What is the underlining purpose here?

In comparing these last two days, I struggle. I struggle between defining Israel as a state in which Judaism is to be preserved and a state in which Jewish values are at the utmost expression. All my life I believed the later, as I study I believe the former.

The ultra-Orthodox, those who observe the laws of the Torah to the letter and devote their lives to study, are called Haradi in Israel- a term I only recently became familiar with. This population in Israel is about 1 million people (1/6th the population) and because of the laws in Israel they are 'taken care of' for their entire lives. As I've come to understand it, this was originally set up for a few hundred Jews with the notion that they are preserving Judaism in its truest form given the atrocities the Jewish people faced. This population has exploded and is now a growing social issue in Israel.

55% of Haradi men are unemployed and regardless of the number of years they receive in religious education, it is equivalent to 0-4 years of public education when translated to the job market. This leads to intense re-distribution of wealth in order to support this growing population. Our last stop yesterday was to the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, an economic think tank mostly funded by the Joint Distribution Center. This is where these numbers became very real.

Our morning had begun at the Kiryat Ono College where there is a push to educate Haradi students in secular subjects so that they might have the tools to enter the work force and provide for themselves. This is a difficult task as the Hardai see themselves as purposely separate from modern society, as it is morally corrupt and their purpose is of a higher caliber in the preservation of Judaism and the Jewish people. This college also educates Ethiopian Jewish students and integrates them into studies with the rest of the Israeli student population. As with other nonprofits doing good work, it was great to hear from the college and their view point on educating Israel's population.

Yesterday's visits coupled with the previous days activities led me to the place I am now as expressed at the begining of my post. Although it is clear to many of my other classmates why the Haradi community is the way that it is, I do not have the in-depth institutional knowledge on the issue. What I do know is that a large percentage of the Israeli population does not have to work while there is a population of immigrants and refugees who want nothing more than to work and be a productive member of Israeli society.

This is my struggle. Is Israel here to preserve Judaism, in-turn supporting a population devoted to the study of Judaism, even to the detriment of the rest of Israeli society or is it a state in which living Jewish values for all inhabitants, regardless of race or religion (or religious sect for that matter), is of the utmost importance?

Thoughts? Which should it be? This is clearly a loaded question as I am writing it from my perspective, not a necessarily un-biased appropriate survey question, but the question I will keep with me as we continue to study.

On a lighter note, we also visited a modern day Kibbutz named Tammuz. The inhabitants do not work on this Kubbutz, they have non-agricultural jobs outside, they do however live together, celebrate together, deal with finances together, and make decisions together. The one defining element of the presentation was the emphasis on discussion, study, and dialogue. They have no formal rules or constitution or written foundational values, every decision (although ultimately a personal one) is a discussion among the collective. Our presenter did not like our hypothetical questions as the community is quite rational and together come up with solutions to problems as they arise.

They are compised of 14 families and was founded 25 years ago. To put it in a different context, imagine you belong to a small Synagogue but everyone else who belongs to it lives around the Synagogue or imagine permenant camp with families. In essence, this is socailism on a small scale. I think it's great! :)

I imagine for my life a similar situation when Barak moves to Los Angeles and we are able to find a small community of Jewish young adults whom we will meet regularly, celebrate holidays and life cycle events, study Judaism, and discuss the ups and downs of our lives together. I am also very blessed to have this currently in a group of friends whose company I do not get to enjoy as often as I would like but I envision as my life becomes more stable that this will be a constant in my life.

What I liked most, and what most don't like about socialism, is the financial aspect. This is the biggest difference between this Kibbutz and the havarah I currently enjoy or will enjoy in the future. Everyone's pay checks go into the same account and each family (depending on the number of children) gets a specific amount for their personal budget. The remainder is saved or used for communal purposes, i.e. food, electric bills, health bills, rent, etc. There is also an open account where community members can be reimbursed for various work or necessity expenses.

Ah, what a life where I do not have to worry about taxes!! A life where I work and am given just the net amount left after all other expenses are taken care of- for me, this is a dream, a very relaxing one. He spoke about a member losing his job and the fact that he did not have to rush to find any position to be able to support his family, that the collective was able to support him until he was able to find a job which ended up being better than the one he was fired from.

Lucky for me, I have a wonderful boyfriend who will take care of all those things for me, right Barak?? Nah, I really have no problem dealing with my finances and the rosy picture painted I'm sure has underlining issues. Would I actually ever live inthe Kibbutz like this, probably not, will I seek out a communal way of life, however that looks in the states, absolutely!

On an ending note there have been a few things here in Israel I'd like to take with me. For one, I have eaten more pickles in the last four days than I think I have ever in my entire life, they are soooooooo good :) There are also phrases I use on an hourly basis I'd like to keep in my vernacular- Toda and Toda Raba (thank you and thank you very much), Shlecha (sorry or excuse me), and Betzeder (my favorite- it's ok or it's alright). Lastly, their toilets are awesome, two flushing options, not a lot of water wasted and they have solar water heaters on every roof (come on SoCal this is a no brainer!).

Today we focus on politics but only till 1:00pm because it is Shabbat! Yeah!! This means I get to see friends who are studying at the HUC in Jerusalem, go shopping, and enjoy a wonderful Shabbat service, I am quite excited :) Today and tomorrow comprise of far more down time than we've enjoyed these past few days and I feel very blessed to not only be able to spend it in Israel but with my wonderful, intelligent, insightfully, interesting, another i word I can't think of, classmates and teachers.

Shabbat Shalom :)

Do not oppress the stranger, for you were a stranger in the land of Egypt

Yesterday was a long day full of a variety of different activities. We first heard from Avi Armoni the former director of the New Israel Fund and the Museum of Jewish Peoplehood. He spoke about the 3rd sector (Nonprofits, NGOs, civily society) and the specific statistics associated (listed at the end of the post). What I found most interesting about his presentation was the emphasis he put on the influence Jews in the US have had on Israeli society in terms of being active in government. Avi explained that when he was younger the activity of the government was something you just accepted and felt as if you had no influence over. This sentiment has changed and Israelis have adopted a similar advocacy culture (as seen by their tent protests), where they feel as if their actions can make a difference.

For Avi and his family there are a few truths they live by- numbers matter, civil society matters, the only platform that can make a difference is the political platform, values of philanthropy, and the development of nonprofit professionals is important. These are very telling aspects of how the mindset of Israelis are changing. One of the last things Avi mentioned was the evolution of a 4th sector, businesses employing previously unemployable people (physically or mentally handicapped). This is evident that the lines between public, business, and the civil sector are blurring and there is more collaboration than competition- the theme of our world today.

From that presentation, we went to A.D. Gordon Elementary, a school for predominantly Russian speaking immigrant children. When we got there the children were lined up and ready to sing us some Hanukkah songs (in English, Hebrew, and Russian) and did a dance for us. It was the cutest thing ever! Afterward, we were able to talk to some of the older students about their experience, what they hope to do when they grow up, their favorite subject, ect. They were very eager to speak with us and we were quite impressed by their English!

When the students left we spoke with the principle about the nature of the school. They are a public school funded by the government. Soon the school will be opening it's doors to non-Russian speaking Israelis with the hope of helping to integrate the Russian speaking students into Israeli society (even though they will enter an integrated school after 6th grade). I thought it was interesting that the goal of the school was one- to provide a place for Russian speaking immigrant children to attend school with other Russian children and two- to assimilate these children into Israeli society, leaving it up to their parents to teach them any Russian culture they wish to retain. This made me a little sad, I think the idea of giving these children an opportuntiy to begin their education with other Russian children so that they are able to enter the larger Israeli society, well educated while retinaing their Russian culture. However, the view is that if you live in Israel you should be Israeli and that this school is destined to be like every other.

Lunch was in the central bus station in South Tel Aviv, very delicious falafel!! This is also the area where a majority of the immigrant community live. There we met with Meslia, an aid and information center for the foreign community and refugees, and heard about the 40,000 immigrant population who live in South Tel Aviv, 80,000 in all of Israel. They are funded 25% from the Israeli government and therefore are not able to do advocacy work or speak against the practices of the government. What they do do is provide absorption services in an attempt to provide basic human rights (as defined by the UN) to the refugee and immigrant population.

The women we met with spoke specifically about the way immigrant children are cared for before they are old enough to enter the public school system. For the first three years of most immigrant children's lives (about 1,000 children), they spend their days in a single room with about 40 other children and a single caregiver. This puts these children at a severe disadvantage as they begin school significantly behind their peers, reverberating throughout their lives, because they do not play or learn, these day cares are more of a 'holding room' while the parents work. Many children die in these facilities because of the lack of available and proper care. The conditions she showed us were quite upsetting and Mesila has been able to both open 3 appropriate day care facilities and help educate caregivers on the proper way to provide daycare.

I'm grateful that there is an organization who works to help mitigate these problems but it makes me sad that the Jewish government and people are not more involved with helping provide a better start for these people in Israel. I am also grateful that the immigrant population in the US for the most part do not experince this. Our issue is that we are now faced with a population of immigrant children who are literate and able to be productive members of society but we are not allowing them to do so legally.

Lastly, we visited Bina, an organization that emphasized social justice and study. They have many programs for Israelis and non-Israelis to study and volunteer in the immigrant community with the focus of helping to make their lives better. We examined different texts that speak to helping the stranger, the oppressed, and the orphan. Discussion ensued from there about Israel's responsibility to these populations and how the issue should be approached when looking at it through a Jewish lens.

I found it interesting that none of the quotes used were from the Reform movement or had a Reform tint. In addition, Rabbi Laura Geller brought up that this issue is a real test of how 'we' as Jews are to run a country. For so long we were the minority, powerless to influence the way the country in which we lived was run. Now we are not in that position and we do have the power to create policies and programs that reflect Jewish values. Sadly, this is how the Jewish people are choosing to deal with this problem.

As I write this, we are on our way to Kiryat Ono College to discuss the ultra-Orthodox (Hareidi) community in relation to the Ethiopian population and the education they provide to Israelis. More to come from today's adventures!!

NGO Stats:

34,000 NGOs, 236,152 employees, 29% education, 15% culture, 15% religious services, 12% welfare, 10% philanthropy foundations, 3% health, 70% are providing services, 4% advocacy- 20% of GDP, 12% of labor force, 60 billion shekels

volunteer force = 40,000 jobs, 32-35% volunteer, 160 hours a year, 22% to security, 43% welfare, % health

Income 25% fees for service, 10% contributions

"I'm not as rich as I deserve to be"- quote from Ari I thought was interesting

77% of Israeli adults contribute- values based and emotional relation to need drive volunteering- average $1,000 shekels per year per adult - door to door solicitation is commen and works
with increae wealth, not necessarily increase giving

NGOs have transformed the nature of the country that goes way beyond services, world Jewery participates in all things Israel

More similar than I thought

In the summer of 2011, almost a half million people protested the economic inequality in Israel, sparked by an increase in the price of cottage cheese. As a result, free education was extended to begin at 3 years old (previously 5 years old) and the tax rate for coporations were frozen.

The current income and economic inequality was the topic of our lecture today by Valeria Seigelshifer, the advocacy director for Adva Center, a policy research center with a focus on equality and social justice in Israel. The root cause of this inequality in Israel dates back to the 70's oil crisis. Since then, Israel has continually moved away from the welfare state it was established as to become more privatized and business oriented.

This is a fundemental difference between Israel and the US. The US was never established as a welfare state, however, since 2001, US policy has shifted to favor the private sector. This has resulted in increasingly widening income inequality and the recession we continue to enjoy. Inequality- more money at the top than in the remainder of society collectively. This was not the vision of the founders in Israel and I do not believe this was the vision of the founders in the US.

Clearly there are many differences between Israel and the US, more persisely the presence of the military. I just finished listening to the 'Twilight of the Elites' by Chris Hayes, in which he mentiones the distance between those who serve in the miliatry and those who make decisions about the military (i.e. upper class politicians). Because they are so removed, they and their children do not serve, their decisions are disconnected from the effects of those decisions felt by those who serve and their families. He also highlighted the intense variation between the view of those political representatives who had served (far more anti-war) than those who have not. The US's miliatry is voluntary and largely privatized, the Israeli army is largely mandatory and completely government run (althought I am not an expert in this area so I many be incorrect, this is just what I was told).

The US too had a large social movement, the Occupy Movement, and I am jealous to see that the movement in Israel was able to result in actual policy changes where as Occupy lead to.... oh that's right, nothing. People can argue that it lead to awareness, but as our Jewish sages have taught me, what is awareness without action??

Pointedly, there is of course no simple answer to solve all of the US's problems as we continue to debate how to appropriately cut social services, military spending and raise taxes to begin to balance our budget. What is interesting is that our income inequality and social unrest will not be solved with a balanced budget. Our discussions during this seminar will continue as we attempt to define what the role of the public sector (government) verses the role of the civil society (the nonprofit sector) verses the business sector (or private sector). Where are those lines and how can they all collaborate to make a better society as a whole, if that is ineed the desired end result.

For me, it's all about education. If the argument from the right is that every individual has the responsibility to take care of themselves and if they are poor it is of their own doing and the argument from the left is that it is the responsibility of the government to take care of those who fall through the cracks, my solution is education. If the US has a strong public school education system, every child will be given the appropriate tools to 'help themselves' and less people will fall through the cracks, balancing the budget!! (that's sarcasm :) We are unfortunately a long way away from making that a reality and recreating the middle class but what I do know is that more social services cuts won't get us there.

What's your solution? What change might lead to lower income inequality in the US or Israel? Is income inequality what needs to be changed and if not than what?

For the rest of our afternoon, we joined Leket Israel, an organizaiton who collects unused food from weddings, events, hotels, ect. to redistribute to poor communities and food banks. In addition, the organization gleans left over food from fields to provide fresh produce which would have otherwise been left to rot. Together we picked a row of clementines filling a crate and a half, about 1,340 lbs, which will go to 200+ families in food baskets.

It was a great experience and reminded me of going apple picking with Barak a few months ago, I even got to eat a clementine! It made me think a lot about what nonprofit service might be missing in Los Angeles. There is an organizaiton called Food Forward who gleans from private residence all over LA, donating to local food banks, as well as many other food banks that re-distribute produce. I also know there are tight regualtions on a venue being able to donate left over food for the fear that the food might make the recipent ill, without knowing who was responsible. So whether or not this model would work in Los Angeles is a difficult question, what I do know is that it is making a difference to the disenfranchised here in Israel.

Looking at who we are through a different lens

I am sitting among many models of Synagogues around the world with a recording of collective Hebrew prayers playing in the background.

I am sitting in the Beit Hatfutsot: The Museum of the Jewish People, created in 1978 to represent the Jews in the diaspora, the museum has not been updated since.

I am sitting in a rather comfortable chair after eating a very Israeli lunch and having not slept since Saturday night, trying to keep my eyes open, very open.

I am sitting alone.

I am sitting in the land of Israel.

As our group was so wonderful guided through this aging museum by David Mendelson, title here, I couldn't help but think about what I would want to say to Israelis about life in the diaspora as a Jew, if I were to design this museum. I would want to reflect my own Jewish experience, summer camp, youth group, modern Synagogues, speeches by my favorite Rabbis, Jewish nonprofit organizaitons, and the Jewish university in which I currently study. I would want to convey how happy I am as a Jew in the diaspora.

The museum ends with the idea that all the Jews in the diaspora will eventually make their way to the land of Israel and that the diaspora will be a thing of the past. I take this, of course, with a grain of salt because of the aging nature of the museum. However, I can not break away from this idea. In my wonderful Jewish history class, we talked about Jewish nationalism before Israel was a state. Many nationalist were purponants of assimilation and living in the diaspora, that is until a Jew was targeted for a crime they did not comit and the entire host nation turned against the whole Jewish community. That was the Jewish problem these nationalist were trying to solve by having an autonomious Jewish state, anti-semitism.

One of my classmates and I spoke about this idea today that nowhere is safe for Jews, the idea that no matter where we live, persecution will eventually follow and all Jews will make their way to the land of Israel for it will be the only safe place in the world for Jews. This is the exact opposite message I would want to send Israelis from the diaspora.

I don't live with anti-semitism, I live with the opposite. I live in a world where I watch movies and tv shows that make regular references to Jews and Jewish culture. I live in a world where Jews are promenant politicians on both sides of the isle. I live in a world where the President throws a Hanukkah party! I live in a world without anti-semitism, outside of the land of Israel (where I could argue one might experience more anti-semitism than I have).

The fear then is that this world I live in, my bubble in Los Angeles, is but a temporary farce and at any moment the tides could turn as they have done time and time again in our collective history. And when that happens, the Jews of Los Angeles will flock to Israel for refuge, as many non-Jews do today. Nevertheless, if I were to send one message about the diaspora, it would be that Jewish life outside of Israel is flourishing in a million different directions, growing strong Jewish identities among our people.

What would you want to add to Beit Hatfutsot (diaspora)? What message would you want to send Israelis about life as a Jew in the diaspora?

Not quite 'political' but the best nonetheless!

I started this blog in 2009 when I graduated college and was feeling worthless as a waitress. I've since neglected the best blog and chose to use it to write about my trip to Israel (starting tomorrow). When I came back to it I found that over 2,000 people had viewed it and 51 this past month from the US, Russia, Spain, and Australia. I suppose that's what a good title gets you since I have not written a post in 2 years!

That being said, 2013 is upon us as I sit in the airport awaiting my flight to Newark. There I get to spend 7 wonderful hours with my boyfriend Barak (get it, Barak and Michelle- feel free to laugh out loud :) and then it is off  to Israel with my classmates for 14 days, then back to Jersey for New Years and our 1 year anniversary : D THEN to Sacramento (Rockville to be specific) to see my sister Kim and my 10 month nephew, this is my idea of a perfect break!!

Today is also the day I finished my last final from my first semester of graduate school. For those who don't know, in June I began a duel masters program at Hebrew Union College's School of Jewish  Nonprofit Management and USC's Price School of Public Policy (Masters in Jewish Nonprofit Management and a Masters in Public Administation). It's a mouthful and as you can imagine a lot of work! However wonderful my experience has been, this is not the topic I wish to discuss here. I'm going to Israel- what does that mean to me as an American Jew? Lets explore!

I've found it weird to tell non-Jews that I am going to Israel. Not that it's a bad thing, I get the normal 'oh, great' reaction but regardless I'm left feeling as if I'm a religious weirdo. When I tell Jews they get excited for me and concerned for my safety. A few weeks ago as rockets flew toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I sat on the phone with my mom and FaceTime (apple's Skype) with Barak and cried because I did not want to go, I was truley concerned about my saftey. Alas, the fighting stopped and the trip was not canceled, so here I am... going to Israel...

I like Los Angeles, I like being a Jew in Los Angeles! No rockets here :) The weather is beautiful, there is a huge tight-knit Jewish community, you can be any kind of Jew you want to be and you'll be fully accepted, you don't have to know another language, I don't have to serve in an army, and for the most part we enjoy a relative courtesy like lines and saying your sorry when you bump into someone. This is my dilemma as an American Jew. I love that there is a place where Hebrew is a spoken language, Jews are looked at as strong, and you can visit historical sites that you feel a connection to. But beyond that I'm pissed... there are so many elements of the way Israel operates that do not in any way reflect my Judaism and I think the founders would roll in their graves if they knew how Israel was being run. Women being arrested at the Wall?? Reform Rabbis are not considered Rabbis nor are the marrages they perform?? Reform congregations can only get state support under the 'recreation' budget line?? Israelis growing up in Israel with no religious Jewish identity?? Sending refugees back to their genocidal country to die?? These elements keep my heart in the west, in Los Angeles.

All that being said, I look forward to exploring all these things and more on my trip. I hope my perspective can be changed and when I write my last blog post I will be able to articulate a different, more educated point of view (I'm not sure if I'll ever change my feelings about LA though). Here are the topics we will be covering:

*Issues in Modern Israeli Society: Responses from the Nonprofit Sector
*The Peoplehood Paradim: The Changing Agenda in Israel Diaspora Relations
*Challenges to the Social Fabric in Israel: Social Justice
*Diverse Populations
*Religious-Sector Diversity Focusing on Hareidi (Orthodox Jews) and Secular
*Israeli Political System and Current Realties
*Shabbat: Jewish Public Space
*Socail Entrepreneurship in the Arena of Israeli Nonprofits
*Training Leaders of the Next Generation
*Enhancing Jewish Peoplehood
*The Emerging Peoplehood Agenda: Changing the Relationship Between Israel and the Diaspora

Lastly, I have to give a shout out to Richard Siegel, the Director of the School of Jewish Nonprofit Mangement, Mandi Richardson, Associate Director of SJNM, Mikaela Bender, SJNM Administrative Assistant, other HUC staff and the JCC staff in Israel for their tireless hard work in making this trip possible. I feel so very blessed to not only be able to go on this trip but to be able to study at HUC with a group of amazing people. Thank you! :)

I will be posting as often as I can throughout my trip, wifi allowing, and if all goes well posting more about politics when I return. That being said I close this blog with tears welling up in my eyes at the thought of the tragedy that bestowed our nation today as 30 people senselessly lost their lives. I pray that the memory of those lost will live on in the hearts and minds of their loved ones and that our nation can eventually figure out how to stop these things from happening (on what seems like) a monthly basis.

Shabbat Shalom! Have a wonderful reflective weekend and hug your loved ones tight!

**PLEASE excuse any misspellings or typos, I will do my best to edit my posts but I am typing from an iPad into a Google application, which as we all know is far from perfect :)

The House Gets Taken Over By Republicans - Good Luck!

Republicans think they can do it better and the American people believe them. Now here is their chance to really fix all of American's problems with all their great ideas!


Idea's like huge tax cuts for the wealthy adding billions of dollars on to the deficit, repealing health care reform so children with cancer will have to get a job to pay for their health bills, and of course keeping that great policy of 'Don't ask - Don't tell’ because the military is much better off without those gays getting in the way.

Oh - and we get to watch an oversize ompa loompa decide how to run a section of the government. This should be entertaining! One way Obama can make sure that Republicans can be seen for their true colors is to just agree with them, all of the time - that way the Republicans will be left with no ideas at all nothing to show for themselves except their discontent for the American President (Nobel Peace Prize winning American President, by the way).

I'm so excited for these next two years, for Republicans to really show us what they've got, that THEY know how to fix the slow growing economy, that they can bring millions of job miraculously back to America by giving really rich people more money to createcheaper jobs overseas because it’s better for business that way *cough* Meg Whitman *cough*. They have spent the last 2 years whining like babies (Nut Gingrich anyone? - I'm only 23 and I remember what happen last time)- that no one is listening to them - that no one cares what they have to say - and that Democrats are big bullies trying to push their crazy socialist agendas on all of America.

The problem does not lie with the Republicans - they are only the loudest voice in the room. The problem I fear is with the Democrats - their fight for what is right is a quiet one. They do not boast about their accomplishments, they do not highlight the good work they have done as legislators; they do not tout their frustrations with an opposition that simply wants them to fail at everything. Democrats sense of standing up for what is right is done in a way that they are not the loudest voice in the room or the voice that gets the most attention - except for the few brave ones *cough* Anthony Weiner *cough* - who choose to use their voice to gain media attention to bring to light the unfair politics that have been occurring in Washington.

I know Obama is going to get re-elected, that I am not worried about. He is a strong intellectual man who stands up for what is right not based on ideology or blind faith, he stands up for what is right through pure humility in connecting with people on a deeper level than any other president and he knows how to give a speech!

Obama is not who I am worried about - Republicans are not who I am worried about - it is the American people who have been blinded by ignorant hate, by acid words, and by fear filled propaganda. To use Glen Becks homage to WWII - do you ever wonder how an entire country could have participated in the systematic inhalation of 12 million people in a few years? Now I am in no way equating what the right wing does as ever possibly being able to cultivate such strong hatred as to ever reach this level of evil - I am however asking that you open your mind to see how it was possible 60+ years ago with similar campaigns fueled by the rich, similar media propaganda spewed by those who lack the maturity to compromise, similar finger pointing to a single set of people who are the root cause of all the problems our society faces??

No, Republicans it is your turn. You are in power. You are the ones who will take the blame, who will take the fall, who will loose and this time you will not be able to hide behind Democrats for your failures. And don't think for one minute that Democrats will not be right behind you doing the good work they do with the American people's best interest at heart - the quite voices, the humble policy makers, with the well informed and the disenfranchised by their side.

Or maybe you'll succeed - maybe you'll somehow create jobs, lower the unemployment rate, bring prosperity back to America, and once again we will be a strong economic front to the world. All in all, it's a win-win situation - the down side, this continued stalemate of our government, the continued decline in our material wealth and global strength, the continued bloodshed of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continued policy of 'NO', and the continued suffering of so many Americans needlessly- this would be the greatest loss for the next two years...

I apologize for the length of this post, I have been off the blog radar for some time but now that I have internet in my home I am back, I will be getting the facts, I will be deciphering the opinions and I will be following the issues. More to come, thanks for playing :)

Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Stakeout, on the situation in Darfur

Remarks by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at a Security Council Stakeout, on the situation in Darfur