My Blog

wifi in san francisco?

Ilana — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 08:14:37 GMT

I'm new to the world of laptops (at least since they've had wireless) and would be interested if anyone knows spots in san francisco. I know the city is talking about citywide wifi, wouldn't that be nice!

broccoli stinks

Ilana — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:35:17 GMT

really. I came home last night to find the most rank smell in my apartment, and was afraid to look for a dead animal under the furniture. I opened the windows and this didn't help. then I washed the dishes in the sink, thinking they smelled like the possible culprit. After lots of clean dishes, I found I had been wrong there too. That's when I saw it: the open bag of frozen broccoli from the previous night, sitting on the kitchen counter where I'd apparently forgotten about it. A-ha! A quick toss in the trash, reopening the windows and all was well once again!

goats instead of lawnmowers

Ilana — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:33:13 GMT

LAGUNA HONDA WELCOMES BACK GOATS -- In a true public health interpretation of encouraging San Franciscans to eat local, organic, sustainable food, approximately a 1,000 Boar Goats are eating their way through 23 acres of poison oak and blackberry brambles on the grounds of Laguna Honda Hospital. This is the second year the goats have dined al fresco on the hills at Laguna Honda Hospital. We anticipate the goats will have an annual, standing reservation at LHH to help us manage the vegetation. The goats are a popular attraction among the neighborhood residents.

Tell mcd's to stop giving out hummers in happy meals

Ilana — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:22:58 GMT

http://www.ronaldmchummer.com/index.php

the real thing- compare to prev. blog

Ilana — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 17:36:39 GMT

Speech of Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, published in Maariv on Monday, July 31, 2006. Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world, I, the Prime Minister of Israel, am speaking to you from Jerusalem in the face of the terrible pictures from Kfar Kana. Any human heart, wherever it is, must sicken and recoil at the sight of such pictures. There are no words of comfort that can mitigate the enormity of this tragedy. Still, I am looking you straight in the eye and telling you that the State of Israel will continue its military campaign in Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces will continue to attack targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired at hospitals, old age homes and kindergartens in Israel. I have instructed the security forces and the IDF to continue to hunt for the Katyusha stockpiles and launch sites from which these savages are bombarding the State of Israel. We will not hesitate, we will not apologize and we will not back off. If they continue to launch missiles into Israel from Kfar Kana, we will continue to bomb Kfar Kana. Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Here, there and everywhere. The children of Kfar Kana could now be sleeping peacefully in their homes, unmolested, had the agents of the devil not taken over their land and turned the lives of our children into hell. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time you understood: the Jewish state will no longer be trampled upon. We will no longer allow anyone to exploit population centers in order to bomb our citizens. No one will be able to hide anymore behind women and children in order to kill our women and children. This anarchy is over. You can condemn us, you can boycott us, you can stop visiting us and, if necessary, we will stop visiting you. Today I am serving as the voice of six million bombarded Israeli citizens who serve as the voice of six million murdered Jews who were melted down to dust and ashes by savages in Europe. In both cases, those responsible for these evil acts were, and are, barbarians devoid of all humanity, who set themselves one simple goal: to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth, as Adolph Hitler said, or to wipe the State of Israel off the map, as Mahmoud Ahmedinjad proclaims. And you - just as you did not take those words seriously then, you are ignoring them again now. And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world, will not happen again. Never again will we wait for bombs that never came to hit the gas chambers. Never again will we wait for salvation that never arrives. Now we have our own air force. The Jewish people are now capable of standing up to those who seek their destruction - those people will no longer be able to hide behind women and children. They will no longer be able to evade their responsibility. Every place from which a Katyusha is fired into the State of Israel will be a legitimate target for us to attack. This must be stated clearly and publicly, once and for all. You are welcome to judge us, to ostracize us, to boycott us and to vilify us. But to kill us? Absolutely not. Four months ago I was elected by hundreds of thousands of citizens to the office of Prime Minister of the government of Israel, on the basis of my plan for unilaterally withdrawing from 90 percent of the areas of Judea and Samaria, the birth place and cradle of the Jewish people; to end most of the occupation and to enable the Palestinian people to turn over a new leaf and to calm things down until conditions are ripe for attaining a permanent settlement between us. The Prime Minister who preceded me, Ariel Sharon, made a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip back to the international border, and gave the Palestinians there a chance to build a new reality for themselves. The Prime Minister who preceded him, Ehud Barak, ended the lengthy Israeli presence in Lebanon and pulled the IDF back to the international border, leaving the land of the cedars to flourish, develop and establish its democracy and its economy. What did the State of Israel get in exchange for all of this? Did we win even one minute of quiet? Was our hand, outstretched in peace, met with a handshake of encouragement? Ehud Barak's peace initiative at Camp David let loose on us a wave of suicide bombers who smashed and blew to pieces over 1,000 citizens, men, women and children. I don't remember you being so enraged then. Maybe that happened because we did not allow TV close-ups of the dismembered body parts of the Israeli youngsters at the Dolphinarium? Or of the shattered lives of the people butchered while celebrating the Passover seder at the Park Hotel in Netanya? What can you do - that's the way we are. We don't wave body parts at the camera. We grieve quietly. We do not dance on the roofs at the sight of the bodies of our enemy's children - we express genuine sorrow and regret. That is the monstrous behavior of our enemies. Now they have risen up against us. Tomorrow they will rise up against you. You are already familiar with the murderous taste of this terror. And you will taste more. And Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza -- what did it get us? A barrage of Kassem missiles fired at peaceful settlements and the kidnapping of soldiers. Then too, I don't recall you reacting with such alarm. And for six years, the withdrawal from Lebanon has drawn the vituperation and crimes of a dangerous, extremist Iranian agent, who took over an entire country in the name of religious fanaticism, and is trying to take Israel hostage on his way to Jerusalem - and from there to Paris and London. An enormous terrorist infrastructure has been established by Iran on our border, threatening our citizens, growing stronger before our very eyes, awaiting the moment when the land of the Ayatollahs becomes a nuclear power in order to bring us to our knees. And make no mistake - we won't go down alone. You, the leaders of the free and enlightened world, will go down along with us. So today, here and now, I am putting an end to this parade of hypocrisy. I don't recall such a wave of reaction in the face of the 100 citizens killed every single day in Iraq. Sunnis kill Shiites who kill Sunnis, and all of them kill Americans - and the world remains silent. And I am hard pressed to recall a similar reaction when the Russians destroyed entire villages and burned down large cities in order to repress the revolt in Chechnya. And when NATO bombed Kosovo for almost three months and crushed the civilian population - then you also kept silent. What is it about us, the Jews, the minority, the persecuted, that arouses this cosmic sense of justice in you? What do we have that all the others don't? In a loud clear voice, looking you straight in the eye, I stand before you openly and I will not apologize. I will not capitulate. I will not whine. This is a battle for our freedom. For our humanity. For the right to lead normal lives within our recognized, legitimate borders. It is also your battle. I pray and I believe that now you will understand that. Because if you don't, you may regret it later, when it's too late.

Dear World

Ilana — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 16:30:19 GMT

(this was not written by me. I've gotten it as an email fwd twice this week.) Dear World, I understand that you are upset by us, here in Israel. Indeed, it appears that you are quite upset, even angry. (Outraged?) Indeed, every few years you seem to become upset by us. Today, it is the "brutal repression of the Palestinians"; yesterday it was Lebanon; before that it was the bombing of the nuclear reactor in Baghdad and the Yom Kippur War and the Sinai campaign. It appears that Jews who triumph and who, therefore, live, upset you most extraordinarily. Of course, dear world, long before there was an Israel, we - the Jewish people - upset you. We upset a German people who elected Hitler and upset an Austrian people who cheered his entry into Vienna and we upset a whole slew of Slavic nations - Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians and Romanians. And we go back a long, long way in the history of world upset. We upset the Cossacks of Chmielnicki who massacred tens of thousands of us in 1648-49; we upset the Crusaders who, on their way to liberate the Holy Land, were so upset at Jews that they slaughtered untold numbers of us. For centuries, we upset a Roman Catholic Church that did its best to define our relationship through inquisitions, and we upset the arch-enemy of the church, Martin Luther, who, in his call to burn the synagogues and the Jews within them, showed an admirable Christian ecumenical spirit. And it is because we became so upset over upsetting you, dear world, that we decided to leave you - in a manner of speaking - and establish a Jewish state. The reasoning was that living in close contact with you, as resident-strangers in the various countries that comprise you, we upset you, irritate you and disturb you. What better notion, then, than to leave you (and thus love you)- and have you love us and so, we decided to come home - home to the same land we were driven out 1,900 years earlier by a Roman world that, apparently, we also upset. Alas, dear world, it appears that you are hard to please. Having left you and your pogroms and inquisitions and crusades and holocausts, having taken our leave of the general world to live alone in our own little state, we continue to upset you. You are upset that we repress the poor Palestinians. You are deeply angered over the fact that we do not give up the lands of 1967, which are clearly the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Moscow is upset and Washington is upset. The "radical" Arabs are upset and the gentle Egyptian moderates are upset. Well, dear world, consider the reaction of a normal Jew from Israel. In 1920 and 1921 and 1929, there were no territories of 1967 to impede peace between Jews and Arabs. Indeed, there was no Jewish State to upset anybody Nevertheless, the same oppressed and repressed Palestinians slaughtered tens of Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Safed and Hebron.Indeed, 67 Jews were slaughtered one day in Hebron in 1929. Dear world, why did the Arabs - the Palestinians - massacre 67 Jews in one day in 1929? Could it have been their anger over Israeli aggression in 1967? And why were 510 Jewish men, women and children slaughtered in Arab riots between 1936-39? Was it because Arabs were upset over 1967? And when you, dear world, proposed a UN Partition Plan in 1947 that would have created a "Palestinian State" alongside a tiny Israel and the Arabs cried "no" and went to war and killed 6,000 Jews - was that "upset" caused by the aggression of 1967? And, by the way, dear world, why did we not hear your cry of "upset" then? The poor Palestinians who today kill Jews with explosives and firebombs and stones are part of the same people who when they had all the territories they now demand be given to them for their state -attempted to drive the Jewish state into the sea. The same twisted faces, the same hate, the same cry of "itbach-al-yahud" (Massacre the Jew!) that we hear and see today, were seen and heard then. The same people, the same dream - destroy Israel. What they failed to do yesterday, they dream of today, but we should not "repress" them. Dear world, you stood by during the holocaust and you stood by in 1948 as seven states launched a war that the Arab League proudly compared to the Mongol massacres. You stood by in 1967 as Nasser, wildly cheered by wild mobs in every Arab capital in the world, vowed to drive the Jews into the sea. And you would stand by tomorrow if Israel were facing extinction. And since we know that the Arabs-Palestinians dream daily of that extinction, we will do everything possible to remain alive in our own land. If that bothers you, dear world, well think of how many times in the past you bothered us. In any event, dear world, if you are bothered by us, here is one Jew in Israel who could not care less.

rain

Ilana — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 00:39:50 GMT

rain rain rain rain rain rain rain rain clouds rain rain wind rainrain rain rain a fitting description of life in san francisco.sun sun sun sun sun sun sun sun warmth sun sun sun sun blue sky sun sun sun sun sun sun will we ever see it again? I am off to Israel in 3 weeks for sun sun sun sand warm mountains sun snorkeling sun sun sun tan! (see photo from my last Israel trip.)

fun for you, me and Israel's environment?!

Ilana — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 20:06:23 GMT

Friends- I am training for an unforgettable 5 day bike ride through Israel. Come party with me to support me in this environmental fundraiser. It's all-you-can- drink! I hope to see you there. Please RSVP and fwd the evite to your friends too! www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/igauss@gmail.com/fundraiser L'shalom, Ilana

Do you have 2 minutes for Israel's environment?

Ilana — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:41:24 GMT

This week is your last chance to register to vote in the World Zionist Congress elections. Help send us and our slate of dedicated Jewish environmentalists to Israel to represent the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA) and fight for Israel’s environment. Visit www.congressofthejewishpeople.org or www.greenzionism.org to register NOW! See details in blog entry from earlier this month.

Tu B'shvat is coming!

Ilana — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:51:26 GMT

Join me, EcoJews of the Bay and lots of other great folks at the JCC for one of the coolest Jewish holidays of the year! Sunday, Feb. 12, 6:30 pm (rsvp by 2/6) Led by Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Director, Taube Center for Jewish Life Featuring Israeli and Jordanian speakers from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies Celebrate Tu BShvat, the new year for trees, with a seder: a ceremony with fruit, wine, song, teaching and meditation. A celebration of Jewish environmentalism and spirituality, the seder honors the trees we see in our world and the Tree of Life that upholds all the worlds. A light kosher meal and symbolic foods will be served. Co-sponsored with Jewish National Fund, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Tzavta of the Israel Center, Congregations Sherith Israel and Shaar Zahav, EcoJews of the Bay and San Francisco Hillel Visit www.jccsf.org to register. Contact me to find out how to get the member discounted price!

Click to help Israel's environment

Ilana — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 05:01:11 GMT

Dear Friends, A very exciting election is happening now and your vote can directly help Israel's environment! I am writing to ask for your vote for The Green Zionist Alliance (GZA), a party running in the current World Zionist Congress elections. This is a grassroots campaign, where your support will truly affect change. I am excited and honored to be running on the Slate of the GZA. With your help, I can represent you and other passionate Jews dedicated to protecting Israel's environment at the World Zionist Congress next June in Jerusalem. Please visit our website www.greenzionism.org for voting information. The election is open to all Jews, eighteen years or older, living in the United States. Though more than 5 million people are eligible to vote, only 2% participated in the last election, so the voice of those who vote is heard loudly. Click here ( www.azm.org) to register to vote, and please register others to vote "Green" as well. The first environmental slate to win a seat in the 108-year history of the World Zionist Congress, The GZA is working hard to influence the world Zionist movement to protect Israel's environment and strengthen awareness of environmental concerns in Israel and the Middle East. As an independent slate of passionate individuals, we rely on the hard work of our slate members, volunteers, and other dedicated individuals to get out the vote. Our grassroots campaign relies on you to vote and to forward this e-mail to the numerous others who believe in protecting Israel's environment. Please help us in this mission. In the Zionist Congress parliamentary-style election, the votes we receive directly translates into the number of our delegates invited to join us next summer in Jerusalem. With one seat in the last congress we succeeded in appointing two leading environmentalists to the Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (Jewish National Fund in Israel) board, who have already affected change. With your support in this election we will achieve much more. Please take a moment to read the information below, learn more about the GZA's platform, and register to vote in the upcoming elections. Please forward this e-mail to you friends, colleagues, and family. Visit our website, www.greenzionism.org, for more information, to sign up for monthly updates, and/or to volunteer in the campaign. Thank you for your support. Ilana Gauss Slate Member The Green Zionist Alliance --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Green Zionist Alliance :: Working Today for Israel Tomorrow :: These are the main bullet points in our platform. You can read more details at www.greenzionism.org. INSTALL AN ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER IN THE JEWISH AGENCY. REDUCE ISRAEL'S OIL USE, AIR POLLUTION AND ASTHMA LEVELS. REQUIRE FULL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS FOR NEW ZIONIST-FUNDED PROJECTS. CONTINUE TO WORK WITH JNF/KKL TO CREATE POLICIES REQUIRING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN ISRAEL. SUPPORT OF ISRAEL-DIASPORA PERSON TO PERSON AND GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES. ENCOURAGE ALL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FUNDED BY THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT TO INTEGRATE ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION TOPICS INTO THEIR CURRICULA AND PROGRAMS. WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH NEIGHBORS TO SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. WORK TOWARD A PERMANENT AND EQUITABLE RESOLUTION OF INTERNAL LAND DISPUTES AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS.