Air India crash kills at least 160:
Air India Express flight from Dubai A passenger plane crossed a runway and crashed outside an airport in South India on Saturday, with at least 160 people in one of the worst air accident in India in years.
The accident happened near Mangalore in Karnataka state airport. There may be five or six survivors, said local media.
Air India said the plane was a Boeing 737-800 with 166 people aboard, including six crew members.
Air India Express is a budget airline owned by the state-run carrier Air India.
"At least 160 passengers died in the crash," U.S. Acharya, Interior Minister of the southern state of Karnataka, told reporters. "At least five to six people were taken to the hospital. Their condition is unknown."
TV pictures showed firefighters battle burning wreck in a wooded area near the airport.
Showing posts with label Breaking News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breaking News. Show all posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Costello cancels Israel shows
Costello cancels Israel shows:
No peace, love and understanding from Elvis. Only two weeks after British rock icon Elvis Costello told The Jerusalem Post that the only answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “dialogue and reconciliation,” he decided to take himself out of the equation by cancelling his two shows scheduled for June 30 and July 1 at the Caesaerea Amphitheater. Costello posted an announcement on his Web site over the weekend explaining his decision to join the boycott of Israel. “There are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent,” he wrote. Saying he couldn’t imagine receiving another invitation to perform in Israel, Costello wrote that since the conflict was “actually too grave and complex to be addressed in a concert, then it is also quite impossible to simply look the other way… sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static.” Costello was set to make his Israeli debut with his new folk/bluegrass band The Sugarcanes, and in his conversation with the Post two weeks ago, he said that he had given much thought to playing in the country, but decided that he was against efforts to boycott performances. “I know from the experience of a friend who is from Israel and from people who have worked there that there is a difference of opinion there among Israelis regarding their government’s policies. It seems to me that dialogue is essential. I don’t presume to think that my performance is going to be part of the process,” Costello told the Post.
“The people who call for a boycott of Israel own the narrow view that performing there must be about profit and endorsing the hawkish policy of the government. It’s like never appearing in the US because you didn’t like Bush’s policies or boycotting England because of Margaret Thatcher.” Alive Productions, which was promoting the Costello shows, said in a statement that they were shocked by Costello’s letter to them, which he later posted on his Web site. “In the continuous contact we’ve had with Costello’s management, there was never even a shred of a clue that he was considering cancelling,” the statement said. In a written response to Costello, Alive Productions appealed to him to reconsider his “sudden and extreme” decision.
“Back in February, when you confirmed the performances in Israel, you were surely aware of the situation in the Middle East, and the existing long conflict between the two nations with different wants and dreams''. You are probably familiar with the history and the global reality that we in Israel are confronted with,” the letter stated. “Perhaps there, it is easier to bury one's head in the sand and again use prejudice as a conduit to cultural discrimination of a large culture-loving public… music should be a voice of peace and brotherhood, a unifying force and should not be turned off merely because the background noises seem too loud. “It is impossible to understand how your participation in a music concert, that is totally apolitical, can be interpreted as a political act. However, there can be no doubt that cancelling a performance for political reasons, and refusing to perform in Israel, can only be interpreted as a very strong political statement. Your decision will only push people further apart and enabling those wrong-doers to win through cultural terror.” Alive Productions, which is also bringing Costello’s wife, singer/pianist Diana Krall to the Ra’anana Amphitheater on August 4th, reassured fans that they had received word from her management (which she shares with Costello) that she had no plans to cancel her concert.
The 50 most influential Jews in the world
The 50 most influential Jews in the world:
The Jerusalem Post's first annual list of those who are shaping the future.
The story is told, in several cultural variations, of a Jewish man spotting a friend reading an Arabic newspaper. “Moshe, have you lost your mind?” he says.
“Well, I used to read the Jewish papers, but what did I find?” Moshe replies. “Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation, Jews living in poverty. So I switched to an Arab newspaper. Now what do I find? Jews own the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!”
In what is planned as an annual media event, The Jerusalem Post has chosen the world’s leading 50 Jewish “movers and shakers” based on a range of criteria, including personal access to power, ability to exert influence and individual talent.
The Post’s list of the 50 most influential Jews in the world was not designed to feed the anti-Semitic stereotype that Jews control the world. Nor should it be construed as a source of religious or national pride, because while those on the list all identify themselves as Jews, Judaism and Israel are not necessarily central to their careers.
The candidates were chosen from all walks of life for their ability to fashion the face of the future. Many hold positions of power or prestige, while others are prominent personalities who exert extraordinary influence in Israel, the Jewish world or on the wider world stage.
They include an impressive array of high-powered politicians and business executives, top bankers and hi-tech giants, revered rabbis and media moguls as well as thinkers, musicians, movie makers, artists, writers, trend-setters, sports people and comedians.
We sought a good mix of Israelis and non-Israelis, religious and secular, figures from across the political spectrum, men and women. We warmly congratulate those on the list, and thank those who responded to being chosen.
To those who were excluded, either deliberately or unwittingly, we apologize. We omitted New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, for example, because although his mother is Jewish, he identifies himself as agnostic – and, with respect, how important is Wellington on the world map?
Our list is headed by Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has become well known around the world for his political dexterity and eloquence in English. Heading a relatively stable coalition, his actions on the diplomatic track over the next year will inevitably have an enormous impact not only on the troubled Middle East but on the Jewish world at large.
In his response to being chosen by The Jerusalem Post and our Internet readership around the world on jpost.com as the most influential Jew in the world, Netanyahu told our reporter, Herb Keinon: “The fact that the Prime Minister of the State of Israel is viewed as being the world’s most influential Jew is a historic vindication of the miracle of Zionism.”
It may be no historic accident that the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, Barack Obama, recently approved a second term for Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman, and chose Jews to be his closest advisers: Rahm Emanuel, the tough White House chief of staff, David Axelrod, his savvy political adviser and Dan Shapiro, the top Middle East expert on the National Security Council.
He also happens to be friendly with several Jewish leaders, including Alan Solow and Lee Rosenberg, who are both on our list.
Second on the list is Bernanke, the man who holds the purse strings of the richest nation on the planet and is credited with steering the US out of a severe financial crisis. He is followed by Emanuel, who arguably has the most influence on the American president – and certainly has his ear whenever he needs it.
AS WE CELEBRATE Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Torah on Mount Sinai from Moses, the most famous Jew in history, we can only pray that those on our list use their influence to better the world and help Israel and the Jewish people serve as a light unto the nations.
It is on Shavuot that we read the Book of Ruth, perhaps the most famous convert in the Bible. Ruth’s acceptance of Judaism is based on her acceptance of the Torah, and King David is believed to be her great-grandson. Jewish tradition has it that David, one of the greatest figures in the Bible, was born and died on Shavuot.
Coincidentally, two of our top 50 personalities are named Ruth – Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, and Prof. Ruth Arnon, a renowned Israeli biochemist credited with developing a drug against multiple sclerosis.
Considering their small numbers, Jews have fared disproportionately well in lists of the world’s most powerful and richest people, as well as in Nobel Prizes.
The world Jewish population is estimated at being 02. percent of the total populace – some 13.5 million, with just over 5.7 million in Israel, 5.6 million in the US, half a million in Russia and France, 280,000 in the UK and 200,000 in Germany.
Yet in Vanity Fair’s latest list of the 100 most powerful people in the world, 51 are Jews. Ten of the 50 people on this year’s Forbes’ annual billionaires list are Jewish. Of the 802 Nobel prizes handed out to date, 162 have gone to Jews.
In Michael H. Hart’s book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, seven are Jews.
Jews have also featured prominently on Time’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people, and in 1999, the magazine named Albert Einstein person of the century.
IN A SHORT story by Philip Roth, a talent scout sends a letter to Einstein proposing that the renowned scientist host a weekly radio show to help reduce anti-Semitism.
“I would like them to know that the genius of all time is a Jew,” he writes. “The world must know and soon... that when it comes to smart, we are the tops.”
Four years ago, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt shook the Jewish world by writing a paper, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, on what they perceived as the exaggerated influence of the Jewish lobby.
After being named by the pair as a key member of the media wing of the Israel lobby, Mortimer Zuckerman – a former head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations – replied sardonically: “I would just say this: The allegations of this disproportionate influence of the Jewish community remind me of the 92-year-old man sued in a paternity suit. He said he was so proud, he pleaded guilty.”
Asked by reporter Greer Fay Cashman for his response on being chosen for our list, President Shimon Peres said that he tells both religious and non-religious Jews that the best example to follow is that of the Rambam (Maimonides), “who was great in his Jewishness and great in medicine without one contradicting the other.”
How much influence do Jews wield in the world, and how influential are those on our list? We leave you to judge.
1. Binyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Serving his second year in his second term, Netanyahu, 60, is the first premier to have been born after the state’s creation. Netanyahu has arguably gone further than any of his predecessors in easing the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank and freezing settlement construction. In his seminal Bar-Ilan University speech last year, the Likud leader accepted the idea of a Palestinian state for the first time, and is currently overseeing proximity talks with the Palestinians that he hopes to galvanize toward a final settlement to the Middle East conflict.
Netanyahu’s ratings soared this month as Israel was accepted to be a member of the OECD.
Netanyahu responds:
The fact that the Prime Minister of the State of Israel is viewed today as being the world’s most influential Jew demonstrates the historic change that Zionism has brought about in the condition of the Jewish people.
A scattered, powerless people has been able to reassert its national life in its own sovereign state, in its ancestral homeland. From being mere spectators on the international stage, today the Jews control their own destiny and have returned as a people to the family of nations. Free, democratic and able to defend itself against threats and adversity, Israel doesn’t just survive, it flourishes. Today, within the State of Israel, the creativity and genius of the Jewish people are bursting forth in every area: in science; in technology; in entrepreneurship; in medicine; in the arts.
When Israel was established in 1948, only some 5% of the world’s Jewish population lived in the new state. Today, Israel contains the largest Jewish community in the world.
This honor awarded to the Prime Minister of the Jewish State is a testament to the profound transformation that has occurred in the reality of life for the Jewish People over the last 62 years.
2. Ben Bernanke
The chairman of the US Federal Reserve.
In announcing his second term until 2014, President Obama said Bernanke’s background, temperament, courage and creativity helped prevent another Great Depression. Time named him person of the year last year. Bernanke, 56, wrote his doctoral thesis at MIT in 1979 on “Long-term commitments, dynamic optimization, and the business cycle” and his thesis adviser was none other than Stanley Fischer, the current governor of the Bank of Israel.
3. Rahm Emanuel
White House chief of staff.
Emanuel is believed by some critics to be a key player in Barack Obama’s more critical stance on Israel – an adviser with the expertise to strongly influence the president. He is believed by others to be a crucial bulwark, limiting Washington-Jerusalem frictions.
His father, an Israeli doctor, caused a stir by telling Ma’ariv after his appointment by President Obama: “Obviously, he’ll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab?” Known as a tough guy, Emanuel flew to Israel as a volunteer during the first Iraq war and is said to be the model for Josh Lyman on the popular TV series, “The West Wing.”
4. Sergey Brin
Founder of Google
Together with Larry Page, whose maternal grandmother was Jewish, the Russian-born Brin founded Google, the world’s largest Internet company, and they are often referred to as the “Google Guys.” Brin, 36, and Page, 37, met at Stanford, where they suspended their doctoral studies to start up Google in a rented garage.
The Economist calls Brin an “Enlightenment Man” who believes that “knowledge is always good, and certainly always better than ignorance” and in the Google mantra, “Don’t be evil!” (Board chairman Eric Schmidt famously quipped that “Evil is whatever Sergey says is evil.”) The duo have visited Israel several times, once for the 80th birthday of Shimon Peres.
5. Shai Agassi
Founder of Better Place
Agassi, 42, has become a pioneer in alternative energy under the auspices of the company he founded in 2007.
After being endorsed by the Israeli government in 2008, Better Place has negotiated contracts on electric cars with more than two dozen countries. The Israeli entrepeneur was named by Time as the world’s most influential businessman in 2003 and one of its 100 most influential people last year.
6. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Head of the International Monetary Fund
Strauss-Kahn, 61, was professor of economics at the University of Paris, where he obtained his doctorate, and became a member of parliament for the Socialist Party in 1986. He was chosen as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in 2007 and is expected to run for president of France in 2012.
The IMF played a key role in the recent European decision to pass a trillion-dollar plan to aid Greece.
7. Shimon Peres
President of Israel
Peres, who is 86, arguably wields more power and prestige than any of his predecessors. After a career marked by controversy and confrontation, in which he gained the reputation of being a serial loser, Peres has finally emerged as a consensus figure admired not only by the outside world but by the majority of Israelis too.
He maintains a more than correct relationship with the prime minister, who appreciates the international credibility and access offered by the Nobel peace laureate, even as he asserts a greater Palestinian willingness for compromise than Binyamin Netanyahu believes exists.
Peres responds:
“I would like to discover ways to enter the New Age while being Jewish and modern at the same time. Traveling is not such a big deal today, and I imagine that many of the Jewish people who do not live in Israel can develop a way of life which they can share in two places. I would like to see a Jewish lifestyle which on the one hand is as old as the Ten Commandments and on the other is as modern as nanotechnology.”
8. David Axelrod
Senior White House Adviser
Barack Obama’s top political adviser helps the president craft and communicate his policy, and calmed tempers during the latest spat between the US and Israel.
Before entering the White House, Axelrod, 55, was a political writer for the Chicago Tribune and founded AKP&D Message and Media. He managed Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.
In an Israel Independence Day address in Washington this year, Axelrod said: “Let’s not confuse the occasional dispute over policy with the fundamental relationship that has guided our two nations for so long and will continue to guide our two nations.”
Axelrod responds:
“My father was a Jewish immigrant who fled the pogroms and came to America in search of freedom and opportunity. I carry the memory of my family's miraculous journey with me every day.”
9. Alan Dershowitz
Law professor, Israel advocate
Dershowitz, 71, is an internationally respected jurist who has served as an attorney in several high-profile cases, including that of OJ Simpson. At 28, he became the youngest law professor in Harvard’s history. Married to a psychologist from Israel, Dershowitz has become famous for his eloquent advocacy for Israel and commentary on the Middle East conflict.
Dershowitz responds:
My career has generally been reactive to where I think the great crises of human rights are, and the unfair attacks. So in the 60s I was very active in the civil rights movement. I went down south. I spent my time defending lots of African Americans and other discriminated-against groups. Then in the late 60s and 70s I was very active in the anti-war, ant-Vietnam movement, defending lots of people who were prosecuted for their views on Vietnam – the Pentagon Papers case, the Chicago Seven case, those cases. In the mid-70s, I turned my attention to Soviet dissidents and Soviet Jews, because they were the ones who were mostly in need. And then when the world started to really turn against Israel, and particularly when the hard left started to turn so heavily against Israel, it was perfectly consistent with my career and my commitment to human rights to turn to Israel. The case against Israel has increased both in the court of public opinion and real courts. So I suspect I will be spending more and more time in Israel.
10. Elena Kagan
US Supreme Court nominee
Kagan, 50, is the first woman to be solicitor general of the US, and has just been named as Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, where she would become the third woman and third Jew to sit on the court. Kagan, a liberal Democrat, was formerly the dean of the prestigious Harvard Law School and a professor at the University of Chicago, as well as serving as associate White House counsel under Bill Clinton.
A Democrat and supporter of Obama, she is capable of swinging the court to the left, while making key judicial decisions on the freedom of religion and choice.
11. Alan Solow
Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Solow, 55, is a charismatic Jewish leader, top Chicago lawyer and friend of President Barack Obama.
Tablet Magazine calls him “the Go-Between” – the putative spokesman for American Jewry played a key role in resolving the recent crisis between the US and Israel.
Solow responds:
“This recognition by he Jerusalem Post in reality reflects the critical role played by the Conference, especially during a time period when we have seen transitions in the leadership of both the United States and Israel. Our goal as always, whether working publicly or in private (and we do both), is to promote the strongest possible relationship between two democratic allies. We have also been extremely active in raising public awareness and urging swift action to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. To the extent that my work has made a contribution to these efforts, I am delighted. In my capacity as Conference Chair, I often interact with senior American and Israeli officials, and I have had the opportunity to meet with President Obama and advocate directly to him. I am pleased to report that our access to government officials in the United States and Israel is excellent.
It is certainly humbling to be included in such outstanding company. Moving forward, we will work relentlessly to make certain that a clear Jewish voice is heard where policy is made and implemented.”
12. Ehud Barak
Defense Minister
Barak, 68, in his second term, has proved to be an adept diplomat and master strategist. He is involved not only in safeguarding Israel from its enemies, including Iran, but in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians and Arab states as well. He is arguably the most senior Israeli minister with whom the Obama administration is most comfortable, being perceived as relatively dovish, capable, worldly and calm.
13. Irwin Cotler
Canadian MP, human rights activist
Cotler, 70, is a member of the Canadian Parliament for the Liberal Party and a former justice minister and attorney general. He was previously a professor of law at McGill University and the director of its Human Rights Program, becoming an expert in international and human rights law.
A staunch defender of Israel from a human rights vantage point, and a very frequent visitor here, he is widely credited with having influenced Canada’s current supportive stance on the Jewish state.
14. Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York
Bloomberg, 68, founder of the Bloomberg media company, successfully campaigned to change the law and win a third term as mayor last year. As mayor, he is currently having to deal with an apparent renewal of terrorism in the city. Listed by Forbes as the eighth richest person in the US, Bloomberg declines to receive a city salary, accepting remuneration of $1 annually for his services.
15. Bernard Kouchner
Foreign Minister, France
Although he is currently serving in a right-wing government, the French foreign minister was previously considered a center-left politician. Kouchner, 70, was a co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
At the forefront of the international struggle against Iran’s nuclear program, he once stated that while France was committed to a diplomatic resolution and that no military action was planned, an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose “a real danger for the whole world.”
16. Gabi Ashkenazi
IDF Chief of General Staff
The 56-year-old IDF chief is credited with restoring pride in the military and has a good relationship with his US counterpart, Michael Mullen, who awarded him the prestigious Legion of Merit.
He emphasized a quiet back-to-basics approach in the IDF that saw it fight far more effectively in Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in 2008-9 than it had in the Second Lebanon War against Hizbullah in 2006.
17. Stanley Fischer
Bank of Israel Governor
The 66-year-old Bank of Israel governor, who began a second five-year term this year, is credited with stabilizing Israel’s economy during the international financial crisis. He has also maintained a relationship
with his former protégé, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, that has helped enable Palestinian economic growth of some 10 percent in the
West Bank over the past year.
18. Avigdor Lieberman
Foreign Minister
The Soviet-born foreign minister, 51, is a key player in Middle East peace negotiations. As the founder and leader of the Israel Beiteinu Party, he believes that all Israeli citizens should have to sign a loyalty oath.
He is currently being investigated by police for alleged corruption, but has a huge political following, especially among FSU immigrants and on the Right.
19. Sheldon Adelson
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
The wealthy American casino king, 76, is a big supporter of the Republican Party and Israel, and has been a key philanthropic funder behind Yad Vashem, Birthright and other causes. The owner of Israel’s biggest free daily, Yisrael Hayom, which, while derided by critics of the prime minister as a “Bibiton” – a slavishly pro-Netanyahu publication – has diversified and revolutionized the Hebrew tabloid market.
20. Dorit Beinisch
Supreme Court President
Beinisch, 68, is the first woman to serve as president of the Supreme Court. In her judicial rulings, Beinisch has focused on combating government corruption and ensuring that state institutions and security services follow the law. In a landmark ruling ten years ago, she said corporal punishment by parents is “forbidden,” because it infringes on the child’s rights and harms his dignity as a human being.
21. Natan Sharansky
Jewish Agency Chairman
As chairman of the Jewish Agency, the 62-year-old former prisoner of Zion now heads the largest Jewish NGO in the world. After trying his hand in politics, forming the Israel Ba’aliya political party and serving as a cabinet minister, Sharansky is currently spearheading a campaign to reform the Jewish Agency and focus on Jewish identity. He is also introducing a plan to hand out Jewish Nobel prizes.
22. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
US Supreme Court Justice
Bader Ginsburg, 67, is the first Jewish woman to be a jusice of the US Supreme Court, and the second woman. An associate justice, she is considered part of the liberal wing of the court. In her previous career as a law professor, she became an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. In a 2009 New York Times interview, in which she said regarding abortion that “the basic thing is that the government has no business making that choice for a woman.”
23. Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook Founder
The 36-year-old American entrepreneur who five years ago co-founded the massively popular social networking site, Facebook with three other Harvard students, one of whom, Dustin Moskovitz was also Jewish. Three years ago, Microsoft (whose CEO, Steve Ballmer, is also Jewish) bought a 1.6% stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million. A film about Facebook is due to be released this year.
24. Moshe Kantor
ECG President
The president of the European Jewish Congress, Kantor this month opened the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. The center will study existing legislation on anti-Semitism in Europe and draft an “ideal law” for combating the growing phenomenon.
Kantor responds:
“I am honored to be in a position where I can advocate for European Jewish interests and the State of Israel amongst senior political, religious and influential figures in Europe and beyond. This is a testament to the re-ascendancy of European Jewry on the Diaspora world stage. It is my firm belief that the influence and significance of European Jewry will only continue to rise, as will its role of support for the state, people and government of Israel in a continent where understanding of the challenges that Israel faces is sometimes lacking. Also, because of our history, I am convinced that Jews need to play a more prominent role in achieving greater tolerance in Europe. As the President of the European Jewish Congress and Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, an organization of elder European statesmen, I assist in preparing practical recommendations for governments and international organisations to improve interreligious and interethnic relations on the continent.”
25. Michael Steinhardt
Investor and philanthropist
The 59-year-old New York investor is a big political donor in the US, giving to both the Democrats and Republicans. Steinhardt, who owns a home in Jerusalem, is better known here for sponsoring the Birthright Israel program together with Charles Bronfman.
Steinhardt responds:
I am honored, and I hope in the coming years I can merit this honor. I have devoted so much of my life, especially over the last 15 years, to the Jewish future and I think I’m stuck with that preoccupation for the foreseeable future.
26. Mortimer Zuckerman
Publisher
Zuckerman, 72, a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is the owner of the New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report and co-founder of Boston Properties. He is a strong supporter of Israel and Jewish causes.
27. Ronald Lauder
WJC President
President of the World Jewish Congress and son of Esthee Lauder, the 66-year-old Lauder, is a wealthy businessman who is a strong support of the Republican Party in the US and the Likud in Israel. In the past, he has mediated contacts between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Syrian President Assad. Last month published an open letter to President Obama urging the administration to "end our public feud with Israel."
28. Larry Ellison
Oracle founder
The 65-year-old magnate who founded and is CEO of the world’s second largest software company, Oracle, is listed by The Marker as the world’s richest Jew, and by Forbes as the sixth richest person in the world.
On a visit to Israel three years ago, he praised the country’s intellectual talent and hi-tech achievements, and related how excited he had been to watch Israeli jets fly over Auschwitz – signalling that the Holocaust would never happen again.
29. Ruth Arnon
Biochemist
Prof. Arnon, currently the Paul Ehrlich Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and vice president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, is a veteran biochemist and codeveloper of the multiple sclerosis drug, Copaxone. It is one of the few medications invented in Israel, and is manufactured and sold by Teva, the world’s largest generic medicine company.
30. Elie Wiesel
Writer
Wiesel, now 81, is the world’s most famous living Holocaust survivor, having written 57 books and won a Nobel Prize. In April, Wiesel took out full-page ads in US newspapers defending the Jewish rights to Jerusalem, and later dined with President Obama in an attempt to defuse the tension they caused.
31. Steven Spielberg
Filmmaker
America’s most famous film maker, who is now 63, has won three Academy awards, including the epic Schindler’s List about how German businessman Oskar Schindler saved over 1,000 Jews during the Second World War. He has also established a historically important Holocaust film and video archive.
32. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Chief Rabbi, UK
The chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth was knighted in 2005, and is well respected in the UK as an articulate leader and spokesman of the Jewish community. He has also written several best-selling books, one of which – The Dignity of Difference – was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Religion.
33. Jeff Zucker
CEO of NBC Universal
President and CEO of NBC Universal, the premier television network in the US for the past three years. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that in Hollywood “there has been a single topic of discussion: How does Jeff Zucker keep rising and rising while the fortunes of NBC keep falling and falling?” Many of Hollywood’s honchos are Jewish, including executives from CBS, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, News Corp., Sony Pictures Chairman and CBS, whose CEO, Leslie Moonves is a great-nephew of David Ben-Gurion.
34. Joseph Lieberman
US Senator
The Connecticut senator still commands respect in Washington as a straight shooter and an ardent supporter of Israel. Despite backing John McCain in the 2008 elections, Lieberman maintained his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, apparently with the support of President Obama.
35. Eric Cantor
US Congressman
The Virginia representative is currently serving as Republican whip, and is the only Jewish Republican in Congress. An ardent backer of Israel, he has co-sponsored legislation to cut off all US taxpayer aid to the Palestinian Authority unless it stops unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount.
36. Lee Rosenberg
President of AIPAC
Rosenberg, 53, is a leading Chicago venture capitalist with long-standing ties to Barack Obama. A jazz veteran and venture capitalist, he this year became president of the most influential pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Rosenberg, according to more than a dozen friends, is a master at building relationships with powerful people.
Rosenberg accompanied Barack Obama during his trip to Israel before becoming president and helped him during his presidential campaign, but didn’t refrain from reprimanding the US for its treatment of Israel during the recent dispute over east Jerusalem housing.
37. Richard Goldstone
International jurist
Goldstone, an internationally renowned jurist and former South African judge, created a storm of protest in the Jewish world after his report last year as head of the UN Human Rights Council mission on the Gaza conflict in which he charged Israel (and Hamas) with alleged war crimes.
This year, he again became the subject of controversy after Yediot Aharonot published a report showing that, as an appellate judge in apartheid South Africa, he sanctioned death sentences against 28 black men.
Today, Goldstone is a board member of several NGOs that promote justice and human rights, including Human Rights Watch, and is a trustee of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
38. Thomas Friedman
Columnist
Friedman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist whose column in The New York Times has a huge readership.
In a column this year in the midst of the US-Israel spat over east Jerusalem housing, he wrote that while “President Barack Obama was 100 percent right to call out Israel on its settlement expansion... he also needs his own clear strategy to exploit the opportunities inherent in this moment.”
39. Haim Saban
Media magnate
The Israeli American media mogul is one of the largest donors to the Democratic Party, supporting Hillary Clinton in the last election. He is also a staunch backer of Israel, telling The New York Times once: “I’m a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel.”
40. Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street Executive Director
Ben-Ami is executive director of J Street, a left-wing pro-Israel lobby group in the US which endorses and raises money for federal candidates. After initially being shunned by the government, Ben-Ami recently had a reconciliatory meeting with Ambassador Michael Oren and brought a large delegation to Israel that met President Peres and other leaders.
41. Shari Arison
Bank of Hapoalim owner
The owner of Bank Hapoalim is Israel’s wealthiest citizen and listed by Forbes as the richest woman in the Middle East. Last year, she sponsored a “Good Deeds Day” which inspired Israelis to volunteer to perform mitzvot across the country.
42. Simone Veil
French politician
Veil, 83, is a Holocaust survivor who became a respected French lawyer and politician. She previously served as president of the European Parliament and was inducted into the Academie Francaise this year.
43. Irving Moskowitz
US tycoon, settler supporter
The Florida-based tycoon is considered the leading supporter of Jewish construction in east Jerusalem and hands out a prize for Zionism to settler leaders.
44. Gill Marcus
Bank Governor, South Africa
The former ANC activist now serves as governor of the South African Reserve Bank - the first woman to hold the position.
45. Bernard-Henri Lévy
Philosopher
A French philosopher and one of the leaders of the Nouvelle Philosophie movement who said that Jews ought to provide a unique moral voice in the world.
46. Bob Dylan
Musician
The veteran singer was cited by the Pulitzer Prize jury for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, “marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Several of his songs have become anthems for the human rights movement, including “Blowin’ in the wind.”
He made Michael Shapiro’s list in The Jewish 100: A ranking of the Most Influential Jews of all Time.
Dylan has performed five times in Israel, but contrary to press reports, will not be coming here during his European tour this summer.
47. Roman Abramovitch
Investor, Chelsea FC owner
The Russian oligarch who now lives in London and owns the private investment company, Millhouse LLC, got a big boost this year with Chelsea, the English soccer club he owns, winning the Premier League.
48. Sacha Baron Cohen
Comedian
The British actor who played three crazy journalists, Ali G, Borat (left) and Brüno, has created an international controversy over his comic characters – and become a household name around the globe.
In the much-touted Simpsons’ tour of Israel episode recently aired on television, Baron Cohen plays Jacob, an angry tour guide. When Marge accused him of being pushy, Jacob retorts: “Try living next to Syria... and see how laid back you are!”
49. Lucian Freud
Artist
The grandson of Sigmund and brother of Clement, Lucian lives in London and is arguably the most famous and influential living Jewish painter. Freud has painted a series of famous portraits, including those of fellow artists and Queen Elizabeth II.
Two years ago, his portrait, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, was sold by Christie's for $33.6 million, setting a world record for sale value of a painting by a living artist.
50. Omri Casspi
Basketball player
The first Israeli to play in the NBA, the tall basketball player has emerged as a star for the Sacramento Kings and one of the greatest Jewish sportsmen in history. In January, he set a new career record with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns. Last year, he won fourth place in the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year and was named Jerusalem Post sportsman of the year, and this year played in the NBA All-Star Weekend. Soft-spoken and well-mannered, he is liked and respected in the NBA and serves as a goodwill ambassador for Israel abroad.
Casspi responds:
"It means a lot to be the first Israeli in the NBA. I don’t just represent myself. I represent Israel and the Jewish people in the states. It might be something that comes with it, but I’m really not trying to think about it. I’m trying to play basketball and focus on that. Because at the end of the day I have to give the best I can on the court.”
The Jerusalem Post's first annual list of those who are shaping the future.
The story is told, in several cultural variations, of a Jewish man spotting a friend reading an Arabic newspaper. “Moshe, have you lost your mind?” he says.
“Well, I used to read the Jewish papers, but what did I find?” Moshe replies. “Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation, Jews living in poverty. So I switched to an Arab newspaper. Now what do I find? Jews own the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!”
In what is planned as an annual media event, The Jerusalem Post has chosen the world’s leading 50 Jewish “movers and shakers” based on a range of criteria, including personal access to power, ability to exert influence and individual talent.
The Post’s list of the 50 most influential Jews in the world was not designed to feed the anti-Semitic stereotype that Jews control the world. Nor should it be construed as a source of religious or national pride, because while those on the list all identify themselves as Jews, Judaism and Israel are not necessarily central to their careers.
The candidates were chosen from all walks of life for their ability to fashion the face of the future. Many hold positions of power or prestige, while others are prominent personalities who exert extraordinary influence in Israel, the Jewish world or on the wider world stage.
They include an impressive array of high-powered politicians and business executives, top bankers and hi-tech giants, revered rabbis and media moguls as well as thinkers, musicians, movie makers, artists, writers, trend-setters, sports people and comedians.
We sought a good mix of Israelis and non-Israelis, religious and secular, figures from across the political spectrum, men and women. We warmly congratulate those on the list, and thank those who responded to being chosen.
To those who were excluded, either deliberately or unwittingly, we apologize. We omitted New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, for example, because although his mother is Jewish, he identifies himself as agnostic – and, with respect, how important is Wellington on the world map?
Our list is headed by Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has become well known around the world for his political dexterity and eloquence in English. Heading a relatively stable coalition, his actions on the diplomatic track over the next year will inevitably have an enormous impact not only on the troubled Middle East but on the Jewish world at large.
In his response to being chosen by The Jerusalem Post and our Internet readership around the world on jpost.com as the most influential Jew in the world, Netanyahu told our reporter, Herb Keinon: “The fact that the Prime Minister of the State of Israel is viewed as being the world’s most influential Jew is a historic vindication of the miracle of Zionism.”
It may be no historic accident that the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, Barack Obama, recently approved a second term for Ben Bernanke as Federal Reserve chairman, and chose Jews to be his closest advisers: Rahm Emanuel, the tough White House chief of staff, David Axelrod, his savvy political adviser and Dan Shapiro, the top Middle East expert on the National Security Council.
He also happens to be friendly with several Jewish leaders, including Alan Solow and Lee Rosenberg, who are both on our list.
Second on the list is Bernanke, the man who holds the purse strings of the richest nation on the planet and is credited with steering the US out of a severe financial crisis. He is followed by Emanuel, who arguably has the most influence on the American president – and certainly has his ear whenever he needs it.
AS WE CELEBRATE Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Torah on Mount Sinai from Moses, the most famous Jew in history, we can only pray that those on our list use their influence to better the world and help Israel and the Jewish people serve as a light unto the nations.
It is on Shavuot that we read the Book of Ruth, perhaps the most famous convert in the Bible. Ruth’s acceptance of Judaism is based on her acceptance of the Torah, and King David is believed to be her great-grandson. Jewish tradition has it that David, one of the greatest figures in the Bible, was born and died on Shavuot.
Coincidentally, two of our top 50 personalities are named Ruth – Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, and Prof. Ruth Arnon, a renowned Israeli biochemist credited with developing a drug against multiple sclerosis.
Considering their small numbers, Jews have fared disproportionately well in lists of the world’s most powerful and richest people, as well as in Nobel Prizes.
The world Jewish population is estimated at being 02. percent of the total populace – some 13.5 million, with just over 5.7 million in Israel, 5.6 million in the US, half a million in Russia and France, 280,000 in the UK and 200,000 in Germany.
Yet in Vanity Fair’s latest list of the 100 most powerful people in the world, 51 are Jews. Ten of the 50 people on this year’s Forbes’ annual billionaires list are Jewish. Of the 802 Nobel prizes handed out to date, 162 have gone to Jews.
In Michael H. Hart’s book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, seven are Jews.
Jews have also featured prominently on Time’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people, and in 1999, the magazine named Albert Einstein person of the century.
IN A SHORT story by Philip Roth, a talent scout sends a letter to Einstein proposing that the renowned scientist host a weekly radio show to help reduce anti-Semitism.
“I would like them to know that the genius of all time is a Jew,” he writes. “The world must know and soon... that when it comes to smart, we are the tops.”
Four years ago, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt shook the Jewish world by writing a paper, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, on what they perceived as the exaggerated influence of the Jewish lobby.
After being named by the pair as a key member of the media wing of the Israel lobby, Mortimer Zuckerman – a former head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations – replied sardonically: “I would just say this: The allegations of this disproportionate influence of the Jewish community remind me of the 92-year-old man sued in a paternity suit. He said he was so proud, he pleaded guilty.”
Asked by reporter Greer Fay Cashman for his response on being chosen for our list, President Shimon Peres said that he tells both religious and non-religious Jews that the best example to follow is that of the Rambam (Maimonides), “who was great in his Jewishness and great in medicine without one contradicting the other.”
How much influence do Jews wield in the world, and how influential are those on our list? We leave you to judge.
1. Binyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of Israel
Serving his second year in his second term, Netanyahu, 60, is the first premier to have been born after the state’s creation. Netanyahu has arguably gone further than any of his predecessors in easing the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank and freezing settlement construction. In his seminal Bar-Ilan University speech last year, the Likud leader accepted the idea of a Palestinian state for the first time, and is currently overseeing proximity talks with the Palestinians that he hopes to galvanize toward a final settlement to the Middle East conflict.
Netanyahu’s ratings soared this month as Israel was accepted to be a member of the OECD.
Netanyahu responds:
The fact that the Prime Minister of the State of Israel is viewed today as being the world’s most influential Jew demonstrates the historic change that Zionism has brought about in the condition of the Jewish people.
A scattered, powerless people has been able to reassert its national life in its own sovereign state, in its ancestral homeland. From being mere spectators on the international stage, today the Jews control their own destiny and have returned as a people to the family of nations. Free, democratic and able to defend itself against threats and adversity, Israel doesn’t just survive, it flourishes. Today, within the State of Israel, the creativity and genius of the Jewish people are bursting forth in every area: in science; in technology; in entrepreneurship; in medicine; in the arts.
When Israel was established in 1948, only some 5% of the world’s Jewish population lived in the new state. Today, Israel contains the largest Jewish community in the world.
This honor awarded to the Prime Minister of the Jewish State is a testament to the profound transformation that has occurred in the reality of life for the Jewish People over the last 62 years.
2. Ben Bernanke
The chairman of the US Federal Reserve.
In announcing his second term until 2014, President Obama said Bernanke’s background, temperament, courage and creativity helped prevent another Great Depression. Time named him person of the year last year. Bernanke, 56, wrote his doctoral thesis at MIT in 1979 on “Long-term commitments, dynamic optimization, and the business cycle” and his thesis adviser was none other than Stanley Fischer, the current governor of the Bank of Israel.
3. Rahm Emanuel
White House chief of staff.
Emanuel is believed by some critics to be a key player in Barack Obama’s more critical stance on Israel – an adviser with the expertise to strongly influence the president. He is believed by others to be a crucial bulwark, limiting Washington-Jerusalem frictions.
His father, an Israeli doctor, caused a stir by telling Ma’ariv after his appointment by President Obama: “Obviously, he’ll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he? What is he, an Arab?” Known as a tough guy, Emanuel flew to Israel as a volunteer during the first Iraq war and is said to be the model for Josh Lyman on the popular TV series, “The West Wing.”
4. Sergey Brin
Founder of Google
Together with Larry Page, whose maternal grandmother was Jewish, the Russian-born Brin founded Google, the world’s largest Internet company, and they are often referred to as the “Google Guys.” Brin, 36, and Page, 37, met at Stanford, where they suspended their doctoral studies to start up Google in a rented garage.
The Economist calls Brin an “Enlightenment Man” who believes that “knowledge is always good, and certainly always better than ignorance” and in the Google mantra, “Don’t be evil!” (Board chairman Eric Schmidt famously quipped that “Evil is whatever Sergey says is evil.”) The duo have visited Israel several times, once for the 80th birthday of Shimon Peres.
5. Shai Agassi
Founder of Better Place
Agassi, 42, has become a pioneer in alternative energy under the auspices of the company he founded in 2007.
After being endorsed by the Israeli government in 2008, Better Place has negotiated contracts on electric cars with more than two dozen countries. The Israeli entrepeneur was named by Time as the world’s most influential businessman in 2003 and one of its 100 most influential people last year.
6. Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Head of the International Monetary Fund
Strauss-Kahn, 61, was professor of economics at the University of Paris, where he obtained his doctorate, and became a member of parliament for the Socialist Party in 1986. He was chosen as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in 2007 and is expected to run for president of France in 2012.
The IMF played a key role in the recent European decision to pass a trillion-dollar plan to aid Greece.
7. Shimon Peres
President of Israel
Peres, who is 86, arguably wields more power and prestige than any of his predecessors. After a career marked by controversy and confrontation, in which he gained the reputation of being a serial loser, Peres has finally emerged as a consensus figure admired not only by the outside world but by the majority of Israelis too.
He maintains a more than correct relationship with the prime minister, who appreciates the international credibility and access offered by the Nobel peace laureate, even as he asserts a greater Palestinian willingness for compromise than Binyamin Netanyahu believes exists.
Peres responds:
“I would like to discover ways to enter the New Age while being Jewish and modern at the same time. Traveling is not such a big deal today, and I imagine that many of the Jewish people who do not live in Israel can develop a way of life which they can share in two places. I would like to see a Jewish lifestyle which on the one hand is as old as the Ten Commandments and on the other is as modern as nanotechnology.”
8. David Axelrod
Senior White House Adviser
Barack Obama’s top political adviser helps the president craft and communicate his policy, and calmed tempers during the latest spat between the US and Israel.
Before entering the White House, Axelrod, 55, was a political writer for the Chicago Tribune and founded AKP&D Message and Media. He managed Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008.
In an Israel Independence Day address in Washington this year, Axelrod said: “Let’s not confuse the occasional dispute over policy with the fundamental relationship that has guided our two nations for so long and will continue to guide our two nations.”
Axelrod responds:
“My father was a Jewish immigrant who fled the pogroms and came to America in search of freedom and opportunity. I carry the memory of my family's miraculous journey with me every day.”
9. Alan Dershowitz
Law professor, Israel advocate
Dershowitz, 71, is an internationally respected jurist who has served as an attorney in several high-profile cases, including that of OJ Simpson. At 28, he became the youngest law professor in Harvard’s history. Married to a psychologist from Israel, Dershowitz has become famous for his eloquent advocacy for Israel and commentary on the Middle East conflict.
Dershowitz responds:
My career has generally been reactive to where I think the great crises of human rights are, and the unfair attacks. So in the 60s I was very active in the civil rights movement. I went down south. I spent my time defending lots of African Americans and other discriminated-against groups. Then in the late 60s and 70s I was very active in the anti-war, ant-Vietnam movement, defending lots of people who were prosecuted for their views on Vietnam – the Pentagon Papers case, the Chicago Seven case, those cases. In the mid-70s, I turned my attention to Soviet dissidents and Soviet Jews, because they were the ones who were mostly in need. And then when the world started to really turn against Israel, and particularly when the hard left started to turn so heavily against Israel, it was perfectly consistent with my career and my commitment to human rights to turn to Israel. The case against Israel has increased both in the court of public opinion and real courts. So I suspect I will be spending more and more time in Israel.
10. Elena Kagan
US Supreme Court nominee
Kagan, 50, is the first woman to be solicitor general of the US, and has just been named as Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, where she would become the third woman and third Jew to sit on the court. Kagan, a liberal Democrat, was formerly the dean of the prestigious Harvard Law School and a professor at the University of Chicago, as well as serving as associate White House counsel under Bill Clinton.
A Democrat and supporter of Obama, she is capable of swinging the court to the left, while making key judicial decisions on the freedom of religion and choice.
11. Alan Solow
Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Solow, 55, is a charismatic Jewish leader, top Chicago lawyer and friend of President Barack Obama.
Tablet Magazine calls him “the Go-Between” – the putative spokesman for American Jewry played a key role in resolving the recent crisis between the US and Israel.
Solow responds:
“This recognition by he Jerusalem Post in reality reflects the critical role played by the Conference, especially during a time period when we have seen transitions in the leadership of both the United States and Israel. Our goal as always, whether working publicly or in private (and we do both), is to promote the strongest possible relationship between two democratic allies. We have also been extremely active in raising public awareness and urging swift action to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability. To the extent that my work has made a contribution to these efforts, I am delighted. In my capacity as Conference Chair, I often interact with senior American and Israeli officials, and I have had the opportunity to meet with President Obama and advocate directly to him. I am pleased to report that our access to government officials in the United States and Israel is excellent.
It is certainly humbling to be included in such outstanding company. Moving forward, we will work relentlessly to make certain that a clear Jewish voice is heard where policy is made and implemented.”
12. Ehud Barak
Defense Minister
Barak, 68, in his second term, has proved to be an adept diplomat and master strategist. He is involved not only in safeguarding Israel from its enemies, including Iran, but in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians and Arab states as well. He is arguably the most senior Israeli minister with whom the Obama administration is most comfortable, being perceived as relatively dovish, capable, worldly and calm.
13. Irwin Cotler
Canadian MP, human rights activist
Cotler, 70, is a member of the Canadian Parliament for the Liberal Party and a former justice minister and attorney general. He was previously a professor of law at McGill University and the director of its Human Rights Program, becoming an expert in international and human rights law.
A staunch defender of Israel from a human rights vantage point, and a very frequent visitor here, he is widely credited with having influenced Canada’s current supportive stance on the Jewish state.
14. Michael Bloomberg
Mayor of New York
Bloomberg, 68, founder of the Bloomberg media company, successfully campaigned to change the law and win a third term as mayor last year. As mayor, he is currently having to deal with an apparent renewal of terrorism in the city. Listed by Forbes as the eighth richest person in the US, Bloomberg declines to receive a city salary, accepting remuneration of $1 annually for his services.
15. Bernard Kouchner
Foreign Minister, France
Although he is currently serving in a right-wing government, the French foreign minister was previously considered a center-left politician. Kouchner, 70, was a co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
At the forefront of the international struggle against Iran’s nuclear program, he once stated that while France was committed to a diplomatic resolution and that no military action was planned, an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose “a real danger for the whole world.”
16. Gabi Ashkenazi
IDF Chief of General Staff
The 56-year-old IDF chief is credited with restoring pride in the military and has a good relationship with his US counterpart, Michael Mullen, who awarded him the prestigious Legion of Merit.
He emphasized a quiet back-to-basics approach in the IDF that saw it fight far more effectively in Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in 2008-9 than it had in the Second Lebanon War against Hizbullah in 2006.
17. Stanley Fischer
Bank of Israel Governor
The 66-year-old Bank of Israel governor, who began a second five-year term this year, is credited with stabilizing Israel’s economy during the international financial crisis. He has also maintained a relationship
with his former protégé, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, that has helped enable Palestinian economic growth of some 10 percent in the
West Bank over the past year.
18. Avigdor Lieberman
Foreign Minister
The Soviet-born foreign minister, 51, is a key player in Middle East peace negotiations. As the founder and leader of the Israel Beiteinu Party, he believes that all Israeli citizens should have to sign a loyalty oath.
He is currently being investigated by police for alleged corruption, but has a huge political following, especially among FSU immigrants and on the Right.
19. Sheldon Adelson
Entrepreneur and philanthropist
The wealthy American casino king, 76, is a big supporter of the Republican Party and Israel, and has been a key philanthropic funder behind Yad Vashem, Birthright and other causes. The owner of Israel’s biggest free daily, Yisrael Hayom, which, while derided by critics of the prime minister as a “Bibiton” – a slavishly pro-Netanyahu publication – has diversified and revolutionized the Hebrew tabloid market.
20. Dorit Beinisch
Supreme Court President
Beinisch, 68, is the first woman to serve as president of the Supreme Court. In her judicial rulings, Beinisch has focused on combating government corruption and ensuring that state institutions and security services follow the law. In a landmark ruling ten years ago, she said corporal punishment by parents is “forbidden,” because it infringes on the child’s rights and harms his dignity as a human being.
21. Natan Sharansky
Jewish Agency Chairman
As chairman of the Jewish Agency, the 62-year-old former prisoner of Zion now heads the largest Jewish NGO in the world. After trying his hand in politics, forming the Israel Ba’aliya political party and serving as a cabinet minister, Sharansky is currently spearheading a campaign to reform the Jewish Agency and focus on Jewish identity. He is also introducing a plan to hand out Jewish Nobel prizes.
22. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
US Supreme Court Justice
Bader Ginsburg, 67, is the first Jewish woman to be a jusice of the US Supreme Court, and the second woman. An associate justice, she is considered part of the liberal wing of the court. In her previous career as a law professor, she became an outspoken advocate for women’s rights. In a 2009 New York Times interview, in which she said regarding abortion that “the basic thing is that the government has no business making that choice for a woman.”
23. Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook Founder
The 36-year-old American entrepreneur who five years ago co-founded the massively popular social networking site, Facebook with three other Harvard students, one of whom, Dustin Moskovitz was also Jewish. Three years ago, Microsoft (whose CEO, Steve Ballmer, is also Jewish) bought a 1.6% stake to Microsoft Corp. for $240 million. A film about Facebook is due to be released this year.
24. Moshe Kantor
ECG President
The president of the European Jewish Congress, Kantor this month opened the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. The center will study existing legislation on anti-Semitism in Europe and draft an “ideal law” for combating the growing phenomenon.
Kantor responds:
“I am honored to be in a position where I can advocate for European Jewish interests and the State of Israel amongst senior political, religious and influential figures in Europe and beyond. This is a testament to the re-ascendancy of European Jewry on the Diaspora world stage. It is my firm belief that the influence and significance of European Jewry will only continue to rise, as will its role of support for the state, people and government of Israel in a continent where understanding of the challenges that Israel faces is sometimes lacking. Also, because of our history, I am convinced that Jews need to play a more prominent role in achieving greater tolerance in Europe. As the President of the European Jewish Congress and Chairman of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, an organization of elder European statesmen, I assist in preparing practical recommendations for governments and international organisations to improve interreligious and interethnic relations on the continent.”
25. Michael Steinhardt
Investor and philanthropist
The 59-year-old New York investor is a big political donor in the US, giving to both the Democrats and Republicans. Steinhardt, who owns a home in Jerusalem, is better known here for sponsoring the Birthright Israel program together with Charles Bronfman.
Steinhardt responds:
I am honored, and I hope in the coming years I can merit this honor. I have devoted so much of my life, especially over the last 15 years, to the Jewish future and I think I’m stuck with that preoccupation for the foreseeable future.
26. Mortimer Zuckerman
Publisher
Zuckerman, 72, a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is the owner of the New York Daily News and U.S. News & World Report and co-founder of Boston Properties. He is a strong supporter of Israel and Jewish causes.
27. Ronald Lauder
WJC President
President of the World Jewish Congress and son of Esthee Lauder, the 66-year-old Lauder, is a wealthy businessman who is a strong support of the Republican Party in the US and the Likud in Israel. In the past, he has mediated contacts between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Syrian President Assad. Last month published an open letter to President Obama urging the administration to "end our public feud with Israel."
28. Larry Ellison
Oracle founder
The 65-year-old magnate who founded and is CEO of the world’s second largest software company, Oracle, is listed by The Marker as the world’s richest Jew, and by Forbes as the sixth richest person in the world.
On a visit to Israel three years ago, he praised the country’s intellectual talent and hi-tech achievements, and related how excited he had been to watch Israeli jets fly over Auschwitz – signalling that the Holocaust would never happen again.
29. Ruth Arnon
Biochemist
Prof. Arnon, currently the Paul Ehrlich Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and vice president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, is a veteran biochemist and codeveloper of the multiple sclerosis drug, Copaxone. It is one of the few medications invented in Israel, and is manufactured and sold by Teva, the world’s largest generic medicine company.
30. Elie Wiesel
Writer
Wiesel, now 81, is the world’s most famous living Holocaust survivor, having written 57 books and won a Nobel Prize. In April, Wiesel took out full-page ads in US newspapers defending the Jewish rights to Jerusalem, and later dined with President Obama in an attempt to defuse the tension they caused.
31. Steven Spielberg
Filmmaker
America’s most famous film maker, who is now 63, has won three Academy awards, including the epic Schindler’s List about how German businessman Oskar Schindler saved over 1,000 Jews during the Second World War. He has also established a historically important Holocaust film and video archive.
32. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Chief Rabbi, UK
The chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth was knighted in 2005, and is well respected in the UK as an articulate leader and spokesman of the Jewish community. He has also written several best-selling books, one of which – The Dignity of Difference – was awarded the Grawemeyer Award for Religion.
33. Jeff Zucker
CEO of NBC Universal
President and CEO of NBC Universal, the premier television network in the US for the past three years. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that in Hollywood “there has been a single topic of discussion: How does Jeff Zucker keep rising and rising while the fortunes of NBC keep falling and falling?” Many of Hollywood’s honchos are Jewish, including executives from CBS, Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, News Corp., Sony Pictures Chairman and CBS, whose CEO, Leslie Moonves is a great-nephew of David Ben-Gurion.
34. Joseph Lieberman
US Senator
The Connecticut senator still commands respect in Washington as a straight shooter and an ardent supporter of Israel. Despite backing John McCain in the 2008 elections, Lieberman maintained his chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, apparently with the support of President Obama.
35. Eric Cantor
US Congressman
The Virginia representative is currently serving as Republican whip, and is the only Jewish Republican in Congress. An ardent backer of Israel, he has co-sponsored legislation to cut off all US taxpayer aid to the Palestinian Authority unless it stops unauthorized excavations on the Temple Mount.
36. Lee Rosenberg
President of AIPAC
Rosenberg, 53, is a leading Chicago venture capitalist with long-standing ties to Barack Obama. A jazz veteran and venture capitalist, he this year became president of the most influential pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Rosenberg, according to more than a dozen friends, is a master at building relationships with powerful people.
Rosenberg accompanied Barack Obama during his trip to Israel before becoming president and helped him during his presidential campaign, but didn’t refrain from reprimanding the US for its treatment of Israel during the recent dispute over east Jerusalem housing.
37. Richard Goldstone
International jurist
Goldstone, an internationally renowned jurist and former South African judge, created a storm of protest in the Jewish world after his report last year as head of the UN Human Rights Council mission on the Gaza conflict in which he charged Israel (and Hamas) with alleged war crimes.
This year, he again became the subject of controversy after Yediot Aharonot published a report showing that, as an appellate judge in apartheid South Africa, he sanctioned death sentences against 28 black men.
Today, Goldstone is a board member of several NGOs that promote justice and human rights, including Human Rights Watch, and is a trustee of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
38. Thomas Friedman
Columnist
Friedman is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist whose column in The New York Times has a huge readership.
In a column this year in the midst of the US-Israel spat over east Jerusalem housing, he wrote that while “President Barack Obama was 100 percent right to call out Israel on its settlement expansion... he also needs his own clear strategy to exploit the opportunities inherent in this moment.”
39. Haim Saban
Media magnate
The Israeli American media mogul is one of the largest donors to the Democratic Party, supporting Hillary Clinton in the last election. He is also a staunch backer of Israel, telling The New York Times once: “I’m a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel.”
40. Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street Executive Director
Ben-Ami is executive director of J Street, a left-wing pro-Israel lobby group in the US which endorses and raises money for federal candidates. After initially being shunned by the government, Ben-Ami recently had a reconciliatory meeting with Ambassador Michael Oren and brought a large delegation to Israel that met President Peres and other leaders.
41. Shari Arison
Bank of Hapoalim owner
The owner of Bank Hapoalim is Israel’s wealthiest citizen and listed by Forbes as the richest woman in the Middle East. Last year, she sponsored a “Good Deeds Day” which inspired Israelis to volunteer to perform mitzvot across the country.
42. Simone Veil
French politician
Veil, 83, is a Holocaust survivor who became a respected French lawyer and politician. She previously served as president of the European Parliament and was inducted into the Academie Francaise this year.
43. Irving Moskowitz
US tycoon, settler supporter
The Florida-based tycoon is considered the leading supporter of Jewish construction in east Jerusalem and hands out a prize for Zionism to settler leaders.
44. Gill Marcus
Bank Governor, South Africa
The former ANC activist now serves as governor of the South African Reserve Bank - the first woman to hold the position.
45. Bernard-Henri Lévy
Philosopher
A French philosopher and one of the leaders of the Nouvelle Philosophie movement who said that Jews ought to provide a unique moral voice in the world.
46. Bob Dylan
Musician
The veteran singer was cited by the Pulitzer Prize jury for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, “marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Several of his songs have become anthems for the human rights movement, including “Blowin’ in the wind.”
He made Michael Shapiro’s list in The Jewish 100: A ranking of the Most Influential Jews of all Time.
Dylan has performed five times in Israel, but contrary to press reports, will not be coming here during his European tour this summer.
47. Roman Abramovitch
Investor, Chelsea FC owner
The Russian oligarch who now lives in London and owns the private investment company, Millhouse LLC, got a big boost this year with Chelsea, the English soccer club he owns, winning the Premier League.
48. Sacha Baron Cohen
Comedian
The British actor who played three crazy journalists, Ali G, Borat (left) and Brüno, has created an international controversy over his comic characters – and become a household name around the globe.
In the much-touted Simpsons’ tour of Israel episode recently aired on television, Baron Cohen plays Jacob, an angry tour guide. When Marge accused him of being pushy, Jacob retorts: “Try living next to Syria... and see how laid back you are!”
49. Lucian Freud
Artist
The grandson of Sigmund and brother of Clement, Lucian lives in London and is arguably the most famous and influential living Jewish painter. Freud has painted a series of famous portraits, including those of fellow artists and Queen Elizabeth II.
Two years ago, his portrait, Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, was sold by Christie's for $33.6 million, setting a world record for sale value of a painting by a living artist.
50. Omri Casspi
Basketball player
The first Israeli to play in the NBA, the tall basketball player has emerged as a star for the Sacramento Kings and one of the greatest Jewish sportsmen in history. In January, he set a new career record with 24 points against the Phoenix Suns. Last year, he won fourth place in the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year and was named Jerusalem Post sportsman of the year, and this year played in the NBA All-Star Weekend. Soft-spoken and well-mannered, he is liked and respected in the NBA and serves as a goodwill ambassador for Israel abroad.
Casspi responds:
"It means a lot to be the first Israeli in the NBA. I don’t just represent myself. I represent Israel and the Jewish people in the states. It might be something that comes with it, but I’m really not trying to think about it. I’m trying to play basketball and focus on that. Because at the end of the day I have to give the best I can on the court.”
Monday, May 17, 2010
House Season Finale Six
House: 6 Season Finale Review & Discussion:
Will the sixth season finale as memorable as Fox promised? Or, fans will want to check into Princeton-Plainsboro for ill - on House?
The last season of House is anything but enjoyable for our famous diagnostician. Started the year in a psychiatric hospital, the House was forced to come to terms with his painkiller addiction. If that's not bad enough, he continued to see a psychiatrist while moving in with Wilson. At least, all that ended when Wilson reunited with his ex-wife and forced House to return to paint his new apartment.
Although the house of his difficulties, his compatriots at Princeton-Plainsboro also had their share. Besides Wilson to get back with his ex, an African dictator slain Chase, Cameron broke with Chase and Jennifer Morrison from the series, Taub begins deceiving his wife again - but then stops, Foreman and Thirteen fires she takes a trip to Thailand and return Cuddy's relationship with Lucas is even worse.
Despite all their personal and professional problems, the team was still able to rescue patients from more than 40 diseases, including Fabry disease, Vibrio vulnificus, hemochromatosis, Arnold-Chiari malformation, Henoch-Schoenlein purpura and a woman with an allergic reaction to tattoo ink - - yes, I do not know what most of these are not, but I'm glad they are cured.
If that does not make for an enjoyable season, I do not know what does.
So, pop some Vicodin (just kidding!) Rent your favorite investigator to spy on your ex-wife and friend make sure you Interferon on the tap, because the House season finale.
Review :-
Seen the episode yet to air, we're going to keep publishing the review until the episode is aired. Although I was able to preview the finals, Fox deliberately omitted from the final scene of the final. That being said, I not only watch the episode as it is broadcast, but also see exactly what happened in the last scene - I'm assuming it's something big.
Fear not, research will soon be up. Until then you can discuss the episode in the comments section below.
Cuddy, House and members of the team join forces with a search-and-rescue team the much needed medical help them at the scene of an emergency in the "Help Me" season finale episode of HOUSE.
Remember to check back Screen Rant reviews the sixth season finale of House.
Related searches:
house, house season 6 finale, house finale, house season 7, house season finale 2010
Will the sixth season finale as memorable as Fox promised? Or, fans will want to check into Princeton-Plainsboro for ill - on House?
The last season of House is anything but enjoyable for our famous diagnostician. Started the year in a psychiatric hospital, the House was forced to come to terms with his painkiller addiction. If that's not bad enough, he continued to see a psychiatrist while moving in with Wilson. At least, all that ended when Wilson reunited with his ex-wife and forced House to return to paint his new apartment.
Although the house of his difficulties, his compatriots at Princeton-Plainsboro also had their share. Besides Wilson to get back with his ex, an African dictator slain Chase, Cameron broke with Chase and Jennifer Morrison from the series, Taub begins deceiving his wife again - but then stops, Foreman and Thirteen fires she takes a trip to Thailand and return Cuddy's relationship with Lucas is even worse.
Despite all their personal and professional problems, the team was still able to rescue patients from more than 40 diseases, including Fabry disease, Vibrio vulnificus, hemochromatosis, Arnold-Chiari malformation, Henoch-Schoenlein purpura and a woman with an allergic reaction to tattoo ink - - yes, I do not know what most of these are not, but I'm glad they are cured.
If that does not make for an enjoyable season, I do not know what does.
So, pop some Vicodin (just kidding!) Rent your favorite investigator to spy on your ex-wife and friend make sure you Interferon on the tap, because the House season finale.
Review :-
Seen the episode yet to air, we're going to keep publishing the review until the episode is aired. Although I was able to preview the finals, Fox deliberately omitted from the final scene of the final. That being said, I not only watch the episode as it is broadcast, but also see exactly what happened in the last scene - I'm assuming it's something big.
Fear not, research will soon be up. Until then you can discuss the episode in the comments section below.
Cuddy, House and members of the team join forces with a search-and-rescue team the much needed medical help them at the scene of an emergency in the "Help Me" season finale episode of HOUSE.
Remember to check back Screen Rant reviews the sixth season finale of House.
Related searches:
house, house season 6 finale, house finale, house season 7, house season finale 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Green Mile- Ending:
The Green Mile- Ending:
The Ending of Frank Darabont's "The Green Mile".Fantastic writing. What a brilliant way to end the story. This is one of the great productions of our time.
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Related searches:
michael clarke duncan, forrest gump, green mile, tom hanks, forest gump
The Ending of Frank Darabont's "The Green Mile".Fantastic writing. What a brilliant way to end the story. This is one of the great productions of our time.
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Related searches:
michael clarke duncan, forrest gump, green mile, tom hanks, forest gump
Friday, May 14, 2010
Ann Rule 's "small sacrifices" and the Golden Age of True Crime:
Ann Rule 's "small sacrifices" and the Golden Age of True Crime:
What could motivate a mother of three children of her own to shoot? This very question was asked and answered in Ann Rule `s bestseller, small sacrifices. Diane Downs is a complex and almost certainly a sociopath of the highest caliber. Incredibly, we readers get to alternate channel its pathos as we read: "Rule masterpiece of the unthinkable, Ann s. How capable we feel so strongly about this bizarre woman` s life? Due to the unbearable research, firsthand interviews with Diane and letters of this tormented woman, Ann Rule presents a crystal clear, compelling portrait of pathos, where sex and murder disguise themselves with each hand. Here, I throw it in the rock, because Diane loved MTV and the New Wave band Duran Duran. She listened to the album Rio religious, and locked Hungry Like The Wolf as a magnet to an iron bar. Small sacrifices is a prime example of a literary genre known as True Crime. This genre came into its own in the 1980s with books such as Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis, blood is thicker by Gary Cartwright and Careless Whispers by Carlton Stowers. This form flourished again at this time and experienced a renaissance of sorts. My own intuition is my only source of wisdom in the statement of this revelation. True Crime is a genre that one particular case, the news started, but is three-dimensional coverage of character, motive and the police investigation. Some literary device can also be used to improve reading. Truman Capote by way of In Cold Blood, was the first writer of literary techniques to merge with what is basically an off limits, reserved exclusively for journalists. Ann Rule The Stranger Beside me `s about serial killer Ted Bundy was one of the first True Crime books to popularize this new genre. Oddly enough, small sacrifices sold out earlier Bundy paperback, and this raises the question how can this? I believe this is true, especially because "a lady killer who shoots her own brothers and sisters s, and this is a taboo forbidden by the bible of the agreed social mores What are some of the techniques used by Ann rule that such a compelling page-turner to do? A technique for certain that they put you back in the moment in time. Her research is so thorough that they had enough of the essential facts to what I do a "reconstruction conversation." An example would be when Diane Downs withdraw the McKenzie-Williamette ER with her mortally wounded children. Ann provides the "reconstruction" an interview with the nurses and doctors who were in Springfield, Oregon the night of grizzly 05/19/1983. Ann adds to the memory of their exact words when the horror of the quadruple gunshot trauma. That is, it `s not in the past, but in real time, like watching them in action on its head upside in the hospital. Ann describes the nurses Shelby Day, Judy Patterson and Dr. John Austin Mackey, they give their own vivid accounts of receipt of the injured mother and her three children. Ann weaves precise dialogue in the story that makes a direct and natural, as if it happens right before your eyes. Ann obviously had an interview with the hospital staff several times in order to supply it with the grain in creating this revealing reconstruction. The daughter, Christie Downs, testifies against her own mother in the courtroom, and refutes the account of Diane, it was a rough hair alien, who had shot a family. Christie testifies that the cassette Rio by Duran Duran was in the cassette deck on the evening of the shooting. Specifically, the MTV hit song Hungry Like The Wolf play, while Diane was actually her own child shooting an automatic pistol 22. Ann Christie `s features excerpts from actual testimony at the trial. It is so in the moment and realistic, this kind of precision goes a long way in making this a very good read. The idea that rock music can be a pioneering role in Diane `s motive for killing, but have not been explored to achieve satisfaction in my Ann Rule` s book. It had been suggested. But Diane `s twisted imagination she saw herself as not seeing the wolf in a sample of an MTV hit by Duran Duran? Here `s the final chorus, so what you see in these texts to read this British band with glamorous hairstyles swollen. Burning the ground I break from the crowd I `m on the hunt I` m after Smell and sound, I `m lost I` m found And I `m Hungry Like the Wolf. Strut on a line it `s discord and rhyme I `m on the hunt I` m after Mouth is alive with juices like wine And I `m Hungry Like the Wolf In the delusional mind of the killer she must follow her lover as a wolf, also has her children to take away who are just getting in the way, in order to free her lover, Lew Lewiston (not his real name). And there is a possibility that this song Diane has programmed in such a way that enabled it to pull the trigger to get? This is feasible, hey I `m just posing the question, that's all. Needless to say, Diane Downs had other character defects that contributed to her becoming a sociopath. Ann frank evidence shows that small sacrifices. Rule writes about her childhood and the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her father, Wes Frederickson. And her marriage to Steve Downs, had only exacerbated problems that her "problems" with the male sex. But it was Lew Lewiston who showed her and said he wanted nothing to do with children, this may have driven her off a cliff, psychologically. So there you go, add a dash of rock music fun to the mix and you have a hot cocktail that will blow the roof off a small town in Oregon. Ann publishes some of Diane `s erotic poetry from her infamous diary too. This makes it real, check out the masturbation poem on page 329. Diane think she is "the next Bonnie Parker s? My temperature, I` m getting hot, you with me, and yet you're not. My fingers lightly on the place of desire, I still "have not that burning fire extinguished. " Good True Crime paperback will generally include a pictorial section in the middle that makes a face to the crime and the offender exhibited in the book. Other major characters are listed as detectives, lawyers, relatives and most importantly, the scene of the crime and possibly the weapons. Definitely, the author together compelling captions to the photos that may help you swallow the story to accompany. If the photos are in black and white, it just increases quite a bit more. They should be somewhat cheesy, maybe even a bit out of focus. This adds to the realism of the bill, these are real people, real events, taken from the grimy metropolis columns of newspapers everyday. The shot of Diane posing with a cast on her arm for the police is worth one million U.S. dollars. She has a stoic expression on her face, almost a form Foxy, if she `s hiding a zillion different thoughts she` s talk about these things. What makes this such a good read, or how Ann Rule makes such a big contribution to this relatively new True Crime genre, is in the penetrating criminal mind and dig into the nature of their illness. This helps us to understand where and when this person went afoul. Diane `s problems were threefold: narcissistic, histrionic and antisocial. These factors line probes with a surgeon `s tool. Regarding my theory about the role of rock in the shooting, I would point to the Theatrical factor. Why does Diane feel a need to Hungry Like The Wolf are wafting from the cassette player, while she shoots her children? Because they thought themselves in the midst of her own MTV video (shoot oops!) That `s why! The narcissistic comes when she knows she `ll be on the news shortly after her arrival at the hospital. see ya, it `s all about numero uno! Sick, sick, sick! The children themselves don `t care what so ever to Diane. She created them, and they can to dispose of as she wants. She `s God to her children. Here, "a section of the SS: A sociopath s` s children as puppies or kittens to take home on the spur of the moment: obsolete, single, and all too often, "fungible." So people want to pick up small sacrifices, it `s an excellent read, and will indicate to you in this fascinating genre of True Crime. And Ann has 20 of these books in her repertoire and TC 1400 articles under her belt to boot. But it is my belief that this genre TC peaked in 1980 and early 1990, a little reduced in the last decade or so. It `s still around, but doesn` t very different experience from the levy of popularity it once did. I would call this period the Golden Age of True Crime. That `s my name and it` s my own feelings about what happened. I've seen, so it `s just a feeling I have. I don `t have a lot of empirical data to back up with one, but rather boxes of yellowing paperbacks that maybe I still love to read. I collect these books to throw away, and have an unexplained nostalgic attachment to the disposable horror compendiums of sad. So if the genre is waning, if it flickers in the moonlight, who are the guardians of this dying art? Who are the soothsayers of True Crime today, who can pass on the traditions, the love of a horror story, intrigue and even murder (she wrote)? My theory is that the book form is passed to a TV format. I will say that Nancy Grace and Jane Velez-Mitchell are our guardians of True Crime. And it `s still just as popular as it once was, but now` s passed through the Talking Heads, photos, video and viewer call ins. However, this media form `t come close to touching the traditional book form of TC with a ten foot pole. The original format is always superior in the inspiration and impact. In the 80 "TC movies made for TV tried to simulate the experience of his book counterpart, but could` t get too close! Small sacrifices, starring the late, great (and beautiful) Farrah Fawcett put back a valiant effort, but in the long term, pales in comparison to the book. I `d prefer to use images or photographs of the actual Diane Downs Anyday see! So maybe this genre will make a comeback! Fool, where `s my iPhone, I want to hear Hungry Like The Loves Again? El Fino!
Diane Downs kids are Rebecca Babcock story on 20/20 newsmagazine has an interview on ABC:
Diane Downs kids are Rebecca Babcock story on 20/20 newsmagazine has an interview on ABC:
Rebecca Babcock, the daughter of Diane Downs appeared in the "20/20" news magazine has an interview on ABC.
Diane Downs was convicted of shooting former Oregonian her own murder children, and seriously wounding the other two in a notorious 1983 case.
Rebecca Babcock grew later found only 100 miles away from Diane Downs. Rebecca Babcock shared her story for the first time in 26 years tonight on ABC's 20/20.
According to ABC, Elizabeth Vargas "20/20" report will feature Babcock talk about 'that the seeds of a sample and how that legacy is in the form of her life. "
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diane downs children now
Michael Beuke conducted for Ohio Hitchhiker Murder:
Michael Beuke conducted for Ohio Hitchhiker Murder:
Michael Beuke was carried out by the Ohio Thursday for the murder of a hitchhiker Cincinnati, who was found dead in 1983. No complications occurred during the execution of the long stay on death row followed Beuke's.
Beuke was tied to a series of shootings in Cincinnati in 1983, including a murder that the people of Ohio grip of fear for weeks. Beuke killed a hitchhiker, which led to his conviction and was charged with shooting two other people from Indiana to Ohio. After the death row for more than 25 years Beuke was finally executed by lethal injection.
"The execution has been carried out in accordance of the law for the state of Ohio. Bueke recited the Rosary Catholic for 17 minutes before his death. The execution continued without complications," said Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Representative Julie Walburn to the Epoch Times.
Michael Beuke was pronounced dead at 10:53 am He was 48 years old. Beuke had failed multiple attempts to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court before his execution. His last failed job was done about 90 minutes before his death, reported the Associated Press.
Robert Craig was the hitchhiker who was slain. He was 27. Beuke was convicted of murder in 1993. He was the 38th person to be slain by the State of Ohio because the weather implementing the death penalty in 1999. Beuke said hours before the room where the execution of his death the widow Craig peered through a window.
Beuke was renamed the "murderous hitchhiker" by the Ohio press in the 1980s. It was said that he had a spiritual conversion while in prison completed. He prayed for his victims before government officials have been lethal injection.
Michael Beuke was carried out by the Ohio Thursday for the murder of a hitchhiker Cincinnati, who was found dead in 1983. No complications occurred during the execution of the long stay on death row followed Beuke's.
Beuke was tied to a series of shootings in Cincinnati in 1983, including a murder that the people of Ohio grip of fear for weeks. Beuke killed a hitchhiker, which led to his conviction and was charged with shooting two other people from Indiana to Ohio. After the death row for more than 25 years Beuke was finally executed by lethal injection.
"The execution has been carried out in accordance of the law for the state of Ohio. Bueke recited the Rosary Catholic for 17 minutes before his death. The execution continued without complications," said Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Representative Julie Walburn to the Epoch Times.
Michael Beuke was pronounced dead at 10:53 am He was 48 years old. Beuke had failed multiple attempts to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court before his execution. His last failed job was done about 90 minutes before his death, reported the Associated Press.
Robert Craig was the hitchhiker who was slain. He was 27. Beuke was convicted of murder in 1993. He was the 38th person to be slain by the State of Ohio because the weather implementing the death penalty in 1999. Beuke said hours before the room where the execution of his death the widow Craig peered through a window.
Beuke was renamed the "murderous hitchhiker" by the Ohio press in the 1980s. It was said that he had a spiritual conversion while in prison completed. He prayed for his victims before government officials have been lethal injection.
Missing UCLA student Nancy Salas' kidnapping a farce:
Missing UCLA student Nancy Salas' kidnapping a farce:
A woman whose disappearance led to a massive Glendale search made up a story that she had been abducted knife and fled due to stress, police said Thursday. Nancy Salas was reunited with her family in Glendale late Thursday night after missing nearly two days. She was last seen around 6:30 pm Wednesday, after her family went on her usual run. Salas turned into a carpet shop in Merced in central California Thursday Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The young woman was in tears and asked an employee to call 911, showroom coordinator Melanie Mittelsteadt told the Merced Sun-Star. Salas told police they were abducted by a man at knife during its run and was taken to Merced by bus and train, "said Lorenz. Salas retracted her story shortly before she was set to be reunited with her family in Glendale late Thursday, said Lorenz, admit it and that she fled because she felt intense pressure from her family and friends. Police discovered as the search progressed that Salas had been misled by her parents telling them that she was attending the University of California, Los Angeles. The school reported that the fourth-year sociology major and student was last enrolled at UCLA in the fall of 2008. "She was adored by her family, neighbors, friends, church, as a successful student at UCLA," said Lorenz. "She did not know how to treat them and fled." Nancy Salas spoke with her family, friends and all those who helped search for her parents in her 'small apartment late Thursday. Cars double-parked in the street and young men busy around the door, brought her story. Her 19-year-old brother, Henry Salas Jr., parried reporters, begging them to his family, to respect privacy. After about 20 minutes, the young people presented, telling each other not to talk to the media. Her mother and father had planned a graduation ceremony for their daughter. Both parents, on learning that their daughter was OK Earlier Thursday, hugged family and friends and looked forward to see her. "Everything is beautiful at last," the woman's father Henry Salas said in Spanish. "It's amazing the help that we had - roommates and friends, university friends, friends of the church." Her mother, Joanna Salas, smiled broadly as the crowd turns on her toys. "I've come back alive," she said. Salas' disappearance led to a dramatic but unsuccessful search by police and volunteers were accompanied by rangers, bloodhounds and a helicopter. Detectives checked her cell phone and computer records for clues. Friends and family members passed out flyers with her picture and her friends on Facebook mobilized to exchange information and organizing searches.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
No threat in the car spotted in New York City's Union Square:
No threat in the car spotted in New York City's Union Square:
New York City police evacuated part of an apartment building and several streets off near Union Square Manhattan Thursday after a report of a suspicious vehicle with gas in the back, but nothing threatening was found.
NYPD investigators located the owner of the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, which parked in front of the Con Edison building about twenty-two, he told police he was the gas cans in his car because he mows lawns for his family. He parked the car in the area because he was attending a concert nearby, police said.
The bomb squad suited up and started an investigation after an employee called Con Edison 911 of the suspect vehicle as a result of the two gas cans on the back on the floor report, said police spokesman Paul Browne Chief.
The town has been nervous since May 1 when a sport utility vehicle loaded with propane gas and began to smoke in Times Square, but did not explode. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American citizen, was arrested by the federal government charged in the case. Since that effort, there are several suspicious vehicles and packages around the city that was a false alarm.
Browne said several floors of a highrise residential building were evacuated and several streets in the area were blocked as a precaution. They were in the process of reopening.
Union Square, located on the East Side of Manhattan, is a major thoroughfare for pedestrians and tourists. New York University, Greenwich Village and the historic Flatiron Building in the vicinity.
Earlier Thursday, President Barack Obama were in town at a fundraiser and a meeting with police officials to congratulate them for their efforts against terrorism.
New York City police evacuated part of an apartment building and several streets off near Union Square Manhattan Thursday after a report of a suspicious vehicle with gas in the back, but nothing threatening was found.
NYPD investigators located the owner of the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, which parked in front of the Con Edison building about twenty-two, he told police he was the gas cans in his car because he mows lawns for his family. He parked the car in the area because he was attending a concert nearby, police said.
The bomb squad suited up and started an investigation after an employee called Con Edison 911 of the suspect vehicle as a result of the two gas cans on the back on the floor report, said police spokesman Paul Browne Chief.
The town has been nervous since May 1 when a sport utility vehicle loaded with propane gas and began to smoke in Times Square, but did not explode. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American citizen, was arrested by the federal government charged in the case. Since that effort, there are several suspicious vehicles and packages around the city that was a false alarm.
Browne said several floors of a highrise residential building were evacuated and several streets in the area were blocked as a precaution. They were in the process of reopening.
Union Square, located on the East Side of Manhattan, is a major thoroughfare for pedestrians and tourists. New York University, Greenwich Village and the historic Flatiron Building in the vicinity.
Earlier Thursday, President Barack Obama were in town at a fundraiser and a meeting with police officials to congratulate them for their efforts against terrorism.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Earthquake in western China kills 400, buries more
Earthquake in western China kills 400, buries more:
A series of strong earthquakes hit Tibet a mountainous area of western China on Wednesday, with at least 400 people were injured and more than 10,000 as houses made of mud and wood collapsed, officials said. Many more people were trapped and the toll is expected to rise. The largest quake registered at the U.S. Geological Survey as magnitude 6.9. In the aftermath, people panic, many bleeding from their wounds, flooded the streets of a town in Qinghai province, where most of the homes were flattened. Students were reportedly buried in different schools damaged. Paramilitary police used shovels to dig through the rubble in the city, the images on state television showed. Officials said excavators were not available and most of the roads leading to the damaged nearest airport, equipment and rescue workers would have a hard time reaching the area. Hospitals were overwhelmed, many lack even the most basic necessities, and the doctors were in short supply. Downed telephone lines, strong winds and frequent aftershocks also hampered rescue operations, said Wu Yong, a local military leader, who said the death toll "could rise further because many houses collapsed." With many people forced out, the provincial government said the 5,000 tents and 100,000 blankets and coats to the mountainous region, where the average temperature around 43 degrees Fahrenheit rush (6 degrees Celsius). Workers were racing on the water released from a reservoir in the area where the disaster on a crack had formed after the earthquake of a flood prevention, according to the China Earthquake Administration. Wednesday the quake, which hit at 7:49 local time (2349 GMT, 7:49 pm EDT), was aimed at Yushu County, in the southern part of Qinghai, near Tibet, with a population of about 100,000, mainly shepherds and farmers. The USGS six temblors recorded in less than three hours, all but one registering 5.0 or higher. China Earthquake Networks Center, the largest earthquake measured at magnitude 7.1. Qinghai average more than five earthquakes per year of at least magnitude 5.0, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. They usually do not cause much damage in the sparsely populated province. Residents fled as the ground shook, tilting houses made of mud and wood, and temples, gas stations, electric poles and the summit of a Buddhist pagoda in a park, witnesses and state media said. The earthquake also caused landslides, Xinhua said. "Almost all the houses made of mud and wood collapsed. There was so much dust in the air, we could see nothing," said Ren Yu, General Manager of Hotel in Yushu Jiegu. "There was lots of panic. People were crying on the streets. Some of our employees, who were reunited with their parents, were also in tears." More than 100 guests of the hotel, which was relatively undamaged, were evacuated to open spaces such as squares, Ren told The Associated Press by telephone. After transporting guests to safety, then the hotel staff helped in rescue efforts in other buildings, said Ren. "We pulled 70 people, but some of them died on way to hospital," Ren said, adding other survivors were in tents in the garden of the hotel while they waited for assistance. The death toll at about 400 in the afternoon increased, according to CCTV. Pubucairen emergency official, who goes by only one name, was quoted as saying that the number of wounded has risen to more than 10,000. The official said rescuers were injured to hospitals, sports stadiums and tracks deal. Yushu and its surroundings are among the Tibetan areas in the anti-government protests that swept the region in March 2008 captured. Tensions simmered for several months, which China region closed to foreigners for months. CCTV reported that shortly after the earthquake, troops secure banks, oil depots and caches of explosives. Yushu was for centuries the home of major Buddhist monasteries and a trading hub and gateway to central Tibet. In recent years the government has poured investment in Yushu, opening an airport last year and building a highway to the provincial capital of Xining. The earthquake comes just under two years after a magnitude-7.9 earthquake in the neighboring province of Sichuan time nearly 90,000 people dead or missing. Quake that flattened many schools, killing thousands of students. Poor design, sloppy construction and lax enforcement of building codes proved to be rampant. In Jiegu, the main town in Yushu county, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the epicenter, the local fire department tried to down 20 students in a school to save Zifu Kang, head of the rescue team, told state television. It did not say what kind of school. Five students were slain and others trapped in a school, a teacher told Xinhua, saying the morning classes had not started when the earthquake struck. Another official said students were buried on a number of primary schools. More than 85 percent of the homes had collapsed in Jiegu, which Tibetans call Gyegu and large cracks have appeared on the buildings still standing, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Zhuohuaxia, a local official, as saying publicity. "The streets are filled with panic and Jiegu full of wounded, many of them bleeding from their injuries," said Zhuohuaxia, who goes by one name. A monk named Luo Song from a monastery in Yushu County, said his sister, who worked at a local orphanage told him three children were taken to a hospital, but lacked the equipment. "She said that hospitals have difficulty facing right now, because there are no doctors, they only bandages, they can not give injections, they can no people on intravenous infusions," said the monk by the phone while on a visit to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Rural hospitals are generally not well equipped. The provincial emergency office told Xinhua that 700 soldiers trying to clear the debris and rescue buried 1,000 people and that more troops would be sent. A local military official, Shi Huajie, CCTV said rescuers were working with limited equipment. "The difficulty we face is that we have no machinery. Many people are buried and our soldiers are trying to attract them with human labor," said Shi. "It is very difficult for people with our bare hands to save."
Monday, April 12, 2010
Double Down KFC stereotypical Represented By Roland Martin On Air
Double Down KFC stereotypical Represented By Roland Martin On Air:
While the new KFC sandwiches Double Down can all rave in stores across America, many of the African-American households are thinking twice about KFC for a mini-controversy brewing in many homes. Roland Martin, was recently tapped by CNN and the selected advertising firm Double Down on the KFC advertising efforts for the brand on the new roll to speak at a political segment represent. Instead of Shakers African Americans, came from the segment too obvious as a commercial and, for some, was to think of the stereotype about African-Americans and fried chicken. One commenter says: "Roland Martin is selling a pure and simple .... double insult to the" Double Down KFC "chicken ... and that white women had a racist tone under his black CNN ... spanking boy ..." Ouch! The singing tone of Roland Martin's commercial burns hotter than a KFC Double Down Grill! Let us hope that the advertising business is a little more culturally sensitive next time.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Baja California Earthquake April 2010
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Baja California Earthquake April 2010: Earthquake California, Mexico Earthquake of 7.2 Magnitude Hit [Video]:
Mexico: 25,000 Quake consequences. On Sunday, an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude hit Baja California. Recent reports estimate that the earthquake affected about 25,000 people, said the governor of the state. On Tuesday, Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán said the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the rural area south of the city of Mexicali affected more than anywhere else.
Most of the damage caused by the earthquake in the southern city of Mexicali. More than 5,000 families reported damage to their house. In some incident reports the earthquake victims reported losing their house because of the earthquake. The earthquake reportedly killed two people and injured over 200.
The earthquake that struck Mexico and rattled as much as three neighboring registered at 7.2 magnitude. Los Angeles and San Diego to Arizona the effects of the quake shook buildings and sent residents looking for a safe place. From Tijuana to Los Angeles the tremor causing havoc for residents and property damage.
Initial reports confirmed a deceased person in Mexico, when a house collapsed, said Alfredo Escobedo, the director of emergency services in Baja California State. He explained that a number of others reportedly were trapped in elevators as one of the retaining walls collapsed and electricity were in different parts of the state.
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