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When it comes to marriage, Millennials are saying "I don't."
Today's young adults are on track have the lowest rates of marriage by age 40 compared to any previous generation. If the current pace continues, more than 30% of Millennial women will remain unmarried by age 40, nearly twice the share of their Gen X counterparts, according to a recent Urban Institute report.
And that could have serious economic repercussions for both the Millennials and the nation as a whole.
There are several reasons behind the plunge. The importance of marriage has been diminishing for years. More Americans are living together without getting married, and some are raising families ... just without the gold bands, said Neil Howe, an economist and author of several books about Millennials.
Also, marriage used to be the starting point for young adults. They got hitched early and built a life together, Howe said. Now, many people feel they have to be more established, especially financially, before they walk down the aisle.
"The shift is the shift in the role of marriage in one's life," he said.
Related: Enough with Millennials. Here's what Gen X thinks
Marriage rates fell even more drastically during the Great Recession, when young adults had a tough time landing their first jobs and other Americans found themselves collecting unemployment checks.
Just how many Millennials tie the knot by the time they hit 40 depends on whether marriage rates return to their pre-recession levels or not. Only 69.3% of women will marry if the post-recession rate continues, while 76.8% will if the rate returns to pre-downturn levels. For men, the rates come in at 65% and 72.6%, respectively.
Regardless, it will be fewer than Gen Xers. Some 82% of Gen X women and 76.6% of Gen X men were married by 40.
Underlying these numbers, however, are major divisions by race and educational attainment. Hispanic and black Millennials, as well as those without college degrees, are expected to see greater declines in their marriage rates.
White Millennials will see a small drop.
College grads could remain steady if rates return or decline slightly if they don't. That runs contrary to the current narrative that Millennials are putting off marriage because of high student loan debts and unemployment rates, as well as the increased propensity to live with their parents, said Steven Martin, senior research associate at the Urban Institute and the report's co-author.
He found, however, that college graduates marry later so they are better able to ride out poor economic times just after they finish school. And staying single while young gives them more opportunity to establish a financial base since they can focus on their careers.
But the explosion in singles has its downsides. Married couples are often better off financially, which means they can spend more.
"The evidence shows that getting married increases wealth and income," said Pamela Smock, a sociology professor at the University of Michigan.
Single Americans may be less likely to buy homes or trade up to accommodate growing families, while single parents may be more likely to qualify for government safety net programs.
And the growing schism in marriage rates could exacerbate income inequality in this country, dividing society into still mostly married "haves" and increasingly single "have nots."

subset: commoncrawl


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JONES MILLS, Pennsylvania -- A Pennsylvania man says he used flashing dashboard lights to mimic a police speed trap - but only so he could slow down vehicles speeding past his rural home and killing deer and endangering people.
Fifty-seven-year-old Ricky McMillen tells WPXI-TV that he used the flashing lights on his car because he's been complaining about speeders for years and getting few results. What he says he has gotten is very smelly deer carcasses along the road in Donegal Township, about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
State police charged McMillen on Thursday with impersonating a public servant and displaying improper lights.
McMillen says he's been using the lights for a while and they've worked well.
McMillen has been mailed a summons to appear for a preliminary hearing Dec. 15.


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This actually works way better than I thought anything ever would! I've always had problems with clogged pores. Even now at 36, while my skincare regimen is better than ever, I still have had to really work at keeping my pores as clean as possible. I've been curious about these for years, and I am so glad I finally took the leap! Just one treatment has left my pores TOTALLY clean - cleaner than I've seen them in my entire life. No oil, no sebum, no dirt. It was also amazing seeing how much it sucked out! Thankfully it uses a small filter over the suction cup to prevent the device from sucking everything in. Cleaning the tips is as easy as dropping them into hot soapy water for a soak, then rinsing them and drying them. All the attachments work really well. So far my favorite is the exfoliating tip, which combines suction with microdermabrasion to get everything including dead skin. Seriously, right now I'm wondering what I'm going to do with all my clay and charcoal masks because this tool totally invalidates them. Best beauty buy of my year so far.
The tool works efficiently to deliver quality services leaving the skin smooth and soft. It has three adjustable strength levels so that you can easily adjust the unit to fit different skin areas. Besides this, the unit also allows for easy recharge thanks to the USB charging system. Will remove all blackheads, but please read manual first to learn proper use because I pushed hard on one part of my nose and it got redness marks. However, it got vanished away in a few days. I do steam, use Sephora pore opening cream and then suction it. More interestingly, it features up to four functional heads that will suit all types of skins. Due to the powerful suction system, the unit is very effective as it gets rid of even the stubborn blackheads.
So where do I get started... This isn't a pretty topic to talk about, but one that we need to talk about in general. Hygiene is good, upgraded hygiene is even better! A family member has very, uhm active pores, is a nice way of putting it, and was used to spending hours a week staring at a mirror doing what you do to blackheads. Picked this bad boy and now, a few minutes on the couch and the whole process is almost exciting now. You can choose from a set of different heads (with different levels of suction) for blackhead eradication action or attach the silver microdermabrasion head to lightly scrub your face. You can select the type of skin you have to fine tune the suctions level. Then cover the blackhead with this, press the button, and enjoy the fact that your pore is being vacuumed :) Once you are done, detach the head, clean it (hygiene is good) and you're done!
I have tried different blackhead remover tools in the past with very poor results. This little gadget was just what I needed. I suffer from blackheads and acne across my nose and cheeks primarily and occasionally on my chin. The first time I used it I didn't read the directions and it didn't work at all. After going back and following the directions it worked like a charm. I primarily use if after a hot shower and it is very effective. I use the skin exfoliating probe first, then use the blackhead remover tip and the blackheads are removed very easily. I would definitely recommend this tool to anyone who suffers from blackheads and has trouble extracting them with just your hands or a washcloth.
I love this!!! I have combination skin and have been through all different kinds of skincare from high end to drug store. I use this when I get out of the shower so my skin is soften and after 2 weeks I noticed my pores be coming smaller and the breakouts on my chin (pimples under the skin) reducing as well! It's crazy to see what ot left behind in your face. I'm so happy with this purchase !
The packaging is very beautiful, a lot of blackhead grease is sucked out, a very gentle cleaning instrument, it will not support the pores, the effect is similar to that of the outside, it is still very good to buy one at home in extraordinary times, regular cleaning effect should be better, look forward to Say goodbye to blackheads as soon as possible. It's really easy to use, and it's very easy to use.
We usually buy pore strips and decided to pay a bit more for a tool for this. Cool lighting feature to highlight areas that need attention. Did a really good job of cleaning out clogged pores. Suction is really strong, but does not irritate sensitive skin. This was a good choice for us because of sensitive skin/sulfate allergies that can make it hard to use chemically based pore treatments.
The product looks very nice and handy. It has different heads and different modes to use to clean the skin. I used it on the nose and jaw. And it can really take out clogged oil and some blackheads. But don't use it on the same area too long, because it can make the area red because of its strong suck.
I LOVE this product and have recommended it to my closest friends. The price is great, it comes with four different heads which all work great for different purposes. My personal favorite is the smallest one because it can get into the creases around your nose so easily. Suction is strong but does not damage skin. I have very soft and sensitive skin so I feared it would leave marks but it has helped clean my pores and prevent any further break outs.
Glad I could get online. The quality is as high as in any offline store, but that's way more comfortable
It came around the estimated time what was okay. Quality of product fully matches the description. Thank you!
I was worried about safety of free delivery, but arrived in really excellent condition and in time. Thanks a lot!
The was offered with a fair dcisount, so how could i resist the temptation :-)
i guess it's the cheapest price for blackhead remover i've ever seen. good job!
can't wait to try my new blackhead remover. looks promising
Good quality! Looks exactly as on pictures!
Remover came very quickly, for two weeks. Thank You!!
The suction is powerful. I'm very happy with it so far!
I just got mine last night, so I had to try it immediately after I showered. I still need to get the hang of if, but it definitely worked on my nose pores. I tried it on my forehead but was not successful in extracting anything. I will try again after using a hot compress though. Nice packaging, device is light, easy to handle and the suction is very powerful.
It's just working, nothing too superficial.
The power of this handheld blackhead remover is incredible, I was not expecting the amount of suction that it provides. I have been using this regularly since I purchased it and have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of dry skin on my face especially my nose.
Work exactly as described! Thanks.
Guess, it's not for sensitive skin. If held on the same spot for a long time, might get an almost bruising spot.
Very cool blackhead remover!
This is decent and sucking out some stuff from pores, but needs some time and effort. Don't put too much strength on the same spot, otherwise might leave a mark.


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Aims & Scope
The journal promotes and expedites the dissemination of new research results.There is an exciting and large volume of research activity in the field worldwide.The goal of this journal is to provide a platform for academicians and scientists all over the world to share, promote, and discuss various new issues and developments in different areas of political science.
All manuscripts must be prepared in English and are subject to a rigorous and fair peer-review process. Generally, accepted papers will appear online within 3 weeks followed by printed hard copy.


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Carver County, founded in 1855, is home to the Minnesota and Crow Rivers, along with 125 lakes. Located southwest of the Twin Cities, it is part of the seven-county metro area.
The area named Carver County has been home to Native Americans, Euro-American settler-colonists, and many others throughout its long history. Many thousands of years ago, Minnesota was covered by glaciers, and indigenous people hunted mammoths and giant bison. As the ice melted, the people changed how they hunted and lived. They made their own tools from bone or rock. This process is called flint knapping. Most hunted with spears or bows and arrows. Trade with neighboring groups was important, but it also stretched across the country. Archaeologists found a cowry shell, an object found in the Pacific Ocean, in a Carver County archaeology site in Camden Township.
Over time, Minnesota became a forest, of oak, elm, maple and cottonwood trees. The "Big Woods" covered much of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This forest provided good hunting grounds for the Native Americans in the area, who were mainly Dakota. The Dakota traveled with the seasons. They followed deer and elk herds; gathered fruits, nuts, and berries; and had a lasting impact on Carver County. Dakota place names, such as Waconia (fountain or spring) and Chanhassen (tree of sweet sap) identify important areas.
Some of the first European explorers in the area that became Carver County were French. They created strong relationships with the Dakota, learning their knowledge and skills. Massachusetts-born Jonathan Carver lived with a local band over a period of months, learning Dakota culture and writing about what he learned.
Dakota and Ojibwe people saw value in items the French brought with them, such as axes, guns, and glass beads. These items were not commonly available and gave them practical advantages. They brought early explorers and later French traders into their kinship system to create better on-going trade relations. The French traders married Dakota women and learned their language and traditions, becoming part of a pre-existing trade network.
From the late 1600s through the 1840s, growing numbers of Europeans came into Minnesota to trade fur. In Carver County, there were two companies in the fur trade: the North West Fur Trading Company, which was British, and the American Fur Company. The North West Fur Company was founded in 1779, and there is archaeological evidence of a fur trading post in Carver County. The post was south of where the city of Carver sits, along the Minnesota River, at a Dakota village called Inyan Ceyaka Otunwe. It was operated from 1804-1808, and again in the 1830s, by Jean-Baptiste Faribault. It was run with help from his wife, Pelagie, and their sons Alexander and Oliver. In the twenty-first century, a historic marker is near the site, but no structures remain.
The British controlled the fur trade in the late 1700s; Americans took over in the early 1800s. The Dakota (as well as the Ojibwe) tried to create the same family bonds they had with the French. However, the British and the Americans did not understand the importance of kinship ties to the Dakota, and Indian-White relations declined. The fur trade period ended in 1851 with the signing of two important treaties.
The Treaty of Traverse de Sioux was signed July 23, 1851, and the Treaty of Mendota signed in August 1851, with the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands (Traverse de Sioux) and Wahpekute and Mdewakanton bands (Mendota) of Dakota. These treaties opened what is now Carver County to white immigration. Many whites had settled the land prior to the treaties, illegally. These illegal settler-colonists are sometimes known as "Sooners", and many of them were forced to give up their land. They either moved back east again or made their homes on different land, legally.
Carver County became an official county on March 3, 1855, named for early explorer, Jonathan Carver, as is the city of Carver. It is divided into ten townships: Hollywood, Watertown, Camden, Waconia, Laketown, Young America, Benton, Dahlgren, Hancock, and San Francisco. San Francisco was the first county seat until government official moved it to Chaska in 1856 where it remains despite battles to move the county seat to other locations.
By 1857, five school districts were organized: Carver, Chaska, Benton, Chanhassen, and Groveland. The very first school was located in Chanhassen, where the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum sits. The teacher was Susan Hazeltine. Lake Susan and Hazeltine Golf course are named after her.
The earliest white settler-colonists were from the eastern United States. By the 1860s, however, most new settler-colonists were immigrants from Germany, Ireland, or Sweden. This immigrant population brought their home country traditions, including names for their new towns. The Germans brought names like Hamburg, Gotha, and Cologne, and the Swedes, Swede Lake and East Union.
Most settler-colonists wanted to own land and became farmers, but Chaska also had a booming brick industry, known for its distinctive yellow brick. The thickness of the Big Woods made it difficult for early settler-colonists to clear the land for farming, but they carried on, using cut trees for houses, firewood, and tools. The desire to clear the land led to a booming logging industry in the 1850s-1870s. In the early twenty-first century, much of the county's land is still farmland. Most people, though, hold other types of work, with many making the drive to the Twin Cities and surrounding communities for work.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a Board of Commissioners, each taking one of five districts, governs Carver County. These Commissioners guide the directives, resolutions, ordinances, and policies for all of Carver County, implemented by the County Administrator's office. The County Administrator's department also guides and supports all other county divisions, such as Social Services and Public Health and Environment.
The county sits among Wright County (north), Hennepin County (northeast), Scott County (southeast), Sibley County (southwest) and McLeod County (west). Carver County has a total area of approximately 376 square miles, of which around ninety-five percent (357 square miles) is land, and about five percent (nineteen square miles) is water. The land of Carver County consists of plains, gently rolling to steep hills, wetlands, streams, and lakes, with steep bluffs along the Minnesota River Valley. The county is home to many parks, protected wetlands, and nature preserves, among them: Seminary Fen, Baylor Regional Park, and Carver Park Reserve.
While small, Carver County has been one of the fastest growing counties in Minnesota since about 1980. Carver County has a large urban/rural, or city/country, divide. The eastern cities of Chaska and Chanhassen combine for over half of the county's population. Waconia and Victoria follow these cities closely. The other eleven towns have populations less than half this size.
Though the county is ninety-four percent white in the early twenty-first century, numbers of residents of other ethnicities are growing. Chaska in particular has seen major growth of its Hispanic population. This growing racial and ethnic diversity is very visible in the public schools. Throughout Carver County, a growing percentage of students speak a language other than English at home.
Armstrong, Susan. "The Fur Trade in Carver County." Carver County Historical Society.
Brown, Leanne. " A Very Brief History of Carver County." Carver County Historical Society.
Brown, Leanne and Larry Hutchings. "This Day in History. . .Ten Thousand Years Ago." Carver County Historical Society.
Petersen-Biorn, Wendy. "Yellowstone Trail: Remembering the 'Good Road.' "Chaska Herald, September 2, 2012.
Ridge, Alice A., and John William. Introducing the Yellowstone Trail: A Good Road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound, 1912-1930. Altoona, WI: Yellowstone Trail, 2000.
Warner, George E., and Charles M. Foote. History of the Minnesota Valley: Carver County. Reprint. Carver County Historical Society, 1986. Originally published in George E. Warner and Charles M. Foote, History of the Minnesota Valley, Minneapolis: North Star Publishing, 1882.
Carver County. About.
Carver County. Board of Commissioners.
Carver County. Carver County 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
Treaties Matter. Relations: Dakota & Ojibwe Treaties.
Department of Natural Resources. Lake Finder: Carver County.
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council.
"Why Treaties Matter exhibit." Minnesota Humanities Center.
Carver County is established on March 3, 1855.
Fur trade between Native Americans and the French begins in what is later known as Carver County.
Jean-Baptiste Faribault runs Little Rapids Fur trade post. He and his family return to it in the 1830s.
The signing of treaties occurs at Traverse de Sioux and Mendota in July and August. These treaties officially open up the land that becomes known as Carver County to white settlement.
Carver County is officially established, with San Francisco named as the county seat.
First official road in Carver County, in Dahlgren.
Chaska becomes the county seat.
The brick industry in Chaska begins, lasting for over one hundred years.
The logging industry starts to slow in Carver County.
The Yellowstone Trail, the first "good road" connecting the east and west coasts of the United States, is designated and improved in Carver County. In 1926, it would become parts of Hwys. 5 and 212 through the county.


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As I've noted before, Detroit is all too frequently just a blank screen onto which people project their own personal bogeymen. So liberals see in Detroit racism gone wild, America's comeuppance for its love affair with the automobile, and corporate greed. Conservatives see the ultimate end result of unions and where liberalism will take the US as a whole if it isn't stopped.
There's a bit of truth in all of these. The left would have us believe that having Democrats in charge of the city for so long had nothing to do with where it is today. But they reality is, they've got to own their piece of blame. Detroit certainly hasn't been a bastion of conservative policy, that's for sure.
On the other hand, Republicans should be aware that Detroit's decline has been ongoing for quite a while, and there were definitely some mayors with R's by their name who were in on the game. And economic forces shaped Detroit far more than they'd like to admit.
But ultimately what we see today is the left furiously spinning about Detroit (for example, see the book "Detroit: A Biography") and the right trying to use it as a poster child for everything they hate. Yet on the right I can't help but observe a particularly mean streak in the commentary, one that's positively gleeful about Detroit's demise. It's as if, not content with letting the results speak for themselves about what happened under Democratic rule, the right seems determined to humiliate Detroit, reveling in its pain. It's schadenfreude on steroids.
Let me highlight this. First Kurt Schlichter says that "Conservatives Should Point and Laugh As Detroit Dies."
The agonizing death of Detroit is cause for celebration. It's the first of the liberal-run big cities and states to fall, and we should welcome its collapse with glee.
Yeah, liberals, eventually you do run out of other people's money.
The blue state model is a terminal disease, and Detroit is its poster child. Only this is one telethon where we should pledge that we won't pay a single dime to keep the progressive party going a single minute longer.
Detroit represents the epitome of the blue state, Democrat machine liberalism that Barack Obama represents. Well, not one damn cent for Barry's Kids.
Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel. John Fund at the National Review is nowhere near vicious, but he does paint a target on Detroit's art, basically arguing that the city should be forced to sell off its assets to satisfy creditors:
What no one wants to do, apparently, is sell the city's assets. The city has largely unused parks and waterfront property that could be opened to economic development. The Detroit Historical Museum has a collection of 62 vehicles, including an 1870 Phaeton carriage and John Dodge's 1919 coupe, that is worth millions. But the biggest sacred cow is the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), one of the nation's oldest and most valuable art museums. It has pieces by Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Rembrandt. The Institute also owns William Randolph Hearst's armor collection and the original puppet from the children's TV show Howdy Doody.
The Detroit Free Press asked New York and Michigan art dealers to evaluate just a few of the 60,000 items in the Institute's collection. The experts said the 38 pieces they looked over would fetch a minimum of $2.5 billion on the market, with each of several pieces worth $100 million or more. That would go a long way toward relieving the city's long-term debt burden of $17 billion.
Let me get this straight. Instead of Detroit being $17 billion in debt, let's sell off everything left that makes Detroit viable and end up still $14.5 billion in debt and still bankrupt. (Though only a few items were evaluated, they were clearly the handful of most valuable ones. Howdy Doody ain't Van Gogh). Oh, yeah, that will help – if your definition of help is bailing out banks who loaned money to a city everyone has known is a basket case for many, many years. If those banks expected the art to be sold, they should have made the city pledge it as collateral.
Fund is right that Detroit does need to make tough choices about assets. I've made that argument myself. But the goal should be to create at a minimum a sustainably functional government and ensure the bankruptcy of the city of Detroit doesn't undermine the broader region and state. Selling off secondary assets (and yes, Howdy Doody may be a good candidate) is worth pursuing if there's cost/benefit. But saying that Detroit should sell off its regional cultural crown jewels is little more than an attempt to inflict counter-productive penance, to force humiliation upon the city. And it would also be completely unlike say a corporate Chapter 11 restructuring, which is designed to produce a viable firm on the other end and thus the most valuable assets are often retained.
Of course, Detroit's own residents make it easy to act this way. A group of protestors referred to the bankruptcy filing as a "declaration of war," saying that outsiders aren't entitled to any say or even get the money back they loaned the the city, saying instead "the banks owe us."
Still, have some compassion. It's understandable Detroit's residents are in pain and lashing out. Clearly they have tough medicine they haven't reconciled themselves to taking. But there are better ways to respond to it. Andrew Biggs at the American Enterprise Institute took a more moderate path, suggesting that while a plain reading of Michigan's constitution suggests it wouldn't protect pensions in bankruptcy, there's still reason to give pensioners some preferential treatment (thought not being made 100% whole, saying:
Does this mean that retired city workers should take the same haircut as municipal bond holders? I really don't think so. Anyone loaning money to the city of Detroit was knowingly taking the risk that the city might not repay; that's why bonds issued by Detroit paid a higher yield than Treasury securities, which are assumed to be riskless. As with any risk investment, sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't.
City employees, on the other hand, exchanged services today — along with employee contributions to their pension plan — for benefits to be delivered in the future. Sure, employees should consider the financial stability of their employer in its ability to deliver what is promised, but city employees seem to be a qualitatively different group than municipal bond holders.
This seems more rational type analysis and isn't rooted in mean-spiritedness.
Though eager to point out how Democratic policies and corrupt Democratic politicians helped propel Detroit headlong in bankruptcy (which is certainly a valid political claim to make), having a vengeful streak only shows Republicans behaving in a ways that's as hard hearted as Democrats say they are.
Aaron M. Renn is an independent writer on urban affairs and the founder of Telestrian, a data analysis and mapping tool. He writes at The Urbanophile.


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text:
[Pages 125-129]
Rachel Rabinowitz: The teacher Yudel had beautiful handwriting. Many hours in the classroom were devoted to perfecting our handwriting. He would write a line on the blackboard, actually drawing the letters like a beautiful picture, and we had to copy that line several times. We tried to write beautifully in order to get a high grade. And truly, thanks to the teacher Yudel, most of us have nice handwriting.Henia Sneh: We all admired the teacher Yudel. He was an excellent and genial educator who understood us and did much to reconcile school and youth movements activities.
The principal Hillel was a different kind of person. He was more forceful, with strict requirements and punishments. However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that thanks to him there was proper discipline at the school.
Shayke Glick: Yudel also punished us. I remember that he would grab a boy by the chin, but when he did it, he probably had a good reason, so we forgave him
Dovid-Leib Aires: I don't think that in my life I ever encountered a person as good as the teacher Yudel Slep!
Shmuel Levitt: I was mischievous, and more than once I was expelled from the class, but I learned the material. How? The teachers pushed the pupils to learn and helped them. They would come to the pupil's home, see how he/she was doing and help. I am certain that the teacher Yudel considered his work a mission. I have no doubt that that is the reason he didn't immigrate to Eretz Yisrael. He turned all of us into pioneers. He is the one who sowed the love for Eretz Yisrael in us.
Micha Baron: The teachers were Zionists, aware of what was happening in Palestine, and they preached love for our people and Eretz Yisrael to us. They also insisted that we speak only Hebrew, both at school and in the street, and they would choose overseers from among the students, who would fine anyone who spoke Yiddish. The fines were all donated to the Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael (Jewish National Fund). It is no wonder that Dusiat excelled in its donations to this fund
Zvi Hammer was the teacher who taught singing and gave violin lessons. Who among us does not remember the song he taught: El Hatzippor (To the Bird)? We also studied arithmetic, geography, drawing, nature, Lithuanian, Jewish history, Bible and literature. The melamed Avraham-Moshe conducted the religion lessons.
Shayke Glick: Both the teachers at school and the youth movement counselors instilled our national identity and the sense of belonging to our people in us.
Rachel Vitkin: In comparison to other shtetls, in which they mostly spoke Yiddish at school, in our school they made certain that we speak only Hebrew, and also the level of studies was high, which attracted children from other shtetls to come and study in our school. A pupil who graduated from the Tarbut School in Dusiat could be compared to a graduate of a pro-gymnasia.
Shimon Toker (from Antaliept): An important advantage of the school in Dusiat was that the teachers were locals; they were involved in the life of the shtetl; they knew everyone and they cared!
Tzila Gudelsky: There were several larger shtetls near Dusiat, but Dusiat was truly special. It had quite a large number of intelligent people in it, who contributed to the cultural atmosphere of the shtetl. There were prestigious families and simple people, but the knowledge of Hebrew elevated everyone, and Hashomer Hatzair in its part contributed to the equality of status.
Rasya Tal: When we finished our studies in Dusiat we went to study at the pro-gymnasia in Utian (Utena), and when it closed we continued our studies in Vilkomir (Ukmerge). I studied in Utian for four years (where we also learned Lithuanian and German). It took an entire night to get there by horse and wagon, so we only came home every three months. Rivka Levitt, Yisrael Visakolsky and Honke Glick studied there at the same time as I did.
Shayke Glick: A few of the people from the shtetl went on to study at the university and the polytechnic in Kovno (Kaunas), among them Yitzchak (Itzke) Shteinman, Yankele Charit and Yisrael Visakolsky.
I remember from my childhood that the Tzeirei Zion (Young Zionists) used to gather in the Hebrew school in Dusiat young men and women and we, the children, used to sneak in, peek, and listen to what they were saying. They all spoke in Hebrew! Dor l'dor yabia omer let further generations pass on the knowledge.
People generally obtained their education on their own. My oldest brother Velve studied Russian and German independently. I loved to read, and would do so by the light of the lantern until the wee hours of the morn. More than once my mother woke up and shouted: Shayke, it will soon be dawn!...
We studied history according to [the Jewish historian, Simon Dubnow]. I loved the poetry of Bialik and Tchernichovsky, and read Mapu's Ahavat Zion (The Love of Zion). I wasn't the only one. The young people thirsted for Hebrew literature.
The elders of the shtetl also knew Hebrew. My mother, who had no formal education, told us that when she was a child she was curious, and would sneak in and listen to the lessons the rabbi gave the boys: Bible, Mishna and Gemara [the latter two make up the Talmud]. The women had a prayer book called Ma'ane Lashon (The Book of Supplications) with a Yiddish translation. (In Ashkenazi pronunciation Mayne Loshn.) I can picture them still, waiting for the stars to come out on Saturday night, so as to begin the blessing for the new week.
Rivka Levitt: Chaya-Hene Levitt was a woman with understanding and knowledge. I remember her quoting Tolstoy and Gogol.
Shmuel Levitt: She and my mother, Chasya-Leah, would sit together and sing Russian songs, and they especially liked to sing arias from famous operas
Tzila Gudelsky: My aunt Rochel-Leah (Poritz), who was a strong and domineering woman, pushed all her children to acquire an education, and her sons Dov and Yosef went as far as Petrograd to study.
Batya Aviel: Getzel Levitt (the brother of Yosef and Sonia Levitt) left Dusiat and moved to a big city so that his children could go to university. His son Zvi graduated from university in Kovno.
I studied Russian and Hebrew privately, and I don't know Lithuanian. I was the only one in my family who knew Russian. Life in the shtetl was generally hard, but all the parents made an effort to send their children to school, and schooling cost a fortune!
My father was a salesman for Singer sewing machines. The company offered him a position in Germany, but he turned it down, and afterwards regretted it. He used to say that if he had accepted the offer and gone to Germany, his children would have learned music and would have gone to university When we wanted to tease our father, we would say repeatedly: if if
The Jewish education network, in all its streams, continued to exist and develop even after the elimination and cancellation of Jewish autonomy, and despite attempts to halt it and to force the use Lithuanian as the language of instruction.
([44] Garfunkel, Leib. The Struggle of Lithuanian Jewry for Rights
of Independence, p. 68, in Yahadut Lita, Vol. 2, Tel Aviv 1972.)
The Hebrew school changed locations several times.
In the above picture, the Hebrew school is in the house of Bilinskas, the Lithuanian. |
The Hebrew school building still exists. [Courtesy of Sara Weiss-Slep, Dusiat 29 July, 1993] The sole mention of the existence and destruction of the Jewish community is in the three words: Jewish Elementary School |
From right to left, top: Bailke Krut, Lanka Visakolsky, Reuven Milun, Breinka Shapira, Batya Glezer Second row: Teacher Yehuda-Yudel Slep, Etska Slep (daughter of Yudel and Rachel-Gitel), Rivka Pores, Mirka Baron, Itale Charit, Gitale Musilewitz, Slovka Yoffe, Hillel Schwartz (principal) Third row: Moshe-Ber Blacher, Libke Kasimov, Yocheved Zalkind, Moishale Visakolsky, Batya Yoffe, Meir-Meike Slep, Bailke Pores, Rivka Shub Fourth row: Bunka Chaitowitz, Nechamka Yudelowitz, Chanka Glezer, (-), Rivka Aires, on the left: Reinke Levin, Sheinke Chaitowitz Fifth row: Shayke Glick (son of Rochel-Leah), Gershke Slep Sixth row, seated: Mashka Slep, Honke Glick (son of Rochel-Leah), Zussman, (-), Beinish Yudelowitz, Chatzkele Shteiman, Yaacov Milun, Motale Gafanowitz, Zamke Glezer, Mirka Karanowitz, Goldke Melamed Seated in front: Lolke Slovo, Sarah-Sure-Bailke, David Bun, Hene-Bailke Blacher, Noah Visakolsky, Chanka Pores, Avraham Melamed, Estherke Yossman, nephew of Zeligson, Tzilka Shub, Bailka Fein, Itzke, Motale Slep
None of the teachers survived the war. |
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OFFICIAL NAME: State of Israel
- Area: 20,330 sq. km.1 (7,850 sq. mi.); about the size of New Jersey.
- Cities: Capital--Jerusalem.2 Other cities--Tel Aviv, Haifa.
- Terrain: Plains, mountains, desert, and coast.
- Climate: Temperate, except in desert areas.
- Population (2007 est.): 6.43 million.
- Annual population growth rate (2007 est.): 1.2%.
- Ethnic groups: Jews 76.2%; Arabs 19.5%; other 4.3%.
- Religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Druze.
- Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic (official), English, Russian.
- Education: Years compulsory--11. Literacy--96.9% (female 95.6%; male 98.3%).
- Health: Infant mortality rate (2005 est.)--7.03/1,000 births. Life expectancy at birth--79.32 years; female 81.55 years, male 77.21 years.
- Work force (2.68 million; Central Bureau for Statistics, 2004): Agriculture--2.1%; manufacturing--16.2%; electricity and water supply--0.8%; construction--5.4%; trade and repair of motor vehicles--3.6%; accommodation services and restaurants--4.3%; transport, storage, and communication--6.5%; banking, insurance, and finance--3.3%; business activities--13.4%; public administration--4.7%; education--12.7%; health, welfare, and social services--10.7%; community, social, and personal services--4.6%; services for households by domestic personnel--1.6%.
- Type: Parliamentary democracy.
- Independence: May 14, 1948.
- Constitution: None; however, the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (the Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law fill many of the functions of a constitution.
- Branches: Executive--president (chief of state); prime minister (head of government). Legislative--unicameral Knesset. Judicial--Supreme Court.
- Political parties: Labor, Likud, Kadima, and various other secular and religious parties, including some wholly or predominantly supported by Israel's Arab citizens. A total of 12 parties are represented in the 17th Knesset, elected March 2006.
- Suffrage: Universal at 18.
- GDP (2006 est.): $170.3 billion.
- Annual growth rate (2006): 4.8%.
- Per capita GDP (2006): $26,800.
- Currency: Shekel (4.13 shekels = 1 U.S. dollar; 2007 est.).
- Natural resources: Copper, phosphate, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, bitumen, manganese.
- Agriculture: Products--citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy, and poultry products.
- Industry: Types--high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, plastics, chemical products, diamond cutting and polishing, metal products, textiles, and footwear.
- Trade: Exports (2006 est.)--$42.86 billion. Exports include polished diamonds, electronic communication, medical and scientific equipment, chemicals and chemical products, electronic components and computers, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, rubber, plastics, and textiles. Imports (excluding defense imports, 2006 est.)--$47.8 billion: raw materials, diamonds, energy ships and airplanes, machinery, equipment, land transportation equipment for investment, and consumer goods. Major partners--U.S., U.K., Germany; exports--U.S., Belgium, Hong Kong; imports--U.S., Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, U.K.
1Including Jerusalem 2Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950. The United States, like nearly all other countries, maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv.
Of the approximately 6.43 million Israelis in 2007, about 76% were counted as Jewish, though some of those are not considered Jewish under Orthodox Jewish law. Since 1989, nearly a million immigrants from the former Soviet Union have arrived in Israel, making this the largest wave of immigration since independence. In addition, an estimated 105,000 members of the Ethiopian Jewish community have immigrated to Israel, 14,000 of them during the dramatic May 1991 Operation Solomon airlift. 32.9% of Israelis were born outside of Israel.
The three broad Jewish groupings are the Ashkenazim, or Jews who trace their ancestry to western, central, and eastern Europe; the Sephardim, who trace their origin to Spain, Portugal, southern Europe, and North Africa; and Eastern or Oriental Jews, who descend from ancient communities in Islamic lands. Of the non-Jewish population, about 68% are Muslims, about 9% are Christian, and about 7% are Druze.
Education is compulsory from age 6 to 16 and is free up to age 18. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, 3-year junior secondary schools, and 3-year senior secondary schools, after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions. There are seven university-level institutions in Israel, a number of regional colleges, and an Open University program.
With a population drawn from more than 100 countries on 5 continents, Israeli society is rich in cultural diversity and artistic creativity. The arts are actively encouraged and supported by the government. The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performs throughout the country and frequently tours abroad. The Jerusalem Symphony and the New Israel Opera also tour frequently, as do other musical ensembles. Almost every municipality has a chamber orchestra or ensemble, many boasting the talents of gifted performers from the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Israel has several professional ballet and modern dance companies, and folk dancing, which draws upon the cultural heritage of many immigrant groups, continues to be very popular. There is great public interest in the theater; the repertoire covers the entire range of classical and contemporary drama in translation as well as plays by Israeli authors. Of the three major repertory companies, the most famous, Habimah, was founded in 1917.
Active artist colonies thrive in Safed, Jaffa, and Ein Hod, and Israeli painters and sculptors exhibit works worldwide. Israel boasts more than 120 museums, including the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls along with an extensive collection of regional archaeological artifacts, art, and Jewish religious and folk exhibits. Israelis are avid newspaper readers, with more than 90% of Israeli adults reading a newspaper at least once a week. Major daily papers are in Hebrew; others are in Arabic, English, French, Polish, Yiddish, Russian, Hungarian, and German.
The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 was preceded by more than 50 years of efforts to establish a sovereign nation as a homeland for Jews. These efforts were initiated by Theodore Herzl, founder of the Zionist movement, and were given added impetus by the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which asserted the British Government's support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
In the years following World War I, Palestine became a British Mandate and Jewish immigration steadily increased, as did violence between Palestine's Jewish and Arab communities. Mounting British efforts to restrict this immigration were countered by international support for Jewish national aspirations following the near-extermination of European Jewry by the Nazis during World War II. This support led to the 1947 UN partition plan, which would have divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under UN administration.
On May 14, 1948, soon after the British quit Palestine, the State of Israel was proclaimed and was immediately invaded by armies from neighboring Arab states, which rejected the UN partition plan. This conflict, Israel's War of Independence, was concluded by armistice agreements between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in 1949 and resulted in a 50% increase in Israeli territory.
In 1956, French, British, and Israeli forces engaged Egypt in response to its nationalization of the Suez Canal and blockade of the Straits of Tiran. Israeli forces withdrew in March 1957, after the United Nations established the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Gaza Strip and Sinai. This war resulted in no territorial shifts and was followed by several years of terrorist incidents and retaliatory acts across Israel's borders.
In June 1967, Israeli forces struck targets in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in response to Egyptian President Nasser's ordered withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from the Sinai Peninsula and the buildup of Arab armies along Israel's borders. After 6 days, all parties agreed to a cease-fire, under which Israel retained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the formerly Jordanian-controlled West Bank of the Jordan River, and East Jerusalem. On November 22, 1967, the Security Council adopted Resolution 242, the "land for peace" formula, which called for the establishment of a just and lasting peace based on Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 in return for the end of all states of belligerency, respect for the sovereignty of all states in the area, and the right to live in peace within secure, recognized boundaries.
The following years were marked by continuing violence across the Suez Canal, punctuated by the 1969-70 war of attrition. On October 6, 1973--Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement), the armies of Syria and Egypt launched an attack against Israel. Although the Egyptians and Syrians initially made significant advances, Israel was able to push the invading armies back beyond the 1967 cease-fire lines by the time the United States and the Soviet Union helped bring an end to the fighting. In the UN Security Council, the United States supported Resolution 338, which reaffirmed Resolution 242 as the framework for peace and called for peace negotiations between the parties.
In the years that followed, sporadic clashes continued along the cease-fire lines but guided by the U.S., Egypt, and Israel continued negotiations. In November 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made a historic visit to Jerusalem, which opened the door for the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace summit convened at Camp David by President Carter. These negotiations led to a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, pursuant to which Israel withdrew from the Sinai in 1982, signed by President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menahem Begin of Israel.
In the years following the 1948 war, Israel's border with Lebanon was quiet relative to its borders with other neighbors. After the expulsion of Palestinian fighters from Jordan in 1970 and their influx into southern Lebanon, however, hostilities along Israel's northern border increased and Israeli forces crossed into Lebanon. After passage of Security Council Resolution 425, calling for Israeli withdrawal and the creation of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), Israel withdrew its troops.
In June 1982, following a series of cross-border terrorist attacks and the attempted assassination of the Israeli Ambassador to the U.K., Israel invaded Lebanon to fight the forces of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO withdrew its forces from Lebanon in August 1982. Israel, having failed to finalize an agreement with Lebanon, withdrew most of its troops in June 1985 save for a residual force which remained in southern Lebanon to act as a buffer against attacks on northern Israel. These remaining forces were completely withdrawn in May 2000 behind a UN-brokered delineation of the Israel-Lebanon border (the Blue Line). Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon continued to attack Israeli positions south of the Blue Line in the Sheba Farms/Har Dov area of the Golan Heights.
The victory of the U.S.-led coalition in the Persian Gulf War of 1991 opened new possibilities for regional peace. In October 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union convened the Madrid Conference, in which Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, and Palestinian leaders laid the foundations for ongoing negotiations designed to bring peace and economic development to the region. Within this framework, Israel and the PLO signed a Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993, which established an ambitious set of objectives relating to a transfer of authority from Israel to an interim Palestinian authority. Israel and the PLO subsequently signed the Gaza-Jericho Agreement on May 4, 1994, and the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities on August 29, 1994, which began the process of transferring authority from Israel to the Palestinians.
On October 26, 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a historic peace treaty, witnessed by President Clinton. This was followed by Israeli Prime Minister Rabin and PLO Chairman Arafat's signing of the historic Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on September 28, 1995. This accord, which incorporated and superseded previous agreements, broadened Palestinian self-government and provided for cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians in several areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated on November 4, 1995, by a right-wing Jewish radical, bringing the increasingly bitter national debate over the peace process to a climax. Subsequent Israeli governments continued to negotiate with the PLO resulting in additional agreements, including the Wye River and the Sharm el-Sheikh memoranda. However, a summit hosted by President Clinton at Camp David in July 2000 to address permanent status issues--including the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, final security arrangements, borders, and relations and cooperation with neighboring states--failed to produce an agreement.
Following the failed talks, widespread violence broke out in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza in September 2000. In April 2001 the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact Finding Committee, commissioned by the October 2000 Middle East Peace Summit and chaired by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, submitted its report, which recommended an immediate end to the violence followed by confidence-building measures and a resumption of security cooperation and peace negotiations. Building on the Mitchell report, In April 2003, the Quartet (the U.S., UN, European Union (EU), and the Russian Federation) announced the "roadmap," a performance-based plan to bring about two states, Israel and a democratic, viable Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
Despite the promising developments of spring 2003, violence continued and in September 2003 the first Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), resigned after failing to win true authority to restore law and order, fight terror, and reform Palestinian institutions. In response to the deadlock, in the winter of 2003-2004 Prime Minister Sharon put forward his Gaza disengagement initiative, proposing the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from Gaza as well as parts of the northern West Bank. President Bush endorsed this initiative in an exchange of letters with Prime Minister Sharon on April 14, 2004, viewing Gaza disengagement as an opportunity to move towards implementation of the two-state vision and begin the development of Palestinian institutions. In a meeting in May 2004 the Quartet endorsed the initiative, which was approved by the Knesset in October 2004.
The run-up to disengagement saw a flurry of diplomatic activity, including the February 2005 announcement of Lieutenant General William Ward as U.S. Security Coordinator; the March 2005 Sharon-Abbas summit in Sharm el-Sheikh; the return of Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to Israel; and the May 2005 appointment of former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn as Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement to work for a revitalization of the Palestinian economy after disengagement. Wolfensohn's direct involvement spurred Israeli-Palestinian agreement on the Gaza 'crossings" at Karni and Erez, on the demolition of settler homes, water, electricity, and communications infrastructure issues, as well as other issues related to the Palestinian economy.
On August 15, 2005, Israel began implementing its disengagement from the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli Defense Forces completed their withdrawal, including the dismantling of 17 settlements, on September 12. After broad recognition for Prime Minister Sharon's accomplishment at that fall's UN General Assembly, international attention quickly turned to efforts to strengthen Palestinian governance and the economy in Gaza. The United States brokered a landmark Agreement on Movement and Access between the parties in November 2005 to facilitate further progress on Palestinian economic issues. However, the terrorist organization Hamas--building on popular support for its "resistance" to Israeli occupation and a commitment to clean up the notorious corruption of the Palestinian Authority (PA)--took a majority in the January 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections, with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya as Prime Minister. The Israeli leadership pledged not to work with a Palestinian government in which Hamas had a role.
Shortly following Hamas' PLC victory, the Quartet--comprised of the United States, European Union, United Nations. and Russia--outlined three basic principles the Hamas-led PA must meet in order for the U.S. and the international community to reengage with the PA: renounce violence and terror, recognize Israel, and respect previous agreements, including the roadmap. The Hamas-led PA government rejected these principles, resulting in a Quartet statement of "grave concern" on March 30, 2006 and the suspension of U.S. assistance to the PA, complete prohibition on U.S. Government contacts with the PA, and prohibition of unlicensed transactions with the PA government. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) under the leadership of PLO Chairman and PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen), by contrast, remained consistently committed to the Quartet principles.
Despite several negotiated cease-fires between Hamas and Fatah, violent clashes in the Gaza Strip--and to a lesser extent in the West Bank--were commonplace between December 2006 and February 2007 and resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries. In an attempt to end the intra-Palestinian violence, the King of Saudi Arabia invited Palestinian rivals to Mecca, and on February 9, 2007, Abbas and Hamas leader Haniya agreed to the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and a cessation of violence. Hamas' rejectionist policies and violent behavior continued despite the formation of the national unity government.
In June 2007, Hamas effectively orchestrated a violent coup in Gaza. Hamas also launched scores of Qassam rockets into southern Israel in an attempt to involve Israel in the Hamas-Fatah conflict. On June 14, Palestinian Authority President Mahoud Abbas exercised his lawful authority by declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the national unity government, and replacing it with a new government with Salam Fayyad as Prime Minister.
The new Palestinian Authority government under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad has no elements controlled by Hamas or any other terrorist group. The new government is dedicated to peace and the Quartet principles and has been embraced politically and financially by the international community, including Israel.
Israel is a parliamentary democracy. Its governmental system is based on several basic laws enacted by its unicameral parliament, the Knesset. The president (chief of state) is elected by the Knesset for a 5-year term.
The prime minister (head of government) exercises executive power and has in the past been selected by the president as the party leader most able to form a government. Between May 1996 and March 2001, Israelis voted for the prime minister directly. (The legislation, which required the direct election of the prime minister, was rescinded by the Knesset in March 2001.) The members of the cabinet must be collectively approved by the Knesset.
The Knesset's 120 members are elected by secret ballot to 4-year terms, although the prime minister may decide to call for new elections before the end of the 4-year term. Voting is for party lists rather than for individual candidates, and the total number of seats assigned each party reflects that party's percentage of the vote. Successful Knesset candidates are drawn from the lists in order of party-assigned rank. Under the present electoral system, all members of the Knesset are elected at large.
The independent judicial system includes secular and religious courts. The courts' right of judicial review of the Knesset's legislation is limited. Judicial interpretation is restricted to problems of execution of laws and validity of subsidiary legislation. The highest court in Israel is the Supreme Court, whose judges are approved by the President.
Israel is divided into six districts, administration of which is coordinated by the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the administration of the occupied territories.
Principal Government Officials
President--Shimon Peres
Prime Minister--Ehud Olmert (Kadima) Foreign Minister--Tzipi Livni (Kadima) Ambassador to the United States--Sallai Meridor Ambassador to the United Nations--Dan Gillerman
Israel maintains an embassy in the United States at 3514 International Drive NW, Washington DC, 20008 (tel. 202-364-5500). There also are consulates general in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
From the founding of Israel in 1948 until the election of May 1977, Israel was ruled by successive coalition governments led by the Labor alignment or its constituent parties. From 1967-70, the coalition government included all of Israel's parties except the communist party. After the 1977 election, the Likud bloc, then composed of Herut, the Liberals, and the smaller La'am Party, came to power forming a coalition with the National Religious Party, Agudat Israel, and others. As head of Likud, Menachem Begin became Prime Minister. The Likud retained power in the succeeding election in June 1981, and Begin remained Prime Minister. In the summer of 1983, Begin resigned and was succeeded by his Foreign Minister, Yitzhak Shamir.
After Prime Minister Shamir lost a Knesset vote of confidence early in 1984, new elections in July provided no clear winner, with both Labor and Likud considerably short of a Knesset majority and unable to form even narrow coalitions. After several weeks of difficult negotiations, they agreed on a government of national unity, including the rotation of the office of Prime Minister and the combined office of Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister midway through the government's 50-month term.
During the first 25 months of unity government rule, Labor's Shimon Peres served as Prime Minister, while Likud's Shamir held the posts of Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, until they switched positions in October 1986. In November 1988 elections, Likud edged Labor out by one seat but was unable to form a coalition, producing another national unity government in January 1989. Yitzhak Shamir became Prime Minister, and Shimon Peres became Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister. This government fell in March 1990, however, in a vote of no confidence precipitated by disagreement over the government's response to U.S. Secretary of State Baker's initiative in the peace process. Labor Party leader Peres was unable to attract sufficient support among the religious parties to form a government. Yitzhak Shamir then formed a Likud-led coalition government, including members from religious and right-wing parties.
Shamir's government took office in June 1990, and held power for 2 years. In the June 1992 national elections, the Labor Party reversed its electoral fortunes, taking 44 seats. Labor Party leader Yitzhak Rabin formed a coalition with Meretz (a group of three leftist parties) and Shas (an ultra-Orthodox religious party). The coalition included the support of two Arab-majority parties. Rabin became Prime Minister in July 1992, presiding over the signing of the Oslo accords with the Palestine Liberation Organization. However, Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish radical on November 4, 1995. Peres, then Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, once again became Prime Minister and immediately proceeded to carry forward the peace policies of the Rabin government and to implement Israel's Oslo commitments, including military redeployment in the West Bank and the holding of historic Palestinian elections on January 20, 1996.
Enjoying broad public support and anxious to secure his own mandate, Peres called for early elections after just 3 months in office. (They would have otherwise been held by the end of October 1996.) In late February and early March, a series of suicide bombing attacks by Palestinian terrorists took some 60 Israeli lives, seriously eroding public support for Peres and raising concerns about the peace process. Increased fighting in southern Lebanon, which also brought Katyusha rocket attacks against northern Israel, also raised tensions and weakened the government politically a month before the May 29 elections.
In those elections--the first direct election of a Prime Minister in Israeli history--Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu won by a narrow margin, having sharply criticized the government's peace policies for failing to protect Israeli security. Netanyahu subsequently formed a right-wing coalition government publicly committed to pursuing the peace process, but with an emphasis on security and reciprocity. In 1999, with a shrunken coalition and facing increasing difficulty passing legislation and defeating no-confidence motions, Netanyahu dissolved parliament and called for new elections. This time, the Labor candidate--Ehud Barak--was victorious. Barak formed a mixed coalition government of secular and religious parties, with Likud in the opposition. In May 2000, Barak fulfilled one of his major campaign promises by withdrawing Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon. However, by mid-autumn, with the breakdown of the Camp David talks and the worsening security situation caused by the new intifada, Barak's coalition was in jeopardy. In December, he resigned as Prime Minister, precipitating a new prime ministerial election.
In a special election on February 6, 2001, after a campaign stressing security and the maintenance of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, Likud leader Ariel Sharon defeated Barak by over 20 percentage points. As he had promised in his campaign, Sharon formed a broad unity government that included the Labor and Likud parties, the far-right parties, some smaller secular parties, and several religious parties. The unity government collapsed in late 2002, and new elections were held in January 2003. Sharon again won, and formed a new government consisting of his own Likud party, the right-wing National Religious Party and National Union party, and centrist Shinui.
The summer of 2004 saw renewed instability in the government, as disagreement over the Gaza disengagement plan resulted in Sharon's firing two ministers of the National Union Party and accepting the resignation of a third from the National Religious Party in order to secure cabinet approval of the plan (it was endorsed on June 6, 2004). Continuing divisions within the Likud on next steps then prompted Ariel Sharon to leave the party in November 2005 to form the Kadima ("Forward") party and call new elections for March 2006. However, Sharon was unexpectedly incapacitated in January 2006 due to a severe stroke and leadership of Kadima shifted to Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who on March 28 led the party to 29 seats in the Knesset. Labor came in second with 19 seats, and Shas and Likud tied with 12. After intensive coalition negotiations, a new, Kadima-led government, with Labor as "senior partner", was sworn in on May 4, 2006.
Israel has a diversified, technologically advanced economy with substantial but decreasing government ownership and a strong high-tech sector. The major industrial sectors include high-technology electronic and biomedical equipment, metal products, processed foods, chemicals, and transport equipment. Israel possesses a substantial service sector and is one of the world's centers for diamond cutting and polishing. It also is a world leader in software development and, prior to the violence that began in September 2000, was a major tourist destination.
Israel's strong commitment to economic development and its talented work force led to economic growth rates during the nation's first two decades that frequently exceeded 10% annually. The years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War were a lost decade economically, as growth stalled and inflation reached triple-digit levels. The successful economic stabilization plan implemented in 1985 and the subsequent introduction of market-oriented structural reforms reinvigorated the economy and paved the way for rapid growth in the 1990s.
A wave of Jewish immigration beginning in 1989, predominantly from the countries of the former U.S.S.R., brought nearly a million new citizens to Israel. These new immigrants, many of them highly educated, now constitute some 13% of Israel's 6.7 million inhabitants. Their successful absorption into Israeli society and its labor force forms a remarkable chapter in Israeli history. The skills brought by the new immigrants and their added demand as consumers gave the Israeli economy a strong upward push and in the 1990s, they played a key role in the ongoing development of Israel's high-tech sector.
During the 1990s, progress in the Middle East peace process, beginning with the Madrid Conference of 1991, helped to reduce Israel's economic isolation from its neighbors and opened up new markets to Israeli exporters farther afield. The peace process stimulated an unprecedented inflow of foreign investment in Israel, and provided a substantial boost to economic growth in the region over the last decade. The onset of the intifada beginning at the end of September of 2000, the downturn in the high-tech sector and Nasdaq crisis, and the slowdown of the global economy have all significantly affected the Israeli economy. However, despite the recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli economy grew during 2006.
Israeli companies, particularly in the high-tech area, have in the past enjoyed considerable success raising money on Wall Street and other world financial markets; Israel ranks second to Canada among foreign countries in the number of its companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. Israel's tech market is very developed, and in spite of the pause in the industry's growth, the high-tech sector is likely to be the major driver of the Israeli economy. Almost half of Israel's exports are high tech. Most leading players, including Intel, IBM, and Cisco have a presence in Israel.
Growth was an exceptional 6.2% in 2000, due in part to a number of one-time high tech acquisitions and investments. This exceptional year was followed by two years of negative growth of -0.9% and -1%, respectively, in 2001 and 2002. As a result of the security situation and the associated downturn in the economy, there was a significant rise in unemployment and wage erosion. This led to a decline in private consumption in 2002, the first time that there had been negative private consumption since the early 1980s. However, following growth rates of 1.7% in 2003 and 4.4% in 2004, the Israeli economy entered into a period of stabilization and recovery after the deep recession of 2001 and 2002. Since then, the Israeli economy seems to have returned to a trend of consistent growth. The Israeli economy grew by 5.2% in 2005 and GDP per capita (U.S. $17,800) increased by 3.3%. The Israeli economy grew by an estimated 4.8% in 2006.
Exports of goods and services in Israel grew by 7% in 2005. Service and agricultural exports each increased by more than 10% in 2005, whereas exports increased by 5.6% and imports rose to 4.4%. Tourism revenues increased by 22.7% as a result of the dramatic increase following the intifada's subsidence.
Israel's private consumption increased by 4% in 2005. The largest growth in private consumption was in the purchase of clothing, footwear, and personal effects, which increased by 10.2%, following an increase of 5.4% in 2004. Consumption of consumer durables grew much more slowly than in 2004, with an increase of only 3.4%, compared with 14.3% the previous year.
In the Israeli business sector, business GDP grew by 6.6% in 2005. According to CBS statistics, the transportation, storage, and communications industries grew by 9.2%, following growth of 6.6% in 2004. The GDP of the wholesale, retail, restaurant, and hotel sector increased by 8.1%, up from 6.1% in 2004. The GDP of the finance and business services sector in 2005 increased by 6.4%, up from the previous year's 6.1% growth rate.
The general consensus among economists is that Israel's economy is very strong and that its growth potential is in the 4% to 5% range.
The United States is Israel's largest trading partner. In 2005, two-way trade totaled some $26.6 billion, up 12% from 2004. The U.S. trade deficit with Israel was $7.1 billion in 2005, up 33% from 2004, due largely to rising Israeli exports to the U.S. U.S. exports to Israel rose 6.1% in 2005 to $9.7 billion, making Israel our 19th largest export market for goods. The principal goods exported from the U.S. include civilian aircraft parts, telecommunications equipment, semiconductors, civilian aircraft, electrical apparatus, and computer accessories. Israel's chief exports to the U.S. include diamonds, pharmaceutical preparations, telecommunications equipment, medicinal equipment, electrical apparatus, and cotton apparel. The two countries signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in 1985 that progressively eliminated tariffs on most goods traded between the two countries over the following 10 years. An agricultural trade accord signed in November 1996 addressed the remaining goods not covered in the FTA but has not entirely erased barriers to trade in the agricultural sector. Israel also has trade and cooperation agreements in place with the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and other countries.
Best prospect industry sectors in Israel for U.S. exporters are electricity and gas equipment, defense equipment, medical instruments and disposable products, industrial chemicals, telecommunication equipment, electronic components, building materials/construction industries (DIY and infrastructure), safety and security equipment and services, non-prescription drugs, travel and tourism services, and computer software.
In addition to seeking an end to hostilities with Arab forces, against which it has fought five wars since 1948, Israel has given high priority to gaining wide acceptance as a sovereign state with an important international role.
Before 1967, Israel had established diplomatic relations with a majority of the world's nations, except for the Arab states and most other Muslim countries. UN Security Council resolutions provided the basis for cease-fire and disengagement agreements concerning the Sinai and the Golan Heights between Israel, Egypt, and Syria and for promoting the Camp David accords and the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. The Soviet Union and the communist states of Eastern Europe (except Romania) broke diplomatic relations with Israel during the 1967 war, but those relations were restored by 1991.
The landmark October 1991 Madrid conference recognized the importance of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 in resolving regional disputes, and brought together for the first time Israel, the Palestinians, and the neighboring Arab countries, launching a series of direct bilateral and multilateral negotiations. These talks were designed to finally resolve outstanding security, border, and other issues between the parties while providing a basis for mutual cooperation on issues of general concern, including the status of refugees, arms control and regional security, water and environmental concerns, and economic development.
Today, Israel has diplomatic relations with 161 states. Following the signing of the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on September 13, 1993, Israel established or renewed diplomatic relations with 36 countries. Israel has full diplomatic relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Mauritania. In addition, on October 1, 1994, the Gulf States publicly announced their support for a review of the Arab boycott, in effect abolishing the secondary and tertiary boycotts against Israel.
Israel has diplomatic relations with nine non-Arab Muslim states and with 32 of the 43 Sub-Saharan states that are not members of the Arab League. Israel established relations with China and India in 1992 and with the Holy See in 1993.
Israel's ground, air, and naval forces, known as the Israel Defense Force (IDF), fall under the command of a single general staff. Conscription is universal for Jewish men and women over the age of 18, although exemptions may be made on religious grounds. Druze, members of a small Islamic offshoot living in Israel's mountains, also serve in the IDF. Israeli Arabs, with the exception of some Bedouins, do not serve. During 1950-66, Israel spent an average of 9% of GDP on defense. Real defense expenditures increased dramatically after both the 1967 and 1973 wars. Military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.
In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.
Commitment to Israel's security and well being has been a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Middle East since Israel's founding in 1948, in which the United States played a key supporting role. Israel and the United States are bound closely by historic and cultural ties as well as by mutual interests. Continuing U.S. economic and security assistance to Israel acknowledges these ties and signals U.S. commitment. The broad issues of Arab-Israeli peace have been a major focus in the U.S.-Israeli relationship. U.S. efforts to reach a Middle East peace settlement are based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and have been based on the premise that as Israel takes calculated risks for peace the United States will help minimize those risks.
On a bilateral level, relations between the United States and Israel are continually strengthening in every field. In addition to the Joint Political-Military Group described above, there are: bilateral science and technology efforts (including the Binational Science Foundation and the Binational Agricultural Research and Development Foundation); the U.S.-Israeli Education Foundation, which sponsors educational and cultural programs; the Joint Economic Development Group, which maintains a high-level dialogue on economic issues; the Joint Counterterrorism Group, designed to enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism; and a high-level Strategic Dialogue that meets biannually.
Israel Map
<googlemap lat="31.867062" lon="35.16037" zoom="10" width="700"> 32.048725, 34.814985, Tel Aviv, Israel 31.7857, 35.2007, Jerusalem, Israel </googlemap>
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text:
Mrs. Etoh: "Around 10:00, as we were leaving the bar."
Dr. Grumpy: "I thought you'd stopped drinking?"
Mrs. Etoh: "I did, but last night we had a round after our AA meeting."
A Blog detailing the insanity of my medical practice and the stupidity of everyday life.
There is a bar near where I live that will give you a free beer for each AA sobriety chip you bring in.
Something about that is just messed up.
You stopped for a drink after your AA meeting????? This is just wrong.
Oh Donkaloosa - it happens ALL THE TIME! I went to AA meetings for four months before I realized that I actually had to STOP drinking for any of it to work. Hahaha!
Please tell me she didn't just say it with a straight face.
Helen- she was serious, and didn't understand why I was surprised.
Guess people have different definitions of "stop."
I'm sure it does happen a lot, i.e. the drinking but still going to AA meetings. It's still a bit of a shock to me, I guess --- and I know I sure as heck wouldn't admit it to anyone, much less a doctor, if I was doing something so moronic! (Sorry, Kate, not trying to imply you're a moron!)
"One of the guys just got his one year chip, so we all took him out to celebrate."
People. Are. Seriously. Stupid.
On that note - I'm never sending my husband to a sex addict meeting...
Wow! Okay, now you've shocked me. Unless, of course, it was a court ordered mandate that she attend AA meetings due to a DUI. If it was court ordered, that I could understand as those folks have no intention of quitting -- they're going because they have to. Was it? Here's hoping you say yes.
If not, all I can say is WOW.
bb- sorry, was voluntary.
Reminds me of how I treat myself to a donut if I manage to lose weight.
Ummm. Ok. So I've been to AA meetings for school...I was taking a class on counseling alcoholics and we had to attend several open AA meetings. I'll tell you what, after attending some of those meetings I needed a drink! They were something! So perhaps I can understand where she was coming from! ;)
Maybe she means she stopped drinking in private ? ;-)
Unfortunately you can't sure stupid.
It's like the patients who sit out the front of the hospital in their gowns, complete with IV pole and oxygen tank and a cigarette in hand. Or in the case of one hospital I used to work at, a can of beer so the cigarette didn't get lonely.
LOL! One step forward, another step backward...
@Rusty Hoe: That last hospital you mention--was it a VA hospital? Cause it sounds like it could be!
r hoe- some folks have seen enough that a smoke and a brew is just fine, thank you.
This made me laugh. I feel kinda bad about that.
(love the name though...Mrs. Etoh. *giggle*)
In our downtown historic district, a church has sprang up right next to the best bar in town. I often wonder if the AA attendees milling about waiting for their Friday night meetings to start outside are in any way a deterrent to business, or vice versa.
Rusty Hoe - I recently went through the hospital entrance where I work to see a woman in labour screaming "here comes another one" and taking a BIG inhalation of her fag to help her through the contraction pain.
Tasteful huh?
My dad told me once that he always met his best drinking buddies at AA meetings.
And I wonder why her seizure meds weren't working? Oh, you should't put your Depakote Sprinkles straight into your vodka. Note to self...


text:
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Our team of DS technicians are highly trained, using only Original and Approved DS parts to repair and maintain your car in our state-of-the-art workshop.
Continued and correct maintenance are key to ensuring your DS performs at its absolute best, so bring your vehicle to our experts for premium service every time.


text:
Facebook have just made a simple Like Button available for bloggers and webmasters.The Like Button or Icon will be a great help in the effort to get readers sharing your posts on Facebook.Social networks and social bookmarking sites are constantly coming up with ways to make it easier for people to share the content they find online with their friends.From Twitter to Digg and Facebook to Stumble Upon there are lots of buttons and icons available on blogs, news sites and other websites allowing you to share their stuff with others.
While this is great for users to let their friends know what they find interesting as a blogger it's one of the best ways to get your blog content shared and attract new readers.We covered this subject in more dept a while back in a post titled What is social bookmarking /How does it work / How can it help my blog ?.Facebook have just released a new option for people to easily share your blog and in this post i will show you how to be one of the first to make this option available to your readers.
The new button just made available from Facebook make sharing blogs as easy as possible and this is great news for us bloggers.With the New Facebook Like Button Just one click is required in the very same way as you would click like on a friends picture or comment your own Facebook homepage.Unlike other sharing options you don't get a pop up or have to go to the website you just click like or recommend and your done…Nice Ehh ?
Update – We Recently Added A Post With A New Compact Facebook Like Icon You can use.
Update 2 – You can now add the New Facebook Send Button beside you Like Button – The New Facebook Send Button.
New Facebook Like Button Demo
Below is a working example of the Like Button, Try It Out !
How to add the facebook buttons to your Blog
First up i will give you the code for the button and then we will look at were you can add the buttons in your blog posts.
Facebook Like Button Code :

Were To Place The Button
In this post we will look at three places you can add the button
*Below the post title
*At the top of the post
*Below the entire post
First go to your blogs html by following these three steps – In your dashboard click 'Layout' > 'Edit Html' > Tick the 'Expand Widget Templates' box.
To add the button directly below the post titles Find the following code in your blogs Html :
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code – More Info)

Now paste the facebook button code Directly Below / Under

To add the button at the top of the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code – More Info)
Now paste the Facebook button code Directly Before / Above <data:post.body/>
To add the button directly below the posts Find the following code in your blogs Html :
(Click Ctrl and F for a search bar to help find the code – More Info)
Now paste the Facebook code Directly Below / Under <data:post.body/>
Once you have the Facebook code pasted were you want the button to appear and your template saved go check out your new share option.
More From Facebook – Follow this link to check out our recent post bringing you 8 Great Facebook Icons and widgets for your blog !S


text: The M/V series motor controllers are four-quadrant servo drives designed to operate in mobile electric vehicular platforms. The drives provide high power from battery supplies with multiple operating modes, IP65 rating and compact design for either permanent magnet brushed or brushless motors, propels this motor controlling series ahead. Whether for traction / propulsion, steering, lifting or any other electrically driven actuation such as compressors, winches and hoists.