Yemenite martial arts grandmaster goes viral

Abir Grandmaster Yehoshua Sopher

One of the most commented-on video clips I've posted lately (and that hasn't turned into a virulent anti-Israel/Jewish slimefest - as seen here - and that was after I culled the pond scum) is of a Yemenite martial arts style taught in Israel called Abir. From a fascinating Wiki entry:

Abir אַבִּיר‎ was the name of the fighting technique of Israelite warriors. Today, Grandmaster Yehoshua Sofer teaches his family tradition of the Abir Warror Arts.^[1] There are two schools for Abir, one in Jerusalem and the second in Tel Aviv. Prior to founding the Abir Warrior Arts schools, Grandmaster Sofer was best known in the martial arts world as a master of Kuk Sool Won, a Korean martial art.

Just watch the high-speed hack-attack below:

The original video is posted here, and the new "official" Abir site is here (and still somewhat buggy, so give the Flash intro a minute to load to reach the splash page).

Dylan Hears A Who! (Dr. Suess via Zimmerman)

Brillant. Simply brilliant. A must listen...

"Cat In The Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham" done in "early Dylan" are gems.

And you can download all of the tunes for free, just like I did...

After Words, We'll Talk (Original Photograph)

After Words, We'll Talk

Click on image for full-sized photo.
(Photo: Dave Bender)

...And The Cow Jumped Over The V-Dub

A Hewlett Packard PDA-cam shot, later morphed into a funky, cartoonish image, befitting the visual joke (which I only noticed just as I posted it).

Of course, it also helps to be the type who proudly wears "Geek Squad" t-shirts...

Getting down from being high - safely

To all my readers: Yes, I've been away - thanks for coming back. Meanwhile, my latest article for Israel21c.com just went up:

Israeli rescue device promises a 'safe exit' from world's high-rises
(Photo: Dave Bender)

Getting people out of a high-rise office tower or apartment building quickly and safely in an emergency usually means using the elevator or stairwell. But what happens when both of those methods are blocked, or the individual is incapacitated and can't get to them?

Ever since buildings began rising over four or five stories, passing the reach of even the longest fire department ladders, a trio of threats have kept police and fire departments, safety officials and building engineers awake nights: fire, earthquakes, and now, terrorism.

Inventors and designers, spurred by the devastating terror attacks against the World Trade Center, have tried everything from sedate open and closed slides, to chutes and ladders, helicopters and hovercraft, external elevators, and even supposedly 'easy-to-use' parachutes.

Read the rest here.