Published under ‘world’

People should not allow their resentment against President Bush for other reasons to prevent their support of long overdue but positive and courageous steps towards ending the conflict.  The statement below is evidence that we are on the right track.  And it is no coincidence that much of the below, even if not detailed enough, [...]

“Blessed are those who are peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” – Jesus is said to have delivered this statement as part of his Sermon on the Mount, but yesterday this statement was brought to life when President George W. Bush received this inscription during his visit to the Kinneret (the Sea [...]

Filthy Rich

Published under Global, New York City Jan 09, 2008

Living in NYC you cannot help wonder if you are "keeping up" with the neighbors.  Are you making enough?  I am all for capitalism (to paraphrase, "as the worst system except for all others), but it is definitely unhealthy that we tend to compare ourselves to others and evaluate our "happiness" based on our financial [...]

No Bees For Your Honey

Published under Environment, Global, KIND Snacks Jan 08, 2008

From purchasing raw materials for KIND Fruit + Nut bars, we get a scary first-hand lesson in the honey crisis. Bees are disappearing across America.  Americans are importing them from all over the world – buying Queen Bees from Australia and other places, trying to repopulate their honey-producing bee farms. The crisis does not just [...]

Barak Obama: OneVoice

Published under Leadership, United States Jan 06, 2008

I just saw this great video from Barak Obama where he speaks about the power of "One Voice"… …and the importance of transcending the politics of division.  I consider myself an independent voter (neither Democrat nor Republican, and non-alligned to any candidate yet), and I have some concerns about Obama’s positions, but he certainly seems [...]

At an event in Washington DC earlier in the week hosted by the Aspen Institute to launch the US-Palestinian Economic and Educational Public-Private Partnership, US Secretary of State Rice highlighted the role the private sector needs to play to help bring an Israeli-Palestinian agreement about.  Here is a question I asked her and her response, [...]

Earlier this week I rode on my first hybrid taxi in NYC and was ecstatic for a few reasons. First because this environmental victory for all of us is the work of my friend Jack Hidary, who for years lobbied the NY State and City governments to reverse policies that actually prevented hybrids in the [...]

For those that can read Spanish, below is an excerpt from an article by Leo Zuckerman, an excellent Mexican columnist (who happens to be married to the smart cousin in the family . For those that can’t read Spanish, just a quick synopsis: The Iranian regime is not content with suppressing their own people, or [...]

As ABC pointed out, "After harnessing every mechanism of government within his reach to win this referendum, Chavez had lost." Building on his increasing monopolization of government powers, Hugo Chavez tried to pass through 69 referendum initiatives that would have cemented his power almost irreversibly, borrowing tactics from Castro and Iran, to use "democracy" as [...]

[Emphasis added to highlight OV Mandate similarities and/or incisive important language] Thank you for coming. Prime Minister Olmert, President Abbas, Secretary-General Ban, former Prime Minister Blair, distinguished guests, welcome to one of the finest institutions we have in America, the United States Naval Academy. We appreciate you joining us in what I believe is an [...]