From germination of sperm & ovary, to a living being with thought & conscience…
From one cell to diverse organs.
From living organs to self.
When & how does baby acquire thought?
And self-awareness?
And soul?
It’s such an interesting and powerful feeling that I can be so excited and anxious to meet my baby, and can love someone so much, before having met him.
My wife and I are 6 months pregnant and the incubation process is so wondrous physically but also in terms of the emotional bonds it creates.
It is not surprising that Israeli Jews prefer Israel’s integration with the West over the "Middle East." But what is interesting is that even a majority of Israeli Arabs (or Palestinian citizens of Israel) prioritize raprochement with the West (Europe, US) over the Mideast. click here.
More and more mainstream Palestinians disenchanted with the continuing occupation are wondering if they should get behind the call for a "bi-national" "one state" approach. Most of them prefer a Palestinian State unencumbered by Israeli Jews, and would prefer a two-state solution. But they wonder if negotiations will ever really lead to this, and wonder if Israelis are willing to make the historic sacrifices and compromises necessary (something most Israelis wonder in parallel about Palestinians).
So many Palestinians want to use the "One State" approach more as a threat or bluff, than as a preferred course.
The Palestine Strategy Group (www.PalestineStrategyGroup.ps) just published a paper analyzing alternative options to accelerate either a two state solution or the One State approach.
While a lot of arguments in this study are compelling and make sense for Palestinians who want to end the occupation, I really worry that the movement towards this One State Threat will backfire. Here is why.
If Palestinians start pursuing the one-state approach, to the vast majority of Israelis it will translate to “you see, they want the whole thing, a phased approach to Greater Palestine, so let’s not negotiate anything, because we are not getting any real peace in return.”
The “one-state” “threat” is a dangerous one. On one side it may awaken some people to recognize that if they don’t move fast to end the occupation through two states, that option will disappear. But on the other side most Israelis may be so threatened and turned off by this vision that they will assume Palestinians are not serious about a two state solution.
A MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE IF DIFFICULT APPROACH IS FOR MORE ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS TO RAISE THEIR VOICES AND DEMAND A TWO-STATE-SOLUTION, to put pressure on their politicians, to support moderate policies, to propel an agreement, and TO SHOW THE OTHER SIDE THAT MAJORITIES ARE BEHIND A HISTORIC SOLUTION.
So, to the Palestinian people I recommend: amplify your voice of support for a two-state solution – emphasize you respect Israel’s right to exist, but demand also your liberty and dignity. THAT WILL BE FAR MORE EFFECTIVE IN RALLYING ISRAELIS AND THE WORLD BEHIND YOU.
And to the Israeli people I recommend: get your act together and support the moderate majority of Palestinians who want a two state solution, before it truly becomes too late and we become enmeshed in an eternal battleground. Be a credible partner by showing real progress towards establishing a Palestinian State that is vibrant and free. This can become your formidable partner for the future.
For Jewish leaders in the Chicago community that know him best, it is striking that so many Jews are suspicious of Barack Obama as a hidden anti-semite or as "bad for the Jews." If anything, Obama was chastised by some for his particularly close relation to Jewish Americans in Chicago. But the political aspersions have been cast, so it was gratifying to come across an article in The Forward that highlights Michelle Obama has a cousin who is a Rabbi! Maybe this will finally dispell some worries?!
Consider our beloved young people… They walk in rows of three, each on a cellphone, not even talking to the people next to her.
I keep thinking of my happiest moments of youth, walking along… coming home from [s]chool. I could smell the leaves burning in the late fall, think the long thoughts that young people are supposed to have, and dream of my adult life, when I would have the love of a great woman and a Corvette. Those were moments of power.
Now, there is no thought or reverie. There is nothing but gossip and making plans to shop or watch television. The cellphone and the P.D.A. have basically replaced thought.
From Ben Stein, Everybody’s Business, New York Times
Suzanne Vita Palazzo of Grocery Headquarters wrote an article surveying some of the leading food companies with a social mission and mentioned KIND and PeaceWorks as a pioneer "revolutionizing the business model for an ethical brand."
The hypocrisy of partisan pundits – Karl Rove, Bill O’Reilly, Nancy Pfotenhauer, appropriately-named DICK Morris and even Sarah Palin – was hilariously exposed by the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart in what is sure to become a classic:
Nothing like Jon Stewart’s reporting to shatter one’s fantasies of political la-la-land. These segments highlight my foolishness in writing the earlier posts, and expose much of the hypocrisy of exclusionary politicians and regressive policies at this last week’s RNC convention – plus they are damn funny!
On the Stark Differences between McCain and Bush:
(make sure to watch between minute 4:20 and 6:10)
On McCain’s Transformation:
On Small Town Values:
Sarah Palin and Friends:
On Bristol’s Choice: