Israellycool

You can take the man out of Australia, but you can’t take Australia out of the man. That is my conclusion during the first Olympic Games that I have lived outside of my birthplace.

During the past few days, my wife has had to put up with cries of ‘Go, Thorpedo, go!” and “You littl’ ripper!”, as I have allowed my inner sports nut to resurface. I am sure she had never seen platform diving before the other night, as we watched the Australian pair of Mathew Helm & Robert Newbery win the bronze medal.

“But you are Israeli now”, she tells me, with an almost pleading tone to her voice. “I am still Australian”, I reply. “AND Israeli. Ozraeli, if you will.”

Being Ozraeli enables me to follow both Australia and Israel in the Olympics. But the fact remains that I will be hearing the Australian national anthem playing far more than the Hatikvah. If I was to solely follow Israel, my Olympic experience would be depressing. Should I not be allowed to derive some pleasure from these games?! Besides, I lived the vast majority of my life in Australia, and fanatically followed all the Australian sporting teams. I can honestly say that if an Australian team ever lost an event or game, it would affect my mood for the rest of the day, if not week. Once a diehard Australian sports fan, always a diehard Australian sports fan.

Having said that, if Israel were to win a gold medal, I would be elated. As would the entire country…except those segments who would rather that the only event Israel competed in was the Dead Sea sprint.

Update: Israel have a good chance of a medal in the men’s Mistral sailboard race. And our sole table tennis competitor has a chance of a medal - as long as she can avoid better competitors.

Israel’s sole table tennis competitor, Marina Kravchenko, who said before the competition that her expectation was to advance one round - on condition that she avoided Asian contestants ñ on Sunday made it through to the last 32 of the competitors, after beating the former European champion Otilia Badescu of Romania 11-6, 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-6.

Kravchenko has managed to avoid the Asians in the next round as well, but will play against Tamara Boros of Croatia, the world No. 6 and the highest ranked, non-Asian player in the Games.

More apologies for the relative lack of blogging over the past week.

As you know, the Gravett Empire moved to another host, which upset the blog equilibrium. Meanwhile, I have been investigating a move to my own domain and host, with new and improved blog software. Hopefully, my new and improved blog will be up and running within the next week to two-weeks.

Meanwhile, I have been extremely busy at work, with this trend likely to continue in the future. It is likely that I may not be as prolific with my blog posts as I have been in the past. But what I may lack in quantity, I will make up for in quality. Improvements slated for my new and improved blog include:

Once again, the message of the Olympic Games, a symbol of goodwill for all of mankind, has become lost on an Arab competitor.

Earlier Friday, Iran’s double world judo champion Arash Miresmaeili pulled out of the Olympics after drawing an Israeli in the first round.

Miresmaeili, who carried Iran’s flag during Friday’s opening ceremony, finished fifth in Sydney. Having won world titles in 2001 and 2003, he was carrying his country’s hopes of Olympic gold in Athens.

But following the draw at the Ano Liossia hall, Miresmaeili was paired with Udi Vaks in the first round of the men’s under 66kg category. Since its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has refused to recognize the State of Israel’s right to exist.

Hirofumi Otsuji, secretary to the Asian Judo Union president, confirmed that Miresmaeili would be withdrawn from the competition. Under International Judo Federation regulations, he could also be sent home.

Iranian team officials said that Miresmaeili explained he had withdrawn out of sympathy with the Palestinian cause.

Nothing expresses sympathy with the PLO arab cause like flouting the concepts of sportsmanship and goodwill, and surrendering cowardice.

Update: The Jerusalem Post reports:

Ironically, if Vaks does automatically advance to the second round, his opponent will be either Algerian Amar Meridja or Egypt’s Amin Mohamed.

Heh. If he keeps drawing opponents like these, he may win the gold medal without even having to compete.

Palestinian children Abdullah Samad and his sister Dalal sit in the backseat of their father’s car after receiving first aid at a hospital in Jerusalem following an explosion near the Kalandia Israeli army checkpoint.(AFP/Awad Awad)

No mention of the perpetrators of this “explosion.” It could have been an accident, or perpetrated by an Israeli. But we all know the truth. AFP just don’t want you to find out.

An Israeli Army soldier comforts a Palestinian woman at the Kalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Ramallah Wednesday Aug. 11, 2004. A West Bank militant detonated a large bomb near Kalandia checkpoint Wednesday, killing two Palestinian men and wounding some 13, including 10 Palestinian civilians and three Israeli border policemen. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

Nice picture, right? It shows the IDF we know and love, rather than the one the media tries to portray all the time. But look at the caption. West Bank militant? That is a phrase the media applies to the so-called Jewish “settlers.”

Israeli soldiers arrest a suspected Palestinian at Qalandiya checkpoint at the entrance to the West Bank of Ramallah August 11, 2004. A bomb exploded between two Israeli army checkpoints on a busy transit route outside Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding 16 people, medics said. Israel Radio said a Palestinian in a car being checked by police at the West Bank checkpoint of Qalandiya was believed to have detonated a bomb either hidden on his person or rigged to the vehicle. REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel

What is Reuters trying to tell us here? That IDF soldiers arrest anyone suspected of being a PLO Arab? Methinks the word “terrorist” is missing from the highlighted phrase.

In the following example, Reuters cannot help but draw attention to Israel’s security fence (in a bid to criticize it), even as they describe the terror attack at the Kalandia checkpoint (which should remind everyone why it is necessary).

Israeli policemen inspect cars destroyed by a bomb at the Qalandiya check point near the West Bank city of Ramallah, as a wall forming part of Israel’s controversial ’security’ barrier can be seen in the background, August 11, 2004. A bomb exploded between two Israeli army checkpoints on a busy transit route outside Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding 16 people, medics said. Israel Radio said a Palestinian in a car being checked by police at the West Bank checkpoint of Qalandiya was believed to have detonated a bomb either hidden on his person or rigged to the vehicle. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

I received the following email yesterday. Why? I don’t exactly know. But look at its news integration feature:

New Islamic Portal www.YaNabi.com

Portal Features:

1) 24 hours news integration with:

- BBC News

- AlJazeera.net

- IslamOnline.net

- Islamicity.com

- Arabnews.com

2) Web based Quraan Research Tool (Six Tafseers)

3) Prayer Time calculator for 6 million locations.

4) Web based Hadith (Islamic Literature) database.

5) User Forum: learn and share your knowledge with others.

6) Media Library with 2500 + Islamic Lectures by known Islamic Scholars like:

- Shaykh Sayed Abdul Qadir Jeelany

- Professor Dr. Tahir ul Qadiri

- Shaykh Hamza Yousuf

- Shaykh NuhHaMim Keller

- Dr. Zakir Naik

- Shaykh Ahmed Dedaad

- Sayyid Hashmi Mian Ashrafi

- Sayyid Madani Mian Ashrafi

- Allama Sayyid Saeed Assad

- Shaykh Abdullah Bin Bayyah

- Allama Shah Ahmed Noorani Siddiqui Qadiri

- Allama Shah Kaukab Noorani Okarvi

And Much Much MORE…

A perfect site to learn about Islamic faith.

Join us today!

www.YaNabi.com

That is all the proof one needs that the BBC is biased against Israel - despite their denials.

More problems with this website yesterday, but I seem to be back online now.

The hunt for my own host is in progress (that statement makes me sound like a parasite - ed), as I compare prices and services.

In the meantime, please feel free to tip me via the Paypal button on the right, or advertise on here. And if you have not already done so, help decide the name of the new site by taking the poll on the left sidebar.

Apologies for the dearth of posts over the past 24 hours, as well as the fact that this page was not being displayed for a long time. Blogfather Gary has been changing hosts, which will hopefully eliminate the problems that we in the Gravett Empire has been encountering.

Thanks once again to Gary for working tirelessly, at no charge, so that we can make ourselves heard.

And on the subject of blogs and hosts, I have made the decision to go ahead and get my own domain and hosting service. I will also be changing over from MT to another blogging platform. (At this stage, I really like the look of Blogware). I have had an amazing ride with the Gravett Empire, but it is simply not fair to expect Gary to do all the work for me (and pay for the hosting). The guy is a mensch, and a mate, but my final plan has always been to have my own site.

On that note, I am going to pull an Andrew Sullivan and hold a pledge drive for raising the cost/some of the cost of having my own site. (Do I qualify for this, Laurence?). If you read this blog regularly, and would like me to continue with a new and improved site and easier-to-remember URL , then please tip me via the Paypal button on the right, or even advertise on here via Blogads. Any small amount will help.

Also, if you are good with designing blogs and would like to help out, then I will be interested in hearing from you. The new blog will need a revamped look, and I simply don’t have the time nor skills to pull it off myself. Any volunteers?

Finally, I will be interested in your feedback on possible blog names. Please fill out the below poll:

AFP continue their campaign to demonize Ariel Sharon, by publishing this photo of his eyes.

I am not quite sure what the message of this photo is. If it is to portray him as a ruthless person, then it fails. Sharon looks more tired than anything else.

But two can play at this game. I have created my own “eye-shot” which demonizes demon-eyes someone we all know and loathe.

And in another example of conflicting messages, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty responds to a question by a reader who heard some rumors about Islam Online:

Question: As-Salamu`alykum, please clarify, someone I met said that your site is being hacked by Jews and not to read your site and is spreading this rumour. Please clarify as last time as asked too and people are now of impression that fatwa giving is now like a profession? Please clarify? I apologize for anything I said but please answer.

Answer: Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Allah tells us not to indulge in false allegations and rumor and gossip mongering as well as harbouring suspicions. We are also ordered to verify the information we receive before we act upon them.

Islamonline.net is a site owned and managed by Muslims who are conscious of Allah and their accountability before Him.

Fatwa is a serious responsibility; no one can venture on that without the requisite training and preparation.

May Allah help us to remain steadfast in our faith, Aameen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

You mean like this?

Funk legend Rich James died on Friday, and they still don’t know what caused his death.

Funk legend Rick James’ death remains a mystery after a post-mortem examination failed to determine the cause.

James, 56, died in his sleep on Friday at his home near Universal City, in Los Angeles.

His three children, daughter Ty and sons Rick Jr. and Tazman, said they believed he died of heart failure.

David Smith, investigator of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, told the Associated Press agency they were awaiting results of a toxicology test.

Mr Smith said it could be several weeks before the results were known.

The singer, who was diabetic and had a pacemaker, also had a history of cocaine addiction that led him to two assault convictions in the 1990s and a two-year stretch in prison.

I think the mystery here is how he lived so long.

When the Palestinians and their allies bring forth anti-Israel resolutions in the United Nations, they know they can count on the support of countries in the developing world, and certainly in Africa.

But that support is no longer unanimous: On July 20, when the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to order Israel to tear down its West Bank security barrier, one African country ó Uganda ó challenged expectations and abstained.

The move defied Ugandaís decades of support for the Palestinians and ran counter to the traditional regional embrace of so-called liberation movements.

Yet it didnít mark the first time Uganda had abandoned the General Assembly consensus to carve out a new attitude toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: It began abstaining from or voting against several pro-Palestinian resolutions in December 2003.

Several factors underlie the shift. One is Ugandaís view of its own 18-year civil war against the Lordís Resistance Army through the same lens as Israelís struggle against the Palestinians.

Another is the Palestiniansí continuing resort to terrorism.

The Palestinians ìmay have legitimate grievances, they are occupied territory, but their methods ó Uganda does not believe that is the approach,î Onapito Ekomoloit, an adviser to President Yoweri Museveni, told JTA. ìYou can be a freedom fighter without being a terrorist.î

Ugandaís new diplomatic posture hasnít necessarily trickled down to the public.

Mohammad Mahfudh, 27, a Ugandan Muslim of Yemeni origin, said he does not understand why Israelis and Palestinians canít get along together in one binational state. Neither can Mahfudh comprehend Israelís hesitation to leave the West Bank and Gaza Strip, nor the armyís policy of assassinating Palestinian terrorist leaders.

Still, he saw no problem with the Ugandan governmentís deepening diplomatic and business ties with Israel, whose achievements he admired.

ìIn the modern world, we need symbiotic relationships,î he said.

He remembered how Israeli contractors built Ugandaís Entebbe Airport, along with office buildings and apartment blocks in Kampala, before the late dictator Idi Amin severed relations with Jerusalem in 1972, kicking Israelis out of the country.

Formal diplomatic ties were re-established in 1994. Today, Israeli companies do business here in agriculture, construction, road paving and water supply.

Israeli government experts in agriculture, biotech and dairy products are holding training courses in Kampala later this month. Meanwhile, more than 50 Ugandans are on various kinds of training programs in Israel.

This fall, Israel will extend a Foreign Ministry cooperation program to Uganda, making it the third country in Africa, after Ethiopia and Rwanda, to have the opportunity to learn about personnel and training for its own diplomatic staff.

A former British protectorate of about 23 million people, Uganda is a place where deep faith and post-colonial ideology intersect. Itís home to tens of millions of Catholics, Anglicans and evangelical Christians, along with more than two million Muslims.

Despite its Christian majority, Uganda is a member of the 53-country Organization of the Islamic Conference ó which, according to officials, it joined to give its Muslims a platform and a voice.

ìIn principle, Uganda wants a balanced view of the situation in the Middle East,î Ambassador J.B. Onen, the top bureaucrat in the Ugandan Foreign Ministry, told JTA.

To that end, it maintains relationships with all the players in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

President Museveni has seen the conflict up close: He made a state visit to Israel in January 2003, and also has spent time in the West Bank.

Museveniís attempt to take a balanced approach to the Middle East crisis resonates with the public, said Andrew Mwenda, a political analyst and radio host.

ìYou should remember that Ugandans, having a Christian background, very strongly believe in the existence of the State of Israel,î he told JTA.

But, Mwenda added, because Ugandans belong ìto the wide Third World struggle against colonialism, and it appears to me the Israeli state appears like a colonial power over Palestine, Ugandans are also interested in seeing the emergence of an independent Palestinian state. And I do not think that those two interests are contradictory.î

What distinguished Uganda in Israelís eyes, however, was its stance at the General Assembly last December.

Uganda abstained from two resolutions, one of them calling on Israel to withdraw immediately from the Golan Heights and restart peace talks with Syria and Lebanon. More importantly, it voted against a resolution calling on Israel and the Palestinians to fulfill their obligations under the ìroad mapî peace plan.

ìWe said those resolutions did not take into account the facts on the ground and the need for a balanced perspective of the issues,î Onen said.

Uganda also voted against a resolution calling on the General Assembly to deplore those countries ó so far, only Costa Rica and El Salvador ó who have embassies in Jerusalem. Arab states have mounted a fierce campaign to block recognition of Jerusalem as Israelís capital.

ìAt all the interventions we have made at the various fora, we have clearly stated we do not support a position just because thatís what the group or the regional bodies want to take. We want it to be balanced,î Onen said. ìFor instance, we have condemned acts of terrorism. We have condemned suicide bombings because we donít think indiscriminate killing will solve the problem. We believe that should be the correct position.î

So does Israel, which lauded Ugandaís decision to join the Jewish stateís few U.N. allies, such as the Untied States and Micronesia.

Israelís ambassador to East Africa, Emanuel Seri, specifically mentioned that support at a Kampala reception in May for Israelís 56th birthday.

ìIn refusing to allow terrorism to become a legitimate means for achieving political goals, instead it believed that the solution to the conflict in the Middle East rests in negotiation rather than cheap tactics used to manipulate international organizations like the United Nations,î he said. ìAnd in maintaining its objectivity by remembering and respecting the loss that Israel has suffered as a result of the conflict, Uganda stands as a shining example to many other countries in the world.î

Uganda has been criticized for its position by its Arab and Muslim allies.

Their ire is not completely surprising since the country had voted consistently against Israel in the General Assembly as late as December 2002. At one session in November 2002, Uganda voted in favor of 10 anti-Israel resolutions.

Onen stressed that in December 2003 the government concluded that the United Nations needed to take an approach more constructive than its usual one-sided condemnations of Israel.

ìI would not be surprised thatî Museveni ìcan still balance his very good relations with the Israelis and very good relations with Libya and other Arab countries,î Mwenda said. ìHe knows how to live with two enemies and still be friends of both ó and even help bring them together.î

I have to hand it to the PLO Arabs. They seem to be less sexist than their Arab brethren. For a start, they ostensibly offer their girls and women many of the same opportunities afforded to the men.

Palestinian girls wear camouflage uniforms and carry toy guns as a poster of the late Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi is seen in the background, during a demonstration of women and children against the recent Israeli army operation in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, Saturday Aug. 7, 2004 (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

No word yet on whether or not their reward is 72 virgin males.