Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Eternal your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:20)

Obama Hits Syria With Brutal Blast of Adverbs

By Jeffrey Goldberg "The crackdown by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad against his own citizens counts as one of the most blood-soaked acts of political repression in the Middle East since his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, waged his own onslaught against anti-regime act …

The Real Palestinian Refugee Problem

By Clifford D. May "After World War II, the British left India, which was to be partitioned into two independent nations. One of them would have a Hindu majority, the other a Muslim majority. More than 7 million Muslims moved to the territory that became Pakistan. A simila …

Resource-Rich Canada Looks to China for Growth

By CHIP CUMMINS and ALISTAIR MACDONALD VANCOUVER—For almost a century, Canada's economy has been firmly tethered to its much larger southern neighbor. Now, Canadian officials and executives also are betting their future on China. Canada's economic reliance on the U.S. has …

The 10 Dumbest Reviews of Classic Movies

A word of caution to future reviewers: unless you have aspirations of going down in the history books of dumb, then choose your words wisely.

To Kill a Mockingbird - 50th Anniversary

By Chris Hicks "There's been a lot of hoopla in the news lately about the 50th anniversary of "To Kill a Mockingbird," the Oscar-winning movie about racial injustice, which sprang from Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. President Barack Obama hosted a screening at the W …

6 Stupid Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

By: Robert Evans Hollywood wants you dead. We said it. We don't know why. We don't know what they could possibly gain from it, but it's true all the same. Hollywood has been teaching you lessons about guns for decades and decades. Hollywood wants you to build your entire underst …

"Not so stills" from classic films - have fun looking at these

This is the most fun I've had for a long time, clicking through all of these "Not so stills" from movies.  Although some of the movies the "stills" are from are more recent, most of them qualify as classics.  What you will note is that the "stills" MOVE!  Stay wit …

Three Classic Sci-Fi Movies from the Past

Contributor Klara have been busy time traveling into the golden age of science fiction, on a mission to find three classics that will please and catch the imagination of the readers of Ultra Swank. So, head out to the launchpad and strap your self in, our rocket’s first sto …

Peace from the grassroots

USAID awards a three-year grant to a Bedouin professor’s peace-building project between Israeli and Palestinian human-services providers. By Abigail Klein Leichman "Diplomats haven’t made many inroads in relations between the Arab and Jewish populatio …

Sinking the Titanic….again…..and again

by Orson DeWelles There have been several significant attempts over the years to recreate on film and document the sinking of the ill-fated White Star Liner Titanic- and at least in one instance an attempt to raise it. The most popular without fail is the 1997 smash hit Titanic  …

The luxury we don't have in Syria |

About a month ago the European Union, showing it will not be trifled with, barred Bashar al-Assad’s wife, Asma, and other women in his immediate family from shopping for luxury goods in Europe. For some reason, going cold turkey on Dior, Armani and Prada failed to bring dow …

At Yom Ha'atzmaut, school shows it's OK for Jewish, Arab students to have differences

By Eetta Prince-Gibson JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The two seventh-grade girls walk together down the hall, their heads touching as they talk excitedly. Dana's dark auburn hair is pulled back in a ponytail. Waard's head is covered by a hijab, the traditional Arab headscarf, held with a f …

7 Commonly Corrected Grammar Errors (That Aren't Mistakes)

By: Chris Bucholz "If you've written anything on the Internet in the past 20 years or so, whether on a forum, a comment thread or the Denny's corporate blog you maintain, a short time later you've probably experienced a feeling of pure, unalloyed irritation when you observed som …

Something got left out of the CBS 'Sixty Minutes' documentary on Palestinian Christians

This is a press release that I did not write, but I had no way of linking to it as a seed.  Tha actual author is identified at the end.  In my opinion it is needed to counter the unfair and biased CBS 'Sixty Minutes' documentary on Palestinian Christians.  Therefor …

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New Keys to the Middle Kingdom: Luxury SUVs

By Mike Dunne "What to do when astonishing wealth alone no longer commands sufficient respect and awe? For a crush of newly affluent Chinese, the answer is found in an Audi Q7, a Range Rover Evoque, Lincoln Navigator or a Cadillac SRX. Chinese consumers will buy an estimated 3 …

Former Palestinian intelligence officer sentenced to death for selling home to Jews

A former Palestinian intelligence officer has reportedly been sentenced to death after it was revealed he had sold his home to Jews. Muhammad Abu Shahala, who worked for the Palestinian Authority reportedly confessed under torture to selling his home in Hebron on the West Bank t …

Syria fires into Turkish refugee camp

"Syrian armed forces fired across the Turkish border into a refugee camp today, as international pressure mounted on the country to abide by the terms of a peace plan. Two refugees and one Turkish citizen, a translator, were wounded inside the camp, Gaziantep Gov. Yusuf Odabas s …

12 Classic Movie Moments Made Possible by Abuse and Murder

By: Orrin Reede,  Geoffrey Cubbage,  Eddie Rodriguez "No matter how hard we try to pretend that TMZ writers would be out of job in the classic days of Hollywood, the fact remains that the movie industry has always been filled with insufferable @!$%#s. Some of those a …

Lawsuits we can get behind

These lawsuits were popular with the public, even if they were thrown out by the courts. The size and price of movie theatre snacks has long been the inspiration for B-level comedians, who deliver punchless punchlines like, "And who really needs a refrigerator box full of Juni …

Israeli medicine goes to pot

By Karin Kloosterman "Israel has one of the most progressive medical marijuana programs in the world. For thousands of Israelis suffering cancer, MS, Crohn's and chronic pain, pot provides vital relief. While Americans petition state senators to legalize medical marijuana, and  …

What Are Your Three Wishes?

We all have dreams, fantasies and wishes.  If you were to discover Alladin’s lamp, and the genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?

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Alfred Hitchcock's Movie Cameos list

Although I've known that Alfred Hitchcock appears in all his movies in cameo walk-bys, I've rarely noticed him.  This article was a revelation, pointing out to me all the cameos.  Now when I watch one of his movies I know where and when to look for him. The photo shows …

The Whimsical British Humour of Alec Guiness' Early Comedies

For many years I have appreciated the droll humour of the earlier Alec Guiness movies, mostly made in the Ealing Studios of England.  Here is a collection of some of them, and if you enjoy wit and wry humour you will appreciate these: Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Guiness …

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Palestinian Unity;Frozen Again - Op Ed

March 30, 2012 by Houriya Ahmed "A month after Fatah and Hamas chiefs signed a reconciliation deal–after almost ten months in negotiations–is it any surprise that the deal has broken down? In an interview with the Ma’an News agency, Palestinian Authority (PA) …

Mint will stop making pennies this fall

OTTAWA - There may still be pennies from heaven, but they won't be coming from the mint much longer. "The humble one-cent piece is set to disappear from Canadian pockets, a victim of inflation. Thursday's federal budget said the Royal Canadian Mint will strike the last of the l …

Recent Votes

  • Michael Caine Trapped In Attic Dressing Room Overnight New Orleans

    British film star Michael Caine spent the night trapped in an attic dressing room while filming in New Orleans. The actor had reportedly fallen asleep while taking a break from filming a crime caper entitled Now You See Me. His dressing room was in the attic of an old disused …

  • Obama Hits Syria With Brutal Blast of Adverbs

    By Jeffrey Goldberg "The crackdown by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad against his own citizens counts as one of the most blood-soaked acts of political repression in the Middle East since his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, waged his own onslaught against anti-regime act …

  • Israeli group wins terror suit against Syria, Iran

    An Israeli advocacy group won a $323 million judgment in a U.S. court against Iran and Syria for supporting Palestinian militants that killed an American teenager and ten others in a 2006 bombing, the group's director said Tuesday.

  • The Real Palestinian Refugee Problem

    By Clifford D. May "After World War II, the British left India, which was to be partitioned into two independent nations. One of them would have a Hindu majority, the other a Muslim majority. More than 7 million Muslims moved to the territory that became Pakistan. A simila …

  • Israel Hayom | Abbas rejects Netanyahu's proposal to renew peace talks

    Abbas rejects Netanyahu's proposal to renew peace talks

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Buzz of the Orient

Articles Posted: 70
Links Seeded: 339
Member Since: 10/2008Last Seen: 5/16/2012

As I look back over my advanced years, I see that I have lived many lives: student, editor of my university newspaper, English Literature major, Law …

Recommendations

Books

  • Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
  • The Alchemist (Paolo Coelho)
  • Frenk Herbert's Dune series
  • John Grisham's Lawyer novels

Movies

  • Meetings With Remarkable Men
  • Casablanca
  • Seven Samurai
  • Schindler's List
  • Goodbye Mr. Chipa
  • The Life of Emile Zola

Musicians

  • Bob Dylan
  • Leonard Cohen
  • Eric Clapton
  • Yitzhak Perlman
  • Ravi Shankar
  • Ramblin' Jack Elliott
  • The late Frank Sinatra
  • Yo Yo Ma