Via InstaPundit:

SURPRISE:

The two British suicide bombers who blew up a seafront bar in Tel Aviv, killing three people, had posed earlier as peace activists, acting as "human shields" for Palestinians, sources in the Gaza Strip said yesterday. . . .

A Western pro-Palestinian activist said the two later took part in a protest march in Rafah to commemorate Rachel Corrie, an American "human shield" killed by an Israeli bulldozer last March.

At least the story says "pro-Palestinian activist" instead of the manifestly-untrue "peace activist." And the Israelis have noticed:

Israel will from now on bar pro-Palestinian activists from entering the country and will try to expel at least some of the dozens of activists who are already here, according a new plan drafted by the Israel Defense Forces and the foreign and defense ministries.

Most of the activists, who come from Europe, Canada and the United States, belong to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Yes, and they're not "peace" activists, they're just on the other side.

posted at 10:44 PM by Glenn Reynolds

[Instapundit]

    

Like, Duh, Dudes! 'Eminem' Jews Rap Establishment (The Jewish Week)

A few months ago I was invited to observe a focus group being conducted with about two dozen unaffiliated Jews in their 20s discussing their views on Israel, Judaism and their own religious identity.

I sat behind a one-way glass wall with more than a dozen officials from a variety of Jewish organizations, watching the proceedings in the next room.

Over a period of several hours we were at times annoyed, frustrated and depressed with the responses of the young people, who made it clear that neither Israel, synagogues nor organized Jewish life resonated with them. In fact, they expressed a good deal of negativity in discussing these issues at the prodding of Frank Luntz, a national public opinion research expert. They told him they were embarrassed by many of Israel’s military actions, felt the American Jewish establishment was irrelevant to their lives and described Hillels on campus as a place to avoid.

    

Borrow and Spend, Borrow and Spend: Treasury Says U.S. Could Face Default (Washington Post)

"Treasury has asked Congress to boost the government's borrowing authority, although it has not suggested a specific amount. A proposal is pending on Capitol Hill that would raise the debt ceiling to $7.38 trillion.

"Last year, Congress boosted the old debt limit by $450 billion, from $5.95 trillion to the current $6.4 trillion.

"The government had to borrow a record $111 billion in the January-March quarter to cover the shortfall between expenses and tax revenue. It expects to borrow another $79 billion in the current quarter."

Yudel's Line: Are you better off now than you were in November, 2000? How does your IRA compare? Are your taxes less and your income more? Or is it the other way around?

And if you're not better off, well, maybe someone you know is. Go ahead, ask!

    

Why We Pay for Anti-Drug Programs that Don't Work: Prevention Programs And Scientific Nonsense (Policy Review)

"In the case of the pseudoscience that dominates school-based prevention, the authorities are the expert panels that are convened by government and private agencies to determine what is “best practice” or “research-based” or “exemplary.” If an independent researcher examines the evidence pertaining to any of the approved programs and contests a panel’s judgment, this leads not to a critical analysis and discussion of the relevant data but to questions as to the adequacy of the individual who raised the questions. What both of these forms of political thinking demand is deference to authority and solidarity, not a search for the truth about efforts to promote health."

    

Sabra Sounds: The Best of Yehuda Poliker (Jerusalem Post)

"When he plays live, singer/songwriter Yehuda Poliker teases the audience by first playing a round of rock 'n' roll classics that he scored with the band Benzeen in the early '80s. The rocking tracks get the audience up and dancing, and then he gradually builds up the buzz by adding layer upon layer of fast-paced guitar melodies, eventually taking the crowd to the world of Greek music that is his signature tune.

Poliker has adopted the same mix of amazing restraint and energy in choosing and ordering the songs on his first-ever collection of classic hits. A comprehensive two-CD set featuring no less than 36 Poliker gems."