Israeli minister wants 'Swine' Flu renamed

100+ people have died from this illness and this is the best that TIME's bloggers have to offer?
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I really have to ask Tim, do you do any any actual reporting in Israel for this blog, or do you just pull all your ideas off the Ha'Aretz English-language website?
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This so-called swine flu is a media diversion from more pressing international issues in the same way the avian flu was used by the Bush Administration.
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I think it's rather uncouth of Yakov Litzman to rename "swine" to "Mexican". Not a lot of Mexican Jews I guess. Somewhere in Mexico City, Pepe Goldstein raises an angry fist at Litzman for his careless attempt at a misnomer. Ultra-Orthodox + Religion = coocoo, I say.

So now you're a doctor too Nick? Or do you just play one on TV?

This is a typical Tim McGurk post -- fixate on the foibles of Israel's ultra-Orthodox minority as a way to make all of Israel look ridiculous. Back in March, he confidently told us that "Many Israelis are convinced that Sharon was struck down because rabbis put a curse on him for pulling out of Gaza," without any attribution at all. How many Israelis really believe this, Tim? What's your source? Then, a post about ultra-Orthodox newspapers airbrushing women cabinet members out of photos. Now this. You'd never know from Tim's posts that Israel is a modern, overwhelmingly secular society.

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Then, there's the lame attempt at comedy. "Isn't this a bit unfair to Mexicans?" I dunno, Tim, we usually name flu pandemics after their place of origin. Remember the Hong Kong flu? How about Spanish influenza? So, no, I don't think it would be unfair.

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What's the harm? Well, the comment above is illustrative. Ridicule begets ridicule, and not just of Israel, either. In addition to showing us that he's a conspiracy theorist (see his "media diversion/avian flu" comment), Israel hater persianadvocate gets a chance to demonstrate that he's also an anti-Semite by inventing a fist-shaking caricature with a silly name, as though the idea of a Mexican Jew is inherently ridiculous. He also shows a stunning lack of self awareness with his equation of ultra-Orthodoxy with "coocoo", since Iran, not Israel, is a theocracy. And fears that Iran's theocratic government is actually motivated by theological concerns instead of rational power politics (i.e., that they're coo coo) is a big reason why so many, not just in Israel, are worried about what they might do with a Bomb.

I never said anything about Judaism. You need to stop being paranoid lol

Btw, wasn't it Israel's army that was circulating pamphlets equating the Gazan massacre this year with a religious war? If rational power politics is the game, then the Israelis = fail.

I find it laughable how pro-Zionists quickly forget how they have extremists that have resorted to terrorist means too. Asbestosagain, you are fatally misinformed if you think that Israel's leaders are more rational than the pragmatic Mullahs in Iran. Netanyahu is an extreme fundamentalist, way more dangerous than Khamenei.
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I support a detachment from Israel and new and better relations with Iran.

persianadvocate -- You don't have to say anything about Judaism -- it's enough to say things about Jews. Which you did. And I know, some of your best friends are Jews. lol yourself, bigot.

From cnn.com
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In Spain, six people -- all recently returned from Mexico -- were being isolated in hospitals, the country's Health Ministry said. Lab tests confirmed that one of the people had tested positive. In Israel, doctors are running tests on a man who recently returned from Mexico with light flu symptoms. iReport.com: Do you think we should be worried about swine flu?
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In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. In 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/27/swine.flu/index.html
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Last I checked, we're up to about 150 deaths worldwide. I guess Nick and Tim should continue their laugh fest at this point.

ussliberty's screen name says all you need to know -- he is a hater, and his grudge against Israel is comprehensive and unyielding. Netanyahu is many things, some of them bad in my opinion, but to call him a religious fundamentalist is just silly, unless all you're looking for the nearest stick to pick up and hit him with. Like so many who claim to be concerned about excessive U.S. support for Israel, Liberty doesn't really want a "detachment" from Israel, he just wants it to disappear, and will say anything negative about it that comes to mind. Whatever he says next will be simultaneously nasty and boring.

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And by the way, I also support a new and better relationship with Iran. Let's see if the Iranians want one, too. So far, the evidence is not good (See Roxana Saberi).

Yes, two of my good friends are Jewish. But that is irrelevant to a conversation you have chosen to bring Judaism into. I respect other people's rights to practice whatever religions they choose. But weak attempts to impeach me by calling me a bigot, racist, or anti-Semite are ridiculous. If I were to criticize the work of a Muslim terrorist, would I be racist then towards Muslims? You cannot label me an anti-Semite as if it were a white light that should absolve all the sins of Zionists at once. Zionists are of many races and religions. Judaism has nothing to do with it.

Have you guys heard about those Israeli blogers and web posters that the Israeli government employs to ameliorate and improve Israel's public image on the internet??! The Israeli newspapers revealed that fact a few months ago. They said that the Israeli government allocated millions of dollars for that!
I seriously believe that the pro-Israel posters here, the like of jacobblues and asbestosagain, are being paid by the Israeli government to post here.
I mean think about it, I almost never ever see them write anything in posts that are not Israel related. And every single time an Article here discuses something about Israel, these guys rise from the dead and start laching and bashing the Time poster.
In their view, anyone who posts anything relatively critical of Israel is an anti-semite and a jew hater.
Every single time a Time correspondant writes something here about Israel, they accuss him of being a jew hater. Its amazing!
If you dont believe they are being paid to do that, then please someone explain to me why they keep on posting here when everybody in their opinion is an anti-semite or a jew hater?!! If you dont like it....LEAVE...why are you still here?!! Because its your job, thats why.

150 swine flu deaths and counting. Well, that's not so much compared to 5 million deaths worldwide from smoking (http://sexualhealth.e-healthsource.com/index.php?p=news1&id=522533) some 12 per cent of all deaths. But statistics don't count much here if people feel we are up against the APORKALYPSE
The Israeli Health Ministry's name-change could prove unhelpful, by skewing statistics. Swine Flu H1N1(actually a combo of swine, human, and bird viruses) appears to have mutated into something deadly this time round, whatever you call it..as for the point about that "Israel is a modern, overwhelmingly secular society." Not a very rational one however, particularly in Jerusalem, where the ultra-religious hold alot of sway and are increasingly intolerant of outsiders and variant sects. Some Haredi families get their jollies on the main Jerusalem road by throwing rocks at passing cars on the sabbath. A (deputy) Health minister who wants to rename the flu after it has infected so many for an utterly unmedical reason does not inspire much confidence in modernity and secularity.

You can believe what you want Karim, but I've stated before and will restate again. I am an individual and not part of an organized attempt to blow smoke at anyone. My opinions and personality are entirely my own and if you have a problem with that you can take a flying leap for all I care.
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Of course, the accusations you make about myelf can be directed at you in the reverse matter. People like you and Nick seem to crop up anytime purely to bash Israel and Jews. One could reasonable wonder whether its a paid position of the Egyptian government since it does have a interest in controlling media content within Egypt, why not abroad.
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Of course for most people, myself included, such ideas verge on the realm of conspiracy. But then again as USS Liberty 911 points out in his or her screen name, there's no shortage of people who rush to fill that vacuum.
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Tell you what Karim, rather than impugn my honor, try coming back with a real argument.

BTW for those that may care, the WHO has raised the death toll to 152 and raised the pandemic level on the swine flu outbreak. Maybe Tim's next blog will be how he played 'ring around the rosy' on his next vacation in Mexico.

Well Dizzybee I guess someone has to say something to keep all those journalists employed.
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We're talking a tempest in a teapot here.

Jacob, I laugh off your attempts to call me a racist or anti-Jew. I don't care if a particular Zionist wants to worship sheep, so long as they are a Zionist, believing in the principles of Zionism which call for racism, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, then they are my adversaries insofar as ethics, morality and argument go. Name one time I disparaged an individual or government BECAUSE he/she/it was Jewish.
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150+ Swine Flu deaths < 200+ dead Palestinian babies the Israelis killed in 2009 alone. Still not seeming all too significant in a Israel that is more interested in listening to religious Zealots like Yakov to rename a flu in racist, not modern medical, fashion.
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Yes, Karim, there are "Hasbara", or Israeli employed blog trolls who were hired to specifically spread positive Israeli messages and to battle any true, negative ones on the internet.

jacobblues,
"You can believe what you want Karim, but I've stated before and will restate again. I am an individual and not part of an organized attempt to blow smoke at anyone. My opinions and personality are entirely my own and if you have a problem with that you can take a flying leap for all I care."
I have a problem with your government that pays millions of dollars every year to ameliorate its public image by having employees register fake accounts in order to give the fake pretence that there are real people out there who defend Israel's actions, while the truth is, ofcourse, otherwise.
Ofcourse, I have no evidence that you are one of those employees but the fact that every single time you post here you accuse the Time correspondant of anti semetism trying to attack his credibility makes me believe you are a fake and hired poster.
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"People like you and Nick seem to crop up anytime purely to bash Israel and Jews."
I rest my case.
Listen, jacob whatever, I dare you to quote me saying anything against jews like you said, I DARE YOU. Show me...go ahead and show me where I bash jews...show me.
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"One could reasonable wonder whether its a paid position of the Egyptian government since it does have a interest in controlling media content within Egypt, why not abroad."
Lol, was that an attempt of a counter attack?! Listen: Ofcourse, Egypt has an interest in controlling media content within Egypt. Yes, that is true. Egypt is after all a dictatorship. While Israel, on the other hand, is supposed to be a democracy, although a racist democracy because Israelis want a Jewish Israel and not Israel for everybody, but still it is a democracy and I never ever heard of a democratic country that allocates millions of dollars of tax payers money in order to ameliorate its public image by paying employees to defend Israel on the internet using fake accounts! That is unheard of!!
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"Tell you what Karim, rather than impugn my honor, try coming back with a real argument."
I just wish that for just once...just once...post something intelligent here (but I guess thats not within the work limits) instead of all the anti semite and jew hater BS you keep on accusing everybody who does not kiss Israel's a**. Or else, please GO. But I guess you wont coz you have a job to attend to. Tell me, how long will you be staying here until a replacement arrives?

It's like the Twilight Zone with Jacob et al, Karim. Don't even bother...

Hey Nick, I just dont want people who read this blog to doubt the Time correspondents' credibility. Everytime the bloggers post something that relates to Israel, Jacob and the rest of the hired Israeli posters gang come out of no where and start bashing them, accusing them of anti semitism and any other BS one can think about.
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Yesterday, I read a very good Article by Tim McGirk on the suffering of the Palestinian families who endure the impossible in order to see their loved ones who are jailed in Israeli jails and almost no one is talking about that. There are more than 10,000 Palestinians jailed in Israeli jails while the whole world is talking about 1 single Israeli SOLDIER captured by Hamas! Everyone even knows his name but I wonder if the world knows of the names of the 300+ Palestinian children who died in the Gaza massacre a few months ago. I wonder if the world knows the names of those 10,000 + Palestinians jailed in Israeli jails, many of them have been locked up for a number of years without a trial! Unbelievable. I think you can find the article on the main web page.
Anyway, I just want to express my deepest respect for Tim McGirk and the other Time correspondents who really stick to their opinion and their point of view no matter what. Those guys are unafraid to write about what they see even though, I can imagine, they take alot of heat because of that.
My deepest respect for you guys. Keep up the good work. I would have loved to email you Tim but since I do not have your email, I decided to express my appreciation here.

I have been checking on this swine flu tracking website http://www.swine-flu-tracker.com/ on and off for the last couple of days now and its kinda scary seeing how it this strain of flu is spreading.

This is what Nick wrote on the Huffington Post when an Israeli civilian was killed by rocket attack:
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/persianadvocate?page=3&action=comments&display=all&sort=newest.
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"oh well, 1 dead."
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Scum.

Here is another juicy quote:
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"But since Zionists have unleashed their media machinery and intruded into the conversation, per the above, it should be known that in Israel, it is well-documented non-Jews have the same rights blacks did in Apartheid Africa and segregated America....There is a strong Zionist/Israeli movement to disparage Iran and Iranians."
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Help, the Zionists are disparaging me!
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What a freak!
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.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/persianadvocate?page=4&action=comments&display=all&sort=newest

Here's another post by persianadvocate on Huffington, expressing anger that "Jews in America" didn't have there assets "frozen" by an American president.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/persianadvocate?page=2&action=comments&display=all&sort=newest
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"The funds for the program came from Jews living in America, with assets in America, very easily frozen for malfeasance by someone like LBJ, our then-President."
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You can find this and many other intelligent quotes all over Huffington from persianadvocate.
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Classy.

NoLongerActiveBS,
I categorically accept that all of the above quotations are by me but you've rendered them without the proper contexts. I proudly stand behind all of my opinions. I'm neither ashamed nor needs lessons of class by a sheister like you. Now stop stalking me on OTHER sites.