Amazon’s Kindle vs. an Apple Reader – WSJ.com

Amazon’s Kindle vs. an Apple Reader – WSJ.com.

Something to which I look forward, with equal interest – Apple’s much improved version of the Kindle e-reader, which remains unwieldy and with bad contrast and lack of a color screen. I imagine Apple, if it’s indeed working on this (and it would be idiotic not to be) will blow the Kindle out of the water.

Incidentally, as my bookshelves are also bulging full, a device of that sort to rival the Kindle (and perhaps to come at a lower price point) would be an incredible gift to intelligent humanity that loves to read.

Lieberman seeks to create whole new Israeli foreign policy | Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict | Jerusalem Post

Lieberman seeks to create whole new Israeli foreign policy | Israel Palestine-Gaza Conflict | Jerusalem Post.

Boy, am I glad that Lieberman is orienting Israeli foreign policy away from complete dependence on the U.S., especially with this administration. This conflict has actually been productive, in that it has made Israelis realize that they have to be more self-reliant, and at minimum less dependent on an America strained by great forces both external and internal, as it struggles to get back up from a recession and a hit in its “face” around the world under Bush’s recalcitrant relentlessness.

Israel stands to gain not only a number of strategic allies in the developing world (in particular, Asia, Africa, and even Latin America) by orienting itself away from the Palestinian question. After all, there’s SO much to be gained from cooperation with Israel – economically, socially, militarily and all other ways. In return, Israel can begin to change its image as the obsession and beating-boy of world media, instead promoting its innumerable accomplishments and positive contributions to humanity.

I think this is the start of something beautiful. Finally, someone in the Foreign Ministry (and the PMO, for that matter) who understands that the status quo has become intolerable, and that it’s time to actively redefine the agenda.

Dudamel, Israel: A Love Story | Music | Jewish Journal

Dudamel, Israel: A Love Story | Music | Jewish Journal.

Interesting that Dudamel got his big break wth a major orchestra because of Zubin Mehta of the IPO. He’s a brilliant conducting talent, and apparently a very good violinist, in a previous life. He most certainly deserves the title of “honorary Jew” for his fondness of the state. With his last name, I would not be surprised if he had some sort of Sephardic roots somewhere down the line. I only wish I could get tickets to see him in action one of these times he’s in town. Perhaps another collaboration with Gil Shaham…?

Francis Collins, N.I.H. Chief, Faces Issues of Identity and Culture – NYTimes.com

Francis Collins, N.I.H. Chief, Faces Issues of Identity and Culture – NYTimes.com.

Pretty remarkable how Francis Collins manages to straddle both the mainstream and the eccentric in science, as the new head of NIH. I think that his living testament to lack of conflict between science and faith is tremendous for helping mend the unnecessary and artificial rift between the two. At least he’s a scientist’s scientist, unlike Zerhouni, who was a clinician and apparently aloof. I hope he manages a way to extract more funds from Obama to help grow America’s best investment idea (by ROI), by far – R&D. If he fails, science in this country will continue to stagnate, even as fewer graduates seek Ph.Ds and overspecialization plus a shift further and further toward the clinical from basic science threaten to derail cross-disciplinary thinking in solving the greatest problems of the proteome and cell, to say nothing of curing chronic diseases of age and lifestyle.

Thirty-Six Years Ago Today, Richard Nixon Saved Israel—but Got No Credit

Thirty-Six Years Ago Today, Richard Nixon Saved Israel—but Got No Credit.

Although Nixon was a known anti-Semite, he nevertheless absolutely helped save Israel from being defeated by the Arabs. I’ve read somewhere previously that his mother told him once never to resist a chance to help the Jewish homeland, for whatever reason, and that part of the reason he didn’t hesitate to help was precisely for this reason, especially considering that he was in the midst of the Watergate mess, Vietnam and no overwhelming need to risk the American economy on Arab ire over his help to Israel. Pretty amazing, all things considered…