Happy Birthday, Israel!

It's Israel's 60th birthday on the Christian calendar, though they celebrated their official day last week on the 7th (based off the Hebrew calendar). Nice to see Bush was here to share the day with a speech to the Knesset which, for some inexplicable reason, he used to attack Barack. Well, it's obvious he was trying to swing the American Jewish vote to the Republicans, but it's a little strange to be making that point here...the taxi drivers who don't speak much English know he's here though, as they have plenty to say to us when they see we're Americans. The funny thing is, a lot of those things are nice. The professor commented today that Israel was the only place left, including America, that Bush gets a warm reception upon arriving- if that doesn't show you that something's wrong with the Bush-Israel policies, what does?

Also, if you heard about the rocket attack on Ashkelon, don't worry, we're nowhere near there and I don't plan on getting anywhere near the Gaza Strip. The people receiving Bush made statements suggesting that there might be a major incursion in there sometime soon to weaken Hamas, so don't be worried if you hear news about fighting- we aren't anywhere near there and are completely safe.

Been a busy few days here in Israel- we started the classes at the IDC (Interdisciplinary Center), which is the first private university in Israel. We've had 11 lectures in 3 days on topics from the Arab-Israeli Conflict (specific, I know) to the demographic problems of Arab-Israelis (very interesting lecture) to domestic politics in Israel and the many internal divisions in the country that are barely held together by the common outside threat. Today's last lecture on human rights and the war on terror was a bit aggravating to even the most staunch Israel supporters in class though- besides the fact that the professor essentially read legal briefs off of a power point, the extremely one-sided view given included false and exaggerated indictments of the American legal system without a criticism of Israel's. When she did feel free enough to diverge from the typed words and offer her own thoughts, she chastised the American media for overglorifying Palestinian deaths in their pursuit of "selling a product" and essentially said that the Israel-Palestine conflict deserves none of this attention because more people are dying in Darfur and the Congo.

That may be true- but practically, the US can't be running everywhere in the world to stop crises. We rightly focus on areas that have a strategic interest to us (read: the effect the conflict has on the entire Middle East), which is no fault of the media. So there's my rant for today- but the whole thing has been interesting and surprisingly two-sided overall, so I can truly say I've enjoyed it (besides the fact that today's lectures went 7 and a half hours).

Otherwise, I've been enjoying the local scene and fare. We took a trip to Tel Aviv for a night tour Tuesday- kinda interesting, but it was a big group and we eventually broke off to head to a chocolate bar where our leader all bought us hot chocolate. Being a big fan of German food, I love the availability of Schnitzel here. It's nice and cheap at the cafeteria at the IDC (on a pita with onions, hummus, spices, and french fries) for 15 shekels (just under 5 dollars). We've also hit a few Israeli places (more schnitzel, schwarma, and, my favorite, tuna fish pizza) and a Turkish place last night- good, but expensive. I've found that for cheap food, you really have to stay by the schwarma/falafel places by the beach- not trouble for me, since I've been doing my best to find cheap food, as always, and stick with water out of a water bottle as much as possible so I have money for more fun things.

Tomorrow starts a string of really cool trips. We have a free day, so we managed to find a day trip up to Caeseria (an old Roman town) for about 40 bucks- should be a fun day, I promise I'll start taking some interesting pictures there and get them up here (not many interesting pictures in Herzliyya and the parts of Tel Aviv I've been). Saturday includes a trip up to the sea of Galilee and Tiberius before heading up to the scenic Golan Heights. Finally, Sunday is a day in Jerusalem letting us hit up the major sights around the city- don't worry, I promise to be safe.

Next Friday we're thinking of taking a trip over to the fortress of Massada and the Dead Sea, but that is contingent on price. I'm hoping to still make it to Petra and Jordan that weekend, but that has the same sticking point. The best way may be finding a youth hostel in the south and taking a bus there for 5 hours from here- but youth hostels are hard to find there, so we may have to rely on the flight, which is always an expensive way to travel- more on those travels as plans get made.

As always, I'm missing everyone at home and hope you're all doing well. Shalom!

Back in Business- if, by business, you mean Israel

Got to Israel at about 11 yesterday after a obscenely long trip- 15 minutes on the metro, an hour on the MARC train 11 hours overnight in BWI, 2 hours on the tiniest plane I've ever flown on (read: propellers), 9 hours in Toronto's airport (which, nicely, provided me with $5 worth of Tim Horton's donuts in return for taking a survey on my airport experience), 11 1/2 hours on the Israel flight (2 meals provided, as well as movies- I made it through Jumper, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, and, as a last resort, the Golden Compass), and finally, at noon local time Sunday after a crazy cab ride, I made it to the hotel. Needless to say, got plenty of reading done on the trip (and for anyone interested in the distorted Arab-US perceptions of each other, take a look at Lawrence Pintak's "Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens"- very interesting and informative book by the man who is leading the Egypt/Qatar program next month).

Nice place here- internet, pool, AC, great food- I took a nice hot shower first before taking a nice 4 hour nap. Afterwards, I awoke to find out that my group's plane was 2 hours late, much to my hungry stomach's chagrin. Nevertheless, they made it and I met everyone, nice group. We ate dinner at the hotel- Hoummus, assorted appetizers, rice, beef, chicken- the waiter complemented my "strong appetite" and said I was like Arnold Schwarzenegger in that respect:) Afterwards, we explored the beach and town a bit at night- very warm and nice place, I think we'll enjoy it. I was able to get in touch and skype with the folks back home when I got back before bed.

This morning involved a good breakfast (apparently, a pepper-laced tuna salad is breakfast here- very tasty:)) and a long trip to the beach. I avoided burns (barely) and got some reading done. Water was beautiful. Lunch was at a small restaurant near there- got a great Schawarma on a pita- hummus, chicken, onions, tabbouleh, and french fries. right now, we're headed out to do some walking around the town in the day. More updates to come as classes and trips around the region start- hope everyone's well, leave comments here if you have any messages for me. Shalom!

Laughs, Blossoms, and Libyans!

The closer this summer gets, the more and more excited I am to be so close to going to the Middle East. I've started reading travel websites liberally to get as much information as I can on Cairo, Herzliya, and Qatar- don't know how much "touristy" stuff they'll be giving us time for but it's still exciting to see. I should have at least a little time (likely in Israel) in the 4 or so days in between the two programs, assuming I find a way to stay in the region. We got our first email regarding the Israel trip today; sadly, I won't be able to make the informational "get to know each other" meetings back in Cuse, but we did find out about our hotel- looks pretty sweet, I've always said the complex Palestinian-Israeli situation is best discussed from a hotel pool. Well, not really- but it can't hurt, right?

Fun day for class last Thursday- we went to the National Defense University to participate in the strategic game, "Pandemic Fury." Basically, we did some roleplaying as policymakers in a fictional situation where a human-to-human strain of bird flu breaks out in south Asia and eventually spreads through shipping lines to America. My job as press secretary for the Homeland Security Dept. was to calm down America by downplaying the problem and framing our message- a little unethical by my journalism standards, but pretty fun to play on the other side of things for once. We definitely gained a better respect for everyone trying to solve these problems- you never realize how hard it is to protect people AND leave their rights intact until you try to do it.

Fun weekend here, at least Saturday, which featured the Cherry Blossom festival and the Capitol Steps. The blossoms were beautiful, and it was sweet seeing the hundreds (if not thousands) of kites flying above the Mall (one was big enough that it literally looked like I could have ridden on it). I got some good pics of the blossoms, they'll be up on Facebook eventually. That night though, was the highlight- Capitol Steps was an amazingly hilarious performance (check out the site for musical samples, especially "Lirty Dies"). They did music parodies like "Huckabee" ("Let it Be" by the Beatles) or, pictured above, Larry Craig singing "Tap Three Times." I definitely am going to see them again sometime.

A little disappointment this morning as MEI's Libya Conference was unable to work out the videoconference with Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi- still an interesting time, though; I met a very nice Libyan man named Mr. Bagdadi who spoke with me for a while how journalists and waiters are alike, as he'd been both. And naturally, I enjoyed the free food (especially the amazing desert, which featured edible gold foil flecks on each dish).

Rough opening night for the Braves last night, it always sucks to lose on a walk-off...but its heartening to see the team as ESPN's favorite for World Series Champions. Go Atlanta!

Well, it's off to career night tonight, a networking event set up by Dr. Schneider (complete with free pizza- it's always nice to go through a day without paying for food!) I'll leave you with a sample of the Capitol Steps' work- if you're ever in DC, you have to see them- they're well worth the price. Ma'a Salaama!

Back, with a vengeance

Sorry for the delay in between posts- last Monday was the day after Spring Break, and as such, there wasn't so much to be writing about. The excitement of Spring Break came Wednesday through Friday with the arrival and visit of Nick and Steve, my brother and his friend. We had the opportunity to play tourist on Thursday as I gave the grueling 14-mile walking tour of all the monuments, museums, and important buildings DC has to offer. It was tiring but fun, and I really enjoyed having the guys here. Most of the rest Spring Break involved me lying on the couch sick, watching TV or reading.

Along those reading lines, though, I have a recommendation to make of a book I finished during the week. Anyone who doesn't know anything about the story behind Al-Qaeda and 9/11 should read this, but anyone who just is interested in Osama bin Laden and the "Why Do they Hate Us?" mentality would really enjoy it. The book is The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright and it tells the story of Al-Qaeda headmen Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri as well as American government officials like FBI's terrorist hunter John O'Neill, who has a truly amazing and interesting story. Wright won a Pulitzer for the book and rightfully so; it is researched incredibly extensively and is written in a interest-grabbing novel-like format as he tells the stories of the men who would later plan the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. If you're near a library and aren't reading anything currently, go get it. I've moved on now to the book Cobra II by Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor, a very thick account of the planning and mentality behind the Iraq invasion and Donald Rumsfeld- should be an interesting one.

The big news of late, for those I haven't told yet, is my upcoming trip- yes, even more exciting than Israel. Last Wednesday, I got a call from Newhouse's Dean Grassi, who told me that Syracuse was offered a spot on a Middle East Journalism Bootcamp in Cairo, Egypt and Qatar, sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation- and I'm Newhouse's choice for the spot. I'll be going from June 1-19 with 11 other American students and 12 Middle East journalism students- other details are still fuzzy, but suffice it to say I'm about as excited about it as I've been about anything. Israel in May and Egypt/Qatar in June? Should be an amazing summer- hopefully I'll still be able to pull out an internship as well, even if it's with something not media or Middle East-related like Kirsten Gillibrand's office. More details on that is I get the orientation materials.

This last Easter weekend was pretty amazing in DC with Kate here from Holy Cross. It's been a bit of a rough semester for us with MCATs and summer program planning, but seeing here made everything feel a good bit better. We explored the National Institute of Health, the National Zoo, Georgetown, and the Mall at night with the lit-up monuments. I also did a pretty good job on a nice simple dish Saturday night, Fettuccine Alfredo, and we had good dinners out at Lebanese Taverna and the Afghan Grill in the neighborhood- I'd highly recommend both, especially the Taverna, where you get your food in about 5 minutes and it tastes incredible. Get the Schawarma- delicious stuff.

Classes this last week featured a good bit of work, with three memos to work on (just finished the last one) and a midterm in economics, which was fairly simple and I finished quickly. The work should get progressively heavier as we move through the semester and get closer to that final National Security Council presentation- but it still isn't as much work as I'd be doing back at Cuse, so the semester has been easy to enjoy.

Politically, the only comment I've really got is on McCain. I have to say that I've been a little disappointed lately after watching the video to see him speak in Jordan. He made a big mistake in accusing Shiite Iran of training Al Qaeda (Sunni) terrorists- he corrected himself after Sen. Lieberman whispered in his ear, but apparently he's made this mistake before. I feel like many lawmakers and all the candidates would have made the same mistake, but that foreign policy knowledge is supposed to be McCain's advantage over the other two. I definitely still support him, but I'm paying closer attention to what he says on foreign policy matters for sure.

Here's a wish for my brother Tim to feel better- he had a it of a problem diving for a basketball last week and ended up in surgery and on crutches. To help him feel better, I've got a video here for him that I know should cheer him up. Enjoy!

Sicko, Without the Fat Man or Castro

Sorry about the crap-out last week, I've had a little rough week in terms of health. Things are looking to be on the upswing now, thanks to a weekend spent recuperating with tea, ramen noodles, and a very comfy futon couch. As a result, however, there isn't quite as much to talk about- we'll see how much I can squeeze out of this.

First, the most exciting news of the past week- I'm going to Israel! Syracuse accepted me into the two-week abroad program in Herzliya, Israel (just north of Tel Aviv) from May 11-May 26. We'll be studying counterterrorism and Middle East Policy there, and I couldn't be more excited. And for those worried about safety, Herzliya is about as far from a border as you can get in Israel, as well as being the site of the homes of most foreign ambassadors to the country. More on that as we receive more information, but suffice it to say that I'm quite excited to be making my first trip into the Middle East.

So imagine my surprise when I turned on the news not too long ago to find this story on the front page ab out my state's governor- oh, Eliot...apparently, the story is quite the hit among the alliterative graphic-makers of the news world for the potential to label it "Spitzer's Sex Scandal." They haven't had this much fun since our President announced "Mission Accomplished" as part of "Bush's Big Boat Broadcast- Boast or Blunder?" As for Spitzer, I rather feel that a man who spent his career fighting people who would run prostitution rings (as well as running for for governor on his record of doing so) might want to avoid becoming part of that criminal entity. Just maybe. Not even to mention that wife and his three daughters. But hey, it's not like he's been any sort of ineffective, controversial governor. Let's look at the Spitzer Record since in office:


July 2007- News breaks that Spitzer has been using state police to track the movements of State Senate rival Joe Bruno, allegedly in an attempt to cause damage to his reputation.

September 2007- Spitzer announces a plan to allow illegal aliens to obtain drivers' licenses, which would effectively nullify them as a valid form of ID. Spitzer withdraws the plan after a poll shows dismal approval rates for the plan.

December 2007- A Siena poll shows approval ratings for Spiter at 36% among New Yorkers- about half of the 69% of the vote he received in the 2006 election.

Ahhh, the Spitzer administration- good times. My guess is we'll be seeing very little of him around the next gubernatorial elections.

In more national politics, I was happy to celebrate a McCain win (officially), but not as happy as you might think to see the Dem fight continue. Sure, I suppose it gives McCain an advantage in preparation, campaigning, and ammunition against his opponent, but I am starting to get tired of the Democratic race. I don't think it's a bad thing or wrong, but who can honestly say they aren't tired of hearing Hillary and Barack go after each other? I am- but I guess we'll be hearing from them plenty over the next few months.

As for life here, it's been pretty boring lately- just filling out applications, heading to the Middle East Institute, and chilling with the friends here. The excitement this week comes from Syracuse in the Big East Tournament and Nick and Steve heading down here for the week. It's always nice to see my little bro and his crazy friend- we should have a fun time being tourists and checking out the cool architecture, with a nice day-closing dose of pizza rolls. Good times, good times.

As always, I continue to wait for word back on the summer internships- but it's nice to know that I'll be headed somewhere in May. And as I look to next semester, I realize I might even be able to finish school a semester early- I might be nine months from graduation. More news on that frightening development as we work it out.

Hope you all are much healthier than I am, enjoy this interesting retelling of American military history as told with some delicious props- tata!

Blech

Sorry everyone- Zak's blog will return next week due to a splitting headache and a surprising lack of good stories to tell. Promise I'll make it twice as good next week to make up for it!

Now Gore's gone too far- even the elections are Green...

Friends, it's my honor to be in this great city at such an exciting time. The streets are abuzz after this rare event- one that happens only every four years. Each one of us will be able to tell our kids exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard about it. By now, I'm sure you've no doubt guessed the momentous occasion of which I speak: Ralph Nader has, once again, entered the Presidential race.

In all seriousness, I know it's good for democracy and the American people to have more choices out there. That said, Ralph Nader has really become more of a punchline than a serious candidate. Just look at the issues he's running on. Right in the middle there is "Impeach Cheney/Bush." Correct me if I'm wrong, but one generally tries to run on goals that are actually physically able to be accomplished, no? I wonder how Nader, if he wins in some strange upturn of Green Party support, plans to impeach a former President and Vice President who no longer hold public office...he's really just making himself sound like an angry old man. One who has some good ideas and who's done a lot for consumers over the years, but one who no longer has any business being the front man for his party.

Pretty quiet week in the news- at least, it seems so after the turmoil of the last few. The main international story continues to be Kosovo's independence from Serbia and the violence that's broken out there. I won't offer any opinions there as I don't pretend to have much working knowledge of Balkan politics, but kudos to the American embassy staff there for keeping their workers safe during the riots that burned it last week.

Domestically, we've got the election continuing, among other things. Not much going on lately, but I thought I'd bring to your attention an interesting article about the dynamics in that race and voter expectations and perceptions.

Last Thursday was without a doubt the most interesting day of classes we've had here. The day's focus was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something I have strong personal opinions on. We started the day with a talk by Nabil Abuznaid, a representative of the Palestinian Authority's pseudo-embassy (as it isn't a country, it doesn't have a real one). He was interesting, but in the end he got too emotional and angry and couldn't respond practically to constant questions from Chad. His credibility was also hurt by his suggestion of an American or Soviet hand behind the renewal of Shia-Sunni tensions over the last few decades- note to speakers, suggesting conspiracy theories doesn't help your case much.

We followed that speech with a talk by Aaron Miller, Senior Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a public policy organization. The speaker had worked with American presidents on this particular issue for many years and offered a realist, bleak perspective on the issue. It was the next speaker, however, that got me to respond most strongly, as we visited the Embassy of Israel. Rafael Harpaz, the embassy's representative, gave a very condescending and arrogant speech, starting out by announcing to all of us how gracious and kind the country of Israel was to even be considering peace with Palestine (which he would not acknowledge; he'd correct anyone saying it with "Palestinian Authority"). He also said that the 1948 Arab invasion of Israel was a continuation of the Holocaust (but then denied it later in the speech) and compared Israel-friendly Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak to Abraham Lincoln (even Lincoln never won elections with 97% of the vote...). It was a good thing we finished the day with a calming, mediative talk at the Jordanian embassy, because I was literally shaking with anger at the Israeli embassy. Neither side of the conflict is without blame and both need to make concessions, but I've always seen the Israelis as more on the side of the wrong and having to make more of the concessions because they ARE the ones in a position of power. Hearing statements from the embassy that even Dr. Schneider thought were approaching propaganda was infuriating.

Anyway, with that rant out of my system, I can say that we did have a fun weekend, or at least Saturday. We had a nice lunch at the Open City Cafe next door before spending the day at the National Portrait Gallery (where I got my picture with the famous Colbert portrait) and the Natural History museum. Afterwards, Liz broke out the free movie passes and I went to the movies for the first time in quite a while. We all saw Vantage Point, which, other than Dennis Quaid's traditional horrible acting, I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes the thriller/mystery genre, and stylistically it was fairly unique and very well done. The rest of the weekend was a bit of a bore; we weren't able to get the big football game going like we planned- we'll try again next weekend. And I did have time to finish the White House and Washington Center for Near East Policy applications, so I was fairly productive the rest of the time.

That's about all for now, I have to go throw on the power suit and help out at the Campaign for Syracuse University's DC event- in return, I get a fancy free dinner. Here's a clip from last week's SNL, where Mike Huckabee shows that he's still a very likable and funny man- if only I wasn't so afraid of him ever being in a position of power...

Till next time!