@newtboy
I admit that perhaps invading Palestine slowly was their best viable option before the war ended.....I just think it's helpful to be perfectly honest that that's what happened and not play some game about it and pretend they hold the moral high ground on that part of the issue.

I guess I just don't agree on calling it an invasion from the outset. European Jews had the doors closed to them everywhere the world over, illegal immigration or staying in what would become Nazi occupied Europe were their only options. Palestine was hands down the most attractive option, despite a hostile Arab Palestinian population. The main reason being that the Jewish Palestinian minority were basically a state within a state. The Arab and Jewish populations had both sufficiently failed to integrate already that they were operating as largely segregated and autonomous regions. Thus, Jewish Palestine was both reasonably close to Europe, and very much welcoming to the people leaving. I don't believe that's fair to be marked as an invasion from the outset. I must insist that if we get to insist all actors conduct themselves in their own self interest, that the Jewish immigration from Europe to Palestine could have been entirely peaceful, and if the Arab population had taken a live and let live approach things could have gone swimmingly. Of course humans aren't ideal or moral very often, so both sides fought and tensions arose. By the time WW2 was over it was too late, the dice were cast and another Jewish exodus from Palestine back to Germany wasn't gonna work. Neither were the Jewish people promised a thing from Germany and it would all be on a hope and a prayer. They had a better shot making their own future by standing their ground in Jewish Palestine. Truth be told, I really can't blame the Jewish side for saying enough is enough and we're gonna stand and fight. Neither can I blame the Arab Palestinian's over much as their biggest fight was really just for independence from the British. With the British gone, both the Jewish and Arab residents fought it out over who would control what, which is sadly fairly natural.

The point I DO lay blame is when the civil war took a pause and Israel declared independence on the UN mandated borders. The Arab world(not the Arab Palestinians) jointly refused to accept any Jewish portion of Palestine and swore to drive them into the sea. Worse, they vehemently called for the retreat of all Arab palestinians from the region to make it easier to clear the country out. Of course, they failed to win that fight and it's been a source of great shame and horror ever since. They didn't fail for lack of strength in arms or numbers, but because each neighbouring Arab state cared not a whit for restoring Palestine to the Arab Palestinians but instead each sought to seize a portion of it for themselves, as invaders. Luckily for Israel they exploited those divisions to come out the other side.

There's plenty of atrocities to blame on the Palestinian response, but also empathy for a displaced and, today, a decimated people still suffering horrifically, mostly for 'sins' of their grandfather's, namely the sin of fighting invaders stubbornly.

But that is all the more the tragedy, as that is very clearly the way the Israeli's started out. They remained peaceful and fled as nation after nation tried to destroy them. The most open place to them in the time probably was Jewish Palestine. For all the atrocities to blame on Israel, I also have empathy for the plight they started from. Even their whole history through today is a tight rope walk were losing any single one of the wars from then till now would have seen the end of Israel as state.

As much blame as one can put on Israel for meeting homemade rockets with professional air strikes, they aren't the only ones to be blaming. Yes, more empathy is needed for the Palestinians than blame. But their are plenty of states, mostly Syria and Iran using the Palestinians as proxies and pawns. So many Arab entities WANT to see dead Palestinians in the news because it plays well for them. I really insist they get as much or more heat than Israel for the tragedy unfolding.

Here is the documentary 'Man On A Wire' about his world trade center tight rope walk. It's a brilliant film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% http://dai.ly/x20yzwx

Horrible.

17 year old media projects are like walking a tight rope over a wilderness of razor blades.

This one fell into the pit.

I def play the crack break your mommas back game. I also jump on curbs and balance like I'm tight rope walking. I often wonder if people observing think I'm a lune.

OMG.... Balls...RETRACTING....

Funny thing is that the free falling scenes did nothing for me, but when they were on the tight rope and only relying on the safety harness... goddanm!!! That's scary!!!

This is exactly the kind of thing I would do just for the experience of having done it. You don't need a better reason than that.>> ^Sagemind:
But then, you have to wonder what was so exciting in doing what he was doing in the first place.

Your video, Epic Tight Rope Fail Destroys Roof, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

hey, DillingerEscapePlan! I've seen them a halfdozen times. Jeez, probably ten years ago,... I'm getting soo old soo fast...

Anyhow, my musical taste kept going into weirder directions this year;

Sufjan Steven's made a tremendously interesting and personal album (Age of Adz) that took this consistently well done electronic turn, like it was produced by Reznor or something ('I Walked' is a highlight for me, with a weeeirdly cool, staggered melody that I'd never really heard done successfully before...). His vocals grow on you after a while... really the whole album gets a lot better with repeat listens (good night-driving album).

Yeasayer shared a (free) live album... I saw them twice in 2010, so might be biased, but they are just the right amount of experimental with a dash of pop so that people get down at their shows. 'Madder Red', 'Tight Rope', '2080', a lot of good stuff. Bit of an 80's throwback with the synth drums and such, but I like it as a child of the 80's.

Beach House (Teen Dream)... oooh beach house... listened to their album for all of Jan and Feb of 2010... great driving cd... love minimalism with build-ups, which is basically every song by them, and her distinct smoker's voice is just rad. Very different band doing its own thing. If you're into As I Lay Dying and all that business right now this cd might be a stretch... however I used to be way into The Locust, so, you never know! (ok, I still listen to The Locust from time to time...)

Local Natives cd was good. The ladies dug this shit a lot because of the vocal harmonies and whatnot; as a drummer, I thought it was pretty rocking at times, and had some nice minorkey guitar themes and buildups. Also caught them live, and they were excellent. 'Wide Eyes' is a good one.

Lastly, she didn't put out a cd, but I listened to a lot of Neko Case in 2010. 'Star Witness', 'The Pharaohs', 'Blacklisted','Deep Red Bells', 'Things that Scare Me',... all these darker, noir tracks really work for me, and I don't think anybody else is doing anything like this successfully. Plus Neko has the greatest voice possible.

Thanks for sharing your top 10; I'll check 'em out!

Hey, cheers EDM!

In reply to this comment by evil_disco_man:
*promote

So.....you're not going to respond to that question?

>> ^Farhad2000:
>> ^imstellar28:
New book idea: "The Gandhi Delusion."
I'm not sure how you reconcile your support for invasive government with Gandhi's ahimsa, or total non-violence; but I'm guessing it involves spandex, a trapeze, and several tight-ropes to say the least.

How do you rationalize your economic ideas with the fact that you don't understand most of them? I'd love to hear that one.

>> ^imstellar28:
New book idea: "The Gandhi Delusion."
I'm not sure how you reconcile your support for invasive government with Gandhi's ahimsa, or total non-violence; but I'm guessing it involves spandex, a trapeze, and several tight-ropes to say the least.


How do you rationalize your economic ideas with the fact that you don't understand most of them? I'd love to hear that one.

>> ^imstellar28:
New book idea: "The Gandhi Delusion."
I'm not sure how you reconcile your support for invasive government with Gandhi's ahimsa, or total non-violence; but I'm guessing it involves spandex, a trapeze, and several tight-ropes to say the least.


I'm not sure how you can reckon the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Pinochet being less "invasive" than Gandhi, who kicked the British out of his homeland with a campaign of non-violence.

Stellar, it is not "invasive" for you to pay your fair share any more than it is "invasive" for your dinner party to expect you to pay your share of the bill, plus gratuity.

New book idea: "The Gandhi Delusion."

I'm not sure how you reconcile your support for invasive government with Gandhi's ahimsa, or total non-violence; but I'm guessing it involves spandex, a trapeze, and several tight-ropes to say the least.

>> ^Farhad2000:
Economic Left/Right: -3.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.59
Gandhi.

lucky, if someone says something along the lines of "I'm going to find your house and murder your family you cunt motherfucker", then is there any reason to not ban them? Stuff like that shouldn't be allowed no matter who you are, on VS or in real life. Can't say I like this blocking of comments, wouldn't it be better if, for example, any one from bronze star and above were given a warning if they post a comment like that (and it was reported to an admin), and banned if it happened again. It would of course mean you admins get a tight rope to walk depending on how offensive the post is, but nevertheless it's an alternative I believe in.

yeah but you liked him when he walked the tight rope over the crocs at my party