You'll get my Christmas tree when you pry it from my cold dead paws.

reading

I'm reading three books right now. Well technically I'm still reading Julius Caesar but can never find it when I want to finish it. And I'm reading a non-fiction book, about women in early Hollywood.

But I've got 3 fiction on the go. A book about a Nigerian man who gets involved in email scamming--we haven't got to the scamming part yet.

A collection of the three Cranford novels. I read the middle one in university years ago and enjoyed it. I'm enjoying the first book--a relaxing bedtime read.

And a book I picked up as a bargain book at some point, about a young Muslim woman from India who gets the chance to go to Paris, and becomes a model.

You can imagine which once I chose to be my bus and bus stop companion today, as I traveled through stormy conditions. When I know I have to spend hours in transportation, it's fluff city! Or it can be literary, but I need to be at the page-turning stage. And it has to be a book I don't mind getting wet, because I WILL stand with the book open to the snow. If I'm going to stand in the wind chill waiting for the bus to arrive, I want something to distract my mind.

I almost read the whole durned book, the ride home was so long. But I had a nice comfy seat, so it was very pleasant. :-) Ahhhh books. :-)

a brief word on Israel

Very brief. So the one world leader whose feelings are unmixed on the subject of Egypt is Netanyahu. Obviously he'd like Mubarak's regime to continue. Egypt has a long-standing peace treaty with Israel, it helps keep the border stable, etc. Israel does not want a Devil It Doesn't Know. I understand that.

But I think Netanyahu is being a fool for going on and on about this in public, unless it's something he has to do for the Israeli public--is there an election about to happen or something? No one in Egypt wants to hear this. If you're interest is in keeping Mubarak in power, then the laaaaaaaast thing Mubarak needs is Israel dancing around saying KEEP MUBARAK IN POWER PLEEEEAAASE!!!!

I skim-read some other opinion piece right now that said what Netanyahu should be doing is not trying to prop up Mubarak, but talking to the Egyptian people, reminding them of the strategic reasons why peace with Israel is in their best interest. I agree there are good strategic interests to continue the peace--the same reasons they started the peace. Because Egypt is poor, they don't have any personal land they need to get back (unlike Syria or the Palestinians), they need to focus on their own problems. And of course, in return for supplying intelligence, and not tolerating rocket attacks from their borders, they get much needed aid from the US. Possibly any new govt will understand this.

But I do NOT agree that this is the time to be making appeals to the Egyptian people about this. Because Israel: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. For heaven's sake! I know international politics in self-centered by nature, but could we not paint on a slight veneer of nice-a-tude for the occasion? Just PRETEND to care about the Egyptian people? For five minutes? Because that would be in their own self-interest, and work better than all this "wah wah wah don't destabilize our authoritarian ally!" or "Appeal to them that their new govt continue a treaty!" What new government?

Oh for the love.

Okay, I just had to get that off my chesst.