The Minister of Education and the God of Mt. Nevo

Not a political post

Jesus F. Christ on a popsicle. By the time you get inspired enough to write an actual, old school, longer than 140 character post (rather than lob thequick gist out there and engage in back and forth a… Read full post »

Remember the Weekend Holyland Update? Miss it? Well, it's been resumed, at its own home. Check out the latest installation (there's one before that as well) and come visit me there. Thanks!  Read full post »

Israel's justice system recorded two extreme points this week, one of praise and acclaim and another of dishonor and shame. Let's begin with the good news:

Moshe Katzav, Israel's 8th President, was convicted of two counts of rape, one of forcible sexual assault, one of sexual harassment/… Read full post »

There's this town in Israel called Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth). It was built high up in the Nazareth mountains to maximum topographical advantage over the neighboring Arab city of Nazareth - you know, where my homey J-Dawg grew up. (Happy B-day, J!).

Now, since the State of… Read full post »

Update (15:30 EST) OK, still quiet on the northern front. Israel's claim is that it has an enclave beyond the fence, and that UNIFIL recognizes this enclave even if Lebanon doesn't.  This enclave is between Israel's border fence and the international Blue Line border. To me this once again refle… Read full post »

Welcome to another excursion to the edge of the volcano. This is the Weekend Holyland Update, flight number 071810, touching down at mask-shed peak, arbitrary valley and de river nial. Please fasten your seatbelts, the captain has turned on the no shame sign.

Israel's Knesset has passed a law (prelim… Read full post »

Bron you master of bore
you have joined the big guns
Couldn't win as top dog
Now you're still gonna bomb.

You can hide beyond Bosh
You can hide behind Wade
But your big dream of being
an icon will fade.

You that never done nothing
but pad your own stat
When push comes to shove
your performance been flat

You… Read full post »

Welcome to another installation of the Weekend Holyland Update, where we talk tough and retreat on all fronts, shedding Crocodile (Rock) tears. Please take your seats. We regret the electrical outtages that are to be expected - this time it's not our fault. Your inflight entertainment will include a… Read full post »

Here me, all gods and goddesses, of turf and balls, and gods of Mali, the land of this affliction. Curse the referee; visit misfortune upon him; Stick a vuvuzela up his ass and have an elephant blow it. That, ladies and gentlemen, was a 1,000,000% legit goal. The USA should have… Read full post »

Two weeks after the Gaza flotilla fiasco, the surf is still frothing, and Israel has announced an international observer-studded inquiry committee to check what the hell happened out there in international waters. This is the Weekend Holyland Update, flight 061310, please fasten your seatbelts and se… Read full post »

My son has been difficult these past few days. As in "more difficult that  usual, which is pretty damn difficult compared to most kids his age". However, today he made me beam with pride, so I'll tell you about that instead of the bad stuff.

I'm in the kitchen, making… Read full post »

My country (the rapidly unraveling state of Isra-hell) in its infinite capacity for stupidity, loudly identified a provocative trap for all to hear - and then proceeded to stomp straight into it. This is an extra-special Weekend Holyland Update, maritime edition, commado style.

Like I told you yester… Read full post »

Update (May 31, 07:50 Israel time): Turkish media and al-Jazeera English are reporting at least 10 dead, over 30 wounded as Israel overtakes the humanitarian aid flotilla headed for Gaza in international waters. Israel's ambassador to Turkey has been summoned urgently to provide explanations for Isra… Read full post »

Welcome, one and all, step this way up ye olde boarding ramp. Please take your seats for another excursion courtesy of the Weekend Holyland Update. Your in-flight entertainment today will include(in no particular order) some journalistic fuckups, an environmental catastrophe, diplomatic suicide, PR s… Read full post »

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the three ring circus also known as the land of bilk and money, aka The Holyland. This is the Weekend Holyland Update, flight 050910, taking off from the Jews-only loony bin, punching through thick steel plates, passing through a burning mosque and destinations furth… Read full post »

Welcome to another edition of wacky tours, also known as the Weekend Holyland Update. Today we shall visit the land of sexually disturbed craven racists, some surprising honesty from a nationalist for balance, a breath(olizer)-taking alibi, primordial fears ruffled, kleptocrats annoyed, pressure from… Read full post »

Welcome once again to another edition of intrepid travels, aka The Weekend Holyland Update, coming to you from the land of bilk and money, where green meets wash, needless death meets a slap on the wrist, injury meets indifference, suffering meets exploitation, secret fiery weapons meet the sandy bea… Read full post »

Hubba, hubba, hubba, step right up, ladies and gents, welcome to a very special and festive edition of The Weekend Holyland Update, this is flight 042010, taking off for the lands of rabble racism, incitement, corruption, hysteria, mendacity and denial - and also of breathtaking achievement, cultural… Read full post »

On Thursday, the gag order was finally lifted from the general details of the "grave national security affair" surrounding the arrest of Anat Kamm, 23, media reporter for Israel's Walla! Internet portal. You can read the main details here, and in Judy Mandelbaum's fine coverage as well. You can read… Read full post »

Sometimes I don't have time to write an update for two or three weeks, and then stuff piles up. This week, despite having last written five days ago, the shit has piled up so thick on the ground, I'ma need two separate posts just to cover the main bases. For a… Read full post »

Last December, a 23 year old woman by the name of Anat Kam, a journalist for Israel's popular internet portal "Walla!", was made to disappear by judicial order. That she was placed under house arrest was not unusual. What was is the fact that the very fact of her house arrest,… Read full post »

Welcome to the Weekend Holyland Update, flight 040510, coming to you fresh off of holy week, where the good Samaritan gets arrested for his troubles, murder is officially deemed unnecessary (but goes unpunished anyway), terror is fought by bombing dairy factories, and the one kid we didn't kill after… Read full post »

Welcome one and all to a very special, festive and freedom-filled edition of the Weekend Holyland Update, flight 03-29-10, where we visit a place where group A imprisons group B so that group A can celebrate the freedom it won from group C about 3500 years ago, if rumors are to… Read full post »

This is the Weekend Holyland Update, flight 032110, reporting live from the incipient 3rd Intifada. Your humble narrator is too depressed (on a personal level to go along with the collective one) to be cute about it, but the jack booted thugs my tax money is paying for have gone on… Read full post »

Welcome aboard another excursion courtesy of Weekend Holyland Updates airlines, where we examine the widening fault lines about to engulf a country from a safe distance, before returning you each by the magic of the ethernet to your individual points of origin and own brands of crazy, which if not se… Read full post »