Out of the Woods

While Hezbollah continues to indiscriminately lob rockets into northern Israel trying to kill as many civilians as possible, Israel’s strikes continue to hit strategic targets while leaving nearby civilian objects as untouched as possible. Hezbollah fighters use cowardly tactics including dressing as civilians, firing their rockets from the middle of neighborhoods, and using women and children as human shields. Trying to counter such actions obviously results in innocent people being injured or killed, but there is no way Israel can stand by and let these terrorists continue their killing campaign unchecked.

The New York Times has a very nice graphic comparing satellite photos of a Beirut neighborhood where Hezbollah had their headquarters before and after Israel’s bombings. What’s especially striking is how churches, mosques, and schools in the area are completely untouched, while the headquarters compound, which was fenced off and heavily guarded, is completely flattened.

Posted by Ken at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a wonderful essay detailing the first-hand experience of a person observing Tisha B'Av with the traditional walk around the walls of the Old City in Jerusalem. The Tisha B'Av commemorates the destruction of the first and second temples on the Temple Mount. As you might expect, the Jerusalem chief of police announced several days ago that the Temple Mount would be closed to all non-Muslims as well as Muslim males under the age of 45 on Tisha B'Av. It was a visit by Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount back in 2000 that is often cited as the straw that broke the camel's back in starting the current intifada.

Having spent 10 days in Israel in December 1999, I could picture the procession and its sights in my mind as I read Judy's wonderful prose. The event so typifies the Jewish mentality I experienced while in Israel. Peaceful observation of holy days by huge numbers of people who just want to be left alone to live their lives according to the laws set forth by God. No rowdy chants, flag burnings, rock throwing, or other civil disobedience. I have never understood the centuries-old persecution of the Jewish people. Why can't people just let them live in peace?

Posted by Ken at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here’s a post about some nice tools for geotagging photos and for linking Google Earth to geotagged photos. A geotagged photo has latitude and longitude coordinates of exactly where it was taken attached to it. Until we have digital cameras with built-in GPS receivers, we have to take a few extra steps to do the tagging, but the latest round of tools is making that process a bit easier.

Posted by Ken at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)