Arming our future opponents for the next go-around

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C–Following the dismantling of Saddam’s army, the U.S.-led coalition began training and equipping a new army and police force while we began building a new government. Even under Saddam, Iraq was a fairly modern country with a mid-20th century infrastructure including a governmental infrastructure, a relatively educated population including women, and […]

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USA

San Diego’s Historic Places: The original Temple Beth Israel

SAN DIEGO—For more than a month, workers have been laboring at county-owned Heritage Park in Old Town to restore the original Temple Beth Israel and six other historic buildings to the glory of their  19th century conditions, while preparing the overall development for a new life as a reception hall and bed-and-breakfast park. Partners Bill

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Donald H. Harrison

Arabs, ultra-Orthodox adopt contrasting styles in Israel's politics

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Israel suffers from two prominent fault lines in its society. Both are complex, and fragment into further splits that confound any simple remedies. One sets the Arab minority against the Jewish majority. Complicating any application of conventional minority/majority analysis is the proximity of the Palestine and the larger Arab and Muslim communities.

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Ira Sharkansky

AJE's Melton Adult Mini School graduates 10th class

SAN DIEGO–After two years of studying together, the 10th graduating class of the Agency for Jewish Education’s Melton Adult Mini-School in San Diego gathered together with their families and friends at the Lawrence Family JCC to celebrate their achievement.  The 40 local graduates and matriculating students are part of 3,000 adult Melton students in 60

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San Diego Calendar

Most insurance companies agree not to invest in companies doing business with Iran

SACRAMENTO (Press Release)–California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner on Thursday announced that 1,010 insurance companies – more than 75 percent of insurers licensed to do business in California — have agreed to forgo future investments in 50 companies identified as doing business with Iran’s nuclear, energy or defense sectors. “This is a great victory for California

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Middle East

San Diego’s Historic Places: Kate Sessions around the town

  By Donald H. Harrison   SAN DIEGO—Today, Katherine Olivia Sessions (1857-1940) might have gotten an argument from conservationists who believe introduction of new plant species adversely impact the surrounding eco-system. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when San Diego was attempting to attract businesses and new residents, Sessions was highly admired

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Donald H. Harrison

Self-stigma seen as major impediment to mentally ill's participation in society

HAIFA (Press Release)–A new intervention, the result of a collaboration among researchers from the University of Haifa, City University of New York and Indiana University, was found to reduce the self-stigma and improve the quality of life and self-esteem among persons with serious mental illness. “Just like wheelchairs and Braille have increased social integration for people

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Travel and Food

Neither side seems ready for real compromise in proximity talks

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–We all know that the devil is in the details, and that the language of politics is hyperbole. Those two platitudes will come together in the “proximity talks” between Israel and Palestine that the Americans are reminding us that they worked so hard to create. They may well doom the talks, assuming

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA