Israeli Press Center Hosts Suicide Bombers as Madonna, Baby Jesus

One of the paintings at the exhibition.

From the "days I just love my profession" file:

From Ynet News:

"Art exhibition including seven paintings of female suicide bombers depicted as Madonna holding baby Jesus in their laps slated to open Thursday at Journalists' Association in Tel Aviv. Following protest, association considers removing paintings. Artist: Art is meant to ask questions"

That's right. At the Bet Sokolow Journalists' Association.

"On a personal level, the paintings bother me," said Bar-Moha to Ynet. "If I need to weigh freedom of expression against the outcry of the bereaved families, I prefer the terror victims. They are more important to me than freedom of expression in this case. But I can't determine this. I am turning to my colleagues, one by one, and asking their opinion. As of now, I have spoken with four of them, and all have authorized the removal of the exhibition."

"...There are pieces that won't be taken down, such as the one on clumps of earth collected from the site of the suicide terror act on the Maxim restaurant in Haifa. There is no reference or halo around this earth, as opposed to the pictures of the female suicide bombers," said Bar-Moha."

So where's the Israeli diplomat to reply in kind, with his own brand of "public art," like then Israel Ambassador Zvi Mazel in 2004 at an "art installation" in Sweden? Wait a minute, Sweden... Huh. Wonder why? Any ideas, readers?


'Snow White and The Madness of Truth'

"Israel's ambassador to Sweden was kicked out of Stockholm's Museum of National Antiquities after he destroyed an artwork featuring a picture of a Palestinian suicide bomber, news reports said.

The incident, widely reported in the Swedish media, occurred at the opening on Friday of the "Making Differences" exhibit, part of an upcoming international conference on genocide hosted by the Swedish Government and in which Israel is scheduled to participate.

"I was really looking forward to seeing what the artists had done. Instead, I was met by a picture of a smiling suicide bomber, the woman who killed 21 people in Haifa a few months ago," ambassador Zvi Mazel told Swedish news agency TT.

The art installation, located in the museum's courtyard, featured a fountain filled with red water, designed to look like blood.

A sailboat with the name Snow White floated on the water, and on it was a photo of a smiling Hanadi Jaradat, the female lawyer who blew herself up in the Haifa suicide bombing attack in October which killed 21 Israelis.

"For me it was intolerable and an insult to the families of the victims. As ambassador to Israel I could not remain indifferent to such an obscene misrepresentation of reality," Mr Mazel said."

(Video) Israeli Flying car: Iraq medivac demo

"Foxnews reported on the X-hawk a year and a half ago, and the IDF insists that the prototypes are not far away (as close enough as 2010).

"Like a similarly sized helicopter, X-Hawk will be able to take off vertically, fly up to 155 miles an hour and as high as 12,000 feet and remain aloft about two hours, Urban Aeronautics says.

"But encased fans will replace the exposed rotors that keep helicopters from maneuvering effectively in urban areas or dense natural terrain because they have to stay clear of walls, power lines and mountain ridges. And a patented system of vanes is designed to afford the vehicle greater stability.

Urban Aeronautics says vehicles will be able to sidle right up to a building."

Is it just me, or does this remind you of the old Gerry Anderson British "Supercar," tv show...



(H-T: Double Tapper)

When the Prophet & Profit Motive Meet

Oh, the sweet bitter irony - otherwise known in the language of the Prophets as vacuous, stunning "hutzpa" - of it all...

From the WaPo:

"[Shari] Arison -- billionaire ($2.7 by Forbes's most recent estimate), perhaps the richest woman in the Middle East, a major force in Israeli philanthropy -- claims that she can see the future.

"This is much bigger than a parlor trick. In her new book published this summer in Israel, the 51-year-old Miami native says she felt the Indonesian tsunami sweeping over the land two months before it happened and sensed Hurricane Katrina pummeling New Orleans. In an interview, Arison says she also "saw the writing on the wall" before the global economic crash. Reading about Arison's extrasensory perception makes you ache for a heads-up, maybe a blog entry or a tweet or a phone call to Brownie or Greenspan or somebody who might have helped."

I hear there's medication for this.

Hey - btw: I'm looking for multimedia development ideas for my website: http://www.davebrianbender.com. And no, asking Arison for a loan doesn't count. Go take a look, and drop me a line. Thanks, D

(Audio Slideshow) UK Guardian: 'This land belongs to the Jewish people'

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Shdema is located at the green A. (Click on the larger view for a detailed map)

The UK's Guardian newspaper has an audio slideshow (so far unembeddable) up purporting to give an on-site view of Israelis trying to (re) settle and rebuild Shdema, an abandoned Israeli army base near the Israeli neighborhood of Har Homa, and the Palestinian town of Beit Sahur - both just SE of Jerusalem and NE of Bethlehem.

For what it's worth, my take is that the slide show - despite it's faults - is far drier and more straight-up newsy, than the written article by the same author - Rory McCarthy. While both focus on Israeli Women in Green founder Nadia Matar , the written article comes across as a much more of a screedy and opinionated piece of work than the slideshow.

The Women in Green website post on Shdema:

"The convention of the terrorist Fatah organization in Betlehem last week has brought with it a wave of vandalism against Shdema, located on the outskirts of Betlehem

"For the past two weeks, international anarchists and Arabs have vandalized Shdema, have besmirched the Israeli flags and have painted anti-Israeli slogans on the walls.

"When we go up to Shdema, the IDF accompanies us, mainly to make sure we don’t do any serious building in Shdema. On the other hand, the illegal Arab construction at the bottom of Shdema continues to blossom, despite the destruction orders against it."

'Batterup!' Feature Length Film on Baseball in Israel

Entertaining: sweet, no mideast politics - just all about the boys (and girls) of summer in the US and Israel... worth watching. Batterup!

Source: http://www.hulu.com

Video description: A diverse group of players and executives attempt to create the first professional baseball league in the Middle East.

Full disclosure: my son played extensively in Israel Little League (where he usually swatted them out of the park - but hey - it's just his abba talkin'...)

After the film, check out my news site. Comments welcome.

Audio: 'ACLU, GA. Rabbi Take on State Kosher Laws'

The American Civil Liberties Union is filing suit over a state law they say infringes on a Marietta rabbi's First Amendment rights. Dave Bender reports... (For WABE 90.1 FM, Airdate: 070709)

The audio report is here: http://www.davebrianbender.com/

Video Profile: Women in The Israeli Army ('Current TV')

Current TV (yes that Current TV of North Korean-reporter "fame") take a close-up look at two female soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces: one, a combat ground forces medic, and the second a UAV operator in the Air Force:

Nat'l, Georgia ACLU, Local Rabbi Take On Kosher Laws

Rabbi Shalom Lewis, of (Conservative) Congregation Etz Chaim in Cobb County, says he can't fulfill his rabbinical food supervision duties because his take on kosher laws differs from that of Orthodox Judaism.

"I don't want to have to choose between abiding by state law and practicing my religion according to my beliefs," Lewis says, according to an ACLU statement:

"The State of Georgia’s Kosher Food Labeling Act (KFLA) mandates that any food labeled kosher in that state must be certified to be in accordance with 'orthodox Hebrew religious rules and requirements.'"

From The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

"The Kosher Food Labeling Act, enacted in 1980, mandates that any food sold as kosher must meet “orthodox Hebrew religious rules and requirements.”

"Lewis, a conservative Jew, said he cannot fulfill his rabbinical duties because his theological interpretation of the state’s kosher laws differs from that of Orthodox Judaism. He said he violates state law when he approves some foods as kosher that are not kosher under Orthodox definitions."

Invisible 'Force Field' Shields Israeli Tanks

From The Jerusalem Post:

"The IDF Ground Forces Command has declared the Trophy anti-tank missile defense system operational, following a series of tests last week that surpassed expectations for the system's capabilities, it was revealed on Thursday.

"The Trophy system, developed by Rafael, creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava tank, which operated prominently in Lebanon. The system is designed to detect and track a threat and counter it with a launched projectile that intercepts the anti-tank missile."

Legendary Dylan sideman emigrates to Israel

From Dave Brinn at The Jerusalem Post:

People may know the songs and albums he's played on more than his name, but a bona fide musical icon from the 1960s will be arriving on an August 4th Nefesh B'Nefesh flight of new immigrants to Israel.

Harvey Brooks calls his Jewish upbringing in Queens 'pretty ordinary,' and he credits his parents with instilling 'the basics' in him.

"Harvey Brooks, who will be making aliya with his wife Bonnie from Tuscon, Arizona, has played bass guitar on some of the most groundbreaking records of the post-Beatles era - including Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited (1965), Miles Davis's Bitches Brew (1969), The Doors' The Soft Parade (1969) and 1968's Super Session featuring Michael Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills. And that's only a fraction of the some 100 albums he's appeared on or produced over the past 40 years on his way to cementing his status as one of the most respected figures on the American music scene."