Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

February 27, 2008

 Today’s Announcement

Don’t forget to order your copy of Angels Watching Over Me, the story of an ordinary woman facing less than ordinary challenges.  Angels Watching Over Me is a story of family love, sacrifices, poverty and an undying faith that makes heroes out of all of us. Here is the link in case you have forgotten it: http://www.lulu.com/content/964306

Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to.   You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca

Today’s Stories

  ~**~**~

  FLATTERY

Dr. Harmander Singh

"You're very beautiful,” the boy said to the girl.

"Thank you very much. But what is beautiful in me?” she asked.

"Your eyes are very beautiful,” is not it?” he said.

"Yes, I love my eyes,” she felt important.

"Your nose is more beautiful than your eyes,” he added.

"Really, I always look at it in the mirror. It's really beautiful,” she said.

"Your teeth, these are like beautiful moons arranged together. Is not it?” he admired her beauty.

"Yes, these are the rare gift. I always thank mother nature for it,” she said and looked into his eyes.

"Mother Nature!” he thought and could not speak.

"Do not you like my lips?” she wanted to know.

"Yes, these are like rainbow,” he said.

"Yes, when I cry and my tears fall on my lips I feel that the rainbow is formed.” She was lost.

"She is not interested in me. She is getting lost in something else,” he thought.

"You're beautiful because you can praise,” she said to him.

"Thank you,” he was pleased.

"You've the ability to use good words. It's great,” she said to him.

"Thanks a lot,” he was in the air.

"Please think about to be what you are,” she said and left him.

"I'm going to be a genuine person without flattery of words. I've great praise for this minute of equality,” he thought and became a human.

Daily Moral Insight for a Peaceful Night

Is not it wise to be aware about the difference between appreciation and flattery?

Is not it a nice gift of self-awareness to discover the equality and flattery?

Is not it wise to drop the relation, based on false notions of flattery to create a genuine meaning of life?

Is not the silence of self-awareness an eye of appreciation ignoring all other beauties but the existence and presence?

Is not it a hand of genuine gentleness, which turns flattery into togetherness of humanness with its touch of making the self of others and ours as an abstraction of consciousness?

Dr. Harmander Singh

bhagouauty@gmail.com

~**~**~

THE FUTURE OF ISRAEL’S ARABS

Duane Bates

Prior to the recent Annapolis peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians Tzipi Livni, Israel’s foreign minister, stated that the creation  “of a Palestinian state would “be the national answer to the Palestinians in the territories and those that live in different refugee camps or in Israel”. (Emphasis added). Apparently Mr. Livni considers Israeli Arabs as Palestinians first and Israeli citizens secondly.

The current population is Israel is 6.5 million, including about 1.1 million Arabs and some other small minority populations such as the Druze.  Israel’s Arabs are prohibited from serving in the military and are opposing a new proposal that would require Arabs to perform some type of non-military national service. 

Today’s Israeli Arabs citizens are the Arab families that did not flee their homes during the 1948 War of Independence that created the state of Israel.  In spite of being Israeli citizens, they are discriminated against in a number of ways.  According to a Washington Post article by Scott Wilson, (link below) Israeli Arabs are not free to live where they wish and their separate school system receives less funding than schools in the Jewish school system. The Arab couple featured in the article, the Zubeidtas, are an educated, professional couple that would fit easily into any community in the US, but they are not acceptable to the Israeli community of Rakefet.  They are considered not “socially compatible” with the Jews that live in that community simply because of their ethnic and religious background. 

The first home my wife and I purchased was in Cleveland Heights Ohio, a heavily Jewish community.  We lived directly across the street from an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue and had many Orthodox neighbors, along with Catholics, Protestants and non-believers. We all managed to live happily and peacefully together, based on the principals of respect, tolerance and equality, the essentials of any real democracy. 

Arab Israeli Arab citizens wishing to buy or rent homes in are required to apply for permission to the local admission committee who will determine if they are “socially compatible” with the existing residents.  Permission is denied to Arabs that wish to live in Jewish communities.  Apparently the goal of the Israeli Land Administration, a government agency that controls 93% of the land in Israel, is to create separate living areas for each religious and ethic group.  The agency spokesperson, Ortal Tzabar, states that he thinks that “Arabs should live in one place, Ultra-Orthodox Jews and one place and secular Jews in one place and so on.  It’s best not to mix too much”.

You can read the article and draw your own conclusions, but it appears that Israel is at least trying to claim the right to encourage Israeli Arabs to move to the Palestinian state if it is created.  It sounds like subtle ethnic cleansing to me, a process that no authentic democracy should ever utilize or consider. The statement about separating Ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews is really quite amazing to me. Some of the most fundamental characteristics of a democracy are freedom to live where you wish, freedom of association and equal treatment before the law.

If a Palestinian state is created and Israeli Arabs freely choose to move to that state, that is fine, but any attempt to force or coerce Arab citizens of Israel to give up their homes and businesses would be a serious violation of their rights.  In the wider context, I believe that it would be harmful to the state of Israel because it would clearly signal that only Jews would be acceptable as citizens of that state.  It would communicate the clear message that Israeli Jews can never trust Arabs as neighbors and fellow citizens, no matter how willing they are to live in peace and trust. 

The discrimination against Israeli Arabs, the separate but unequal schools, the inability to live where they want and the economic restrictions, all have echoes of how America treated African-Americans.  Surly Israel does not need to repeat our errors to relearn the real essentials of freedom and democracy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22335973/print/displaymode/1098

Duane Bates

batesduane@yahoo.com

Poetry Corner

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My Magical Bag of Sunshine

Cynthia Groopman

My magical bag of sunshine, I do cherish and possess

When it is opened wide, all are embraced with radiant happiness.

Blue birds of eternal blis begin to mirthfully sing.

As golden sunshine's glow softly and lovingly caresses everything.

.

When a heart is sadly weeping doleful tears of being fearful and alone,

My bag of sunshine smiles and cheers them up in lively musical tones.

Where can the bag of sunshine be found?

Deep inside my heart and soul where joy and gladness exude God's loving sound.

 Cynthia Groopman

cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

 ~**~**~

A Great Biblical Tragedy

Cynthia Groopman

In the book of Exodus, I read of a great Biblical Tragedy,

When God's chosen erected a golden calf and committed the sin of idolatry.

When they defied God and at the idol they prayed,

Moses and God were greatly distressed angered and of course dismayed.

The Ten Commandments were disobeyed in a very tragic way,

We study this Scripture and ponder its significance to this day.

We must not defy what we are taught,

None of us must possess a disobedient action or thought.

We must please God by honoring His Commandments that He gave us as a blessing and a gift for all generations,

That add zest, order, and meaning, to life, as we bask in majestic glorious spiritual elation.

Cynthia Groopman

cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

~**~**~

A Soft White Blanket of Snow

Cynthia Groopman

A soft white blanket of snow,

Possesses a charm as you all know.

It is fluffy and such a delight,

Creating such an exquisite picturesque sight.

It gently covers the barren cold winter ground,

Keeping mother earth warm in gentle repose  until we mirthfully begin to hear the joyful chant of springtime's glorious renewal sound.

Copyright ©2008  Cynthia  L. Groopman

 cynthia.Groopman@verizon.net

    Readers Feedback

Well, Respected Charlene, you see you are more than just right. We, the humans are dependent up on the animals, but they are not dependent up on us, as they can live without us, but can we? No, we cannot live without animals and the birds. Thanks for sharing.

With sincere regards,

Dr. H. Singh

~**~**~

Here is our Storytime Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime Tapestry up and running.