iPod Is the Devil, Says Israeli Orthodox Court
Very, very Orthodox Israelis are all in a tizzy over iPods. Israel's Orthodox Righteous Court of Law, often averse to "chastity-threatening" gadgets, recently put the iPod and its cousin MP4 devices (next-generation portable media players) on trial and found them guilty! of driving the chosen people to unspeakable sins.
The court declared a ban on the offending devices, and is giving merchants three weeks to purge them from store shelves. Those who do not comply may have to stand trial, they say.
iPod is the devil's plaything, say hard-core Orthodox community leaders, who allege that the device weasels its way into good homes by masquerading as a tool for listening to Torah lessons, while in effect serving as an instrument of corruption. Its detractors worry that the faithful will be tempted by "sinful" movies and other media that is readily available on the iPod.
"A great plague is upon us!" proclaim anti-MP4 posters plastered on the walls of Jerusalem neighborhoods.
Sounds like Israeli iPods could use a little makeover, kosher-cell-phone-style. [Source: YNet News]
The popular online social networking site was, for a time, identifying Israeli settlers whose homes are in the West Bank as being residents of Palestine. The settlers disagreed and threatened to close their Facebook accounts -- plus they claimed Facebook was making a political statement. In response, Facebook decided to allow people who live in the West Bank to choose either Israel or Palestine as their home.
The Israeli government is moving us one step closer to the nightmare future envisioned in '
