If you're looking for unicorns and rainbows, this is probably not going to be your place. This is my place for pondering various topics that I need to sort out or share- especially those off limits in normal polite conversation- religion and politics.... The contact me link now works- I think- so you can actually contact me ;)Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-05-26T10:49:21+00:00Blogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-04-23T10:59:30-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-2451817972900998435Several things are pretty funny about this... Netanyahu being called influential, rather than a criminal. The title of the mini-article is "Israel's loyal servant"... written by Eric Cantor, a US...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-04-29T14:47:13-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-3221558855477487576Married to Another Man by Ghada Karmi I did actually read this just after Pappe's The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. They are very similar, but from slightly different perspectives. Pappe gives...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-04-13T11:19:34-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-493517552292496981The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe See also: Bab al Shams Elias Khoury- epic novel about Nakba Possibly called Gate of the Sun? This is a fascinating, but not necessarily easy read....0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-04-09T13:13:26-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-5670336233451163892April 9, 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/08/gunter-grass-barred-from-israel Someone is Israel has said Guenter Grass is "fanning the flames of hatred" with his political poem. I say...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-04-05T04:42:21-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-1555971714207502724http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/us/politics/romney-says-obama-is-hiding-his-true-policy-aims.html Romney says Obama hides his agenda.  Hmmm. Two things come to mind, the first being Obama...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-03-29T06:26:24-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-6321971182794980611The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare as Republicans call it. They oppose the individual mandate by calling it socialism. The funny thing is that it...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-03-12T13:57:04-07:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-6784686904520227893We had considered attending a Girl Scout event at school where admission was a new or gently used book to donate to the school district. Other things intervened, so we didn't go, but I thought about...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-03-06T07:34:17-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-2892980376208763746So, these guys met again yesterday. Why do we agree to meet and grovel to a war criminal?? I don't know. That's American politics. I won't quote Churchill with the riddle wrapped in a mystery inside...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-03-08T03:21:10-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-3187653467163075834I have written a few times about starting some kind of activism that involves Americans and Palestinians talking... I'll repost the second half of this fair trade post here, since I should have...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-01-31T10:42:53-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-8772238380556780291I posted a bit on this in November.  Time Magazine - 'The Upside Of Being An Introvert.'  I hear others talk about being shy or how we must get out of our comfort zone, but I don't think...6Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132012-01-30T11:26:05-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-6752906989480394507Nothing to Lose But Your Life: An 18 Hour Journey with Muradby Suad Amiry I read Amiry's "Sharon and My Mother-in-law" first and loved the mix of explaining the Palestinian situation and humor and...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-12-18T23:43:35-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-8646736567080876793 Before we get to Kayak, the Florida Family Association says 65-75 companies pulled the ads, but apparently this is a misrepresentation. Many placed the ads for a specific number of episodes and...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-12-17T09:23:55-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-5233187431906884935Perry stumbles and falls, Cain's past (and present) catches up to him, and now the man of the hour is spouting this garbage? It's inaccurate and if it were said about another people, anti-Semitism...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-12-17T09:24:28-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-4871472571228147688My letter to Lowe's Home Improvement: I, a formerly satisfied customer, am writing to inform you of my extreme displeasure in the recent events with which you have been involved: The so called...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-12-17T09:24:43-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-5311304177947154915Holiday wishes from Lowes! So, I'm wondering, what do they have the problem with, Americans or Muslims?  ;)   Did they buy into that idiotic email about Muslims not being "good...1Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-12-16T13:09:18-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-6348170352908926459Israeli propaganda: http://youtu.be/sVS92TXthg Electronic Intifada's article on...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-20T12:23:15-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-1512137912110677746Nothing's ever simple, is it? In my sorting out the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, I've at times thought about our own "origins" here in the US. We've got our own myths like Israel does. Cowboys and...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-15T13:16:25-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-7849644023568857297So I'm reading Reading Lolita in Tehran. It reminds me of separation of church and state rants I've done on the blog in some ways. I had these thoughts while reading the first part of the book. She...2Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-10T06:30:18-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-1170811795743967697http://news.yahoo.com/ex-israeli-president-serve-7-years-rape-091342702.html I guess it's good news. Everyone's saying how the legal system works or is improving and officials aren't above the law....0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-10T06:20:47-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-2024920007244707280November 8, 2011 An update on the newest flotilla. I had posted earlier about the attempt when a Democracy Now correspondent was being held captive.  Here is the...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-08T13:30:58-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-5123546741073182399http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/08/world/meast/united-nations-palestinians/ Wednesday and Friday are big deadlines this week. The 15 members have to look over the report and make changes by Wednesday and...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-08T13:31:47-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-7916797375979358971http://news.yahoo.com/sarkozy-told-obama-fed-israeli-pm-092347721.html I know. We all know this already. Netanyahu's a liar, a racist, etc. But to hear world leaders discuss it is refreshing...sort...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-10T05:49:54-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-4414190325013988408Israel's holding a Democracy Now correspondent in the latest flotilla action!  Whether activists of aid workers, I hope they can make a difference. ...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-08T13:32:17-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-7277498312919107938Seems like I've heard this story before...High court to weigh whether passport of Jerusalem-born American can say he was born in Israel A US family is suing to try and get Jerusalem, Israel listed as...0Jnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/044066279407510576132011-11-07T05:58:54-08:00tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991382105303785924.post-5799862800883340333A break from politics... What is the meaning of life? What is normal? These are very common questions in society, often meant to evoke a conundrum with so many answers it is impossible to decide, but...0