Strollerderby : Israel

What's the Difference Between a Palestinian Kid and an Israeli One?

JeanneSager — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:26:00 GMT

If you're looking for some trick answer here, I'm sorry to disappoint.

A simple but brilliant advertising campaign about tolerance in the Middle East sporting a nearly identical set of kids actually depicts two kids who share no blood. They've never even met.

But the Israeli girl looks an awful lot like the Palestinian boy beside her in the project put together by Belgian artist Olivier Suter as part of his series of "Enemies" advertisements. Meant to help people celebrate their differences, the project began in Belgium, where Suter asked people to compare a French and Flemish speaker. But it's a bit more poignant in the Middle East for obvious reasons (hello Gaza, West Bank, bombs . . . ).

Using kids is a genius move for equally obvious reasons. It's hard to look at the pictures and not think about allowing their fresh faces to make up for centuries of mistakes, about letting them just be kids. Or maybe that's just me. If you're dead set on destroying the "other kind," these pictures probably won't have much affect. But for those good souls have simply gotten caught up in the fervor of the crowd, the face of a child (or two children who look like one) may be just what it takes.

The kids, by the way, are named Hadas Maor (that's the Israeli girl) and Adam Shurati, who was a little upset to learn people thought he looked like a girl (come on, he's a little boy, he's allowed to bristle at this one). Adam's mom had his hair cut to help Suter with matching the kids. She thought the project was brilliant, as did Hadas' dad, a supporter of a "two-state" system that would allow for the peaceful co-existence of Palestinians and Israelis in the region.

Image: Haaretz

Morning News - Government Issues New Fuel Standards

Brett Singer — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

In an effort to reduce automobile emissions, the Obama administration is planning to issue "a new national standard for cars and light trucks that incorporates California’s tough auto-emission rules." The President will likely announce these new rules today (Tuesday). The New York Times says that "As a result, cars and light trucks sold in the United States will be roughly 30 percent cleaner and more fuel-efficient by 2016." No one will have any money to buy them, of course. Well, maybe by 2016 we will.

Mel Gibson's girlfriend (not to be confused with his wife) has posed in lingerie. The New York Post has photos. Oh, and get this -- she's pregnant! (A commenter at the Daily News' web site says "mazel tov!" which is, frankly, hilarious.) Ah, Mel. How's it going, you anti-semitic hypocrite? Oops, did I say that out loud?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to get peace talks with the Palestinians back on track. BUT he won't endorse a Palestinian state. Bibi (that's Netanyahu's nickname, I didn't make it up) was at the White House to chat with President Obama.

You know what's great about religious people? They're so tolerant. Like Charlotte Allen, who wrote the following in the Los Angeles Times: "I can't stand atheists -- but it's not because they don't believe in God. It's because they're crashing bores." Why do I think that Charlotte would be the first to shout "discrimination" if anyone said something against Christians? Feh.

Apparently Angelina Jolie is all angry at Madonna for trying to adopt another Malawian child. Assuming this is true, I have a question for Ms. Jolie -- when did you become the queen of the world? “Angie sees what she and Brad Pitt do as being about saving a child, but she thinks Madonna does it for publicity," an "insider" told Us Weekly. I really do wonder if these "insiders" and "sources close to the star" actually exist. Can gossip magazines just make stuff up like that? Even if they can, isn't it unbelieveably tacky? I know, dumb question.

File this one under "for what it's worth": Next time bloggers get accused of sensationalist journalism, let us remember how the news of Mitchell Weiner's death was reported here on Babble. Allow me to quote myself: CNN reports that a "New York middle school assistant principal who was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus died Sunday. BUT he might not have died of swine flu. Compare that to the New York Post: yesterday's front page headline was "SWINE DEATH." But if you bothered to read the story, the second paragraph said "Complications besides the virus likely played a part in Mitchell Wiener's death." Even the usually sober Bloomberg News went with "New York Has First Swine Flu Death." They quoted a hospital spokesperson as saying that "Wiener had swine flu and no other pre-existing medical conditions that the hospital knows of." BUT then CNN reported the following: "An assistant principal who died after being hospitalized with the H1N1 virus did have an underlying condition, the New York City's health commissioner said Monday." So who is the more responsible reporter? That would be ME. The blogger with no resources other than my rapier wit and hands that are either typing or changing a stinky diaper. HA! Take that mainstream media!

Finally, Woody Allen won $5 million from American Apparel. The Woodster sued the clothier with the creepy ads because they used his image without first getting permission. I'm no fan of Allen's personal life, but in this case he was right and I'm glad he won. I still wish he hadn't, you know, married his own daughter. But we're none of us perfect, I suppose.

Image: Amazon

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Morning News - Saudis Can Slap Their Wives

Brett Singer — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Let us begin with this sentence from CNN.com: "Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence." The judge "also pointed out that women's indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence in the country," according to Arab News. Not that I agree, but I wasn't terribly surprised to read this, especially after the tale of the 8-year-old girl who had to try three times to get a divorce from a 47-year-old.

The Pope is in Israel. There's a joke there, but I don't know what it is. And if I did, I probably wouldn't make it anyway. Don't want to risk being struck by lightning or something.

Speaking of people who wear funny clothes (oops, sorry), the new Star Trek movie made over $75 million at the box office. Apparently this is the 11th "Trek" movie. Didn't realize that. I saw this latest installment (thanks to my wife who stayed with the children while I geeked it up at the movies) and thought it was great. Definitely things to complain about if you are so inclined, as in this hilarious video from The Onion News Network:

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

But it was a lot of fun. Not sure how it plays for someone who is unfamiliar with the ways of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest. Interestingly, the film made less than "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", despite the fact that Hugh Jackman's Wolvie movie was (a) leaked online a month early, and (b) received far worse reviews than "Star Trek", which almost every critic seemed to love. You probably shouldn't take your kids to see either one, however.

I'll just quote this headline: "Lance Armstrong says Sheryl Crow's biological clock doomed their romance." Then Lance went and got his next girlfriend pregnant. Nice.

Have you been following the story of the preacher who got caught romping with a woman? He's been called "Father Oprah"; his real name is Father Albert Cutié. Here's a 2006 article from BeliefNet that starts out with the now hilarious question "As a celibate Catholic priest, you've probably been asked this before. How can you give advice to married people and people who want to get married?" His answer? "You don't have to be mentally ill to be a good psychiatrist. I don't think you have to be someone who has a real problem in order to relate to people's problems." In other words, you don't need to be having sex to discuss sex with people. Except that he WAS having sex. OOPS! Maybe he's not a psychiatrist, but is mentally ill? The latest news is that Father Cutié (heh heh, his name is cutie) is "in love." He's also been removed from his church, and a rally in support of him turned "violent." A lot of religious folks think that preists should just be able to get married. I don't have a strong opinion about that, but I do think lying about being celibate is kind of a crappy thing to do. Isn't one of the Ten Commandments "don't lie"?

If you'll excuse me, I have to step outside. Hm. That's funny, the sun was out just a moment ago. Where did those clouds come form? AHHH!!!!!!

Images: Lightning - Guy-Sports.com, Star Trek - Amazon

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Kids Around the Globe Weigh in on Obama

JeanneSager — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:35:00 GMT

Think it's just the adults who got emotional at the peaceful transition of power in America?

Kids around the world were celebrating the inauguration of President Barack Obama too - from Israel to the Palestinian Authority, China to England.

Stopping off at spots around the globe, ABC News caught up with kids who wanted to send good wishes to President Obama this week, and there was one standout that made me cry:

"No one's better than anyone; we're all the same," said Dara Jorallah, a thirteen-year-old with bright eyes from the West Bank. "We shouldn't discriminate against anyone. We should give chances, even if we look different."

Her comments came just after those of a little boy from Israel, who said he places a lot of hope in the new American president. Put together, the comments lend credence to statements made by Obama's new Middle East envoy, George Mitchell.

"From my experience there, I formed the conviction that there is no such thing as a conflict that can't be ended," Mitchell said this week when his appointment became public. "Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings."

If a child in the West Bank and a child in Israel can agree on Obama, maybe the kids are human beings to end it all.

Naive? Maybe, but that children are our future thing still gets me every time. For more on what the kids have to say (and some tear-inducing moments for you), visit ABC News coverage.

Image: ABC News

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Two Pictures Of Kids In Gaza

Brett Singer — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:30:00 GMT

Warning: These shots will probably make you want to hug your kids immediately.

For me, the hardest part of any war/conflict/disaster is the human side. Now that I'm a parent, if that human face belongs to a child, it's that much harder to see.

This photo was on the front page of the New York Times today. Here's the caption: "A Palestinian boy with Russian citizenship was among the foreigners whom Israel allowed to leave Gaza on Friday." (source)

Here's another shot of kids leaving Gaza. (source)

MSNBC is reporting that Israeli ground troops are crossing the Gaza border (source, breaking news). Regardless of how you feel about the situation, seeing these photos of kids caught up in the whole thing should make you wish for a speedy resolution to it all. Or at least one that lets the kids get out while they still can. I never really understood the idea of "women and children first", something that I remember hearing a lot on old cartoons and disaster movies (and cartoons that were parodies of disaster movies). These pictures definitely drive that point home.

Photos: New York Times

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Mumbai Hero Nanny May Get Top Israeli Honor

JeanneSager — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:32:00 GMT

When we leave our kids with a sitter, we always hope they'll take at least as good a care of them as we would. Risking life and limb to save theirs isn't too much to ask.

In the midst of the terrible tragedy of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, nanny Sandra Samuel has stood out for her bravery - and her devotion to her charge. Now Israel is considering conveying one of its highest honors, an award reserved in the past for Holocaust-era heroes.

Samuel had a "special connection" with toddler Moshe Holtzberg, the son of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka. After hours locked in her room, hiding from the attackers, Samuel says she heard Moshe calling for her. Despite terrorists still on the premises, Samuel unlocked the door and followed his voice, finally finding the boy covered in blood beside his dead parents. She grabbed the child and ran outside. She escorted the boy all the way to Israel, where his grandparents have taken in the toddler and the country is discussing the possible conference of the Righteous Gentile award. It's an award given in the past to non-Jews who helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust, including Schindler's List inspiration Oskar Schindler.

It should help the Indian native stay in Israel if she so desires, and it's one of the brighter stories coming out of the tragedies. In some ways, it's even more amazing than Hannah's story earlier this week about the dad who snuck into the hotel under siege to bring milk to his wife and children. This wasn't Samuel's child. She could have stayed locked up safe in her room. She could have assumed the child's parents would take care of him.

I love my babysitter, but if anything ever happens, I've got to tell you - I wouldn't mind having this woman watch my daughter.

Image: The Age

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Sad Update: Baby Never Really 'Came Back to Life'

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:30:00 GMT

A premature baby who was pronounced stillborn, put in the morgue, and then discovered moving and breathing five hours later died on Tuesday and was buried the same day.

Since the baby's death, a leading Jerusalem neonatologist has shed new light on the situation, completely contradicting the hospital director's claims that this was a "medical miracle." According to Arthur Eidelman, the baby, named Bana Hiba, did not die and come back to life, as doctors at the Western Galilee Hospital asserted. Rather, babies who are that premature--Bana Hiba was in the 23rd week of gestation--have very irregular heartbeats, sometimes going for as long as five minutes without exhibiting any sign of respiration.

Given this, Eidelman said that premature babies who appear to be stillborn should be left in the delivery room for 20 minutes and closely monitored for signs of life. If there is no heartbeat after 20 minutes, the baby is pronounced dead. Putting live fetuses in the cooler, he said, slows down their metabolism so that they are in a state of "suspended animation." Doctors even do this intentionally sometimes to try to save premies.

So even if gynecologists were too quick to pronounce Bana Hiba dead, their actions were certainly not to blame for the baby's death. However, they may be to blame for putting her parents on a heartbreaking emotional roller coaster.

Both the Health Ministry and the hospital are conducting investigations into the sad case.

Photo: Channel 2

Stillborn Baby Comes Back to Life

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:50:00 GMT

I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no: I did not learn about this story from The National Enquirer. Sensational though this headline sounds, it is factually accurate, according to numerous Israeli news sources.

In Israel, a 26-year-old pregnant woman began hemorrhaging and experiencing intense pain. Tests showed that her fetus, in its 23^rd week of gestation, was already dead. After an emergency operation to remove the fetus, doctors pronounced the 610-gram baby girl dead. She was sent to the morgue to be prepared for burial.

Five hours later, the baby’s mother asked to see her daughter’s body one last time. Picking up the tiny bundle, she immediately started screaming. Her baby was moving. The child was rushed to the intensive care unit, where she is still struggling to survive.

The baby’s father has criticized the Western Galilee Hospital for negligence, accusing them of too quickly pronouncing his premature daughter dead. But the hospital director maintains that senior doctors made no mistakes; the only way to explain how the baby spontaneously started breathing again is that it was a “medical miracle.”

He noted that this miracle may have been related to the cool temperature of the morgue, which vastly lowered the baby's oxygen consumption. There have been extremely rare cases of people who "came back to life" after it appeared that they had frozen to death. The Health Ministry will likely set up an investigating committee to look into the matter.

Photo: Channel 2

UPDATE:

Baby Never Really "Came Back to Life"

Parents Forget 3 Year Old at Airport

Cole Gamble — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It’s a given that anytime you take a vacation you’re gonna forget something behind. A pair of socks, that copy of Breaking Dawn you’re reading. It’s a little bit more of an alarming sign if you leave your kid behind. And then don’t realize it until you are informed by airline staff…once you’re already in the air.

A couple on route to a European vacation somehow succeeded in getting their 18 suitcases and four children on the plane. Only problem was, they have five children.

We’ve all seen Home Alone and know full well what kind of wacky hijinks an adorable young man and a couple of rascally burglars can get into. Then there’s The Terminal, where we’re delighted by the wacky hijinks of an adorable foreign man and a rascally airport manager. Put them together and you’ve got this story. Except, not wacky and utterly stupid on the parents’ part.

The lost little girl did manage to reunite with her family in Paris on the next flight.

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Political Propaganda Directed at Children

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:18:00 GMT

My grandfather, a lifelong Republican and World War II Vet who proudly raises his American flag every day, recently told me he is disgusted with the current leadership of our country. These are words I never imagined would come out of his mouth. So at this point almost all institutionalized expressions of the outside world’s hatred of our current regime are, in my opinion, worth taking seriously. But what if this criticism comes in the form of a children’s puppet show promoting murder at the hands of a young boy?

A Hamas-owned children’s television has broadcast a puppet show in which a Palestinian boy murders President Bush to avenge his parents, who were killed in the wars in Iraq and Lebanon. “I place my trust in Allah,” the boy says before stabbing the president. “I need to kill you.” (Islam permits murder only when one is being oppressed or directly attacked).

Leaving aside the fact that this slapdash presentation is unlikely to hold the attention of any child for longer than ten seconds, the video raises concerns about the use of propaganda to politicize youth. This is a rather clear-cut example of teaching unhealthy values to children—no matter how opposed one may be to the war in Iraq or how fervently one hopes that the next election lands us a president who will not appear as the villain in any children’s shows, it’s hard to get behind a production that shows children committing murder. But many subtler forms of propagandizing to kids exist in every country in the world in the form of movies, TV shows, and history books. For instance, the maps in Israeli history books fail to mark the boundaries around the West Bank and Gaza, which some argue teaches children that the occupied territories belong to Israel.

Do you parents out there have any reports of what you viewed as propaganda being taught in your children’s schools?

Photo: alarabiya.net

Dead Israeli Soldier Lives On Through Sperm

Karen Murphy — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:09:00 GMT

I remember a long-ago and very moving episode of a popular hospital TV show (ER? Chicago Hope? St. Elsewhere even?) where the husband was dying and on life-support, and the caring and thoughtful hospital staff looked the other way while the grieving but very much childless widow-to-be, uh, inseminated herself via her husband before they pulled the plug on his respirator. I know, I know, it sounds like a smarmy Jay Leno joke, but it was actually very touching, thinking that this was the only way that the wife could have a living piece of her beloved husband, a part of him that would live on in his stead. C'mon, don't you want to tear up here, just a little? This is, like, life!

Which is why I am completely in favor of a precedent-setting recent ruling in an Israeli court that allows the family of a dead unmarried soldier to use his sperm (extracted only hours after his death) to inseminate a woman of their choosing in order to continue the family's bloodline, granting the soldier a child he'll never know. Okay, maybe it's just a little creepy. But still! Think of the possibilities! (and who pays child support?) By the way? A CNN poll says a big fat NO to potential grandparents using their child's sperm to create a grandchild.

What do you think? Does this cross a line? Or is it a moving and beautiful new expression of the incredible urge we have a humans to continue as a species?