'Ten Commandments,' sharks, taxes, matzah

Thursday, April 21

This time there are only seven...

It's Pesach time, so that must mean it's time for TV to show Cecil B. DeMille's bloated 1956 epic, "The Ten Commandments," starring Charlton Heston. The movie is risible, and the special effects are incredibly dated. But who can resist Edward G. Robinson growling his way through the film as Datan, and the (extra-Biblical) Nefertiri (played by Anne Baxter) pawing the aforementioned Heston. One (in)famous goof in the film for those watching it on DVD: Heston can be seen wearing a wristwatch when he stands on top of a large rock before parting the Red Sea. Oh, yes, the diaper he is wearing when he is pulled out of his little basket by Pharaoh's daughter? It's held on by a 1950s-era safety pin.

Invaluable movie site IMDB reports plans for a remake in 2006, to be directed by a well-known TV miniseries director. In this day of lowered standards and valueless morality, will it be called, "The Seven Suggestions"?

70 Hammerhead sharks went-a-swimmin’ (for the last time)

70 sharks were killed off the coast of Ashkelon by a group of Israeli Captain Ahabs (I know Moby Dick was a whale, bear with me), and will probably be sold to Gaza merchants for a nice profit.

“These are sharks who are dangerous to swimmers,” Jaffa fish restaurant owner Rani said.

Well, if Rani says they are dangerous, then I guess they must be. I mean, he did explain that the sharks attack after they activate a defense mechanism.

Then Rani goes on to say shark meat is a delicacy and that he sells it in his restaurant.

So, our prominent marine biologist provides two good reasons for killing 70 sharks.

My question is this: Shouldn’t there be some sort of supervision over these wild fishing trips?

Don’t get me wrong, I am afraid of sharks, and yes, I refrained from going to the beach for at least a year after seeing the movie Jaws (the first one, directed by Spielberg, not Jaws 4: The revenge of Jaws’ cousin, Chip), but the whole celebration just rubs me the wrong way.

Even if they are dangerous to swimmers, are we also claiming the sea as our own now?

Monday, 18 April

Sharks on the water

A shark expert in Vancouver, British Columbia, writes to tell us that it is not uncommon for sharks to gather in the warm excurrent plumes of power plants, as happened recently in Ashkelon, but it was - to his knowledge - the first time hammerheads had been reported to do so. The precise species identifiable from photographs, is Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), according to R. Aidan Martin, director of the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research.

Sunday, 17 April

Matzah brei challenge

A number of dear readers have taken up the matzah brei challenge laid down last week in advance of Pesach. Don't be left out. Write in and tell us why your style of matzah brei is best. Recipes and comments coming back at you by the end of this week.

Tax day in America

Came and went in the U.S., and I didn't even think about rushing to the post office to mail in my tax return to the IRS. But even though most people here don't file individual returns, every day is Tax Day here. The Israeli system is simpler - they just take all of our money and don't offer complicated deductions. If you're a veteran, new immigrant or mother of multiple children, you get extra points, which reduce your tax burden - some. And there's no deduction for mortgage interest payments!

Another happy customer

Some folks are easily impressed. The mayor of Manchester, N.H., a city notable mostly for its screaming yellow hometown newspaper and its quadrennial impact on U.S. presidential politics, was in Jerusalem for a conference, last week. "I've done a lot more praying here than I've done in a long time. I went to the Western Wall (of the ancient Jewish temple) and was able to walk in the footsteps of Jesus along the route of his crucifixion," Manchester Mayor Robert Baines told the above-mentioned newspaper.

Thursday, 15 April

The pods are coming (Chap. 3)

It's like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (Off-point aside: a second remake of that classic, Cold War sci fi-horror movie is apparently in the works) The "pods" are coming. We've already told you about several of the pioneering podcasts from Israel. Here are a few more - and they are worth a listen. Zion Bayin is featuring independent, underground and alternative Israeli music. Israel News Radio is a 'cast that has its origins on the Arutz Sheva "pirate" radio station, now gone. One of your intrepid Ybloggers is a guest on an upcoming Israelisms podcast. Ladies and gentlemen, start your iPods.

Now it's not only for eating...

A hip, downtown Manhattan art project of matzah-related and other avant-garde-type art in "flat files" has just moved to a public school, but will return to its regular home at the Streit's matzah factory and store after Pesach. By the way, streits.com is not the web address of the matzah maker. You'll be surprised to see what it is.