chaos and honey

a recent poem i have written........

I can see that you don’t like me
Even though you haven’t seen me yet
And I have yet to see you.
Call it insecurity or paranoia but I know
When you find out my identity you will
Scorn, ridicule, and send me to your fire.
I am not scared, and I don’t really care,
But I want you to know because I am
Not going anywhere and you will have to deal.
Existence is a two way street,
Forgotten but some how still missed,
We do not cry for those we are unconcerned about.
Reality is only an excuse for not wanting to know
Another way to think. Perception.
There it is. You perceive me, I perceive you.
We hate each other already and are ready for violence.
The long march is planned and we will fight one day.
Plant your olive trees, I have a bulldozer.
Wave your flags, I will wave mine.
It isn’t a futbol game, though I wish it were.
We hate each other, can’t stand the thought of
Sitting in the same room and sharing the air.
You are enraged by the bloodshed, I am angry
Because I believe you caused it.
We speak optimistically of the future, hoping
We don’t have to share it with each other.
Children will know better, yours will know how to
Behave, mine will not know how to fire a
Gun. Maybe they can plant trees together,
Kick a ball together, and maybe even kiss.
But you and I hate each other, we have gone to
Funerals of friends, relatives and shall not forgive.
Too much pain, no trust to stem this ugliness.
We wait for the other to prove our point,
Hyperbole comes from the fires
We do not know how to extinguish.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/557443.html

for a long time i have been a proponent of building cultural bridges between the israeli and palestinian children through sport. the above article is one way in which a group that shimon peres looks over is trying to do that. i dont know where they took the kids to eat after the event but mcdonalds would have been another good idea. nothing like a burger and fries to make kids feel at home too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/international/europe/28ajax.html?hp

jews as a mascot is almost interesting, but coming from the perspective that we are not the first to be used as a 'brand name' in sports i am not so offended, but much more intriqued.
ajax has a fairly good following of supporters here in israel, not that the dutch side needs them too much.
anyone familar with the notre dame fighting irish that play within the american university system?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/27/lebanon.explosion/index.html

anyone paying attention? or is the world just going to sit back and let this grow completely out of control? safe to say that somehow if bedlam breaks out and israel somehow has to get involved one year, two years down the road for god knows what reason this entire fiasco will have a safe scapegoat.
where is the united nations, where is europe, turkey? it appears no is going to stand up and stops the escalating violence in lebanon........

Purim Kfar Saba 25th March 

Purim Kfar Saba 25th March 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/24/art.prank.reut/index.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503230241mar23,1,1134521.story?coll=chi-news-hed

http://chicagopoetry.com/

updated 24th march.....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050323poet,1,493115.story?coll=chi-news-hed

a prominent chicago poet, an avowed anti-war activist, and an escaped murderer.........

12:28 Headline Update From Ha'aretz:
Lebanese Christian leaders blame country`s Syrian-backed security agencies for series of bomb attacks. (Reuters)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/22/beirut.explosion/index.html

if you want a crystal clear indication of what animals terrorists are look no further then lebanon right now. this morning a mall bombing was carried out similar to attacks that happened in israel during the intifada. now although the hizbollah has not taken credit for this, all that needs to be asked is who stands to gain from chaos inside of lebanon?
there are only two answers, one is the hizbollah. this because they desperately need syria to stay in lebanon in order to survive in their current form.
now if you really want a bit of conspiratorial thinking the second answer must be syria, you could easily conclude also that if chaos breaks out in lebanon and syria is still there, syria would be able to claim that leaving will open a pandora's box of bloodshed too since no one will be able to keep the peace.
does that mean syria could be behind the bombing too? i don't know, but i do know yet another bombing has happened in a largely christian area and the suspected list of terrorists wanting to carry this out is a short list.
i wonder how biz is at the travel agencies in beirut looking for a ticket out?
again, let me emphasize, i am not hoping violence comes to pass. BUT the west and arab countries (who btw is amongst the arab countries that could be listed here?) need to mediate this problem NOW or we can expect bloody streets in beirut again a la the 70's.

allow me to go a step further, these actions by terrorists are so similar to what was happening in israel that it it pathetic.
a diplomatic agreement is being worked on between syria and the united nations to make syria's presence in lebanon less problematic and wouldn't you know it, as soon as syria announces that it is going to work on reducing its military presence and easing it's occupation of its neighbor suddenly bedlam starts to break out because some militant groups cannot be easily appeased. (WHICH LET ME POINT OUT, MAY HAVE SYRIA'S BACKING, lets remember this is a cruel world - the cat smiling may have just eaten your pet bird.)
these are the actions of desperate groups who are afraid of losing power, it is the same all over the world whether it is arafat's terrorists, the ira which is in a weary but confrontational state in northern ireland, and now what seems to be coming to fruit in lebanon.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/19/lebanon.bombing/index.html

just when you thought it was safe to go out it looks as if things could rapidly escalate into a blood bath in lebanon. a car bomb went off near an govt. building in a largely christian neighborhood.
demand for a one way ticket out of beirut may start to rise.
unless immediate action is taken by the west and arab countries to make sure there is mediation between the different political factions lebanon could get ugly in quick time.
but how exactly do you mediate with a group of fanatics such as the hizbollah?
certainly the 'boola boys have no problem with causing chaos since they have the most to lose if the syrians depart and leave a power vacuum which would let moderates have a chance of taking power........
we can't have that can we? what would a modern lebanon mean in the world and represent? the 'boola boy certainly don't want any of us to find out.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0503180231mar18,1,3428288.story?coll=chi-news-hed

good weekend reading on a creature that is a curiousity..........

i suspect ebbers will be going to jail slightly longer than martha stewart and bet that he doesnt come out of prison a billionaire with his own reality show.
i wonder what the over under is on his jail sentence? i am betting on about 10-15 years behind bars.
interesting that he will soon have to make collect phone calls, i wonder what long distance service he will be using...........

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/business/15cnd-ebbers.html?hp&ex=1110949200&en=b40c26ec5f12b2a2&ei=5094&partner=homepage

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/14/international/middleeast/14cnd-beir.html?hp&ex=1110862800&en=87531eefaf13446e&ei=5094&partner=homepage

so far it has been merely your parade against our parade in beirut......i guess it is the 'boola boys who will be up next and have to compete against today's latest dance party. what worries me is that the parades may turn into armed factions rather quickly..........oh wait - the 'boola boys are armed already.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/11/sports/othersports/11olympics.html?pagewanted=all

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4335043.stm

paris had an interesting day yesterday, while the ioc was in town to judge the city's qualifications for the 2012 olympics the entire city and most of france suffered from strikes and demonstrations. workers fighting to keep their rights for the 35 hour work week and other assorted benefits. does anyone really wonder why france and germany suffer with economies that are not growing?

Roof Top Bird Of Paradise, Kfar Saba  

updated 11 March
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3455042

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/03/09/bc.bbo.steroids/index.html?cnn=yes
why is major league baseball fighting a congressional hearing? are they afraid the game will be tarnished by the truth? what mlb and some others in the media who don't agree with congressional hearings forget is that many true fans of baseball want to make sure they are watching a real game.
again, as if to prove a point, barry bonds who was interviewed a few days ago kept insisting he was an entertainer. sorry mr. bonds but you are not an entertainer, you are a professional athlete who is expected to compete on a level playing field and not be a cheat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/sports/10steroids.html?hp&ex=1110517200&en=8acecdd2df34ef81&ei=5094&partner=homepage
read this article from the ny times if you don't think kids aren't getting involved in steroid use and it isn't ruining their lives.


http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3446114

the above is a recent column/ opinion piece from the sporting news by ken rosenthal regarding the upcoming congressional testimony baseball players will be asked to give, i disagreed with mr. rosenthal's outlook on congress calling the players to the hill. below is a letter i wrote to him regarding his column via email.

mr. rosenthal,
hello, i hope you are well.
please know that i enjoy your writing and agree with you frequently but i feel compelled to write to you about your recent column that i don't agree with.
is it possible that you are over reacting to the players being told to testify?
do you even know what they are going to be asked? have they been accused of anything by congress personally other than being asked to give testimony?
to compare these players being called to the hill to testify to the communist witch hunts indicates imo that you don't have a firm grasp of history or either over emphasis the importance of the issue at hand - the use of steroids in baseball.
the mccarthy period in america was a tad more menacing and a bit more important than the steroid issue wasn't it? now let's reflect for a second on the steroids issue, it is about cheating. it is about effecting the outcome of ball games in an unfair way. it is also about making sure (if it is possible) that athletes start to get the message that using enhancing performance drugs not only causes the players and their games harm, but is clearly a bad guide for young athletes to copy.
it is an issue congress should be involved in because its implications will effect the way sport is played in america and the rest of the world. it is getting news coverage world wide.
all of the gentlemen called to the hill will be able to offer their insight into the issue. did you ever think that it will also give them the ability to clear their names from the scandal as well? won't they be able to say at some point during the hearing if asked if they ever took steroids to say no they hadn't?
congress should work to make sure sporting fans are getting a clean game. utopia? perhaps, but it should make clear to baseball, which seems to be unable to police themselves, that cheating is not tolerated and that allowing performance enhancing drugs serves as a bad model for young athletes. if congress or baseball fails to understand the severity of the steroids issue and allow all players to be suspect because of the harm that some players have brought upon the game by using these substances what differentiates major league baseball from professional wrestling? if cheating is made acceptable than we are no longer watching sport, but merely entertainment.
thank you......

last night on the bbc radio they were interviewing a woman who was an open participant in a demonstration yesterday in front of the kuwaiti parliment.
she went onto say that things have changed rapidly in the past months, people are no longer afraid to discuss the idea of democracy and freedom for women to vote. freedom from radical islam and its fanatical followers, she even called them terrorists.
she said people should be allowed to live and let live.
the last two weeks we have had people marching on the streets in beirut demanding syria gets out of their country. a massive protest in which thousands have been waving the flags of their country - lebanon.
instead of flags of their particular factions which created a bloody civil war just thirty years ago.
we have had a law passed in egypt in feb. allowing for multi party elections for the first time ever which will allow (at least it says so in writing) for the opportunity of opposittion parties to become governing parties.
if you dont think bush had anything to do with the ability of these things coming about, and his empowerment psychologically for the rights of the individuals of these places to express themselves, i think you are mistaken.
allow me to give some examples about cause and effect, arafat had been put to the side already, no one had spoken with him for a full year give or take one or two foolish diplomats and ambassadors. the palestinian people were waiting for the old man to go one way or another.
clearly bush did not make arafat's bed, but certainly he made sleeping within it just a bit more uncomfortable.
as for hariri, there is no evidence to point one way or another to what would have happened if he hadnt been killed.
he was pushing for early elections before he got assassinated and was probably going to get his chance to become prime minister again and thus be a pain in the arse for the syrians.
i am still not 100% convinced it was the syrians who carried out the act and still hold out the possibility of it being biz related.
but clearly the syrians are now feeling the heat of hariri's death, whether they did it or not doesnt matter, what is important is the perception which most of us believe.
as for the people in the street, and the bush influence.......people get the freedom and wherewithall to speak out only after they see examples of it day after day. someone, somewhere gets the chutzpuh to say, yeah, alright, i think i agree with that, i think i am going to do something.
dont put down the forces of altering crowd behavior quickly. as i said about three years ago here, i highly recommend a football (soccer) book called 'amongst the thugs' as a classic study of how crowd mentality works.
bush aims for the crowd and i sincerely hope and suspect has people working the folks.
and let me point out this woman speaking out in kuwait yesterday probably has been working in conjunction with her movement for sometime........but here is the thing, the media is now starting to buy into this notion that bush is having an effect on the middle east. this after two years of constantly saying only more chaos was occuring here - thus it 'must' be true that his policy is now working.........get my point.
even if it isnt true, even if it had nothing to do with bush, in the end it will be because of bush because 'the enlightened ones' have deemded it so now. contradictory? maybe, but true none the less. history goes to the winner, bush is winning.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/07/cnna.cronkite/index.html

fairly insightful interview by wolf blizter speaking to walter cronkite on cnn. the transcript is interesting because as cronkite goes further into the conversation he starts to take subtle hits at dan rather. wolf blitzer too starts to ask if part of rather's problem was a desire of wanting to be part of the news instead of just reporting it.
the interview makes one wonder about the media as an industry that has crossed over from news into entertainment.
we have become so engrossed by a good smile and bloody photo that we often forget that what is missing in the news we are watching is substance. we don't question enough the perspective that we are being given, the facts that are being put forth, and the bias that the reporter may have in any story.
this is why mainstream media gets in such a tizzy about blogs, they cannot admit that they are no different than any other communication vehicle. that there is always a human element to a story and the way in which the story is portrayed is as much up to the reporter or producer as it is to the person or event the news is supposed to be about.

the 'boola boys are becoming nervous in lebonon. what they fear and arent willing to say is that israel will NOT be asked to put their organization to sleep but that some type of real lebanese force will attempt to do this within the next couple of years.
if that type of fun grew out of control it could quickly become a cause for civil unrest between the shite, sunnis, and christians in lebanon.
'boola boys are asking for demonstrations in favor of syria, they are asking suddenly that there is no foreign interference in lebanon. THIS is the best joke of them all coming from a group that gets its help from iran and syria.
we must remember what lebanon is and isnt. it isnt coherent, it isnt a modern nation state but more a world made up of modern tribes whose leaders guide their flocks.
lebanon could be a spectacular country and a wealthy one if all goes correctly, but getting there will be challenging every step of the way.
which leads me to the statement that at one time - once upon a summer moon in a complicated world - it was seen as a good thing by some in the west that syria was in lebanon keeping a simmer on all the cooking pots. have the cooking pots changed enough the past twenty years to understand that warfare between their various clans isnt the route? how did the civil war start in lebanon again? who and how many tried to take over the country with its own militants?
there are still many of the same pots that are boiling in lebanon and we had better be careful. what expresses itself so wonderfully at night in the clubs of beirut as a rich mix of heritage could turn into an inferno in no time if people and countries aren't careful.
do they - the great uncooked - understand that building a nation which could be quite prosperous, free, and an example to many of us would be .......well how should i put it? nice.
utopia but nice.
having said all this syria still has its army in lebanon, they appear to be readying to pull back into the ba'kaa valley. 'boola boys are nervous. and the thousands upon thousands of syrian 'foreign' workers in lebanon are perhaps wondering what it will feel like to work in a foreign country.
the card game is getting interesting now. what interests me is that no one seems to know who the dealer is.

photo from the AP used in 7 March edition of Ha'aretz internet site. this happy camper is in beirut demonstrating on the behalf of syria. reminds me personally of a fiesta gone bad in chicago......... 

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/04/sports/hockey/04hockey.html

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/548073.html

obviously the mayor of london is not one to let go.........

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/03/03/leviathan.lobster.ap/index.html

now that the do gooders have killed bubba the lobster what do they do with him? is he going to be buried at sea?

the more things stay the SAME, the more things CHANGE........
updated 4 march 2005
12:15 Syrian President Assad to address parliament on Saturday on current political developments.
(Reuters)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/04/international/middleeast/04syria.html?hp&ex=1109998800&en=f4f395a4f04ab5b5&ei=5094&partner=homepage

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/548114.html

not to say the middle east has achieved great success because there is a long journey still ahead, but the events of the past month and a half here should be noted along other great moments in recent political history. not since the fall of the berlin wall have we seen such seismic shifts in the foundations of individual freedom.
iraq has held an election to elect a governing body which in turn will name a leader.
egypt has announced that it is going to allow for multi-party elections in its upcoming vote.
the israeli's and palestinians continue dialogue on their countries futures.
lebanon has had mass protests in its streets following the murder of hariri. the people of beirut and nearby towns converged on the city center passing soldiers who refused to carry out orders to stop the gathering. the syrian backed govt. of lebanon was forced to resign and elections have been declared.
it is still a dangerous time, there are elements aplenty that have no intention of allowing the people of the middle east to participate in freedom.
iran continues to foil attempts to investigate clearly how far they have gotten with their nuclear capabilities. iraq is still under siege from militants who are coordinating activities from afar. syria continues down a hypocritical road on one hand saying it wants peace with israel and to be out of lebanon and on the other hand taking part in the coordination of the hizbollah and other terrorists groups which call damascus home.
yet, there can be no question that what is being achieved is great and that serious ramifications surround the political landscape of the middle east.
the people of many nations here are watching what takes place and questioning their govt.'s one party systems and demanding the right to vote and voice their dissent.