You've seen one flake you've seen em all

Israel has decided to release 250 Palestinian prisoners! There has been a ton of talk of some type of prisoner exchange in the past year ever since Shaleet was captured. Do we release the prisoners and in return get our soldier back or refuse and hold our ground that we don’t deal with terrorists? Tough decisions!

I don’t know exactly who these prisoners are but I don’t think any of them would make good baby sitters for my children. You don’t go to prison for walking old ladies across the street! What ever they did they will now return to society changed men! They learned their lessons in prison. They all of course realize that peace is the only option and will now stand against those in the way that prevent real peace.

Oooh one small detail that I forgot to mention in this exchane. Its not really an exchange. There will be no soldiers coming home, no information gained on Ron Arad or the many others that have disappeared across the line. We will be releasing these 250 prisoners as a good gesture. That’s right, a good gesture!!!

We are to show our support of Abbas and the Fatah movement. Ok Abbas denies the Holocaust ever happened and also heads/funds many of the smaller off shoot terror cells. So what!!! the past is the past. With the release of these 250 now law abiding changed men Abbas will show a new face towards Israel.

They say in Alaska there are over 100 names for snow! There is flaky snow, round hard snow, slushy snow, big flaky snow, etc, etc. They get a lot of snow in Alaska, you would have to really like snow to live there. To the common person he probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between most of the types, just variations of frozen water!!

Hamas, Fatah, Al Aqsa, Tanzim, PPFLP, etc, etc, To the common person there is not much a difference between each of these groups. Our current government seems to see a difference. I wonder if they would be able to see the difference between the various types of snow??? I suggest putting them all on a one way Jet trip for a long term research project to find out.

3 point turn gone bad

I knew the moment that she said lets go back to the station that I had failed the test, I didn’t realize how bad it was until I saw my moms face after coming back from the explanation from the driving instructor.

Driving on the wrong side of the road is not one of those things that driving instructors are too lienant on. All that work and time that my parents put into teaching me how to drive down the drain. That was a long ride back home!!

The key to the 3 point turn is actually ending up on the right side of the road when you are done with the 3rd point. In my case the first 2 points went quite well, I than proceeded down the street driving down the wrong lane. I did think it was a little strange when I was waiting to make a left turn when I noticed an oncoming car swerving out of the way expecting to drive down the lane where I was sitting. At the time I was thinking “wow what a crazy driver.” Little did I know at the time that I was sitting in his lane. I was really careful about the blinker and the speed limit though. Real smooth!

I was very surprised when she than instructed me to drive straight back to the station. Why was she acting so nervous all of a sudden? Why the sweat on her forehead?? It was in the winter after all. What about parallel parking and all the other good stuff??

I guess I wasn’t quite ready for my license yet because the following week while working with my dad and brother I almost ran over my dad. I never knew my father could jump like that! He was parallel to the ground about 5 feet in the air and disappeared into the tall weeds. It was quite impressive! Luckily there was a big rock that broke the speed of the truck. I didn’t get to drive home that day.

Those free moments that make us rich

There are those moments in life in which everything makes sense. Those fractions of a second that makes everything worth while. We try to hold onto them as long as possible but life always has its way with casting a new wave... Making us focus on the new tasks at hand. More important matters.

These are a few of those moments that I have been fortunate enough to experience.

Have you ever seen a sunset that you can feel in your heart?

Have you ever had such a good laugh that your stomach hurt?

Have you ever heard a baby laugh?

Have you ever felt a slight drizzle on a summer day?

Have you ever seen a double complete rainbow?

Have you ever experienced real love?

Have you ever seen a flock of high flying birds flying north for the winter?

Have you ever seen a flower where the colors clash? impossible!!

Have you ever heard a piece of music that touches your soul and sends a huge smile across your face and tingles down to your toes?

Have you ever smelled the scent of the first rain in the forest?

Have you ever seen the birth of the sun through a cold dark dawn sky?

Have you ever felt the power of lightning?

Have you ever followed an ant on its long path back to its nest?

Have you ever seen a baby smile?

Have you ever laid down deep in the woods at night and steered up at Star filled sky?

Have you ever felt the security of knowing that finally you have met your second half?

Have you ever felt the cool wind on your face at night after a long summer day?

Have you ever had that feeling that you made the right decision when it really mattered most?

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being a parent.. hearing your kids call you "Dad"?

Have you ever looked back at it all and have the clarity to see the hand of G-d guiding you to exactly where you needed to be?

The most precious moments seem to come when we least expect them. The moments that if we're not careful will fly on by into oblivion, un-noticed. I give us all a blessing that we have the clarity and vision to never let any of these moments pass when sent our way and to cherish them as long as humanly possible when we do happen to capture them.

Did you vote for this guy???

"Israeli policy in the West Bank represented instances of apartheid worse even that those that once held sway in South Africa." Our good friend Jimmy Carter has dedicated a book to the cause of the Palestinian people. He discusses his opinions on the correct path to peace in Israel.

His finger clearly points to those big nosed bullies.

I wonder if Jimmy's opinions would have been swayed if he could have heard what went on behind closed doors this week with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Probably not!

They both had similar goals towards peace though. "Israel will never have peace until they agree to withdraw [from the territories]." Jimmy states that this is the real answer to real peace in the region. I'm not sure if Ismail and Mahmoud agree though.

When Ismail and Mahmoud came out of this closed meeting they made a few things pretty clear. Israel still does not exist and we will continue to kill their innocent woman and children as we always have done before.

Jimmy do you think behind those doors they discussed a particular border in which they would truly recognize us? Did they discuss any peaceful remedy to the situation? Or maybe did they bless each other and wish each other success on their similar plot of wiping out this nation once and for all?

I guess I wouldn't be so surprised of the ignorance of the leader of the KKK. I also wouldn't be surprised at such anti-Semitism from certain leaders in Europe. How could the previous President of The United States come to these conclusions with all the information at his hands?

Makes you think! Maybe those big nosed bullies are really the aggressors? Maybe our cousins in the West Bank and Azza really are looking for peaceful solutions? Maybe if we let down all the fences and borders they would come running at us with roses, and not knives and bombs? It’s all out of frustration of their current situation? Deep down they want to live side by side in peace for future generations? Maybe, Why not? Jimmy says so!

Post chess game feedback

Any talk of the latest war against the Hezbollah guerillas is usually pretty negative. How the once mighty Israel army was defeated. The mistakes made from top Israeli Officials, the mistakes made from the reservists, the mistakes made by the nation as a whole.

I'm far from a history buff but from my limited knowledge of history I can't recall any nation ever defeating any type of guerilla organization. Israel, USA, England, China, and all the other major nations fighting together would not be able to defeat Hezbollah and its guerillas.

Who's the bad guy? The lady walking her dog? The nice man taking his kids to school? The old man with the cane? The youth playing soccer in the field? Guerillas have a funny way of disguising themselves to look like the good guys. The only way you really know is when you feel the knife in your back.

Therefore the only temporary victory would be an utter annihilation of the nation of Lebabanon including all of its people. No moral nation in the world would do that! Therefore Israel lost this war before shooting its first missile.

Ro'i Klein a reservist left his two sons and wife to do his part as he always did before. Ro'i would do what ever it took to defend his homeland.

Amichai Merchavyah, a fellow reservist was captured by Hezbollah terrorists deep within Lebanon. Ro'i and his fellow soldiers went in pursuit of these terrorists trying to rescue him. They found themselves surrounded in a dead end alley by terrorists who threw a grenade at them.

Ro'i yelled out his final prayer "Shmah Israel" and leaped on top of the grenade. He sparred the lives of his fellow reservists.

The lucky that never had to go to Lebanon have the luxury of pointing fingers. The Top officials who made the decisions from afar now get to pass the buck. Now that the dust has settled the rest of the nations can take out their red markers and cross faces. Ro'i's name will never come up.

Ro'i never made it out of Lebanon to return to his wife and two sons. Ro'i gave his life for his country. Ro'i now is added to the long list of martyr's that have defended its land and history.

As a special gift for Roi's widow Sarah and their two son's the government lead by "peace now" has made a motion to kick them out of their home and land and give it to Palestinians that have never lived there before. Sarah and the many Jew's of Eli are trying to fight against this decision in court.

In these dark times Ro'i has shed light to the eternal victory of the Jew and its Nation.

marching on holy ground

"A total of over 3,000 police were set to man event on Friday, and a further 2,500 policemen were due to be deployed in east Jerusalem, the Old City and around the Temple Mount out of concern that Palestinians would riot following Wednesday's shelling in Beit Hanun that killed twenty Gazan civilians."

The Jerusalem gay parade ended Friday in relative quiet.

"This test was one of the most complex that the Jerusalem Police, and the Police in general have ever been forced to face."

I have always wondered about these types of parades and marches in general. What are they supposed to accomplish?

Those sitting on the fence, did they decide to turn to a new type of life? Do the Jews in Jerusalem now have a new respect for the gay choice of life? I really don't think so.

Would those that marched in this parade support a "Klu Klu Klan" march in Jerusalem? Would they support a "dedicate your babies to the fires of Molech" parade? After all who draws the lines for freedom of speech?

I've never heard of a case in which salt in an open wound heals. 100 times out of 100 when a small child with an ice cream sticks his tongue out at his foe without and screeches "nah nah nah nah nahhhhh I've got ice cream and youuuuuuuuu don't" that child will have an adverse reaction.

I'm not here to preach about anti- or pro- gay rights. My only point is that methods of Provocation only yield losers on both sides.

The Jerusalem police had more than their hands full with the anticipated reactions from the Arabs surrounding Jerusalem. Was this so important as to endanger the lives of innocent civilians in an event of an Arab attack?

The pitfalls of building blocks without the blocks

I don't know how many times I've had the old switch aroo played on me. People I speak to on the phone or have been in contact though the internet. They just never are the same people that I've created them to be in my head!

Maybe its one of the pitfalls of having a vivid imagination. But how can I always be so far off???? OK maybe you can't see the wings and tail of a dragon on the phone or through an email, but a sensitive people person like myself should be somewhere in the ball park.

Something that takes 2 minutes in person I don't think could be accomplished through a life time of phone conversations and email contact.

It's that person to person connection. There is something that takes place immediately that you know whether you want to see this person again. It's a very powerful thing and I don't think that anyone can really explain it.

It can't be picked up though phone lines, cable, or even ADSL high speed internet! I'm not talking about physical attraction or love at first sight! It's something on a much higher plane that maybe only our souls understand.

There are so many facets to a person. The human being is the most complex ball of atoms on the face of this planet. Before meeting with someone in person only a fool like myself would try imagining who that person really is.

I hope I have learned my lesson to let them build their own foundation stones in my head rather than me build them for them. It's too painful of a process to see so many buildings fall in an instance.

The lessons learned from driving 80 in a 20 mile per hour zone

In those fractions of a second you ask yourself the serious questions!! You wonder how serious your life is going to change!! Will I make it! Why? How bad is this going to hurt?

My car was spinning out of control heading right towards a busy intersection. I remember seeing the traffic light flying vertical in the air and the cars and pedestrians frantically moving out of the way.

My car finally came to a stop. All of my windows were shattered from the traffic light now dangling from the top of my car. My friend and I were in shock as we sat in silence. We somehow managed to escape without a scratch.

What's the mechanics and how does it work? How many times are we able to cash out on our merit bank? What if it's empty? What if we come up just short?

I remember feeling alive that night. It felt good to be able to walk, to be able to breathe that cold night air. I can't say I was very religious at the time, but I sure thanked G-d. I was in the palm of his hands, I was loved.

Than just like that.... it was gone.

I now had to deal with all the hardships. The insurance, buying a new traffic light, all the paper work and questions, having to deal without a car for a month. Why me? What did I do? Why do I have to go through all these troubles?

I was reminded of this incident when I heard that my brother fell off his ladder from two stories high. It doesn't take to long to reach the ground from two stories high. Gravity will always have its way and the ground will eventually break the fall. However the number of scenarios from point x to point y are numerous.

A sore ankle falls on the far right side of favorable outcomes on the bell curve. I'm sure he thanked Hashem and went in and kissed his two kids and wife and told them how much he loved them.

When someone does something extra special for us we want to express our thanks and gratitude. We feel something extra special towards that person. G-d doesn't need our thanks or praise! When we are put in these situations they are really gifts in disguise enabling us to connect to him. That's that feeling of being alive!!

May all our wake up calls be gentle