This AM IDF radio interviewed international law professor Robi Sabel, who said that many states, including Israel, grant themselves the right to prosecute people outside their borders. But nations other than Belgium pursue such prosecutions only when the accusations are less political in nature and have direct bearing on themselves or their citizens.

Still waiting for a convincing explanation of what's actually been going on with these renewed "ceasefire" talks and redeployment plans.

Some indications of the economic mess here are that Expat Egghead had his salary cut, Imshin's job might be in jeopardy, and yours truly is working hard at zero salary. Worse off are people who I know that have been unemployed for months. A few people blame the government's budget priorities and monetary policy, but the simple explanation is that the tourism and high-tech industries are in the tank - and that it doesn't make much sense to try to refocus the economy elsewhere.

I'm inclined to agree with people who think that the "new new economy" will be about decentralization, but money folk are still thinking in tune with the "old new economy". In one respect the technology industry currently resembles the early 90s: companies - even competing companies - are required to cooperate with each other rather than attempt to force customers into proprietary solutions.

Nick Denton hears that Israelis are buying fancy pajamas for the communal bomb shelter. That's cute, but I don't think it's true (haven't heard about his hotel thing either).

This article says that the IDF now foils about 15 suicide bombings for each one that succeeds (whereas last March there were 8 foiled attacks and 17 successful ones), and that attacks will be foiled more easily once the northern segment of the security fence is completed in July. The PA is taking some action against the firing of Kassam rockets from Gaza into Israel because they fear reoccupation and anyway the rockets don't cause enough damage to boost Palestinian morale. There is now said to be both an operational plan and broad consensus in Israeli political echelons for expelling Arafat.

It's kind of scary that the US embassy is evacuating non-essential personnel (article).

The View From Here says that a (foreign?) TV crew contrived a scene of people lining up to buy sealing materials at a hardware store.

The brochure below actually has an illustration showing how to cover up an AC unit. Eventually I'll go about sealing the window and AC unit in the room where my PC is located. If the room actually needs to be sealed I'll need to disconnect the ethernet cable that runs thru the doorway.

I returned from the US about a week ago (stops in Colorado and the Northeast), and have been busy with a potential business venture since returning. I need to make another trip at the end of February, but my wife T. is concerned that the war with Iraq may begin while I'm away.

We received a color brochure in the mail about how to prepare a "sealed room". Our flat is on the top floor of our building, and each room has an air conditioner that's connected to the roof. Sometimes water drips from the AC in heavy rain, so I'm not sure if surrounding the whole unit with heavy plastic is sufficient. And the booklet doesn't say anything about this. But I tend to think that if there really is a chemical attack, an improvised sealed room won't help too much. Newer apartments have sealed rooms built in - these are called a "mamad" and resemble a room-sized bank safe.

Ace Hardware in Talpiot has bottled water, thick plastic sheeting, and wide tape stacked up by the checkout.

People who I talk to seem fairly complacent. Jerusalemites went through the war in '91 without being fired at, so there's a bit of a "been there, done that" type attitude.