Leviathan Production S10

One funny and a joke, one funny and not a joke, one serious and important

Three articles of note today:

First, the Elders of Zion are calling it quits, moving to Florida:

The Elders of Zion, the venerable and shadowy Jewish organization that controls the international banking industry, news media and Hollywood, has announced that it is disbanding so that members can retire to Florida and live out their golden years on the golf course.

“We had a good run,” said one senior Elder, reminiscing over old photographs of world leaders in his musty, wood-paneled office at an undisclosed location. “Maybe we ran the world for just a little too long. Anyway, now it’s Obama’s problem.”

After a humiliating year left most of its financial holdings, as well as the entire civilized world, on the verge of collapse, the organization has re-defined its mission in terms of bridge games and making it to restaurants for the Early Bird Special.

Next up, what would you do if you were an Israeli defense contractor seeking to ingratiate yourself to new clients?:

Let's say you're a defense-company marketing executive. And you want to make a splash at the Indian defense ministry's annual air show. Do you: (a) buy expensive gifts for New Delhi's generals; (b) treat the press to Kingfishers and samosas; (c) produce a Bollywood-esque video featuring bare-midriff girls, flower-draped missiles, and the catch phrase "dinga dinga dee?"

Unfortunately for us, Israeli arms-maker Rafael chose C.

Finally, a serious and important post about the future of the peace process:

The international community's passion for throwing money at the Israeli-Palestinian problem is understandable, especially in the wake of Israel's war in Gaza (what else can they do now?). Another donor effort may do wonders to make all of us feel better (having participated in half a dozen I know the feeling of accomplishment), but it covers up more disturbing trends that will limit the effectiveness of the assistance America and others want to provide.
...
But on balance, I suppose there's a rough compensation here: America helped pay for the Israelis to blast a fair amount of Gaza; I guess it's only right that we help defray the costs to rebuild it. In short, without an effort to put the Palestinian humpty dumpty together again with a unified view of governance and negotiations as well as a coherent strategy to achieve Palestinian national aspirations, it's hard to see how there can be sustainable development in Gaza. And doing that is beyond the skill set of anyone I've talked to lately.

The moral of the story in that last article is that if the U.S. is to be a productive force for peace in the region, we need a serious rethinking of our approach. Unfortunately, it looks like domestic politics is, as usual, hampering that.

Elizabeth Taylor reaches across the isle with $100,000 donation to the Alliance for Christian Education

Anyone else think this story is a little weird? Elizabeth Taylor (Jewish entertainer whose philanthropy has usually focused on HIV/AIDS) just donated $100,000 to the Alliance for Christian Education, "because our new president challenged us to break down barriers that divide us."

Elizabeth Taylor gives $100K to Christian program

LiLo Converting to Judasim?

If Perez Hilton.com and JTA say it, it must be true.

Lindsay Lohan is converting to Judaism for her girlfriend!

Perez Hilton: Could LezLo be meshuggana? Converting for Saman?

JTA: Lohan plans conversian to Judasim

Live Video-Blogging Leviathan Production!

Check out our update from the press center...

Hampshire College SJP Seeks 5 Minutes of Fame

Hamsphire college's Students for Justice in Palestine is claiming that the school's board of trustees has divested from Israel, making it the first college in the U.S. to do so. But the school says it's cutting ties with the six companies in question because they've violated the college's standards for social responsibility- not because of anything Israel related. Looks like somebody jumped the gun bigtime on this one.

Mass. college denies Israel divestment- JTA.org

-lizrick

Israel EAP Restored!

This is a short, impromptu update to inform you that:

ISRAEL's UC-sponsored Education Abroad Program is reinstated as of only a couple weeks ago. If you are interested in next year's immersion program you only have until next Wednesday, February 18th to apply (see link below). Look for an in depth article about the history of the program and reasons for cancellation/ reinstatement in our next print issue.

http://eap.ucop.edu/prospective_participants/countries/israel/

-Matt