Cryptoquote Spoiler – 12/31/08

MAKE IT A SAFE NEW YEAR’S EVE:  DON’T DRINK IF YOU ARE DRIVING.  DON’T DRIVE IF YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING. — YOUR CONSCIENCE

Happy New Year, everybody!  Thanks for making ’08 a big success for Uncle Rave.  Best to all, for a healthy and prosperous ’09! —   YUR

Jumble Spoiler – 12/31/08

Visual Description:  Parishioners looking up at their church’s belfry.

YORAF  =  FORAY,  ROBOD  =  BROOD,  PORDYS  =  DROPSY,  BARTIB  =  RABBIT   —   Giving us:  AYRDRPSBI

Clue/Question:  The swallows nested in the church steeple because they were . . .

Answer:  BIRDS OF “PRAY”

Happy New Year, everybody!  Thanks for making ’08 a big success for Uncle Rave.  Best to all, for a healthy and prosperous ’09! —   YUR

The Price of Human Life – in Israeli Terms

Currently it’s at about 374 Palestinian lives for every 4 Israeli lives.  I guess to some that sounds fair!  I don’t know, though.  It sounds a little iffy to me.  I wonder who decides?  Hmmm!

Maybe a conversation, somewhere in Jerusalem, went something like this (with all due apologies to The Untouchables):

Ehud Barak: You said you wanted to get Hamas. Do you really wanna get them? You see what I’m saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Shimon Peres: Anything within the (cough) law.
Barak: And *then* what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms (you know – MUCH less than humans) you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they’re not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead.
Peres: I want to get Hamas! I don’t know how to do it.
Barak: You wanna know how to get Hamas? They pull a stick, you pull a gun. They throw some rocks, you fire grenade launchers.  They fire some rockets, that rarely hit the broadside of a barn, you send in air strikes with F-15l Ra’ams and F-16l Sufas, firing Raphael Python 5 missiles, and of course, your Apache Longbow attack helicopters armed with AGM-114 Hellfire and Hydra 70 rockets.  He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send ninety-some of his to the morgue. *That’s* the *Israeli* way! And that’s how you get Hamas. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I’m offering you a deal. Do you want this deal?
Peres: I have sworn to take down this organization with all legal (and otherwise) powers at my disposal and I will do so.
Barak: Well, HaShem hates a coward.
[jabs Peres with his hand, and Peres shakes it]
Barak: Do you know what a bloodbath is, Mr. Peres?
Peres: Yes.
Barak: Good, ’cause you just started one.

Sounds feasible to me. —   YUR

PS.  I’d go into detail on my personal views on Zionism, but no doubt someone would jump to that popular (via indoctrination) assumption that I must be some kind of Anti-Semite.  Because that’s how narrow minds work.