Elias Chocour's Blood Brothers
Elias Chocour’s novel, Blood Brothers, represents his point of view on the contemporary Palestinian position regarding the holy land of Israel. The book traces the transformation of Chocour’s life, from a Melkite Christian Palestinian boy into a powerful spiritual leader and innovative agent in facilitating better race relations in the region. He shows how Palestinian’ needs were left out during the formation of the State of Israel, and how their plight is highly misunderstood, and often grossly distorted because of ignorance. Chocour’s depiction of the problem facing non-Jews is highly illuminating, and Blood Brothers will dispel many illusions and fallacies that cloud the facts surrounding the status of Israel’s inhabitants.
The book begins before the creation of Israel, when race relations were less strained than they are now. Chocour says he loved the area in which he lived because it was his home. “Our lives were so rooted to the land (that) the stones even found their way into our play” (26). Palestinians and Jews were friendly and neighborly towards each other. Their lives were bound together because they inhabited and shared the land (32). Chocour developed his humanitarian views that would later lead him to greatness during this time of racial peace. He “had beautiful dreams for Palestinian and Jewish children (living) together” (ix). The creation of the State of Israel drastically changed the equality in the region, and these times were soon be forgotten.
Israel was created as a haven for persecuted Jew as a result of the Holocaust, however, it was soon run by the military. “The new Israel seemed to be a nation where the military ruled ignoring the will of the countr...
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...r remains faithful to the memory of his peaceful childhood when Jews and Palestinians lived together in peace, and the prospect of a better future. Despite the political wrongs his people have suffered, he is proud of his heritage and intends to “restore race relations between Jews and Palestinians, (by restoring) human dignity” (146). To do this, Chocour implements innovative techniques: he has Palestinians visit the Kibbutzim, and has Jews spend time with Palestinian families. Chocour’s message is quite honorable, “to change hearts not institutions” (222). Chocour remembers that “Jews and Palestinians are brothers, the(y) have the same father, Abraham, and believe in the same God” (34). It is sad that peoples in this region need to be remnded that they are brothers, but it is comforting that there are men like Chocour, who valiantly assume this task as their own.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a progressive disease that has shown to produce organ damage within seven years of the diagnosis (Gill, Quisel, Rocca, & Walters, 2011). The survival rate has increased from 50% to 97 % since the 1950s (Gill et al., 2011). There is a 2.4-fold increase in death rate among patients with SLE compared to the general population and is due to an increase of infection, heart disease, renal failure, and lung cancer (“Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”, 2012). A ten year study showed that the most common cause of death among SLE patients were active disease and thrombosis at 25.6% and infection at 25% (Al-Homood, 2012).
Every case of lupus presents slightly differently. Symptoms can develop slowly over time or come on suddenly. Cases range from mild to severe, and most sufferers have “flares,” which are periods during which symptoms become worse.
Lupus comes in four different forms. They are Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid(cutaneous), Drug-induced Lupus, and Neonatal Lupus. “Systemic lupus is typically the most common form of lupus and generally considered more serious than the other three forms”(www.lupusmn.org). Systemic lupus can also be called SLE(www.lupusmn.org). Symptoms tend to show among patients and c...
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
On the streets of Jerusalem, in the rubble of Ramallah, in synagogues, in mosques, in the hearts and minds of millions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the remainder of Israel, Israelis and Palestinians are locked in a clash of civilizations. In his masterful work, The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel L. Huntington outlines a theory which approaches international politics on the scale of civilizations. However, he circumvents discussion about Israel. Huntington cautiously describes Israel as a “non-Western” (Huntington 90) country, but identifies the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as one along a fault line between civilizations (267). Though he chooses to avoid the issue, Huntington’s theory provides a groundwork for analyzing the conflict in Israel in terms of a clash of civilizations between Judaism and Islam. This is a dangerous and provocative idea. But if we dare examine its implications and explore its insights, we risk a more complete understanding of the conflict which has plagued relations between Palestinians and Israelis in particular, Muslim countries and Israel in general, for over fifty years.
Makover, M. & Zieve, D. (2011, February 14). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved July 14, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001471/
Where does art-making begin and end? Andy Goldsworthy, a 40-year-old British artist who uses nature as a partner, raises this question with his works of amazing art; some of them are temporary, some meant to last. Goldsworthy creates works of extraordinary beauty using natural materials, stones, wood, water, which then disintegrate naturally or are deliberately dismantled. Andy Goldsworthy, a non-traditional sculptor, was born in Cheshire, England in 1956 and raised in Yorkshire. Currently, Goldsworthy resides at Penpont, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. While attending Harrogate High School, as a teenager, photographer and sculptor, he worked as a hired hand on farms outside Leeds, England.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease. Normal immune system purposes are designed to defend our bodies from harmful bacteria, infections, foreign bodies etc.. People with lupus are unfortunate when it comes to immunity, because their immune systems attacks normal body tissue, and causes a terrible amount of inflammation. Lupus impacts numerous parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, blood vessels and even the brain. According to lupusresearch.org, women are more likely to have this disease than men. The website also informs us that African American women are two to three times at higher risk of being diagnosed with lupus than Caucasian women. Hispanic, Asian, and Native American women are also at a higher risk for lupus. What is even more alarming, is that major organ involvement, and grave varieties of lupus are found in African American and Hispanic women. Lupus is a...
Andy Goldsworthy is known for producing artwork using natural materials such as flowers, mud, leaves, twigs, pebbles, boulders, snow, thorns, bark, grass, and pine cones. By loving the outdoors so much, Andy Goldsworthy projects where made outside. After making them he would take photos of the art in different conditions. In the “Rowan Leaves Laid around Hole” was one of his best art pieces.
Through a variety of artworks, Andy Goldsworthy uses naturistic materials to create transient and ephemeral work. Many artists focus on elements of nature that they have the ability of making their own and modification, but Goldsworthy primarily focuses on the importance of truth and authenticity through his works. His goal is to be immersed and a participant of nature rather than a bystander or user of the environment. His approach surrounds the ideal of sustainability and the ability to create around and with nature rather than tamper with it. (Artist/Naturalist Pages)
Caddy, J. (2010). Artist/Naturalist Pages- Andy Goldsworthy. Retrieved January 11, 2011, from Morning Earth: http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html
Edward Said “States” refutes the view Western journalists, writers, and scholars have created in order to represent Eastern cultures as mysterious, dangerous, unchanging, and inferior. According to Said, who was born in Jerusalem at that time Palestine, the way westerners represent eastern people impacts the way they interact with the global community. All of this adds to, Palestinians having to endure unfair challenges such as eviction, misrepresentation, and marginalization that have forced them to spread allover the world. By narrating the story of his country Palestine, and his fellow countrymen from their own perspective Said is able to humanize Palestinians to the reader. “States” makes the reader feel the importance of having a homeland, and how detrimental having a place to call home is when trying to maintain one’s culture. Which highlights the major trait of the Palestinian culture: survival. Throughout “States”, Said presents the self-preservation struggles Palestinians are doomed to face due to eviction, and marginalization. “Just as we once were taken from one habitat to a new one we can be moved again” (Said 543).
...r instance snow, stones, wood, water, mud, flower petals, or even his own saliva to create his work, and beautiful structure with them. I have been influenced to use different shaded autumn leaves which blend in to form a vivid flower. As well as that I can learn how to be resourceful from just a limited amount of materials.
I can assume that most individuals recognize mistletoe in the same way I do with its round leaves and little red berries but in actuality, mistletoe can take on various different shapes and even produce, not only red, but white berries and can even have flowers on it.
With the world changing and advancing with technology, criminal organizations are taking advantage of new opportunities. The advancement of travel, ease of communication, and an increase in demand, has all contributed to the globalization of crime. Every nation has been affected by the globalization of crime and the problem continues to grow.