I Got One!

I got a Norwegian!
Dances around room hugging self.

Ha! And Raincoaster said it wouldn't happen--for years!

Of course without Ahmad, and Dennis Miller it wouldn't have. Ahmad's link to my counter-rant has given me six or seven times the number of hits I usually get. At time of posting, my Neocounter (below and right) says I've seen 365 visitors from 46 countries.

So if you haven't been to read his blog, please do. It's one of the places where people are trying to talk sensibly about the Israeli war on Lebanon. Though you'll have to forgive the odd Lebanese citizen losing it in the comment section ... hard to blame them, though. For myself, I'd appreciate more links to Israeli bloggers who are writing about this war in a measured and thoughtful way.

Current news in the war on Lebanon includes:

New Hizbullah rocket attacks have killed ten people. Yeah, they're @$$#0[€s. And that's the point, really. Israelis raids killed about eight. How different is that?

Some Israeli pilots are so sickened by the continuing slaughter that they have refused to hit "civillian targets" (an oxymoron if ever there was one).

The thing that gives me hope that peace is possible is that this happens (and gets hushed up) almost every time the war hawks start whacking people around: from 2003. Israel needs more pilots willing to make this sort of statement.

A UN resolution might bring hope of a ceasefire. It ain't much, but it's a start.

And the thermometers in hell dropped a degree today as Stephen Harper tries to recant-without-recanting his statement about "measured" and "balanced" Israeli attacks. He's clearly noticed that 45-55% of Canadians disagree with his stance on this.

Notice though, his claim that the opposition, by calling his initial response out-of-line, is essentially supporting Hizbullah's terrorist activities:

“What's the neutrality here? Are we neutral with regard to Hezbollah? Are we neutral on a terrorist group? I don't think the opposition wants to say that ... but if they want to say it let them say it explicitly.

“What exactly are they saying? Are they suggesting Israel unilaterally stop defending itself, or stop participating or declare a unilateral ceasefire?”

Tough words Steve.

Does not wanting Israel to bomb the $#!7 out of Lebanon mean I have to support Hizbullah rocketing towns in Israel?

At the moment though, I have another dilemma altogether:

Is Iceland still considered part of Scandanavia, or can I say I have the whole set? The official list at the Scandinavian tourist board is:

Denmark

Finland

Iceland

Norway

Sweden

But Wikipedia specifies that Scandinavia includes Denmark, Norway, Sweden and sometimes Finland. On the other hand, they say that "Scandinavia" often refers to the Nordic countries, as listed above.

So I've either got one too many, or I'm still one short.

Of course, some kind soul with a server in Iceland could help me out and end all this right now.