Hostages in the Animal World

Found in the Barbie aisle at Wal-mart.

Try explaining the name to your kid.

Jooooooooozotica gimmel

I had too many Hava Nagilah posts for one post.

Here’s a techno-ish version of Hava Nagilah:

Presenting “Hava Nagilah”

[Length = 4:13]

A proof that some cultures just shouldn’t do another culture’s traditional, cultural music. If you know what the lyrics of Hava Nagilah are supposed to sound like, you’ll know it’s not supposed to sound like this.

Presenting “Israeli Traditional: Hava Nagila” by the Student Chorus of the Student Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

[Length = 3:38]

Here’s a medley of Israeli folk music.

Presenting “Hava Nagila, Finjan, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem” from the CD “The Most Popular Songs From Israel: Hava Nagila [IMPORT]” (BTW, there’s a picture of a menorah [menorah = seven-branch candelabrum, refers to the candelabrum used in the Temple at Jerusalem; chanukiyah = nine-branch candelabrum used by Jews during Chanukah], and I think it’s the one built and exhibited by The Temple Institute, which is preparing for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple by making the necessary vestments, implements, tools, and items for the Temple).

[Length = 6:13]

Here’s on that evidently has elements of techno and Azeri along with Jewish Hava Nagilah.

Presenting “N-Brothers Azeri Pop Group -Hava Nagila הבה נגילה ” by N-Brothers.

[Length = 3:05]

This is a song I really, really like. I don’t know if it’s Jewish or Christian, but it’s in Hebrew. It’s “El Yivneh ha-Galil” (“God Builds the Galillee”).

Presenting “El Yivne Hagalil (JHS Chamber Choir)” by the Jesuit High School Chamber Choir of Carmichael/Sacramento.

[Length = 2:38]

Here’s a different version sung by a Sefardi or Israeli Jew (you can tell by how he pronounces his “r”s: Ashkenazim roll it a bit, as in Arabic and many other languages, while Sefardim (particularly those in Israel) pronounce it as in French and German, like “gh” in Arabic).

Presenting “Noah Solomon — El Yivne Hagalil”

[Length = 4:28]

I’ll let you in on a little personal trivia (so feel free to ignore this): in addition to the beat, tempo, and lyrics, there’s another reason I like “Hava Nagilah.” One line of the lyrics says: “Hava neranenah vinismechah” (“let us sing and be happy”), which reminds me of a phrase from my favorite hymn. The phrase is: “v’neranenoh bishuosekho” (“and we will sing in your salvation”) (Psalm/Tehillah 20:5 according to Christian divisions of the Hebrew Bible, 20:6 according to Jewish divisions of the Hebrew Bible). The full verse says: “v’neranenoh bishuosekho uvsheim El-heinu nidgol; y’malei Ad-noy kol mishalosekho” (insert “o” where the dashes are for pronounciability) which is translated “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up [our] banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions” (KJV, Psalm 20:5).

2009: The Year In Review: Betrayal Edition

He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

A year ago, we didn’t have an Executive Order authorizing the immigration and placement of thousands of Palestinians in the U.S.

A year ago, U.S. taxpayers weren’t funding and facilitating abortions in other countries.

A year ago, five percent fewer federal employees made over $100,000.00 a year.  It must be nice to get a raise in the worst recession in my memory…especially when you already have the job security of a federal employee.

A year ago, we had a President who wasn’t on record as thinking that the Constitution is “fundamentally flawed”.

A year ago, we had a President who did not bow deeply to the Saudi King and the Japanese Emperor.

A year ago, we had a President who did not avoid the Senate’s advise and consent role by appointing czars in places where they had never been before.

A year ago, we had a President who did not go out of his way to insult average Americans by casting aspersions on their values and the values of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

A year ago, we did not have a Supreme Court Justice who completely and utterly disqualified themselves before appointment with repeated statements calling their integrity and impartiality into question.

A year ago, we did not have government officials threatening private investors who were trying to protect their legal rights in bankruptcy.

A year ago, we did not have a presidentially appointed self-admitted Communist in government.

A year ago, a government official would not have dreamt of quoting Mao in public as a favorite philosopher.

A year ago, our elected representatives would not have dared to ask constituents for ID before answering their questions, or used union goons and police to silence and remove constituents from public meetings.

A year ago, the conventional wisdom would have laughed at the notion that we need hundreds of billions of dollars in stimulus spending that stimulates nothing in order to turn the rising tide of unemployment.

A year ago, the government did not deign to set compensation levels for employees of privately held companies.

A year ago, the idea of government health care for all was the punchline of a Hillary Clinton joke.

A year ago, we didn’t have a President who has informed a whole sector of the energy industry that he wants to put them out of business.

A year ago, the EPA was not threatening to regulate carbon dioxide emissions if Congress doesn’t.

A year ago, INTERPOL could not operate on American soil without regard to the American Constitution and American due process.

A year ago, we didn’t have an attorney general who believed it was appropriate or necessary to try foreign terrorists in Article III courts.

A year ago, we had a President and administration that recognized that we were already in a war on terrorism, because the terrorists had already declared war on us.

A year ago, a statement to the nation about a terrorist act committed against Americans by the President was a duty, and not an annoyance.

A year ago, carbon dioxide was good because it helps plants grow, and not a pollutant requiring taxes by Congress that will be paid by energy consumers.

A year ago, in was understood that the government cannot force me to buy a government-approved health care plan with the threat of exorbitant fines and/or jail time.

A year ago, it wasn’t the priority of one political party to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to a group of community activists that have engaged in voter fraud and other criminal enterprises…time and again.

A year ago, the government didn’t fire watchdogs who caught influential friends of the government with their sticky fingers in the government till.

A year ago, we had a President and Leader of the Free World who didn’t sit on his hands and “bear witness” to the brutal repression and murder of people resisting a totalitarian regime that is determined to destabilize the region it is in.

A year ago, we had a President who did not support a leader attempting a coup by vilifying the people who lawfully prevented it.

A year ago, we did not face a government that grows fat and belligerent on our tax dollar, while constantly threatening to take more of our money and freedom from us.

A year ago, we had a President that accused our soldiers of perpetrating war crimes for political gain, or declared police guilty of acting stupidly while admitting in the same breath that he didn’t have all the facts.

A year ago, dissent was the highest form of patriotism; now it’s racist!

Crossposted at Taxes, Stupidity, and Death.

Things that go boom

our current ships guns 5″

Some other Navy guns

6″ and 8″

and the 16″

Even better but no movies

HHD – Far East Edition

First, Andy Lau.  Famous for being a pop star and actor from Hong Kong. (Don’t tell anybody but AlexTheChick and Geoff have a teensy weensy crush on Andy.)

Heading to South Korea, we see Lee Byung Hun, famous for being that one guy in G.I. Joe

Jetting off to India, we find Neil Nitin Mukesh.  Here’s more of him looking like a hunk.

From Thailand, comes actor and kickboxer Tony Jaa.  See Ong Bak.

I wouldn’t want anybody to feel left out, so while we’re in Thailand. . .

Finally, Aga Mulach famous for being a Pinoy, model, and producer.

That’s it for today.  Happy Hump Day and Happy New Year’s Eve Eve.

[Somehow Related Update: Rosetta]

A friggin’ catfish eats a friggin’ duck!

Why Do I Live In A State Filled With Dirty Stinking Hippies That Is Controlled By Democrats?

 

This is why.  I came out from a foot x-ray this morning, and saw the sun come up behind Mt. Rainier.  The ice fog in the lowlands made a nice touch.

This will not end well

Trust the Japanese to think of this:

See-Through Goldfish Developed in Japan

The reason?  “The transparent creatures are part of efforts to reduce the need for dissections, which have become increasingly controversial, particularly in schools.”

One would think that a society that has lived under the constant and daily threat of being attacked by Godzilla or Mothra would know better than to fuck around with nature like this.

Avoid these haircuts and clothes

Are you constantly being bullied by middle school toughs in the late 80s/early 90s?  If you answered “Yes, Oh, God, yes, please make it stop!” then here are some tips for you:

Also, it’s important to stand up to a bully, even if he possesses supernatural powers…

Remember, he’s just insecure.  And that George Lucas also totally fucked things up with Episodes I-III.  Seriously, you could probably beat Darth Vader with some antibiotics.

[Shockingly Related Update: Rosetta]

I stole this video from my smelly hippie friends at Boing Boing.  And I think this is potentially racist as Chewbacca and Mr. T are both the last to be introduced.  RACIST!!!!

My Favorite Story of the Weekend

Hello.  How was your weekend?  Mine was okay.  Actually, it sucked, but that’s really none of your concern, so I’ll just move on.

I stayed pretty much completely off the grid this weekend.  Almost no computers, no TV, no newspapers, nothing.  However, this story did break through my self-imposed information blockade.

I’m sure this story has been beaten to death everywhere else, as discussion continues about the incredible number of little warning signs that were missed here, and I know I’m late to  the game on this one, but here’s one small aspect of the story that I found really odd, in a humorous sort of way.

When Delta bought Northwest back in 2008, they couldn’t remove all references to Northwest fast enough.  I think the ink was still drying on the sales agreement and they were already pulling out their crowbars and tearing down NWA signs wherever they could find them, replacing them with the Delta logo.  You’d be hard pressed to find a single reference to Northwest at Detroit Metro, which was, prior to the Delta/NWA merge, pretty much Northwest’s very own private airport.  The planes are being repainted as quickly as is humanly possible.  The terms “Northwest Airlines” and “NWA” are being erased from existence.

Until now.   (Actual photo that accompanied the AP story.  I did not doctor this at all)

 

“Excuse me, was there recently an attempted act of terrorism on a Delta flight?”

“What??!?  No, no, no, no…  You are mistaken, dear sir.  That didn’t happen on a Delta flight!!  That would NEVER have been able to occur on a Delta flight!!  That horrible event occurred on a Northwest flight, you silly person!”

It reminded me of the time, a number of years back, whan a plane landed so hard that it broke apart on the ground.  The very first thing the airline’s maintanence crew did after the craft stopped smoking was race out to the site and IMMEDIATELY …..cover up the name of the carrier that was painted on the plane, before anyone got a chance to photograph the wreckage.

I’m actually surprised that did not happen here.

The Day After The Day After Christmas Poatse

This is awesome.

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Oooo look, pretty balloons!

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How to seed a pomegranate without looking like a douche.

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Ear worm.  Mary-Jo-Lisa.

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Congratulations on the new job, xbrad.