Since it is Bastille Day today, so the theme of this weblog is France. We went to France last summer for the wedding of two dear friends. The photographs I am posting are of different Chateaus in Loire valley. Forget about the French Riviera and head to the Loire valley. It’s a great place with… Continue reading Bastille Day
Palestinian Right of Return
An interesting opinion poll of Palestinian refugees gives some hope on this intractable issue. In a broad, detailed survey, Dr. Shikaki’s [director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research] researchers questioned 4,500 refugee families living in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan and Lebanon. More than 95 percent of them insisted that… Continue reading Palestinian Right of Return
Immigration and National Security Report
As I promised, here are some of the highlights from the report by the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. Our new security measures must be effective rather than merely dramatic, and must not destroy what we are trying to defend. The government’s post-September 11 immigration measures have failed these tests. These actions have not only done… Continue reading Immigration and National Security Report
Textual Analysis of Quran
Brian Ulrich points out an article in the Lebanon Daily Star about production of a critical edition of the Quran based on the manuscripts found in a Sanaa mosque in Yemen. A professor of literature and human science at Sousse University in Tunis, Abdeljelil heads a team of scholars compiling a critical edition of the… Continue reading Textual Analysis of Quran
Been Sick
Sorry for the lack of posting recently. I have been sick. Feeling much better now, though still not completely healthy.
Bush on Slavery
It’s not often that I agree with President Bush or praise him, but his speech in Senegal about slavery is pretty good. For 250 years the captives endured an assault on their culture and their dignity. The spirit of Africans in America did not break. Yet the spirit of their captors was corrupted. Small men… Continue reading Bush on Slavery
Near Muir Beach, CA
Driving on the scenic Highway 1 north of San Francisco…
California Coast
The rocky beaches, the hills and the snaking roads make for a fun northern California…
Winchester Mystery House
This is an interesting place in San Jose, CA.
It’s snowing in Iraq
Denmark’s troops in Iraq may dream of the frost of a Scandinavian winter on days when the temperature rises to a blistering 46 degrees. But many may have been wondering if the military back home really had to rub it in when a recent supply shipment turned up a snowplough and a stock of salt… Continue reading It’s snowing in Iraq