Amazingly, there are 20 posts on a blog that started shortly after Yud Sh'vat, and 18 in a video series that started L'ag B'Omer. That says something about something, but I'm not certain I want to contemplate what about what.

Meanwhile, continuing the calculation from the "Good News" vid, twice the world's age from 2488, the year of Bilam's prophecy (of the return of prophecy to the Jews) is 4976, well before the Ba'al Shem Tov's time, closer to the days of the Ari Zal, and Nostradamus.

One is reminded (frequently) of the story of R' Akiva, touring the smouldering ruins of the Second Temple with his colleagues, all of whom justifiably upset under the circumstances when Akiva, upon catching sight of a fox skittering across an open space, starts to sing, dance, and laugh as if it was his son's wedding. His partners decided that the old boy had finally snapped, but he reminded them of Jeremiah's prophecy (of foxes ruling the ruins, but that this was merely clearing the site for the Third, permanent, Temple), and said, "the first part of the prophecy is true; the next is only a matter of time."

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Mr former Secretary Oof State Robert McNamara left this world this morning. I thought we'd heard the last of him a decade back.

It's hard to forgive the lives lost. It's harder yet to forgive the lives ruined. Guys who could have made, built, created in this country, live on the streets, their souls seared out in a jungle we should never have sent 'em to - and for what?

Rumsfeld will be even harder to forgive, once the full load of casualties ship Home.

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Todd Purdum's article (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908) on (r"l) Sarah Palin (insert multitrack screams here) is not nearly the "hatchet job" the righ-wingers would have a reader believe. What is revealed is something a lot scarier than I thought. I highly recommend following the link.

Then again, anyone who thinks we've heard the last of Sarah Palin is living in some sort of dream world. I have the feeling that this woman will be the right-wing equivalent of herpes simplex - it'll never completely go away. For those who crave comic relief, she'll be always reliable. What's really, really scary is that all too many actually take her seriously, r"l.

Someone suggested that the WNBA give her a gig, since she has such a good grip on a point guard's responsiblities. I say, make her Commissioner of the WNBA. Here's why: the Dreaded "W" (remember him, r"l) has been quoted as saying he'd have been happy to be Commissioner of Baseball. Think of all the blood and treasure - not to mention the damage to the body politic - that could have been avoided if that moron had been quietly stashed in a corner office at the MLB HQ.

Make her WNBA Commissioner. While we still can.

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All this is but a taste of what's to come in this week's videos. After all, Chukas-Balak has had its run. It's time to put away the livestock and whup out the harpoon. Let's go hunt some Evil.

And when it comes to Evil, no one does it like the Republicans.

Golus Sucks!

Moshiach Now!