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Jan
7
[updated] Is blaming “the 60 years of occupation” a euphimism for “one-state solution”?
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel | 18 Comments
UPDATE: I’m not the only one finally pressing the question re: do you think in terms of one state or two – read more at News from Syria.
I think it is, even though I think that at least some people who make that reference think to themselves that they are open to a two-state solution.
I’ve been writing about this need to press the debate about the Gaza-Israel conflict into an answer to the question, “One state or two”?” from the beginning, asking occupiers of cyberspace and real life to respond. I’ve gotten just a few direct responses so far, all but one for a two-state solution (one brought up the concept of a binational single state).
Finally, this morning, on WCPN’s Sound of Ideas, which you can listen to here, Nour Chammas, Executive Director, AACESS-Ohio (The Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services) said it. He specifically said that he supports a one-state solution and not a two-state solution.
But, long before he said that, he’d already tipped his hand because he used the words and description, as many have before him, of The Occupation. Not the 1967-2005 occupation by Israel of Gaza. Not the 1949-1967 occupation by Egypt of Gaza. Not the British occupation prior to 1949, or any other occupation in all of history.
No. Just The Occupation.
I posited this before and I’m saying it again: when you hear someone describe the current situation as having roots in The Occupation, realize that the next question you must ask is: do you support a one-state or a two-state solution. Because if they support a one-state solution, the next question is: what are your plans for the millions of residents of the entire “Occupied” land?
There are different answers. But this is where the conversation must go:
Is the speaker envisioning an Islamic state free not only of Jews, but of Druze, Christians, Bedouin and any other non-Shariah loving Semitic person?
or
Is the speaker envisioning a secular but binational state?
All of these options are actually ones that are formed already in the minds of people who talk about post-violent conflict options.
But only once the players make it known whether they want a single state or two states, and what those states would look like, can we start to see what the players’ real interests are. And, sadly, the players are not always the residents. That needs to be addressed as well.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:03 pm January 7th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel | 18 Comments
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Jan
7
Gaza – Israel ceasefire status
Filed Under Gaza, Israel | 2 Comments
For sure, three hours for the humanitarian corridor today (starting now I believe). Statements to the effect that Israel has agreed to more enduring ceasefire.
Read more here. Specs:
According to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak the plan consisted of three points:
1) Israel and all Palestinian factions accept an immediate ceasefire, for a limited time, to allow aid for the Gaza Strip’s 1.5-million population to enter through humanitarian corridors.
2) Egypt invites Israel and the Palestinians, along with representatives from the European Union and “other parties,” to discuss ways of guaranteeing that the current situation is not repeated and treat its root causes.
Such a deal would include “securing the borders”, meaning preventing the smuggling of arms through tunnels from Egypt into the Gaza Strip – an Israeli requirement for an end to its onslaught.
In return, Israel and Egypt will open their crossing points into the Gaza Strip, providing a level of relief from a punishing blockade of the territory.
An official from Mr Sarkozy‘s office said that an agreement on securing borders could be reached within “four to five” days, with a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip “within eight days”.
3) Egypt will convene Palestinian reconciliation talks aimed at ending the feud between Hamas and Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and form a government that is acceptable to the international community.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:52 am January 7th, 2009 in Gaza, Israel | 2 Comments
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Jan
7
Carnival of Ohio Politics #149 now posted
Filed Under Blogging, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 3 Comments
Many thanks to Daniel Jack Williamson of Buckeye RINO for compiling this week’s Carnival of Ohio Politics #149, the first of the new year.
You know, I’m up next week with #150 – should I try for 150 entry submissions?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:40 am January 7th, 2009 in Blogging, Ohio, Politics, Writing | 3 Comments
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Jan
6
I’ve been writing a lot and asking often about why the Arab countries do so little to assist the residents in Gaza and the West Bank. Not just now. Not just 60 years ago. But over centuries. So far, not one answer. Usually I read things like, “there have always been occupiers.” Well, okay. Only in the last couple of days has the pressure on Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia been amped slightly in its rhetoric, but Mubarek is holding firm – he absolutely does not want to see Hamas strengthened.
Well, if he’s looking for affirmation, he should definitely read this op-ed in the Abu Dhabi paper, The National. Read the entire thing, but here are excerpts:
On its control and brutality:
Many thought that Gaza and the West Bank were inseparable entities until Hamas’s bloody takeover of the Strip in the summer of 2007 damaged that notion. Their 18-month rule is marred by lawlessness, extra-judicial public killings and gang warfare that is more reminiscent of Somalia than a civilised state.
Time magazine reported on the violence that followed the takeover then: “Gangs have tossed enemies alive off 15-storey buildings, shot one another’s children and burst into hospitals to finish off wounded foes lying helplessly in bed.”
Last week, Taghreed El-Khodary of the New York Times reported that Hamas militants in civilian clothing again resorted to killing wounded former inmates of Gaza’s central jail who were accused of collaboration with the enemy. These unproved “collaborators” were executed in public even though Palestinian Human Rights groups repeatedly claim that “most of these people are completely innocent”. Hamas seems to be either unable or unwilling to stop such extrajudicial executions.
Additionally, on the first anniversary of Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip, the Christian Science Monitor found a lack of medicines in hospitals as well as of clean drinking water in the territory, and raw sewage streaming into the sea. And this isn’t because Hamas’s dignity prevents it from meeting the enemy.
On its relations w/Israel:
Hamas’s vast propaganda machine around the Arab world mysteriously fails to report on the meetings between its members and Israeli government representatives. For example, after a 90-minute meeting with an official from the Israeli state electricity company in order to sort out the town’s electricity needs, the Hamas-affiliated mayor of Qalqilya told the BBC about the meeting: “It was civil, without any problem between him and I.”
Where do you think Ismail Haniya, the Hamas leader in the Strip, gets his electricity from?
Overall:
By any standards Hamas has failed miserably. It has failed in peace, failed in governance, and moreover failed in war. In addition to Hamas’s ambiguous political agenda, their goal seems to be resistance for the sake of resistance, a quagmire where the journey really is the destination. It is time for Khaled Mashaal to step down and allow more competent leaders to emerge before he causes even more damage to his cause. The question is if Hamas leaves, what is the alternative?
In fact, probably the only good thing that can be said about Hamas is that they are not Fatah.
A ringing endorsement, indeed.
The author of the piece:
Sultan Al Qassemi is a Sharjah-based businessman and graduate of the American University of Paris. He is the founder of Barjeel Securities in Dubai.
And in the comments, he and another commenter mention a desire for the Gulf Cooperation Council to intervene. Why is this the first time I’ve even heard mention of the GCC in relation to this conflict?
Here’s an article from today about how the Arab states are not of one voice, and it mentions the GCC.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:29 pm January 6th, 2009 in Blogging, Gaza, Israel | 1 Comment
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Jan
6
Fareed Zakaria on Samuel Huntington
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Military, Politics | Leave a Comment
I wrote about it a week or so ago. Here’s Fareed in Newsweek:
Huntington is most famous for “The Clash of Civilizations,” but his
scholarly reputation properly rests on his earlier work. His analysis of
political order had immediate, real-world applications. While studying the
topic, he was asked by the Johnson administration to assess the progress of
the Vietnam War. After a tour of that country, he argued, in 1967 and 1968,
that America’s strategy in South Vietnam was fatally flawed. The United
States was trying to buy the support of the population through aid and
development. But money wasn’t the key, in Huntington’s view. The South
Vietnamese who resisted the Viet Cong’s efforts did so because they were
secure within effective communities structured around religious or ethnic
ties. The United States, though, wanted to create a modern Vietnamese
nation, and it refused to reinforce these “backward” sources of authority.
Sadly, this 40-year-old analysis describes our dilemma in Afghanistan
today.Huntington noticed a troubling trend. Sometimes, American-style
progress — more political participation or faster economic growth –
actually created more problems than it solved. If a country had more people
who were economically, politically and socially active yet lacked effective
political institutions, such as political parties, civic organizations or
credible courts, the result was greater instability. Think of Pakistan,
whose population has skyrocketed from 68 million in 1975 to more than 165
million today, while its government has proved ill-equipped to tackle the
basic tasks of education, security and social welfare.
My emphasis, but Zakaria’s words about Huntington’s ideas. Really wise ideas.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:12 pm January 6th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Military, Politics | Please comment
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Jan
6
(My) Local Rabbi on WCPN, Sound of Ideas tomorrow re: Gaza, Israel, View from NE Ohio
Filed Under Cleveland+, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, leadership, middle east, Ohio, Politics, WCPN/SOI | 1 Comment
Gaza, as seen from Northeast Ohio
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Topics: Politics, Other2009 has begun with a steady increase in violence in the Middle East. Israel responded to recent Hamas rocket attacks on civilian targets with an air campaign, ground troops, and, most recently, a strike near a school in Jabaliya that claimed the lives of more than 40 people. While many world leaders are stepping up pressure for a renewal of the cease fire, we’ll hear the local response–your response–to the violence in Gaza. Join the conversation Wednesday morning at 9.
Guests
Chris Hedges author and journalist [NYT reporter]
Nour Chammas Executive Director, AACESS-Ohio [The Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services]
Rabbi Steve Weiss B’nai JeshurunAdditional Information
See a timeline of Israel-Hamas relations
Looking forward to it. You can listen live or later here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:52 pm January 6th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, leadership, middle east, Ohio, Politics, WCPN/SOI | 1 Comment
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Jan
6
Family Research Center declares Ken Blackwell “Right Man at the Right Time”
Filed Under Ohio, Politics, Republicans | 1 Comment
For winning? Anything? Something? Yah, okay. Here’s the pitch:
Right Man at the Right Time
What the future holds for the Republican Party will be largely decided by the selection of the next Republican National Committee chairman. As you may have noticed, the list of potential suitors includes a familiar face to the FRC family, our own Ken Blackwell. After weighing the decision of whether or not to throw his hat in the ring, Ken ultimately decided that the opportunity to advance a pro-family agenda in the GOP was compelling. Although I have historically declined to endorse candidates in party elections, this is a tremendous opportunity for a proven public servant to re-interject traditional values into a party that has lost its way. For that reason, I support and encourage others to support Ken Blackwell for chairman of the RNC. His record of service to our nation and his commitment to core conservative issues make him the clear choice in this race.
At a debate yesterday hosted by Americans for Tax Reform, Ken called for a renewal of the Republican Party. He understands that any successful movement must embody a strong grassroots effort that empowers state and local communities. The RNC will make a very critical decision when it meets at the end of January to select the party’s new chairman. If they choose a moderate, it could mean a continued drift from core conservative principles. On the other hand, the selection of Ken Blackwell would assure conservatives that they finally have a true advocate in a party that has increasingly attempted to marginalize them.
The Blackwell Plan
Sooookay…you go with that. But for your sake, do be sure to check that he permanently got rid of those shares in casino industry corporations and pharmas that make the birth control/morning after pill and companies that make election equipment whom he wanted Ohio boards of election to buy from, will ya?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:38 pm January 6th, 2009 in Ohio, Politics, Republicans | 1 Comment
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Jan
6
MMPI v. the rest of us: who shoulders the risk, who should accommodate
Filed Under Business, Cleveland+, Economy, Government, leadership, med mart, Ohio, Politics, Taxes | Leave a Comment
The party that shoulders the lesser risk should be the one accommodating the other(s). What risk does MMPI face and how does it compare to the risk Cuyahoga County and its taxpayers take with the Medical Mart dream?
When I read this article about how MMPI will take its time, all I could think of was, well, wait a second – your taking time is my county taking my taxes before it is time – for anything.
Is this really the way we get things done? That things get done? It doesn’t sound very negotiation-like to me at all, especially the selection site committee versus MMPI doing its own selection committee work.
What does any of this foreshadow if and when the deal goes through? I’m not in favor of the deal falling apart, but I am concerned about the distribution and leveraging (or lack of leveraging) bargaining power between the parties – and I suspect that that’s what bugs Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson too – as well it should.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:10 am January 6th, 2009 in Business, Cleveland+, Economy, Government, leadership, med mart, Ohio, Politics, Taxes | Please comment
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Jan
6
Buffy, Boehner and Barack
Filed Under Barack Obama, Gaza, Government, Israel, leadership, Politics | 4 Comments
Just a weird way to start the morning:
First, I saw that I was linked to from Shut Up, Sit Down, a great radical feminist site (a worthwhile blog and post – thank you again for the link) writing in that post about Gaza and Israel
Then, I was linked to from this Buffy the Vampire Slayer forum which is also having a discussion about Gaza and Israel.
Then, I was handed the New York Times print edition and was slapped first by the fact that John Boehner’s skin tone is the same as Barack Obama – maybe, maybe a little more orange. This is going to be a very interesting day.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:15 am January 6th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Gaza, Government, Israel, leadership, Politics | 4 Comments
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Jan
5
Remains of the Day, 1/5/09: Gaza and Israel
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Law | 10 Comments
Here’s an update of what I’ve been reading most recently (you can see them as a comment at my lengthy BlogHer post where I spell out a lot of my thoughts on the situation):
First, Jack at Random Thoughts continues to provide daily and sometimes 2x/day roundups with excellent links from both the MSM and blogs, from across the spectrum. Here is his update 9.5 (and that link includes links to all the other updates).
His roundup includes this post from a blogger in Bahrain but I would really urge you to look around that particular blog. I think that gentleman represents what it means to be Muslim and be secular and it’s in his presentation that I see hope – if it can get into action, into leadership. I could be wrong about the blogger, but that’s the sense I got.
Here is an interesting Newsweek column to which I can relate, Israel’s Arabs Are the Answer. If you’ve read some of what I’ve written regarding the time I spent in Israel in August 2008, then the sentiments expressed in the column will sound familiar: the wisdom of integrating, incorporating the Israeli Arab population 100%, on all levels.
If you need to be reminded as to why extremists such as Hamas, NOT the Gazan population in general or the Arab population in general, but groups which seek to impose particularly rigid codes of conduct often based on religious tenets on people who do not desire it, read this article about how a female Bangladeshi author fled to Paris. For people familiar with my blog, you know I have almost never used the word “Islamist” – I don’t really approve of it or even know so much what it means. But I can tell you when I read about what is not acceptable treatment under a government and what is extreme to me. And that story about the author is one example. Having spent time in Israel, learning about the different Arab populations in the region, I am confident that there are far fewer interested in such rigid lifestyles than there are interested in a stable, secular existence. The current conflict is completely conflating all that.
There are many photos and videos, from all perspectives, going around – if you google what you want to see, you can pretty much find it – pro-this, anti-that. Whatever.
Here is a Huffington Post item with photos that I received early this morning and here is a video called, Let’s Play Pretend, which many people find very provocative. Here’s a video showing where Gazans have hidden munitions. Here’s a video in which Annie Lennox calls for an end.
The Muqata and Israellycool continue to liveblog the war. People are calling it warblogging. Sigh. But I guess that’s what it is.
Today, there were some cyberwar tactics going on – hacking Facebook, hacking other stuff. Frankly, this crap is all foreplay. Some parties want one-state, that’s all. Other parties are willing to go for two-states if they can peacefully co-exist. Some people want a binational single, secular country. I don’t think it even matters if there are borders or not – either these people are going to learn to live with each other, or they are not. It is entirely within their ability.
Part of the enduring problem is the failure for war itself to settle anything – ever, since the creation of the state of Israel. The claim that the entire land mass has been occupied by people who call themselves Israelis (all religions and ethinicities) for the last 60 years requires that people ignore the 1948 war and armistice in 1949. You can do that if you want to – but it really results in some serious problems in figuring out what to do with millions of people in 2009.
On the other hand, if you accept that war does lead to certain agreements once ended, then all the incursions since then, and their results, need to be accepted. We can’t pick and choose which ones are legitimate and which ones aren’t.
And so this kind of lawlessness or abiding by law tug of war continues – because there isn’t even a common understanding – willfull or not – as to who possesses what, lawfully and that will be respected.
The problem I have with all of that is that we cannot turn back the clock. We can make amends, we can make reparations, we can alter things now. But enough with all the past stuff – which is all that’s being fought over in the social media, by the way. The humanitarian concerns are all real, but those can be addressed if the populations decide that they want to resolve their situations.
But, again, if there’s no common sense of the ground rules for working it all out, then these people will in fact annihilate one another.
On a different note, I’m hoping to get some peaceblogging going in the form of a Wiki for Peace project. I’ll let you know when I get a little further along.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:24 pm January 5th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Law | 10 Comments
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Jan
5
Welcome your new Ohio Speaker of the House, 128th General Assembly
Filed Under Cleveland+, Democrats, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Statehouse | 1 Comment
Judge Lance Mason swearing in Armond Budish (D-8th, Beachwood) as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives (Armond's wife, Amy, is next to him, to the far right)
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:01 pm January 5th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Democrats, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Statehouse | 1 Comment
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Jan
5
Impact of TN coal ash disaster on Ohio? “Clean coal…is a joke”
Filed Under activism, Business, Economy, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Law, Marketing, Ohio, Politics, Resources, Utilities | 7 Comments
On Saturday, December 27, I wrote Rachael Belz at Ohio Citizen Action the following e-mail:
I’m a freelance writer and blogger based in NEOhio.
I’ve been following the Harriman, TN fly ash incident since it happened but I would really like to understand better its implications for Ohio.
Have you written anything about that yet, or would you be willing to tell me about it?
Thanks.
Today, I received the following response (and permission to publish) from Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action:
We have not written about it. Here are some notes on implications:
1. It is a reminder that the existence of the coal industry in Ohio and every other coal state depends on massive shifting of costs to innocent people. If the coal companies had to pay for all the costs of their operations, they would immediately go out of business.
This cost shifting is made possible by the servility of federal and state governments. Ohio is among the worst: http://www.ohiocitizen.org/moneypolitics/2006/strickland_memo.html.
2. It is also a reminder that “clean coal” — peddled in Ohio as much as anywhere – is a joke. “Clean coal” enthusiasts talk only about burning coal cleanly, ignoring the devastation of coal extraction. (And they can’t even make the case that coal can be burned cleanly.)
3. It is a comment on the bigotry of the national media that it occurred on Dec 22, and it took almost a week for the national media to take it seriously. Had this taken place in Washington or New York or LA, it would have been covered round the clock as the catastrophe it was. Since Appalachians suffered, the national media took its time.
4. For background on impoundments, here are a few places to start:
Chuck Nelson, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, (304) 934-0399
Vivian Stockman, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, (304) 522-0246http://www.ohvec.org/issues/slurry_impoundments/index.html
http://www.sludgesafety.org/
http://www.coalimpoundment.org/
I hope this is helpful. Please call if you have any questions. (614) 263-4600.
Now, I’m just a lowly blogger with less than 350 “visitors” a day, probably a lot of those 350 are repeats – so maybe I have 175 people who read? Maybe?
And I’ve been writing (via blogging and tweeting) about the Harriman, TN coal ash disaster since the day after it happened.
But our Ohio press? Which covers our governor? And our coal industry? And the energy and environmental issues of our state? And the health of Ohio’s residents?
Not so much.
And that’s just plain wrong, I don’t care how many years their Editors and Editorial Filters have been around. They are making a very bad, wrong and hurtful decision by not investigating and exposing more about what Ohio is – or is not – doing that it should be doing to make sure a Kingston-style disaster can’t happen here and that Ohioans are assured as much.
Many thanks to Ohio Citizen for taking the time to respond.
NB: A story by the AP, about the Crandall Canyon coal mine collapse (the mine owned by Murray Energy Corp., headed by Pepper Pike’s Robert Murray), did make it to cleveland.com on 1/2/09. But still no larger picture stories about the faux hope and real threat of continuing to think that coal is even part of The Answer.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:37 pm January 5th, 2009 in activism, Business, Economy, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Law, Marketing, Ohio, Politics, Resources, Utilities | 7 Comments
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Jan
5
WCPN Sound of Ideas Now: What news stories do you want covered in 2009?
Filed Under Cleveland+, leadership, Media, Ohio, Writing | 3 Comments
You can listen live now or by podcast or download later:
These days every news organization has to do more with less. So that makes the decision about what to cover, and how to cover it, more important than ever. So, we’d like to hear from you: what stories should we cover? On the next Sound of Ideas® we’ll be joined by editorial decision makers from The Plain Dealer, WKYC TV and ideastream®. We invite you to join us to talk about what direction all of our news coverage should take in 2009. We hope you’ll be there, Monday morning at nine on 90.3.
Guests
Susan Goldberg, Editor, The Plain Dealer
Rita Andolsen, News Director, WKYC TV
David Molpus, Executive Editor, ideastream®
I emailed in a question that Dan kindly read on the air and Ms. Andolsen was very enthusiastic about taking it up as something to cover. Here’s what I wrote that Dan read:
I would like to see our news outlets do a series on leadership, but not about the people currently in elected positions, corporate, non-profit or academic jobs, but rather an examination:
What does good leadership look like?
Where do we find and how do we support current and future leaders?
Let’s see what happens. Ms. Andolsen, I’ve got lots of time to chat. 
Ahhh and laugh at myself. Sigh.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:35 am January 5th, 2009 in Cleveland+, leadership, Media, Ohio, Writing | 3 Comments
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Jan
5
Cincy Enquirier: For-profit charter schools & money don’t mix
Filed Under Business, Education, Government, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Scandal, Statehouse, Taxes, Youth | 4 Comments
But that’s not news to me or many others in Ohio, though I’m sure politicians like Jon Husted and Josh Mandel, who’ve received more than $100,000 between the two of them from charter school operator David Brennan and his White Hat Management’s corporation (run names til heart’s content here - but “David Brennan” alone has given in the millions over the years to GOP candidates, which you can see for yourself in the records), would disagree with me – they must love how for-profit charters and money mix, right into their campaign coffers, though their Ohio GOP colleague, State Auditor Mary Taylor (love that little CPA after her name – is Rich Cordray going to put his name on his site as “Richard Cordray, ESQ.”? What would the GOP reaction be if Jennifer Brunner added that to the end of her name on the SOS website? oy) in her official capacity, has some reasons to not been a fan of the mixing:
A third of the 41 government agencies declared unauditable by Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor are charter schools. According to Steve Faulkner, the auditor’s spokesman, that’s an improvement.
And Adler points out: “It’s still a relatively new movement or industry. With all the positives they bring with them, often you’ll have educators that may lack the fiscal skills to run a school.”
Is that Brennan’s excuse? He lacks the fiscal skills to run a school? Oh – yeah – he just runs the for-profit operating company. So that entity lacks the skills to…hire people who have the fiscal skills to run a school? Whatever. He seems to be able to stay out of bankruptcy, not sure why he can’t get his schools to manage themselves.
From the Cincinnati Enquirier today:
By Ohio law, charter schools are nonprofits. But about half the charter schools are managed by for-profit companies which pay the bills and pocket any profits.
For-profit charter school managers took in $291 million in state funds last year, according to an Ohio Education Association study. The biggest charter manager in Ohio, [David Brennan's] White Hat Management Co. of Akron, received $84 million for its Ohio schools, which include its Life Skills Centers and Riverside Academy in the Cincinnati region. [emphasis added]
The Enquirier piece has a very nice chart on the righthand sidebar with financial info on the state’s charters.
But those numbers aren’t that easy to come by. And in fact, we know that, when asked, for-profit charter executives like Rod Coker of White Hat Management, outright lie about how much money the companies make.
Well, you say, stop being so hard, Jill – they serve kids no one else will serve.
Folks, I worked at Bellefaire JCB for eight years and did my social work field placement in the juvie court diagnostic clinic – I know a few things about kids no one else will serve.
So, if only the assertion that that these for-profits actually “served” all the kids was true:
Ohio has about 332 charter schools serving 82,000 students and spending $608 million in state funds. Two-thirds received low ratings last year in state report cards.
Too bad the Republican-majority statehouse, in August 2005, abolished legislative oversight of charters, eh? And I haven’t even mentioned Wilson Willard, the charter school operator who “faces sentencing for using school funds on home improvements.”
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:21 am January 5th, 2009 in Business, Education, Government, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Scandal, Statehouse, Taxes, Youth | 4 Comments
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Jan
4
Thurber’s Thoughts thought to be the tops – go vote
Filed Under Blogging, Ohio, Politics | 3 Comments
Maggie Thurber has received a few kudos for her work over the last year, but now she is up for a 2008 Weblog Award for Best Political Coverage by her blog, Thurber’s Thoughts. Here is Maggie’s post on this honor and you can go here to vote for her. Her competition is tough because there are some popular blogs listed, though I really only read two of the others – India Uncut and Five Thirty Eight.
Good luck, Maggie. It’s great to have some positive political attention directed toward Ohio.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:22 pm January 4th, 2009 in Blogging, Ohio, Politics | 3 Comments
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Jan
4
Haveil Havalim #199 (Carnival of Jewish Blogging)
Filed Under Blogging, Carnivals, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, middle east, Writing | 1 Comment
Thank you to Ima on (and off) the Bima for hosting this week’s Haveil Havalim #199 (Carnival of Jewish Blogging) which you can read here.
FYI re: how HH started:
Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs — a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It’s hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by Jack. The term ‘Haveil Havalim,’ which means “Vanity of Vanities,” is from Qoheleth, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other ‘excesses’ and realized that it was nothing but ‘hevel,’ or in English, ‘vanity.’
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:04 pm January 4th, 2009 in Blogging, Carnivals, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, middle east, Writing | 1 Comment
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Jan
4
Signs of the rich and fallen
Filed Under Crime, Flip, Humor, Scandal | Leave a Comment
From today’s New York Times Magazine Questions For Joan Rivers by Deborah Solomon:
And how is your daughter, Melissa?
For a mother and daughter we’re amazing. The only time she really cried is when I sat her down and told her that she was not adopted.
You had a famous rift with her.
Right after my husband’s suicide. Bad rift.
Is it true that you were having liposuction on the day he died?
Yes. Who knew?
That was more than 20 years ago. What is the dating scene like these days?
I just had lunch with an old beau, and it made me very sad.
Because?
I don’t know. We’re all so set in our ways. I love my life, except for losing all that money with Ruth and Bernie. I’m pleading with you, please say, “She lost a bundle with Bernie Madoff.”
Did you?
No, but everybody is walking around now saying that, and that shows that you used to be very rich.
I’m not a huge fan of Joan Rivers but she definitely has made me laugh over the years. That last line made me laugh in a very unfortunate way.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:01 pm January 4th, 2009 in Crime, Flip, Humor, Scandal | Please comment
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Jan
4
[photo] NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in Sderot right now
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, leadership, middle east, Military | 13 Comments
Read about from the AP.
Here’s more from the Muqata, including photos of Bloomberg in Sderot now (Jameel tips his hat to SderotMedia for the photos):
Also, from the blog, Jerusalem Magazine:
A vote of confidence on Israel’s goals was voiced by U.S. Sec of State Condoleezza Rice, who said that Hamas brought the problems on themselves by attacking Israel with missiles. This tone was also taken by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, visiting Israel on a solidarity trip. Bloomberg said if someone attacked New York with missiles he expected the US government to respond with everything it had, just as Israel is doing.
And HayLur.net:
The military has warned that the campaign could take “many long days.”
Even with Israeli forces on the ground, though, Hamas continued its rocket fire. About 25 rockets were launched at southern Israel by Sunday afternoon, the military said. One hit a house in the Israeli border town of Sderot. Touring the town some time later, Michael R. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, had to be rushed into a protected space when Sderot’s incoming rocket alert sounded.
According to the AP:
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Bloomberg said he fully understood Israel’s actions. “You should rest assured, if anyone in New York was being threatened, my instruction to the NYPD (New York police) would be to use all the resources at their disposal to protect civilians,” Bloomberg said.
“I think as a New Yorker, we’ve been attacked twice by al-Qaida itself,” said the mayor, who is Jewish. “We’ve seen enormous devastation and courage and after that you sort of feel you have a bond, if you will, for those who live in a dangerous world and subject to someone trying to kill them.”
New York Congressman Gary Ackerman (D) and NY Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly are traveling with Bloomberg.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:31 am January 4th, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, leadership, middle east, Military | 13 Comments
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State Rep. Mandel’s Israel nuptuals featured in magazine
Filed Under Israel, Jewish, OH17, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse | Leave a Comment
Having been in Israel about ten days before this event, I know it was extremely hot there. But, based on the Spring 2009 issue of Elegant Weddings, it looks and sounds like the wedding of state representative Josh Mandel (R-17, Lyndhurst) was very cool indeed.
Only quibble with the article: they state Mandel’s age as both 30 and 31. I couldn’t find his birthdate listed at his campaign or state legislature site, but FarmVotesMatter.org lists it as 9/27/77, which would make him 30 at the time of the wedding and 31 at the time of publication. Probably just an editing thing (article written before it was published perhaps).
NB: FarmVotesMatter lists the 17th district as swing, as opposed to leaning or strongly Democrat, which is how pro-Mandel campaign efforts often describe it. The 17th district includes the following communities: Bentleyville, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls Township, Glenwillow, Hunting Valley, Independence, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights (part), Moreland Hills, Oakwood, Pepper Pike, Seven Hills, Solon, Valley View, and Walton Hills.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:00 am January 4th, 2009 in Israel, Jewish, OH17, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse | Please comment
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[graphic] Latest rocket range map, Gaza and Israel
Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, middle east, Military | Leave a Comment
Thank you again to Jameel at The Muqata. He is live-blogging from Israel, with photos, Hebrew source information and other links.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:37 pm January 3rd, 2009 in Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, middle east, Military | Please comment
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