If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
In this election year, I've been on fear watch. Folks are fearful of everything from 2012 theories to GMOs to student loans taking over as the number one source of pain for college grads everywhere.
It is tragic when journalists are killed going about their work, and it is natural to want someone or something to blame. But if every protester can hold up a camera or write a blog and then claim protection, how can journalists demand protection?
May the fires of Lag B'Omer reveal deeper and deeper levels of revelation and the commitment to spread the light of Torah until the "farthest reaches" of our inner soul and to those around us.
A video dialogue took place between American students at the College of Charleston, and Egyptian students, primarily from the American University in Cairo. Discussion centered on the students' experiences of the Arab Spring, as well as Egypt's on-going political transition.
If Zionism has been based on a set of values -- any values -- that "override whatever injustices statehood has brought," then it has taken us as far as one can get from the set of values that undergird liberal democracy.
Yes, now we can get information in all sorts of ways. But I have to wonder, is information enough?
Logical analysis spells out democratic elections in Syria, not too far from now. Syrians are certain that once the violence stops, Syria will march toward a real democracy, just like Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Egypt.
The whole thing is very odd. It all highlights what a conundrum that leaders from Washington to California face in dealing with the challenges and opportunities presented by a clearly ascending and not very well understood China.
As I picked up, the phone I heard, "Hello! This is Barack Obama, President Of the United States, with an important message for... Floyd Elliot!"
Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, compared Israel's situation today with other critical periods in the nation's past. Without hesitation, he answered: In the best case scenario, it's May 1967. In the worst case, it's May 1948.
The world will not necessarily stop, as postponement and delay could cause a backlash against the Arab region and the United States in the form of a major concern and a monster that can only be restrained at a very high cost.
Yes, Obama's numbers are down among Jewish voters. But why wouldn't they be? Obama's numbers have dropped among Americans in general which is why not even the most optimistic Democrat is predicting anything like the Obama landslide of 2008.
Not only do "signature strikes" increase the risk of killing civilians and people who have no dispute with the U.S.; their existence is crucial to the question of whether the drone strikes are legal.
It's time to start paying attention to what can be done to both reduce the dangers of reporting and increase, if not simply safeguard, basic freedoms. This is important on all days, but especially today, World Press Freedom Day.
Abbas Hakimzadeh is a good listener. He's not prone to talking about himself but he is eager to talk about the status of the student movement in Iran, of which he himself is a seasoned veteran and three-time political prisoner.
