Me 1 ; Grouse Grind: 0

Yes folks, that's the final score. Don't ask me how long it took to make it to the top. Let's just say it was about average for a person who doesn't train. I was just happy to make it to the top. On some level, that tells me that I'm not as out of shape as I've been leading myself to believe. So, that's positive.

On the work front though, things are not going as well. Despite last week's successes, I have not been able to repeat them so far this week. Plus, I really need to experiment more. Thus far, I've been focusing on my scalping skills. Until I can make some consistent returns though, I will probably feel I need to keep honing those skills. I would be interested in doing research to try and pick winners, but when I get home, I never feel like putting in the time. I am also interested in getting a faster news feed, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay $70+ a month yet.

Commentary on the Situation in Israel/Palestine

Also, on a more political note, I read a great article on the situation in the middle east here. I agree, both sides need to abandon their dreams. The truth is right before the eyes of the citizens of both countries, but they are almost all self-deluding. Provocation only plays into the hands of the hawks. Israel needs to accept that it cannot keep (most of) its settlements in the West Bank. "Greater Israel" is an arrogant dream. It is perhaps ironic that it is almost identical to the Nazi ideal of the "breathing room" of "Greater Germany". At the same time, the Palestinians need to accept that there is a narrow window for a negotiated settlement. Israel's unilateral actions will soon create the facts on the ground. Once the security barrier is completed, Israel's hold on the settlements that will then fall within its territory will be "fait accompli". Palestinians will need to abandon the ideology of "right of return".

I guess I hate to admit it, but I guess I do favour the Israelis to an extent. The concessions IMHO they need to make for peace are significantly less than what the Palestinians need to make. As for the current situation, I'm not sure what to make of it. Israel has overreacted, and yet so much of what it says makes sense. Negotiating for the release of the hostage is giving in to extortion and will only encourage more audacious attempts. Still, there are provocative and humiliating actions going on behind the scenes. How many Palestinians does Israel jail every month? How many of those are justified? Seriously, I'd like to know the truth and not the distortions. Was is really necessary to detain Palestinian legislators, or to attack Ismail Haniya's offices? Obviously the civilian and terrorist infrastructure is next to impossible to separate, but was it really necessary to knock out Gaza's power grid and bridges? Also, on some level, the current crisis seems almost engineered by Hamas. Before the hostage crisis, Hamas and Fatah's feuding seemed to be tearing apart the fabric of the remaining PA institutions. Now they are forced into the same boat. I can't help but think of the movie, Speed. In which Keanu Reeves' character suggests shooting the hostage so the hostage taker can not longer use the hostage as leverage. On some level, a better, and more heartless response to this crisis would have been to write off their captured soldier and done nothing.

R