Titan says Welcome Home to Gilad

Gilad comes home

Titan is happy along with the rest of the community to welcome Gilad Shalit home after well over five years of captivity in the hands of the Hamas.  Of course, the media and the politicians are having their usual  festival of self admiration and sentimental blah blah , but that is something that we have  learned to live with.  Itzhak Laor puts it well into perspective. Titan, Pollyanna and YandA are happy that he is home and frustrated that a) it took so long and b)no one has ever been held accountable for the failures of the army that caused him to be taken prisoner and his comrades to be killed.  Let us hope that he will be left alone, given privacy with his family and manages to get on with his life.  He is 25 years old and there is a future before him.

Much is being made of the fact that killers of Israeli civilians are being released.  Indeed, these are criminal terrorists since by all criteria deliberate attacks against civilians are crimes against humanity.  Their actions did nothing to advance the cause of Palestinian independence which would be better served by a Gandhi-Mandela-King type of nonviolent resistance. They spilled innocent blood and are now are being welcomed as heroes by  a brainwashed hate-ridden Palestinian public and the temptation to puke is very strong.   Still, something rings hollow in our remonstrations.  Are these despicable murderers substantially different from the soldier who gunned down Abir Aramin in 2007 and has enjoyed full impunity with the backing of the Army since then?  Why are they worse than the air crew  and the chain of command above them who dropped a one ton bomb on an apartment building and killed 15 innocents including 11 children?   Does it really matter whether a terrorist is in uniform or not?  The Palestinian terrorists did do some tough jail time. Dan Halutz went to Harvard and now wants to enter politics.

Titan would like, however, to get on with his traditional matters. Scientists have long known that the lower atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan contains organic aerosols, or tholins, formed from simple organic molecules, such as methane and nitrogen. Researchers had assumed these tholins formed at altitudes of several hundred kilometers, but new information gathered by three particle spectrometers aboard the Cassini spacecraft shows tholin formation happens in Titan's atmosphere at altitudes greater than 1,000 kilometers.The results also show tholins form differently than previously thought

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the University of Kansas, University College London and The University of Texas at San Antonio reported results of the observations in the paper "The Process of Tholin Formation in Titan's Upper Atmosphere," published in the May 11 2007 issue of  Science.. "Tholins are very large, complex organic molecules thought to include chemical precursors to life," said Dr. Hunter Waite, an Institute scientist in SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division, and leader of Cassini's Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) team. "Understanding how they form could provide valuable insight into the origin of life in the solar system." 

RANTS AROUND THE WORLD 

We start with China where the atomization of society by the regime can lead to dehumanizing of people.  A toddler was run over in a narrow market place street and people just walked or biked past in total indifference.  I do not think this degree of inhumanity is specifically Chinese.  It does not even require a dictatorship as anyone old enough to remember the Kitty Genovese murder knows.  She was stabbed to death while  38 people people in Queens looked on and did nothing to save her.  It is known now as the Kitty Genovese syndrome .  The degree of apathy and lack of empathy in modern society is frightening.

Another issue in China is the way people are treated after their release from prison.  The punishment does not end at the prison gate.  We call your attention to the case of Chen Guangcheng and and his wife Yuan Weijing 

 
who are being held in arbitrary house arrest by the authorities in his home village.  Please take a minute to click and act on their behalf

LIBYA
One might have expected that the regime that toppled Qaddafi would itself be supportive of human rights.  We are finding the opposite to be true.  The apparently arbitrary execution of Qaddafi himself

does not bode well for the future.  In our opinion, he should have been brought to trial in The Hague for his crimes against humanity. The new regime is detaining people, executing them arbitrarily and in general putting a  terrible stain on its first steps towards, we hope, establishing democracy in that long-suffering country.  Shlomo Avineri, the political scientist with much experience with post-totalitarian states, has often pointed out that it is nearly impossible to set up democracy in the absence of a traditional connection to it.  He most recently cites Egypt and Russia , but apparently the idea holds for Libya as well, which is indeed sad.  The counterexample that comes to mind is postwar Japan where democracy was imposed by the occupying power, the USA.  I wonder what Avineri has to say about that.  It is also not clear how Iraq will navigate the post Saddam era.  You might find this debate in print on the subject of democracy in Iraq interesting.
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INDIA 
Seven thousand Suzuki workers in India are being abused by their employer and have been fired upon by police.  Please act on this along with the other labor issues mentioned in the letter from Eric Lee.

First, Suzuki broke its agreement. Now shots have been fired at strikers, and the government has called the strike "illegal"

Just as this blog was being published we got the delightful news that the international uproar worked and the company has settled with the workers.  This is a great victory for the solidarity of workers and unions around the globe.

ON OUR IDENTITY AND CHARACTER 
Recently Uri Avneri wrote an article in which he made the point that our history has so warped our identity and character that we, as Jews, are incapable of creating a  democratic nation state that would satisfy the expectations of the modern world.  He attributed this both to the historic past and to the Holocaust and its long term influence on our mentality, our distrust of the "other" and of an overreaching supranational solidarity that places a Jew in Vancouver in a privileged position relative to any non-Jewish citizen living in Um el Fahm or Issefiya.  He thinks we need a second Herzl to set us on the right path.   It is interesting food for thought, although I do not agree with all of his contentions.  I think the plight of democratic values and the takeover by the settlers and the right in Israel derive from an absence of democratic tradition (vid. Avineri above) in the host countries of Jews, both in North Africa and in Eastern Europe.  The democracy that existed here in the early decades had its source in the Jews from Western European countries, most notably Weimar Germany, who have long passed on to their reward.  I do not think that we are on our way to classical Fascism as in Germany and Italy because we do have an ideology and we do not have a charismatic leader who can impose his will as Hitler and Mussolini could.  We are on our way to a much more authoritarian regime as can be seen in the anti democratic laws and initiatives.  R.O. Paxton points out (vid. THE ANATOMY OF FASCISM By Robert O. Paxton. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,) that  fascism requires a charismatic leader and a lack of real ideology.   This review from the NYTimes, by Samantha Powers will serve as our book review of the week. How this connects up to us in a cultural sense is another important issue.  Saul Bellow discusses his identity as a Jewish writer in a two part series in the NY Review of Books.  Part One has been published and is worthy of attention.


Let us wind up with a report on some criminal activity that should be dealt with firmly...

We also have good advice from  Goldman Sachs via Andy Borowitz on how we all can profit from Occupy Wall Street.  We hope that now that the holidays are ending our protesters will return to the streets and be part of the worldwide protest against capitalism run amuck.

Titan after Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur has come and gone and Titan, Pollyanna and I have broken our fast and are back with the world.  Titan wishes you all a Chatima Tova (to be inscribed in the Book of Life) since, although Yom Kippur has past, the Book is still open for alterations and emendations and the Editor is still accepting repentance until Hoshanna Rabba, which this year falls on October 19.  That is the day when we Jews make it clear that we want rain this year by pounding on the floor with willow branches, just in case the message is not getting through, as you can see in the image.  When I was a kid I thought this was great fun.

 Titan has had a hard week and has much to complain about as usual.  First however, he owes you a picture of himself.  To make it interesting, he is showing himself as a radar image, with an impact crater.  As you can see, it is not easy being a moon of Saturn.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL
This image was acquired by the Cassini radar instrument in synthetic aperture mode during a Sept. 7, 2006, flyby of Titan. The image is centered at 70 degrees west longitude, 10 degrees north latitude, and measures about 150 kilometers high by 190 kilometers wide (93 by 118 miles). The smallest details in this image are about 500 meters (about 550 yards) across. Full resolution image.

This image from Cassini's radar instrument shows an impact crater with a diameter of 30 kilometers (19 miles) on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.
Cassini data have only revealed three definite impact craters on Titan so far, so each new discovery adds significantly to our body of knowledge. Impact craters are particularly important, as their shapes give scientists insight into the structure of the crust beneath Titan's surface.
The difference in overall appearance between this crater, which has a central peak, and those without, such as Sinlap, indicates variations in the conditions of impact, thickness of the crust, or properties of the meteorite that made the crater. The dark floor indicates smooth or highly absorbing materials.
NOBEL PRIZES FOR SCIENCE 2011
Titan is pleased to congratulate the winners of the 2011 Nobel Prizes in  Physics and Chemistry. The links lead to the Nobel page where you can send a congratulatory note to the laureates.  The Chemistry prize went to Prof. Daniel Schechtman of our own Technion for his discovery of quasicrystals in solids.  He took a lot of flak for the idea back then, but he stuck to his guns and long has had vindication for his views.  The Physics prize went to three people for the discovery of the acceleration of the expansion of the universe.  In Israel we have ten Nobel Laureates, although I only count seven, four in Chemistry, two in Economics (a related prize) and one in Literature.  I discount the Peace Prizes for none of them have brought real peace, although you can make a case for Menahem Begin whose peace treaty with Egypt is still holding, albeit barely.  Danny Kahanman who won the Economics prize has not lived in Israel for many years, but he was educated here.

We also wish to congratulate the three women who share the 2011 Peace Prize for their unflagging and courageous efforts on behalf of women and peace.   In particular, Tawakkul Karman from Yemen, serves as a shining example of what can be achieved by a woman leading a nonviolent struggle.  While on the subject of women's rights, Titan would like to refer you to a compelling blog posting by Diana Russell, on the killing of women, qua women and a proposal to use the name "femicide"  to define the crime more clearly.

Women's Terror Is Not "Just a Movie" image by the late graffiti artist, photographer, and anti-femicide activist Chris Domingo, of Berkeley, California

CHILIK IS GONE
Titan, Pollyanna and YandA are all very sad at the loss of Chilik, our dog of the last decade.  She was old and ill, living with a malignancy,  but we were keeping her alive on steroids and she seemed happy enough.  A few weeks ago she wandered off at the beach and simply vanished as if into thin air. We have searched high and low, posted notices, phoned the pound, but no sign of her has shown up.  We miss her very much.

Chilik being kept out of trouble

Congratulations to the Berlin Zoo on the birth of Indochinese tiger cubs quadruplets

  recently.  Read more and enjoy the pictures and video.


IN MEMORIAM 

Steve Jobs(1955-2011) has just died after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.  He started from scratch and built one of the greatest technology companies in the world and revolutionized the world of computing and communication.  His creativity and innovative genius were without peers.  I am writing these lines on a PC, but I am well aware of the world of MAC and what impact it had on society.  I think the CNN obituary is quite comprehensive about his life and work.  I am also appending a link to a site that contains the commencement address that he gave at Stanford in 2005 along with a detailed biography.  It has some good points along with a healthy dose of egomania.  This man enjoyed abusing his employees and parking in the handicapped slots.  Nonetheless, he left a major impact on our society.

There is also a dark side  to Apple and by association Jobs.  The factories in China that make the goodies that Apple sells have been hit in recent year by a rash of worker suicides, to say nothing about abuse, illness from substance exposure and more.  The conditions in these factories are worse than appalling, but Jobs and Apple, as well as the people who buy their goods, chose not to notice.  Mike Daisy ,who is putting on a one man Steve Jobs show, gave an interview in which he lashed out at the company for its indifference to basic human rights.   Titan and Pollyanna have both lashed out at companies that buy from Third World suppliers who abuse their workers, but in general, indifference is the mode when there is money to be made.  We consumers have little leverage in these matters, alas.  The film China Blue by Micha Peled gives you an idea.
Micha Peled showed this picture at various venues including the Cinematheques around the country.  It was also shown here on television.  He won a human rights award from the Dutch section of Amnesty International for the film.
 


Bullying in schools  is a terrible thing especially when the victim is particularly vulnerable.  I had my share as the only Jewish kid in my class in elementary school.  In junior high and high school, our numbers were greater and there was enough solidarity to generate counter pressure.  Titan is pleased at a story of how the bullying of a girl with Asperger syndrome backfired because some high school kids showed a social conscience.  Cheers for the Poway CA High School students!
A recent study has shown that racism and prejudice are imbued into us by our cultural environment. The new study finds that while people are quick to associate word pairs that bring to mind stereotypes (think "black - poor" versus "black - goofy"), this tendency is rooted not in the social meaning of the words, but in the likelihood of the words appearing together in literature and media. In other words, this implicit prejudice is driven more by culture than by any innate horribleness in the person, said study researcher Paul Verhaeghen, a Georgia Tech psychologist.  Read more.

WHALING AGAIN
The Japanese whaling fleet is going off again on its "scientific" whale hunt..  Last season they were hampered by activists from the group, Sea Shepherd, that has pledged to follow the fleet again this year and obstruct its hunt.

Sea battle ... crew member Laurens De Groot hurls a bottle of butyric acid at a Japanese harpoon whaling ship / Pic: Sea Shepherd

We wish them good luck and all success.  Japan also kills dolphins indiscriminately as can be seen in the film  The Cove.  We own a copy of the film and will be happy to share it.  Maybe we should stop buying Japanes cars.

ROMA HOUSING AND FORCED EVICTIONS IN ROUMANIA
This rant deals with a vicious form of racism, segregation and discrimination practiced against the poorest and most disadvantaged citizens in Roumania.  Titan calls upon all of you to sign up and take action against the new housing law that  makes no provision for marginal minority groups.   It just takes a few clicks to get your message across.

Romania’s poorest and most disadvantaged citizens cannot access adequate housing

THE LOCAL SCENE
There is so much to rant about that Titan would run out of silicon if he took on everything.  We do want to complain bitterly about the POGROM  that took place in Anatot on September 30.   (The dictionary definition is an organized massacre of helpless people; specifically : such a massacre of Jews. )
What do we call it when the perpetrators are Jews?  Please read the description in the link and then take action.  What is most frightening is the passive complicity of the police who took no action to protect the victims of settler violence.  This couples with the burning of a mosque   in a northern village

Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

An Israeli Arab boy in a burned mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangari

and the desecration of Muslim and Christian cemeteries in Jaffa 

"Death to Arabs" sprayed on a grave in Jaffa, October 7, 2011
Photo by: Team palestina

all part of the "price tag" violence campaign of West Bank settlers. The failure, because of either lack of will or incompetence, of the Israel Police to deal with the phenomenon of settler violence is leading to dire consequences.  Let us hope that the leaders of the Arab community in Israel will be able to restrain their hotheads and avoid playing into the hands of the instigators of the violence.  It is most pathetic also that the left in Israel seems to be unable to mount an effective counterattack.  The right has a propaganda rag called Israel Today that is handed out free in railroad stations, malls, wherever and the brainwash is total.  The message of peace, conciliation and the values of liberal democracy does not get across to the public. It is relevant, therefore, to read a similar complaint from the US by Phil Rockstroh, who  is a poet, lyricist and philosopher bard living in New York City.  He  points out that we on the liberal-left side are rendered impotent by our very trait of being nice and amiable.  His posting Running from Right Wing Clowns should be read carefully.  It is about the USA, but it fits Israel like a glove.  In particular I want to quote his ending statement--"At present, among the things we can ill afford are fantasy-prone kids, duped into believing modern soldiering bestows nobility and involves heroic sacrifice.  Instead, the times call for brave misfits, encouraged to embrace rejection by a dysfunctional society and primed to endure the inherent bumps and buffeting inflicted from a culture that has gathered into the formation of a flying wedge of self-destructive, crash-fated crazy. "
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY GENE WEINGARTEN  

Gene Weingarten whose humor graces our blogs has turned 60.  Both Titan (4.6 Billion) and I (80) regard him as a mere youngster, but we will share his thoughts on aging and ultimate mortality.

His friend and fellow blogger Joel Achenbach has some nice thoughts on Gene's birthday that we will also share with you.   In his comments, he notes one of Gene's greatest blogs about The Great Zucchini  from 2006, which is indeed beautiful.  There are countless gems in the Weingarten archives.