Thoughts of home

While I am gallivanting across the globe, I still read Israeli papers to know what’s happening back home.

I saw this editorial, from the 3rd largest Israeli newspaper (and the only one worth reading) and thought I should share it with all of you, so that you know that there are other voices out there in the sea of violence and hatred.

"The occupation is still occupation - By Haaretz Editorial

The Lebanon war has not proved the unilateral withdrawal was a failure. Neither has it made occupation any more reasonable or moral.

The Qassam rocket fire from Gaza may have strengthened the position of those who demanded a withdrawal by agreement, but did not evoke a yearning to resettle there. The settlements in Gaza did not protect Israel from rocket fire or suicide attacks; they confined the IDF to missions that exhausted it and undermined the justness of its struggle.

The hasty withdrawal of reserve forces from Lebanon now proves there is no regret for the pullout six years ago from this region either. Perhaps the pullout wasn't carried out wisely, perhaps Israel missed a chance for peace with Syria, perhaps it failed to foresee Hezbollah's gaining strength, but nobody believes Israel should have stayed in Lebanon permanently.

The occupation of the territories is still a millstone on Israel's neck, paralyzing any attempt at normalization with the Arab states, even those who share interests with Israel against radical Islam. One cannot demand of the citizens of Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt to identify with Israel as long as it refuses to release its stranglehold on millions of Palestinians under its rule.

Conducting negotiations with the Palestinians' representatives is still an utmost Israeli interest. Palestinian politics are changing daily, but Israel is blind to this process. Only yesterday Israel captured and imprisoned the deputy Palestinian prime minister, and other cabinet and parliament members are still in Israeli prison. It is doubtful whether this behavior advances Israel's interests, or even the release of Gilad Shalit.

Israel should have encouraged the talks for setting up a national unity government between Fatah and Hamas, the prisoners' document, the Egyptian initiative to free women and veteran prisoners - to try to jump start some process, for fear that a political vacuum would turn Gaza into South Lebanon. The rocket fire should also be stopped by agreement. Military operations, grand and sophisticated as they may be, do not achieve the results that an agreement accepted by both sides can achieve.

The settlers of Eli, three of whose residents were killed in Lebanon, say the war proved the settlers right. This is a blatant lie, based on preaching to messianic militarism, worshiping eternal war against the Arabs with no willingness for concessions or dialogue. The settlements and the occupation are disastrous to Israel even if the settlers volunteer to the army and are killed, like soldiers from the rest of the population. The death of soldiers from Eli does nothing to justify their settlement there.

The funds that were invested in the settlements could have been used to prevent the home front towns in the Galilee from becoming poor, rundown neglected communities. The erosion of the army, due to fighting against Palestinian civilians for years, explains at least in part the IDF's weakness in the face of Hezbollah. The settlers must not be allowed to use the war in Lebanon to "launder" the settlement project, even if Olmert's government does not intend to carry out the realignment plan. Governments come and go, but the need to end the occupation remains. "

I need a vacation…

After a tough week of back-to-school blues, we (the SIPA exchange students) headed down to Indonesia for some much need beach time. We went to the east cost of Pulau Bintan, to a small beach near Teluk Bakau. It took us about 2 hours by ferry from Singapore, and then another hour on a taxi. There really wasn’t much to see there but beach, and not much to do but chill, read, and drink – just what the doctor ordered.



The northern part of the island has been taken over by Singaporean developers, and there are 5 star hotels and golf courses there. The eastern side however is pretty much empty, in very sharp contrast. Very few backpackers venture out there, and I wouldn’t say that it is a hidden paradise, and probably won’t go back, but it was dirt cheap and pretty sweet. The entire weekend cost around $90.

Now I can start a new week of school and fun….

Hard life of a Grad` student

Well I see that you have all been eagerly hitting my Blog, and we have now happily have over 200 hits. Way to go!!

So now I feel pressure to supply you with the goods, worthy of such attention. We shall start with the boring stuff first. I started my 1st week of classes at the Lee Kuan Yew school of Public Policy. Yes yes, it is as exciting as it sounds. At some opening lecture they tried convincing us that public policy is “sexy”. I can just see the t-shirts… while not exactly sexy, it is interesting, with a strong Asian focus (no, I am not writing that just to avoid being a PNG…). The syllabus for the courses are filled with non-western authors, which is a nice change from SIPA and their “Made in the US” approach.

Once again, I also spent time hitting the local night-club scene. After some sushi and sake, we enjoyed some Hip-Hop at Dbl O. here is a taste…

Singapore by night

I arrived in Singapore, signed into my humble NUS student housing, and began settling in. My 1st day here, I went and bought a new phone, which has lots of fun features, which include video recording and picts. This allows me to share my most recent of experiences, which took place not an hour before this posting.

I went out to a joint called Zouk, one of the locally acclaimed clubs. It was just what I needed, and I had a GREAT TIME!!! The alcohol wasn’t cheap, but fairly priced, which is a nice change from New York, London, or Tel-Aviv where you get fleeced the moment you walk through the door. The music was great, the attention to detail was high, the atmosphere amazing.Docile Asians my ass, they were ripping up the dance floor like the best of `em. Don’t believe me? Have a look at this video…

End of Summer

I decided to end my summer with some much-needed beach R&R.

We went to a small beach on Ko phi Phi Island. Truly amazing. We went for the lower price scale so it was somewhat basic, but it had all I really needed, i.e. plenty of beach and sun, and only cost $90 for 4 nights with food and beer. I spent 3 days reading on the beach and eating fresh fish. It was so peaceful and quite, a sharp change from BKK, just what I needed. The full picts are here.




We got back to BKK wens afternoon, and left for Singapore the next morning. I arrived at my allotted NUS housing, which is small and basic, but meets my simple needs (high-speed internet in the room). I have yet to go exploring, but will do so over the weekend before school starts on Monday.

I will keep everyone posted!!!

Pai in the Sky

On Monday, I took a train to ChaingMai, and continued directly to the mountain village of Pai. I wish I had more pictures, but it was pouring rain the 1st day I was there, so no camera :(

I rented a motor bike, and took it around town. I was completely drenched, wearing only a bathing suite and a rain jacket. Riding the motor bike, wind blowing in my receding hair, rice patties to the left, cloud covered mountains to the right… absolutely AMAZING!!!




The following day I decided not to be lazy, and went on a rafting trip. Conclusion - when in doubt, go rafting!!! I say this despite having lost my watch while jumping off a 15m cliff. Well if you must loose something, that’s the way to go. Odd actually, since the previous watch, which this one had replaced, I lost in Alexandria. Seems to be a pattern here...

Summer Part III

So today I have officially been in Thailand for 1 whole week. While I have been busy, you too, my loyal readers have been busy checking out the blog. Over 100 hits, way to go!!

During my 1st weekend in BKK, I visited the Temples (emerald Buddha & reclining Buddha) near the old royal palace (wat phra kaew), which were beutiful. Every corner cried out for a picture; attached are a few samples but you can see the rest here.



I also went to the mass shopping malls of BKK. They are very much like Vegas, no windows, no concept of time, and one could very easily spend eternity there. I could swear I smelled sulfur coming from under the floors. For all you technophiles out there, beware - NBK is not the place for you. Like Odysseus, I had to be tied down not to give into the sweet sirens call, and almost bought a $600 phone.