James Franco explains Instagram scandal: ‘Social media is tricky’ (VIDEO)
James Franco on LIVE with Kelly and Michael.
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April 4, 2014
Does it matter if Jews are in politics?
Yesterday evening, I observed a panel of three local Jewish politicos at University Synagogue in Brentwood, which was hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. On the panel were Los Angeles city councilmember Bob Blumenfield, Ana Guerrero, mayor Eric Garcetti's chief of staff, and Richard Bloom, who represents much of the Westside in the California State Assembly.
It wasn't particularly notable–more just serving as an opportunity for young LA Jews to meet some of their fellow Jewish power players.
One short exchange, though, early on in the evening touched on a question, and an idea, that seems a bit, well, sacrosanct within Jewish political circles. The panel's moderator, political expert Raphael Sonenshein, asked Blumenfield, Guerrero, and Bloom, whether it even matters if Jews are in politics. With longtime Jewish politicians like Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca.) and LA County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky leaving office at the end of this year, these seemingly eternal “Jewish seats” may no longer be Jewish following November elections.
So, as Sonenshein probed, does it matter? Should Jews care whether or not Jews are in politics?
Speaking to a Jewish audience at a synagogue, to expect any member of the panel to argue, “No, it's actually not so important,” would have been a bit optimistic. Risky behavior (and telling Jews that they shouldn't care whether or not Jews are in politics is risky behavior) is not in the DNA of most politicos. Not surprisingly, Blumenfield, Guerrero, and Bloom all said in different ways that, yes, Jews should be in politics, whether as elected officials or as behind-the-scenes staffers.
Jews, they argued, are in an ideal position to a) Trumpet issues significant to Israel, like the boycott, divestment, and sanction (BDS) movement that is particularly active on Southern California campuses, and b) Infuse “Jewish values” into politics, a term that this reporter observes changes according to the party affiliation of the Jewish politician infusing his or her values.
To the first point, there is something to be said about a pro-Israel, pro-Jewish Jew fighting back against anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism (see: Attempt to ” target=”_blank”>not as reliable an ally of the Jewish State as it historically has been. The Does it matter if Jews are in politics? Read More »
HOW TO DISCOURAGE OPEN DEBATE
As readers of this blog know, eighteen years after Proposition 209 banned racial preferences in selecting students to the University of California and California State Colleges and Universities, there has been a campaign to reverse course and gut Prop. 209. SCA 5, a Senate Constitutional Amendment which would have allowed race and ethnicity preferences to return to admissions decisions at the state’s public institutions of higher education–the nine campuses of the University of California (UC) system and the 23 campuses of the California State University (CSU) system— was advanced by State Senator Ed Hernandez.
Last week the measure died for this legislative year when Speaker of the Assembly Perez returned the bill to the Senate without Assembly action. Facing vociferous opposition from various segments of the public, he pulled the measure back, and pledged to form a task force to discuss whether California should change the way it admits students to public universities. The task force is to include representatives from the University of California, California State University and the community colleges among others.
The hope that Perez’s action prompted— that there might be a dispassionate and thoughtful analysis of the data and that the heat surrounding SCA 5 might yield to sober analysis and a discussion of what “is” was dashed in very short order.
SCA 5 was and remains a solution in search of a problem—despite claims by champions of racial preferences to the contrary— both the University of California and California State University systems enjoy greater diversity today than prior to the adoption of Prop 209.
The data on diversity from the UCs are indisputable and support the position of the SCA 5 opponents. In 1996 the percentage of all California resident freshmen enrolled who were African American was 3.8%, by 2013 they were 4% of enrollees. Latinos jumped from 13.8% to 27.5% of enrollees and Asian students increased from 36% to 40%.
The only groups to have “decreased” in percentage terms is whites, who went from 38% of enrollees to 24% and American Indians (1% to .5%). African American and Latino freshmen from California high schools have increased at the UCs by 160% from 1996 to 2013 (4,334 to 10,831).
At CSU’s campuses the change is largely similar. Black, and Latino American freshman enrollees from California high schools have jumped from 10,041 to 28,323 (an increase of 182%); as a percentage of the total student enrollment Latinos jumped from 21.4% to 33.9% and Asians from 17.1% to 18% (although African American enrollment as a percentage of the whole declined from 7.6% to 5%). As at the UC, whites decreased appreciably from 47.4% to 30.4% of the enrolled population.
In terms of “diversity” in its broadest sense, University of California’s nation-leading enrollment of Pell Grant students indicates a diversity of socio-economic strata on campus that is probably unparalleled in the country. Over 40 percent of the enrolled students at the UC and the CSU campuses are Pell Grant recipient students (i.e. most often undergraduates with family incomes under $20,000-$30,000).
The University of California has spent as much as $85 million per year on outreach to disadvantaged kids of all backgrounds. In part because of the massive outreach efforts, the Hispanic dropout rate in California has dropped by more than half in the fourteen years after the passage of Prop. 209. Four year graduation rates for African American and Hispanic students have nearly doubled.
It has been widely and accurately reported that the state’s Asian American community, in particular, Chinese Americans, were very active in opposing SCA 5. They rightfully perceived that they would likely have been the big losers if the amendment had succeeded. The turnout of Asian American citizens at rallies and meetings in opposition to SCA 5 was unprecedented—whether in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles or Sacramento. Legislators were bombarded by tens of thousands of messages, letters and emails.
The Latino Legislative Caucus and the Legislative Black Caucus issued a HOW TO DISCOURAGE OPEN DEBATE Read More »
Palestinians, IDF troops clash near Israeli prison
Several Palestinians were injured in clashes between rioters and Israeli troops near the Ofer Prison north of Jerusalem.
The rioters hurled stones and burning tires toward Israelis guarding the facility, Army Radio reported Friday.
The troops used crowd dispersal means. The Ma’an news agency reported that 13 people were injured.
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are housed at Ofer Prison.
The riots broke out one week after Israel failed to release 26 Palestinian prisoners it said it would set free in a framework agreement for jump-starting peace talks with Palestinian Authority negotiators.
The delay was born out disagreements between the parties on the release of Israeli Arabs. Israel opposes their release and says it never consented to such a move, while the Palestinians demand they be allowed to walk.
After Israel delayed the release, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday applied for membership for “Palestine” in 15 international bodies -– a move he had agreed to put on hold until talks run their course.
Palestinian negotiators are currently demanding that Netanyahu give a written commitment to recognize east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and lift the naval blockade of Gaza as a condition to going ahead with peace talks, Army Radio on Friday reported. They are also demanding the release of 1,200 prisoners, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the report said.
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Kerry: U.S. to reconsider peacemaking role
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States planned to re-evaluate its approach to Middle East peacemaking in light of recent setbacks.
In response to a question while visiting Morocco, Kerry said that he would return to Washington to confer with President Obama before deciding on the next steps. He said it was “reality-check time.”
“There are limits to the amount of time and effort that the United States can spend if the parties themselves are unwilling to take constructive steps in order to be able to move forward,” he said Friday.
“We intend to evaluate,” he added. “Both sides say they want to continue. Neither party has said they have called it off. But we are not going to sit there indefinitely. It is not an open-ended effort,” he added, according to the New York Times.
But he acknowledged that the United States faced an array of foreign policy challenges, including in Ukraine, Iran and Syria. “We have an enormous amount on the plate,” he said.
On Friday, Kerry phoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bid to save the peace talks amid breakdowns that prevented progress.
On Tuesday, Abbas led the Palestinian Authority to apply to join 15 international conventions in defiance of its commitment not to seek such recognition until an agreement is in place.
Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid said wrote on Facebook that this “looks more like a deliberate provocation aimed at blowing up the talks.”
Abbas went ahead with the application after Israel failed to release 26 Palestinian prisoners it said it would release in a framework agreement for jump-starting talks. Israeli officials said they did not agree to the release of Israeli Arabs, a move which the Palestinian Authority demanded.
Palestinian negotiators are currently demanding that Netanyahu give a written commitment to recognize east Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and lift the naval blockade from Gaza as a condition to going ahead with peace talks, Army Radio on Friday reported. They are also demanding the release 1,200 prisoners, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the report said.
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Israeli-American Council expands to Las Vegas
The Israeli-American Council has established an office in Las Vegas as part of a drive to expand from its Los Angeles base to U.S. cities with major concentrations of Israeli expatriates.
Miriam Adelson, born in Haifa and the wife of billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson, is chair of the new IAC Las Vegas regional council established this week.
Inauguration of the Las Vegas office comes on the heels of similar openings in Miami and Boston.
“The Israeli-American Council is changing the landscape of the Jewish community in America … through the full spectrum of educational, cultural, traditional and social programming,” Miriam Adelson said of the inauguration. “We are always thinking of strengthening the Jewish and Israeli identity of future generations and their endless support for the State of Israel.”
IAC’s three-fold mission is to support Israel, strengthen Jewish identity among young Israeli-Americans and enhance communication between the Israeli-American and the more established Jewish-American communities.
An estimated 10,000 Israeli expatriates live in Nevada, primarily in the Las Vegas area, and one of the new office’s first projects is to promote the community celebration of Israel Independence Day.
The IAC was founded in Los Angeles in 2007 by a group of Israeli-American businessmen as the Israeli Leadership Club. Last year it changed its name to Israeli-American Council. It had a presence at this year’s annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington.
Among its major programs are the Israel Independence Festival; Sifriyat Pijama B’America, which distributes Hebrew children’s books throughout the United States; Mishelanu, setting up leadership groups on college campuses; and Tzav 8, which organizes activists to participate in demonstrations and pro-Israel activities.
Estimates of the number of Israelis and their children in the United States vary widely, from 500,000 to IAC’s figure of 800,000.
Amir Eden, a veteran educator and community activist, has been named regional director of the new IAC office for Nevada.
Israeli-American Council expands to Las Vegas Read More »
Israeli troops exchange fire with Gaza
Palestinians fired a rocket at Israel after a retaliatory strike in Gaza by Israeli aircraft.
A Palestinian Qassam rocket on Friday exploded south of Ashkelon, near the border between Gaza and Israel, Army Radio reported. It caused no damage.
The rocket landed after an Israeli aircraft struck several targets in the Gaza Strip. The air strikes were in retaliation for the launching of four rockets from Gaza into Israel Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
The statement said that Palestinian snipers on Thursday fired at security personnel near the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip, causing damage to an armored vehicle.
A 30-year-old man and a baby were injured from shrapnel in the Israeli air strikes, according to a report Friday by the Palestinian Ma’an news agency that quoted officials from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The report did not elaborate on their condition.
According to the IDF, the aircraft struck four targets in the northern strip and another in its center. Ma’an reported hits on 10 sites in Gaza in 15 attacks overnight.
Two targeted sites belonged to Hamas militiamen, according to the report; others were a former police station at al-Zahraa and a blacksmith workshop in Jabaliya. One air strike targeted a washing-machine factory in Jabaliya refugee camp that caused a fire, Ma’an reported.
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Where Has the Truth Gone?
By Rabbi Mark Borovitz
This past week I watched an interview with Dr./Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel recorded in 1972 with Carl Stern. Before I get into the content, I want to talk about the interview itself. Carl Stern was prepared and present. It was an interview that asked difficult questions, and the follow-up questions on answers given were respectful, truthful and transparent. I know that it was 42 years ago. I realize that it was an interview about ideas and actions; I understand that life was so much “simpler” then, yet, what has happened to journalism in the media? I don't find people interviewing for Truth today, only for a point of view. I don't find our “media news stars” getting the whole story, rather, anyone who they disagree with they just want to “get!” How can one person, side, story be so right that there is no room for doubt, questions and broader/wider vision? “Don't confuse me with facts” seems to be the order of the day. It saddens me greatly.
I love a good argument! I debate fiercely and passionately, yet I do all of this to learn, not to be right! Carl Stern only wanted to learn from and with Rabbi Heschel. He only wanted his audience to learn, think and ask questions of themselves regarding Dr. Heschel's words and thoughts. What is our problem today that we settle for rhetoric, pap and sound bites? What is the reason we have given up depth, wisdom, information to make informed decisions about life's challenges? In some ways, we have given up some of the essential ways that we BE Human! Yet, very few are “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!!” I don't understand the reason behind our passivity and our acceptance of the status quo.
In the beginning of the interview, Rabbi Heschel speaks about reverence. I saw that reverence in action between Carl Stern and Rabbi Heschel. I don't see it so much between newscasters and their interview subjects. I don't see it so much between parents and children, employers and employees, etc.
I saw it last weekend in Pastor Mark Whitlock of COR Church in Irvine. I see it in Rabbi Harold Shulweis. I see it in Dr. Garrett O'Connor. I see it in Harriet Rossetto. I see it in Janis Spire. I see it in some teachers, Clergy, etc.
I am asking you to join me and many others in being Addicted to Redeeming our Humanness. Addicted to redeeming our reverence. Addicted to redeeming truth/whole story. Addicted to redeeming passion and purpose. We need you to help us reach the “tipping point” of returning to living on God's Side and revering animal, plant and human life!
Where Has the Truth Gone? Read More »
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa Worries Health Officials
In 1976 a new virus entered the pantheon of lethal human pathogens – Ebola virus. That year outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan sickened 284 people and killed about half of them. Ebola virus causes an illness that initially resembles a typical intestinal virus, with fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea. Most patients quickly worsen and develop a rash, easy bleeding, and liver and kidney failure. About two thirds of the people who are infected die. Ebola is transmitted from person to person through infected bodily fluids, but since patients are frequently vomiting and suffering from diarrhea, and since outbreaks happen frequently in places with poor sanitation, infection can spread quickly. Without medical protective equipment, like gloves and masks, healthcare workers are often infected. The incubation period is two to four weeks. Ebola is also carried by wild animals, and bats are thought to be a reservoir of the disease.
Because Ebola is so rapidly fatal, previous outbreaks have been geographically very limited. It may infect everyone in a small remote village, but at least until now, infected people have been too ill to get on a plane or take a long car ride. The worst outbreaks have killed almost 300 people. New outbreaks have recurred in Central Africa every few years, presumably from contact with infected animals.
So far there is no vaccine or specific treatment for Ebola. It cannot be spread by respiratory particles (i.e. by coughing or sneezing). If it could, it would make the perfect bioterrorism weapon. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention lists it as a ” target=”_blank”>Q&A: Challenges of Containing Ebola's Spread in West Africa (National Geographic)
” target=”_blank”>Why West Africa’s Ebola Outbreak Is So Scary (Slate)
” target=”_blank”>Outbreak of Ebola in Guinea and Liberia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Important legal mumbo jumbo:
Anything you read on the web should be used to supplement, not replace, your doctor’s advice. Anything that I write is no exception. I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor.
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