Random Thoughts

The Death of NATO?

2011-06-10T07:51:00.076-05:00

In his bluntest warning in nearly five years as Pentagon head under two US presidents, Gates announced that Washington's fading commitment to European security could spell the death of the 60-year-old alliance.
Excerpt from the Guardian - June 10, 2011

Has the life of this alliance run its course? Where will America stand without Nato? What will our European allies do without a military tie to the United States? Will only going "cold turkey" force Europe to understand that only together we can make the world safe for Democracy? Are we returning to our isolationist past? Are we going back to being the sleeping giant that needs to be reawakened? This article presents many questions to me. As I reflect, I will find even more.

Most of us worry only about what we directly affect and what directly affects us. We do not worry about what is happening in the next state or certainly a state that is a thousand miles away. We are generally even less concerned about happenings in nations thousands of miles away. Unfortunately, we need to be aware and concerned because events both far and near affect us.

The statements of Secretary Gates are not new. Most likely, his remarks will flow into the dust bin. America and Europe will continue to drift apart. A dream is that his remarks will spur action. Hopefully, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic understand the importance of our joint military strength as a force for good. Together we need to discuss Nato's continuing purpose and its function.

To read the entire article go to the following url:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/10/nato-dismal-future-pentagon-chief

Self Promotion

2011-06-07T13:53:00.021-05:00

Is it ok that I get to show off my 5 seconds of fame? Barry Mannis, an AIPAC National Board Member, honored me before 10,000 AIPAC attendees in his speech introducing Senator John Thune of South Dakota. You have to get through nearly 2 minutes of advertising for next year's AIPAC Policy Conference to get to the beginning of the introduction. Needless to say my head swelled for the credit given to me. Do I deserve this credit? I would love to think so but there have been many people who deserve credit for helping Senator Thune understand the unique US - Israel relationship.

Prediction

2011-05-16T20:18:00.022-05:00

The White House announced today that President Obama will address the AIPAC Policy Conference this Sunday. The President has rocky relations with the Pro-Israel community. As he looks to his Jewish supporters from the 2008 election, I believe that he will hold out an olive branch to the 1000's that will be at the speech. Many members of Congress from both parties are pushing the President to free Jonathan Pollard. My prediction is that he will announce during his speech that he will commute Pollard's sentence.

Obviously, I do not have any inside knowledge about this. The odds are certainly against me but I believe that President Obama has to do something special to excite this audience. I do not believe that he is coming if not to do something extraordinary. The AIPAC Pro-Israel activists will not be satisfied with words. Actions are important. This is one action that will sway the crowd and Pro-Israel activists everywhere.

Double Standard

2011-05-10T13:35:00.038-05:00

Am I missing something? Where are the human rights group that want to deligitimize Israel for her treatment of the Palestinians? Where are the Western governments that demonize Israeli actions against people who bomb and shell them but only call upon the Syrians to be nice to her protesters?

Today we see the following headline by Reuters,
Ban Ki-moon urges Syria to halt arrests, let in UN

GENEVA May 11 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Syria on Wednesday to halt mass arrests of anti-government protesters and to heed calls for reform.

In March 2010 we saw the following headline and quote from the International Middle East Media Center,

Ban Ki-moon Condemns Israeli New Settlers' Houses In Jerusalem
Wednesday March 10, 2010 16:10 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

The United Nation secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, condemned the latest Israeli decision to build 1,600 new settlers homes in East Jerusalem.

You could say that I took these out of context and from limited sources. Fair argument until you Google "condemns israel" or "concerned syria."

To me, you must conclude that building houses is worse than imprisoning protestors or murdering people in cold blood. Israel gets global condemnation for building houses while the Syrians roll tanks into their cities, machine gun innocent civilians and arrest and imprison non-violent protesters. Israel is obviously held to a different standard.

Mazel Tov Israel on 63 Years

2011-05-09T08:48:00.006-05:00

Video makes your heart swell!

Is Anybody There?

2011-04-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise? Syria and Iran seem to know that it does not. They have expelled all outside news reporters. Since there is no one there to report on the massacres of innocent civilians, the outside world does not notice or seem to care..

Israeli Star Wars Operational

2011-04-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

If you can remember ancient history, President Reagan in the 1980's proposed an American anti-missile missile system. The system took on the name Star Wars after the popular movies of that name. For many reasons both good and bad the idea has been mostly abandoned.

Because of the Lebanon War in 2006 and Operation Cast Lead against Gaza in 2008 with the thousands of rockets being fired indiscriminately into Israel by her antagonists, Israel decided to invest in its own anti-missile missile systems. Thanks to financial assistance from the United States and Israeli technological prowess, Iron Dome became operational today. The system shot down a Katyusha rocket fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Star Wars worked!!

For the article in the Jerusalem Post, please go to the following url:
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=215635&R=R1

Mechanical Engineer Explains the Secrets of the Wiffle Ball

2011-03-23T08:25:00.000-05:00

I know that I have not blogged in quite awhile. Maybe this article will get me going again. To think that the mechanics of a wiffle ball are important with all that is happening today in the world seems trivial. It is but we always need something to liven us up. Jenn Rossmann obviously takes the dynamics of this seriously. I just remember how that ball moves crazily. I never thought of why and probably never will again.

Enjoy the article, if you care to.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/st_alphageek_ballistics/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

1984 Revisited

2011-01-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

From: xcurmudgeon.blogspot.com

This article from Wired Magazine turns the conventional wisdom of the internet advancing freedom on its head. I do not know who is ahead in spying on their people but it seems all governments read our social inputs and listen to our phone conversations. If you read my blog you are already in trouble.

Why the Internet Is a Great Tool for Totalitarians

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/12/st_essay_totalitarians/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Murphy's Law

2011-01-11T07:49:00.000-06:00

Amazing what little tidbits of trivia you find when reading about brewing beer. This piece is included in John Palmer's book, How to Brew. I never knew where Murphy's Law came from so I thought this was interesting. I hope you do as well.

Did you ever wonder where Murphy's Law came from? Well back at work there was a photocopy of a short article from one of the aerospace trade journals on the wall of my friend's cubicle. It went something like this:

Captain Murphy was part of an engineering team out at Edward's Air Force Base in California. Their team was investigating the effects of high gravity de-accelerations on jet pilots back in the 1950's. One of their tests involved strapping a test pilot into a rocket chair equipped with strain gages and other sensors to help them quantify the effects of high G stopping. The responsibility for the placement of the various sensors was Capt. Murphy's. Well, the test was run (subjecting the pilot to something like 100 G's of deceleration) and he got pretty banged up.

Only after it was over did the team realize that of all the possible combinations of placing those sensors, Murphy had done it in the one configuration that resulted in useless data. They would have to run the test again. Upon realizing this, Murphy stated, "If there are two or more ways of doing something, and one of them can result in catastrophe, someone will do it that way." Upon hearing this the team leader said, "That's Murphy's Law." The next day at the test de-briefing the team leader shortened it to the now famous, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Murphy still likes his version better.

Real Ale Brewing, Handcrafted Ales from the Texas Hill Country

2010-12-29T10:07:00.002-06:00

Brewing beer is my hobby. I enjoy brewing. You combine several ingredients, none of which you would consume on its own, mix them together, allow Mother Nature to process and produce a wonderful food. Yes, food and not a beverage. Budweiser, Miller, Coors and the like are beverages, barley pop. Good beer is food. Good beer has taste, aroma, calories, vitamins and active yeast. The ancients considered beer a food for the masses.

Because of my interest, Deb and I drove to Blanco, Texas to Real Ale Brewing, http://realalebrewing.com/home, while I was visiting Austin. Real Ale was my first tour of a working microbrewery. I was impressed.

Before the tour, Real Ale lubricates you a bit. Deb, I and about 15 others congregated in their tasting room before the tour. We sampled many of their beers. My favorite was the Rio Blanco Pale Ale. This beer was smooth on the palette and a little hoppy. Deb liked their Porter. We enjoyed all of their beers except one, Mystereum Verum – The Kraken. This beer is their barley wine, cask conditioned in wine barrels. The alcohol in the beer strips the wine residue from the oak barrel. I am not saying it was a bad beer. The Kraken was just not for me.

Well slightly inebriated, we took the tour. I was fascinated. Tim, one of the brew masters, took us through their whole process. All of the technicalities presented might bore you. They interested me but I am into the process. Two highlights of interest are they do all they can to recycle and re-use as much as possible. The spent grains from the mash, after the sugars have been extracted, are used by local cattle ranchers for animal feed. The water used to chill the wort, now heated, is utilized in their next batch for brewing. Second, Tim paid great homage to the brew masters at the mass consumed beers. To paraphrase him, “They are great brewers to so consistently produce flavorless beer.” From the silo at the beginning where the malted grain is held to the bottling and kegging equipment at the end, I was wowed.

Before we left, Deb and I sampled of our favorite Real Ale Brews one more time. This tour was a great experience. Sadly, Real Ale only sells beer in Texas. Until they expand to South Dakota, I will find excuses to go back to Texas to enjoy their great beer.

Author and Professor: Dr. H.W. Brands

2010-12-24T10:10:00.001-06:00

On a whim just a week before I left for Austin, I contacted Dr. H. W. Brands, http://www.hwbrands.com/, author and professor of history at the University of Texas, about possibly meeting him while there. Graciously he accepted my invitation and suggested that we meet for breakfast at an Austin classic, Austin Java.

Being a University of Texas history major, gives me additional reason to enjoy his books. I previously met Dr. Brands when he spoke at the South Dakota Festival of Books in Sioux Falls in 2004. By coincidence, I discovered two of his books, Lone Star Nation and The First American, just before the festival. The topics of these books, the birth of Texas and Ben Franklin are two of my favorite subjects. His talk in Sioux Falls was on an upcoming book on Andrew Jackson. Following his talk, he signed my copy of Lone Star Nation and we talked briefly about Austin and UT.

I do not know what Dr. Brands was expecting when he agreed to meet with me. Deb and I greeted him around 8:30 am. I did not bring books to sign or a written agenda. In my mind, I had two specific questions about his books, but mostly, I wanted to get a feel for his style, his opinions and his future books. You, also, have to understand that I am very jealous of people that are very knowledgeable and extremely articulate because they have so much to offer. As you can see from this blog, I am neither. In fact, I usually tell people that English is my second language and that I do not have a first.

To begin, we talked about North and South Dakota. He is on the advisory board of the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University, Dickinson, North Dakota. Dr. Brands has a basic understanding of East River versus West River as we know it in South Dakota. We discussed the new oil finds in North Dakota and how they are pumping large funds into North Dakota state government coffers. I told him about Hyperion Oil’s proposal to build a refinery in southeast South Dakota for oil from the Canadian Tar Sands. I presume North Dakota oil will find its way there, if the refinery is built.

So much for the ice breaker. We got down to talking about his books. He talked about a couple of books that are to be coming out next year but I will leave that for another time. Dr. Brands picked up on technology when I mentioned about listening to his books as well as reading them. Accordingly as an author, he considers digital formats such as Kindle or Nook and spoken formats as well as print when writing today. While the author and publisher have absolute control over how the words and pictures appear on a printed page, in digital format they have no control. The device owner chooses the font size and layout on their device. In the spoken or story format paragraphs lose their importance. He is very excited about the spoken format. Stories have been the way to pass information for millennium. Writing is a relatively recent invention. While I am aware of all of this technology and use it, I never contemplated how they differed from printed material. I do not know how a writer meets these challenges effectively in the same work.

We last discussed my questions about his books. Probably no one is interested in knowing why the Americans mostly settled between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers in Texas and did not colonize further south into present day Mexico. Or why Dr. Brands does not believe Masonry influenced Benjamin Franklin? His answer on the Americans in Texas convinced me. The area where they settled was fertile. Going south the soil quickly becomes very poor. His answer on Masonry left me thinking about which came first, the chicken or the egg. Ben Franklin was a person who did good deeds. Did he become a Mason because joining the fraternity was the popular thing to do? As we know, many of our founding fathers including George Washington were active Masons. Masonry teaches doing good deeds. Or by joining was he validated in doing those things? I want to think that Masonry was at least a partial influence. Being a Mason undoubtedly affects my judgment.

I want to thank Dr. Brands for taking the time to meet with Deb and me. This breakfast was truly one of the highlights of my trip. I look forward to reading his future books as well as several others that I have not yet read. I hope that when my travels again take me to Austin I can call my friend, Dr. Brands, and absorb more of his knowledge.

Give Till It Feels Good

2010-12-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

I was on a conference call this morning as a member of the Projects Committee for the The Network of Independent Jewish Communities which is part of the Jewish Federations of North America. We were asked by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (known as JDC or the Joint) to contribute $300,000 to assist elderly, poverty stricken Jews in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Documents have been circulating amongst the members of the committee for a week or so and today we had a presentation by several staff members from JDC. Following their presentation, we went into a closed session and unanimously passed providing this money. I have been associated with the Network for a long time but I can say today that I really feel good about the work that we do. Today, my small contributions along with many others are doing their part in Tikkun Olam or the Jewish commandment to repair the world.

Austin or Bust

2010-12-21T19:20:00.001-06:00

Last week, Max, the wonder dog, and I took a road trip to Austin, Texas to deliver some goodies to daughter Deb, husband Josh and Stella the pug. After an overnight with son, Dave, wife Tina, grandson Drew and goldens Phog and Cooper, we headed for Austin. We hoped to escape, at least for a few days the cold and snow of Sioux Falls.

Needless to say, this was a fantastic trip. Usually one dreams about a trip and the actual trip while great does not live up to the expectations. On this trip the events exceeded what I dreamed.

I left Sioux Falls earlier on Wednesday than originally planned because of potential weather. After a short 6 hour drive, I was in Lawrence, Kansas at the home of my children. I got to watch a little Sponge Bob with Drew and then it was out to eat with the family. We enjoyed just the usual typical quiet evening at dinner. We were home early to sit around and visit and play. Finally we were off to bed for an early start for the trip to Austin.

By 6:30 am on Thursday, we hit the road. Max just snuggled into his blanket in the back seat and I had an easy drive down to Fort Worth. We made a quick stop to visit with my high school best friend Robert and then back on the road to Austin.

As we drove into Austin, she lived up to her reputation for traffic. If the traffic were normal, the trip should take 3 hours but we were lucky in that it only took us 3 and a half to Deb and Josh’s house. For me Austin is about food. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, El Chile. Their cuisine was a bit different than my usual Tex-Mex. My enchiladas were fantastic.

Friday was just more than I could have expected. Before I left Sioux Falls, I emailed author and Professor of History at the University of Texas, H. W. Brands. He was kind enough to have breakfast with Deb and me. I cannot tell you what an enjoyable hour that we talked. I greatly enjoy his books and his insights on various topics were remarkable. I will hopefully write more about Dr. Brands in another post.

Breakfast was followed by taking my car in to have some service work and then we were off to lunch. Deb and Josh took me to one of their favorite places, Rudy’s Bar-B-Q http://www.rudys.com/. I was surprised that I really liked it. Let’s see. I had a little (or was it a lot) of sliced brisket on a sandwich and some smoked sausage. All of which was washed down by an IBC Root Beer. God it was good.

We said good-bye to Josh. Poor fellow had to go to work. Deb and I had decided to explore another passion of mine, brewing beer. Online we had found, Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, Texas http://realalebrewing.com/. Off we went the 50 miles to Blanco for the beer tasting and tour. Real Ale Brewing was just another great experience.

After a couple of hours in Blanco, we headed back to Austin. We got home and played with Max and Stella. Josh came home and then we were off to our next food establishment. A year or two ago, I saw a program on Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dive’s on a bar in Austin, Casino El Camino http://www.casinoelcamino.net/. Guy Fiery showcased the bar’s Amarillo Burger. Well, I wanted to have one. Fortunately, Deb and Josh agreed to indulge me. All I can say is that it was very good, just not fantastic. I would go back again however.

After a six thousand calorie day, we went home for a little TV and to bed. I needed my rest for Saturday’s excitement.

Believe it or not, Saturday began with food. We started with breakfast at the Counter Cafe http://www.countercafe.com/. My Breakfast Tacos were excellent. Of course you are supposed to start the day with a good breakfast and that is just what we did. Then we returned home. Josh went to work out and Deb and I just vegged.

When Josh returned, we headed to our next local to gorge ourselves. We headed for Smitty's in Lockhart, Texas http://www.smittysmarket.com/. Lockhart has been voted the Barbecue Capital of Texas by the state legislature and I have been going there since my student days at UT. Smitty's is the original home of Kreuz Market but after a split in the family changed its name. The barbecue is still out of this world. I only had a little for lunch. Let's see, a half pound of smoked brisket and a hot ring of sausage. Oh don't forget the Coke to enhance the meal.

We ended the tour with a drive through the UT Campus. The campus is obviously a great deal larger than when I graduated 37 years ago but I don't remember all the buildings that seem to have been there when I was. I did see some familiar ones which flooded my mind with super memories. Nostalgia is great.

We ended the day with ice cream from Amy's http://www.amysicecreams.com/2.0/#/home/. The Belgian Chocolate ice cream was just over the top. Can you believe that I wasn't hungry for dinner. Well after a relaxing evening with family and the puppies, Max and I turned in. We were up early for what turned out to be an 1100 mile drive on Sunday to return to Sioux Falls.

As I began, this trip went beyond my expectations. As you can tell, I love to eat and I went to one of the culinary centers of the world. Probably, it is a good thing that I don't live there as I would certainly weigh 300 pounds. But Austin is a wonderful place to visit. Maybe next time I will do the music scene for which Austin is famous as well.

The Middle East Problem

2010-12-01T08:26:00.000-06:00

Below is a video from Dennis Prager on "The Middle East Problem." I am so jealous when some people are so articulate that they can condense a seemingly complex subject into a short coherent statement. In the movie, 1776, Thomas Jefferson describes the reason for needing a document for the Declaration of Independence rather than just a motion similarly. Jefferson states the need, "To place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent." I believe that this short video by Mr. Prager does just that. Please take the time and watch the video. As always, comments are appreciated.

Israeli Pranksters Embarrass Iran

2010-11-30T11:03:00.000-06:00

Photo by Google Earth

After over 30 years, a Google Earth photo reveals the Star of David atop Iran Air's headquarters. The symbol of the State of Israel must have been put up there during the time of the Shah. I find it humorous that it took an American company, Google, to reveal this artwork to the ayatollahs. The prank reminds me of the high school rivalry between my high school in Fort Worth, R. L Paschal and its main rival Arlington Heights. The two schools used to pull pranks on one another during homecoming week. The schools considered it vandalism when one school painted its colors on the other but the damage was minimal and usually done with good humor. I doubt the ayatollahs are laughing at this one.

The news of this event is covered in the Jerusalem Post. The article is entitled Google Earth reveals Star of David on roof of Iran Air HQ.

For the entire article, please go to the following url:

http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?ID=197395&R=R1

Beer - A Thanksgiving Tradition

2010-11-24T13:08:00.000-06:00

From previous posts, you may know that I am a homebrewer and a history major. Somewhere I missed learning that our Pilgrim ancestors may have stopped at Plymouth Rock because they had run out of beer. This article presents the view and then dismisses it but leaves one with the knowledge that beer has been important to American history. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and toast it with a nectar from the gods - beer!

From the article:

Brooks on Beer: The pilgrims, Thanksgiving and beer - San Jose Mercury - 11/24/2010

Legend has it that the Pilgrims decided to settle at Plymouth Rock, instead of continuing south to Virginia as originally planned, because they had run out of beer. There is a grain -- barley, perhaps -- of truth to the story, as evidenced by the oft-quoted "For we could not now take time for further search our victuals being pretty much spent especially our beer."

For the entire article:

http://www.mercurynews.com/holidays/ci_16652766?nclick_check=1

New Find Causes Italy to Claim Jerusalem

2010-11-22T19:45:00.000-06:00

Absurd that Italy would claim Jerusalem for its own? At least the Romans governed Jerusalem unlike some groups who claim her for their capital today.

Today it was announced that Israeli archeologists discovered an ancient Roman legion bathing facility in the Old City of Jerusalem.

If you are interested go to the article:
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/roman-swimming-pool-found.html

In Education - Are We Finally Getting It?

2010-11-21T19:28:00.000-06:00

Our education system continues in a downward spiral. This opinion piece by Tom Friedman of the New York Times gives me some hope. I come from a prejudice that our system is just a baby sitter for both teachers and students. We talk about the importance of education but reality shows that we are only paying it lip service. Performance seems to be dropping especially when compared to the rest of the world. Maybe Secretary of Education Duncan recognizes fundamentally what needs to be done. If the quote below is an indication, I salute him.

“We have to reward excellence,” he said. “We’ve been scared in education to talk about excellence. We treated everyone like interchangeable widgets. Just throw a kid in a class and throw a teacher in a class.” This ignored the variation between teachers who were changing students’ lives, and those who were not. “If you’re doing a great job with students,” he said, “we can’t pay you enough.”

For the entire opinion piece by Mr. Friedman, go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/opinion/21friedman.html?ref=opinion

Coming soon to a store near you!

2010-11-17T07:59:00.000-06:00

I just read this short article and found its possibilities amazing. Will we find this material at the grocery store or the clothing store? Maybe both!

Cheap Carbon Cloth Can Zap Toxins, Kill Bacteria
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/cheap-carbon-cloth-can-zap-toxins-kill-bacteria/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+GearFactor+(Blog+-+Gadget+Lab+(Gear+Factor))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Is the Palestinian Authority a Partner for Peace?

2010-11-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

I came across this little article from Palestinian Media Watch and just thought that it is worth noting and sharing. Just a short article to remind people of the partner with whom the Israelis are negotiating.

From the article:
"Contrary to the PA's moderate statements to the West, its statements to its people in Arabic continue to delegitimize Israel's existence, deny Israel's right to exist, define the conflict with Israel in religious terms, promote hatred through demonization and libels, and glorify terror and violence:"

The link to the article:
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=3503

Interesting - A New Chinese Invasion

2010-11-07T13:53:00.000-06:00

What implications does this article in today's (November 7, 2010) New York Times hold for America? Are these young Chinese planning on staying and getting jobs upon graduation? Are they going to be Americanized and take our values of freedom and democracy back to China? How is this experience going to affect them and can they bring China and America closer together?

The article does not answer my questions. It just brings them to the forefront. The article is long but I believe worth the read and thinking about its potential.

From the article:
After a year, Ms. Liu believes she is less of the quiet-Asian-nerd stereotype that she had felt followed her through Yale’s Gothic hallways. Now she wears makeup, raises her hand in class, and has a different perspective than her friends in China, according to whom “I’m contaminated by American culture and not Chinese anymore.”

Perhaps most unsettling to Chinese students is the robust activist culture on campus, where young Americans find their voices on issues like war, civil rights and immigration. In China, protests are illegal and vocal dissent forbidden, and on sensitive topics like Tibet and Taiwan a majority are in lockstep with their government. It can be especially painful hearing Westerners condemn China after growing up steeped in propaganda blaming the West for the suffering before Communism.

With China becoming a world power and so many American high-tech companies investing in China, I was under the impression that our great universities had taken a back seat to the Chinese. Maybe this is not the case. One thing that is obvious to me is the importance that these students' parents place on education. As heavy as the cost burden is for families here, without government assistance the cost for a Chinese family must be staggering.

For the entire article, click on the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/education/07china-t.html?_r=1&ref=us

Oldest beer found on this day in 1992

2010-11-05T09:21:00.001-05:00

From Wired's This Day in Tech

As a homebrewer, this article is a great reminder that I am following a tradition that goes back at least 5000 years. In today's world of change at the speed of high tech, I find comfort knowing that some things are just too difficult to improve upon. Great beer is just great beer! For all of my friends (I don't have many), and with those whom I have shared my efforts, enjoy the article and as Charles Papazian says in his book The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, "Relax and have a homebrew!"

http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/11/1105nature-5000-year-beer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

It’s About Change

2010-11-03T15:08:00.002-05:00

Wow, what an election; what a roller coaster ride. The excitement, the scares, the thrills are over and both the politicians and the public are back on earth. The time of yelling and screaming, of laughing and crying, of eyes wide open and eyes tightly shut ended. We must return to the real world and get to work.

In both South Dakota and the

America

, the people sent a strong message to our politicians. The message’s content is not a secret but I fear that our elected officials will not understand the message. The people voted for Change! Rather than continue playing the gotcha politics of the past, we want our government to work. Politicians need to find common ground. We want our elected officials to address the numerous problems facing families and Main Street. We want solutions that everyone can see and understand. We do not want secret deals to buy the votes. When the President tells us that Congressional committee hearings on health care should be held on C-Span, we expect that to happen. When the Speaker of the House tells us that any bill relating to an issue will be online for everyone to examine for at least 72 hours prior to their voting, we cannot understand why that simple promise does not happen.

The problems facing our country are enormous. Maybe they are too large to expect our government to solve. The number one issue is the economy. (Remember from past elections, “It’s the economy, stupid!”) Well having thrown trillions of dollars at the problem, unemployment stands at 10 percent. Economists are talking about a double-dip recession. Rather than calling the opposition ideas idiotic or dead on arrival, maybe both sides should sit down and seriously attempt to address the problem.

Health care is next. I already see that the Republicans are stating that they are going to repeal it. My opinion is that is not what the American people want. We want a system that is affordable and understandable. If the Republican leadership believes they can just throw it out, they got the wrong message. Even if a House bill were to pass the Senate which is doubtful, President Obama would certainly veto it. Why not examine what we passed this year and fix it to what the people want. To do that, Republicans and Democrats must work together. Talk about change. Can you imagine that happening?

My next issue is the deficit. Working class Americans understand the notion of a balanced budget. We understand that we cannot continue to borrow and borrow and borrow. We are leaving a huge burden on our children and future generations. Together our politicians must examine our budget figure out how to get back to balance and then to pay down our debt.

Lastly and the one issue who long term impacts our country the greatest is education. Like all of the other problems listed and those that are not, this one truly seems unsolvable. We have so many causes or maybe excuses as to why we cannot make our education system the absolute best in the world. We are losing out to so many countries that do not have the resources that we have. The big difference is they understand that education is the great equalizer.

America

, both the people and our leaders need to get that message.

We have a great deal of work to do in the next 2 years. If you listen to the political rhetoric of the campaign trail and even last night, our politicians admit that we have tremendous challenges but they tell us that we are bigger than them. If our legislature and executive branches do not meet them head on and soon, in 2012 we will likely see a new group of politicians heading to our state and national capitols.

To those who won yesterday, congratulations. Enjoy the euphoria of the ride that you just took for a day or two. Then get to work with an understanding that you represent more people than those who voted for you. The problems we face confront all of us. Those who voted for you and those who voted for someone else are proud of our democracy. We still have hope in our system of government. We hope for change in the way business is done. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, this is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That would certainly be a change.

Plentiful, Inexpensive Green Energy

2010-10-31T16:16:00.000-05:00

The title of this blog post must be oxymoronic. The title is impossible. Solar, wind, and other green energy technologies are more expensive than our dirty coal, CO₂ emitting natural gas and waste producing nuclear power plants. Last January, I posted a blog on Thorium. Frankly, I had forgotten all about it until an article, I just came across on Israel21c.com. Two scientists, one from Israel and one from the United States, are collaborating on a Thorium reactor. I recalled my previous post. I wanted to know more about this material and what we are doing to investigate it. The Wired Magazine article was so convincing to me, I felt there must be something wrong with the technology. You know when something seems too good to be true it usually is.

Needless to say, I am not a nuclear engineer or an electrical engineer or a scientist. I am just a small business owner. Our government and many social activists, talk about Global Warming and making our environment better. We have clean air laws and clean water laws. In the last congressional session a Cap and Trade Bill on carbon emissions was discussed. Because of waste by-products and potential meltdown, nuclear energy never seems to be seriously discussed. From my simplistic understanding, Thorium takes these issues off of the table.

Why are we waiting? Much of the rest of the developed world is not. Obviously, Israel is working on this. In my investigation, Russia, China, India and France are also. I would be surprised if others were not working on it as well. Apparently, Russia is working with an American firm and licensing its technology.

We need a huge push to get us started. Our leaders need to start leading. My guess is that there are several special interests that will work to poison this technology. The first group would be the coal companies. If Thorium reactors live up to even half of the potential represented, coal powered plants will be extinct dinosaurs in a decade or two. Natural Gas companies for many of the same reasons would be the next powerful group to be against these reactors. Lastly, even the utility companies themselves may line up against Thorium. They understand present technology, why change?

Below are listed several articles and websites on Thorium. If you are interested in learning more about this elements future, please look at these. If you Google “Thorium” you will find much more information. I look forward to any comments and please feel free to share this and any other information with friends and colleagues.

My original blog on Thorium with its link to the article in Wired Magazine.

http://stephenrosenthal.blogspot.com/2010/01/uranium-is-so-last-century-enter.html

Self-sustaining nuclear energy from Israel – Israel 21C

http://www.israel21c.org/201010118407/environment/self-sustaining-nuclear-energy-from-israel

Thorium Energy Alliance

http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/

Lightbridge Corporation – Nuclear Energy for the 21^st Century

http://www.ltbridge.com/

Energy Cheaper than from Coal

http://energyfromthorium.com/2010/03/23/energy-cheaper-than-from-coal/

Lightbridge Enters Into Strategic Agreement With Russia-Based SOSNY

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2582017/

India to build prototype thorium reactor

http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/npps/co-operation/31261

South Dakota Budget Crisis Solved

2010-09-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

Because of the economic impact that our university system has on the state, I propose that the state of South Dakota give all of its money to the Board of Regents. I do not know anywhere else we can get over a 1000% return on our investment. Just imagine how much our sales tax revenues will increase and the number of jobs that will be created.

Public universities generate $1.97 billion a year to South Dakota's economy, from a state investment of $176 million. That's 5.3 percent of the state's gross domestic product.

-From the Argus Leader - September 21, 2010

To view the entire article, go to:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100921/NEWS/9210321

Unfortunately, the Argus Leader only keeps its articles posted for 7 days.

Sioux Falls is Number 1! AGAIN!

2010-09-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

Our look at the best small American cities for business and careers is chock full of locales between the two coasts that offer low business costs and strong employment prospects. Leading the way for a seventh straight year is Sioux Falls, S.D. Credit business costs that are 26% below the national average, low crime rates and an economy that is expected to expand 4.1% annually over the next five years. Another enticement: South Dakota does not levy individual or corporate income taxes.

For the entire article go to:

America's Best Small Cities For Business And Careers

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/americas-best-small-cities-for-business-and-careers

Rosh Hashanah 5771

2010-09-15T08:27:00.000-05:00

As I sat in services during Rosh Hashanah this past week, my mind wandered as I listened to the prayers. When I heard he words Day of Remembrance, I was stirred. Somehow this small group of people whose influence on civilization over millennia seem to forget that we are all connected. All Jews who survived the Shoah knew that they were connected. The Nazis would not let them forget. They did not care whether a Jew was Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Secular or your family had converted to Christianity a generation or two before. They did not care whether a Jew was married to a Jew or non-Jew. A person meeting their qualifications was lower than human and a virus to be expunged. Following that horrific tragedy, we found that we are One people. The fate of the smallest of us is connected to the fate of all. Why after only 65 years do we not remember and understand that simple fact?

Why can we not remember Torah or what our prophets and sages said? Just a few quotes I recall. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19:8. “What is it that the Lord your God requires of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord your God? Micah 6:8. The story of the pagan who tells Hillel he will convert to Judaism if he teaches him the entire Torah while he stands on one foot. Hillel responds, “Do not do unto others what is hateful to you. All the rest is commentary. Now go and study.” Such straightforward precepts, that even I understand. They must be for some other group, not for us.

I know that I have previously blogged on the “Blind Men and the Elephant.” Maybe my thoughts here are similar. We Jews all have the same body of writings to teach us. Jewish tradition teaches us that debate is the proper forum to air our ideals. Instead of challenging ideals, we denigrate our opponents. We cast them as less than equals. Liberal Jews cast the Orthodox as evil fundamentalists and the Orthodox cast the Liberals as apostates. Rather than acknowledging that each has a large following and finding areas of cooperation, we prefer to fight.

What does it mean, when we say in our prayers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? If the perfect view of God were so simple, we would say the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Midrash teaches us that each of our fore-fathers had a slightly differing view of God. Why should we be different? I am not asking any Jew to accept any other’s view are 100 percent correct. I ask only that they treat others with dignity. If we cannot make peace with ourselves, how can we continue to survive as a people? This is not the first time in history that we have bickered and attacked one another. Jewish historians blamed the destruction of the Second Temple and the Jewish dispersion into the Diaspora on similar actions. Wake up, O Israel, before such a calamity or worse befalls us.

As we begin 5771, let the piercing sound of the Shofar awaken us to our dilemma. I pray that we work together to insure that we continue as a people another 4000 years. In the outside world, we have great antagonists who promise our destruction. If we continue our self-hatred and demonization, we only assist them. If we embrace each other as brothers and sisters and stand united, no outside force can harm us.

First, Deal With the Enemies of Peace - Khaled Abu Toameh

2010-09-14T08:17:00.006-05:00

The major threat to the peace process is not an Israeli checkpoint or a new housing project in a West Bank settlement, but the threats coming from the evil forces in the Gaza Strip, Damascus, Beirut and Tehran.

For the remainder of the article go to:
http://www.hudson-ny.org/1544/enemies-of-peace

I have previously posted some articles by Mr. Abu Toameh. Because of his background, he brings an interesting perspective to the Israeli - Palestinian Arab Conflict. I hope that you will take time to read the entire opinion piece.

Below is a short bio.

Khaled Abu Toameh
Journalist

Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim, is a veteran award-winning journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for nearly three decades. He studied at Hebrew University and began his career as a reporter by working for a PLO-affiliated newspaper in Jerusalem. Abu Toameh currently works for the international media, serving as the eyes and ears' of foreign journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Abu Toameh's articles have appeared in numerous newspapers around the world, including The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report and The Sunday Times of London. Since 2002 he has been writing on Palestinian affairs for The Jerusalem Post. Abu Toameh has also been working as a producer and consultant for NBC News since 1989.

Must Be a Military Target

2010-09-08T07:13:00.000-05:00

Mortar shell hits near school 30 minutes before class

By JPOST.COM STAFF
09/08/2010 10:13

No injuries reported at Sha'ar Hanegev kibbutz; building, only reinforced at the roof, sustains light damage; studies to continue as usual.

For the entire article:

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=187532

Three Words

2010-09-03T07:20:00.000-05:00

Just a little plug for my alma mater. Hook 'em Horns!

Skip the lecture on Israel's 'risks for peace' - George Will - Washington Post

2010-08-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

In the intifada that began in 2000, Palestinian terrorism killed more than 1,000 Israelis. As a portion of U.S. population, that would be 42,000, approaching the toll of America's eight years in Vietnam.

For the op-ed piece, click on the url below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/18/AR2010081804691.html

George Will gives an important history lesson on what

Israel

risks in her search for peace. Whether you think

Israel

offers too much for peace or not enough, this opinion piece presents a very good insight for all to consider.

A Time to Betray - by: Reza Kahlili

2010-08-15T14:35:00.001-05:00

A very interesting autobiography by an Iranian who became a Revolutionary Guard shortly after the overthrow of the Shah and then became a CIA agent.

Quoting from the Publisher's description on Amazon.com:
“A true story as exhilarating as a great spy thriller, as turbulent as today’s headlines from the Middle East, A Time to Betray reveals what no other previous CIA operative’s memoir possibly could: the inner workings of the notorious Revolutionary Guards of Iran, as witnessed by an Iranian man inside their ranks who spied for the American government. It is a human story, a chronicle of family and friendships torn apart by a terror-mongering regime, and how the adult choices of three childhood mates during the Islamic Republic yielded divisive and tragic fates. And it is the stunningly courageous account of one man’s decades-long commitment to lead a shocking double life informing on the beloved country of his birth, a place that once offered the promise of freedom and enlightenment—but instead ruled by murderous violence and spirit-crushing oppression.”

The book truly fascinated me. You feel inside the workings of the Revolutionary Guards. You witness torture, beatings and killings. You meet many personalities that are still around today. You are at the front during the Iran – Iraq War. You, too, question why America and the West are supporting the Iraqi thug dictator, Saddam Hussein. The book teaches history from an inside perspective.

Mr. Kahlili weaves a great story. He plays on all of my prejudices about the “democratic” government of Iran. He makes me feel justified in all of my biases. Then I came to an event that just seemed too timely. The event is the death of his friend Kasem. I am not going to reveal exactly why this bothered me but if you read the book you may feel the same. This one incident makes me question all of the other facts in this book. Is Mr. Kahlili really who he says that he is? Did he really work for the Revolutionary Guards? Did he really work for the CIA? Is he just a gifted bard telling us that fiction is fact?

Believe it or not, I enjoyed reading this book. I love spy thrillers. When I started this book, I thought that it was real. I took the publisher's description, stated earlier, as fact. When I finished, I am doubtful.

As always, I appreciate people's comments. Let me know what you think.

Middle East Coexistence? On Aisle Two, Next to the Cornflakes

2010-08-11T08:14:00.000-05:00

Press accounts, political pundits, and pontificating politicians portray the situation in the West Bank as bleak and insoluble. Perhaps that’s why I was in awe on my first visit, when I saw Palestinian families and Israeli “settlers” mingling in the aisles, thumping the watermelons and squeezing the plums. My checkout cashier was a Jewish woman from Kiryat Arba of Moroccan descent, on the cash register next to her was a blue-eyed Muslim woman from Halul, and working the register behind me was a member of the Bnei Menashe tribe from India who had formalized her conversion to Judaism.

------------

Is there really hope for peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Maybe if it were just left to the people and not the politicians there would be a chance. This article by Lenny and Shellie Ben-David gives hope that the people can live together in peace.

I have known Lenny for nearly 30 years. He was at AIPAC before he made aliyah to Israel. He is a consultant today. He has served in the Israeli diplomatic corp. Approximately 12 years ago he was the number 2 diplomat at the Israeli embassy in Washington. Today, he lives in Efrat next door to my cousins. I usually see him when I am visiting them. I hope that you will take the time to read the entire article. Here is the link:

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/middle-east-coexistence-on-aisle-two-next-to-the-cornflakes/?singlepage=true

Google Helps Find Simplest Solution to Rubik’s Cube

2010-08-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

After 2000 moves, I still was having problems solving the cube.

From the article:
That means all the 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 positions of the Cube require no more than 20 steps to get the Cube in shape.

Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/google-rubiks-cube/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GearFactor+%28Blog+-+Gadget+Lab+%28Gear+Factor%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher#ixzz0wEL0Ueby

Frozen in time, addicted to pity

2010-08-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

I just came across this op-ed piece in the National Post (Canada). This piece's viewpoint deals with the plight of the poor Palestinian refugees in the various Arab countries in which they live. Mr. Fulford questions why after 60 years there are still huge numbers of Palestinian refugees when no other group has remained as such. With the Arab world's vast oil resources, why have the Palestinians not been integrated into the societies in which they live?

Frozen in time, addicted to pity
Robert Fulford, National Post · Saturday, Aug. 7, 201

Refugees? Canadians, even if their families have lived here for centuries, know something about refugees. We know Hungarians, we know Vietnamese, we know many others. We admire their energy and their accomplishments. Observing them can be a bracing lesson in human tenacity under adverse circumstances.

But that pattern doesn't cover Palestinian refugees. They are a special case. For many reasons, various populations across the planet are displaced; only the Palestinians cling to their "refugee" status decade after decade. They present themselves as helpless victims of Israeli aggression. They await rescue-- as they have been awaiting it for three generations, since Israel was founded in 1948. Members of other history-battered groups choose to live by an urgent ethic: Get up, get going, make a new life. Palestinians have a different approach: Sit down, wait, stay angry till the world provides for you.

For the rest of this op-ed piece, click on the link below:
http://www.nationalpost.com/Frozen+time+addicted+pity/3371479/story.html

Modernization

2010-08-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

Does maintaining team athletics in our school systems make sense today? Our school systems’ primary focus is education. Taking away resources either fiscal or mental is a waste. We can do better for both.

Am I proposing the ending of team sports for middle school and high school age children? Absolutely not! Team sports train young people in working together to accomplish a specific goal. They teach the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as headlined by “The Wide World of Sports.” They teach sportsmanship and treating your opponent respectfully. They teach working with others who in normal circumstances you would have no involvement. Team sports are a great educator. They are not for everyone. Individuals may not care to be involved. Individuals may want to be on the team but are not capable of being selected. I would not change any of it except to remove them from our school system.

What do I propose? Many team sports already are organized outside of the school system. In Sioux Falls, we have soccer, baseball, swimming and youth football outside of the system. Certainly we have others. I propose that our cities or counties find funding. Maybe we examine our schools’ resources spent on sports and set those monies aside in a separate fund. We should not kill team sports! Teams would become city teams. In Sioux Falls we may have a north or south or other named teams. In the smaller communities school teams already are city teams.

I strongly support youth team sports. School supported team sports takes away from the schools’ mission. A strong educational system is the backbone of a strong

America

. Let those committed to education concentrate on educating our youth. Let those committed to training athletes teach sports. Is this modernization? Yes!

Pro-Israel Entertainment

2010-07-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

Once again my pro-Israel sentiments come out. You can view 2 videos with this blog post. Telling Israel's story with a lecture or a debate is a failed method for driving a point. Humor and music as shown here is much more effective. My only recommendation for these videos they should be shorter. Most people's attention span is miniscule. If you find these video's moving, please pass them on.

The Pay and Sit Bench

2010-07-15T13:43:00.001-05:00

Now that the City of Sioux Falls has decided to charge $25 to reserve one of the taxpayer financed park shelters, maybe we should consider this pay and sit bench as well. Click on the link and see the article.

Pay & Sit Bench Keeps the Poor Standing, The Rich Relaxing
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/07/pay-sit-bench-keeps-the-poor-standing-the-rich-relaxing/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+GearFactor+(Blog+-+Gadget+Lab+(Gear+Factor))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

A Liberal Case for Israel

2010-07-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

While I believe that Israel and the pro-Israel community need to think in terms of sound bites rather than debate with our arguments, I found this video to be poignant. I hope that you can find 4 to 5 minutes to watch this video. Pro-Israel or not, this video will give you something to think about.

Humanitarian Assistance

2010-06-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

Quote of the Week: "There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza and ONLY ONE of them really needs humanitarian aid; ONLY ONE of them is locked in a tiny room and never sees the light of day; ONLY ONE of them is not allowed visits and is uncertain health. His name is GILAD SHALIT!" - author unknown - ONLY ONE of them is not able to have freedom!
-From email from Steven Shamrak

Tomorrow, June 24, 2010 Gilad Shalit will have been held for 4 years since being kidnapped by terrorists from Gaza. He should be freed immediately. Assuming that he will not be freed by his captors, he should be given the minimal rights of a prisoner of war. He should be allowed visits and packages from the International Red Cross. Anything less is just inhumane treatment. Against any other soldier the world's response would be overwhelming condemnation but I guess Israelis are not human.

Ever So Rare...

2010-06-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Ever so rare as a day in June
For then, if ever, did God make perfect days.
-George Smith

Lunch with my good friend Dick.
A walk through the center of the city.
Coffee with Carol and Max.
Walking and more walking
On the bike path along the river.
A nearly cloudless sky,
Warmth from the sun,
Coolness of the breeze,
Murmuring of the river,
Sweet scents of late spring in the air.
O what a glorious day.
Paradise!

Milton Friedman on Greed

2010-06-16T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was sent the following video and I just thought that it is too good not to post. While I completely agree with Friedman that capitalism and free enterprise are truly the best means for advancing the welfare of society, he does not delve into the need for government oversight. We know that unsupervised greed can create tremendous havoc for our economy. Capitalists require restrictions so they do not go too far. We saw what unrestrained capitalism did with our last investment bubble. It nearly destroyed our way of life. We are still feeling the effects and will for some time. We are also seeing the effect of regulations not being enforced properly or the right regulations put in place in the fiasco going on in the Gulf of Mexico with British Petroleum.

Both of these events deserve a great deal more input than I am giving them here. I hope that you enjoy this video. The message is pertinent but only a portion of the story. Comments are always appreciated.

The Right to Vote

2010-06-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

With the low turnout in the South Dakota Republican Primary election and the similar turnout in the Sioux Falls City election in April, I am very concerned about the lack of voter interest. My parents and my education instilled in me a regard for citizenship. Our democracy is anchored on our citizens assuming their responsibility to make informed choices as to who should lead them.

The Right to Vote is not an ideal to be taken lightly. With this right goes a responsibility to use it and use it wisely. Originally in America, only white males who owned property were granted this right. With much struggle over the last 2 plus centuries,

America

enfranchised all citizens over the age of 18. Is it because everyone is eligible and it is so easy to register that so many of our citizens do not vote? If the ability to vote were taken away, would people finally realize its value? Or are we so apathetic toward our government at all levels that we just do not care? The knee-jerk response I receive when I ask why people do not vote is that most do not believe that voting makes any difference. I just will not accept that freedom and democracy are spectator sports. Voting is the minimum we must do to maintain our democracy.

I have a radical idea as a possible solution. Any registered voter who did not vote in the last 2 elections will be dropped from the roles of eligible voters for the same category. This sounds complicated but let me use the examples of the 2 elections previously mentioned to explain my proposal. If you did not vote in this last South Dakota Republican Primary or the prior one 2 years ago, you would be dropped as a registered Republican but not from the voter roles. If you did not vote in this year's Sioux Falls City election or last years, you would not be eligible to vote again in another city election. This proposal is drastic but I think it would get people’s attention. Actually, I would not be too harsh. If you did not vote in the last 2 elections, you could get back on the roles for the next one by going to the County Courthouse and re-registering to vote in the next election. I believe this to be a small but necessary inconvenience for those who want to maintain this basic right.

The Right to Vote is the cornerstone of our Freedom and the foundation of our country. My father told me when I was a youth that Freedom is not Free. Every citizen must do his or her part to insure that our government works. By people not voting, a minority of the electorate decides how we are to be governed. This is a travesty. I pray our citizens wake up and understand that they must play their part.

Blessed

2010-06-08T16:47:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Deb and I were driving back to Barry and Debby’s home from the Savannah airport having just dropped off Josh for his long trip home to Zurich. Our beautiful weekend of family getting together for Nathan’s Bar Mitzvah was slowly coming to a close. I do not know how we got on the subject of raising children. I don’t remember if Deb asked me about my philosophy (like I would have one) or what. We talked about parent’s difficulty in making the right decisions with children especially teenagers. As a parent, you want your kids to learn independence but how independent? When a situation arises, a parent does not have the luxury of saying let me think about that for awhile. I will get back to you. Usually, a decision is required immediately. Some parents are just lucky, I guess. I know that Carol and I have been. I know other parents and friends, who are fantastic people but struggled and still struggle with their children's problems.

Our discussion brings me to the point of this blog. Following our discussion, I reflected on how blessed Louis, of blessed memory, and Bernice are. What a fantastic weekend of such nachas for Bubi. She has so much to be thankful for. Look at Bubi and Zadi’s children and their spouses. Could one have asked for better spouses? Well, maybe they batted 75% because they got me in the mix. Their children’s successes are not bad but look at their grandchildren. Wow!! Absolutely, these kids (I use the term loosely.) are some of the brightest, most talented, intelligent and well-rounded that I know. I am prejudiced about David and Deborah but all of my nieces and nephews (including my Rosenthal niece and nephew who do not count as part of this group – sorry Jackie and Harry) are incredible people. A book could be written about all of them and what they have accomplished. Lastly, we come to the top for me, Carol’s and my grandson Drew. He may be only 4 but what a great child. As the ditty goes, “the seed does not fall far from the tree.” He fits with this family.

Well the Bar Mitzvah weekend was excellent. Nathan did an incredible job but what would you expect? It is in the genes. I am saddened that it all came to an end. The time I spent with family and friends was great. I know that I feel blessed but I am just a small part of the blessings that have befallen Louis and Bernice. I wish I understood what they did right because the results say that they did it exceedingly well. Thank you Bubi and Zadi.

Israel and Our Failure at Social Networking

2010-06-02T10:42:00.001-05:00

I find this article on Wired.com to be powerful. We in the Pro-Israel community have constantly been looking at ways to get our message out to the world. This article discusses how the "Peace Flotilla" used social networks that literally cost them nothing to win the public relations campaign in this battle with Israel. We need to study, understand and learn. We should be the best at this not our adversaries. Our adversaries mobilize loosely connected groups while we try to centralize our communication. We look to only convert the faithful while we also need the uncommitted. I believe that this article is a wake-up call. The article does not provide all of the answers nor all of the questions but we should use it as a starting point.

Please read the article, pass this blog or the article on to others and please comment if you would like.

How Free Explains Israel’s Flotilla FAIL

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/how-free-explains-israels-flotilla-fiasco/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Israel's Critical Security Needs for a Viable Peace

2010-05-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

While I believe that Israel and the Palestinians need to agree on peace between themselves, this video shows the strategic problems for Israel in going back to the 1967 Armistice Lines. This video makes a good argument for its case. One can argue that if true peace comes, there is no need for what this video proposes. On the other side, if there is true peace between them, the Palestinians will understand Israel's need for security. This video graphically shows the problems whether you agree with the conclusions or not.

The Real Palestinian Traitors

2010-05-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

Is it my Jewish – Western or Judeo – Christian values? Khaled Abu Toameh must be lost in the wilderness. As an off-shoot of a quote from former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir who said, “We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” When the Palestinians care more about their own people rather than stealing the world’s generous donations, there will be a chance for peace. Khaled’s lone voice does not give me confidence that the situation will change. But one voice is hugely better than none. Maybe we will see other Palestinians take up his call.

In his article, Mr. Toameh really nails the problem of corruption. Here is an excerpt from the article. If you are interested in the entire article, I have put the link below.

The real traitors are those who established another corrupt dictatorship in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and stole billions of dollars of international aid that was supposed to improve the living conditions of their people.

The real traitors are those who built a casino for the Palestinians instead of building them a hospital and a school.

The real traitors are those who are trying to silence journalists and reformists who want to see a better life for their people.

To view the entire article, go to: http://www.hudsonny.org/2010/05/the-palestinians-the-real-traitors.php

Khaled Abu Toameh (born 1963) is an “Israeli-Arab-Muslim-Palestinian” journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for the Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report, and has been the Palestinian affairs producer for NBC News since 1988. His articles have appeared in The Sunday Times, Daily Express and many others.

See his Wikipedia bio at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaled_Abu_Toameh

Pentagon to Troop-Killing Superbugs: Resistance is Futile

2010-05-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

I do not know how worried most people are about the new superbugs that have found ways to overcome our most powerful anti-biotics. Historically before penicillin bacteria were a very significant factor in causing death. Our world population exploded once these new cures were found. Like most living organisms, bacteria has found ways to counter anti-biotics and today we are faced with an enormous problem. If this research is accurate and a new system of defense has been found, our Defense Department needs to be congratulated. Separately, I see from one of the comments that there maybe a chance that we have also found a means of destroying viruses.

Here is the link to the article if you are interested:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/pentagon-to-troop-killing-superbugs-resistance-is-futile/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wired/index+(Wired:+Index+3+(Top+Stories+2))&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Christians United for Israel Sunday

2010-05-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I want to talk about miracles. I read a story a long time ago that I want to give credit for to Rabbi Harold Kushner in his book, To Life. My problem is that I do not have the book with me and so cannot find the specific quote. I hope that my attribution is correct but if it is not I hope that the correct author will accept my apology. Plus, I am butchering the story. At least maybe you will understand the message.

When the Jews were crossing the Red Sea, Sholmo and Haim were pushing a cart. God had split the sea and the walls of water were on both sides of them. All that they could do was complain about pushing this cart through the mud and how much mud was getting on their sandals and clothing.

Rather than see and accept the miracle that was happening all around them, they could not break out of their self-centeredness. Having just been freed from slavery, they could only see trauma not miracles. Has the effect of centuries of inhuman treatment and the Holocaust at the hands of Christians in Europe blinded us from miracles?

Today, Christians United for Israel is having a day of prayer and support for the State of Israel. Thousands of churches and hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of Christians are standing up to be counted for their support of the Jewish state. Isn’t this a miracle? For how many centuries would our people cried for such support? Today, we would rather think that these people are anti-Semitic or have some other agenda. I say that we need to wake up and say thank you for their help.

I close with a couple of attachments. Please click on them and watch the video and read the article.

The first is a video by Pastor John Hegee of CUFI. The video is entitled, Christians United for Israel Sunday 2010 - A message from Pastor John Hagee

The second is an article written by Dennis Prager on the Conservative Website, Townhall.com. The article is entitled, Obama, Israel and the Genesis Prediction.

http://townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2010/04/20/obama,_israel_and_the_genesis_prediction

Like this blog and most things I put up, I do not expect everyone to agree with my views. I hope, no really I pray that you find my Random Thoughts at least provocative enough to think about them. I would appreciate any comments.

Christians United for Israel

2010-05-17T15:52:00.002-05:00

My mind is in a whirl. The past three weeks have been soul changing. Much of the foundation on which my religious education was based has been shattered. If anything, my faith in Judaism, Israel and the Jewish people has strengthened. Is it not strange that this is the result of Christian support? And I believe that they would celebrate if they knew.

A little over two weeks ago, several of us from Sioux Falls attended “A Night to Honor Israel” at the Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I went to a similar event about three years ago and was moved then as well. Pastor Hammond really knows how to put on a great production. As you may have seen by an earlier post, the featured speaker this year was Dennis Prager. I wish more Jews could have been there to hear Dennis and feel the warmth for Israel and the Jewish community at that church. I was moved.

Dick Lewin, Dennis Prager & Stephen Rosenthal at A Night to Honor Israel in Minneapolis.

Since that event, I read Standing with Israel, by David Brog. David is the Executive Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI). It is noteworthy that David is Jewish and was the Chief of Staff to Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. This book is well worth the time to read. David, while Chief of Staff, was curious as to why Evangelical Christians are so Pro-Israel. His book goes into great historical detail with the explanation. Many things I did not know about Christian theology, David explained. A couple of interesting side points were that an evangelical Christian was responsible for Theodore Herzl meeting with Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. The Kaiser gave official recognition of the Zionist movement at its very beginning. British Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour and the British Prime Minister Lloyd George were bible literalists. They believed that the Promised Land still belonged to the Jews. They were responsible for the Balfour Declaration. I was moved.

Pastor Michael Bang, South Dakota CUFI State Chair & John Summerville, Regional Director for CUFI

This past Thursday, Christians United for Israel for South Dakota in Sioux Falls organized their first meeting. Pastors Michael and Vicki Bang did an outstanding job. Carol and I attended the luncheon for pastors and the evening meeting for the public. Like the meeting in the Twin Cities, I cannot express how welcomed, as Jews, we felt. At both events, I saw people whom I have known for some time that I had no idea were Pro-Israel. John Summerville, the Midwest Region Representative of CUFI, gave exceptional presentations at both meetings. I was moved.

I was raised to be skeptical of Christians. Because of our last 2000 years of history, I grew up believing that most Christians are anti-Semitic. They base their belief on scripture that God gave the land of Israel to the Jews and that those who bless Jews will be blessed and those who curse Jews will be cursed. We skeptics would think or say that these Christians do not really mean what they say. They have ulterior motives. How can they care about us when so much of their domestic agenda many Jews oppose? I know that we have difficulty understanding people of faith. Most Jews question everything including God. So we believe that anyone who has such strong faith as these Christians are not all there. You can say that I have lost my mind. I believe them. I do not blame others for being skeptical. I hope that others will use their skepticism to educate themselves. Be a skeptic from knowledge. I pray that we do not let ignorance and prejudice cloud our views. Most hatred of the Jews comes from ignorance. May those quick to scream prejudice at others' ignorance not be ignorant themselves. I admit that I have had plenty of those feelings in the past. Like many other prejudices that I have overcome, knowledge sheds the light of understanding. I hope that others open their eyes and be moved like I have been.

I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Christians United for Israel. I hope that many of my fellow Jews will do likewise.

Another Zionist Plot

2010-05-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

This is a story that rarely seems to make the media. It is one that the Israel bashers do not want you to see or if you do, not to be believed.

_________

The Zionist plot you never hear about: Saving Arab children

There is a cardiac ward in a hospital in Tel Aviv where children lie on cots as doctors and nurses check charts and adjust advanced medical equipment. It is busy here. Some of the children sit up on stretchers in the halls, watching, playing with toys or taking spoonfuls of cereal from their parents.

These children are not Jewish. Indeed, none hold Israeli citizenship. Many come from China, Russia, Hungary, Yemen and other nations far from Israel. On closer inspection, you will discover that half of the children being treated here are Palestinians from the West Bank. All of these kids are receiving some of the best medical care available in the world, to heal their broken hearts.

For the rest of this short article:
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2996168

Jewish Suspicions of Christians

2010-04-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, a small group from Sioux Falls went to Minneapolis to the Living Word Christian Center for "A Night to Honor Israel." I am still mulling over my thoughts on this wonderful evening. I expect I will blog on the entire evening in the near future.The featured speaker for the evening was Dennis Prager, to me a tower of Jewish thought and wisdom. I wish everyone could view his entire speech. One of the thoughts that he discussed, I found on YouTube from a similar address that he gave. In this short video, he simplistically explains to both Christians and Jews why Jews are so reticent to believe that Christians can truly love Israel and the Jewish people. I hope that you will take the time to watch this short video and then examine your own views.

The False Religion of Mideast Peace - Aaron David Miller

2010-04-21T13:05:00.001-05:00

This is a very long article in Foreign Policy Magazine. While the length is oppressive, the thoughts are instructive. He basically leaves one with the impression that currently, peace between Israel and the Palestinians and Israel and the Arabs is unattainable. With all of the complex problems facing the US both at home and abroad, we cannot bring enough focus to work with the parties to solve this problem. He does not say it specifically but only another war will create the needs to find a chance for peace. The two times that great progress was made was following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which led to peace between Israel and Egypt, and following the Gulf War when we began the Oslo Process. Barring such catastrophic events, we will remain stuck in a quagmire. He does not say we should give up but we should have a realistic understanding of where we are at.

For information on the author, Aaron David Miller, you might look at the Wikipedia post on him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_David_Miller

A small excerpt from the article:

I can't tell you how many times in the past 20 years, as an intelligence analyst, policy planner, and negotiator, I wrote memos to Very Important People arguing the centrality of the Arab-Israeli issue and why the U.S. needed to fix it. Today, I couldn't write those same memos or anything like them with a clear conscience or a straight face. The notion that there's a single or simple fix to protecting U.S. interests, let alone that Arab-Israeli peace would, like some magic potion, make it all better, is just flat wrong. In a broken, angry region with so many problems, it stretches the bounds of credulity to the breaking point to argue that settling the Arab-Israeli conflict is the most critical issue, or that its resolution would somehow guarantee Middle East stability.

A brilliant, empathetic president has made America the focal point of action and responsibility for the Arab-Israeli issue at a time when the country may be least able to do much about it. The painful truth is that faith in America's capacity to fix the Arab-Israeli issue has always been overrated. It's certainly no coincidence that every breakthrough from the Egypt-Israel treaty to the Oslo accords to the Israel-Jordan peace agreement came initially as a consequence of secret meetings about which the U.S. was the last to know.

The link to this article :
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/04/19/the_false_religion_of_mideast_peace

Bravo Google!!

2010-04-20T14:46:00.001-05:00

I don't know if you read Google's blog, but I receive in my RSS feeds. I think that it's a good post to receive. These 2 recent articles discuss the way Google handles requests from governments and censorship. If you believe that knowledge is power as I do, you have to cheer for Google in doing all it can to keep information flowing. I am not advocating that Google is totally altruistic. This may just be a response to the mess with China but I think this is the right thing to do. So Bravo Google!!
If you have the time, enjoy these two posts.
Greater transparency around government requests

4/20/2010 11:04:00 AM

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Written in 1948, the principle applies aptly to today's Internet -- one of the most important means of free expression in the world. Yet government censorship of the web is growing rapidly: from the outright blocking and filtering of sites, to court orders limiting access to information and legislation forcing companies to self-censor content.

To read the rest of the blog:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/greater-transparency-around-government.html

Controversial content and free expression on the web: a refresher

4/19/2010 09:23:00 AM

Two and a half years ago, we outlined our approach to removing content from Google products and services. Our process hasn’t changed since then, but our recent decision to stopcensoring search on Google.cn has raised new questions about when we remove content, and how we respond to censorship demands by governments. So we figured it was time for a refresher.

To read the rest of the blog:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/controversial-content-and-free.html

Disconnect

2010-04-19T09:08:00.000-05:00

This poll just proves a point that I have been discussing for several years. We Americans do not like the way that our government in Washington works. The disconnect is that whenever there is a problem Washington is the place we turn for the solution. We have tried a Republican controlled Congress and Administration. We are now trying a Democrat controlled Congress and Administration. We have tried a divided Congress and Administration. Whatever we have tried, our politicians have not gotten the message. We want them to work together to find common sense solutions to our problems. Since they have missed that message, it seems to me that we need to take the responsibility back upon ourselves. We, the people, need to demand more local control to implement common sense solutions. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done and the political animosity found in Washington has filtered down to the states. We will continue to find it easier to complain than take responsibility.

Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington

By LIZ SIDOTI (AP) – 1 hour ago

WASHINGTON — America's "Great Compromiser" Henry Clay called government "the great trust," but most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems.

Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

To read the entire article, click on the link below:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jd_jiGbsExSJ0dfp1Na1YjnRJsfgD9F64DD80

Legislative suicide? - Senior Beacon - Washington, DC

2010-04-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

While attending the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in March, I reconnected with a cousin of mine, Stuart Rosenthal, also originally from Fort Worth. As you can see from the link, Stuart is a successful publisher of a Senior newspaper in the Washington, DC area. Here is an editorial from his most recent publication discussing the problems of the deficit and senior programs. His editorial is timely and poignant.

http://seniorb.md.newsmemory.com/default.php?goTo=1&selDate=20100401

You may have to click on page 2 to get to this editorial.

Legislative suicide?

As publisher of the Beacon and chair of the Maryland Commission on Aging, I am used to advocating for programs and serv ices that address the needs of the region’s older adults.

Most of the time, that means lobbying for more govern ment funds.

So today, I want to lobby for something that may seem surprising: I want to ask our government leaders to face facts and address the dire structural, financial crisis our country is facing, even though that means we aging advocates will also have to face some unpleasant facts.

When I advocate for senior programs, I talk about the demographic realities of our aging population. I point out wherever I can how much our increasing longevity and the huge population bulge created by the 78 million baby boomers are changing the makeup of our society.

In 10 years, Maryland will look like Florida does today (with nearly one in five adults 65 and over). Fairfax County, Vir ginia is aging even faster than Mont gomery County and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland.

And as our “senior class” is growing fast, our working class and numbers of school age children are growing much more slowly or even shrinking.

This huge, but gradual, de mographic shift means we need to focus now on how to revise our government spend ing priorities, diverting more of our resources toward those in later life.

Even before our current recession, I often encountered deep denial of these facts among legislators and bureaucrats. But today, in themidst of constant budget short falls, things are even worse. Now cuts are being made in senior programs (as in al most all other government spending) even as the numbers and needs are rising.

And when it comes to national problems like funding for Social Security and Medicare, the pressures are even greater. Medicare’s hospital insurance fund has been facing annual deficits since 2008, and Social Security is heading for them shortly. In fact, it appears that even this year, So cial Security will be $28 billion in the hole (taking in that much less in Social Security taxes than it pays out in benefits in 2010) ac cording to business columnist Allan Sloan.

Many types of solutions have been pro posed to address Social Security’s prob lems: push off the retirement age, tax high er levels of income, raise payroll taxes, re duce benefits. There are also proposals for addressingMedicare’s shortfalls.

But these aren’t painless, and legislators won’t risk their reelection by even sug gesting that such things need to be done to preserve the programs.

Instead, Congress appears to be heaping fuel on the fire by passing expensive new entitlement programs in the healthcare arena. Yes, the recent legislation holds out the promise of cost savings in the long run, but much of those will materialize only if Congress acts in ways in the future that it hasn’t been able to in the past.

And what about the even larger prob lem of reining in federal deficits generally (now exceeding a trillion dollars a year)?

In an effort to address these while pre venting blame from attaching to individual members, Congress briefly contemplated appointing a bipartisan commission that would presumably call for a combination of spending cuts and tax increases. Congress would then take a single vote on the entire package of suggested solutions.

While it was a cowardly and constitu tionally suspect way of addressing the issue, at least it was an attempt. But Con gress couldn’t even agree to the commis sion!

So President Obama has appointed a bi partisan presidential commission instead: One that doesn’t obligate Congress to vote on its results.

But this commission doesn’t face the facts, either. Its official task is to eliminate the federal deficit by 2015 — not counting interest payments on the national debt. Ac cording to the administration, the project ed 2015 deficit would be $752 billion— but $571 billion of that is for the interest pay ments that aren’t counted, according to columnist Robert J. Samuelson.

So even if the commission were to solve its stated problem, it would only address 24 percent of the deficit in 2015, and make no progress toward reducing the accumulated national debt, much less addressing long termneeds of Social Security andMedicare. What will it take to get our so-called lead ers motivated to do what needs to be done? Do we need our legislators to make a sui cide pact, with everymember willing to risk his or her job to get it done? Or do we need a more enlightened electorate, willing to re ward representatives whomake difficult de cisions rather than call for their ouster?

The decisions we need to make as a so ciety will result in short-term pain, no doubt. They will anger and possibly hurt many of those we care most about. But painful measures can’t be put off forever, and they can be mitigated by careful ad vance planning.

The time to start that planning has long since come.

I invite you to share your thoughts on this subject, or any others of concern to you, by writing us at: Letters to the Editor, The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227, or info@TheBeacon Newspapers.com.

Attending a reunion?

We’d like to hear from you if you are planning or attending a high school or col lege reunion in the area, or if you’ve recent ly attended one. Please contact our manag ing editor, Barbara Ruben, by calling (301) 949-9766 or e-mailingbarbara@theBeacon Newspapers.com.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

By Stuart P. Rosenthal

Obama's disregard for media reaches new heights at nuclear summit

2010-04-13T16:05:00.003-05:00

I admit that I have not been a great fan of President Obama. He is, however, my president and I expect him to uphold our democracy’s highest ideals. This article, from the Washington Post, is just a continuation of the arrogance that this administration has shown in its style of governing. The greatest example of this arrogance was the health care debate. The President promised the American people that it would be totally open for all the world to see. We would be able to watch the committees on C-Span. The text would be published on the internet for the public to read. When the bill was decided behind closed doors and members were bought off to vote for it, I was and still am outraged. This article shows, to me, a President and an administration that believes it knows best in all areas and will only tell us what it wants us to hear.

My hope is that others in the Fourth Estate will be as outraged as the reporter in this article and will use their paper and ink, blogs and newscasts to demand a more open administration. The citizens of the United States deserve nothing less.

Obama's disregard for media reaches new heights at nuclear summit

By Dana Milbank

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

World leaders arriving in Washington for President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit must have felt for a moment that they had instead been transported to Soviet-era Moscow.

They entered a capital that had become a military encampment, with camo-wearing military police in Humvees and enough Army vehicles to make it look like a May Day parade on New York Avenue, where a bicyclist was killed Monday by a National Guard truck.

In the middle of it all was Obama -- occupant of an office once informally known as "leader of the free world" -- putting on a clinic for some of the world's greatest dictators in how to circumvent a free press.

To read the entire article, click on the link below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/13/AR2010041303067.html

Ticked

2010-04-06T08:58:00.002-05:00

I really do not want to turn my blog into a strictly Pro-Israel blog. I have always said that I am extremely Pro-Israel but I would like to think that I have other issues that are also important to me. But reading this article from the BBC just really ticks me off. For a change I am not mad at the BBC but at the event.

If this was the first time that Hamas or the Palestinians had "mistakenly" reported a death blamed on the Israelis, I could forgive and forget it. This was not the first or the second or the tenth. They have a pattern of blaming Israel for events that we find out later did not happen. I am sure that this article absolving Israel will not make it to the Arab street. Actually it will not make it to most of the world as it is not shocking. So much for my ranting as most of the world just does not care.

Gaza boy reported killed returns home alive.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8601925.stm

A True Hero Interviewed

2010-04-04T12:48:00.002-05:00

Photo by: Ariel Jerozolimski

In the attached article, Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, talks about Passover, connection between Israel and the Diaspora and Jewish identity and freedom. This interview is a moving statement of the Jewish world from the perspective of the man most in charge of aliyah to Israel and promoting Jewish education in the Diaspora.

Why a True Hero? Natan Sharansky was a Jewish Refusenik in the Former Soviet Union. Because of his work on Human Rights and Jewish Emigration there, he was imprisoned in the Gulag. For 7 years of the approximately 8 years he was imprisoned, I wore a bracelet as a reminder of his imprisonment. Like many others, I spent time writing letters to and visiting with our federal representatives on his and other Refuseniks' behalf. Whenever our national representatives met with the leaders of the Soviet Union, the freeing of the Refuseniks and the allowing of Jewish emigration was always on the list.

The cause of the Refuseniks in the United States was not just a Jewish cause. Other groups who believe in freedom, justice and democracy also took up the cause. I remember being at a National Young Republican meeting in Washington, DC where Congressman Jack Kemp told the group that if they believed in these ideals, they needed to take up this cause. Trust me when I tell you that this was not a Jewish group. I was probably the only Jewish member attending this conference of approximately 800 people.

Sharansky was the symbol of standing up to authoritarian dictatorship. He was cruelly punished. He never gave up and finally was freed. In my opinion, a true hero.

I hope that you find this interview in the Jerusalem Post interesting. The link to the article is posted below:
http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=172404

Success

2010-03-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

-From If by Rudyard Kipling

I have to admit that when working on something as intently as getting the Iran Divestment bill passed in the South Dakota Legislature, it is difficult not to feel pride. I am grateful that our efforts were successful. So many people were involved in the bill’s passage, that I can only take a very small bit of the credit. Should I feel great for the success or should I feel great because of what this bill represents? Doing what we can to assist our troops is what is most important. This was the issue when we started and is still the issue. At home we do not put our lives on the line day in and day out. Stopping the funding to the terrorists is the least that we can do.

Congratulations to the South Dakota Legislature for passing this bill, the governor for signing it and to all of those who lent their voice supporting this effort.

Pro-Active for Israel

2010-03-24T17:09:00.000-05:00

I just returned from the American Israel Public Affairs (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, DC. Like many AIPAC conferences, most of the attention focused on the issues of the day. Today the issues are crippling sanctions against Iran to entice it to stop its efforts to attain a nuclear weapons capability; recommitment to a strong US – Israel Alliance; and passing the foreign aid bill with its 3 billion dollars in aid to Israel. These issues are the same as in the past many years with some different nuances. We have many friends in both houses of Congress on both sides of the aisle but the support of local constituents lobbying on these issues has a great impact.

Most of the speeches over the 3 day conference focused on these important topics or on the miracle of Israel. The most important speech to me was delivered by Howard Kohr, Executive Director of AIPAC. While covering the importance of these issues and our need to lobby on them, he began a discussion on being pro-active for Israel.

Here is the link to both the video and the transcript of his speech.

http://www.aipac.org/PC2010/webPlayer/mon_kohr10.asp

About half-way through the speech, you will find this paragraph which segues into the pro-active ideas.

“In the language of doctors that doctors use to diagnose dangerous conditions; these challenges are acute asserting an urgency we deny only at our peril. But doctors also know that there are conditions equally dangerous—not acute, but chronic. The damage they do is slower, toxic; in the end deeply damaging—even deadly. Make no mistake; we will maintain our focus on Iran as the number one item on our agenda. [Applause] We will continue to help Israel pursue her quest for peace and security with her neighbors. And we will work to continue to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Israel. But these acute challenges exist in a broader context. And it is the chronic problems that I also want to talk about this morning.”

We need a public relations campaign. We can no longer allow our detractors the open field. We must challenge their lies and half-truths with the light of truth. We must not allow ourselves the reflexive response of self-doubt. If our opponents’ arguments have a small element of truth, we must not allow that to be a wedge to stop us from providing the entire story.

Howard does not talk specifically about the story of the Muhammad Dura but I believe it to be they type of journalism we want to prevent. A French television network filmed a video in which they show this young boy being killed in a cross-fire exchange between

Israel

and the Palestinians. The film leads you to believe that the Israelis murdered him. Shortly after this video came out, the world was outraged at Israel. In response the Israelis showed that it was impossible due to the angle of where Muhammad was to have been hit by Israeli bullets. 5 years later after a lawsuit in France forced the French television network release the entire video footage we get to see what really happened. Not only was Muhammad Dura not killed by Israeli cross-fire, he was not killed at all. At the end of the video he just gets up and walks away. Where is the outrage to being lied to? To be pro-active, we must remind the world that our detractors have lied before. When we hear the next outrage, will we demand conclusive evidence before we believe the event or not?

Howard you are absolutely correct. We be pro-active. We need to tell

Israel

’s story for the entire world to marvel at. We must demand the truth from our detractors and have them explain any fallacies from the past. Other groups have talked about being pro-active for Israel, but I believe that AIPAC will get the job done.

A New Day

2010-03-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Does the Obama Administration wake up every morning and think that the world was just created again? Do they think that they can organize the world as they believe it ought to be? We could discuss this on just about every important issue facing the United States today, but I want to focus on the issue that I have been following for most of my adult life. The issue today is Israel and the Palestinians.

Last week, Israel announced that it would allow construction of 1600 housing units in the eastern part of Jerusalem in a Jewish neighborhood while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country. Current United States policy is against any construction in territory that

Israel

conquered in the Six Day War in 1967. This announcement embarrassed the Vice President.

Israel

’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, immediately apologized for the announcement coming as it did and embarrassing the Vice President. The Vice President formally accepted the Prime Minister’s apology.

Obviously, the Vice President forgot to check in with the President and the Secretary of State before accepting the apology. Upon his return home, Ms. Clinton after meeting with the President, called Prime Minister Netanyahu and dressed him down for the announcement. She said that he was insincere in attempting to hold negotiations with the Palestinians. She demanded that he cancel the construction project and wanted to know what other concessions he would give to the Palestinians to get them to the negotiating table.

Did they just wake up to a new day? Is history unimportant? Since his election as Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu has been calling for negotiations with the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority has used many excuses not to come to the table. Why has this administration not held their feet to the fire to negotiate? Now I know that this is probably way too long ago for this administration to remember but in 2000 then Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the Palestinians a peace deal that was considered overly generous. Even President Clinton condemned Palestinian Chairman Arafat from walking away from the proposal. Chairman Arafat did not make a counter proposal. He just walked away. I guess that is too long ago for the Secretary of State to remember. Israel has formally made offers even before 2000 to solve this conflict but has never had a willing partner.

What have the Palestinians done? How far back does one need to go? Just this week in Ramallah, the current seat of the Palestinian Authority, they renamed a square in honor of a terrorist who was directly responsible in the cold blooded murder of 38 Israelis including 13 children. I do not recall seeing a condemnation of the Palestinians. I could talk about how they call for the destruction of

Israel

in their mosques and call Jews pigs and monkeys who deserve to be destroyed. I could talk about the celebrations in the past when suicide bombers murdered innocent Israelis in their terror attacks. Remembering these events is just unimportant, I guess. History does not matter.

Well it is a new day. If those damn Israelis would just give up a piece here and there. We are not asking for anything really important. They can always count on the United States to come to their aid. We always do what we say. Our word is golden. Who does

Israel

think it is by not doing these little things for us?

Well tomorrow is another day. Maybe the Administration will see this issue in a new light. Maybe we will remember who our friends are. Or maybe some other issue will be important.

Surreal

2010-03-11T10:29:00.000-06:00

While I was walking in Vienna, I told Deborah that in many respects my trip was surreal. Consider that I had left Sioux Falls a few days before. Sioux Falls is a city that is not quite 150 years old. We were walking in Vienna that was established by the Romans as a fortress on the edge of the eastern Alps not quite 2000 years ago. Shortly I was going to Israel. I would be in Jerusalem that we know was King David’s Capitol 3000 years ago and is at least 4000 years old as the bible tells us Abraham was there. I would be driving by Jericho (in the Palestinian Authority area so I was not going to enter), probably the oldest city in the world at nearly 10,000 years old. To think how much history has unfolded at these various places and the span of their lifetimes for a simple man from South Dakota is just mind boggling and surreal.

Sioux Falls to Dimona and Back

2010-03-08T15:28:00.001-06:00

Rachel Rachamim with students and Rachel and Kochava Asraf

How quickly time flies! I returned to Sioux Falls last Monday, just a week ago, and it seems like forever that I was in Vienna and Israel. How I long to be again soaking in the waters of the Dead Sea but I will leave that blog for another time.

If you read my previous post, you already know a bit about our relationship. As Dimona and the Network are a Perfect Match, the crown jewel for me, personally, is the relationship developing between Eugene Field School in Sioux Falls and Ami-asaaf School in Dimona. These schools are both Art Magnet (art immersion) schools for their respective communities. Twinning gives these children a chance to learn about a different culture and environment. But kids are kids and art is art no matter where in the world one is.

The story begins last year when Carol and I were vacationing in Israel. Before we left, we had contacted our Network representatives about going to Dimona and seeing what our partnership was doing. We saw several sites but were struck by the reception at Ami-asaaf School. Carol dutifully posted our pictures on Facebook. A local friend of ours, Sara Crosby, saw the post. They had a chance to get together in Sioux Falls and Sara told Carol that we have a similar school here. Being our children have been out of the school system for about 15 years, we had no idea. Sara contacted the school and organized a meeting. Our ideas were received with great enthusiasm. The administration, staff and parents thought that this was a great idea. Many thanks go to Sara.

I contacted Ami-asaaf. Not being in Israel, I do not know what they individually thought but the return email was is a great idea. Summer came and the school year started and the two schools were still trying to get all of the connections made. Emails are being exchanged and the excitement is building. Before I left for my Big trip, I picked up at Eugene Field School letters and artwork from the students to take to Dimona. The box took up a large portion of my suitcase. I was thrilled.

Upon arrival in Dimona, my very first stop was Ami-asaaf School. The teachers, staff and children are so wonderful. I again met Kochava Asraf, the principal and then Rachel Rachamim, English teacher and our liaison. You would have thought that I was a dignitary. I was greeted by a choir who serenaded me. I recorded a portion of their singing and have uploaded it to You Tube. I was next escorted to the English classroom where a saxophone ensemble played for me. I have also uploaded a portion of their performance to You Tube. Following this, I presented the children with my package from Eugene Field School. I wish I could describe the excitement. Like I said, kids are kids everywhere. To add to their excitement, I showed them pictures of all of the snow we have in Sioux Falls. They loved it.

Before we were done, Rachel presented me with letters and art to bring back to Sioux Falls. I brought home as much, if not more, than I had taken. I did not know if I would be able to fit it in my suitcase, but I did not care. I was and am just so happy that this relationship is working and both schools are committed to making it grow.

When I returned home, I quickly made contact with Ann Henkhaus at Eugene Field School. I delivered her the package with all of the letters and art. She distributed this to the kids in the school. In visiting, she asked me to come to school and meet with the children to discuss my trip.

As I hope you can see, I am so very excited about all of the connections between Dimona and the Network. For me this local connection is the greatest but all of the ties are wonderful.

Dimona and the Network: A Perfect Match

2010-03-05T09:28:00.000-06:00

I just returned from a wonderful trip that took me to Vienna, Austria and several places in

Israel

. The main purpose of my trip in Israel was to go to Dimona, a small city of about 40,000 in the middle of the Negev Desert. I came as a representative, officially the American Steering Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), to meet my Israeli counterpart, Professor Haim Kalman, see projects in which we are invested, and hear proposals for possible new projects.

Now that I have explained why I was in Dimona, I want to discuss this partnership and what makes it perfect. The Network is a confederation (my description) of approximately 350 small Jewish communities around North America with only lay leadership. We raise funds for distressed Jews in

Israel

and the Diaspora. Our contributions originally went to the United Jewish Appeal, then toits successor the United Jewish Communities and today to the Jewish Federations of North America. Not quite 20 years ago, a separate division was created, the Network. As I view it and I am sure if someone from JFNA reads this they will disagree, the Network is kind of the Ugly Duckling of the organization. As one would expect, JFNA, is run by the large federations. Many times I have met Jews from large Jewish communities and when I tell them I am from South Dakota they ask are there really Jews there? In the Network, we raise significant dollars but not by a New York, Los Angeles or other large Jewish community standard. Understandably, they cannot overlook our contributions, but likewise, being so small and spread out, what services can JFNA provide?

Dimona is a town established in the 1950s. As with other communities in the Negev, this town was the fulfillment of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion’s dream to populate the Negev. Israel, following her independence in 1948, absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced Jews from Europe and the Arab world. While Ben-Gurion’s dream was great, the reality was that the government did not have the resources to fully take care of these immigrants. Over the last 12 years, I have been to Dimona 4 times and usually I get asked by Israelis why would I want to go there? Like the Network, Dimona is an Ugly Duckling of Israel.

In 1996, our parent organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel established partnerships between various Jewish communities outside of Israel with communities inside

Israel

. Dimona and the Network, the two Ugly Ducklings got each other. One could easily say that each got dumped on by its national organization. I disagree, we are a perfect match. We understand what a fight we have just to be recognized. Our adversity creates opportunities to find ways to work together for the betterment of both. While many of the larger North American communities may see their partnerships as just a philanthropic endeavor, ours can be a true partnership. The Network can help fund programs for the less fortunate in Dimona and Dimona can be the Network’s strong bond with

Israel

. As always, the devil is in the details. Together, we can face our challenges and our needs. Together, we can meet adversity and overcome it. Together, we can win for everyone. These two Ugly Ducklings were made for each other – a perfect match. And like the Ugly Duckling in the children’s story, we will grow into beautiful Swans.

Stress on Flying to a Foreign Land

2010-02-20T23:59:00.002-06:00

My great adventure of going to Vienna and

Israel

is in progress. While I have already been in Vienna for 2 days, I think I will start out with a short story of paranoia about flying to a foreign land.

Actually the trip was pretty much uneventful. I left Sioux Falls on time and because of fog in Munich and Vienna, I arrived an hour and a half late. In the scheme of things that really is not too bad for a 5000 mile trip that was supposed to take about 14 hours.

My stress, self-inflicted, was flying from Munich to Vienna on Lufthansa Airlines. As all of the announcements started coming out in German, I started to question whether I was in the right place at the right time. They were usually followed in English so why should I have been concerned? On flying into Vienna and being an hour and a half late, I wondered what had happened to Deb and Josh who were supposed to meet me in baggage claim. How was I going to get hold of them if they were not there? Was I going to be able to get the information of where we were staying off of my computer? Was there wifi at the airport to access my gmail account? Of course, I had not printed a hard copy out of where we were staying.

To make a long story short, I got my bag and walked out of baggage claim into the terminal. There, Deb and Josh were waiting for me. My stress was over and our adventure could begin.

Investments in Iran endanger troops

2010-02-18T08:59:00.000-06:00

I get to do a little self-promotion. I had an Op-Ed piece printed in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader today. The Op-Ed is very similar to an earlier post on this blog. The piece is timely as the bill, Senate Bill 134, was taken up by the South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee yesterday. The committee gave it a unanimous "Do Pass." Thank you to all of the senators on the committee. To read my Op-Ed, just click on the link below:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100218/VOICES05/2180314

A Topsy Turvy World

2010-02-16T08:25:00.002-06:00

Several months ago, in the hopes of renewing Israel –Palestinian peace negotiations, the United States demanded that Israel halt all construction in areas outside of its pre-1967 boundaries. I find this unilateral demand amazing.

We demand that an ally, Israel, with a democratically elected government with a fragile coalition take actions that we know are against the principles of its coalition. On the Palestinian side ruled by a dictatorship, we demand nothing because we are afraid it will hurt the popularity of the leader and therefore the government. Doesn’t something seem wrong here? You demand unilateral action by a government that is popularly elected that goes against its stated self-interest. You refuse to demand anything of a government that maintains its position by the gun.

Our thinking is topsy-turvy. Our policy is just backwards. One government does everything by fiat but cannot do anything is this regard because it might be unpopular. The other who rules democratically is demanded to do something that we know is unpopular. I just don’t get it.

Our Duty

2010-02-11T17:01:00.000-06:00

On their own, new technologies do not take sides in the struggle for freedom and progress, but the

United States

does. We stand for a single internet where all of humanity has equal access to knowledge and ideas. And we recognize that the world’s information infrastructure will become what we and others make of it. Now, this challenge may be new, but our responsibility to help ensure the free exchange of ideas goes back to the birth of our republic.

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton

January 21, 2010

Some of these challenges are very useful, particularly for the new generation, in whom the essential fervor of the Green Movement (Mr. Mousavi’s Political Movement in

Iran

) is found. The true achievement of the Islamic Revolution is the struggle against a return to dictatorship and the resistance of the people on this path. The refusal to conform to lies, cheating and corruption, which we witness today (in Iran), clearly shows the presence of this ongoing and everlasting achievement, just as the tightening choke hold on the media and press, the filling up of prisons and the merciless killings of the innocents on the streets, whose only wish is to peacefully obtain what is rightfully theirs; clearly shows the existence of the roots of oppression and dictatorship which are leftovers of the tyrannical monarchy.

Mir-Hossein Moussavi

February 2, 2010

To me, the issues are clear cut. Our Secretary of State says in eloquent terms that access to the internet is a human right. Mr. Moussavi describes the situation in

Iran

as one in which the ugly head of dictatorship is raising its head.

Today is the 31^st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and the ousting of the shah. For anyone who is interested, we watch the attempts of thousands of brave men and women trying to stand up to this dictatorship. For the past six months, we saw the people of

Iran

demand that their votes in the last presidential election be counted. As with the demonstrations today, these people face tear gas and beatings and being shot. They are rounded up and thrown in jail. Some are tortured and some are murdered. When they are rounded up, their families are not told.

What can

America

do to help? Are we still the great bastion of Democracy or not? Do we have the power to help these people? I think we can help without sending our troops which would have the wrong affect. In the name of promoting the Democracy that we hold dear, we should find a way to open the internet to the people of

Iran

. The Iranian people need an internet that is not censored by the Iranian government. Do we not have the technology to get something similar to wifi for the Iranian people? How does Google provide free internet in Mountain View? Madame Clinton speaks of an uncensored internet as a basic freedom. We must insure that these freedom seeking people have access to sending and receiving information.

If this revolution succeeds, will the new Iranian government be pro-American? I wish I could answer that positively but I cannot. If we are seen as an ally helping Iranians claim their freedom, we have a good chance. But whatever the outcome may be, a new government can hardly be worse either for us or the Iranian people than what they have now. As Americans, we have a duty to help people seeking freedom. Most Americans believe this. I hope our government does as well.

DragNet

2010-02-04T12:53:00.000-06:00

First, as an aside, the title is not original to me. I saw this in the first article and loved it. Second and much more importantly, if you are concerned about internet privacy and protection of your First Amendment Rights, I suggest you take a little time and read both articles. As I have discussed with many people, I am very concerned about what information the government has on me. I am not worried that I am breaking the law today but what happens if the laws change. If the government has access to everything that I have written or looked at, something lawful when I did it may not be lawful in the future. You may think that I am paranoid, and maybe I am, but I know of incidences in other countries where that is exactly what happened. I hope that you will take time to read the articles and forward them to others who might be concerned as well. Of course, as I have said before, if you are reading my blog you are probably already in trouble.

Police want backdoor to Web users' private data – Cnet News

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10446503-38.html

Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks – Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020304057_pf.html

Is this the Future of Computing?

2010-02-02T09:49:00.000-06:00

I think that like many people, I am fascinated by new technology. Without it, I would not be in the printing business. Desktop publishing and simple accounting allowed me to be in business these past 22 years. Likewise, technology may be the destructor of this business with more internet use and less paper. Well, I will stop crying in my beer.

This morning, I came across 2 interesting articles in the Gadget Lab at Wired.com. While each one is interesting in its own right, taken together they are mind blowing.

Not that the order to read them is important but I have listed them in the order that I read them. The first one is about a Portuguese company that is developing a film that turns anything into a touch screen. The second is about the new iPad. I did not think of the iPad as being revolutionary but after reading this article, I am having second thoughts. If the iPad could eventually be made so thin by using the film in the first article, people might be able to carry around a huge computer in their pocket. I realize that we are along way from there but to me the potential is fantastic.

I hope that you enjoy the 2 articles. They are not too long. You might find that you spend more time just thinking about the possibilities and the future of computing.

Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/thin-film-touchscreen/#ixzz0eOOx1nQc

What the iPad Means for the Future of Computing

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/#ixzz0eORKrOld

On the Road Again

2010-01-28T07:52:00.000-06:00

On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.

-Willie Nelson

Just a little past the Ides of February, I am set to embark on a fabulous trip. I am leaving Sioux Falls on Thursday, February 18^th and meeting up with my daughter, Deb, and son-in-law, Josh, in Vienna, Austria on February 19^th. After Carol and I visited them at their home in Zurich, Switzerland, Deb and I talked about my next trip to Europe going to Vienna. She and Josh are making a grand tour of the continent, while Josh works at Google – Zurich.

Vienna is a city rich with history. Being a history major in college (UT-Austin class of ’73), Vienna always fascinated me. The Holy Roman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which Vienna was the capital, seemed to get lost. When we studied world history, we were consumed by Britain and

France

. We studied a bit of German history but mostly Bismarck and later and a very little Russian history. Vienna with its stands against the Ottoman Turks was mentioned but mostly ignored. The Holy Roman Empire was center stage for the throes of the Reformation. So much of the great musical talent has its roots in Vienna, with of course, Mozart being the premier example. But we also find connections to Beethoven, the Strauss’s, Brahms and many others.

I do not know, at least yet, what I plan to see or do. I am sure that there will be more to do than the 4 days that I will be there.

From Vienna, I am flying to

Israel

. Thankfully, I have been there many times. Yet landing at Ben Gurion Airport always sends chills of excitement down my spine. This trip is going to be part vacation and part volunteer work. The vacation is the 2 days that I will be staying at a spa on the Dead Sea. I don’t know if it is being at the lowest point on the earth or sitting in the waters of the saltiest sea on the planet or breathing in the bromide filled air or all of the above that make this such a relaxing site. I do not remember how many times I have been there but I always come away feeling fantastic.

The work part of the trip will be a day and an overnight visit to a small town in the middle of the Negev Desert, Dimona. Dimona has a relationship, similar to a sister city, with the small Jewish communities in

America

. Through the philanthropic efforts of these American cities, we are helping many needy people, especially children; find a better way of life. I am on the steering committee of our American effort and will be meeting with some of our counterparts in Dimona. While there, I will continue to work on a very special program that is particularly between Dimona and Sioux Falls. I will write more on that in another post. Just stay tuned.

The last part of my visit in

Israel

will be to stay with my first cousin, Wendy and her family. Wendy and Warren have 4 wonderful children and 1 grandchild. Spending Shabbat and enjoying their hospitality is so very, very special. I wish that Carol and I could reciprocate somehow. Well maybe some day.

Needless to say, I am extremely excited. Many new places to see and experience. Several places that I have been before to re-discover. I just can’t wait to get on the road again.

Israel’s disproportionate response

2010-01-25T08:32:00.000-06:00

As I stated in my previous post that I am unabashedly pro-Israel. This letter to the editor written in Canada's Jewish Tribune expresses my sentiments. In war terrible things happen that combatants try to prevent. Israel's defense forces may not be perfect. In war, like all armies, they have to make split second decisions on survival. No other country goes to Israel's extreme in attempting not to harm civilians. No other country's military is put under a microscope as is Israel's. Israel's response in Haiti and in other disasters shows how much she cares for the preservation of Human Life. I hope that the message rings loud and clear. Please enjoy this short letter.

http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/201001202526/Israel-s-disproportionate-response.html

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Many countries and world leaders have accused

Israel

of responding disproportionately to aggression from Hezbollah in

Lebanon

and Hamas in Gaza.

However, it is time that the world press and media speak of another disproportionate response from

Israel

The terrible disastrous earthquake in

Haiti

has generated responses from many nations. The

has sent supplies and personnel,

Britain

sent 64 firemen and 8 volunteers, France sent troops for Search and Rescue. Many large and wealthy nations of the world sent money. The Arab and Moslem world sent very little.

Israel

, a nation of 7.5 million people has sent a team of 220 people that include medical personnel and have established the largest field hospital in

Haiti

, treating up to 500 people a day, an experienced search and rescue team and medical supplies. As in previous earthquake disasters such as in Gujarat India in 2001 and in Turkey, in the bombings in Kenya, Israel has been one of the most generous givers of aid and assistance Turkey seems to have forgotten this help as its Muslim government is cozying up to Iran.

Judge Goldstone, where are you now? Eating your heart out and hanging your head down in shame, I hope.

The favourite occupation in the UN is

Israel

bashing. More resolutions have been passed condemning

Israel

than all the so-called democratic nations such as

Sudan

China

Russia

and others for their crimes against their minorities.

I think it is time that the world should know about

Israel

’s disproportionate response.

Please forward this to as many people as you can.

David Yehezkel

Montreal, QB

Heredom

2010-01-21T07:47:00.001-06:00

For all of my friends who enjoyed “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, here is an article from the current issue of the Scottish Rite Journal on many of Dan’s quotes and descriptions of the House of the Temple. I toured the building about 10 years ago but I think I need to go back. Maybe next time when I am in DC I will take the “new” tour. I hope that you enjoy the article.

http://www.scottishrite.org/ee.php?/journal/articles/the_secrets_of_heredom/

Humanitarian Assistance

2010-01-19T09:06:00.000-06:00

I know that my prejudice shows that I am pro-Israel. I make no bones about that. I am just proud that this tiny little country understands the needs of those suffering and does all that it can to help. As much as she is maligned in the United Nations and in the world press, she did not ask what is in this for me. She just sent what she could to help in this terrible situation. I hope (and I know that it is a dream) that the world will take notice and before the next knee-jerk condemnation will look at her humanitarian actions.

Praise for Israeli mission in Haiti: ‘Only ones operating’

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3836254,00.html

INTERNATIONAL AID TO HAITI: ARABS OPT OUT

http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001083.html

(I am copying the appropriate text from this web site as you need to scroll quite a ways down to get to this note.)

This CBS / Associated Press report lists countries providing aid to

Haiti

in the wake of that country’s devastating earthquake. Conspicuous by its absence is the entire Muslim world, including the extremely rich oil producing nations.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/14/world/main6097735.shtml

However, Arab countries do not discriminate against non-Muslim countries. Their help was missing after the earthquakes in Turkey and Iran and during war and famine in Muslim Africa too.

Iran Divestment

2010-01-10T13:01:00.003-06:00

Not often do we have the chance to truly make a difference. This year, the South Dakota Legislature is being presented with an opportunity to support our soldiers in the field in Iraq and Afghanistan. A bill being sponsored by District 16 Representative Dan Lederman of Dakota Dunes is targeting the divestment of funds invested by the South Dakota Investment Council in companies that are doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Why should the South Dakota Investment Council divest itself of funds in companies doing business with Iran? The primary answer is that Iran is a prime supporter of terrorism. Iran supplies terrorists with both supplies and money, which in turn are used against OUR young men and women in uniform who are fighting for freedom. One of the main weapons being supplied by the Iranians to the terrorists is called an Improvised Explosive Device or IED. The IED's armor piercing capability is incredible. The following is a list of several of South Dakota’s sons who have been killed in Iraq by these devices:

Daniel M. Cuka, 27, of Yankton, was killed Dec. 4, 2005, in Iraq after roadside bombs went off near his unit's Humvees.

Army Spc. Patrick Herried, 29, of Sioux Falls was killed Feb. 6, 2006, in Iraq when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle.

Army Spc. Allen Kokesh Jr., 21, of Yankton died Feb. 7, 2006, at an Army hospital in Texas of injuries suffered in a Dec. 4, 2005, roadside bombing that killed two other members of his unit.

Many others have been killed but these casualties can be directly attributed to Iran's support of terrorism. Can we look at their brothers and sisters in uniform, protecting us, and look them in the face and say that we did all that we could at home to aid them? The passage of this bill will be a definite YES!

Who will be against this bill? The SDIC in a letter to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council has already indicated that they do not want any oversight or prohibition on investing whatsoever. The majority of the letter is about the specific costs but I think their main argument is that this is “social investing”. I see it as nothing of the sort. I do not consider doing all we can to protect our service men and women, whose lives are in harm's way, to be “social investing”. With regard to their argument concerning costs, can they put a price on those people’s lives? Should they??

I hope that whoever reads this blog will contact their state legislators and voice strong support for the bill. If you belong to an organization, please consider passing a resolution supporting our service people and Iranian Divestment.

We truly have a unique opportunity. We can stand up and be counted. We can do our small part in this war on terrorism and the protection of our men and women in uniform. With everyone's help we can truly make a difference.

Uranium Is So Last Century — Enter Thorium, the New Green Nuke (Wired Magazine - Jan. 2010)

2010-01-04T15:45:00.007-06:00

Is Thorium the “Green” answer? From this article in the January 2010 issue of Wired Magazine, we are certainly led to believe this is so. A Thorium reactor is more efficient than a uranium reactor, would produce literally no nuclear waste, leave no by-products for terrorists to construct nuclear weapons, and the supply of the element is so plentiful as to be nearly inexhaustible. We can quit emitting carbon dioxide from coal fired electric generating plants. With inexpensive, dependable nuclear energy, we can stop funding the terrorists who live on our petrodollars. After reading this article, I am wondering what we are waiting on? I was brought up on the saying that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is right now. Well we didn’t build these plants 20 years ago so shouldn’t we be starting today?
I hope that you enjoy the article.
s. rosenthal

Uranium Is So Last Century — Enter Thorium, the New Green Nuke

The thick hardbound volume was sitting on a shelf in a colleague’s office when Kirk Sorensen spotted it. A rookie NASA engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Sorensen was researching nuclear-powered propulsion, and the book’s title — Fluid Fuel Reactors — jumped out at him. He picked it up and thumbed through it. Hours later, he was still reading, enchanted by the ideas but struggling with the arcane writing. “I took it home that night, but I didn’t understand all the nuclear terminology,” Sorensen says. He pored over it in the coming months, ultimately deciding that he held in his hands the key to the world’s energy future.

Published in 1958 under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission as part of its Atoms for Peace program, Fluid Fuel Reactors is a book only an engineer could love: a dense, 978-page account of research conducted at Oak Ridge National Lab, most of it under former director Alvin Weinberg. What caught Sorensen’s eye was the description of Weinberg’s experiments producing nuclear power with an element called thorium.

At the time, in 2000, Sorensen was just 25, engaged to be married and thrilled to be employed at his first serious job as a real aerospace engineer. A devout Mormon with a linebacker’s build and a marine’s crew cut, Sorensen made an unlikely iconoclast. But the book inspired him to pursue an intense study of nuclear energy over the next few years, during which he became convinced that thorium could solve the nuclear power industry’s most intractable problems. After it has been used as fuel for power plants, the element leaves behind minuscule amounts of waste. And that waste needs to be stored for only a few hundred years, not a few hundred thousand like other nuclear byproducts. Because it’s so plentiful in nature, it’s virtually inexhaustible. It’s also one of only a few substances that acts as a thermal breeder, in theory creating enough new fuel as it breaks down to sustain a high-temperature chain reaction indefinitely. And it would be virtually impossible for the byproducts of a thorium reactor to be used by terrorists or anyone else to make nuclear weapons. (my emphasis)

For the entire article, go to the following url:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/12/ff_new_nukes/all/1

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

2009-12-26T13:31:00.001-06:00

Is there something about holidays in South Dakota and blizzards? It seems like the first 10 years that I lived here, we had a blizzard for Thanksgiving every year. In 1991 we had a Halloween blizzard with 18 inches of snow. This year’s blizzard came for Christmas. Maybe Santa packed it in his sleigh. If so, the ASPCA had better get on him for abusing his reindeer. I cannot believe how much snow we have gotten and we are still getting flurries.

Carol and I are stuck in our house for the second day. The drift in front of my garage door is about4 feet high. Hopefully, Mark, whom we have hired for many years to clean our snow will show up soon and dig us out. I am including a few of our pictures for you to take a look at. They do not do justice for viewing how much snow we have. Also you can look at a very short video of Max having the time of his life playing in this winter wonderland. I guess I am glad someone enjoys it because I consider the word snow to be a 4 letter word.

Below is the link for Max enjoying the snow.

Signs of peace in the Holy Land

2009-12-25T11:56:00.001-06:00

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I think the message of “Peace on Earth Good Will Towards Men” is one for which we all pray. I am so excited to see this small attempt in the land of so many religions to be working toward that goal. May this small event be a seed from which sprouts forth a blossoming outcome of peace for all.

Signs of peace in the Holy Land

By David Rosen
American Jewish Committee

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/12/a_sign_of_peace_in_the_holy_land.html

JERUSALEM - The scene was stunning. At the Druze shrine of NebiShueib, against the backdrop of a gleaming snow-capped Mount Hermon, the green mountains and blue sea of the Galilee, kaffiyed Muslim imams and ulema, mustachioed Druze sheikhs, black hatted rabbis and Christian clergy in various colorful garb, mingled together in animated discussion.

This meeting which took place earlier this week was the third for the Council of Religious Leaders in Israel, an organization established two years ago at a founding gathering hosted by the Chief of Rabbis of Israel at the headquarters of the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem. At that meeting, more than a hundred participants - including leaders from six different faiths and more than a dozen different denominations - signed a pledge for interfaith cooperation and mutual respect based upon a recognition of a common humanity and brotherhood flowing from the Faith in One Creator of All. The second meeting had been hosted in Kafr Kara by the Muslim community and focused on the role of religious leadership in combating violence in society. It was similarly attended by the highest official religious leadership and local political authorities

However this third gathering hosted by Sheikh Muaffaq Tarif and the Druze community differed from the previous two. There were still the necessary formal speeches by the heads of the major faiths, but these were preceded by vibrant interactive workshops. The theme of "the role of religious leaders in times of crisis" was particularly relevant as there have been a number of violent incidents in towns and mixed villages in the Galillee in recent years - arguably the most notable of these having taken place in Acre last year.

An imaginary scenario was presented by the facilitators (convened by the Center for Conflict Resolution at BarIlan University) to the participants who were divided into three groups.The scenario concerned a town that was beset by inter-ethnic and inter-religious tensions. One group was asked to propose recommendations for religious leadership in order to prevent strife. The second group was asked to address the role of religious leadership in a situation when conflict had already broken out. The third group was called to make concrete proposals in the wake of a conflict that had been quashed by law enforcement.

The relevance of such a scenario for inter-communal harmony in the country and beyond was apparent for all the participants and the sense of common purpose and shared values was intense. Most of the religious leaders had never met one another and the discussions facilitated warm and vibrant interaction.

Aside from recommendations regarding education and inter-communal cooperation, a general lament was voiced regarding how negative attitudes and incidents seem to enjoy widespread coverage and exposure as opposed to positive efforts to combat enmity and conflict. Indeed, this remarkable event itself received little or no coverage in the Israeli dailies. But for those of us who were present, it was an unforgettable scene.

The Druze community hosted the whole gathering to a festive lunch which was strictly kosherto accommodate the rabbis.The image of the highest Muslim and Druze leaders of the country, Chief Rabbis of Israel, Patriarchs and Bishops of Jerusalem, together with their co-religionists, sitting in an outdoor courtyard on the benches at Nebi Shueib, sharing food and fellowship,had an almost Messianic character to it.

Naturally the theme of the meeting had not been chosen arbitrarily. The Council wishes to be a force for nurturing good relations between the different communities and to be able to step in where there are tensions and help quell these. However for the some two hundred participants from the different faith communities gathered together in the rain-washed crystal clear sunlight at Nebi Shueib, this meeting was an opportunity to establish initial bonds of friendship and cooperation so important to overcoming the prejudices and stereotypes that generate suspicion and even hostility.

The Council is at the beginning of its journey to foster mutual respect and cooperation between the various religious communities in Israel; and if the warm and animated interactions from the meeting at Nebi Shueib are anything to go by, there is good reason to be hopeful.

Rabbi David Rosen is international director of inter-religious affairs for the American Jewish Committee and interfaith adviser to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

Jews are here to stay

2009-12-20T13:52:00.007-06:00

This Hanukkah article by Naomi Ragen, an American born, Israeli author and playwright, resonates with me. I guess that is because of my upbringing and experience. I have known Jews who survived the Shoah (Holocaust) and have seen the numbers tattooed on their arms. From my first trip to Israel in 1968, I still have vivid memories of going to Yad Vashem, Israel's Museum to the Holocaust. The pictures are still etched in my brain. The terror in people's eyes. I am haunted. When asked to take these people in, no country would. Not even our beloved United States. The infamous story of the ship St. Louis that was turned away from Cuba first, sat off the coast of Miami, Florida as negotiations were conducted to let these approximately 900 German Jews into America. Our State Department refused and this ship returned with its human cargo back to Germany. It is needless to say what the outcome of those passengers was. Would the outcome of the Shoah been different if there had been a Jewish homeland for the Jews of Europe to find refuge? I think so.

After the World War II, little Israel was created on less than 20% of the land the Jews were promised at the end of World War I. No one thought that this tiny island in a sea of hate could survive. Not only has she survived but she has thrived. Whether it be through physical battles or constant attempts to deligitimize her, she continues to flourish. I am proud of her accomplishments. Like all of us, she is not perfect. She has flaws but she seems to do a better job than most countries of condemning her own problems. Obviously I could go on and on about Israel and her successes and failures. Ms. Ragen struck a chord with me. I hope that you come away from her article with greater understanding.

Stephen Rosenthal

Jews are Here to Stay
Hanukkah candles reminder to hostile world that we’re not going anywhere
by Naomi Ragen

Published: YnetNews.com 12.11.09, 14:10 / Israel Opinion

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3818432,00.html

Every single Jew living in the land of Israel is a modern day Macabee. Every Jew who has dared to wrench this re-born homeland from a callous world that would deny us Jews our birthright, while championing the birthrights of every other native people in the world - Tibetans, and Palestinians, and South African Blacks-- is a Macabee.

Every Jew sitting in Israel, surrounded by the overwhelming power and numbers and evil designs of the hostile Moslem world, is a Macabee. With every candle we light – whether we are religious or secular – we celebrate those things that hold us together as a nation: our history and our culture and our faith.

We celebrate that these things have not been erased from the world, and are not now relics behind the glass cases of museum exhibits like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, and Samarians. With every light in our window shining out against the dark night we proclaim: We are still here and our very existence is a stunning victory of the weak against the strong, the many against the few, the just, who love and protect life, against the lawless, who have no respect for life.

With every candle we light, we reaffirm all those things that hold us together as a nation and a people: our stubborn disregard for the forces aligned against us, our rejection of the lies told about us, and our unwavering assertion of our history and our right to take our place as a nation among the nations.

We assert that we are in our homeland, the land that was given to us and which we have inhabited – in lesser or greater numbers - from the time we crossed the Jordan with Joshua. That we, descendants of Abraham and that tribe of desert children born from freed Egyptian slaves, remember who we are despite all efforts to make us forget, to convince us otherwise, to rewrite and defile and deny our history and our rights as a native people living in their native homeland.

We are a unique people
We remember not only what we are, but who we are: the torch-bearers of the precious value of human life. Our agony as a nation over the life of one of its precious sons, our willingness to release those who have murdered us without pity so that that son might return to his family and live, that agony unites us as a nation because it goes to the deepest part of our heritage.

No other nation in the world would even consider such a trade. But we do, because that is who we are, demonstrating that we have not been infected and defiled by the values of other nations. We stand unique in all the world, every single one of us.

Because we are alive at this time and in this place, and we have chosen to spend that life in our homeland despite all the dangers and hardships and sacrifices. Because we are Jews and Israelis and together we light a candle, secular and religious, against the vast darkness of the hostile world.

Because with that candle we proclaim: we are a unique people, and we are here to stay.

Happy Hanukkah

8 Steps to a Geekier Chanukah

2009-12-11T15:20:00.001-06:00

This article from Wired.com about says it all. For Carol and me, it missed one small item. Thanks to technology we were able to light our candles with our children and grandson in Zurich, Switzerland. Dave, Tina and Drew are visiting Deb and Josh. Not quite as good as all being together but still we got to watch each other light the candles and sing the songs together. Of course then we watched Drew open his presents. It was a bit early in Sioux Falls to light candles (we still did it) but just right in Zurich. I doubt that we are as Geeky as the following article but we are working toward it. I hope that you enjoy the article.

8 Steps to a Geekier Chanukah

By Curtis Silver
December 11, 2009 |
8:00 am |
Categories: Hacking the Holidays

LED menorah photo by Windell H. Oskay, www.evilmadscientist.com, used under CC attribution license.

While all of the gentiles (or goyim) are celebrating a holiday where all the gifts are opened at once — after being delivered through the chimney by an overweight icon in a red suit — I’ll be lighting a candle and opening one gift a night. Starting tonight at sundown. That’s right folks, I celebrate Chanukah. Or Hanukah, Hanuka, Hannukah, Hanukkah, Channukah or just חֲנֻכָּה. Basically, the spelling is up in the air as it’s a translation of sounds like any language based on symbols. I like to use Chanukah for some reason, maybe because the CH sound at the beginning forces me to make it sound like a Klingon word.

Now that we’ve established my religious preference (though if my wife would let me I’d convert toPastafarian in a heartbeat) let’s take a look at eight random ways you can make Chanukah as geeky (or at least as fun) as humanly (or robotically) possible whether you celebrate it or not.

8. Light ‘Em Up!

Jewish or not, you probably know that Chanukah is traditionally called “The Festival of Lights” and includes the tradition of lighting the Menorah, one candle a night. How can lighting candles be geeky? Well, even if you’re not sitting in a giant LEGO menorah the lighting of the candles doesn’t have to be boring. You could build your own flamethrower to light the candles, or my personal favorite - just use your craft torch!

7. Plate Full of Latkes

One of the foods consumed (in great quantities in my house) around this time of year are Latkes. Simply put, they are fried potato pancakes. Imagine chopped up french fries, covered in onion rings and deep fried in hot oil. I like a little beer batter on mine. Latkes make the perfect all-night gaming snack, and go great with a Mountain Dew and an 8-hour session of WoW.

6. Everyone Can Sing

Jews don’t just say prayers, we sing them. Seriously. Over the years I’ve learned something — no-one in my family can sing. When reciting the blessings every night while lighting the candles, I cringe. Thanks to the magic of the iPhone and the genius of T-Pain, we have the I am T-Pain iPhone app, so you can simply record the blessing into your iPhone and auto-tune it! Amazing! Also, it can be used for all the other blessings, as well as Nana’s kvetching about how things were when she was young and poor.

5. Chanukah Viewing Party

Similar to the tradition of viewing A Christmas Story over and over and over on Christmas Eve, in my household we like to view Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights every night after we open gifts. It’s a hilarious animated movie that teaches a great lesson to kids about behavior and charity. Recently my brother suggested we add a new film to the Chanukah viewing rotation, for after the kids are in bed. Adam Goldberg’s The Hebrew Hammer. Probably the strangest and most original holiday film ever made. Though I’ve always preferred The Frisco Kid.

4. Go Read Comics

Stan "The Man" Lee. Image from the Wikimedia Commons and used under Creative Commons license. Excelsior!

It’s well known that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are both Jewish and are responsible for creating a lot of the comic book characters out there. But those guys are real. Here’s a short list of some comic book characters that you may be familiar with that are lighting the Menorah this Chanukah. Except for Magneto, as he was born Jewish but turned his back on religion. Iceman (his mom is Jewish), Marvel Boy (Justice),Microchip (the Punisher’s assistant), Prime and of course, Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) who wears her faith around her neck.

3. Chanukah Through Music

While we all are familiar with Adam Sandler’s now infamous Chanukah ballads, delighting in naming all the famous Jews and making pot jokes, fellow GeekDad Z helped me compile a list of some other great Chanukah-related music you may not have heard. From nerdcore to TMBG to Sarah Silverman, there is some good stuff here that you can easily find a place to download from (like iTunes, Amazon, etc.) and make yourself the perfect Chanukah mixtape.

Erran Barron Cohen (brother of Sasha) released an album of traditional Chanukah songs called Songs In The Key Of Hanukkah.

A great mashup from DJ Flack called “Dreidl-Bells.”

Senator Orrin Hatch wrote a Chanukah song. Go figure. It’s called “A Melody Fit for a Maccabee.”

A bit of musical comedy from the group Da Vinci’s Notebook (two of whom went on to become Paul and Storm), with their Alice in Chains-inspired cover of “Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel.” Wicked.

Music group The LeeVees put out an excellent album of modern Chanukah songs, Hanukkah Rocks. Among the songs are the very funny “At the Timeshare” and “Kugel.”

The Barenaked Ladies holiday album, Barenaked for the Holidays contains some Chanukah songs in that distinctive BNL style. Side note: Their song “Hanukkah Blessings” made it onto Rock Band.

They Might Be Giants also released a holiday EP a couple years back, with one Chanukah song on it, called “Feast of Lights.”

In the chiptune category, 8 Bit Weapon has included a Chanukah song on their new holiday album, It’s a Chiptune Holiday.

Let us also not forget the timeless Christmas Jews album released by the hilarious 2 Live Jews comedy music duo. It’s a contradiction of sorts, since it’s Jews ripping apart Christmas music with some Chanukah songs sprinkled in.

Finally, for your viewing pleasure (though not all safe for the geeklets) there is Sarah Silverman’s “Give the Jew Girl Toys” and the less inappropriate though still classic Kyle Broflovski’s “Lonely Jew on Christmas” ballad.

2. Record It All

As geeks, it’s our duty to get in everyone’s face with the new video camera. It’s our obligation to Twitter while opening gifts. It’s also in our best interest to take hundreds of pictures to then upload to Flickr to share with the world. It is then in our best interest to upload the video to YouTube so your family in another state can see your kids singing the Chanukah blessings as though they were wrought with the spirit of T-Pain. Don’t forget to set up the continuous slide-shows on the digital picture frames scattered throughout the house. But you already knew all that, you do it every weekend.

1. If You Build It, Presents Will Come

Whenever possible, a true geek doesn’t buy it. A true geek builds it. That rule holds for the centerpiece of the Chanukah holiday, the Menorah. For you gentiles, that’s the thing that holds the candles. For the kids, might I suggest a D.I.Y. Menorah kit? Just remember, whatever you build the Menorah out of, try not to make it flammable. Personally, I like a good solid metal one or one made out of old computer parts. If you are feeling lazy however, you can head over to Thinkgeek and buy one made from a motherboard with LED lighting. Pretty. Though if you want to get really hardcore geek with your Menorah, go with the Star Trek Pez LED Menorah. If you think making a Menorah is too tough, then go make a Droidel.

That’s it! So from all of us here at GeekDad have a fun and geeky Chanukah! Hope you get all eight gifts you asked for and more! I know I’m getting a handful of giftcards. L’Chaim y’all!

Dan Brown's Letter to Scottish Rite

2009-12-08T13:42:00.006-06:00

October 6, 2009

Guests of the Southern Jurisdiction,

It is my great honor to be invited to greet you via this letter. I had hoped I might be able to join you in person tonight, but the launch of my novel The Lost Symbol has me far from Washington.

In the past few weeks, as you might imagine, I have been repeatedly asked what attracted me to the Masons so strongly as to make it a central point of my new book. My reply is always the same: “In a world where men do battle over whose definition of God is most accurate, I cannot adequately express the deep respect and admiration I feel toward an organization in which men of differing faiths are able to ‘break bread together’ in a bond of brotherhood, friendship, and camaraderie.”

Please accept my humble thanks for the noble example you set for humankind. It is my sincere hope that the Masonic community recognizes The Lost Symbol for what it truly is…an earnest attempt to reverentially explore the history and beauty of Masonic Philosophy.

Yours sincerely,

Dan Brown

Maybe I better explain who this letter is addressed to first. “Guests of the Southern Jurisdiction,” were the members and guests attending the Southern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite’s biennial meeting. Scottish Rite is an appendant body of Masonry. You must be a Mason to be a member of Scottish Rite but Masons are not automatically members of Scottish Rite. The Southern Jurisdiction is the national body of Scottish Rite for 35 states and the District of Columbia. The remaining 15 states are members of the Northern Jurisdiction. Dan Brown’s book, The Lost Symbol, is centered on the Southern Jurisdiction and its headquarters, The House of the Temple, in Washington, DC. Mr. Brown was invited to address the biennial meeting and this letter is his response to that invitation.

Having just returned from viewing a presentation and conferring of the 33rd Degree, I feel that it is an appropriate time to comment on Mr. Brown’s letter. I was coroneted a 33rd Degree Mason 12 years ago, and continue to be influenced by the Rite’s commitment to an ethical and moral country and world. Where evil raises its ugly head, this international fraternity works for a better planet. Dan Brown’s letter exemplifies his understanding of what we do.

As a direct response to his letter, I am truly moved by Dan Brown’s “admiration of an organization in which men of different faiths are able break bread together.” I am proud to be an active member of that organization and especially proud of its teaching of toleration. I am proud of its beliefs in trying to make our world a better place to live. Unfortunately, those trying to do good are often attacked as trying to corrupt others. Those who criticize others latch on to a perceived weak link and hammer away trying to break it.

Does Masonry and Scottish Rite Masonry have secrets? Yes. Are they secret organizations? No. Masonic and Scottish Rite Centers freely display their presence. If they were secret, they would not do this. And really what secrets are there when a person with a bit of diligence can learn our secrets on the internet or even the local library. Are powerful people Masons and members of Scottish Rite? Again the answer is yes but not all powerful people are members. You will find powerful people who belong to the Elks, VFW, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and many other civic and fraternal organizations. Are Masons and particularly Scottish Rite Masons trying to run the world? No. Trying to make good people better and the world a better place to live are the goals of many organizations. Masonry works through education about morality and ethics, through charitable giving and just trying to have their members lead exemplary lives. Are there bad Masons? I am certain that there are. As in all walks of life there are bad apples that fall through the cracks

As I stated, I am proud to be a member of this fraternity. I believe that we are working for a moral and ethical world. I hope that I am doing my small part. I do not believe that we are perfect or that we are the only answer to accomplish those ends (see my post on “The Blind Men and the Elephant.” I encourage others in their own way to work for the same goals.

Stephen Rosenthal, 33°

Miracle in Sioux Falls

2009-12-01T08:05:00.001-06:00

I probably should have titled this blog “An American Mommy in Zurich – A Response III,” but what a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend I had. My previous blog post was an article that I took from Aish.com on Gratitude. Truly, I have so much to be grateful for. I am so fortunate for such a great and loving family with Carol and our 2 children, Dave and Deb, and our other 2 newer children, Josh and Tina. Of course there is that very special grandson Drew. Let’s not forget the newest member of the family, our dog Max and our grand dogs, Stella and Phog. What can I say? They are all healthy, happy and wonderful. To me, they are all extraordinary.

Isn’t there something about a “Miracle” in the title of this post?” Did the sea split? Did the earth open up? Did God deliver us from overwhelming opposition? Is that what it takes to make a miracle? I don’t think so. I cannot remember where I read this but this idea has stuck with me. What are the odds of those random atoms that make up each and every one of us coming together out of all the atoms in the universe? The odds against it are astronomical. The miracle was just us sitting down together and enjoying great food, great company, and great family. Isn’t that truly a miracle? Well it was that way for Drew, Tina, Dave, Max, Phog and me. But also imagine being able to talk and see Carol, Deb, Josh and Stella in Switzerland on a computer. What would Moses have said to that?

Yes, today, we view these as everyday occurrences but it is miraculous. Yes, our Thanksgiving was a miracle just as great as the Ten Plagues or the Sun Standing Still. The best part of it is that it does not happen once and then just end. This miracle continues. Well, I hope that you take a moment and look at all of the miracles around you. You don’t have to come to Sioux Falls to see one, but if you do, like Moses and the Burning Bush, it is there waiting to be seen.

Gratitude - From Aish.com

2009-11-22T12:17:00.002-06:00

How much better life would be if we could all be grateful for all that we are blessed with. Again, being from Aish, it takes a Jewish perspective, but you don't have to be Jewish to understand its message.

The Mussar teachings on the attitude of gratitude are tough, because they don't let us feel sorry for ourselves, no matter how little we may have. One Mussar master began a talk with a thump on the table and the words, "It is enough that a human being is alive!" Then he ended his talk right there.

There is a story -- maybe an urban legend, but full of truth nonetheless -- concerning the famous violinist Itzhak Perlman. One evening, Perlman was in New York to give a concert. As a child he had been stricken with polio and getting on stage is no small feat for him. He wears braces on both legs and walks with two crutches. Perlman crossed the stage painfully slowly, until he reached the chair in which he seated himself to play.

As soon as he appeared on stage that night, the audience applauded and then waited respectfully as he made his way slowly across the stage. He took his seat, signaled to the conductor, and began to play.

No sooner had he finished the first few bars than one of the strings on his violin snapped with a report like gunshot. At that point Perlman was close enough to the beginning of the piece that it would have been reasonable to bring the concert to a halt while he replaced the string to begin again. But that's not what he did. He waited a moment and then signaled the conductor to pick up just where they had left off.

Perlman now had only three strings with which to play his soloist part. He was able to find some of the missing notes on adjoining strings, but where that wasn't possible, he had to rearrange the music on the spot in his head so that it all still held together.

He played with passion and artistry, spontaneously rearranging the symphony right through to the end. When he finally rested his bow, the audience sat for a moment in stunned silence. And then they rose to their feet and cheered wildly. They knew they had been witness to an extraordinary display of human skill and ingenuity.

"Sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much beautiful music you can still make with what you have left."

Perlman raised his bow to signal for quiet. "You know," he said, "sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much beautiful music you can still make with what you have left."

We have to wonder, was he speaking of his violin strings or his crippled body? And is it true only for artists? We are all lacking something, and so we are all challenged to answer the question: Do we have the attitude of making something of beauty out of what we do have, incomplete as it may be?

The Hebrew term for gratitude is hikarat hatov, which means, literally, "recognizing the good." Practicing gratitude means recognizing the good that is already yours.

If you've lost your job, but you still have your family and health, you have something to be grateful for.

If you can't move around except in a wheelchair but your mind is as sharp as ever, you have something to be grateful for.

If you've broken a string on your violin, and you still have three more, you have something to be grateful for.

When you open up to the trait of gratitude, you see clearly and accurately how much good there is in your life.

When you open up to the trait of gratitude, you see clearly and accurately how much good there is in your life. Gratitude affirms. Those things you are lacking are still there, and in reaching for gratitude no one is saying you ought to put on rose-colored glasses to obscure those shortcomings. But most of us tend to focus so heavily on the deficiencies in our lives that we barely perceive the good that counterbalances them.

There is no limit to what we don't have and if that is where we put our focus, then our lives will inevitably be filled with endless dissatisfaction. This is the ethos that lies behind the great biblical proverb, "Who is rich? Those who rejoice in their own lot" (Pirkei Avot 4:1).

When you live charged with gratitude, you will give thanks for anything or anyone who has benefited you, whether they meant to or not. Imagine a prayer of thanks springing to your lips when the driver in the car next to you lets you merge without protest, or when the water flows from the tap, or the food is adequate?

When gratitude is this well established, it is a sign of a heart that has been made right and whole. Gratitude can't coexist with arrogance, resentment, and selfishness. The Hasidic teacher Rebbe Nachman of Breslov writes, "Gratitude rejoices with her sister joy and is always ready to light a candle and have a party. Gratitude doesn't much like the old cronies of boredom, despair and taking life for granted."

To what and whom should we feel thankful? In the Torah, when Moses brought the plagues onto Egypt, he wasn't the one who initiated turning the Nile River into blood and bringing frogs from the river. His brother Aaron invoked those plagues. The medieval commentator Rashi explains that since the river had protected Moses when he was an infant, he could not start a plague against it. God was teaching Moses a powerful lesson in gratitude: we can open in gratitude even to inanimate objects.

Whenever Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Kotzker Rebbe, replaced a pair of worn out shoes, he would neatly wrap up the old ones in newspaper before placing them in the trash, and he would declare, "How can I simply toss away such a fine pair of shoes that have served me so well these past years!?" I felt the same way when I gave away my 1984 Honda that had ferried me so reliably for 18 years.

The Mussar teacher Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian (1872 - 1970) was once talking to a student after prayers, and at the same time was folding up his tallis [prayer shawl]. The tallis was large and he had to rest it on a bench to fold it. After he had finished the folding, Reb Elyah noticed that the bench was dusty, and so he headed out to fetch a towel to wipe it off. The student to whom he was speaking realized what Reb Elyah was doing and ran to get the towel for him. Reb Elyah held up his hand. "No! No! I must clean it myself, for I must show my gratitude to the bench upon which I folded my tallis¹."

If we can be grateful to rivers, shoes, cars, and benches, which help us involuntarily, how much more so to human beings who have free will and who help us consciously out of the goodness of their hearts? Or to the mysterious source out of which our lives have come? When Leah, wife of the patriarch Jacob, had her fourth child, she named him "Yehudah," which means, "I am grateful," to reflect her gratitude to God for the gift of another son. The name Yehudah is the source of the Hebrew name of the Jewish people (Yehudim), revealing the very direct tie between Judaism and gratitude.

Gratitude opens the heart and that's why it provides a fine orientation equally to the inanimate, human and divine dimensions of the world.

A simple and effective way to practice gratitude is by making giving thanks part of your everyday life. For example, it is an established Jewish practice to recite 100 such blessings a day. The term for "blessing" in Hebrew is bracha, which comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for "knee." When you say a blessing, it is as if you have bent your knee in an act of gratitude. The habit of saying blessings can remind you to be thankful when you hit a green light, or the salad is fresh, or the garden is getting the rain it needs, or your child came home from school as usual.

Can you see how such a practice might slowly but insistently change your orientation to the world and your life?

1. from Reb Elyah by David Schlossberg, p.121.

http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48906987.html

American Mommy in Zurich – A Response Zwei

2009-11-18T12:30:00.011-06:00

While Carol continues on the Grand Tour of Europe, she is obviously too busy to be posting her second week and maybe third week of travels. I just thought I would give a comparison of the costs and benefits of being in the States versus being in Europe.

Benefit .......................................................................Cost
Weekend in Munich .........................................................Expensive
2 days at the Spa ............................................................Very Expensive

Going with Drew to his first
KU Basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse ................................Priceless!!!!!

....

The Proud Uncle

2009-11-17T07:37:00.002-06:00

Media All-Stars 2009

Nov 15, 2009

JACKIE KULESZA

Dossier:

Starcom USA, Senior VP, Broadcast Activation Director

Clients: Allstate, Bank of America, Hallmark Gold Crown, Nintendo and Kellogg’s

Years in Biz: Joined Starcom in January, 1995

Signature Achievement: Showcased Hallmark’s recordable cards in ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition sixth season

What the Boss Says...Chris Boothe says, “She’s nimble and daring, and she never limits herself to just what she’s supposed to be doing. She’s always out ahead, carrying the torch.”

By Anthony Crupi

In an era of unwieldy titles, Jackie Kulesza may be one of the few agency executives who isn’t dragging a freight train of modifiers in her wake. While overstuffed job descriptions have become the norm, Kulesza’s title befits her forthright manner.

As senior vp, broadcast activation director of the Chicago-based media agency Starcom, Kulesza, 37, places billions of national TV dollars for a roster that includes Allstate, Bank of America, Hallmark Gold Crown, Nintendo and Kellogg’s. Much as she loves the art of the deal—ad sales execs say the mental toughness the media buyer brings to the table is matched only by her equanimity—Kulesza is less concerned with the immediacy of price than in ensuring that her clients’ messages find their way to the right screen, and at the right time.

Take, for example, an integration Kulesza engineered for Hallmark a year ago. As the client was readying the launch of a new line of recordable greeting cards, Kulesza worked out a deal to showcase the novelty offering in the sixth season of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Midway through the Dec. 7, 2008, episode of Extreme Makeover, Hallmark played a part in helping a group of young music students stay in touch with their teacher who suffers from a rare heart condition. Dipping into a box of recordable cards donated by Hallmark, each student created their own greeting, wishing her well and letting her know that she was missed.

“When Ty Pennington and his team begin fixing their house, the family is sent out to Niagara Falls for a vacation,” Kulesza says. “We delivered the cards to them, and she got all choked up. It was a nice moment, and because the integration ran during the holiday season, it hit their sweet spot.”

Which isn’t to suggest that Kulesza is a big softie. Those seated at the other side of the table say the buyer is one of the toughest deal makers in the business. “Jackie is a formidable negotiator, and she’s emerged as one of the agency’s best strategic thinkers,” says Linda Yaccarino, executive vp/COO of Turner Entertainment ad sales/marketing. “She’s tough as nails but fair. Price is critical, but you’re not going to walk away thinking she tried to CPM you to death.”

Besides providing Extreme Makeover with one of its signature Kleenex-depleting moments, the Hallmark integration stands as a prime example of how Kulesza continues to help her clients bust through the cluttered TV space.

This year, Kulesza and her team joined forces with Nickelodeon, taking the wraps off a cooperative research effort on how the recession has affected family spending patterns and consumer-brand relationships. Chief among the study’s findings was the assertion that consumers were beginning to question their long-standing brand loyalties. The joint study also suggested that the drain on dollars has had an impact on media consumption. For example, there has been a significant uptick in co-viewing habits, as reduced entertainment budgets have encouraged parents and kids to watch more television together.

“One of the takeaways is that kids TV is particularly efficient because, for the most part, all the ads are targeted to them. So everything in the pod is relevant,” Kulesza says. “The trouble is, marketers see that there’s more co-viewing and they want to target the parents with their ads for phones and washing machines. And when that happens, as much as you’re bringing in nonendemic business, you’re making the pods less relevant to the kids.”

Shortly after the study wrapped, Nickelodeon began discussing the findings with its clients, which in turn allowed the network to help sponsors fine-tune their messaging. (Starcom and Nick have been crunching the numbers for the last few years; in 2007, Kulesza helped develop a minute-by-minute ratings research initiative that formalized the industry’s currency debate.)

Few buyers have been as proactive in their push for greater accountability. When C3 ratings were established as the coin of the realm, Kulesza characterized the new metric as a stop-gap measure. (At the time, Starcom had already cut a number of deals based on Nielsen minute-by-minute ratings, a far more granular measure than C3.)

Starcom’s quest for heightened accountability was frustrated by the never-ending upfront stare down of 2009. As haggling over price became the primary concern in the summer bazaar, loftier issues were tabled. “We pushed on better data, but we didn’t get very far this time around,” Kulesza says, and even at a remove of a few months, her voice still betrays a note of aggravation. “Having said that, I think conditions are ripe for another debate in 2010.”

Chris Boothe, president and chief activation officer, Starcom, says he expects Kulesza will be “relentless” as she works to elevate the industry standard. “Her desire to continually reinvent herself is what makes Jackie such a terrific leader,” Boothe says. “She’s nimble and daring, and she never limits herself to just what she’s supposed to be doing. She’s always out ahead, carrying the torch.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/media-agencies-research/e3idc37ef3d9b1c8d9e62650301238625c1?pn=6

Toleration - The Blind Men and the Elephant

2009-11-09T09:28:00.002-06:00

With all that is going on both in the area of politics and religion, this poem came to mind. As it is said, “It is an oldie but a goodie.” I hope that you will take a little more time and read my commentary at the end.

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

John Godfrey Saxe's ( 1816-1887) version of the famous Indian legend,

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he,
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

MORAL.
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

What is wrong with the Human Psyche? What is it that obsesses people to think that everyone else has to think and believe as they do? This poem talks about religion. What is it about religion that members believe that theirs is the only answer. I am going to over simplify here a little. Muslims believe that the only way is through Allah. Christians believe that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus. Jews believe that they are the Chosen People. Having these beliefs would not be so bad except people kill other people who do not believe as they do.
OK, so if you are Muslim, or Christian or Jewish you believe that you have the only answer. But wait a minute. Which denomination is the right one? Shiite Muslims hate and kill Sunni Muslims. Catholic Christians fight with Protestant Christians and vice versa. Orthodox Jews think that Conservative and Reform Jews are blasphemers. Then there are groups within the groups within the groups.

In our Democracy, apparently politics has joined religion in vilifying the opposition. If you do not see the world or important issues as I do, then you must be evil. The Republicans condemn the Democrats and the Democrats condemn the Republicans. What happen to the ideals of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Turn the other cheek.” No we have to have gotcha politics. We have to call the opposition, stupid or evil. They don’t care about this victim or that one that we consider important. Why can’t we just say that we disagree with their message or their proposal? Why can’t we discuss in a civil manner and work for just solutions. I just do not understand.

Like religion, in politics there are groups within groups. Abortion seems to be the topic on both sides that brings out the strongest beliefs. In the Republican Party, if you are not Pro-Life, 1000 percent, you are not a REAL Republican, You are a RINO (Republican in Name Only.) I do not know about different types of Democrats but I remember some prominent Democrat not being allowed to speak at their national convention because that person was not Pro-Choice.

Maybe this blog is just self-justification. I do not know that I am 1000 percent for or against anything in our political or religious world. Take a look at my last blog entry on “Did You Ask a Good Question?” Consider this profound statement at the end of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks article. “Critical intelligence is the gift God gave humanity. To use it in the cause of human dignity and insight is one of the great ways of serving God. When faith suppresses questions, it dies. When it accepts superficial answers, it withers.”

Hopefully we can overcome the necessity to have others see things exactly as we do. Maybe we can find a means to be tolerant. I hope that we can work at understanding each others visions of the world whether it be in religion or politics or both. If we ask questions of one another and are tolerant of other opinions, I expect that we will make the world a better place. If not, we will continue to-
“Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of US has seen!”