Only God can make a tree. He made winter, too, but this combination of the two is magical.

I took this picture this morning near the railway station.

China Starts Campaign Against Bad Signs

Too bad we can't get something similar going in Britain. Then maybe we'd be spared such delicacies as "tomato's" or "fish and chip's".

All apostrophes (not "apostrophe's") found wandering without a collar and tag bearing their owner's (or owners') name and address should be taken to the pound.

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Pretty good result [grinning hugely]

Of course it's not exactly a surpise, given the way the questions are worded. I must admit, though, that Sikhism took me a little by surprise, but then I know almost nothing of it. I shall have to investigate further.

My next highest result was Bah'ai followed by Sikhism, with Orthodox Judaism coming in at 88%.

According to the SelectSmart.com Belief System Selector, my #1 belief match is Reform Judaism. What do you believe? Visit SelectSmart.com/RELIGION

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More on Israel

For a potted history that's a lot lighter on reading than Myths and Facts, go to Conceptwizard.com and click on any of the presentations.

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And on the subject of Israel ...

I believe in the miracle of the state of Israel. I believe that the state of Israel has a right to exist, and to defend her borders like any other nation state. Therein lies the problem: Israel is not treated as any other nation state. She is demonized in a way that no other nation state is or has been. I do not believe that Israel is, or should be immune from criticism, anymore than I feel my own country of Britain is or should be immune from criticism. But the climate of organized hostility towards Israel makes it very difficult to criticize her, because it is like kicking a man when he's down.

Israel has been accused of war crimes. Interestingly, so has Britain: over the sinking of the General Belgrano during the Falklands War. There were also allegations of mistreatment of Argentine POWs. And there is a very large question mark over the conduct of the British Army on "Bloody Sunday" when 13 people were killed after a civil rights march in Northern Ireland (you can follow the progress of the enquiry at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry website). I do not recall any howls for Britain's head on a platter, nor for the United Kingdom to be expelled from the UN.

The USA's treatment of prisoners at Camp X-Ray has aroused worldwide protest. I do not recall anyone suggesting a boycott of the US.

Other countries have been in breach of UN resolutions and allowed to go peacefully about their business. Indonesia's treatment of East Timor springs to mind.

And, on the subject of ignoring UN resolutions, what about resolution 181? That was the resolution by which the state of Israel was established. The Arab world refused to recognize it. They rejected a deal that would have given them seventy-five per cent of the area called Palestine.

Arab Israelis have full democratic rights in the state of Israel. That includes Arab women. Contrast that with the position of women in, say, Saudi Arabia.

If you want to know more about the conflict, go to Myths and Facts : a Guide to the Arab-Israel Conflict.

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And on the subject of Israeli singers ...

Let us not forget the late, great, Ofra Haza. Translations of the songs on her 50 Gates of Wisdom album (also released as Yemenite Songs) can be found on this page.

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Blimey!

It's worse than I thought!

50 %

My weblog owns 50 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?

Still a bit of Chanukah left, so Chag Sameach and enjoy!

Let's face it, I just want an excuse to upload images — no point in having the facility if I don't use it.

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Having shelled out a few more dollars to the nice folks at Blogger, I am now able to upload images. Do you like my self-portrait at the top of the page?

Listening to Noa, aka Achinoam Nini, an Israeli singer. Love her voice, but I still prefer Chava Alberstein whose voice, for me, contains all the yearning of suffering and exile.

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I've seen a few of these quiz results on various blogs, and have at last been lured to the site to take a quiz myself:

What's YOUR Writing Style?
brought to you by Quizilla

Apparently I am a freeform writer. Individualistic with a sense for the different and challenging, Walt Whitman and his poetry lacking meter and rhyme is just what the doctor ordered. You're quick to write something that the rest of the world doesn't accept as poetry, quick to separate yourself from the average joe. An author with a true sense of self, you have confidence in your abilities and aren't afraid to show it. :) GO YOU!

Modesty forbids ... [ahem]

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MailWasher Finally the easy solution to managing your incoming emails has arrived. And it's free!

How did I exist before Mailwasher? Not only does it filter spam, etc, lots of programs do that, but it bounces your blacklisted mails so the creeps think the address no longer exists. Does it work? Absolutely! The torrent of porno sites etc that poured into one of my e-mail accounts has almost ceased. Respect to Nick, the klever Kiwi who developed this. Download the program if you don't believe me - it costs nothing.

I spend wa-a-a-a-y too much time playing Parking Fine Paintball

Heartbroken update on 23 January 2003. The paintball game has vanished — it's just a boring old car sales website now. Well, it was always that, but with the addition of the game. SNIFF

Well, this "Blog This!" gizmo seems to work, although this is the second time of trying. This link was mentioned in Mensa Magazine (yes, the Hedgehog is a member). Haven't checked it out yet. The spiel that follows is from the site.

Writing Software, books, Research Links and more! This site is designed for Creative Writers of all kinds: novelists, short story writers, screenwriters, playwrights... you name it, if you're doing creative writing, we've got something here for you.

I've gone legit! I've upgraded to Blogspot Plus - look, no ads.

Still listening to Chava: An Image. The lyrics are a poem by T Carmi:

Like a flickering light In the waves of the night You know it's a fishing boat Aboard the boat — Hard day working fishermen In the sea Light night-floating fish. The net is spread. The death of one Means life for the other one. It's as simple as that

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You couldn't make it up
Believe it or not, I managed to lose my first post. All that work for nothing. Below is more or less what it said, but I haven't been able to capture that "first, fine, careless rapture".

What's in a name?
Narcissistic is self-evident; there is something quintessentially narcissistic about having a web presence.
Hedgehogs have been around a long time, they're small and round; when threatened, curl into a ball, and get prickly. That about sums me up. The little critturs are even learning, at last, to run from cars. I'm getting there too.

This is my public blog. I also keep an online journal at a secret location [G].

I'm listening to Chava Alberstein's album, Foreign Letters. Her voice is wonderful: warm, smoky, tender, disillusioned. The songs are in Hebrew and Yiddish, and there is one, the title track, in English.
She's also a peace activist. You can hear an interview (interpersed with songs) with her here.