I hope this one doesn't freak ya all out too much.
Maria....
You will study study study
You love love love reading about African tribes and Inuits
You don't like the internet. You hate the internet. You stay away from it. Awayyyy
You like getting up early in the morning. You don't feel the slightest bit tempted to sleep late and miss class
Chocolate is not tasty. You don't need it.
(Coffee is okay though, I'm an understanding hypnotist).
I'm so damn grumpy today, and I don't know what is causing it. I don't know if it's the hail that I almost worry is going to put a crack in my windows, or all the little things in life that burden many a university student.
MSN conversation with ET today (slightly edited, to spare the innocent, or ehm, guilty):
Maria: Urgh damn it!
Friend: What?
Maria: What, do I have to explain this??
Friend: What, are you upset about something?
Maria: No! I'm not angry. Only 30 minutes ago I was in a GREAT mood!
Friend: I don't understand
Maria: I'm not feeling talkative. Sorry for being such a jerk.
Friend: I don't think you're a jerk
Maria: Hey don't you bullshit me! I know I am.
Friend: Hey I said you weren't a jerk
Maria: Ok
Friend: I'm sure it will be okay.
Maria: What do you mean? I don't understand
Friend: Heh, now you know how I feel!
I received a couple of requests to change the color scheme of my website, due to the fact that it was making it hard for people to read. Since I am not one to turn down the requests of readers, I have now replaced the old layout with a new one. I would appreciate feedback on the new one, and whether this one generally agrees with people. Thanks.
One of my very favorite bloggers Treppenwitz was writing about how Israelis start their meeting by practically forcing each other to eat or drink. Personally I think it's a nice "tradition" (especially since I like to eat more than the average person). I ended up writing such a lengthy comment, that I decided to post it here (a bit edited):
Well I'm not familiar with business meetings, but as far as Israelis generally are concerned, I DO recognise this pattern of behavior. It's almost scary how everybody is obsessed with feeding you. Here in Scandinavia it is the exact opposite. People don't see the point in "wasting their food (and thus their hard earned money) on other people", and inviting someone over for dinner is a pretty big deal (making the myth about the "cheap Jew" somewhat bizarre). But in Israel, every single person I visited insisted on feeding me. A typical visit would be something like this:
Host: Maria, you want coffee?
Me: no thanks I'm fine
Host 5 minutes later: Maria you sure you don't want coffee?
Me: No thanks I really am fine
Host: sure?
Me: yes I'm sure
Host 5 minutes later: You sure you don't want coffee?
Me: well why don't I have a cup..
Host: you want a cookie with that, or a sandwhich or something else to eat?
Me: oh no thanks, I'm not hungry, coffee is great, thanks
Host brings back coffee and asks again if a want a cookie
Me: no thanks
Host again in 5 minutes: you want a cookie?
Me: well maybe one cookie
Host brings back a plate with 20 brownies
I think to myself that I have to eat at least 3-4 brownies, otherwise I'll be rude
Host: you want a sandwhich?
Me: no thanks I really am fine, these are great brownies
Host: no they are nothing special. They're from the store. Come back after shabbat and I'll bake real, homemade brownies for you, they're much better!
Me: thanks...
I'm not exaggerating to spice up the story here. Really.
Following a two-day debate on the Expulsion/Compensation, the Knesset voted for six hours on its various clauses and proposed amendments today. The final vote was 59-40 in favor of the uprooting.
It is now Israeli law that Prime Minister Sharon can order the Gush Katif and northern Shomron areas closed in preparation for their evacuation and abandonment, and the expulsion of their Jews. A final Cabinet decision on the actual implementation of the uprooting is expected this coming Sunday.
Oh I do declare! No just kidding. A guy who used to work with me, but is now working for The British Airways, wrote this in his weblog. It's been stuck in my head ever since.
Surely you must all know by know how much I detest the BBC, and love Honest Reporting. This time Honest Reporting even mentions bloggers. Go bloggers, yay!
Inaccuracies and outrageous libel from BBC Radio, missing context from AFP, and the bloggers demanding truth from big media.
Every morning at 7:45, BBC Radio provides listeners with an inspiring 'Thought for the Day' from a religious cleric or philosopher. On the program's February 10 edition, Rev. Dr. John Bell (at right) used the platform to describe an Arab-Israeli acquaintance of his ¯ 'Adam' ¯ who was
conscripted into the Israeli Army. There he had distinguished himself as a good soldier and was made a corporal. He was also imprisoned for refusing to shoot unarmed schoolchildren.
Through our BackSpin weblog, HonestReporting encouraged subscribers to notify the BBC that 1) Arab-Israelis are not 'conscripted' into the IDF (though some volunteer to serve), and 2) the claim that the IDF orders officers to 'shoot unarmed schoolchildren' ¯ under penalty of imprisonment ¯ is outrageous, libelous, and completely unsubstantiated.
BBC has since issued an official apology for not 'fact-checking' that Israeli-Arabs are not conscripted. However, neither Bell nor the BBC has retracted the libelous claim ¯ broadcast to millions worldwide ¯ that the IDF would order an officer 'to shoot unarmed schoolchildren.'
On Feb. 14, a Palestinian in Hebron tried to stab an IDF soldier, but was shot and killed before he could do so.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) released this photo (at left) of the scene, with the following caption:
An Israeli soldier walks next to the body of a Palestinian who was shot dead by Israeli troops close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Israel handed over the remains of 15 militants shot dead by the army during attempted attacks in the Gaza Strip as part of a series of goodwill gestures towards the Palestinians.
The AFP caption omits the essential context of this scene ¯ the pictured man had attempted to stab the IDF soldier, who then shot in self-defense. The effect is to suggest that the IDF killed the Palestinian man for no reason.
' The HR approach to online, critical journalism is expanding. As weblogs become more and more popular, there is a growing public demand for honest reporting from the big media outlets.
Bloggers' diligence has been the source of two recent major media shake-ups: CBS News' highly dubious report in September that contributed to anchorman Dan Rather's departure, and now the Feb. 11 resignation of CNN's chief news executive Eason Jordan, in the wake of Jordan's controversial statement implying that the US military intentionally shot at journalists in Iraq.
Stockholm - A Swedish woman said on Sunday that she had found a penis in a bottle of ketchup.
Viktoria Ed said she was lucky enough to discover the organ before putting the sauce on her bread rolls, unlike her husband Stefan and their children, Madeleine and Simon. It sure is a good thing she was LUCKY enough to find a PENIS IN HER KETCHUP, before applying the ketchup to the family's next meal of Swedish meatballs (oh Maria you are wicked).
"It looked like a penis, of an adult if it's human, and medium sized," she said.
"It's disgusting. The top of the bottle was intact, as if it had just left the factory. We would like to know how this thing ended up in a ketchup bottle." You know, I think I would also like to know that.
The Godegaarden brand ketchup was made in Turkey and distributed in Sweden by the company Axfood. The shop where the ketchup was bought on Friday has thrown out the rest of its stock.
"I will never buy this brand again, it's finished," vowed Ed. Really? I'm surprised to hear that. I would have gone right out and bought some more!
BEIRUT, Lebanon — A stunned nation was in mourning Tuesday, with stores closed and troops at intersections to prevent violence, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri (search), whose death raised fears that Lebanon (search) might revert to the political violence of its 1975-90 civil war.
Police raised the death toll from Monday's massive bombing in downtown Beirut to 13 dead and about 120 injured.
The streets of the capital were virtually empty Tuesday as the Lebanon started three days of mourning. Schools, banks and shops were closed.
Update: They are indeed blaming Israel, which is why I had to change the name of the post from "Wait, they're not blaming Israel?".
Israelim.com is just an hilarious website, and can be quite addicting. I was reading the joke section of it, here are a few:
HER FORTIETH BIRTHDAY
A middle-aged Jewish guy is out to dinner with his wife to celebrate her fortieth birthday.
He says, "So what would you like, Sara? A Jaguar? A mink coat? A diamond necklace?"
She says, "Bernie, I want a divorce."
He says, "I wasn't planning on spending that much..."
Modern day stork story.
Cyrus asks: Daddy, how was I born? DAD SAYS: Ah, my son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Well, you see your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on MSN. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a blessed little Popup appeared and said: You've Got Male
Two cows are standing in a field and one turns to the other and
says, "So Maisie, what do you think about all this talk of Mad
Cow Disease?" Maisie replies, "What do I care? I'm a helicopter!"
Every morning at 7:45, BBC Radio provides listeners with an inspiring 
The HR approach to online, critical journalism is expanding. As weblogs become more and more popular, there is a growing public demand for honest reporting from the big media outlets.
