HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL!!!! Today Israel is 56! And what a country it has become...a beacon of democracy in a sea of chaos. It is the only country in the Middle East in which it's citizens have freedom of speech, freedom to be gay or straight and freedom to practice whatever religion they like. Try that in a country like Egypt or Saudi Arabia or Syria! Israel should be an example to those in the Middle East who would strive to control their citizens telling them who they should worship, how they should dress or how to treat their women. Why is Israel so hated by the Arab countries? Because it is everything they are not but secretly wish they could be. Israel has done all this and more and it is a mere baby in terms of it's age. In 56 years it has established itself within the world and made it a force to be reckoned with. It makes huge contributions in the medical and technological world, and continues to grow and shine. Want to break away from all the news of the conflict and see what Israel is REALLY about? Go read more on Israel 21C, a fantastic site that talks about all these wonderful advancements and discoveries. I *highly* recommend you at least take a peek. Humour me here, go have a look. :-) And I wanted to attend the Yom Ha'atzmaut walk that's happening tonight in my area, but I have Hebrew class. Apparently it'll be a special Yom Ha'atzmaut class, so I'm looking forward to it. *grin*

Here are some fantastic articles for Israel's Independence Day (ranging from "what Israel means to me" type of stories, to stories of those who have moved there and tried to fit in. very insightful and moving stuff!) Hat tip: Smooth Stone.
And you simply MUST see Imshin's tiny new kitten crawling across the Israeli flag. SO CUTE!!!! And for something amusing read this article "You know you're an Israeli when...". I was amused as I recognized many of these traits in my Israeli friends.

Meanwhile there are those out there in the world that thrive on chaos and wish to spread their hate wherever they go. Thankfully a huge Al Qaeda plot was foiled, and it is estimated it would have likely killed 80,000 people if it had succeeded. The targets were both U.S. and Jordanian interests, which I hope wakes the Arab world up to see that Al Qaeda doesn't protect their own Arab brethren, *everyone* is a target. Remember when the Arab world was cheering Al Qaeda's "success" on 9/11? Yeah, I doubt they'd be so enthusiastic if THEY were the target. Sadly, I think it's going to take an attack on them in order to have them get with the program on all this; it sure worked for the rest of us. Read Imshin's comparison between cancer and terrorism...I found it to be highly accurate.
Oh and despite Hamas efforts to hide the identity of their newly appointed leader, the IDF has identified him. I hope he knows how to dodge missiles.