Israel and Palestine, and the world today.

These links with a respected website "If Americans knew" is a must read not just for Americans but all the world ..........the website belongs to a research and information dissemination Institute with US tax exemption under US tax laws -section 501(3) C............
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The UN Security Council meeting yesterday, 9Th January, 2009, live on CNN and major TV channels accross the world, with representatives from member countries, seen chatting, before a resolution on the Gaza crisis was put to the vote, in small groups like in an evening party at the Hilton (except for the absence of drinks and food trays), most definitely relaxed friendly and informal. CNN panned their cameras more on Ban ki Moon, the UN boss, the Arab League Sec.-Gen Amr Moussa, then the Arab delegate from the Libyan Jhamariya, and the small but agile and alert lady Ambassador from Israel.

What always strikes me as the obvious is the body language these suited and savvy delegates seem to convey...........we are all pals, with the handshaking or a pat on the shoulder, or whispering close into a delegate's ear, smiles and friendly waves (hand waves), the problems the world faces are far from here...........let's finish the business on hand, then go to the "Hilton" next door for a............... .

I missed the voting, but watched the US Secretary-of-State Rice explaining the US stand, abstaining from the vote. As always, she makes that very effective use of her eyes, darting them from one side of the round table to the other, her fingers crossed and elbows resting on the table.
And the usual sight of some delegates clutching their translation-hearing device intently taking in the translation.

But it all amounts to nothing! Israel continues its 24 hour bombing of targets in Gaza and Hamas continues to fire rockets into southern Israel, that's today the 10Th January (Pacific time) with little over ten days to the Obama inaugural!!! CNN

Five small bombs go off in Lahore, Pakistan................and this piece of news is just short of being hilarious...........Joe Biden, the Vice President elect, is in Pakistan, shown being decorated by a honours medal from the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.............the hilarious part, the CNN anchor hints, Hillary Clinton gritting her teeth..........because foreign affairs is her job!!! "Is someone stepping on someones toes?"

Job losses in the USA are now a staggering 6,300,000 the highest since the last six decades(!) and Barack Obama, in a press meet to introduce his new Intelligence team, has to talk on the urgency to change the situation with the usual rhetoric "there is no time to waste................."

The inauguration on the 20Th of January, starting at 12 noon Washington time, looks to be a real treat............the great cellist Yo Yo Ma is shown (on TV) practising on his cello, the great violinist Isaac Pearlman on his Strad(?), and some parts of the wooden fencing opposite the Capitol building coming up................don't look different from the previous wooden fencing for previous Inaugurations!!!

And Nancy Pelosi, the US Capitol Hill boss, with her usual wide plastered smile tells CNN's Situation Room anchor, Wolf Blitzer, the US House, though hugely Democrat, is not going to be Obama's rubber stamp!
And the outgoing US Vice Prez, Dick Cheney, tells Wolf, he is a confirmed Republican voter, (as if that's new), voted for McCain, but remarks he is as awed as any one else at the "remarkable achievement" Barack Obama's election as the first African Americam president!

And somebody pays a million dollars to the Somali pirates for the release of a Saudi Arabian super tanker...............good fodder for more pirating!!

And some good solid stodgy banks in Europe, including Paribas, have lost millions invested with Madoff schemes..........where are all the professionals, Harvard graduates, Sorbonne and Paris passed out.............all fakes???

And London takes the credit of the first baby born fully protected, genetically, from cancer................more debates, more noise, yes and No's.

And a huge anti Israel protest rally in Eygpt, with women screaming through their covered faces, and anti riot police, in helmets shields and black uniforms, struggling to keep the protesters, children included, from getting more "turbulent!!!"

Thick black smoke still rises from Gaza city, both sides, Hamas and Israel, have rejected the cease fire call from the Security Council............over 800 dead in Gaza, and Hamas fires more than 30 rockets into southern Israel- no dead there, at least, thank God.

Three generations of a Palestine refugee family, grandfather, father and son, are shown watching TV-the Gaza bombings, in their home in Baghdad, the old man opens his palm with a handful of earth from his homeland, he treasures this and the son predicts they will surely return to Palestine some day!

There has been a nasty earthquake in Costa Rica, God help them!

And Obama is the new Spiderman!

And some of Europe, with one of the worst cold spell in a 100 years, -30 in Budapest, shivering for the lack of gas from Russia.