Guys, the apocalypse is just a stake throw away.

[gelbes_gilatier]

I can feel it in my bones. I mean... look at it:

• first the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile
• then The Volcano No One Can Pronounce (you know, the one that grounded practically all of Europe for at least four days and had people do such strange things as taking a cab from Oslo to Brussels for 3500€ (I ain't joking... that's what John Cleese did) or from Riga to Warsaw for 500€ (the boyfriend of one of my sister's co-workers did that) or journey through half of Europe in a rental car so you can get to Chile (36 hours nonstop from Basel to Madrid, one of my sister's co-workers did that)
• also the Caribbean will probably be polluted for... oh... the next 1000 years (and my sincerest and deepest condolences and greatest hopes for all those on my flist that are direct or indirect victims of that)
• Israel totally went off the rocker (seriously, just a few decades ago those actions would have provoked declarations of war from at least three countries... and supposing the whole thing did indeed happen in international waters, Israel committed an act of piracy... the same thing the US Navy and EUNAVFOR are fighting off the Somalian coast... also: Where are the German MPs, dear Israeli government?)
• and, last but not least, as of today, Germany is without a head of state - that is to say: President Horst Köhler decided he felt offended by the criticism to his latest none-too-clever demands to use the Bundeswehr for unlawful actions (i.e. "protecting Germany's trading routes") and resigned from his office (like, you know, "OMG, someone criticised what I said! Did I miss something? Are we living in a democracy all of a sudden?")

So... see what I mean?

ETA: The Israel situation is getting better and better:

"Heute gegen 20:30 Uhr konnten Inge Höger und Annette Groth im Hafen von Aschdod das Gaza-Hilfsschiff Mavi Marmara verlassen. Beide sind unverletzt. Auch der ehemalige Abgeordnete Norman Paech hat den Angriff auf die Hilfsflotte unverletzt überstanden, er befindet sich noch auf dem Schiff in Gewahrsam des israelischen Militärs.

Annette Groth und Inge Höger konnten mit Vertretern der deutschen Botschaft in Israel telefonieren, wurden dann aber an einen unbekannten Ort verbracht, ein direkter Kontakt mit ihnen ist immer noch nicht möglich, auch die deutsche Botschaft hat keinen Zugang zu ihnen."*

Source

*Translation:

"Today, at around 2030, Inge Höger and Annette Groth (the two German MPs) could leave the Gaza solidarity ship Mavi Marmara. Both are unharmed. Also the former MP Norman Paech has survived the attack on the solidarity fleet and is unharmed; he is still in the custody of the IDF.

Annette Groth and Inge Höger could talk to the German embassy in Israel, but where then brought to an unknown location; direct contact is still not possible, the German embassy also does not have any contact to them."

Jesusfuckingchrist, this is a fucking hostage situation. The Israeli state has taken German MPs as their hostages. WTF. I don't even.