Tuesday briefs

Posted on 05/01/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Politician who nobody cares about quits her job that nobody still knew she had: Tzipi Livni, the utterly irrelevant former leader of Kadima, is quitting the Knesset. And while she slammed Netanyahu on her way out, let’s face it–nobody cares.

UN isn’t even trying to hide its anti-Israel bias: Okay, see if you can follow this one. A committee approved a bill that would restrict funding of NGOs in Israel by foreign sources. This is because most NGOs in Israel are funding be virulently anti-Israel European organizations, among others. The bill was frozen after it came out of committee because Netanyahu’s Attorney General told him it would likely be struck down. So, the bill is not even remotely about to be voted on. So what does the anti- Israel UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay do? Why, she puts Israel on a list of dictatorships and theocracies that restrict the activities of human rights groups. Even though Israel is not restricting the activities of human rights group. And there you have both the anti-Israel UN bias and Israeli Derangement Syndrome, all rolled up in one. And may I say a resounding eff you to Navi (I hate Israel!) Pillay.

It’s not the anti-Zionism, Mr. Barenboim: Pro-Palestinian conductor Daniel Barenboim is about as left-wing, pro-Palestinian as you can get in Israel. He is constantly calling out his country over perceived wrongs to the Palestinians. He was scheduled to conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Qatar. Everything was set: Tickets sold, debates set up, ready to go. And the entire festival was canceled. Why? Well, here’s a hint: Barenboim is an Israeli Jew.

Editorials in newspapers throughout the Arab world stated: “This isn’t the time or place to entertain Israelis and a Zionist conductor. Qatari authorities are giving the Zionist maestro an opportunity to present a seemingly positive aspect of Israel.”

Right. The lessons of Nazi Germany apparently have to be re-learned. They will not love you because you side with them. They will always hate you because you’re Jewish. Let us be honest.

Yeah, but I killed bin Laden: Gee, Barack Obama’s trying to use the killing of Osama bin Laden as a political tool–and worse, to imply that Romney wouldn’t have done the same given the chance–is bouncing back on him. Looks like Obama may well start to be known as the rebound president. Dogs, Osama–can’t wait to see the next failed ad campaign by the re-election geniuses.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, The One, United Nations | 3 Comments

Occupy Wall Street made me do it.

Posted on 05/01/2012 by Meryl Yourish

In honor of Occupy Wall Street, I’m buying a Kindle today. I will go to Staples on my lunch hour and pick one, then buy it on Amazon. (I have gift cards. I can wait two days to get it.)

Occupy Wall Street demonstrators, whose anti-greed message spread worldwide during an eight-week encampment in Lower Manhattan last year, plan marches across the globe today calling attention to what they say are abuses of power and wealth.

Organizers say they hope the coordinated events will mark a spring resurgence of the movement after a quiet winter. Calls for a general strike with no work, no school, no banking and no shopping have sprung up on websites in Toronto, Barcelona, London, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, among hundreds of cities in North America, Europe and Asia.

In New York, Occupy Wall Street will join scores of labor organizations observing May 1, traditionally recognized as International Workers’ Day. They plan marches from Union Square to Lower Manhattan and a “pop-up occupation” of Bryant Park on Sixth Avenue, across the street from Bank of America’s Corp.’s 55-story tower.

Just think of how many corporate evils I can roll into one: Amazon is a big corporation, publishers are fruitlessly claiming it’s a monopoly, the Kindle and e-publishing are destroying brick-and-mortar bookstores (never mind that Barnes & Noble and Borders destroyed the independent booksellers years ago and publishers didn’t give a crap), and, well, that’s all I can think of for now. Feel free to join in. What are you buying today?

Posted in Evil Meryl, Juvenile Scorn, Politics | 2 Comments

What a difference five and a half years make

Posted on 04/30/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I wrote this in October of 2006:

I’m sorry for the lack of posting. I haven’t got much heart these days. Money worries, cat worries, job worries (still a temp, no end in sight), stress up the wazoo. I know there are bigger problems in the world, but y’know, these are my problems, and they seem pretty big to me.

If I could run away from home for a week, I’d do it. Unfortunately, that’s not an option.

That was during the end of Gracie’s illness, her misdiagnoses by the vet I used to go to, and my search for a permanent job and the beginning of my effort to get out of debt.

I will also point out that I wasn’t writing a single word of fiction at that time.

I just passed the 50,000-word mark yesterday. I am weeks away from finishing my novel, and only a few months away from e-publishing it. I’m developing a marketing plan and looking at new WordPress themes for the makeover Yourish.com will receive. I thought of a great regular feature for my writing blog.

Yeah, times are much better now than they were when I wrote that post. And let us all say: Amen.

Posted in Life, Writing | 2 Comments

Monday, briefly

Posted on 04/30/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Well, isn’t this interesting: We’re deploying Stealth jets in a base in “southwest Asia”, a.k.a.: Within striking distance of Iran.

Yes, but they don’t really care about Palestinians: A major food retailer in the U.K. is boycotting Jewish goods. No, no, my bad–it’s only Zionist goods, and only those produced in “settlements”–even though the boycott could also harm Palestinians. Oh, and Elder has the goods on the hypocrites, who say they’re against hatred and discrimination but who support the Viva Palestina movement, which is all about the destruction of Israel and the removal of Jews from “Palestine”. By the way, the Jerusalem Post quoted, but didn’t link Elder’s post. Here it is. And the JPostshould be ashamed of its non-linking policy. This is the internet. That’s what you do.

The Obama administration: Funding terrorists? No problem! The Friday night news dump last week was the story of Obama bypassing Congress to fund the Palestinian Authority, which now pays Hamas salaries, in spite of Congress authorizing a freeze of funds until the PA stops playing footsie with terrorists (I know, I repeat myself). The official reason? The PA isn’t associating with Hamas anymore. Riiiiight.

Et tu Arianna? When even Arianna Huffington thinks that the president using bin Laden in an ad is despicable, you know Obama is in trouble. As for suggesting that Mitt Romney would not have ordered the attack that killed the terrorist, and using Bill Clinton–Bill Clinton!–to back you–well, you just have to laugh. Because everyone knows that one of the reasons bin Laden succeeded in attacking the U.S. on 9/11 is because Bill Clinton failed to kill him during his eight years as President. Note to Mitt Romney: If you don’t make any serious mistakes between now and November, you’ve got this.

Posted in Hamas, Iran, Israel, Middle East, palestinian politics, Terrorism, The One | 2 Comments

Sunday morning fluff news briefs

Posted on 04/29/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Seriously? Really, this is a headline. Kristen Stewart ‘F**king Loves Acting’ Because She Is ‘Really Boring’. It popped up on my Google News feed. To think I used to read–and enjoy–entertainment magazines. My, tastes change. And oh, I will watch the Twilight movies only if you kidnap me, tie me to a chair, force my eyelids open and make me watch them. Other than that, they’re just dandy.

Wow, dozens! Dozens, I tell you! Another exciting news story from the entertainment world. Dozens of peopleare protesting Lady Gaga’s concert in Seoul. Yes, that’s the headline: Around the World: Dozens protest Lady Gaga concert in Seoul. Good Lord, call out the riot police!

Now THIS is awesome: MIT has developed glare-free glass that doesn’t fog and cleans itself. If they can also get it to vacuum, I’m set!

It’s not Apple drones vs. Android drones: Way to scare the crap out of some poor, innocent people whose only crime is working for an Apple store. Look, I think the Mac fanatics are annoying, but for an advertising company to hire a flash mob of 50 people, dress them in black, and have them chant “Wake up!” in front of an Apple store is just wrong. Samsung denies having anything to do with it. But someone hired these people. They didn’t just convene because they all decided to yell “Wake up” in the same place at the same time.

Posted in Movies, Music, Pop Culture | 3 Comments

It’s official. I’m tweeting.

Posted on 04/27/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I joined Twitter tonight. It’s going to be for the writing, not the blogging, so don’t expect to read anything about Israel on my tweets.

But feel free to find me (and let me know you’re there) on Twitter. My full name, Meryl Yourish.

Now I have to figure out how to stay things in 140 characters. After eleven years of unfettered writing.

Oy.

Posted in Writing | Leave a comment

I need a copy editor

Posted on 04/27/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I need a professional fiction copy editor with experience in the fantasy genre. If you are one, or know of one, please email me at myfirstname at mylastname dot com. (It’s on the post.)

If you have June-July open, I need to get on your schedule. Roughly 350 pages. Please include rates as well as references.

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

Early Caturday post

Posted on 04/27/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I think what the world needs today is more cat pictures. Because there just aren’t enough of them on the internet.

Tig loves the sun.

Tig loves the sun

And Gracie loves her ball. It took me forever to get a picture of her playing with it. As soon as I turn to watch her, she stops.

Gracie with her ball

Happy Friday!

Posted in Cats | 3 Comments

Are you an IP attorney in Virginia?

Posted on 04/26/2012 by Meryl Yourish

I’m looking for an IP attorney in the northern Virginia area (or, best possible scenario, in central VA where I live). I need someone with current experience in the publishing industry. Entertainment experience is a plus. I need an attorney to draft and review contracts for my novels and related works.

If you know of a good IP attorney that fits the above description, please email me his or her name.

My email is my first name @ my last name.com

Posted in Writing | Leave a comment

Thursday rainy day briefs

Posted on 04/26/2012 by Meryl Yourish

It’s raining here, anyway.

Wrong on so many levels: A Palestinian man went right past UNIFIL troops with two small children and climbed the fence into Israel–but not before he threw his two small children over the fence. One got caught in the barbed wire. Nice. So very nice. I’m sure he was just looking to escape conditions in Lebanon, but UNIFIL is awesome. They’re such a great barrier between Israel and Lebanon.

The wrong kind of rockets: Terrorists fired rockets into Israel during Independence Day celebrations, at Eilat and Ashkelon. I will link again to Bibi’s speech: We’re still here.

Funny how there aren’t any Goldstone Commissions over things like this: The Syrian death machine keeps rolling along, and yet, no one is calling for a commission to investigate Bashar al-Assad and his army over the death of civilians. I guess it only counts when the civilians are Palestinians. But no, if Assad suddenly turned his army loose on a “refugee” camp of Palestinians inside Syria, killing many, the world would still find a way to blame Israel. Probably for causing the refugee problem in the first place.

Yeah, I don’t care, I’ll still never store my writing in the Cloud: Rumors abound about Google owning the content you store on Google Drive. They won’t, but considering that absolutely nothing you do on Google is private, why would anyone want to store their private photos and documents with Google? My novel is safe and sound out of any cloud, and on various media backups, as well as paper (though I really would not relish retyping 175 pages). 48,000+ words and heading towards official novel-length. It will be done in 5-8 weeks, and I will be posting the blurb so you can finally see what it’s about–after I edit it to death and make sure I like it. Who knew I could write a dust jacket blurb? I sure didn’t.

Posted in Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Middle East, Syria, Terrorism, Writing | 1 Comment

Wednesday briefs

Posted on 04/25/2012 by Meryl Yourish

We’re still here: And we’re not going anywhere. On Israel’s Memorial Day, a message to her neighbors.

“They are murderers – we are builders. Historically, the Jewish people has always outlasted its enemies. They have disappeared, and we’re here. I know that the price paid by the bereaved families is unbearable, and I want to express my thanks and the thanks of the entire nation for their strength, their courage.”

“The memory of your loved ones will stay in our hearts forever, may their memories be blessed,” Netanyahu concluded.

Ew, Jew Cooties: Dubai pulls the visas of Israeli cardiologists at the last minute. Because why would they want to advance the cause of medicine if they have to allow Jews to take part while doing so?

Really, the projection is so clear you can see it from Jupiter: Mahmoud Abbas has the nerve to chide Benjamin Netanyahu that if he wants peace, he has to act on it. Like Abbas has been doing all these years, you see. Of course, Abbas’ “actions” are the preconditions that would revert back to the 1949 Armistice lines. Yeah, fat chance.

Oh, sure they are: Iran is thinking of halting its nuclear work. Yeah. Right. It’s known as “cheat and retreat,” and they’ve been doing it successfully for years. And years. And years.

Gee, ya think? So the CIA finally figured out that calling an agent “a Jew-bastard” was anti-Semitic. Brilliant detective work, Sherlock!

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Iran, Israel, Jew Cooties, Middle East, palestinian politics | 2 Comments

Busy, busy, busy

Posted on 04/24/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Up in NorVA yesterday and today, meetings, work, that sort of thing. And now, in my spare time, I will be writing. I’ll be back with a news post tomorrow.

Posted in Life | Leave a comment

Monday briefs

Posted on 04/23/2012 by Meryl Yourish

But they swore the Muslim Brotherhood wouldn’t affect Egypt’s relations with Israel: Yeah, sure. Egypt canceled their gas deal with Israel, thus breaking a contract signed years ago. Gee, I wonder what other deal signed years ago they’re ready to break? Camp David, anyone?

Just another case of Israel Derangement Syndrome: Speaking of Egyptian hatred for Israel, the Brotherhood is looking to make a mufti resign because he had the nerve to visit Jerusalem. Even though he says he still hates Israel, and that the “occupation” must end, they want him to resign. Say, remember when Sand Monkey told us not to worry, that Egyptians really don’t hate Israel? Yeah, he was wrong.

In case you forgot, Turkey is still making an enemy of Israel: In spite of the fact that their terrorists caused all of the problems on the Marbled Memento, Turkey is refusing to allow Israel to take part in a NATO conference. Oh, and saying that it isn’t doing so, but Israel still needs to apologize and compensate the “victims” of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia–you know, the ones who attacked IDF soldiers as they were coming down on ropes, beating and shooting them and trying to kill them. (Link goes to a new first-hand story on Ynet that you should read.) Why is Turkey still a part of NATO? It is actively working with our enemies like Iran, working to establish Islamic rule in Egypt and elsewhere, threatening Cyprus and Israel–these are not the actions of an ally. But then, Obama can’t seem to tell the difference between friend and foe, internationally.

Really, it’s rather pathetic in the long run: Vandals sprayed pro-Hitler graffiti on a Colorado synagogue. Hey. Assholes. Hitler’s dead. Nazi Germany is gone. We’re still here, and now we have our ancestral homeland, too. Boy, that must piss you off, doesn’t it?

Good.

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Middle East, Turkey | 1 Comment

I’ll be damned. This blog is 11 years old today.

Posted on 04/22/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Eleven years ago, I wrote my first blog post and put it out there on the internet to finally get a little use out of the Yourish.com domain that I had bought several years prior.

This blog went from personal journal to “warblog” to political blog to a blog about Jewish and Zionist issues (with a healthy dose of cat posts thrown in).

And this is the last year it will be in its current iteration. When I launch my book in August, this blog will have a complete makeover.

It’s always been about the writing. Everything else was pure happenstance.

I know a lot of you don’t want me to stop writing about Jewish and Israeli issues. But there’s an entire JBlogosphere out there, and I am not even in the top ten most-read of those blogs. Elder’s probably the most popular, and deservedly so. Omri writes for Commentary now, and the other early JBloggers are scattered about at various joint blogs or elsewhere.

Blogging has become so far down on my list that I almost forgot today was my eleventh blogiversary. It’s all about the writing now, and I’m closing in on a finished product that I will be selling this summer.

Expect changes. Life is all about change, and so, in fact, is this blog. Here’s what I wrote in my very first blog post:

This site will undergo many style changes in the upcoming months, as I have no real idea what I’d like the end product to look like. What I do know is that I’ve spent several years in the industry and know the difference between a point, a pica, and a pixel. I know that the Internet is a wealth of information and misinformation, and anyone can discover just about anything online if s/he looks long enough. I know that my mindset has undergone many changes in the last few years, and will doubtless undergo more as I get older. Growth is change. Stagnation, to me, is worse than death. If I cannot change, just dig me a hole, throw me in and cover me with dirt.

My life, these days, is changing for the better.

Posted in Bloggers, Life, Site news | 4 Comments

A busy weekend, and a writing report

Posted on 04/22/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Friday night services. Saturday morning services. My niece’s last Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra concert. Then there was the 45,000 Word Challenge, which was to get to 45,000 words before I could start reading The Hunger Games, a deal I made with my friend Sarah, as I knew that every hour spent reading would be an hour not spent writing. I completed it, and wrote over 2,000 words from Wednesday to Friday.

I’m currently on a 50,000 Word Challenge. I’m behind my self-made schedule, so I want to ramp up the effort a bit and am pushing to get to 50,000 words by April 30th. I started the challenge on April 17th and have written over 4,000 words in–wow–five days (haven’t yet written today, as I only just had breakfast half an hour ago and am trying to wake up).

I am negotiating a cover deal with an excellent artist, Julie Dillon. I’m planning on an August book launch. I’ll be needing a professional copy editor and proofreader availabe to start in early July and deliver it to me by the end of the month. Also a typographer to design the cover. If anyone out there reading this blog is one of the above, or knows of one, send me an email. I’ll be wanting to see examples of covers designed for the typographer, and references for the copy editor and proofreader, as well as rates desired and expected time needed.

I am also looking for a good IP attorney in Virginia.

The book is going well. I’m finding myself even more inspired after reading (and seeing) The Hunger Games, which is excellent in both book and movie form.

As for you, my dear readers, well, get ready for your part in the plan sometime in August. I’m developing a marketing plan side-by-side with the novel, and you’re a part of the marketing plan.

I may be posting the first few chapters sometime before the book is launched. I haven’t figured out the whole plan yet, but I will let you know.

Posted in Writing | Leave a comment

End of the week briefs

Posted on 04/20/2012 by Meryl Yourish

But–but–but Jimmy Carter said Hamas wants peace! The second ranking Hamas official flatly states that any agreement with Israel would be considered a hudna–in other words, just a trick until Hamas can figure out how to destroy Israel. Compare that with all of the lies Jimmy Carter has said about how Hamas wants peace. Yeah. The peace of the grave, as I like to put it. Gee, you think the AP will pick up this article and put it front and center the way they would if, say, the Foreign Minister of Israel said that the Palestinians weren’t peace partners? Oh, come on. You know they won’t so much as mention it, or if they do, it will be so elided as to be unrecognizable.

Oh, bullshit: I don’t care how many times he claims that he “sharpened his aim” with video games. Shooting a gun is NOTHING like playing a video game. The fact that the media uncritically repeats this lie just proves that no one in the media has ever fired a weapon. Here’s a hint at one tiny little difference: There’s no kickback from a video game weapon.

Yeah, I’m thinking this guy’s never getting back in the IDF: More video footage shows the unprofessional behavior of Lt. Col. Eisner. I don’t care what the provocations might have been–his actions weren’t riot control. Time for the IDF to start training professional riot control teams.

Gee, why don’t they depend on their Muslim brothers for help? A profile of Israel’s new facility for illegal immigrants that never seems to notice that in order to get to Israel, the migrants must first go through Egypt. And they don’t stop there. Funny how that works. Reuters also profiles the illegal immigrant influx as well. Both articles push the “Bad Bibi doesn’t want immigrants” meme. Why isn’t the UN Committee on Refugees helping out? Because they’re not Palestinian refugees?

And get a load of this dose of media bias. Here’s the second paragraph:

Now in Israel, the 26-year-old migrant from Eritrea said she was freed only after a $30,000 ransom was delivered in cash to Israeli accomplices of her Bedouin Arab captors.

What do they leave out? Why, the identifier that would show that the “Israeli accomplices” are Israeli Arab accomplices–an important distinction. Where is that information published? Five paragraphs from the end of this very long piece.

The suspect, an Israeli Arab, has since been charged with extorting tens of thousands of dollars in ransom for Hrity and other Eritrean nationals and transferring the money to their captors in Egypt.

Just another day in the anti-Israel media narrative.

Posted in Hamas, Israel, Israeli Double Standard Time, Media Bias | 1 Comment

Briefly briefs

Posted on 04/19/2012 by Meryl Yourish

This is what genocide looks like: It’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah.

And? The UN has noticed there is no truce in Syria, unlike the media, which never notices when terrorist groups break the truce with Israel.

Awesome. The Secret Service planned the hooker party.

Posted in American Scene, Holocaust, Israel | 2 Comments

Wednesday briefs, starring Bono

Posted on 04/18/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Don’t tell the BDS nutcases, they’re freak: Bono slipped in and out of Israel and apparently enoyed himself. Oh, and he didn’t talk trash about Israel. BDS fail.

Yeah, but it won’t shut up the haters: The IDF officer who was taped bashing a Danish ISM tool for no apparent reason was suspended. I’ve read the articles about it, and I see no reason for him to have smashed the guy with his rifle that way. I thought the IDF was getting better at riot control. Perhaps they need an entire section of the IDF focusing entirely on that.

Ohh, that’s why it isn’t bashing him: I was wondering why this Netanyahu profile in Time was so positive. And then I read the byline: Eric Cantor. Hey, they didn’t even make his picture all scary. Oh, wait. Yeah, they did… all shades of dark and gloomy. Hey, the Ayatollah Khameini got his picture in a nice, bright daylight shot, long distance, which removes his scary face from the camera. Anti-Israel bias? No. None at all. Really, go try to find another leader with a picture similar to Netanyahu’s. Bet you won’t find one.

Posted in Israel, Israel Derangement Syndrome, Media Bias | Leave a comment

It’s my Tiggerversary!

Posted on 04/18/2012 by Meryl Yourish

Baby Tig

Four years ago today, I was looking for a Maine Coon mix at Wendy’s Feline Friends, when I found not one, but TWO orange males. That pretty much ended my work for the day; I called my supervisor and told her I was off to find my next Tigger. And find him I did. Tig 3.0 succeeded Tigger 2 after four months of sadness with no Tigger in my house. He far exceeded my expectations. He is the funniest, most affectionate, silliest, happiest cat I’ve ever had. Every morning, he runs down the hall making his mrowr-mrowr-mrowr noise that indicates he’s happy. Every night while I’m brushing my teeth, he runs down the hall making his happy noise because he knows I play with him before going to sleep. And then there are the times when I’m downstairs watching TV and he wakes up and runs down the stairs making his happy noise because he’s happy and wants to let the world know it.

Yesterday, after dinner, we were sitting on the deck, where I am fighting a losing battle in trying to keep him from chasing the birds. Yesterday morning he amused me greatly by doing his left-paw, right-paw routine on his kitty shelf. When he wants to wash his front paws, he lies on his back and washes the left one. Then he turns over to the other side (still on his back) and washes the right one. Then he switches again. He does this for a few minutes, and it always makes me laugh because it seems like an awful lot of work to wash his paws instead of, say, lifting them from a sitting position, like Miss Gracie does. But Tig is my goofball. That’s his job: To make me laugh. He’s very good at it. And here he is, on that shelf, cleaning his paws:

BERJAYA

What a happy day!

Posted in Cats | 3 Comments

Tuesday briefs

Posted on 04/17/2012 by Meryl Yourish

But it’s anti-Zionism, not anti-Semitism: One of the European “activists” left a present on the wall of the room where he was held: A Nazi swastika. Drawn correctly. The “activist” was from France or Spain. Or maybe both of them drew it. And may we now stop pretending that they give a shit about anything but the end of Israel?

Now you know Hamas is winning: The PA is telling Iran to back off Palestinian issues. Yeah, Hamas must have the upper hand. They held elections last week, so it will be interesting to see who goes in hiding first the next time Israel goes after their rocket bases in Gaza.

Stop breaking the narrative! Israel is EVIL! Law enforcement officials from around the country went to Israel to learn how they defend against and respond to terrorist attacks. No, Israel doesn’t do anything except take $2b a year in aid. Right. Uh-huh. Sure.

Oh, who cares? Not only are Palestinian prisoners planning on launching a hunger strike, but the “activists” who came into Israel are going along with them. Gee. They’re going without food for, like, half a day. Whoa. How brave they are!

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Hamas, Iran, Israel Derangement Syndrome, palestinian politics | 2 Comments