TylerMC/middle east

Mohammed and I did a story last year on surfing in Gaza called Shalom Doc! Hang Ten...about an American Jewish philanthropist who with the help of international surfers was able to bring 15 surf boards into Gaza despite all odds. Though surfing has been around for hundreds of years, skateboarding has been around for about 60. It was in the early 1970's with the advent of the resin wheel that it took off as a sport.
This documentary details the spread of skating in the Arab world, UAE to be specific and though the young film makers make a few cultural mistakes, (like calling a gutra a turban and not referring to the white dress of the men as a thobe), overall they do a great job of showing how just two guys with a board started a whole new trend, and industry in the Middle East. The stunts are mesmerizing and you'll thoroughly enjoy this. It's currently running on Fuel TV.
When you look at sea change in societies it always starts in three areas: science, arts and sports. The more people 'play' together, the less likely the are to kill each other. What else this film shows is that these kids with boards are doing more to promote peace and understanding among people than most politicians world wide. Nice job guys!

1971 Golda Meir passed a law in Israel that effectively 'wiped Palestine and Palestinians off the map'. Maps created in Israel do not show the green line or the Palestinian territories. To this day, Israel continues to deny the existence of the Palestinians as equals and continues to wipe the areas in which they live as well as most of the town names off the map.
Part of Israeli hasbara (propaganda) is that the Arab states, Persian states or Palestinians want to 'wipe them off the earth'. I challenge you to find that quote. It doesn't exist. The only one that exists involves Israeli leaders threatening to wipe the Palestinians off the map...which as I mentioned, they already did. Kudos to the multi-faith and human rights groups in the UK for rejecting Israeli propaganda and succeeding in its removal.

Nothing secret about the hasbara handbook. I've had a copy since 2000. It's an entertaining trip through how propaganda works. The sad thing is, those promoting it, actually believe the easily disproved BS they promote.

Remember, Israel thinks it's problem is what it is not what it does. They really don't get it. Propaganda 101 here.

Having written three articles on the USS Liberty and her crew in addition to maintaining contact with several of the survivors and their families, it gives me great pleasure to finally see some honored.

I think it's time I remind my congresswoman which country she's supposed to work for. This is grounds for impeachment and personally, something she should be thrown in jail for. She's acting on behalf of a foreign nation. That's treason since she trying to circumvent and deflect an espionage case for the benefit of the spies of that foreign nation.