Corrosion, the representative at the IBM laboratories told me glumly. You must have used the computer outdoors. (Yeah right, it's ever so damp at my local cafe). The repair fee was close to the price of a new laptop, and no the warranty wouldn't cover "neglect."
Reality check: suicide bombings and Katyusha barrages never made me cry, but the loss of my computer - and my data, and my time and my money - made me burst into frustrated tears. I think I scared the IBM rep a bit, but she was unmoved. No warranty coverage for you.
My new computer is not an IBM.
I have a huge backlog of work and emails to catch up on, so my blog break will extend for a couple more days. Meanwhile, here's something to watch:
Itai Anghel
During the third week of the Israel-Hezbollah war a fascinating report was broadcast on Uvda (Fact), a highly respected investigative news show hosted by veteran journalist Ilana Dayan.
Itai Anghel accompanied regiment 931 of the Nahal Brigade (infantry) to a battle that took place on the night of August 6-7 in Houleh, a Hezbollah-controlled village in Lebanon that is about 2 kilometres north of the border with Israel. Anghel documents the fierce battle that took place using a camera equipped with a night vision lens. I think it is quite possibly the most significant piece of reporting to come out of the war.
Itai generously sent me a link to his report that includes English subtitles. You can watch it below (length, 25 minutes).
A few things to know before you watch: With the exception of the officers - Avi Dahan and Biche - all the soldiers are reservists in their 20's and 30's who did their three-year mandatory army service (ages 18-21) in the unit; in other words, they are civilians who responded to emergency call up notices. A small bit that was edited out includes an exchange between Itai and the reservist with glasses, during which the latter explains that in civilian life he lives on a kibbutz and leads nature hikes. There are a couple of minor errors in the translation but they don't detract from the impact of the report, which is compelling and intense. Note especially Itai's observation, in voice over narration, at the very end. (I won't spoil it for you, but I think it says a lot about how people can draw very differing conclusions from the same events).
Note: Please DO NOT embed this video on any other blog/publication.
Tech update: For those who cannot view the embedded video, copy and paste the following code into a new window on your browser. If that doesn't work then I'm afraid I don't know how to help. http://switch248-01.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=209947&ak=63628786
Eli Lake wrote an article about the report for the New York Sun, here.
