What Makes People Tick?

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