ATL Foreign Bureau: News from Israel and some gratuitous nudity
We don't usually get lots of "news from Israel" tips, but we have this week. Okay, we received two links to stories from Israel, but that seems like a lot compared to the usual zero.
The first story speaks to the dangers of Facebook. Sweet, seductive Facebook, you get us into trouble by making us want to constantly update our status message, addicting us to Scrabulous, and tempting us to post inappropriate photos that compromise national security:
A soldier from the elite Intelligence Corps unit "8200" was sentenced to 19 days in prison for uploading photos taken on his base without approval to the popular social networking site Facebook.This is the first time the Israel Defense Forces has sentenced a soldier to military jail for an offense of this sort.
Maybe it's time to confiscate cameras from military personnel. Photos seem to get these folks into trouble. E.g., Abu Ghraib.
On to the second story. Beyond the Israeli link, there's really nothing in common. So let's just move on to the nudity.
Our tipster sums this story up well:
I'm not sure if you are aware of the Passover legal hubbub that occurred in Israel earlier this month, but it caused quite a stir among all Israelis and many American Jews. There was a long-standing ban against selling non-kosher-for-Passover food ("hametz," or leavened bread) on Passover in public places, which meant all supermarkets and restaurants. A couple weeks ago, the Israeli Supreme Court, which in my opinion is way too activist for its own good, did away with the law completely by taking away its only application: it ruled that supermarkets and restaurants are not public places.All this is only mildly newsworthy to the general public, not necessarily ATL material.
But yesterday, some (arguably) legally savvy protester pulled a brilliant and hilarious move to get the attention of the courts. He stripped naked in a supermarket (wearing only a strategically placed sock) and called the police on himself and demanded they arrest him for indecent exposure. He wants this to go to court and he already has his argument: according to the Israeli court, supermarkets are not public places.
Happy Passover! Enjoy the matzah!
IDF soldier jailed for posting sensitive photos on Facebook [Haaretz]
Man strips in protest of bread sale during Passover [YnetNews]
Israeli Orthodox Jews angered over Passover ruling [Reuters]
(26) Comments
ATL working late??!! this is good - i lke some new content for those long lonely nights at work
ATL keeps weird hours sometimes. I have seen posts on the site as late as 11 PM and as early as 7 AM (although most of their posting seems to take place between 9 AM and 5 PM).
Good. As a secular Jew, it saddens me to see how the orthodox minority in Israel holds the secular majority hostage.
I guess israel at least has the funniest religous fanatics in the world. Can't see robertson coming up with anything like that (Thank god)
Please take this picture down. There's a limit and this is it.
NSFW comes to mind, Kash. But you're new and all of your posts are full of sexual innuendo, so I'll let it slide this time.
Those ugly f***s could have at least shaved down there.
This is really not an accurate report. There is a real controversy as to the Israeli law. It is clear that you can eat or sell whatever you want in your house and you cannot sell hametz (bread) anywhere in the street (like in a hot dog stand) because some religious bystander might be offended. The legal situation in regard to private shops was never de jure clear although de facto it was known that nobody is enforcing the law in private shops. Until the city of Jerusalem decided, against the opinion of the Justice department to do just that.
Then a (religious) judge in a municipal low court (and not the Israeli SUPREME COURT as you suggested) ruled that the law was drafted in a way that does not apply to private owned places.
The nice thing is that the law against public nudity uses a different term, which clearly includes private shopping place accessible to the public. Therefore the guy who did this protest might spend the next few weeks or so in jail.
What happened to the posts on shit that matters, like what $ the associates at 1-5 will be making. Lat, you need to understand your business model,
these jokers clearly only need an ankle sock. 1/4 length at best. and for gods sake, trim your business.
12:29, you used de jure AND de facto and put ONE word between them. automatic disqualification.
Things in the entire universe uglier than ATL's new layout: THAT PICTURE.
Low-grade work, Kash. Lat never would've subjected us to this.
3:01 -- You're comment about things in the entire universe uglier than ATL's new layout was totally classic. But, the second sentence of your post shows that you apparently haven't been around here long. Or, do you just not remember Lat posting male genitals on the front page of ATL? This is nothing new. What is disturbing, though, is the new direction ATL seems to be taking. I think this makes (at least) five consecutive days that there's been at least one sex post on ATL. This place is rapidly degrading into XOXO, not that most of us haven't seen that coming for some time, but it's still sad.
Please, dear lord, tell me these people commenting about the picture have heard of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their sock-wearing proclivities from their earlier, pre- mainstream days . . . damn, I feel old.
I highly recommend Uplift Mofo Party Plan . . . Special Secret Song Inside is a classic.
And here's the evidence . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Dql7EiMWE
8:13, the 90's weren't that long ago. Anyone who is an attorney and doesn't immediately recognize that picture, or at least recognizes it now that you mentioned the Red Hot Chili Peppers, must not have listened to any radio station in the United States or Europe from about 1993 through 1998 (possibly longer if you count the success they had with Californication).
Also, one of their biggest albums is titled Blood Sugar Sex Magik, clearly furthering Kash's agenda of cranking out posts brimming with innuendo. I for one, am enjoying them.
8:13 and 8:36: If people can't recognize the guy on the right INSTANTLY as Flea, then I'm too old. Hell, I don't even own an RHCP album and I know that. Whether or not the young'uns knew they like their socks is another thing. The picture is pretty tame.
Negative talk about Kash or that picture = faggot, Bare Naked Lady listening, douche bag who I used to beat up in high school.
9:46 - we're all sure you beat people up in high school. Yup. we're convinced of it.
I am beating up someone right now. She is in a wheel chair and just made a comment about how she likes kittens. I hate kittens.
Girls in my high school used to put up pictures of the RHCPs wearing socks over their johnsons in their lockers every year. It was no big deal.
9:39: I, too, feel old as hell.
Wow, people offended by an album cover from the late 1980's. Very topical stuff today.
Its like abby road... but naked and jewish.
Yes, genius (Chuck), it is Abbey Road--RHCP's The Abbey Road EP cover. And what an excellent use of it--instant credibility for Kash.
Sorry everyone... I don't keep up with pop music :-(
Chuck fails!