Out With the Old Year, In With Whatever

On the Joys of Blog Ownership

1. Flash! Startling Discovery of the Day: It’s easier to read other people’s blogs than to write new stuff for one’s own blog. Yes, folks, I’ve discovered a new way of procrastinating – truly a monumental achievement for someone who had thought he’d explored every possible variation on this fascinating hobby.



2. When I was much younger, I had a bad habit of writing rather telegraphically – partly, no doubt, because writing by hand has never been physically easy or comfortable for me. Then I discovered typing, and then word-processing. Now it appears that my greatest challenge as a writer – once I actually start writing something, that is – is to be a bit less discursive. In other words, I need to learn to shut up. The Jerusalem Post, which is currently running me as a “guest blogger”, wants posts that take up around one A4 page. I just can’t seem to do it; anything that I think is worth saying takes at least a couple of pages to say. I did manage to trim the last thing I sent them by a third; we’ll see if it makes them happy.



3. I’ve still got the Bravenet Traffic Exchange feature turned on. I remain very much unsure whether I like the feature or not; and I’m still waiting for some reader feedback to help me make up my mind. Said reader feedback has been very slow in coming… Will people please write some comments about why they aren’t writing comments?

On the Jewish New Year

This last year has been an interesting and important one for Israel. Not only did we leave the Gaza Strip and part of the northern West Bank; we also saw a major decline in successful terror attacks against us, a warming of attitudes toward us in much of the world, and some serious and open discussion (among ordinary Israelis as well as among our ruling elites) of unilateralism as a new Israeli approach to our territorial, political, and demographic problems.

This next year appears likely to be another interesting one. We’ll have national elections, unless our current government manages to limp through ‘til next November; and at the very least, we’ll have the joys of a national election campaign. Get out your umbrellas, folks – I predict serious mud-spattering in all areas of the country. Of course, this blog will feature the traditional Don’s Voting Recommendation post, as soon as we have some idea who’s running.

We’ll also experience the Great Split in the Nation (between the National-Religious and everyone else, or maybe between all the religious and everyone else, or possibly between Israeli Arabs and everyone else, or perhaps even between the unemployed and everyone else) – or maybe not. It seems like this Great Split is always just around the corner, but never quite gets here. I’d like to see the damn’ thing happen already, so we can go ahead and patch it up.

We’ll start the year with Uzi Landau’s walk on Temple Mount. Don’s Prediction of the Day: nothing will happen. The ground won’t tremble (the subsoil is pretty well compacted after Arik’s stroll through the precinct), the Arabs won’t bother to riot, and Intifada III will still be waiting in the wings waiting for Intifada II to die of old age. Dr. Landau’s a nice guy. I’ve enjoyed a couple of brief conversations with him, although they always ended prematurely when his mobile phone rang and he had to go deal with something more important – even though I disagree with him on pretty much every Israeli policy issue I can think of. (OK, he may well agree with me on women’s rights, the environment, and other “social” stuff; but this is Israel – who cares about the stupid environment?) But he’s not exactly Mister Earthquake. Ariel Sharon could start a riot just by showing his face; I don’t think Uzi Landau could start a riot if he took a sledgehammer up on Temple Mount and started swinging it at the Dome of the Rock. (Please don’t try this, Uzi – and if you do, you didn’t read it here.)

Lots of other stuff will happen too – and when it does, don’t forget that you read it here first.


On the Joys of Blog Ownership (reprise)

1. I hadn’t really thought I had much to say this time. I wasn’t trying to make any great point – I just started typing. Now I’ve managed to alienate Uzi Landau – spoiling my chance of becoming an eminence gris et gros when he becomes Prime Minister – and once again, I’ve written something longer than the Jerusalem Post wants. I guess it’s not yet time to leave my day job.

May we all have a happy, fulfilling, healthy, and successful new year!