November 24, 2003

If the US Democratic Party wishes to know why some American Jews have switched to supporting the Republican Party they can consider the comments that resulted from a Daily Kos posting on possible unilateral withdraws of settlement by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Few if any showed any sympathy or understanding of the legitimacy of a Jewish homeland in the historical Jewish land of Israel and few posters thought that the conflict in the Middle-East was anything of Israeli bad/ Palestinian good. Other statements are scary in their racism: Israel was an attempt at the solution to a European problem, by a Eurocentric west, which disregarded the people of Palestine. The Holocaust was traded for the horror of The Nakbah. That needs to be corrected posthaste, in my view. With the creation of a democratic "secular" state, you at least open up the opportunity to a more real solution. Though one should expect, that once the Jewish citizens appreciate that they are likely to be in a minority position, many will choose to return to their countries of origin, in Europe, Russia and the U.S.A. Which is the real heart of the problem the West has with that solution. Corrected posthaste? Minority position - like in Germany? 9:49:28 PM

Meanwhile NASA is now considering to use a custom built $300 million space tag to pull the Hubble Space Telescope from orbit when it reaches the end of its useful lifespan. One advantage of this plan over a previous plan to use a shuttle service mission to attach a rocket to the Hubble is that it will take so long to build the tug that NASA won’t be able to scrap the Hubble any time soon. NASA expects the space telescope to last until around 2012, earlier plans suggested deorbiting it in 2010. 9:32:20 PM

CNN reports that the prototype space shuttle Enterprise, which entered service with NASA in 1977 as a testbed for in atmosphere space shuttle handling and later as a spare parts source has been towed into the McDonnell Space Hangar at the new National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in northern Virginia. Most recently portions of the leading edge of the shuttle’s wings were removed for use in testing to determine the cause of loss of the space shuttle Columbia. 9:31:29 PM

The New York Times has a puff piece on extolling the virtues of CompUSA salesman of the year Ditson Garcia who it says is a "counselor, patiently helping them [customers] sort through the choices". Choices which result in them buying more then expected. One customer remarked: "He read me very well," Mr. Leventhal said. "Without pushing me, he suggested some add-on purchases. And it's really funny because the need did exist." Why the add-ons? The article explains: Sales commissions, or "incentives" as the company refers to them, are based on a complicated formula. For instance, one item on a ticket, no matter how expensive, will not generate a commission. Furthermore: CompUSA salespeople are required to suggest replacement plans, in-home computer training and support, and AOL memberships. In fact, at least 10 percent of their sales are expected to include such services. Without fail, Mr. Garcia offers the store's two-year replacement plan to anyone buying a larger device like a computer or a high-end printer. And more often than not, his open, friendly manner wins people over. Another customer is aware of the conflict. Mr. Katovich left the store with $660 of merchandise, including several items he had not planned to buy, like a $115 piece of software Mr. Garcia had talked him into and a $29 label maker for the DVD's. Mr. Garcia had clearly made an impression. "Either he's an up-and-coming star or he completely snowed me," Mr. Katovich said. 9:30:40 PM