A little less reporting a little more talking please

Breaking news: No news to break.
Well that's not accurate, the president might be corrupt and basketball, football (soccer) and other sporting events may or may not be hosted in Israel for a while. Again. Turkey has explosions, UK had a terror plot with 10 planes, but apparently Israel is not safe for sports anymore (again). It's all nonsense of course, but who cares about sports really. Sure, this will furthermore hurt the tourist industry, and sure this is yet another effect of terrorism, but its not new, not breaking and not news.

The war is over. I don't personally agree with that sentiment (I heard a newscaster utter here today) and there is a lot to write about and do. But breaking news, live, right now? There is none. The excitement, the frantic unfolding of events, it's over.

What's a Bunker Blogger (obviously not in a bunker anymore, but the name stays and I'll tell you why in the future) to write about from day to day? His thoughts. This is a blog after all, I tried for it to not be in the common way, but when the news stop-a-flowing a writer must dig down into the bottom of the barrel and present his personal musings. I apologize in advance.

Breaking news: (oh the irony) In yesterdays blast in Turkey an Israeli family was present, the wife injured. I've just watched an interview with the husband in perfect hebrew and calmness telling his experience and how "it" followed him there from home. Can't help but feel that somebody from here would handle this so much better then if they were from elsewhere. If you were planning a trip to Turkey have a guide that speaks the language and be careful about where you go.

Back to my musings. Before I get my own round of interviews started I'd like to share a feeling that I sometimes have. If this is a sure sign of schizophrenia we I don't care. I sometimes like to hold fictional conversations in my head, there I said it.

This might range from Woody Allen discussing my latest screenplays with me (he has some comments but generally he is very impressed usually) or Nietzsche telling me how right I am. But at times like these it usually turns to interviews that I'd very much like to conduct but am unable to (at the moment at least, anything is possible, long live the blogosphere, 'etc). During the Rome Summit I had wild fantasies of asking Siniora why after they drove out Syria they didn't drive out Hezbollah as well. "It cost your predecessor his life, and he was well aware of the danger he was putting himself in, we had it happen as well, the Americans at one point had in the past had it happen. Historic times call upon leaders to do historic things. What are you doing for your country Mr. Siniora? Your country was able to drive Syria out but not Hezbollah? If you were unable to, why did you not ask for assistance from the UN? Syria was driven out with the support and pressure from the international community. Why have you not been in contact with Israel's PM even once?" - it was a lot more eloquent in my head at the time, believe me.

I'm getting that feeling again. Olmert visited the north, including Haifa, and said the following: "..the claims that the North of the country collapsed are false, those who's hearts bled for the North for the most part sat in coffee shops in Tel-Aviv talking about how bad the situation is." The second part is probably very true in a way, the first is complete nonsense. And so here goes.

BB: "Mr. Olmert thank you very much for sparing the time to take this interview."
Olmert: "Don't mention it."
BB: "You've said some interesting things today. In your opinion the North wasn't damaged?"
Olmert: "The North held firm and is fine now, it didn't collapse, were on the right track to-"
BB: "It did hold firm, but I don't I don't think upon your visit you realized what the damage was and is. The Hezbollah doesn't have guided missiles, it points and shoots and has no control where it might hit. You don't see condensed areas of damage, a rocket here, a rocket there, one-two dead at a time, without a pattern. Going thru the cities, thru Haifa and farther to the North, the effect is not fully seen. But the fact is that we had a million people living in bunkers for a month, not being able to work, not being able to do much of anything. Shopping for food was a danger, in fact people were hit because of that, the personal damages, you just don't see it."

I'd like to say it's my lack of imagination that's responsible for me not having an imaginary answer from Olmert to my question. Then again I lack a question mark there as well, don't I?