Last night was pizza night at the Blaikie household. One of the side effects of pizza can be a lively family discussion about something pristine or putrid. In this case, it was the latter. I had seen a Fox News segment about Israeli troops dispersing Palestinian protesters and stone-throwers with "skunk juice." One Fox reporter who got baptized by it described it as "stuff that smells like raw sewage mixed with decomposing food. If the water gun hits you, the smell stays with you for several days."
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/01/07/skunk-water-and-tear-gas/
This unpleasantness reminded me of a TIME magazine article I read a number of years ago about how British police had come up with the ultimate technique in crowd dispersal for dark places frequented by teens up to thuggery and other mischief. They mounted indestructable speakers in high, inaccessible places and played Barry Manilow music. Loud. "Time for a music lesson, kids." A couple of clicks on youtube and we were listening to Barry crooning an old 80s favorite: "I write the songs of love and special things...I write the songs that make the young girls cry. I write the songs, I write the songs."
Not sure if Barry's songs would be enough to make the Palestinian men cry and disperse. Guessing the Israelis will stick with skunk juice and tear gas.
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