In a historic vote yesterday, the United Nations security council overwhelmingly voted to grant Palestine the status of “nonmember observer state” within the international body.  The vote within the U.N. General Assembly broke down as follows:  138 countries in favor, 9 opposed, and 41 abstaining.  The most noted votes in opposition came from the United States and its ally Israel.

Some within the United States and Israel claim that the vote was counter-productive to the long stalled Palestinian-Israeli peace process and is merely a symbolic gesture which changes little in terms of the reality for the people of Palestine. 

Unity within the Palestinians is in of itself somewhat of a chimera at this point as Palestinian loyalty is divided between the factions of Fatah based in the West Bank and Hamas based in Gaza.  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah) claimed the vote, which was done on the 65th anniversary of the partitioning of Palestine to form the State of Israel, was a major step in the process of Palestine becoming a full member of the U.N. and an independent nation.

The vote, which does not grant Palestine membership in the General Assembly, does allow Palestine to take part in other activities of the U.N., most notably the International Criminal Court.  Israel now fears Abbas and the Palestinians will attempt to raise issues in the court concerning Israeli actions in what is popularly known as “the Occupied Territories.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Isreali Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor claimed that before any talk of Palestinian independence can begin, Palestinians must first recognize the State of Israel as an independent Jewish State, something it has yet to do.  In fact Salah al-Bardaweel, a spokesman for the Hamas faction said in a statement, “We do not recognize Israel, nor the partition of Palestine, and Israel has no right in Palestine.  Getting our membership in the U.N bodies is our natural right, but without giving up any inch of Palestine’s soil.”

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice had this to say following the historic vote, “Today’s grand pronouncements will soon fade, and the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded.”

Major United States allies supported the change in defiance of American protests including France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland.  Aside from Canada no major nation joined the United States and Israel in opposition; even normally stout allies Germany and Great Britain decided to abstain.

Last week, in an act of random kindness, during his shift, New York City Police Officer Lawrence Deprimo walked into Skechers and purchased a $100 pair of boots for a homeless, barefoot man in Time Square.  Officer Deprimo’s generosity was caught on camera by a tourist from Arizona named Jennifer Foster.  She saw what was going on and she snapped a picture.  After returning home from her vacation she emailed the New York City police department about what she has witnessed.  The department asked that she email the photo in order to find out who the officer was.

The department posted the photo on its Facebook page and within 48 hours it had been viewed 1.6 million times and attracted 275,000 likes and more than 16,000 comments.  Officer Deprimo was not even aware that a picture had been taken until it went viral on Facebook.

Once identified, Deprimo said that he kept the receipt from the shoes in his pocket as a reminder that there is always someone out there who has it worse that you.  Deprimo said the homeless man had blisters all over his feet and he was walking on his heels in the bitter cold.  After a quick discussion, he learned the man wore a size 12 and he walked into the store to make the purchase.  Deprimo said the man was “the most polite gentleman I had met…” Deprimo offered him a cup of coffee but said that, “as soon as the boots were on him, he went on his way, and I just went back to my post.”

Imagine what a better place society would be if everyone committed small random acts of kindness.

Following the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas last week, President Mohammed Morsi of Egypt received international praise for his role in the brokering of that cease-fire.  He was presented as a man of pragmatism and one who truly sought stability in the volatile region.  Morsi is Egypt’s first democratically  elected leader and came to power following the overthrown of longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak during last year’s Arab Spring.

One day after the cease-fire was announced however, Morsi made a public declaration granting himself near absolute powers within Egypt.  He proclaimed that his rulings would be above the jurisdiction of Egyptian courts… this essentially eliminates the last check on his power. 

His announcement caused hundreds of thousands of protestors to once again storm public squares including Cairo’s Tahrir Sqaure where chants of “Down with the Tyrant” were heard… the same chants used against Mubarak last year.

There is no real measure in place to remove Morsi from power short of an all-out coup or until nationwide national elections… however if nothing is done concerning his latest pronouncement of absolute power, he could theoretically indefinitely postpone those elections.   

Morsi claims that the court system includes too many Mubarak era supreme court judges who are seeking to bring the ousted dictator back to power.  Morsi claims that once the threat of Mubarak truly is over, he will give up his newly claimed power.  The problem is that apparently it will be Morsi himself who will decide when this “threat” passes… people in Egypt now fear all the Arab Spring revolution did for Egypt was trade one dictator for another…

Thoughts? 

Recently, there has been controversy surrounding the official holiday celebrations to take place at the Rhode Island State House.  Up until last year the large ever-green tree decorated with lights and ornaments which stands in the Rotunda of the State House was known by its popular moniker, “Christmas Tree.”  However last year, in an effort to be more inclusive to Rhode Island’s non-Christian population Governor Chafee announced that going forward the tree would be known as a “Holiday Tree.”

Following this announcement there were protests by Christian groups who claimed that the tree was a tradition and should not be renamed in the spirit of political correctness.  This year, the Governor had announced that the tree lightening ceremony would be canceled completely, however there was much outrage over this fact and he reinstated his plans for a “Holiday Tree.”

Governor Chafee claims that calling the tree a “Holiday Tree” is actually a continuation of Rhode Island tradition dating back to the days of Roger Williams and the original Charter of Rhode Island from 1663.  Granted by King Charles II, the document was one of the first declarations in the world which granted full religious freedom; the text reads as follows:

"that no person within the said colony, at any time hereafter shall be any wise molested [harassed], punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion in matters of religion, and do not actually disturb the civil peace of our said colony; but that all and every person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his and their own judgments and consciences, in matters of religious concernments, throughout the tract of land hereafter mentioned, they behaving themselves peaceable and quietly..."  

 So significant was this document that early twentieth century historian Thomas Bicknell described it as, “the grandest instrument of human liberty ever constructed.”

Whatever Rhode Island calls the large tree, on December 6 President Obama will continue a tradition officially begun in 1923 when he holds the official lighting ceremony for the National Christmas Tree. 

Thoughts? 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a film which chronicles the fictional life of a remarkable man traveling through life in reverse... that is he ages in reverse.  Sometimes life is stranger than fiction ...

Up until six years ago, Matthew and Michael Clark were both living normal lives.  They had full time jobs, families, and were productive members of society.  However at roughly the same time, the brothers (they are not twins) were diagnosed with a terminal form of leukodystrophy, a group of extremely rare genetic disorders that attacks the Myelin, or white matter in the nervous system, spinal cord, and the brain.  For the Clark brothers, this condition has not only impaired their physical abilities, but it has also eroded their emotional and mental states as well.

The Clark brothers are now in the full time care of their parents, who are both in their mid-sixties.  The Clark brothers (ages 42 and 37 respectively) now spend their time playing with Mr. Potato Head, fighting over Monopoly, and in increasingly rare moments of clarity, they struggle with how and why their lives have changed so dramatically.
 

In a recent study conducted by affiliates of Yahoo News, researchers argue that over the past 100 years or so, the dog which has the dubious title of being the nation's most feared is ever changing and based more so on media attention than on anything really related to the dog breed.

A century ago there was a significant scare across the country of Blood Hounds.  People were afraid that these passive, though large animals were being trained to hunt and kill humans.  Following World War II there were massive fears of the newly bred German Shepherd Dog.  People believed these highly intelligent, strong dogs were dangerous because of their origins in Germany.  The 1980's saw an increase in fear of Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers and today Public Enemy # 1 is of course the Staffordshire Terrier - more commonly known as the Pit Bull.

However the recent disaster of Super Storm Sandy has led to an increase in the number of homeless animals and many of these animals are Pit Bulls.  Rescue workers and volunteers are beginning to see these animals for what they really are, loving affectionate animals of extremely high intelligence.   That intelligence, along with their natural power is what leads people to breed these animals for illegal dog fighting.  The Michael Vick case has, in a strange way, helped the overall image of Pit Bulls.  People are seeing these creatures as victims and not villains... they, like all creatures, are products of their environment; if raised in a life of violence the animal will be violent - raise in a loving home and the animal will be a loving addition to any family.

During the floods of 2010, the Warwick Animal Shelter flooded and I fostered a Pit Bull until the shelter could re-open.  Her name was Fiona, and she was a lovable, shy, timid girl who loved to play with Trouble (Golden Retriever) and Isis (German Shepherd).  

Pit Bulls are not dangerous, people who make them aggressive are the dangerous ones.

Below is the Top 10 most feared dogs in United States.

10.  Dalmatian
9.  Boxer
8.  Presa Canario
7.  Chow Chow
6.  Doberman
5.  Alaskan Malamute
4.  Husky
3.  German Shepherd
2.  Rottweiler
1.  Put Bull 

As the the Crisis in Gaza moves towards its 8th day, those on both sides thought they were close to a cease-fire, instead what they got was the worst day of violence since the crisis broke out.  Hundreds of Israeli rockets flew into Gaza city as residents ran for shelter; likewise Hamas launched its own barrage of missiles into Israel.

Hamas has accused Israel of continuing to target civilian areas which include hospitals and schools; however Israel points out that Hamas is launching its rockets from these areas thus using the civilians as "human shields."

So what happened to the cease-fire?  It is clear that some people both inside Israel and inside Gaza simply do not want a cease-fire.  CNN reported from Jerusalem and from Gaza City where citizens on both sides expressed desires for the conflict to continue.  Some Israelis feel that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) needs to complete its job and eliminate Hamas, while some Palestinians feel that Israel needs to be made to understand that the crisis will never truly end as long as they continue to "occupy their land."

Yesterday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Israel in an attempt to broker a peace.  She met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said that Israel is committed to finding a diplomatic solution, but that as long as Hamas uses its rockets that is not an option and that he will use any force necessary to protect the Israeli people... even invasion.

A Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan, stated that the United States must take the lead in the peace process.  He hopes that the Obama Administration can create at least a short-term cease-fire which would allow for negotiations.

This morning however there was a bus explosion in Tel Aviv, an act of pure terrorism - at this point it is unclear how many people were injured... but this escalation may push Israel closer to invasion.

P.S.  If you think you have busy, here is Hillary Clinton's schedule for the past 24 hours.

1.  Fly to Israel - go to West Bank
2.  Meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
3.  Travel to Jerusalem 
4.  Meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
5.  Travel to Egypt
6.  Meet with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

(The meeting with Morsi is crucial to a cease-fire as the United States will not talk with Hamas as it is listed as a terrorist organization; thus Morsi will have to act as a go between for Clinton and Hamas leader Khaled Meshal)

Last night President Shimon Peres was interviewed by Pierce Morgan with the core topic being the potential invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel.  Peres opened the interview first by thanking the United States and President Obama for their support; he also thanked Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for his continued discussions on how to proceed peacefully.  The public acknowledgement of Obama and Abbas is important to Israel as over the last few months relations between Israel and these other parties had been cool at best.

The current crisis in Gaza concerning Hamas and Israel is just the latest in an almost century long conflict which actually has its origins in biblical times.  

As international pressure mounts from the United States and Egypt, rockets from Gaza are reaching the Israeli capital of Jerusalem and the country's largest city of Tel Aviv... meanwhile Israeli rockets are devastating areas inside Gaza and Israel threatens to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday an Israeli missile killed at least 11 Palestinian civilians including four children in Gaza.  Israel claims to be targeting only military sites, however because Gaza is so densely populated, civilians are getting caught in the cross-fire. 

In the coming days, I will be posting topics related to this conflict; a conflict which includes not only Israel and the Hamas controlled area of Gaza, but the Fatah controlled West Bank, as well as Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Egypt.  I encourage you to visit the link below and watch the videos in order to familiarize yourself with the history of this long conflict.  

http://www.cfr.org/israel/crisis-guide-israeli-palestinian-conflict/p13850

Federal officials have received reports that the popular caffeinated drink “5-Hour Energy” may be linked to as many as 13 deaths in the last few years and many near deaths.  Since 2009, officials have received about 90 filings which include those 13 deaths, 30 serious or life-threatening injuries, and one incident of a spontaneous abortion.

5-Hour Energy has released a statement claiming that their product is safe when used as directed and that they not believe their product to be related to these incidents.  The public is not so sure perhaps as its stock plummeted this past week from over $80 a share to about $40.

While 5-Hour Energy does not list its full ingredients on its product, federal law does not require it to.  Because it is classified as a “beverage” it is not required to list everything in the drink.  The high levels of caffeine may  be linked to these deaths as those with heart conditions may have severe reactions to caffeine… the real danger is that some people are not aware that they even have a heart issue.  Authorities are investigating these deaths as well as the spontaneous abortion in order to discover if the drink is at fault.

5-Hour Energy is not the first energy drink to face such charges… Monster has been linked to as many as 5 deaths causing congress to take a new look at the laws which allow these drinks to not fully disclose their ingredients.