What Makes People Tick?

Finally! A headline that makes me smile instead of wonder what the world is coming to. Instead of talking about Hamas or the Islamic State or threats made against the governments of European and other non-Muslim countries, today I'd like to talk about what's right in the world: "The Light of Israel is Defeating the Forces of Darkness" as the website United with Israel reports. What a joy to read those words! The article (from exactly a year ago) reads like an advertisement for Israeli technology and innovation, showing the world that Israel, unlike the terrorists in neighbouring Gaza and Syria, is more interested in technological advancement and helping the world than wasting time on rape, murder, rocket attacks and destruction. "On the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Law) we read how the universe was created – starting with the four words “Let there be light”. Today, Israeli solar energy projects light up countless homes. However, the Jew...

I am a firm believer in the need for all religious systems to be open to changing (their interpretations and explanations) with the times, for people to be free to choose the religion they want to follow and to choose their level of commitment to that religion. I also believe that as long as one sticks to some basic rules most of humanity shares, we should all be free to live our lives as we please. I wasn't born into a religious family, have never been formally accepted by any religion as 'theirs' and have never converted to any religion. Simply put: I do not officially belong to any religion. If one must label me by religion, it is fair to call me someone who believes what Noahides believe. That is to say that I believe in the God of the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an - The God of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad and many, many people around the world today. To find out what God wants from me, I turn to the source, to the Jewish Bible. While I most certainly ...

What else did the IDF do to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza? Read more --> https://t.co/tg9GtZH1A4 pic.twitter.com/Y33t0Ut9gx — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) June 22, 2015

Read an article today that got me thinking. Sharing the first paragraph of the article here. Hope you'll head over to the Jewish Press to read the entire article. It's worth reading and the question the article asks is worth thinking about, no matter what you think about the Israel / Palestine situation. With the BDS movement gaining momentum, many on the Israeli Left are increasing their calls for negotiations under the premise of a two-state solution. In their minds, the two-state solution is the only practical solution that could end the international isolation of Israel and lead to peace. But in the midst of the exhausted political ping-pong of whether or not the two-state solution is actually viable, the most important question often goes unasked – what if they are wrong? Source: What if they are wrong? | The Jewish Press | 22 June 2015 Now, whether you went and read the article or not - and I hope you did, it's worth reading - do yourself a favour and use your i...

Religion pic.twitter.com/FmByPLkuUu — Mahatma K. Gandhi (@GandhiWisdom) June 19, 2015

To all those who are fasting this Ramadan - May you have an easy fast. I pray that God will hear and answer the prayers of those praying for peace, love and light. Ramadan Kareem. May you have an easy fast! pic.twitter.com/75k040BBdQ — MAGEN DAVID ADOM (@Mdais) June 21, 2015

What Makes People Tick is not just a blog anymore! Since the 8th of April 2015 we're also on Twitter. Yay! And we've been on Google Plus for a while now, too! Want to find us online? Follow the links... What Makes People Tick Blog on Twitter Hello world! http://t.co/FOTn47LA86 Finally on Twitter! Excited to be here; looking forward to reading, learning, sharing and Tweeting. — WMPT Blog (@wmptblog) April 8, 2015 What Makes People Tick Blog on Google Plus

The Times of Israel reports that Pope Francis spoke out about anti-Semitism: In comments made to veteran Portuguese-Israeli journalist Henrique Cymerman Thursday, Francis was quoted as saying that “anyone who does not recognize the Jewish people and the State of Israel — and their right to exist — is guilty of anti-Semitism.” Source: ‘Not recognizing Israel as Jewish is anti-Semitic, Pope says’ | The Times of Israel | 28 May 2015 Below, the Tweet from international journalist Henrique Cymerman: In an email we got from Pope Francis:"Whoever does not recognize the Jewish People and the State of Israel falls in antisemitism" — Henrique Cymerman (@Henrique_B_C) May 28, 2015 Seventy years after the end of the Holocaust, as the internet connects and unites the world and people are able to make up their own minds based on the information freely available to them online, isn't it about time that we all kick anti-Semitism to the curb? The Nazis and those who helped th...

Dear male readers, you might want to skip this article. Then again, you might not. After all, it's only an article about something that happens to all women - including your mother,  sister, wife, cousin, neighbour, colleague, daughter and oh, just about every other woman the world over. The Huffington Post writes a very interesting article about the Pink Tax - what it costs the world's women to menstruate for much of their life. According to the article: "On average, a woman has her period from three to seven days and the average woman menstruates from age 13 until age 51. That means the average woman endures some 456 total periods over 38 years, or roughly 2,280 days with her period -- 6.25 years of her life." Source: Here's How Much A Woman's Period Will Cost Her Over A Lifetime | The Huffington Post | 18 May 2015 The Huffington Post article focuses on the cost of periods with regards to money, however I would like to write about the way soc...

As if all in Europe is well and all European countries are flourishing, the European Union seems to feel the need to meddle in affairs that - as far as I am concerned - are none of their (or should I say 'our'?) business. On the 16th April 2015, Israel National News writes that Sixteen out of the 28 EU countries want the bloc to label products from Judea and Samaria in an economic attack on the Jewish state, diplomatic sources told AFP Thursday, confirming a Haaretz report. The plan was first mooted in 2012, but the 16 member states told EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini it was now time to press ahead as part of efforts to force Israel to divide in a "two state solution." Source: EU Label on Israeli 'Settlement' Goods: A Yellow 'Jude' Badge | Israel National News / Arutz Sheva The sixteen countries whose foreign ministers (seem to) want to force Israel to give up parts of historical Israel to a second Palestinian-Arab state (the first ...

"For the dead and the living,  we must bear witness."  --  Elie Wiesel Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. May we never forget; may Never Again be tattooed on our hearts.

Yom HaShoah How do you remember a tragedy some seventy years ago when you see it happening all over again, all around you and all around the world? How do you tell your children that those bad and evil people who murdered so many last century are not dead and gone as we once thought but still here, just wearing different faces, shouting different slogans? How do you honour your family members, the ones still here who lived through it and the ones long gone, murdered or gassed or shot or simply left to rot, how do you remember them without the promise, always, of Never Again? How do you tell your children, your neighbours, your ancestors and future generations? How do you explain to them that despite the horror and the knowledge and the pain, it is happening again? In Brussels (Belgium) where three innocents were murdered at a museum. In Paris (France) where four were murdered at a kosher store. In Copenhagen (Denmark) where a man was killed outside a party. In Amsterdam (Nethe...

Kit Harington plays Jon Snow on Game of Thrones and according to the media, the actor is sick and tired of being objectified. Welcome to our world, Kit! While looking for his exact quote today, I searched a few websites, looking for a site to link to that shares the actor's words without referring to him as a hunk, a heartthrob or eye-candy and without belittling his words. Honestly - a site like that was hard to find. Why is it so hard to appreciate someone for his work, his commitment and for bringing a loved and appreciated character from a book to life through television? Do women have nothing better to do than objectifying a man simply because he appears on a hit television show? One wonders... The actor spoke to Page Six about being treated as nothing but a body: “To always be put on a pedestal as a hunk is slightly demeaning,” “It really is and it’s in the same way as it is for women. When an actor is seen only for her physical beauty, it can be quite offensive.” “We...

In 2014, when Hamas attacked innocent Israelis with numerous rockets day in day out, the world was mostly silent. Or I should say: The world quietly applauded the so-called Palestinian 'freedom fighters' and their despicable terrorist acts, calling them heroes and courageous people.  What is courageous about terror and hatred? What is courageous about killing innocents? What is courageous about sending rocket after rocket at men, women and children simply trying to live their lives? What is courageous about terror tunnels meant to attack non-combatants? What is courageous about hating Jews because an old book tells you that you should? Yet when Israel fought back, when the Jewish people responded by protecting their own instead of waiting to be slaughtered the way the world seems to think they should, the world reacted. The world shouted about the 'evil Jews' and the supposedly horrible acts they committed. The world shouted about 'concentration camps' in Gaza...

All lives matter. African or American or Asian - We are all human beings. The victims of the Garissa attack in Kenya are not just numbers. Some of the interesting artworks about #GarissaAttack shared online. #147isnotjustanumber #JeSuisKenyan (2/2) pic.twitter.com/i8xnCk1grs — Abdi Latif Dahir (@Lattif) April 5, 2015

All lives matter. African or American or Asian - We are all human beings. The victims of the Garissa attack in Kenya are not just numbers. Some of the interesting artworks about #GarissaAttack shared online. #147isnotjustanumber #JeSuisKenyan (1/2) pic.twitter.com/teJTXb5gvW — Abdi Latif Dahir (@Lattif) April 5, 2015

Once upon a time, this blog started as a simple collection of ideas in one person's head. Those ideas were expanded to ever so slowly become a dream. The dream became reality through faith, hard work and dedication. While I usually write "I" in the blog posts for What Makes People Tick, I the writer / editor could not do my writing-work without a team of people to support me, sustain me, teach me, help me and guide me. This blog is a team effort as much as it is an individual effort. Why start a post entitled "The Power of the Israeli Knesset" by talking about something that has very little to do with said Knesset; a blog run / written by a non-Israeli? Because the State of Israel inspires this humble writer greatly. As John Lennon said, "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." How very true with regards to Israel, a country that was a dream in the hearts and minds of so many for thousands of years and became ...

Today, April 1st 2015, the so-called State of Palestine has become a member of the ICC, the International Criminal Court. For the sake of innocent peace-loving civilian Palestinians who simply want to live in peace, security and safety, I welcome and applaud this move. However I also want to remind readers of this blog of what ICC membership for 'Palestine' actually means. The 'State of Palestine' is made up of Hamas-controlled Gaza and the Fatah-controlled West Bank - Judea and Samaria. WhileI am not a supporter of Hamas or of Fatah and personally believe that the Palestinian people would be better off without these so-called leaders, today I do not want to talk about my opinion, I simply want to share some facts: The Hamas Covenant 1988, known as the " The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement " is the founding document of Hamas. The document makes it very clear what Hamas' hopes and dreams are for the future. From that Covenant, here are three...

From an idea to a dream to a collection of topics to a set of stories to an actual blog to a blog with a Google Plus page - What Makes People Tick has come a long way. This year, we're hoping to go even further. We're coming to Twitter ! Or rather: We've arrived and we hope you'll join us for the party! Hello world! http://t.co/FOTn47LA86 Finally on Twitter! Excited to be here; looking forward to reading, learning, sharing and Tweeting. — WMPT Blog (@wmptblog) April 8, 2015

In a 26 March 2015 article, The Jewish Press writes that "Rhetoric plays a major role in the demonization of Israel. The dissemination of false arguments is prevalent among the major demonization techniques. It is thus important that those who publicly defend Israel be trained to see through such tactics. One technique used against Israel is false moral equivalence. It is based on the deceitful claim that there is no difference between two greatly dissimilar actions. Examples abound and only some of the most frequent ones can be mentioned here. A prominent one is the perverse claim that Israel’s behavior is equivalent to that of the Nazis. This example of false moral equivalence is widespread throughout Europe. Five studies covering nine European countries show that about 40 percent of Europeans think Israel is a Nazi state." Source: Demonizing Israel With False Moral Equivalence | The Jewish Press http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/demonizing-israel-with-fa...

Recently read an article entitled "Freedom Under Attack" in the Op-Ed section of The Jewish Press. The writer, Ron Prosor, is Israel's ambassador to the United Nations. Read the article at: http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/freedom-under-attack/2015/03/05/ A lot of what Ambassador Prosor says has me nodding, not just today but in the past as well and from what I read, I find that he makes a lot of sense to me. Which is why I'm sharing some quotes from the article. The quotes are in bold text, my own words are in plain text. Ambassador Prosor starts by looking at 1945, the year World War Two ended in Europe. The year 2015 marks seventy years since the closing of Auschwitz - Birkenau and other Nazi camps, the death of Anne Frank, the liberation of Europe from the claws of Nazi Germany and the eventual end of World War Two. My grandparents lived through that War and growing up, it was not uncommon that they and other grown-ups, those old enough to remember ...

The English language can be confusing... However so can those who speak the language! England, Britain or the United Kingdom? English, British or perhaps Yuukayeean? Here's an easy tool to help you remember! I don't know why people get confused,  it's very simple... pic.twitter.com/xUCJ2X6fs8 — The Lazy Dog (@TheLazyDog_) March 9, 2013 Disclaimer: Yes, we did make up the word Yuukayeean. Call it attempted humour. Or just silly.  

CNN writes an encouraging and heartbreaking story about life in modern Afghanistan that made me want to share with this blog's readers some of the everyday, the crazy and the amazing that makes Afghanistan what it is today. While many in the west might think of Afghanistan as a war-torn dusty country stuck in the Middle Ages, a country that  oppresses women  and  destroys ancient Buddha statues , it turns out that Afghanistan has left the past behind and has been living right here in the 21st Century for a while now... and  cares more about those statues than I thought ! Burqa-clad women |  Shutterstock The CNN article, appropriately called  The Afghan Voice that won't be silenced , talks about Shabana Faryad, the first female contestant on  The Voice of Afghanistan  and features an interview with Aryana Sayeed, the first female judge. It highlights the lives of women in Afghanistan today and looks at the differences between life before, ...

It is time for humans the world over to unite. It is time for us to come together through the Internet, through Social Media and through Technology. It is time for us to come together and collectively say NO. It is time for us to come together and collectively say NO to war, NO to corruption, NO to consumerism, NO to living in a plastic-fantastic society, NO to intolerance and the spreading of misinformation, NO to governments not delivering on their promises, NO to religious intolerance, NO to discrimination, NO to rape, NO to torture, NO to inequality, NO to hunger, NO to living a life dedicated to the pursuit of material things and NO to one more person having to live in poverty or suffer for one more day. It is time to come together, to collectively stand up for what matters and to tell those who care more for money and power than people and the planet that they need to WAKE UP before it is too late. The internet, social media and instant global communication as we know the...

Some quotes by the amazing and inspiring Yoko Ono. Dear Yoko,  You make me want to be a better person.  Thank you for being you. “War is over if you want it.” “ You change the world by being yourself.” “A dream you dream alone is only a dream.  A dream you dream together is reality.” “Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world.  Just start thinking peace, and the message will spread quicker than you think.”

Why is it that some men seem to think it is necessary to treat women as nothing more than 'a piece of ass' or as 'eye-candy'? I understand that as human beings with eyes, we look around us and at others while walking around - most people don't like walking into other people, buildings or parked cars, after all - however does it really need to be accompanied by cat-calls, whistles, groping and lewd comments? Will there ever be a time when women are appreciated as they are and for who they are as human beings? Women are not food, gadgets, mannequins or toys - we make up half the population of the world and are simply just as human as any male. Whatever your religious background or view on a woman's proper place or role - surely it is possible to treat all women as if they are your mothers, sisters and daughters?

If you care about what happens in the world, in the United States, in Israel, in the Middle East, in Europe... If you care about the survival of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and free press... Watch this video of (former mayor of New York) Rudy Giuliani speaking out about world issues, the danger of power in the wrong hands and how to make the world a better place.  I am - shock horror - quite a fan of (American president) Obama and very much appreciate that he is attempting to bring the entire world together or at least that he's trying to talk to the Arab / Muslim world, not just to white / European / western / Christian countries. What I think is ridiculous is that the American president does not seem to want to link terrorists motivated by (their particular version of) Islam to Islam as a global religion .  I refuse to blame all of Islam (as a religion) or all Muslims for the horrible and despicable acts of a relatively small gro...

Earlier this month, a Turkish young woman was brutally murdered after resisting assault and rape by a stranger. A 20-year old university student on her way home to her family, Özgecan Aslan was aware of the dangers all women face in a world in which men live - she carried pepper spray and she knew to fight back to defend herself - yet also determined to get an education and live her life without fear of other human beings. The burned body of Aslan, who had been missing for two days, was discovered on Feb. 13 in a riverbed in Tarsus in the southern province of Mersin. Ahmet Suphi Altındöken, the 26-year-old bus driver, confessed in a testimony to the prosecutor that he stabbed Aslan to death before cutting off her hands and burning her body. The court arrested Altındöken, while his 50-year-old father, Necmettin Altındöken, and 20-year-old friend, Fatih Gökçe, have also been arrested on charges of being accomplices to the murder.    Turkish women changing names to escape v...

I firmly believe that all people are equal because we are all human. Whether one believes in a Big Bang and gradual evolution or believes that we were created by a Higher Power and the first of us were Adam and Eve - one cannot deny that we are all equal, all the same, all human, all part of the same family. We are all individuals - We are all people who think, dream, imagine, smile, laugh, love and cry. We all feel emotions, we all have families and friends we love, we all have hopes and dreams and aspirations. While we are all unique, different and individual, we are also all human. In the end we all want the same for those we love and care about - we all want them to be happy, safe, loved and protected. I myself want the same for my family and friends - I want them to be happy, to be free, to be able to speak their minds, to choose their own path in life, to know they are safe, to be free from persecu...

Terrible. At least 15 attacks took place in France after the #CharlieHebdo massacre. And it will continue. pic.twitter.com/AzrD4pRjFC — Emran Feroz (@Emran_Feroz) January 9, 2015