Honest Election in Iran is an Absurdity

The idea that an election for the president of Iran would be honestly held is an absurdity. That nation has one man who controls every aspect of life there. He is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In terms of constitutional authority, Mr. Khamenei is plainly the most powerful man in the Islamic Republic; no decision can be made without his consent. It is Mr. Khamenei who will decide the person to be president of Iran. In the unlikely situation that the elected president makes no difference to him, then the results will be reported honestly.

If the goal of Mr. Khamenei is the destruction of Israel and the dominance of the Middle East by Iran than there is little point in negotiations with members of a government that has no final authority.

It is reasonable to conclude that President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and others in the U.S. foreign affairs department know that Mr. Khamenei is the one person that must be part of any negotiations. So why the speeches and hand held out as a jesture of friendship? It can’t hurt and it just might prevent another war.

The First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

by Rabbi Norman Cohen, Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles

The media are crowing about President Obama selecting the “first Hispanic Supreme Court justice”. I have news for the media.

We already have had a Hispanic U. S. Supreme Court Justice.

He was Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, U. S. Supreme Court Justice from 1932 – 1938, a Sephard Jew of Spanish ancestry. His father, Judge Albert Cardozo, was Vice President and Trustee of the famous Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in New York City, Congregation Shearith Israel. Young Benjamin was Bar Mitzvah in that synagogue, and as an adult was proud of both his Jewish and Hispanic heritage.

It is the oldest congregation in the Western Hemisphere, having been founded in Recife, Brazil ca. 1630 and moved to New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1654. Its present location is at 70th St. and Central Park West. I spent some of my religious and social activity time there as a teenager in the 1950s, when the Rav was the famous Dr. David de Sola Pool.

One thing that surprised me there were the names on the memorial plaques…they were just like my Puerto Rican friends and not at all like my Jewish friends. Study of this history and culture has become a hobby of mine.

Most American Jews, who are of Ashkenaz origins, neither know of nor understand this important component of the Jewish people.

Jews were a major component of the populations of Spain and Portugal for 800 years (~ 700 – 1500 CE). Ladino, the “Sephardic Yiddish” based on pre-1500 Spanish, is still spoken by 200,000 Jewish descendants around the world, mainly in Mediterranean regions. 45 of the 50 most common Hispanic family names are of Jewish origin. All Hispanic given names ending in “el” are Hebrew phrases with reference to G-d. Like Gabriel, Emanuel, Rafael, etc. Many Spanish words and names of places are of Hebrew origin.

If you represented all Jews who were murdered in the Holcoaust by a crowded Dodger Stadium, those Jews whose family names were Gamboa and Graciano would fill a section of box seats. Gamboas and Gracianos are in Jewish cemeteries all over the world …. even in Poland, Canada, South Africa and Israel. That’s just two Sephardic-Jewish family names.

A recent analysis of the DNA of 20 statistical sample of men of Spain found that 20% have the Jewish genetic haplogroup, viz. they descend from Jews. The only way that this is possible is that there was already massive assimilation of the Jews of Spain in the centuries leading up to the Inquisition.

There are organized groups of b’nai anusim —- descendants of Jewish victims of Inquisitions in Spain, Portugal and Latin America who were forced to convert, or who hid and abandoned their Jewishness out of fear of persecution —- who are clamoring for acceptance as Jewish returnees.

It is estimated that a significant fraction of the Hispanics of the Southwestern USA and Northern Mexico are of Jewish ancestry and don’t know it.

But the media would not think of, nor recognize, Benjamin Cardozo as a “Hispanic”. They want a “genuine” Hispanic, certainly not one who was also a Jew.

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August 8, 2009: A Daily Kos article on Cardozo is an interesting addendum to this article. A Poll at the bottom of the article indicates that 59% of those participating believe that Cardozo was the first first Hispanic on the Supreme Court.

Buying A Camera – Consider Alternatives

I have found no report on market share of each digital camera manufacturer. I am sure that data exists somewhere. When I read camera advertising in the Los Angeles Times the clear winner is Canon in terms of amount of space used for that brand. Most of the advertising is for Canon and Nikon. I am enrolled in a digital photography class and of 15 people but only two do not own Canon cameras. Clearly Canon has done a better marketing job.

That is sad because there are many other brands that produce excellent products. Consumer Reports July 2009 issue lists four brands of point and shoot cameras that are “standouts: Canon, Casio, Panasonic, and Samsung.”

There may be perfectly reasonable reasons for Panasonic and Casio poor marketing through camera shops. One might be that by direct sales they cut out distributors and retailers and can earn more on every sale.

Perhaps auto manufacturers could sell directly to consumers. That would certainly be one way of increasing profits. Maybe not.

My Panasonic Lumix FZ28 is referred to as a Superzoom. It is a point and shoot camera that looks like an SLR. The difference is that there are no interchangeable lenses and it weighs less than 15 ounces with the battery installed.

The results I have obtained from this camera have met all of my expectations. The super zoom goes out 428mm. That means an object 700 feet away looks like it was right in front of me when I shoot the picture. The high ISO rating of 6400 (In [HIGH SENS.] in scene mode, the ISO sensitivity automatically switches to between [ISO1600] and [ISO6400] and the available flash range also differs.) enable me photograph without a flash in many instances.

Latino Boycott of the Census Makes no Sense

A Los Angeles Times Editorial

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Funds and services depend on an accurate count; boycotting could hurt those who need those things the most.

The latest effort to push illegal immigrants further into the shadows of civic life comes from an unexpected quarter. Not from those who would gladly deport every single person residing in this country without permission, but from advocates who profess to have their best interest at heart. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders is urging illegal immigrants not to participate in the 2010 census. The group’s supposed logic? That the statistical invisibility of 11 million to 12 million people will be a powerful lever to move legislators and the Obama administration to act with urgency and create a pathway to citizenship.

This misguided advice could have come from the Minuteman Project. Because an undercount means that the very places where illegal immigrants reside and use services, those states and counties already in desperate financial straits will be shortchanged of federal funding that would help all residents. Are these church leaders also urging illegal immigrants to not send their children to school? To avoid hospitals? To forgo driving on highways? An undercount means diminished funding for those public necessities and many others. Furthermore, census data determine voting districts. Are these advocates calling for fewer elected officials who might actually negotiate a pathway to citizenship?

In a report on undercounting in the 2000 census, the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers calculated that states loses more than $3,000 per uncounted resident. California, for example, is already out hundreds of millions of dollars because of an undercount in the 2000 census of an estimated 500,000 people. Los Angeles, Alameda, San Bernardino, Orange and San Diego counties will lose the bulk of that money, with L.A. losing more than $600 million over 10 years.

Unfortunately, this boycott movement seems to be gaining momentum; it dovetails with an existing fear of government detection. But anyone who boycotts the census has a poor understanding of U.S. history. Political power in this country is tethered to visibility. It is not a coincidence that in the past, the voiceless — Native Americans on reservations, enslaved African Americans — were purposely not counted in the census. (Actually, for taxation and representation purposes, the latter were counted as three-fifths of a person.)

There is no logical reason to fear participation. By law, all personal census information is sealed for 72 years, and no one who fills out a form is going to be deported as a result. With nothing to gain but much to lose, boycotting the census would be a strange tactic for people who have marched by the millions, revealing their numbers for the world to see. Whatever happened to “Today we march, tomorrow we vote”?

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See my column Why are most Mexicans in Mexico so poor?

The End of the American Empire?

As horrifying as the thought may be the theory of “manifest destiny” may have been correct in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Just as the evolution of man himself perhaps the nation we built was just going to happen no matter how badly or well we managed things. After all our founding fathers really weren’t different than many other men of their time. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson all had their own personal issues. Other people of that time could certainly have stepped into the roles those men played. History books support this understanding.

“What’s good for GM is good for America” was a mantra of big business throughout the 20^th century. General Motors (GM) was founded on September 27, 1908. Just one hundred years later the company found itself asking for government aid to stay in business. It isn’t just GM that has faced serious decline; many other companies that had been considered permanent parts of America have seen their life end or seen their fortunes fail dramatically. U.S. Steel, Circuit City, Zenith, A&P are all examples of companies that either no longer exist or are significantly dwarfed from their previous size.

Apple, Xerox, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and DuPont are examples of companies that have turned back from potential failure. Ford Motor Company has faced collapsed on more than one occasion and returned to success.

So the question asked by Jim Collins (author of How The Mighty Fall) to 12 U.S. Army generals and 12 social sector leaders was: Is America renewing its greatness or is America dangerously on the cusp of falling from great to good? The response was a great debate.

When you consider how the United States has coped with the world since 9-11-2001 it is easy to see where the nation has failed at what most of us thought about our nation. We are the only super power in the world. Russia invaded Georgia and has thumbed its nose at America. Iran and North Korea have been successfully doing what they want without regard to the American government. However, America was stunned but not defeated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States went forward to defeat its enemies.

No superpower nation has withstood the test of time. Is the United States riding the crest of a wave? There are many indications that this is the situation now. General Motors may be an early indicator or maybe not.

Right now we lack the FDR or Abraham Lincoln to lead the way. History has shown that a new leader will appear. I can’t believe it’s all over.

Panasonic Lumix FZ28

I read a review of this camera by a new user who claimed to have taken 1,000 pictures in just a week. Unless that writer is a professional photographer I doubt that she took so many pictures during that time period. The problem with the reviews on cameras on web sites and in magazines is that those venues rely upon camera manufacturers for advertising dollars. The consequence is that relying on the reviews is a gamble. That is the reason I subscribe to Consumer Reports (CR).

The photography/camera shops seem to take the attitude that they have some superior knowledge and if they sell the product the customer should accept their judegement about quality. The overwhelming product sold at local stores in my area seems to be Canon. The neighborhood store salesman told me its “Canon, Canon, Nikon.” No Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, or Kodak. Return policy? Forget it. You buy it, it’s yours.

Then there is Costco. Their prices aren’t too much lower than the camera shops. Their variety is limited. BUT their return policy is heavenly at 90 days.

So I watched their display case and saw the Panasonic Lumix FZ28. The reviews, real and phony were mostly outstanding. Digital Camera HQ seems like a reliable web site. I posted my review there too. At least not all cameras receive an A grade. Digital Photography Review provides detailed specifications.

In the month I have had the camera I have taken more than 50 pictures. I am delighted with the results. It’s an easy to use and handle camera that provides a 428mm telephoto lens that zooms to a 28mm wide angle. The camera offers manual controls, a large viewing screen, and weighs less than a pound.

I have a Canon A70 and bought my wife a Canon A560. I am used to their controls and so I have a learning curve for the controls but they are easy to learn.

Have You Driven One Lately?

Someone in a parking lot backed into my wife’s car. It was a perfect in line collision with the front end. No one was hurt but the damages will probably total $2,000. The rental car is a Pontiac G6. This is a car that is apppoximately the same size as a Honda Accord. I have not driven a Pontiac since 2002 when we rented a car for a drive from NYC to Virginia and back. Oh yes, I get to drive the Pontiac while my lovely wife will be using my Toyota Camry.

I have not owned an American brand car since 1990. The last was a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass. If the G6 is an example of the new style and design all I can ask is; what have they done to the General Motors cars? The first thing I noticed is the sloping angle of the front door where it meets the windshield. The angle is very irritating. Follow that up with the short side windows and I found myself feeling enclosed in a small box with limited visibility.

My favorite resource for car ratings is Consumer Reports (CR) because they take no advertising. Since all the other automotive magazines do take advertising from the manufacturers they are not a totally reliable resource for reviews. Some would say those magazines are completely unreliable.

The only American vehicle that CR considers a top pick is the Chevrolet Avalanche. That is a four door pick up truck. The CR Automaker report card rated Ford in 12^th place Suzuki in 13^th, General Motors in 14^th, and Chrysler in 15^th place. There was a total of 15 manufacturers.

I am not surprised. I am disappointed that three of the largest auto manufacturers in the world are at or near the bottom of the pack.