Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 (By The Way - Phillies Win, Bottom 9!!)

1. More And More Concern About Turkey - Ankara's New Foreign Policy: The Sad State of Turkish-Israeli Relations - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International, Strategic crisis exposed - Winnipeg Free Press and Editorial: Who lost Turkey? | Editorials | Jerusalem Post.


2. Goldstone, Goldstone, Goldstone - On Friday, I participated on a conference call and listened to Danny Taub (Director, General Law Division, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs) discuss the Goldstone Report.

Taub described four considerations when entering a conflict: military necessity, necessary distinction, proportionality and humanity. These issues were prominent in the Gaza war with the debate focused on how to achieve a balance between upholding international law and responding to military necessity on the ground. If you link to this page, you will be able to access his powerpoint on the subject as presented to a Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs conference from June of this year.

Also of tremendous importance is this link to the remarks of retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp - who has spoken before of the high moral conduct of the IDF. But will anyone listen?

In the meantime, here are other very important Goldstone-related links:
Finally - maybe the most important recent update on this story - Russia says won't let Goldstone Report reach Hague - Israel News, Ynetnews.

The verdict on the Goldstone Report -


3. And Let's Not Forget Iran - The only thing that might stop the Iranian nuclear program would be if the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup - because then the world would have already ended and hell would have frozen over. Seriously, this story is scarier every day.

And if this story plays out - China 'strongly opposes' letting Iran get nuclear weapons | Iranian - Iran News | Jerusalem Post - then I will learn to eat Chinese food.


4. Speaking Of Iran - These stories indicate that what goes around, comes around - big time. I'd feel badly, but......if this helps in any way derail the Iranian nuclear ambitions (The Revolutionary Guard have been entrusted with guarding the Iranian missile program and guards the Iranian nuclear facilities ) - Iran: US, UK behind deadly attack on Revolutionary Guard | Iranian - Iran News | Jerusalem Post and Top Iranian military officials killed in suicide attack - CNN.com.

5. Academic Problems - And I don't mean getting poor marks on midterms:

6. President Obama - I haven't forgotten about the President:
7. How Do You Like Them Apples? Steven Edwards: UN abuse investigator ignores abusers, investigates Canada - Full Comment - not so nice to be on the receiving end - maybe this will give the tiniest impression of what it is like to be in Israel's shoes.


8. If You Look In The Dictionary Under the Word "Useless", Do You See The Acronym "UNRWA"? - UNRWA stands for "United Nations Relief and Works Agency" - the Palestinians are the only people in the world who have their own such agency.
"Set up in 1949 with a temporary, three-year mandate to provide aid and jobs for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA has survived for almost 60 years, expanding its scope, budget and influence by extending refugee status to descendants of its beneficiaries. Normal refugee aid tends to focus on finding ways to resettle displaced people and integrate them back into normal, productive lives. UNRWA, by contrast, provides the main framework for ensuring that the official population of Palestinian refugees remains a swelling source of misery and mayhem--both for their neighbors and for the Palestinians themselves." (my emphasis)

So, with that in mind, here are some links on this subject:
Forget UNRWA - check this out - Humanitarian aid to Gaza during IDF operation




11. Hypocrisy, Media Style - 'Islamists can do no wrong'


13. Victor Davis Hanson - Works and Days » Confusions of the Age

14. Global Warming - I let other deal with the pros and cons of this issue, but thought I'd throw these links at you - Michael Ignatieff should think outside the green box - The Globe and Mail and BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | What happened to global warming?

15. Every Conflict Is Different - Hezbollah Isn't a Model for Afghanistan


17. Wow -What A Goal!


18. Phillies Win - In my opinion, there are few more exciting things in sports than the dramatic conclusion of a playoff game - an overtime goal, a last-minute touchdown, a winning basket at the buzzer or a game-ending hit. Add to that the fact that my wife, son and in-laws are huge Phillies fans, and the conclusion of this evening's Game 4 of the NLCS was first-rate. Check it out - it's worth it!

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2009 at 11:46 AM

    Yea Phillies.
    Mark, So glad you have acknowledged Phillies fans in your family. Don't forget your Delaware friend here....my house is just 30 minutes from the Phillies stadium. And last night with the victory fireworks..just across the parking lot at the "Spectrum", Bruce Springsteen was giving his 3rd recent SRO audience a performance before the very storied Spectrum arena succombs to the wrecking ball. What a Philly night it was!, eh?
    Joel Glazier
    Wilmington, Delaware
    (USA)

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