President Jimmy Carter was at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Tuesday afternoon to promote his new book, “White House Diary,” a daily account of his 1977-1980 time in the Oval Office. He described the journals that went into the book as “personal diaries” that he never meant to publish, although he did acknowledge he was always aware they would be of interest to posterity.

Carter, 86, also spoke about Middle East peacemaking efforts during his presidency. He said while not wanting “to get too personal” when discussing the Reagan administration, “hardly a word was said about Middle East peace for the next eight years. Those things hurt.” Talking about the 21st century, Carter said there are “chances now to see peace in the Middle East that were dormant last year.”

He was critical of certain US policies in past eras, noting that the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas was not deemed a terrorist organization until after its candidates prevailed in lawful elections. He added, “It’s not a very popular thing in our country to say anything that criticizes the incumbent government of Israel.”

Describing US foreign policy during the Cold War, Carter asserted that “presidents were in bed with dictators, particularly in the Latin American world…corporations would gain great benefits from us getting cozy with dictators.” He went so far as to describe how the US would help dictators crush free speech and legitimate efforts at reform under the pretext of fighting Communism.

Asked about the unique role of Roslynn Carter during his presidency, the former president said “Roslynn could speak more accurately for me than the Secretary of State or the National Security Advisor.” He described the surprise of foreign leaders when Roslynn would confront them face-to-face about corruption in their governments or civil injustice in their nations. Flashing his wide, often-caricatured smile Carter added, “She was very willing to do it, to put in mildly.”

Carter described eventually inviting his wife to sit in on cabinet meetings so he “didn’t have to spent half the week” bringing her up to date on what was going on. Not withstanding the First Lady’s involvement with so many important issues, Carter said that one of the proudest moments of his presidency was when someone identified Roslynn as being one of ten women who had the most beautiful legs on Earth.

Reflecting on the time between leaving office and the present day, Carter said, “I think I’m basically still the same person with the same commitment…as I was at my inauguration speech.” But he added that his awareness has increased, particularly regarding the “poverty stricken, neglected and forgotten people of the world.” Talking about many in such circumstances, Carter said “they’re just as intelligent as I am, and just as ambitious. Their family values are just as good as mine.” The difference, he said, was the level of opportunity available to them.

Carter compared the success of the recent mission to get Osama bin Laden with Operation Eagle Claw, his administration’s failed 1980 attempt to rescue the hostages held captive in Iran. “When people ask me what I would change from when I was in the White House” said Carter ruefully, “I always say I would send one more helicopter…if I knew then what I know now, I would have sent one more helicopter.”

Carter’s appearance, part of the Kennedy Library Forums series, was moderated by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Jimmy and Roslynn Carter have a long and seemingly close relationship with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. While president, Jimmy Carter spoke at the library’s October 20, 1979 dedication ceremony. The two have been back there, alone and together, on many occasion since – most recently in November of last year when the 83-year old Roslynn Carter spoke about “Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis,” a new book she published with Susan K. Golant and Kathryn E. Cade.

A 16-year-old volunteer Israeli firefighter died in the Carmel forest fire in Israel, a wildfire that is ravaging the landscape.

Elad Riven, of Haifa, was killed Thursday. He was a volunteer with a scout group of students.

He was in the northern city of Afula when his mother received a call to alert him to respond to the fire. He arrived soon afterward to assist evacuating residents from the area.

At least 42 people were also killed Thursday as a bus brought in to evacuate people from the area got caught in the fire.

According to FireFighterCloseCalls.com, the remains of a police commander who was killed while on his way to rescue residents were found. Lior Bokor, 57, was head of police operations for Israel’s northern region. Police searched for him on Thursday, but it appears he was caught in the fire while trying to ascertain the location of the bus that caught on fire.

The massive fire burns as mutual aid comes in from dozens of countries from the US to Russia as the Israeli firefighting response has been underwhelming, with staffing and supply troubles. Crews expect it will take at least a week to contain the blaze.

Published reports indicate that while policing services are well-maintained and adequately staffed in Israel, firefighting has not been an area of focus lately, and the country is now paying the price.

Any film about Israeli soldiers is inherently drenched in politics—it’s just the way things are. Even so, "Lebanon," directed by Israeli, Samuel Maoz, and set during the 1982 conflict between these two nations, could take place during almost any conflict in which young men were placed together in army tanks and rolled into a combat zone. It’s not historical interpretation, but a claustrophobic nightmare depicted with scarring starkness and grit.

What you mostly see is the inside of a tank. You see close-ups of sweaty, dirty faces, stealing their owners through fear. You see dark metal walls and of filthy brown puddles on a metallic floor. You see small, circular images through the viewfinder featuring sand, rubble, feces, animals, filthy buildings and people, some of whom are threatening, and others of whom—women, children, elderly, shouting, wounded, stunned and desperate—may or may not pose a direct threat.

You also hear the thundering mechanical swivel and click of the turret, a sound which may haunt your dreams, and you can almost smell the mixture of body sweat, dirt, shaving cream, cigarettes and urine that must permeate the tank’s interior.

In as much as this film has a plot, it explores the conflict between the tank’s four crewmen: there is the leader, who struggles to keep command of a mission of which he is entirely unsure; the jumpy ammunition loader who questions his commander’s every word; the driver, who requests permission that his mother be called; and the gunner who cannot seem to bring himself to ever pull the trigger. This sounds like the cast of a comedy and indeed their predicament is so darkly absurd that sometimes one cannot help but laugh, but such laughter comes more out of defense than pleasure. Still, it is the characters that make this film survivable. Even if we’ve never been in a battle, we can all relate to the struggle of being forced to rely on people we don’t trust, to mask and repress our animosity and fear of failure. "Lebanon’s" complex and believable bands of tank mates do so with great pathos.

This is the view of "politics" on offer, politics on the most micro of levels, the politics of four men of differing status and rank in a tiny crate attached to a giant gun. "Lebanon," which recently one the Leon D’Oro at the International Venice Film Festival and the Satyajit ray Award, is less of a commentary than an experience. It’s not an easy one to have, but it’s certainly affecting, certainly one you won’t soon forget.

Halfway through watching Kevin Asch’s debut film “Holy Rollers,” I realized that I didn’t really care about the drug deals.

I’m supposed to care about them, of course. But the plot, based on the true story of a small group of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn who become involved in an Israeli drug cartel, is really about an insular world few get to see. I cared far more about the first half of the movie, an incisive, funny, well-documented picture of the Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn in the 1990s.

The story revolves around Sam Gold, a young man facing his impending arranged marriage and entry into Rabbinical school. But he is sidetracked by the lure of money, flashed by his best friend’s older brother Yosef, who says he has a job bringing “medicine” into the country for rich people. When his marriage falls through due to his family’s bad finances, he decides to make some extra cash. In keeping with the good-boy-gone-bad storyline, Sam quickly gets in over his head selling what he learns is not medicine but grade A ecstasy.

Asch has an eye for details in the early scenes of Sam’s life, from the way the Gold men have to turn the stove on with a pair of pliers, to the immaculate home of Zeldy Lazar, the girl Sam is set to marry. I don’t know if Asch is from a Hasidic background, but he seems to intimately understand how insular communities can be both suffocating and comforting in equal measure. As Sam enters the murky world of the 90s club scene, he becomes both ambivalent to his faith yet still strangely grasping for it. Eisenberg has real poetry in his performance, playing Sam as a mensch, but still very much a vain, ignorant child.

The drugs, the raves in Amsterdam, the deals with dark, terrifying people in abandoned warehouses seem like carnival novelties, a cut-in from another film set on fast-forward. They’re beautiful scenes, but generalized. They could be from any film about drugs, and the latter part of the movie is sloppily edited. The end especially is too hastily done; I’m reasonably certain Asch simply didn’t know how to end it.

It really is a great story; the whole point of using Hasidic Jews as drug mules is that the TSA circa 1999 would never check them. It’s also a story of a family and a community. I just wish the drug deals had been a little more… exciting.

Israel has forbidden travelers from bringing iPads into the country, saying the device’s wireless technology could interfere with or overpower other products already in operation there.

The Ministry of Communications declared the ban earlier this week. “The iPad’s Wi-Fi wireless technology was built to the U.S. standard, which allows stronger signals than those allowed in Europe and Israel,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

That means the iPad’s wireless signal strength violates Israeli law, which makes operating the device in country illegal. Ministry spokesman Yechiel Shavi says once the device is built to comply with European standards, the ban will be reversed.

But technology analyst Richard Doherty is skeptical. He says the Wi-Fi chip used in the iPad is an industry standard. “If they’re paranoid about the iPad then they should be paranoid about BlackBerrys and the iPhone.”

He went on to tell the The Wall Street Journal that because of the iPad’s small antenna and aluminum casing, the signal is actually weaker than devices of similar size.

Techies in Israel feel slighted. Especially after hearing rumors that the iPad was banned because the Israeli military feared the “strong” signal would interfere with their technology.

Apple only recently established a presence in Israel. Their first official store opened in Tel Aviv in January 2009.

I wrote an article a little while back for my school paper covering a talk I attended featuring Dr. Mads Gilbert, one of the only Western doctors allowed into Gaza during the war there in 08/09.  It was a riveting talk, and I meant to share the article with you sooner, but hey, better late than never.

Here it is:

One night, during Israel’s offensive in Gaza in late 2008 and early 2009, Dr. Mads Gilbert turned to his colleague, Dr. Hameed, at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. For hours they’d been working non-stop to care for the countless war-wounded, performing surgeries and amputations on predominantly young Palestinians.

"How can this go on?" asked an exhausted Dr. Gilbert. There had been no news of foreign aid, and countless civilians continued to rush into the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The doctor had been deeply affected by the plight of the wounded Palestinians.

Dr. Hameed replied immediately. "We have no human rights."

In a 90-minute lecture at the end of January at Ryerson University, Dr. Gilbert, one of just two foreign doctors allowed into Gaza during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, transports a crowd of eager attendees into Al-Shifa hospital, right into the middle of the war.

The doctor presents dozens of photos of the war-wounded Palestinians who sought aid at the health care centre. The photos are horribly gruesome. Legs are blown apart, bones pop out from underneath broken flesh, young faces are bloodied and miserable.

Members of the audience can barely look. A man in the first row turns away every time a photo is shown. He wears an expression of pain. A woman in the third row is weeping. She is of Palestinian descent, but she never looks away.

Dr. Gilbert describes how hard it was to help those Gazans in dire need. "There was no electricity," he explains. "The hospital ran on two unreliable generators because Israel shut the area’s power off. Sometimes doctors operated with the lights from their mobile phones."

Dr. Gilbert describes one particular patient’s case in detail. "This is Joumana Samoni, a four-month-old baby," says the doctor, as he presents a photo of a beautiful young girl with only two fingers on one hand. "Her hand was injured and three of her fingers were amputated."

Samoni was forcefully ejected, along with her family, from her home by Israeli forces in Gaza. Her father, grandmother and grandfather were all killed. Her mother went missing. Samoni came to the hospital alone, but was eventually reunited with her mother.

Dr. Gilbert also presents many statistics and graphs. He tells the audience, now queasy from the photos, that for every dead Israeli, 100 Palestinians were killed. Of the approximately 1400 dead Palestinians, 431 were children. "And 85 to 90 per cent of those killed were civilians. More than 5000 were injured…more than 20,000 were left homeless," he says.

The doctor paints a grim picture of life in Gaza. He takes no credit for the work he and his colleague, Dr. Erik Fosse, did as physicians there during the war. "We are no heroes. The heroes are still in Gaza."

This article appeared in the Ryerson Free Press’s February issue.

As Gazans mark the anniversary of last month’s bombardment by Israel, children in the strip are suffering more and more. Israel’s bombing of the Gaza strip in 2006 and the winter of 2008/09 has reportedly caused birth defects in Gazan children, according to doctors in the strip.

High levels of toxins caused by the bombs, as well as the trauma of the war, is cited as one of the main reasons doctors are seeing a higher number of defects in children born since 2006.

A news story by Al Jazeera English reports on the trauma of one child affected by the bombing. His mother was forced to give birth in a “makeshift” clinic during the bombing last year and her son, Mohammad, has cerebral palsy:

Today Blast’s Sachin Seth talks about Israel denying water to Palestinians.

Your thoughts? Share them with us in the comments section below!

I’m writing this as I update the Air France 447 story. That story is nuts, very mysterious. The LOST jokes keep pouring in. The similarities are eerie, but still, be tasteful people. If you haven’t seen, we’ve been updating the story all through yesterday and today, so hit up the news section or click the blue link above to see all the developments.

But this isn’t about that. The 447 story has flooded the media so much the last two days that a lot of people are forgetting about a major event happening this week; President Obama’s speech to Islam on Thursday. He will orate from the University of Cairo in Egypt.

The speech is being billed as, potentially, one of his most important as President. That’s true so far, but no one knows what the future holds.

Obama has said he wants to repair, rightfully so, the relationship between America and the Muslim community. He’s definitely the best candidate for that job as someone who can use his wealth of popularity around the world to influence both parties.

He’s a celebrity with the younger generation, a generation that doesn’t see religion as an inhibiting characteristic. His speech should, and probably will be, directed towards the next generation of policy makers and leaders who will essentially define the relationship between the U.S. and Islam for another 50 or so years.

The speech will also be focused on current leaders and influential beings in both communities. A key thing he should stress, I think, is friendship and tolerance.

The way in which Islam is portrayed in western media is not its true form. Extremists have soiled the foundation of the world’s second largest religion. A lot of people have an innate prejudice towards anyone who looks remotely Muslim or even just dark and suspicious.

I’m not Muslim and I’ve experienced that on subways and buses in Toronto.

Obama will also repeat a point that has been stressed in the past, that the U.S. is not at war with Islam. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not a direct attack on Islam, he’ll say. Many believe they are, however, the battles bear no reflection on religion or the American view of Islam, he’ll say.

“There are misapprehensions about the West on the part of the Muslim world. And, obviously, there are some big misapprehensions about the Muslim world when it comes to those of us in the West,” said Obama in an interview with BBC.

That is true. Many of the misunderstandings take place on home soil, both American and Islamic.

The speech won’t focus directly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a conflict that drew media attention yet again after Obama told Israel to stop building settlements in Gaza. That request was denied by Israel.

The speech will however talk about the Arab-Israeli conflict as a whole. Obama will reference, perhaps, a two-state solution and stress peace in the Middle East (yeah, yeah). A peace that can only be achieved by reaching some fair solution, which will no doubt be tough since neither side wants to give up more than necessary but will have to negotiate and sacrifice to create an amicable resolution.

People in the Muslim world love Obama. “Everybody is looking for him as the magical man,” said Ibrahim El Moallem, an influential cultural figure in Egypt, according to CNN.

“We think if he can handle the problem of the Arab-Israeli conflict not in a biased, not in a double-standard way, and if he can really begin to reach an overall, comprehensive, just peace, this will immediately win the heart and mind of the Arab and the Muslim,” he added.

He’s got legions of fans and backers on both ends of both conflict. Arabs trust his judgment, Israelis view him as a reasonable, albeit ambitious, seeker of peace. And Americans, well, just check his approval ratings and compare them to the last guy.

There hasn’t been this much hope surrounding Mid-East peace in some time. But only a few times in history has there been more need.

As both the President of the United States and as someone who has lived in Muslim countries and has Muslim family, Obama has an automatic respect from both sides. He is a representative of both, while being a representative of one.

To Americans he’s Barack Obama, to Muslims he’s Barack Hussein Obama.

• Two rivals claim victory in Israeli elections. (Obama worried about right wing government)

JERUSALEM “" Israel’s new coalition government “" whether led by hard-line Benjamin Netanyahu or his moderate rival Tzipi Livni “" is likely to take a tough line on two burning issues: Hamas and Iran.

As the two began courting potential coalition partners Wednesday, two scenarios took shape: a narrow alliance of hawks who would stall peacemaking with the Palestinians, or a broad power-sharing government that would give Israel a more moderate face and greater international support.

With only a few thousand votes by soldiers still to be counted, Livni’s Kadima Party had one more seat in parliament than Netanyahu’s Likud. But Netanyahu’s natural allies on the right have a clear majority of 65 in the 120-seat parliament, giving him the edge in forming a coalition.

President Shimon Peres will consult all 12 parties in the new parliament next week before choosing either Netanyahu or Livni to try to form a government “" a process likely to take weeks if not months.

• House and Senate reach compromise deal on the stimulus bill. Expect final passage this week.

WASHINGTON “" Moving with lightning speed, the Democratic-controlled Congress and White House agreed Wednesday on a compromise $790 billion economic stimulus bill designed to create millions of jobs in a nation reeling from recession. President Barack Obama could sign the measure within days.

“More than one-third of this bill is dedicated to providing tax relief for middle-class families, cutting taxes for 95 percent of American workers,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at a Capitol news conference where he was joined by moderates from both parties whose support is essential for the legislation’s final passage.

• No more off shore drilling.

WASHINGTON “" Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has rejected a Bush administration plan to open vast waters off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to oil and gas drilling, promising “a new way forward” in offshore energy development including new wind projects.

Salazar at a news conference Tuesday criticized “the midnight timetable” for new oil and gas development on the country’s Outer Continental Shelf proposed by the Bush administration four days before President Barack Obama took office Jan. 20.

• Big change in press conference diction between this president and the last. Obama speaks at a 10th grade reading level, Bush at 7th.

• Finally, the homeless woman from Obama’s town hall gets a house.

It took more than 1200 lives, but it finally came. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared a unilateral ceasefire late Saturday night, and is now working to try and stifle the “resupply of Hamas through smuggling from Egypt,” the New York Times reports.

Olmert said all of Israel’s objectives had been reached, and there was no reason for them to continue the fight. Hamas however has vowed to fight on, and will not honor the ceasefire declaration.

The announcement came on the same day an Israeli tank fired at a UN school, killing two young brothers.

The ceasefire could mean an end to the deadly three-week old war, however no guarantee of lasting peace can be made at this time.

For now, the world will be bitterly satisfied that Israel has stopped murdering innocent Gazans. However, as a term in the ceasefire outlines, if Hamas keeps firing at Israel, Israel can fire back.

I’m happy, but a little skeptical and cautious.

Even though we all know Israel officially crossed the line a long time ago, attacking the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza cements their status as being absolutely out of their minds.

Israel’s military fired shells at the agency on Thursday, because, they claim, Hamas militants were firing on them from near the compound and then ran inside to take cover.‚ 

The solution? Strike UN headquarters…

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told him the strike was a “grave mistake,” the New York Times reports. The secretary general, who visited Israel on Thursday to try and press for a ceasefire, told media he expressed “strong protest and outrage” toward Israel.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the Relief and Works Agency, told media that Israel had been provided with the coordinates for all UN facilities in Gaza, which could signal another attack forthcoming.

This strike came as Israeli military push further into Gaza, forcing thousands of residents to frantically flee their homes.

Many other buildings were hit in the city’s center, including a building housing several media organizations.

This isn’t the first time Israel has attacked a UN facility in the 20-day offensive. Earlier, a shell landed just outside a UN school in Norther Gaza, killing at least 40 Palestinians.

Israel, in a feeble attempt to justify the deaths, said that they were being fired at from just a yard away from the school, and that one of their retaliation strikes fell “off the mark,” the New York Times reports.

On a more positive note,‚ Egypt‚ has confirmed major breakthroughs in their attempt to pass an interim ceasefire that could now be less than a week away. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defense official, went to‚ Egypt‚ recently to further the talks, according to the New York Times.

The death toll in Gaza has officially surpassed 1000.

Eighteen days and no end in sight. On Sunday Israeli troops pushed further into Gaza, as Israeli officials said they were closing in on accomplishing‚ their‚ objective of breaking Hamas, the New York Times reports.

Nearly 1000 Palestinians have been killed (including almost 300 children) and more than 4000 have been injured by the attacks‚ perpetrated‚ by Israel’s military forces.

The UN recently approved a resolution to condemning Israel for “mass violations of human rights of the Palestinian people.” ‚ Hear hear.

The resolution also accuses Israel of‚ targeting‚ civilians and medical facilities, something Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has categorically denied since launching the offensive.

President Bush recently called for Hamas to stop attacking Israel in order for a “sustainable ceasefire” to come into place. Bush hasn’t been exactly secretive when expressing his support for Israel,‚ however‚ his reluctance to condemn their actions (minus saying that they should be mindful of “innocent folks”…) is pretty‚ appalling.

Israel’s disregard for Palestinian civilians is obviously‚ disappointing. So much for the concept of moral‚ universalism. Protecting civilians should be a number one priority for them if they truly‚ believe‚ the war should be waged on Hamas and Hamas alone.

Israel is blasting Gaza to pieces, and saying their target is only Hamas and they want to make sure‚ civilian‚ deaths are minimal? Unbelievable and disgusting. Almost 400 women and children are dead and Israel says they are closer to reaching their goal than ever before.

Accomplishing a goal by these means is no victory. Israel has created a humanitarian disaster in Israel that has escalated to a point that is out of proportion with the damage that Hamas has inflicting on Israel.

I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been settling back into university life here in Toronto.‚  A lot has happened since my last post, especially in Gaza.

A couple of days ago a ceasefire was announced so aid could be given to the scores of injured civilians in Gaza. The UN came in to give aid, but announced today that they would pull out workers after some were killed by Israel airstrikes and tank fire.

One member of Unrwa, the UN’s top aid agency, was killed and two were injured by Israeli tank fire. The UN says the movements of the truck had been cleared with Israeli military and authorities.

Unrwa spokesman Chris Gunness says the suspension of aid will continue until “the Israeli authorities can guarantee our safety and security.” He also said the decision to suspend aid comes with “great regret.”

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said, in response to Guiness’s words, that Israel is in high favor of the UN’s aid. Sure.

It’s pretty outrageous that they’d fire at aid workers, who were clearly distinguishable as such, with no real reason, especially after they’d cleared their movements with the military.

The UN recently called for an immediate ceasefire, a statement the U.S., France and the UK oppose.‚  The three superpowers wanted the UN to make a weaker statement, the BBC reports. Taking a real stance, especially one against Israel would be way too risky for any of the three countries.

Arab foreign ministers have said that anything less than a binding resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas would not do any good.

That’s something I’ve been stressing for a while, the UN just calling for them to stop killing Palestinians isn’t going to stop anything. Though a public call for a ceasefire is obviously necessary, we all know it won’t solve the conflict.

Nearly 800 Palestinians have died since Israel launched its offensive 13 days ago.

On a more local note, the 48 Canadians that were formerly trapped in Gaza are safe now.

If one was to judge by the calendar alone, the 21st century started eight years ago this week. Although, when people refer to the 21^st century in conversation, often they aren’t talking about the specific time period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, but the attitude, philosophy, and technological savvy that is becoming a requirement in the modern world. Unfortunately for us, while individuals in the United States might be existing in the 21^st century, our government’s attitudes and actions over the past eight years have been stuck squarely in the 20^th.

When history is written, George W. Bush’s worst critics will accuse him of everything from willful negligence in handling 2008′s economic crisis to war crimes in the context of the catastrophic mistake that is the war in Iraq. In the end, they very well may be correct, but it is possible that all of his mistakes were not of the completely sinister nature like they’re sometimes characterized, but rather can be traced back to overall tragedy that he was simply a president stuck in the wrong century. Bush’s core beliefs “" that the free market could police itself, that oil is always our answer, and that we can bomb and kill others into submission without chain reactions of consequences “" were dying an eventual death around the time of Y2K, but Bush made sure to keep them on life support much longer than they ever should have survived.

There is no bigger example of The Past sucking the blood out of The Future than GM, Ford, and Chrysler begging for money from the U.S. Government yet again. This past month, we saw the Big Three auto companies fly in their private jets to Washington to request billions of dollars because for the past 25 years they have steadfastly refused to look at the calendar. They defiantly rejected efforts to increase their fuel efficiency standards as every country”"even China”"passed us in their mandatory requirements. Because executives lobbyied Congressmen to vote against everyone’s interests but theirs, their companies made short term profits that both crippled them and damaged the country. After all, only a 7.6 mile per gallon increase in our collective car efficiency would be enough to completely free ourselves from Middle East oil, while saving the individual American consumer critical pocket money. Instead, these companies marketed trucks that could pull airplanes down a runway and consumed oil at a breakneck pace. But why would they care about those details? They could just shove SUVs down Americans’ throats by luring them through tax breaks into a choice so obviously against their interests.

This is just the most blatant example of our chronic sickness of holding onto the past. It illustrates that the worst flaw of George Bush, and in turn of the corporations he represents, may be that he simply did not realize what century we lived in. The banking crisis, car company meltdown, and failed fight against Islamist extremism can be boiled down to using 20^th century policies in a 21^st century world.

———

As tears were streaming down the faces of millions of Americans on the night of November 4, 2008, President-elect Barack Obama said, in words that would ring loudly far after the last piece of confetti had fallen, “The time for change has come.” It was a beautiful sight for more reasons than one. Many were crying because the sight of a black man winning the American presidency was possibly the most powerful symbol of American exceptionalism anyone had ever seen. But those words were much more than a symbol of tolerance and the triumph of ability. They were a prologue to the tangible changes that will dramatically alter this country in the coming months”"much more change than has ever happened in our lifetime.

Obama has spent his transition months putting together what has been almost universally lauded as a cabinet filled with experience, pragmatism, and overall excellence. It is a cabinet based solely on achievement, without regard for partisanship or political and financial connections.

While all of Obama’s cabinet picks have been praised for their qualifications and temperance, none exemplifies the stark realities of the new way of doing things better than Obama’s pick for Energy Secretary, Dr. Steven Chu. Chu is a Nobel Prize winning physicist who is a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a global warming research center whose primary goal is “to develop methods to “store” solar energy in the form of renewable transportation fuel.” There is a reason Al Gore is planning a Green Inaugural. It’s because The Age of Oil is coming to a close and Obama plans to kick it out the door.<!–nextpage–>

Bush’s pick for Energy Secretary, on the other hand, was Spencer Abraham, a Michigan senator most famous for taking more campaign donations from those same dinosaurs in the American Auto Industry than any other senator, and led the fight against corporate average fuel efficiency standards in automobiles. Change indeed.

But this is not just a Liberal president replacing Conservatives with more of the same from the other side. It’s a complete change in a philosophy that has run our government since its inception. Obama, when asked what he would do to help his “friends” in Springfield, Illinois to stem their State’s budget shortfalls,‚  challenged the very nature of the question.

“Part of the charge [of the budget team] is to make sure that we are proceeding on projects and investments based on national priorities and not based on politics,” he said. “Now you mentioned, sort of, ‘my friends.’ I want to be clear friendship doesn’t come into this. That’s part of the old way of doing business.

“The new way of doing business is, let’s figure out what projects, what investments are going to give the American economy the most bang for the buck. How can we protect taxpayer dollars so this money is not wasted; restore a sense of confidence among taxpayers that when we spend their money, it’s on things that are actually gonna improve their quality of life; create the jobs that are so desperately needed; help to spur on economic growth and business creation in the private sector? That’s all part of the new way of doing business.”

Being friends with the President is no longer a means to an end in any sense. Just ask John Kerry, one of Obama’s biggest and earliest supporters. He was passed over for Secretary of State in favor of Hillary Clinton, a person many accused of secretly rooting for Obama’s political destruction only months ago. While Kerry was certainly qualified, Obama’s decision underscored the notion that the age of cronyism is over. No more “Heckuva Job” Brownies or “I do not recall” Alberto Gonzaleses.

This Cult of Competence has been put in place to help Obama alter our policies as smoothly as possible, and the cornerstone to this change will come in the form of a massive stimulus package that Obama plans to sign perhaps as early as Inauguration Day, every single element of which is designed take take us out of the antiquated 20^th Century once and for all.

For a month now, Obama’s economic team has been crafting this new package, not aimed at Wall Street Banks or the crumbling car companies, but for Middle Class Americans. And it starts with the Internet. The money will be spent on laying broadband across the country, with the goal of giving every American free Internet access, a move that’s been on the FCC’s desk for years but which the Bush Administration has stubbornly tabled. As Obama has said, “we are the nation that invented the Internet, yet we are 15^th in the world in broadband adoption. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online.”

But that is just the start of what may come to be known as America 2.0. Every goal of the stimulus bill is designed to put Americans to work immediately, but even more importantly, set us up for the future. A nationwide high-tech power grid that will allow states to share solar and wind power will accelerate our ability to get off our dependence on foreign oil. Along with that universal access to the Web, a transfer of all hospital records to an electronic broadband system will eventually save the country billions of savings in administrative costs annually. Moreover, massive construction efforts to modernize public schools will encourage young Americans to learn and save massive amounts of money by making the buildings more energy efficient with new lighting and insulation.

As Obama often said during the campaign, the money that we spent on the Iraq War could have been used to rebuild every road, bridge, and school in our country “" an intriguing thought that some might say is farfetched. Not anymore. This stimulus package could reach as high as $800 billion, actually approaching the number we have fiddled away in Iraq.

With all of this new technology helping the lives of people in the United States, Obama’s foreign policy will be aimed at change for everyone that lives outside of the country. He is in the midst of planning a major foreign policy speech to be given in an Islamic country in his first 100 days, through which he hopes to win the hearts and minds of everyone looking for an end to the seemingly never ending violence in the Middle East and beyond. This has never taken on greater importance than now as Israel’s War against Hamas threatens to put the region and the world on an even greater imbalance. The 20th Century was filled with religious wars and intolerance on a global scale, and as the leader of the Free World, the weight of moving not only our country, but the world in a new direction has fallen squarely on Obama’s shoulders

Our new president will face tough questions about how to bring the Iraq War to an end and how to fix a war in Afghanistan that now includes Pakistan, India, and even complications with Iran”"a daunting challenge. But if we learned anything from Barack Obama on that historic November night, while the path to the future may be tough, there is only one answer to the question as to whether this country and the world can succeed. Yes We Can.

Israeli troops and tanks began their descent on Gaza Saturday night, officially launching a predicted ground assault against Hamas militants, the New York Times reports.

“This will not be easy and it will not be short” said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, reinforcing what many other officials have said; preparing the public for a lengthy campaign.

Last night Gazans witnessed the calm before the storm, a halt in air assaults just before dozens were fired along the border to make a path clear of mines and bombs for incoming forces. Troops marched single file into Gaza overnight, backed by tanks and helicopters.

Israel’s military said their reason for launching the assault is “to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas.” Hamas however has vowed not to fall without a fight, they answered with several strong words of their own.

“Be prepared for a unique surprise, you will be either killed or kidnapped and will suffer mental illness from the horrors we will show you,” said a message broadcast by a Hamas official on radio frequency.

“Gaza will not be paved with flowers for you, it will be paved with fire and hell,” another Hamas official warned Israel, AP reports.

Hamas has also threatened to resume suicide attacks in Israel.

Israel has repeatedly stated their goal is not to reoccupy Gaza, only to ensure an end to Hamas airstrikes that have plagued Southern Israel for several years.

The ground assault brings risk not only to Hamas and Gazans, but Israeli forces as well. New York Times reports that Hamas has had 18 months since Israel last withdrew to smuggle in high-grade weapons to be used in combat.

The ground assault will most likely increase the number of Israeli deaths; so far four Israelis have been killed, compared to more than 460 Palestinians.

Israel has said it is committed to limiting the number of civilian deaths, however during the surge of air assaults before the ground assault was launched, a mosque was hit during evening prayer killing at least 11 and injuring more than 30.

The UN predicts nearly 25 per cent of those killed in Gaza so far were civilians.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza‚ strengthened‚ Friday after bombs killed a top Hamas commander, African Free Press reports.‚ The attacks, now entering their seventh day, have resulted in the deaths of at least 420 and more than 2000 injuries. The UN has said that nearly 25 per cent of the dead are civilians.

As tanks and troops position themselves outside Gaza, it seems a ground attack is‚ imminent. Even more‚ imminent‚ after word got out that troops were allowing‚ foreigners‚ in Gaza to leave Friday.‚ If any‚ foreigners‚ were to die as a result of the attacks, it could cause an‚ international‚ conflict.

According to CNN, soldiers are waiting for the go ahead to launch a ground assault.

President Bush recently blamed Hamas, and only Hamas, for this conflict between the two. He cited Hamas’ renewal of rocket attacks into Israel last month as the cause of the recent rift.

“In response to these attacks on their people, the leaders of Israel have‚ launched military operations on Hamas positions in Gaza,” said Bush in a radio address to air Saturday, CNN reports. “As a part of their strategy, Hamas terrorists often hide within the civilian population, which puts innocent Palestinians at risk.”

Tonight is a quieter night than the past six, CNN reports that less rockets are being fired this evening. This however, is no sign of a slowdown.‚ The number of troops positioned outside Gaza makes it very unlikely that a ground assault will not be launched at some point, if the conflict persists.

In a poll released this New Year’s Eve, of the 1,000 Americans questioned, 44 per cent said Israel was right to take military action against Palestinians, while 41 per cent said Israel should have‚ attempted‚ a peaceful diplomatic solution. Fifteen per cent were undecided.

Israel will continue to pummel Gaza with rockets after a 48-hour cease fire proposal was rejected by the security cabinet Wednesday, the New York Times reports.

“We cannot give them a respite to rearm and regroup” said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “We need a real, sustainable solution, not a Band-Aid.” Olmert said Israel would continue to fire until Hamas stopped launching rockets.

Currently, the death toll stands at about 390 Palestinians and four Israelis.

Olmert told President Bush early Wednesday that Israel would continue to look for ways to help aid wounded and threatened Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the New York Times reports. Olmert has repeatedly told media that the civilians are not the target of the attacks.

He told Bush that Hamas operatives and militants are the sole target, and it is them who are endangering the lives of Palestinian civilians.

Aides close to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak say that a ground operation may be forthcoming. Several ground troops are on pins and needles, waiting for the go ahead.

According to the UN, several thousands in Gaza have been without power since Dec. 26, after Israel cut a fuel pipeline that helped power parts of Gaza. UN humanitarian efforts are currently under way.

Governments and officials all over the world are attempting to come up with any solution that will put a halt to this conflict. The Arab League, the European Union and the United States are currently exploring several options that would see both Hamas and Israel cease firing, not temporarily, but permanently.

Israel is reportedly considering a cease fire that would see their attacks on the Gaza strip stop for 48 hours so wounded civilians desperate for humanitarian aid would be able to receive it, according to the New York Times.

The cease fire would also require Hamas to stop launching rockets into Israel. Attacks between the two have been trudging on for five days, with no real solution in sight.

The Palestinian death toll now exceeds 370.

The idea for the cease fire came from a conversation between French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Aides to Barak said that he would suggest the‚ cease fire to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the New York Times reports.

Several nations and international bodies, like the U.S., Russia, the U.N. and the European Union, have called for a permanent cease fire. ‚ We know that won’t happen any time soon, especially after Olmert said that air strikes are only the beginning of attacks on Gaza.

“We are currently at the first stage of the operation,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told President Shimon Peres during a morning briefing, according to CNN.

Israeli boats have surrounded ports near Gaza and Israeli ground forces are on pins and needles waiting for the go ahead.

An Israeli ship collided with a relief boat on its way to Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea early Tuesday, in an attempt to intercept it, CNN reports. ‚ The cease fire would require ships like these to retreat, allowing medical supplies to reach injured individuals with no obstacles.

The cease fire will help some individuals for a short time, but right now, with no end in sight, short-term aid will do very little overall.

As Israeli jets hammer Hamas targets and Hamas militants launch rockets to Israel, Palestinian officials have confirmed more than 277 deaths and hundreds of injuries, CNN reports.

But now, even with all of these deaths, there is no end in sight. ‚ The U.N. has called for an end to the violence, however Hamas shows no signs of slowing down. Ditto for Israel.

Israel has deployed military personnel and tanks around Gaza, but none inside Gaza. Israel has shown no signs of planning ground operations to infiltrate Gaza, however it’s highly unlikely that they aren’t looking into it.

It’s certain that many children in Gaza City are very terrified and are most at risk. ‚ Their parents cannot provide for them and they must fend for themselves, something that is near impossible in a place that is being pounded by jets and rockets.

The U.N. is trying hard to pressure the countries to end the violence, but with the history these two countries have, it’s hard to see how any amount of pleading will convince them to put an end to the violence.

‚ The U.N. knows, like everyone else, that the conflict is much deeper here, one that they can’t solve so quickly. ‚ Demanding an end to the violence will not work.

The Red Cross and the World Food Programme are providing aid in Israel.

So far, 110 rockets have been launched by Hamas into Israel.

Even though this does not need to be said, hopefully this violence ends soon.

Archaeologists have dug up what they believe to be the 12,000-year-old skeleton of a “witch doctor,” according to the Associated Press.

The excavators, who found the deformed female skeleton in Northern Israel, say it belongs to a 45-year-old member of Natufian culture.

The body was covered with large stones, which experts say are believed to entomb the spirit.‚  The skull was also resting on one of 50 tortoise shells found in the grave.

In the carefully-carved oval grave, archaeologists also found a leopard pelvis, a cow tail and a piece of an eagle wing.

AP reports that a pestle and mortar were also discovered, which are believed to have been used to grind powder for potions.‚  Spooky.

Most people from the period were buried in communal graves, so the solitary burial, along with the animal parts and deformities are what is causing archaeologists to believe the woman was a “witch doctor.”

According to Israeli archaeologist and Natufian culture expert Mina Weinstein-Evron, the woman belonged to a hunter-gatherer group, which makes the finding all that more unique.

“If it’s a witch…this would be the first proof ever of such a kind of behaviour within this hunter-gatherer group,” she said, according to AP.

Evron said she had never seen a burial so elaborate.

The world is indeed watching today.

Despite the United States recent economic woes, there is no doubt amongst serious observers that the country is still, by far the most powerful nation in the world. The United States military budget “" which, I think it is fair to say, gets quite a bit of use “" is astronomical. The U.S. accounts almost half of the world’s military spending, with the FY 2009 budget allocating more than $650 billion. To put this in perspective, the next highest spender is the United Kingdom with just over $50 billion. And the U.S. figures do not count the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan which are paid for with supplemental bills and have cost the nation hundreds of billions more over the last five years.

Further, the world economy, for better or worse (worse is the popular answer in 2008), is directly dependent on the U.S economy. Even though China, for example, continues to grow, they are only able to do so by sending 80 percent of their exports to the U.S. Now, as American consumers are becoming thrifty, or broke (or both), Chinese growth is in trouble.

Russia “" China’s partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which many see as a blossoming counter to the US and NATO “" is now losing out on all the revenues that they were getting from $147 barrels of oil. And this drop in oil occurred, at least in part, due to the massive deflation that has occurred since the US economy really hit the skids in September. Venezuela and Iran, two other oil-rich nations with hostile relations with the U.S, are facing the same problems as oil prices go down.

So why is this relevant to the 2008 election? It is a reminder of how important this election, and American policy in general, is to other parts of the world.

In Israel, for example, the right has expressed fears over an Obama presidency. While Obama has said all of the right things, and spoke in front of AIPAC when he finally won the primary, some in Israel are not sure he will be 1) as aggressive on Iran as a McCain or Bush Administration or 2) as willing to continue America’s unconditional (and totally unique) package in aid, which is at $3 billion, the most in the world. This is why the right started singing the “Obama-is-anti-Israel” tune when McCain fell sharply behind (as did Hillary Clinton when she was gasping for anything at the tail end of the divisive primary, which gives you a sense of how predictably low politicians can go when in trouble).

It is a fairly empty tale. Obama has toed the Party line with Israel, pledging continued and increased aid, and insisting that Iran poses a grave threat, despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the opposite.

Nonetheless, this election is watched with great interest from the Israeli right. To follow the coverage in Israel, I recommend, Haaretz, which is widely viewed as the “New York Times of Israel.”

Another country that must be watching with watchful eyes in Pakistan, especially given Obama’s expressed a willingness to bomb the country (which President Bush actually did recently).

Interestingly, Iraqis and U.S. soldiers may have less at stake that one might think. While Obama ran in the primary with anti-war rhetoric , his staff has acknowledged to the Wall Street Journal that he will leave around 35 “" 45 thousands troops in the country. Given that a similar draw down is likely under a McCain Administration (though the exact timeline could vary), it appears that the War in Iraq will continue in a lesser fashion, no matter who wins. Still, if anyone wants to read an English language Iraqi newspaper, visit Azzaman in English.

Iranians, too, must be watching with great interest. While both McCain and Obama are willing to talk tough on Iran, Obama has a far more moderate (supported by many Republicans from the Bush I days, such as James Baker and Collin Powell) and reasonable stance on engaging in diplomacy. To read Iranian media visit Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency (both state-owned, for what its worth).

And of course, every country has a stake in the U.S. economy. As I listed above, the ramifications of the economic crisis are indeed global, and countries have been scrambling with bailout and stimulus packages, request for aid from the (US controlled) International Monetary Fund and the nationalizing of some banks.

Here, world public opinion is clear: Obama is the favorite for most of the world, which has grown deeply skeptical of U.S. economic policies, and gives most of the blame to Republicans.

Some other foreign news outlets:

The Daily Star (Lebanon)

Russia Today (Russia)

The Independent (United Kingdom)

Dar al Hayet (Saudi Arabia )

]]> http://blastmagazine.com/archive/the-news/the-world-is-watching/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:50:22 +0000 Terri Schwartz http://blastmagazine.com/?p=1426

I’m not a huge Adam Sandler fan.

After seeing the first “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” trailer, I can’t say that I was impressed. It looked like every other recent Sandler movie, full of stupid jokes and physical comedy.

There was one scene in the trailer that did intrigue me. Three men were sitting around a table looking at the telephone. “Welcome to Hezbollah hotline,” it announced. “For weapons, press one.” This could be funny and intelligent, I thought. But then again, it probably will just be stupid.

Therefore, it was a big surprise to me when I laughed straight through the first 15 minutes of the film.

Spanning from Zohan (Sandler) realizing that he no longer wanted to be an Israeli intelligence officer and would rather “cut and style hair” to his faked death, those 15 minutes included some of the most exotic and hysterical fighting techniques I personally have ever witnessed. Zohan, of course, is impervious to pain.

Zohan used a fight with his Palestinian archenemy, Phantom (John Turturro), to pretend he died and reach the United States to fulfill his dream of being a hairdresser without fear of being labeled a “fagallah.”

Once he reached the states, the laughs tapered off and the film’s plot surfaced. The rest of the movie divided into three separate plot lines: Zohan struggling to become a hairdresser, Zohan having sex with every middle-aged to elderly woman in New York City, and the Israelis and Palestinians hating each other. Ironically enough, the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict proved to be the bulk of the comedy.

The movie follows Zohan around New York City as he tries to get a job as a hair dresser after an unsuccessful attempt to meet hair salon guru Paul Mitchell. He ends up getting a job with Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a beautiful if struggling hair salon owner who, of course, is Palestinian.

Overwhelmed by his zeal, Dalia hires Zohan to sweep the floor clear of hair for no pay.
Eventually, one of her other hairdressers quits and Zohan gets his opportunity to shine. He gives the woman the most orgasmic hair cut of her life, and finished off the experience with having sex with her in the back room. Weird? Definitely. Unnecessary? Completely.

At least a third of the movie is dedicated to Zohan just having sex. He has sex with all the women who come to the salon which, once word gets out of his “treatment”, is quite a few. He has sex with the mother of his friend Michael (Nick Swardson), a man who Zohan befriends and lives with once he landed in New York. He speaks so crudely about the effect of the female on his genitalia that Dalia pulls him aside and tells that he is speaking completely out of line.

The women enjoy the attention of course, and the movie portrays Zohan as being sweet and appreciative about his desire for women instead of being chauvinistic and disgusting. Had anything ever come out of Zohan’s libido, it might not have felt as awkward and uncomfortable, but his rampant sexual encounters added nothing to the plot. The movie would have continued on just fine without it, and would have been a lot funnier.

The movie comes to a head when Zohan unravels a plan by Walbridge (Michael Buffer), the corporate man who had been trying to buy out Dalia’s hair salon in order to build his mall, had been hiring thugs to destroy Israeli and Palestinian shops in New York in order to pit them against each other and allow him to build a mall. Phantom and Zohan find themselves teaming up against a common American enemy.

I wish they had left out all the penis jokes, and put in more hummus ones. I wish that instead of having sex with Mrs. Skitzer, the Palestinian and Israeli merchants had bonded some more over lusting after Hillary Clinton’s thick thighs and discussing Laura Bush’s sex life. I would have even taken another foot joke instead of watching Zohan convince his coworker to help him hump some poor woman’s shoulder.

There should have been more Palestine/Israel humor and less rampant sex. That would have been a great movie. We have enough movies about sex without it getting this weird.