Who do you know that deserves a peace prize?

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friends, Peace, postaday2011

I have a good friend, Mary, who deserves a peace prize. She works as a receptionist at the emergency room at our local hospital but she does so much more than just answer phones. She reminds me of an angel of mercy when she is on shift. I have been there at the emergency room quite a few times either myself or with my family and she calmly takes everything in hand, gets you situated, gets you whatever you need. Her kind eyes and warm touch are like a balm, soothing those stressed nerves so that you can focus and think more clearly about the emergency at hand.

Not only does she have a great bedside manner with the patients that go in and out of the emergency room, I know that she is an excellent work associate. She will be the one to take the time at home to make homemade chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for the staff on call at the emergency room. She is also a wonderful training person, she doesn’t lose patience with those that she takes under her wing.

On top of all this, she makes the time to get publicly involved with the environment. She serves on the Conservation Committee in our town and she also volunteers at the Winding River Conservation Agency in the city down the mountain. She takes these two positions to heart and gives her all to them because that is who she is.

She is also a great friend, a wife and a mom. She definitely deserves recognition for all that she does and how great a person she is, I’m lucky to know her. Every year, I make her one of her favorite treats, Fleur de Sel caramel from scratch, just to show her how much I think of her.

Do you think peace in the Middle East is possible?

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Middle East, Peace, postaday2011

I don’t know. The Middle East hasn’t been left alone on its own for centuries. Even before the crusades, there was inter tribal warring, the region was the trade route to the far east, which meant a lot of foreign traffic, targets for thievery, once oil was discovered the foreign powers, Europe and the United States came in and set up shop. Post World War two, the Great Powers at the time decided to give the Zionist movement their ancestral home back, the Nation State of Israel. This was 1948, I imagine that this imperialist action must have been the fuse that lit the surrounding Arab States to launch the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. Then came the 1956/57 war, then came the 1967 war where Israel not only beat the Arab States as previously done, but Israel was able to claim the Golan Heights from Syria, the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and the Gaza Strip. As of today after a few more wars, 1973, I think 1981 and more violent incidents, the Sinai Peninsula has been returned to Egypt and the Golan Heights have been returned to Syria. All of Israel’s neighbors except for Iran and The group Hamas, have more or less recognized the State of Israel. The question that stands before us is whether the Israelis are willing to go back to the 1967 borders with the Palestinians, meaning the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. One impediment that severely hinders that from happening, is the increase of settlements within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

My history on Middle East region is rusty but my belief has stayed the same over the years, the Palestinians need their own State. They need recognition from the world, they need self-determination. At one point in our history, during the Woodrow Wilson years, self-determination was a focal point in international diplomacy. It appears that within the region, the people have decided to reclaim their right to self-determination, so it stands to reason that the Palestinians would want their day in the sun. The youth of Israel have protested themselves over the lack of a strong domestic economic policy.Their precious resources have been focused on military and security. Their citizens have suffered the price of a hawkish policy. Hopefully, at the end of this week some movement will occur when the Palestinians ask for state recognition at the U.N. An agreement of peace and co-existence between Israel and the Palestinians would be so welcome after 62 years. Fingers crossed for peace.