Fili’s world

Domestic news contain endless discussions of whether the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip has proved a complete failure since Israeli cities are now being bombed daily with small man-held missiles-rockets (Shderot and lately, Ashkelon). Together with the deadly Hamas attack, the Israeli soldier being taken hostage by the Hamas, and the Israeli decision to go back into Gaza, everything is just a total disaster. It seems like everybody's completely lost. Some Asian friends have mailed me recently asking me if everything is okay over here, wondering how I'm doing, and making sure the Gilad person who was taken isn't me (as we have the same Israeli first name :D). My response is - I can't keep up with it all, I don't get it, I give up. I have to block everything to keep sane.

In the international section of the news, America and the Asian countries are fearing the missile testing by North Korea. I always fear a situation in which America is fearing something or someone, because it usually follows with extreme action. If China is now a great capitalist friend, then North Korea is the current extreme threat. It doesn't matter that the missile launch failed miserably, it's the concept that matters - leaders say. There's finally something that allows uniting S. Korea, China, Japan, Australia and the US. War and a threat brings such harmony and collaboration, isn't it wonderful? 

On the Taiwanese side, Michael Turton writes about another missile test that I personally didn't hear about, planned by Taiwan to maintain the balance of power with the hundreds of missiles in China aiming at the Taiwanese island. I can't imagine what would happen if the Israel-Palestinian situation would occur over there.
(Come to think of it, I do like to think that Israel is a more of Taiwan than China with the huge surrounding hostile countries, but you can make that reverse comparison as well, I guess)

It's all so surreal. I just hate the news.

(Here's a cartoon posted in Haaretz's Thursday addition, which I found after writing this post :$.
The guy on the left is saying "cool")