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Amherst College is a small community, so I am sure that many of my fellow classmates already know that I left Amherst to join the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). I am sharing my experiences with you from this past week to illustrate two things to the Amherst community: why I took a leave of absence to serve in the Israeli Army and why Israel deserves an apology from her many critics on and off of our campus.
I have spent the last three days in Netivot, a small city of 30,000 people located less than 12 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip. I was volunteering there with a small non-profit. We were operating day care centers, teaching children in bomb-shelter-turned-classrooms and trying to restore a sense of normality to the children's lives. For the over one million Israelis living within 40 kilometers of Gaza (the typical range of Hamas's Qassam and Grad rockets), their children experienced the Israeli equivalent of a snow day there was no school here for over a week as the blizzard of rockets continued. It was too dangerous to travel to school and too dangerous to congregate under one roof, so the Israeli government spread out children in bomb shelters across southern Israel to minimize the likelihood of mass casualties. The young, old, sick and disabled must remain in these bomb shelters day and night because they cannot run to safety in time. The residents of Netivot have less than 12 seconds between siren and impact.
As I attempted to entertain the frightened children of Netivot, reading stories and playing games, I could hear the deep booms of rockets slamming into nearby cities and towns. Over 1,000 rockets were sent screaming toward Israel in the past week. If the rocket was within five kilometers, we could feel the vibrations of the impacts, watch books fall off of shelves, see windows shiver and sit helplessly wondering who was injured. If the predicted trajectory of the rocket was towards us in Netivot, an air-raid siren would alarm, and the 30,000 residents scrambled towards shelter. When the siren began to howl, the feeling was one of absolute panic. As I sprinted toward safety and grabbed any straggling children nearby, the idea of terror became a reality to me; it dawned on me that there are actually people, just a car-ride away, who are trying to kill me and those around me. On the night of November 20th a rocket leveled a house a block away from my bunker.
However terrorized we may feel in southern Israel, I realize the people of Gaza have it worse. Tragically, the people of Gaza have no shelters to run to and no sirens to warn them when Israel strikes back. Their government (since 2006 controlled by the internationally categorized terrorist group, Hamas) has chosen not to invest in these public safety measures despite waging a continuous war on Israel. This negligence is no accident. Hamas has decidedly tried (and succeeded) to take advantage of Western disdain for civilian casualties, choosing to play off of our sympathy for the pain and suffering of innocents. Hamas's leaders know that by repeatedly firing rockets towards Israeli civilian areas from their civilian areas, Israel's response will be one of impossible choices.
Defense and safety are the most fundamental duties of a functioning state. (It is sad that I feel the need to remind my readers of this.) Knowing that any state would eventually be forced to respond, Hamas leaders choose to house their rocket caches, launchers and training facilities within populated areas — all in an effort to maximize their own civilian casualties and thereby earn the sympathy of the international media. This is why whenever a Gazan child dies, he or she is quickly paraded in front of cameras for a photo op. This is why Hamas's leadership hides in a bunker located underneath Gaza's largest hospital. Israel will not strike the hospital. (This hospital was modernized by an Israeli relief project in the 1980s and is supplied by Israeli humanitarian aid.) This is why Hamas does not build bunkers for Gaza's 1.6 million residents. (The bomb shelters that do exist are reserved for Hamas officials and fighters.) This is not because of a lack of finances. According to the Palestine Human Development Report, Palestinians are the largest per capita recipients of international development assistance in the world.
Criticizing Israel for the resulting deaths is not only an unfair and frustrating irony, but it encourages Hamas and makes life worse for Gazans. The U.S. State Department reaffirmed this irony, saying, "Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause. Attacking Israel on a near daily basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza or to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self-determination." The international condemnation of Israel becomes laughable to many of us under fire. We understand that simultaneous to Hamas's brutal tactics, our military goes through great lengths to avoid the very casualties that Hamas so aggressively seeks. As Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "When we hit civilians, we call it a failure. When they hit civilians, they call it a success."
While Hamas purposely puts civilians in harm's way in order win a cheap media campaign, Israel carries out arguably the most humane military response in the history of warfare. While I do wish that more could accomplished on the diplomatic front, Israel's handling of the barrage of rockets itself is wholly impressive. Complex international politics, a broken peace process and the lack of earnest peace partners in Gaza force the status quo to continue. This is, however, a separate issue. Israel's military and humanitarian response to the continuous rocket fire is probably unmatched by any nation. Israel has been delivering continuous aid to Gaza even during wartime. Israeli citizens' tax money helps feed the same people who voted Hamas into power in 2006. Furthermore, Gaza's electricity comes from Israel — which if Israel chooses to, it could simply shut off. Unlike Hamas, all IDF strikes in Gaza are carried out with surgical precision by laser guided missiles, purposely avoiding civilian casualties. In fact, Israel drops warning pamphlets, makes telephone calls and sends out text messages to all residents near potential targets so that civilians can stay far away before a strike occurs. Moreover, Gazans are transported to Israeli hospitals for advanced medical treatment on Israel's dime.
However, Israel's moral upper hand does not stop there. While in Netivot, I witnessed firsthand Israel's rocket defense system, Iron Dome, at work. Israeli- designed and partly funded by the United States, this program costs an average $50 million for one battery and over $30,000 per missile. This price tag shows our value for human life. It goes without saying that Israelis have access to bomb shelters unlike their Gazan counterparts. All these reasons make it senseless to look at "disproportional death rates." Hamas wants death for their own citizens as well as Israel's, while Israel seeks to protect all lives, Gazan or Israeli. While in bomb shelters in the south, it was not only Jews who took refuge alongside me, but also Bedouin Arabs. Caravans of the still semi-nomadic people arrived to hide in our shelters. Not a single person was turned away because of their race or religion. Meanwhile, the rockets fired into Israel have no specific aim. These rockets don't discriminate between men or women, Jew or Arab, soldier or civilian, children or the elderly. In fact, several of these rockets landed in Israeli-Arab villages, killing one man. Of course, that is a price the fanatics of Hamas are at peace with, given that he is now a "martyr of the cause" whether willing or unwilling.
What is their cause? End the occupation? Israel already pulled out of Gaza seven years ago and has only been rewarded with more terror. The remaining restrictions on the Gaza Strip are only in place to impede the smuggling of weapons. (Gaza is already one of the most heavily armed places on earth per-square mile.) The Hamas Charter proudly pronounces their cause to anyone who is unsure: "Israel…will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors….The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them." Those on the left who claim to be champions of human rights do not realize the stark contrast between Israel and Gaza or any of our neighbors for that matter. You cannot be openly gay in Gaza. Women there can be arrested for their own rape. How about life for children? I am not sure if there is a worse form of child abuse than using your child as a human shield. Yet, Israel is framed as the human rights abuser. Still, the greatest tragedy in this conflict may be from those on the left, who in their confusion, support a totalitarian ideology that hurts the very people they claim to support.
The best way to support the people of Gaza, and indeed the entire Arab world, is to support Israel in its struggle against Islamic extremism. For Israel is the only viable model of a country with religious tolerance, multiparty democracy, independent judiciary and free press in a diverse, war-torn region. Israel is an imperfect democracy, as all democracies are, but the governing ideology is one of Western, secular liberalism.
I left Netivot the morning of November 21st for a placement interview with the IDF. About six blocks north of where I was, a bomb tore through a city bus, forever changing the lives of 23 innocent passengers. That same day, Israel pushed ahead toward peace, agreeing to a ceasefire. After the ceasefire began, five more rockets hit southern Israel. Israel chose not to respond. Sadly, it looks like the rocket fire will continue until the world demands more from Hamas. Until that time, Israel will continue to need to defend herself.
It is this past week that reaffirmed my decision to leave the comforts of study at Amherst College. I am drafting into the Israeli army to help defend the Jewish people, to defend the democratic and diverse people of Israel, to ensure the phrase "never again" remains true and because defending Israel is not just a Jewish cause, an Israeli cause or Western cause but a humane cause.
"But of course when Muslims kill other Muslims people like 'Concerned' are never too concerned..."
This is absolutely preposterous, Steve.
And aside from your Islamophobia, which to the educated reader fairly speaks for itself, I think you're missing my point. I was simply commenting on this article's description of human shields: I believe we have to challenge the premise that some forms of citizen sacrifice are more legitimate than others, that IDF soldiers who die protecting the state die "rationally," justifiably, and for reasons we should understand. I don't accept the deaths of innocents anywhere, ever; I don't believe citizens should ever feel they are "forced" to defend a nation that may or may not represent their interests in the future; and I don't feel we should ever stop ourselves from challenging taken-for-granted notions of legitimate violence in a war that threatens civilian life on both sides.
I respect your decision to go and work for a humanitarian cause. Surely Israeli children are experiencing trauma, and I know your recognition of Gazan childrens' suffering would attract some nasty responses from the Israeli right. I believe you are motivated by good intentions and a love for the Israeli people.
That being said, your knowledge seems to be extremely lacking when it comes to the impact of the nakba and the occupation on the Palestinian people. I lived in the West Bank for eight months, in a village under demolition order by the Israeli army. I worked with Israeli civilians and Palestinians and internationals to protect the village and send a message that what the IDF is doing in the territories is an absolute shame that needs to be addressed for the dignity and security of everyone in the Holy Land. This was my project: www.alaqabaguesthouse.wordpress.com
I just wanted to rephrase the end of your article, to offer another perspective.
"I moved to the West Bank last year to help defend the dignity and security of all people in Israel/Palestine, to defend the democratic and diverse people of Israel/Paletsine, to ensure the phrase "never again" remains true for all people, and because defending all people in Israel/Palestine is not just a Jewish cause, an Israeli cause or Western cause but a humane cause."
Michael, they sure taught you how to write at Amherst. I can't tell you how much I admire all the lone soldiers. As a volunteer in the Sar-el program, I have worked with many. Your dedication and love for all Israelis is unmatched. I know many people will not understand why you are doing this just as people I know can't understand why a woman 73 years old leaves her comfortable surroundins every year to live and work on an army base. Stay safe!
First of all, I find it impressive that you actually took a leave of absence from college to go and defend your homeland and your principles. That is something that most people talk a lot about, but usually don't act on.
However, I find your remark that "the lack of earnest peace partners in Gaza force the status quo to continue." to be a little disturbing. I've never been to Gaza, so I guess I wouldn't know for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say that most ordinary Gazans probably don't want to deal with the day-to-day terrors of the ongoing conflict in that area, and want peace just as much as an ordinary Israeli citizen. Just a guess.
I also think it's unfair to say that the attempts to make peace have fallen entirely on the Israeli side. From what I have read, Netanyahu does not seem particularly interested in the peace process, or negotiating with the legitimate government of Palestinian people (the Palestinian Authority). Of course, neither does Hamas. So the cycle of violence continues.
In any case, I feel that in general this extremely complex and multilayered issue has been far oversimplified by everyone--the government, the media, and of course, me and you.
Anyway, thank you for writing a thought-provoking article. There are points we can agree on, and points we can disagree on, but the fact that we can, we should all be grateful for. God bless the U.S.A.
Michael— I applaud your courage. The rate at which rationale educated persons are willing to support a war-mongering religiously radical terror group like Hamas is alarming. Hamas is not some sort of underdog political movement rallying against Western imperialism. Hamas is a venom spewing hate group that acts as the Iran's proxy arms as it completely disregards the safety and humanity of its citizens. Anyone who chants "Viva Palestina" would do well to also chant "Down with Hamas."
from this narrative is how Israeli forces decided to shoot a 13 year old child from Gaza playing soccer. This effectively broke the cease fire. Additionally, there is no mention of Hamas, prior to OCL, was making arrests of those who fired rockets into Israel, according to the New York Times. The author makes no differentiation between Hamas as a political group and militants who affiliate with Hamas or other militant groups in Gaza.
The firing of Qassam rockets is horrible and should be condemned. But the use of white phosphorous by Israel since 2008 - and there have been reports of its use in Israel's latest attacks - is against international law. Gaza, by major human rights groups, have been declared an open air prison, and the blockage Israel has imposed, under the specious argument of security, is also a violation of international law. See Harvard professor Sara Roy for more information on the economic situation in Gaza, which is, needless to say, deplorable.
With Israel being a TOP TEN military force on the planet, with the weaponry help and financial support of the United States, I find it incredibly hard to believe that Israel cannot avoid civilian causalities. And considering some of the extremely problematic and pugnacious remarks from Israeli politicians, it is no surprise there is no divergence between the political rhetoric and the on-the-ground actions by Israel. Now the author has decided to join the bloodbath...
yet, I think it is easy to misinterpret and misrepresent facts through ignorance. For example, Hamas is both a civilian and a military force - Hamas operates services that Gazans rely on on a day-to-day basis - telling civilians to distance themselves from Hamas is like telling Americans to distance themselves from the U.S. government. Should I stay away from my postman? Ex) from http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/117150/israel-bombs-hamas-gover..., "Israeli missiles wrecked the office building of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh... and struck a police headquarters." -- these are not necessarily military targets ..
Regarding the reason Gazans require so much aid and the blockade on Gaza, see this quote from the CIA World Factbook: "High population density and Israeli security controls placed on the Gaza Strip since the end of the second intifada have degraded economic conditions in this territory, which is smaller than the West Bank. Israeli-imposed border closures, which became more restrictive after HAMAS seized control of the territory in June 2007, have resulted in high unemployment, elevated poverty rates, and the near collapse of the private sector that had relied on export markets. The population is reliant on large-scale humanitarian assistance - led by UN agencies. Changes to Israeli restrictions on imports in 2010 resulted in a rebound in some economic activity, but regular exports from Gaza still are not permitted."
Finally, I'm sure if Hamas had laser guided missiles they would use them too -- and regardless, neither Israeli "pinpoint" strikes, American drone assassinations, nor Gazan bombs are anywhere close to civilian casualty free... Some use terms that inspire images of sniper-like precision, yet the truth is that whenever they are used in populated areas there is a significant likelihood of civilian casualties, the only thing precision grants is a higher chance of the target also being killed.
How can you criticize Hamas for not investing in missile-detecting systems, when the real blame is on the people firing the missiles!!?? They wouldn't need to build bomb shelters if the threat of death didn't loom over them every day.
Thank you for your comedic assertion that you would "join the real freedom fighters in Gaza"...but, no, no you absolutely would not. Its easy to sit on a couch in America and think a couple of news briefings makes you all-knowing about the Israel-Palestine conflict, but the reality is no educated or moral human being would enjoy a life under Hamas. If you aren't Muslim, you're dead. If you aren't a man, you're worthless. If you aren't straight, you're exiled. If you speak out against the government, you will be dragged through the streets tied to a motorcycle. The Palestinian people deserve a country, but their current backwards and chaotic "leadership" is what is holding them back, not the State of Israel.
Boy! I admire your sacrifice and love for Israel but please don't try to portray Israel as a victim here. There are people dying from the missiles Israel is dropping like nobody's business in Gaza and you are complaining about old folks staying in shelters for too long. You talk about grabbing children with beating hearts and carrying them to shelters, the people of Gaza talk about pulling the remains of their children ( toddlers and teenagers ) out of the rubble. You mention in your article "When we hit civilians we call it a failure bla bla bla...". That is utter nonsense. One doesn't need a high school diploma to determine that Israel doesn't care about the Palestinians.
"However terrorized we may feel in Southern Israel, I realize bla bla..." Dude, you have no damn clue what happens in Gaza. If you really did you wouldn't be writing this article.
How on earth can you decimate two story and three story buildings and not expect innocent people to die. OOO yea Israel probably thinks there are two Hamas members living in a three story building all alone.
"Israeli taxes pay bla bla bla....." Dude are you for real. Gaza is blockaded by land, sea and air. How the hell do you expect most of the people of Gaza to have a sustainable economy when they are locked up in a giant prison. Yes that is what Gaza is. A giant prison. The World would know how callous Israel is if Israel didn't feed them because the people of Gaza would be dying of starvation.
And excuse me, the people of Gaza don't care about your democracy bla bla........ What they want first and foremost is not to be treated like PRISONERS in their own land.
Come back safely Mike!!!
From the Israeli declaration of independence:
"We offer peace and unity to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all."
The competing ideologies of religious extremism only make the Middle East a more violent, destructive place. Take the equivalent from the Hamas charter, for example:
"Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement."
Since the mid-70s Saudi Arabia and most of the rest of the Arab states have said they would recognize Israel within the pre-1967 borders.
Today Israel decries the fact that they cannot make peace with Hamas in Gaza but they do everything they can to avoid making peace with the Palestinian technocrats in charge of the West Bank who avow non-violence. Why can't Israel make peace with Abbas?
I find it disturbing that an American goes abroad and takes arms in the name of a foreign government. I don't think our citizens should be allowed to fight with foreign militaries, period.
Enjoy the sun and have a lovely time in Israel. Tel Aviv is a party town. You really won't know how close you are to the concentration-camp like Gaza when there. And get back safely even more buffed than before ;)
First of all, I believe the author has good intentions and has shared what he believes is reality in an honest and straightforward way. I can sympathize with both sides in this conflict, and understand the right to defend one's country as a fundamental right. However, I think the trajectory of the article (and some of the above comments) devalues the purity of the authors intentions. I found that the tone of moral superiority is dangerously close to that of positivist world-view in which the author's view is right based on the wrongness of the other side. Political leadership aside, the devaluation of the Palestinian people can only perpetuate further violence. I don't deny that finding the will to solve problems peacefully is an extremely difficult task and perhaps out of reach, but until the same empathy can be extended to all people as one's own family the cycle will likely never cease. I wish the author safe passage and that he may live to find himself a "peaceful warrior."
Cameron Millard's comment is the only one I could find that was balanced, if not naive, in its criticism of Israel, while not also exonerating Hamas and the Gazans who voted them into power.
I've responded to a few earlier comments directly but don't have the time to do so with the four or so since my last response.
What I can say is that there's a common theme to the comments which hold primarily if not exclusively Israel accountable.
Ironically it's lack of accountability, or should I say failure to hold the very Gazans, indeed, the majority of Gazans, who voted Hamas into power in the first place, a government whose very Charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the death of Jews.
This is not a closely guarded secret. If Hamas had the ability to level Israel do any of it's defenders on this comment board honestly think they wouldn't do so? Contrast this with Israel's ability to do this to Gaza with little effort, many times over and with far less risk to it's people, but its conscious decision not to because the government and people of Israel respect human life, ALL human life, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, including the 1.2 million Muslims who live within Israel itself who have not been expelled and have an infinitely better life as Israelis than do their co-religionists in Gaza who've decided voting for Islamic supremacists bent on murdering as many Jews as they can, starting with Israel but not ending there, is a noble and moral cause.
As for trying to defend Hamas on the basis that it has a "civil" arm, not just a "military" one, is like trying to defend fascist Italy because the trains ran on time while ignoring the fact that people were being taken away in the middle of the night and shot, or better still defending Hitler because he didn't raise a penny in taxes during most of WWII in order to provide great social services to its Aryan citizens while ignoring the fact that under the very same Nazi regime Jews, gypsies and homosexuals were being transported to gas chambers.
As the expression goes people get the government they deserve. The majority of Gazans democratically elected Hamas as their representatives. Ever since then thousands of rockets have been fired by their representatives at the citizens of Israel whose own democratically elected government finally decided to better protect its people as all such governments are obliged to do.
Gazans and some of the people on this comment board who can find fault only with Israel need to be reminded, we reap what we sew.
Michael you will be happy to hear that the Friends of the IDF had an event in Boston on November 14th where 750 supporters of Israel stood up to support the soldiers! This event was the same day that Israel decided to defend its citizens from the rocket attacks from Gaza. We also honored the Lone Soldiers of New England and their families.
One of the major reasons for international criticism of Israel is their settlement policy, which the writer has conveniently chosen to ignore. Israel repeatedly encroaches into and expands in Palestinian areas to expand the jewish state ..How does this policy promote peace, pray tell?
How arrogant to claim that Palestinians don't value the human life of their people. Do you really think that if they had the millions of dollars and military infrastructure being handed to them by the U.S. government that they wouldn't have the same systems of defense in place? If as you say "IDF strikes in Gaza are carried out with surgical precision by laser guided missiles" and given the 100+ civilian Palestinian casualties as a direct result of IDF's terror Pillar of Defense Operation, then the only conclusion I can draw based on your logic is that Israel is directly targeting civilian lives. Regardless of whether this is true or not, giving warnings via pamphlets, phone calls or text messages does not excuse Israeli officials from the human rights violations they are committing nor does giving out warnings give Israel a "moral upper hand". It's clear that you haven't stopped to consider that these warnings are nothing more than psychological warfare against a people who have nowhere to run and nowhere where they are safe. As long as the IDF continues military aggression against an occupied and incarcerated nation this will be the reality Palestinians will continue to face everyday.
I know that I'm not going to convince you but given the overwhelming support you are receiving from our student body, which is frankly sickening but not unexpected, I felt I had to voice my opinion in support of Palestine and wish others will take a more critical approach to this subject which you have so sadly failed to do.
As a Jew this article frustrates me beyond belief! I am sick of the Jewish community standing idly by and watching innocent children die. Racism should have no place in Judaism. The real terrorists are the IDF. Israel is a network of state terrorism and enough is enough. I too was taught never again and to ensure that I support the palestinian cause. Currently Israel is ethnically cleansing the Palestinians and the IDF is the perpetrator of that ethnic cleansing. These arguments are the typical lies of the Israeli state terrorism network. It is time the Jewish community learned the truth and stopped the propaganda. It is time to do what adonai would want and free Palestine. I do hope you stay safe in the IDF but more than that I hope that you can look past the lies and see the truth and stop being a part of a network of state terrorism.
Congratulations on your choice to join the occupation forces. The age of Western domination of the rest of us is coming to an end, have fun on the wrong side of history. For those of us of the formerly colonized nations of Asia and Africa, never again means never again being told by a white person when we are ready for self-rule and self-determination. Sixty years of Israeli occupation need to end now!
Five minutes to check whether or not Michael's claims are anything more than propaganda.
Every observer organization, including Amnesty International, claims that Israeli soldiers DELIBERATELY kill civilians, whereas Hamas did NOT use human shields: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jc0DHbDsRG83m4stW9Jdp...
Israel did not "end the occupation" of the Gaza Strip, it only removed its (illegal) settler-colonies from the Strip in 2005. It continues to hold Gaza under a complete siege, preventing basic food and medical supplies from entering Gaza in what one Israeli official termed "putting the Palestinians on a diet": http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/apr/16/israel
As a result, some 1.8 million Palestinians live under constant Israeli siege in Gaza, regularly being fired at by Israeli soldiers, and prevented from accessing basic items necessarily for rebuilding their economy.
Israel also escalated the most recent border conflict by extrajudicially assassinating an elected Palestinian leader, Ahmad Jaabari, who was negotiating a long-term truce. This, not Palestinian rocket-fire, started the most recent crisis:
Unlike the Palestinians, Israel has a long history of breaking these truces, while Palestinian fighters, including Hamas, have a long history of enforcing them -- at their own political risk: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kanwisher/reigniting-violence-how-d_...
Michael mentions that "5 rockets" fell on Israel after the ceasefire was signed; but in reality, 3 rockets did, and it is likely that they were fired by individuals, not by the governing Hamas group which follows the ceasefire. Hamas consistently enforces ceasefires, resulting in a drastic reduction of rocket-fire -- down from hundreds during a war Israeli initiated to 3 fired by lone groups.
On the other hand, Israeli soldiers recently shot -- and killed -- an unarmed Palestinian protester in Gaza, showing Israel's unwillingness to enforce the ceasefire, even among their own troops.
It's worth also mentioning, that even when there is no ceasefire and hundreds of rockets are fired, they kill very few people. During the 2008 Israeli invasion of Gaza, more Israelis died from friendly fire (!) than from rockets, meaning that soldiers like Michael pose a greater threat to Israelis than do the rockets!
On the other hand, Israel killed some 1300 Palestinians, including 300 children, using indiscriminate warfare, dropping chemical weapons on densely populated neighborhoods, using precision drone strikes which were aimed at civilians despite no military reason for doing so, and deliberately killing civilians during the ground invasion as well.
Israel, in 2012 and in 2008, decided to launch a mass invasion of a small territory which they had under a complete military siege and blockade. Israel is not the victim, and Michael's decision to join the Israeli army is not a matter of defending democracy, it is a matter of actively supporting -- with violence -- a form of brutal military aggression against an otherwise defenseless people in Gaza.
Please send this to as many newspapers as you can think of (national, and international). The world must hear this. Since journalists doggedly remain silent on what is happening to Israel, it is up to us, non-journalists, to inform the public.
Lucy, the baltimore chronicle? Really? Did you just click the first thing that popped up on google? The author offers a primary source himself. Why dont you go live in israel for a year and then comment back.
Has this guy spent his entire life under a rock?
Worse. He's fed into Israeli-American propaganda. That shit makes living under a rock preferable.
My son just came back from serving in the IDF. It changed his life. He also left college where he found people did not understand the dire situation in Israel and Gaza. I wish you a safe and strong service in the IDF.
Lucy, you sadly show your ignorance with regard to how Israel warns all Gazans of an attack. It is a well known fact,through many sources, including the Media of the Western countries Leaflets dropping into Gaza, warning residents of an attack have been filmed on TV News eg BBC, Sky, CNN, etc. In fact, I listened to a resident of Gaza reading out the warning. The media have reported about how Israel texts and phones resident in advance of an attack. The article written is definitely not propoganda, it is FACT. Sadly, the Palestinians in Gaza, are let down by their own leaders, who have played a nasty political game with lies, propoganda, etc, and consquently, they have suffered. I have watched children's TV programmes from Gaza and the West Bank, where they are taught hatred, bigotry, and how wonderful it is to be a shahid (martyr). In my opinion this is child abuse! Your comments showed a lack of knowledge about the Middle East, and you have swallowed the propoganda, so expertly put out by the Palestinians....they even believe their own propoganda.
I suggest you listen to retired Colonol Richard Kemp of the British Army, who talks about the humnaity of the Israeli army. You can google him, and perhaps you will be enlightened. If you really care about the Palestinians then finding out the truth would be beneficial. The life of the Palestinians will never change unless the world helps them to face the truth of their situation, and helps them to get rid of their evil leaders. I was at a demonstration and stood next to an Arab, wearing an Israeli flag around him; I had to stop him from shouting out many of his negative comments about Hamas and Islam, because the British police would have arrested him for encitement. I also listened to a young Gazan girl thanking the Israel Defense Force, and wishing them good luck to rid the Palestinians of Hamas.
Michael, I do have to say that you are somewhat misinformed as to your claims made throughout your article. You must look at the bigger picture and look at what Israel has done to Palestine this past 70 years (1948, 1967, etc), then you will see why most of the world is against you. However, regardless, it is a very honorable thing for you to leave everything behind and join a cause you believe in, and for that I applaud you.
Excellent article, well done.
I would only change one sentence and delete one word.
"The best way to support the people of Gaza, and indeed the entire Arab world, is to support Israel in its struggle against Islamic extremism."
Take the word extremism out, it does not belong there. Islam belongs there.
" Hamas) has chosen not to invest in these public safety measures despite waging a continuous war on Israel."
How would the Hamas even be able to invest in such technologies if the Israelis embargo and seal them off? Quite frankly both sides need to sit down and talk it out. Neither side is innocent here.
and rocket launchers, surely they can build shelters. They have a choice, like everyone else, about how to use their resources. They choose to use them to build offensive weapons. The truth is so obvious, it's unbelievable that people willfully reject it: If Israel hated the Palestinians and didn't want them around anymore, there would be no building standing and no living soul in Gaza. The fact that Israeli bombs are not raining on Gaza every day is proof to anyone who is willing to see it that they only respond defensively when they are attacked. Let the Palestinian government in Gaza stop the rocket bombardment of Israeli towns, let it renounce violence and remove from its charter the call to annihilate Israel, and it won't need to dig its children out of rubble. But, sadly, as a prominent Arab writer recently remarked, Hamas is happy to see Palestinian children torn apart, crushed and burned, because they know how it affects those of us in the West and wins sympathy for their plan to wipe out the Jewish state.
There are no bomb shelters in Gaza because Israel doesn't let in concrete and other building materials. Hamas doesn't operate from unpopulated areas in Gaza because there are no unpopulated areas in Gaza--Gaza is the size of the city of Detroit, with almost double the population. Look at the Gaza Strip on Google Maps; it's mostly dense development.
Every country has the right to defend itself from terrorism, but when you look at the big picture, the Palestinians' demands of independence, an end to the blockade, and compensation for the refugees are eminently reasonable. So Hamas is like the Algerians in the 50s and 60s--using immoral means to achieve just ends. On the other hand, Israel is like the French--using justifiable means to perpetuate an unjust empire. It's hard for me to feel sympathy for either side; and meanwhile, the Palestinian people suffer as pretty much the last significant group of stateless people anywhere outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
Also, the idea that population growth disproves the existence of a humanitarian crisis is absurd. The Soviet Union consistently increased its population between 1919 and 1941, but that doesn't mean their policies didn't intentionally cause millions of excess deaths in the Ukraine and the Gulags.
Hey, Anonymous, there are plenty of other significant AND for that matter worthier "stateless people" than the "Palestinians"
Two examples: Kurds or Basque. Ever heard of either? Certainly not from leftist media which doesn't consider these groups worthy of much attention at all. Yet both have as great an if not greater entitlement to independence than the "Palestinians". The difference is that for some strange reason the plight of the latter group captivates the imagination and attention of people like "Anonymous" to the exclusion of the many far more oppressed and abused people of the world.
As for the history lesson that the Soviets increased population while causing millions of excess deaths, how exactly is this relevant when the "Occupied Palestinian Territories", as they're referred to by the UN (http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Sorting-Tables/tab-sorting_mortality.htm) has a crude death rate of 3.6/1000, the 8th lowest in the world, lower than about 200 other countries, including Israel (5.7)?
One difference between the other two examples of stateless people is that both are exploited by others of more or less the same skin-tone/geographic origin while with the OPT the general perception is that Israelis, i.e., "white/European" foreigners are exploiting "people of colour". (Please disregard the fact that close to one million Israelis originated in but were forced to flee or forced out of their native Arab/Muslim countries where they'd lived before Islam even arose, and many others have had roots in Israel for even longer as these inconvenient facts damage the tired leftist narrative).
In other words Israelis are "Western Imperialists", "Colonizers", "Oppressors", blah, blah, blah.
A terrified Israeli child who has to spend a week in a bomb shelter is nothing compared to the generation after generation of Palestinians who have been living as starved refugees in their own homeland for more half a century.
Good luck in your voyage. You'll unavoidably hear the above phrase from Israelis and Palestinians _i hope you get a chance to speak with some of the latter, outside of your role in the IDF.
Yes, the people do want peace, and they also want the opportunity to be treated with equal rights and responsibilities, which is something that religiously-based states in the region struggle with on an ongoing basis.
And I think that israel, on its own, need to confront what it its destiny and who it will be in the middle east, and there is no easy answer for this either. Unfortunately, while Israel is cast, against its will, into a framework where it is defending itself, this seems to take two forms. In the first case, it is defending tiself in the extreme, where hamas or others are attacking it in a clear and unmitigated manner, and at these times the international community more or less supports Israel in its right to defend itself against aggression. Where things go awry is in the day to day process of trying to ensure that radical elements within the Palestinian society are not able to inflict more contained, but no less deadly injury on Israeli citizens. This requires what most people would acknowledge is a repressive environment on a day to day basis for palestinians in the West Bank, with resulting constraints on movement and access and an intrusive security apparatus necessary, ostensibly, to achieve those goals. And this is where israel is running into trouble, because it is hard to prove the negative - difficult to prove that these measures are necessary when there is no evidence of ongoing violence. Hamas can therefore say that the Israeli blockade is not necessary and unjust, while the israelis maintain that they are sine qua non for security. Nobody outside of Israel discusses the Hamas charter - it is messy, inconvenient and awkward in polite conversation.
But at the same time, we never quite get to the question of how we support those who support peace. They seem to have been lost on the sidelines. It's not clear to me that we are paying enough attention to them and the role that they can play. They are lost among the militants, the militarists, the expansionists who view the conflict opportunistically and push their own agendas, and those that fear the risks that a peace process would inevitably involve. But the real question is whether the current course is sustainable...can we continue on this path for the next fifty years? And if not, then does our current path make an alternative course more or less difficult? Does turning the West Bank into an archipelago of settlements make the peace process more or less likely? What does a single state solution, or even a defacto one, hold for the future of a jewish state of israel?
sorry to ramble a bit but just a few thoughts for you as you go through life in israel. I hope you'll hold more dearly to the questions than the easy answers that most people invovled have attached themselves to. each one carries a lot of baggage that isn't immediately apparent to those newly arrived.
All the best.
Thank you so much for this article - it is extremely important that this information be generated; especially to those who buy the hype and publicity that has come out of Gaza. Please think about keeping a diary of your experiences; a book on this topic would be worthwhile. Remain steadfast in your beliefs, don't let others dissuade your from your goal and keep writing.
the piece is well written and i celebrate the author for making a choice to participate in the world outside of amherst college----however, his perspective ignores the longer history of the region. 200 Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. and land has been taken from private Palestinian landowners in defiance of the supreme court of Israel's own ruling! There is no moral high-ground from which Israel can stand on this point--the disregard for international law by the current israeli state will only lead to more violence. there is a reason why israel is coming under increasing scrutiny in the international press--israel cannot both claim a state of exception when it comes to some international laws and then turn around and appeal to the "norms" of a state being able to "defend itself." There is a vibrant peace movement in Israel that advocates this very point.
And let's be very clear about one historical fact---genocide is a postwar WWII term--but if you are going to make an argument based on jewish victims of genocide and a right to a homeland, I urge you to consider that the very most conservative estimates on the population of native americans prior to european contact (in continguous US) were 12 million--nearly 80-90% of this population died due to european colonialism and continental expansion. So please do not reference "human history" when you so blatantly exclude the history of your own country--unless, of course you are willing to cede your house, community, state, etc. for Native Americans to return to their "homeland."
Didnt read it. Snore. Boring. Too long.
In agreement with another comment, this article does make me question the critical thinking skills I hope all Amherst students would be armed with. For example, how does Michael conceptualize a Palestinian person? Does he realize that any humane, normal being would never, ever use a child as a shield? Begin to think of the "other" the same as you view those vulnerable children (and their parents) you are teaching in your Israeli bomb shelters.
I am a Boston area resident with a student at UMass Amherst. I commend you for your courage in serving the citizenry in Israel and articulately stating your case for the State of Israel. I am glad to say that the cohort of anti-Israel radicals in the Five College area are nothing but a small group of "useful idiots" (to quote Lenin) for Hamas. It is ironic that these armchair revolutionaries support a regime that is hostile to gays, lesbians, seculars, women, free-speech advocates, and moderate Muslims. I don't expect that these self-professed universalists care one hoot that Hamas is anti-Christian and anti-Jewish. The joke is that these anti-Israel extremists would not last five minutes living under the Palestinian regime that they worship. Keep up your good work in Netivot and congratulations on your pending induction to the IDF. May you be safe and strong. Another American supporter of Israel.
I find it incredible that uninformed liberal students in America can support a regime most of them know absolutely nothing about. As the above comment stated, most people I have debated this issue with ignore the fact that the government in power over the Palestinians was voted in, and their charters includes a reference to Israel as an illegal state. I don't believe that a group of people who have been endangering the lives of common civilians, for years, and on purpose deserves to stand on a moral high ground when it comes to abuses of human rights. The author is correct in that the terrorists in power (I will call them that because that is what they are) place their leaders in schools, and mosques in particular in order to surround themselves with civilians, ensuring that civilians must be killed to get to them. The IDF is not at fault in any way in this conflict and have merely tried to remove threatening individuals instrumental in suicide bombing, kidnappings, and civilian massacres to protect their homes. These "leaders" could use the funds given to them by numerous other Arab countries (which almost all Jews have been chased out of) to actually help Palestinians who are able to contemplate and support the idea of peace. However, even these so called "innocents" have voted in a terrorist organization to serve them, and supply their children to surround their leaders. I had been a previous supporter to a two state solution. But Palestinians have shown again and again that they will not cease attacking Israel. How can you support a country that swear to wipe another of the map? There is no such thing as the Palestinian genocide when the "agressor" has the power to completely obliterate the population, which still stands and grows today. Independent Israeli settlers have taken over slight parts of land that had technically belonged to Israel after the war, but which was ceded in hopes of peace. That peace has been broken numerous times, and bombing the state adjacent is no way to handle the situation.
The author of this piece hits every point that shows that Israel is acting just as the U.S. would (and possibly much more humanely) were it attacked in the same way Israel had been and is being.
Why would you leave one of the highest ranked colleges in the country and a life of enjoyment and luxury to join an army as a lowly foot solider. It's a war, there is no side which is right or wrong and a war is never a referendum on morality. The very act of war involves murder and the fact that this student believes willing himself to join a force whose sheer purpose is to kill is a noble act is baffling. If he truly cared or wanted to make a difference he could have done countless things, he could have joined the red cross or he could have joined the countless organizations that aim to permanent resolution of this long occurring conflict. Instead he decides to participate in the bloodshed and weather it's on the side of israel or Palestine it's equally pointless.
It's sad he allowed himself to be a tool and be a martyr for a war.
Mike, loved your story. I am at the U of Michigan in my sophomore year and for personal reasons I have a strong desire to do what you did (join the IDF and leave college temporarily). My email address is firstname.lastname@example.com and I'd really like to ask you some questions about your service. Please shoot me an email if you get this comment, thanks!
They go back to school to get more specialized skills so they can earn more money

subset: commoncrawl


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In 2009, the "Star Trek" franchise was put in the hands of J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Mission Impossible 3"), who confessed to never having been much of a Trekkie. This, of course, sent the dyed-in-the-wool Trekkies into a tizzy, but it turned out to be exactly what was needed. Abrams managed to pull off one of the trickiest reboots imaginable: The original cast had played their characters on TV and film for 25 years; and no one else had attempted those roles for 43 years.
It's too soon to judge whether Abrams' new "Star Trek Into Darkness" is a little better or a little worse, but it's definitely in the same league. The story this time around opens with a pre-title-card "splash panel" sequence — reminiscent of the opening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" — in which Kirk (Chris Pine) risks his life to rescue Spock (Zachary Quinto), only to be severely criticized by the latter for both violating the Prime Directive and acting illogically.
As a result, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) and Starfleet Command take the Enterprise away from Kirk and give it back to Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Circumstances, however, put Kirk back in charge of the ship on an urgent mission to capture renegade intelligence officer Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, of the current "Sherlock Holmes" series), who has launched a devastating attack on Starfleet Headquarters.
Before the mission even starts, Kirk shockingly fires Scotty (Simon Pegg) for basically doing the right thing. Conveniently there is another science officer handy (Alice Eve) — allegedly to serve as Scotty's stand-in, but mostly to serve as eye candy and a plot device.
The central conflict really kicks in after Harrison is captured and brought aboard: Suddenly it's not so easy to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
The many action sequences are well-conceived and executed, but in grand "Star Trek" tradition, the themes are played out between the characters and within their souls. For one brief moment, those conflicts touch on real current events: Spock condemns the idea of targeting a villain for assassination without any form of due process. Sounds kinda familiar.
Abrams' "Star Trek" features would be terrific even if the franchise's history had never existed. Nonetheless, it's hard not be extra impressed by how he handles the film's relationship to the original iteration. Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy is his own variation on DeForest Kelley's beloved original, without omitting the catchphrases and personality we expect. Pegg's Scotty resembles James Doohan's version in name and nationality and not much else. Pegg is a wonderful comic actor who provides much of the humor; the only letdown from the previous film is that his role is smaller this time.
These movies can entertain even those who have no idea what "Star Trek" is — if any such people exist outside of the Amazonian rain forests and Papua New Guinea. Viewers don't need to recognize the return of one of the best-remembered "Star Trek" villains or to understand why our first sight of a particular furry animal draws immediate cheers and laughs. But these bits are bonus fun for the other 99 percent of us.
The IMAX 3D is a little less headache-inducing than usual, but the film really didn't need it. The 3D works best in the two least important sequences — the opening logos and the closing credits.
ANDY KLEIN is the film critic for Marquee. He can also be heard on "FilmWeek" on KPCC-FM (89.3).


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By Lou Mancinelli
Hubie White, 72, a Mt. Airy resident for 30 years, may not be stopped these days for autographs when he walks around the neighborhood, like any other grandfather, but exactly 50 years ago the 6-foot-3 then-Villanova Wildcat center was a household name among basketball buffs.
Captain of the 1962 Villanova squad that played in that year's NCAA Basketball Tournament's Elite Eight, the West Philadelphia High School graduate earned All-America honors that year. He was a three-time All-Big Five player, AP and UPI All-East and two-time All-State. Villanova retired White's #14 jersey on Jan. 27, 2001. After college, White played professionally for San Francisco (NBA) in the 1962-63 season, Philadelphia (NBA) 1963-64, Miami (ABA) 1969-70 and Pittsburgh (ABA) 1970-71.
"It was electric," said White, about the March Madness tournament he participated in almost a decade after playing his first schoolyard pickup game (which included comedian Bill Cosby). The 1962 Wildcat hoopsters, which included Wali Jones, Jim McMonagle, Jim O'Brien and George Leftwich, were 21-7 under coach Jack Kraft. Only 25 teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament in those days (now it's 68), and Villanova was among them.
White had 28 points and 10 rebounds in a first-round win over West Virginia and 31 points in a second-round victory over New York University. The next day, Villanova lost to Wake Forest in the East Regional Final. White had 14 points, but his team was unbelievably small, and he believes 'Nova might have advanced to the Final Four if there was more time between games, as there is today.
"We just ran out of gas," White said. "If we had a break, that would have helped us." White was a 6-foot-3 center, which was tiny even by the big-time college hoops standards of the early '60s, so in almost every game White was trying to outrebound guys five or six inches taller than he was.
"Against NYU," he recalled, "we played against two of the best players in the region, Happy Hairston and Barry Kramer, both legitimate All-Americans. And we were hoping that St. Joe's beat Wake Forest (the Hawks lost, 96-85) because we had beaten them during the regular season. But Wake Forest won, and they were just too much for us. They had 6-foot-8 Len Chappell (Player of the Year), and 6-foot-11 center Bob Ward. Our biggest guys were 6-5 — O'Brien and McMonagle. We led by two points at the half, but in the second half they just wore us down." Wake Forest defeated Villanova, 79-69.
Wake Forest proceeded to lose to Ohio State, led by Jerry Lucas, in the Final Four, which in turn lost to Cincinnati in the national championship game. White was named to the all-tournament team along with Jones, who later played for the 76ers. "I played good defense and I could rebound," White said. "I left the ballhandling to Wali."
But before basketball, education topped the list of priorities in the White family. Born in Athens, Georgia, in 1940, White was seven when his father, a laborer at the local bus station, moved the family to Philadelphia to escape the climate of institutionalized racism legalized by Jim Crow laws in the south. His father realized in order to provide his son the opportunity to lead a successful life, the family had to leave the south.
"My father painted the idea in my head that if you want to succeed you gotta get an education," said White during a mid-August interview.
Service and education have been two totems of White's life. After his two-season NBA run, White worked for more than a decade in the Philadelphia Health Department before working for 12 years as a teacher in North Philadelphia.
After graduating from Villanova University in 1962 with a degree in business administration, White joined the San Francisco Warriors ('62-'63), who that year had been purchased and relocated from Philadelphia. In San Francisco he played with former Temple University All-American Guy Rodgers.
But his remarkable jumping ability that enabled him to play in the frontcourt throughout high school and college failed to transfer to the guard position. In the NBA he struggled to evolve from a forward/center into a guard. And it would have been difficult for him to compete against NBA forwards and centers who stood so many inches above him.
After professional basketball, White navigated his way into a short-lived career in private industry, but he disliked the money-making values that dominated the industry mindset. He worked for a number years before a two-year run in the American Basketball Association from 1969-1971 and marrying his wife Christa. White described the ABA stint as an effort to earn extra money, three times the amount he realized in the NBA, to buy a home and begin to raise a family (he eventually had five children and five grandchildren). Afterwards, White began his long career as an employee of the City of Philadelphia.
He started in the mayor's office promoting job development and in man-power planning. In 1975 he shifted to the health department, capitalizing on an opportunity to serve as an administrator of Health Center Number 5 at 19th and Berks Streets in North Philadelphia.
When he learned he needed to further his education before he could rise from assistant to director, White enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a master's degree in governmental administration from the Penn's Fels Institute of Government in 1983 and then ran Health Center Number 3 in West Philadelphia. In 1995, he retired at 57.
But as if his father had fused it in his mind like a mantra, the sound of education called. A year later, after hearing about a Beaver College —now Arcadia University — program, somewhat targeted towards African-American males that enabled men to teach in Philadelphia schools while they received a teaching certificate, White enrolled.
He started at Roberts Vaux High School, then a middle-school, at 23rd and Master Streets in North Philly, as a history teacher. Twelve years later, in 2008, at age 68, White retired.
As a teacher, White said he encountered many students who lacked the value of education he cherished. Students were unprepared, particularly for the transition from grade school to high school. "It was very hard to help them understand that this was their opportunity," said White.
One can perhaps imagine then the dreamlike aura for White and his southern father, as the boy planned to walk into one of the region's most known basketball arenas. White says that Villanova served as a bridge for him to get to where he wanted to be. "It was the most important time of my life," he said about the college days.
On January 27, 2001, White's Villanova number 14 was retired.
Ed. note: My wife and I went to the Palestra often in the early 1960s to see Big 5 games, and my favorite players were Hubie White and Wali Jones. I still have a clear mental picture of Hubie White leaping against guys six inches taller than he and somehow, miraculously, coming down with the rebound, and of Wali Jones and his unique corkscrew jumpshot which he seemed to hurl into the basket from across the street. As a schoolyard ballplayer myself, I could appreciate the huge hearts of these guys as well as their stunning talent. After 50 years, they are definitely in my personal Basketball Hall of Fame.


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What do we know about wages in Tanzania?
Let's think together: Every Sunday the World Bank in Tanzania in collaboration with The Citizen wants to stimulate your thinking by sharing data from recent official surveys in Tanzania and ask you a few questions.
How much a worker earns for her or his labor is important for different reasons. First, it matters with regard to poverty since labor income counts usually for an important share of households' revenue. Secondly, it influences firms' competitiveness, especially for labor intensive activities such as manufacturing and agriculture. Thirdly, it is relevant for equity as anybody should expect a fair remuneration for his efforts. It is therefore not surprising that wages have attracted a lot of attention from economists and policy makers across the world over the years.


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Dave-7 needed a new button or icon design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 56 designs submitted by 9 freelance designers.
We are looking for a small set of custom icons for a report that our web application will produce. This report will be used by our sports clients: MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, NASCAR etc...
Turnkey Sports & Entertainment
We need a set of square-shaped icons representing different metrics such as age, gender, income etc (see below). The icons will be postage-stamp size on the page (1/2 inch square).
FYI - here's a design style I really like! (ignore the orange version).http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/business/3128114-office-business-icons-glossy-series.php?id=3128114
- An icon for each of the following:
- Dollar Sign
- Sales Lead (silhouette of head/shoulders)
- Sales Lead Management (variation of sales lead for example)
- Age (birthday cake for example)
- Gender (male/female)
- Marital Status
- Business Owner
- Education
- Mail Order buyers
- Home
- Time (clock)
- Income
- Discretionary Spending Index (how much $ one has to spend)
- Number of Children (or just children)The icons should be scalable vector images. And should be delivered as layered psd files or equivalent. Thanks!
- Glossy
- Words
- Several colors - stick to 1-2 colors
- Flashy colors - keep simple, clear, clean
- Photographs


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When I think about what made me the happiest over my little mini-vacation, it wasn't presents that I received but the time I was able to spend with my family. I was also able to have some time to think about what I wanted for the next year. I really want to make 2010 a great year for us. So I've made some goals for myself and tried to incorporate some blog series around them to help fulfill them. Now, I could fail miserably at achieving them but I'd rather try and fail then not try at all. Here's what my current list looks like:
Personal Goals for 2010
1) Spend even more time with the kids. I'd love to use everyday life activities to teach them the skills they'll need in school and life in general.
2) Pay more on our house to reach our long-term goal of a debt-free life in 2014. For over a year now, I've said that I want to be debt-free by the time I have to take my daughter to her first day of Kindergarten.
3) "Give Back" even more to those in need.
4) Be sure to include in more "me time" throughout the week.
5) Learn more ways to stretch my grocery budget and to expand my knowledge in the kitchen, along with turning favorite recipes into a healthier version.
So to help me achieve these goals, here are the new series that I'll do at random on the blog:
Upcoming Blog Series
1) Outdoor Learning/Play & Learn – So this is the year of my hopeful big garden. I'm hoping to not only get in an extensive variety of veggies but to also create a nice butterfly/bird flower garden. I also want to spend more time outside with the kids, in general, finding great things to do for free. I'll be sharing our experiences as they happen.
2) Long-Term Savings – While weekly hot deals, freebies and coupons are great to find, it's hard to base a budget around them. As I find more ways to maximize our savings and find more ways to have fun on a limited budget, I'll share them with you. Some of these will be similar to my 31 Ways To Save On Your Grocery Budget Without Coupons Series I did HERE.
3) Locate Great Donates – I'm taking a Rubbermaid Container, marking "Giving Back" on it and hoping to fill it up quite regularly. As I find items that are free or near free at stores, I'll share them with you so you can fill your donate boxes, too. I'll be putting a link-up option on each weekly posting so you can share your findings and/or pictures of your over-flowing boxes! (that you'll donate when full)
4) Read With Us – I was able to take some time to catch up on some of my magazines over my "break" and it just made me realize how much I miss getting in some reading time. So each month, I'll share with you the book I plan on reading and hope you will share yours, as well, so we can all find some "great reads" for the year. I'll also be doing a giveaway each month for whatever book I'm reading.
5) Happy & Healthy – I'm the only one that can be responsible for me living a healthier life. I'm hoping to take our favorite recipes and find healthier versions. I'll share any good recipes and/or books that I find to help fulfill this goal. I'll also be starting back up my Conveniently At Home series of where I try to find more homemade recipes that I like. I'm also hoping to get in another freezer cooking session with you so I can teach you all how to have extra meals on hand to avoid the evil takeout and extra calories.
These series will be at random and will be in addition to the daily hot deals, freebies and coupons that I find.
Your goals may not match mine, but I hope you enjoy me sharing my journey to reach them. Did you set any goals for yourself in 2010?


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The LMC/BMC-347 is a single-stage integrally geared centrifugal compressor.
- Flows to 3,550 ACFM (6,030 AM³/hr)
- Max working pressure 1,200 psia (85 bar)
Based on more than 50 years of technological innovation, the Sundyne family of LMC / BMC integrally geared centrifugal compressors are precision engineered to provide pulsation- and vibration-free operation. Built to meet exacting API-617 / ISO 10439 standards, the BMC will run continuously for 5 years, delivering oil-free process gas with no emissions. These compressors are designed to meet the unique Best Efficiency Point (BEP) of each customer's application, resulting in a tailor made solution that reduces process loss and eliminates emissions. Additionally, these horizontally configured compressors are ideal for skid packaging — due to their unique modular baseplate — and are easy to install into any process environment. Backed by our global network of Authorized Service Centers, Sundyne LMC and BMC compressors are the ideal solution for handling the most demanding high-head, low-flow applications in the refining, petrochemical, LNG, power and mining industries.
The LMC/BMC 34X – 550HP Gearbox is here! > Learn More
|Maximum Flow
|3,550 acfm
|6,030 am³/hr
|Maximum Speed
|33,600 rpm-60Hz
|34,200 rpm-50Hz
|Maximum Working Pressure
|1,200 psi
|85 bar
|Temperature Range
|-200 to 500°F
|-130 to 260°C
|Maximum Motor Size
|450 hp
|335 kW
|Hydro Test Pressure
|1.5 Times Maximum Working Pressure
|Min Casing Thickness
|0.75 in
|19.05 mm
|Corrosion Allowance
|0.125 in
|3.18 mm
|Impeller Clearance
|0.03 to 0.05in
|.76 to 1.27mm
|Shaft Diameter at Bearings
|1.5in (38.1mm)
|Mechanical Seal Sizes-Outboard...
|1.5 in
|38.1 mm
|Mechanical Seal Sizes-Inboard
|1.5 in
|38.1 mm
|600# ANSI RF standard, other ratings available
|Suction Flange
|8 inch
|Discharge Flange
|6 inch
|Gearbox Oil Temp Range (normal...
|120 to 140°F
|49 to 60°C
|Minimum Gearbox Starting Temp
|32 ° f (0 °C) with light turbine oil, lower with approved synthetic oil
|Gearbox Lubricant
|ISO VG-46 General Purpose Oil
|Gearbox Sump Capacity
|7 quarts (6.6 Liters)
|Gearbox Lube System
|Hardened and precision ground, helical and/or spur
|Input and Idler Bearings
|Deep groove, angular contact or solid journal as required
|Output Bearings
|Solid Journal or Tilt Pad thrust and radial as required
|Standard flexible or spacer type
|Materials of Construction
|Carbon Steel / Stainless Steel castings, 17-4PH / Titanium impellers
Integrally Geared Centrifugal Single Stage Heavy Duty Compressor
Sundyne Corporation single-stage centrifugal compressors typically provide the same performance range as multi-stage, piston driven positive displacement compressors, allowing for smaller, easier to maintain equipment that requires overall less energy to keep running.
Sundyne Standard
In the 1960s, Sundyne (then Sundstrand Fluid Handling) emerged as the leading expert for integrally geared centrifugal compressors.


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Kerala Chat Room - Malayalam Chat Room
Kerals.com Chat Room provides its users maximum functionality to simplify the search for contacts and discussion in real time through our site
This is the place to be where people around the globe gather. There is absolutely no registration required and you do not need to have a webcam or audio speakers to participate. Unlike other websites, we are powered by the latest chatroom technology utilizing Flash and HTML5. Meet random strangers or existing family and friends. Start chatting right now. What are you waiting for? get started today.
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Survey: Commercial real estate making a comeback
Index reaches new high, but evidence of recovery appears to be uneven in Southwestern Connecticut
The market for commercial real estate is bouncing back, according to an industry survey, but some professionals in Southwestern Connecticut remain unconvinced about a recovery.
The McGladrey Commercial Real Estate Index, a survey conducted by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center and DataCore Partners in New Haven, show that conditions in the state jumped to 26.5 in the first quarter -- a new high -- from 14.9 in the fourth quarter.
Conducted between January and early March, the poll tracked answers from 92 respondents including brokers, developers, bankers, appraisers and economic development officials around the state.
The results of the index -- which is formulated after the Consumer Confidence Index and compares data from month to month -- are the best in nearly three years. Aggregate measures within the sector encompassing office, industrial, retail and investment real estate offer some optimism amid a regional economic recovery that appears to be gaining traction, according to the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, a non-profit organization and public-private partnership in Rocky Hill.
But despite the index's climb, Alissa DeJong, director of research at CERC, cautioned there is no reason to be giddy about the results.
"With the U.S. sequestration underway, there is another downside risk to the economy because of across-the-board federal agency budget cuts," she said, noting that the index can go as high as 100 points and it's only at 26.5.
An index level of 26.5 is still low, said Steve Kirn, a partner at McGladrey, the assurance, tax and consulting firm that sponsors the index, but he sees reason for optimism.
"Recovery is becoming a bit more tangible according to these latest results," said Kirn, who heads McGladrey's real estate industry group in Stamford.
Based on James Fagan's observations, however, the sunny survey results don't reflect the Cushman & Wakefield executive's experience in the last quarter.
"We're seeing overall leasing activity is down," said Fagan, a senior managing director whose Stamford office focuses on the Fairfield County office market. We had negative absorption, which means vacancies have gone up. We have the slowest straight leasing activity in a decade."
The situation won't change appreciably until companies start hiring, Fagan said, commenting that office tenants are trying to reduce their space needs as the county's vacancy rate hovers around 23 percent.
That's in comparison to a vacancy level of only about 2 percent for the more than 2.5 million square feet of Class A office space and flex and research and development buildings owned and managed by R.D. Scinto in Shelton. Class A office buildings typically offer myriad amenities and with the most modern technology and accommodations.
Retaining tenants in today's competitive office market is a challenge, said Robert Scinto, chairman and chief executive officer.
A key factor is service, continuous maintenance and affordable lease rates, according to Scinto, whose company has 32 buildings in Shelton and nearby towns.
"If you have good quality Class A buildings filled with Class A tenants, they don't go to Class B buildings," he said.
Many of R.D. Scinto's leases are offered in the mid-teens, typically lower than the average $21.54 per square foot for Class A buildings in eastern Fairfield County, according to data provided by Jones Lang LaSalle in a January quarterly report.
Those rates pale compared with the $46.33 per-square-foot average charged for Class A space in the Stamford central business district and the $89.85 per square foot for Class A space in the Greenwich central business district, Jones Lang LaSalle's report showed.
JoAnn McGrath, property manager of the sprawling Merritt 7 office complex in Norwalk, is one of those commercial real estate professionals who is upbeat about the market, and based on recent deals she has done, it's no surprise.
"We're feeling good. We have activity and are hoping to get some deals done that are on the table (both renewals and new tenants)," she said, adding that the 1.4-million-square-foot complex is 90 percent occupied.
With per-square-foot lease rates in the $30s, McGrath signed nine new tenants and five renewals in 2012. But what will happen to lease rates isn't clear based on results from the McGladrey survey.
Fifty-three respondents to the McGladrey survey said they expect lease prices to rise, but 47 percent said lease prices are apt to drop in the next three months.
Asking lease rates at Matrix Corporate Center in Danbury, the former Union Carbide headquarters, are at $24.50 per square foot, and its management team is willing to do deals, said Aaron Smiles, managing director head of commercial leasing.
Its owner, Matrix Realty Group of Smithtown, N.Y., which bought the complex in 2009, has enough confidence in the state's commercial real estate market to be undertaking $10 million in improvements. That follows $10 million in work after it acquired the 1.3-million-square-foot facility.
The improvements apparently are paying dividends as occupancy has risen to 71 percent from 61 percent when the complex was purchased.
Boehringer Ingelheim, the Germany-based pharmaceutical giant, also recently renewed a lease to remain 10 more years in 327,000 square feet, and The Goddard School will operate a 10,000-square-foot early childhood development center for 140 pupils at Matrix by early June.
"I think the market in general is on the upswing. We're real busy here," Smiles said, adding that he is negotiating with several prospective tenants.
According to findings in the McGladrey report, employers who occupy many office buildings will make do with their existing workforce and will not add significant numbers of workers until demand for products and services becomes more robust. There has been greater emphasis on hiring temporary workers.
"Labor demand remains lackluster relative to prior economic recoveries as many area employers seem to be adopting a wait-and-see approach to permanent future hires given the heightened sense of economic uncertainty," said Peter Gioia, vice president and economist at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, co-sponsor of the survey. "In addition, there has been greater emphasis on temporary hires versus permanent hires because it provides employers with increased flexibility."
But Brett Sherman, senior vice president of Angel Commercial in Fairfield, said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the commercial real estate market.
"Retail seems to be busy in Fairfeld and Westport. Smaller retailers are popping up," he said. "We're seeing an uptick in businesses wanting flex industrial-warehouse space in Stratford, Bridgeport and Milford, and we're getting out-of-state inquiries (about industrial space)."
The state's industrial sector has been buoyed by strong export growth in recent years, but economic weaknesses in Europe could impact it.
McGladrey's Future Expectations Index component also posted solid results in the first quarter, setting a new high with an index level of 26.3 as opposed to 14.9 last quarter.
Over the next three months, 23 percent of respondents expect to see improvement in the state's industrial real estate market, while 56 percent stated that the near-term future conditions will be "fair."
Regarding the retail market, 24 percent of respondents characterize retail market conditions as "good" or "excellent," while 49 percent said conditions are "fair," and 27 percent said they are "poor."
Sixty-five percent of respondents said they expect sales transactions in the retail sector to increase in the next three months.
The survey results lifted the spirits of Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist and director of research at DataCore Partners, one of the publishers of the index.
"It is truly encouraging to finally see some better numbers for Connecticut's commercial real estate sector," he said. "Additionally, if we can realize further improvement in the local labor markets during 2013, then I would expect to see further gains in our aggregate measures that assess the overall health of Connecticut's commercial real estate sector.
Good news here for sure."
His upbeat comments countered a report he issued in January showing that between December 2011 and December 2012 the state lost 51,130 people in its labor force, falling to 1.85 million.
"Employment in the state is pretty weak (a February unemployment rate of 8 percent)," said Mark LeClair, an economics professor at Fairfield University. "The GDP (gross domestic product) is flat and it's not growing. That doesn't bode well for commercial real estate. But commercial real estate owners can offer better deals if they've re-financed."


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In the Sherlock Holmes story "Silver Blaze," the clue to the solution of the case is the dog that didn't bark. The story teaches a lesson in the virtues of seeing the obvious. Was Orwell a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories? He captured the same thought in the admonition, "to see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle…"
"The dog that didn't bark" has become a cliche of the kind I try to avoid, and here I am misusing it, but I want to make a point about a theme that the Romney campaign should be raising against Obama in the course of the campaign and hasn't. It is a dog that should be barking like crazy. I mean the Obama administration's lawlessness.
Yesterday gave us the commencement of of Obama's DREAM Act by executive decree. Even Obama had recognized at one time that he lacks the authority to do that.
The day before yesterday, so to speak, gave us Obama's abrogation of welfare reform's work requirement. Hey, it's illegal.
The early days of the Obama administration gave us Obama's reshuffling of bankruptcy priorities in favor of the administration's union friends in the course of the auto bailout. "We have just seen an episode of Gangster Government," Michael Barone observed at the time. "It is likely to be part of a continuing series." The administration's promotion of Obamacare provided Barone another installment in the Gangster Government series. Barone returned to the theme in "Gangster Government becomes a long-running series." (Barone also contributed a valuable introduction to David Freddoso's book on the subject.)
And then we have Fast and Furious along with the administration's stonewalling. Katie Pavlich wrote the book on that one.
The "long-running series" also features the Catholic cramdown element of Obamacare, by which I mean the provision of contraception, abortifacients and sterilization by religious institutions not exempted from Obamacare's free "preventive services" requirement. It remains a work in progress that will kick in after the election, but it's a biggie.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I hope it makes the point. This is one dog that the Romney campaign needs to get barking.


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Q. Must metal siding and metal framing members be grounded?
A. The NEC doesn't specifically require metal siding or metal framing members to be bonded (not grounded) to an effective ground-fault current path [250.4(A)(4)]. However, exposed structural metal that forms a metal building frame must be bonded to one of the following (effective ground-fault path) [250.104(C)]:
• Service equipment enclosure
• Grounded neutral service conductor
• Grounding electrode conductor sized in accordance with Table 250.66
• One of the electrodes of the grounding electrode system
The bonding jumper for structural metal is sized to the conductors that supply the building or structure, in accordance with Table 250.66. In addition, the bonding jumper must be:
• Copper, where within 18 inches of earth [250.64(A)]
• Securely fastened and not exposed to physical damage [250.64(B)]
• Installed without a splice or joint, unless spliced by compression connectors or by the exothermic welding process [250.64(C)]
Got a question for Mike? E-mail him at [email protected].


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Is There a Nutmeg in the House?
Viking, 2001 - 318 pages
Along with M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child, Elizabeth David changed the way we think about and prepare food. Her nine books, written with impeccable wit and considerable brilliance, helped educate the taste (and taste buds) of the postwar generation. Insisting on authentic recipes and fresh ingredients, she taught that food need not be complicated to be delicious.Elizabeth David, who died in 1992, was a very private person who seldom gave interviews. However, a 1984 collection of her journalism entitled An Omelet and a Glass of Wine greatly revealed David to her readers and is now considered the best food book written in the twentieth century. Now, nearly twenty years later, Viking will publish the sequel to that landmark book. Is There a Nutmeg in the House? contains material that has never appeared in previous collections. The emphasis throughout is on the practical aspects of cooking and eating and the book includes 150 recipes. These may come from around the world -- Mediterranean tomato consomme or classic English raspberry cream -- but they all have Elizabeth David's unmistakable touch. Delightful essays on her various likes and dislikes -- from the wonders of nutmeg to the utterly useless garlic press -- complete a unique picture of what for so long made David the most influential writer on food in the English language.Both immensely readable and wonderfully instructive, Is There a Nutmeg in the House? is a must-have for David fans and food lovers everywhere.
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ANOTHER fine book of essays by my hero. Her literary executrix can keep finding new unpublished manuscripts forever as far as I care. Consulter l'avis complet
Table des matičres
Kitchens and Their Cooks
Elizabeth Davids Dream Kitchen
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I agree with that view of Asimov, one of my little quibbles. I'm not actually very fond of his characters in general, I like his ideas & plots, but his characters and style are not my favorite. I enjoy his essays sometimes more than his fiction.
If you want to read a very different style than Asimov, Ruddy Rucker goes into quite a bit of detail about how the created characters feel and think about themselves and their lives - he focuses quite a lot on on both mechanical and biological artificial life forms. I'm not crazy about his human characters, but his style is crudely energetic cyber punk that can be fun; you might like it if you like Amy Thompson, since they are both considered to be "cyberpunk" for what that's worth.
George R. R. Martin; Octavia Butler; Katherine Kurtz
Fritz Leiber is generally considered to be an fantasy rather than sci-fi author, but I like his stuff both for being well crafted, humanistic with amusing characters and commentary on the human condition, and it's sometimes called "crudely vulgar and anti-Christian" which are not bad things in my book.
I'm also a huge fan of Stanislaw Lem - to me he reads like Vonnegut in that he seems to have a profound grasp of human nature at it best and worst, but with a bit more hard science elements in the mix. I also love both authors for their humor, and their willingness to be all kinds of funny - silly, goofy, surreal, bizarre, darkly funny / gallows humor, sly, childish, but then by turns crushingly tragic and heartrending.
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This article is part of the Traumatic Birth Prevention & Resource Guide by PATTCh. Access the complete guide to learn more about traumatic birth and find resources for women and families.
By Heidi Koss, MA, LMHC
Health care providers aren't exactly sure why some people get post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when exposed to a traumatic event while others do not. Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop when you go through, see or learn about an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror. Any trauma, including birth trauma, lies in the eye of the beholder. What one may perceive as traumatic might not be traumatic to others.
As with most mental health problems, PTSD is probably caused by a complex mix of:
- Your inherited mental health risks, such as an increased risk of anxiety and depression
- Your life experiences, including the amount and severity of trauma you've gone through since early childhood. PTSD can result from a cumulative effect of multiple traumas over a lifetime.
- The inherited aspects of your personality often called your temperament
- The way your brain regulates the chemicals and hormones your body releases in response to stress
General Risk factors for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
People of all ages can have post-traumatic stress disorder. However, some factors increase risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event, including:
- Being female women may be at increased risk of PTSD because they are more likely to experience the kinds of trauma that can trigger the condition.
- Experiencing intense or long-lasting trauma
- Having experienced other trauma earlier in life
- Having other mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression
- Lacking a good support system of family and friends
- Having first-degree relatives with mental health problems, including PTSD and depression
- History of abuse (such as childhood abuse, sexual abuse, rape)
- Combat exposure
- Physical attack
- Being threatened with a weapon
- Car accident, plane or train crash
- Life threatening experience (such as natural disaster, critical injury, medical crisis, attack, mugging)
These symptoms should alert you to possible PTSD:
- Flashbacks of the event vivid and sudden memories
- Nightmares
- Insomnia
- Fears of recurrence
- Emotional numbing
- Panic attacks
- Inability to recall important aspects of the event psychogenic amnesia
- Exaggerated startle response, hyper-arousal, always on guard
- Hyper-vigilance, constantly looking around for trouble or stressors
- Avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event
- Intense psychological stress at exposure to events that resemble the traumatic event
How is PTSD different than other Pregnancy and Postpartum Mood Disorders?
Sometimes perinatal mood disorders overlap and it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. PTSD is caused by an event in which you feel threatened, violated, and feel as if you could die. By the way our brain has processed the memory of the event, is causes heightened anxiety, hypervigilance, flashbacks, nightmares, etc. Therefore PTSD is an anxiety or stress reaction and it is different from other postpartum mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, other postpartum mood disorders can occur at the same time PTSD.
Recommended Books:
- Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders, A Clinician's Guide, by Cheryl Tatano Beck and Jeanne Watson Driscoll
- Beyond the Birth, A Family's Guide to Postpartum Mood Disorders, by Juliana Nason, Patricia Spach and Anna Gruen. Published by Postpartum Support International of WA
- When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Childbearing Women, by Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus
Useful Organizations & Websites:
- The Birth Trauma Association: www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk
- Trauma and Birth Stress (TABS): www.tabs.org.nz
- PTSD After Childbirth: www.ptsdafterchildbirth.org
- Postpartum Support International: www.postpartum.net
Heidi Koss, MA, LMHCA is a psychotherapist in private practice in Redmond, WA specializing in pregnancy and postpartum mood disorders (PPMD), birth trauma, and parent adjustment issues. She has been the Executive Director of Postpartum Support International of Washington (PSI of WA), WA State Coordinator for Postpartum Support International as well as co-founder of the Northwest Association for Postpartum Support (NAPS). She offers consultant services and PPMD trainings. Heidi has also been a postpartum doula and certified lactation educator. Heidi is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters.
PATTCh is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of traumatic childbirth. Our mission is to develop cross-disciplinary relationships, research, and programs that:
- prevent PTSD following childbirth through education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and multidisciplinary research;
- educate perinatal care providers and paraprofessionals in the prevention and treatment of birth and reproduction related trauma;
- encourage the development of culturally appropriate therapeutic approaches to post-traumatic stress symptoms following childbirth;
- promote healthy birth practices for all women and families;
- promote evidence-based research regarding PTSD secondary to childbirth;
- increase global awareness of the prevalence, risk factors, and effects of PTSD secondary to childbirth; and
- support collaboration and understanding among all stake-holders, including: researchers, policy makers, medical and mental health care providers, educators, community members, volunteers, women, and families.


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Papasans Unlimited supplies papasan frames in a similar pecan color and base style to that pictured above (excludes cushion, which needs to be ordered separetely - view our double papasan cushion product page .
Freight cost for delivery to anywhere within the continental US is $100.00. Order two papasan or swivel rocker frames and the second item is sent freight free. Free freight on the second item consists of any combination of double papasan, single papasan or swivel rocker chairs, delivered at the same time to the same address.
The dish in which you sit in on the rattan double papasan chair (or papasan loveseat) is seperate from the base, thus allowing the dish to be tilted to any angle, including the "laid back" position. It is throughly comfortable in the upright position, and totally fabulous when used to lie on in the 'laid back' position.
Dimensions of the dish are 65 inches long by 45 inches wide. All frames come with our guarantee of product excellence. Do you require a papasan cushion also? Please view our double papasan cushions, and don't forget to have a look at our customers testimonial page.
Delivery is by general carrier within continental USA. We e-mail you with tracking details once items are dispatched - within 15 working days of receiving your order. If ordering frame with cushion, then cushion and frame will be delivered together, and driver is always instructed to make contact at least one day in advance to arrange a mutually suitable drop off time.