Hi Israeli and Palestinian Humans,
As a follow up to my blog yesterday about the Israel/Palestine peace talks, let me give a little doggie advice to you. As I said yestrerday, the biggest problems are not between Israelis and Palestinians, at least not between the majority of you who are sane. The big issues are between Israelis and Israelis and between Palestinians and Palestinians.
To Israelis I would say, don't narrow the definition of who is a Jew and who should be an Israeli. Narrowness is demographic suicide. Immigrant workers who want their children to remain in Israel as Hebrew speaking loyal Israelis should be encouraged, not discouraged. Immigrants give a country life, progress, and innovation. It was not Herzl's dream to make Israel a closed national ghetto theocracy. The Middle East already has too much of that. Judaism is a beautiful religion, but you you don't have to be a religious Jew to be a Hebrew.
To the West Bank Palestinians I would say, your bretheren in the Gaza strip have bought themselves a bad leadership in Hamas that is taking them nowhere. Don't let them drag you down. Partnership and peace with Israel has already brought you a certain measure of prosperity with the potential for even more growth. Cut Gaza loose. Do your own thing. Make your own peace. If and when Gaza is ready for peace in the future, the two of you can join together if by then you still want to.
Anyway, that's how this dog sees it, and I think dogs have greater insight than humans.
Chloe

Peace

Hi Humans,
There is an article in the latest issue of Time Magazine that comes with a front page headline in bold letters that says that Israel doesn't care about peace. But if one reads the content of the article, one does not necessarily come to that conclusion. Essentially, the article reports that after the Palestinian leadership under Arafat rejected the Clinton/Barak Plan for a 2 state solution, the 2nd Intifada began which assaulted Israel with a wave of suicide bombings. The Israelis being a relatively intelligent people as humans go, built a wall with a defense system that has neutralized the effects of the Intifada. At present the economy in Israel is doing well. The average Israeli is more content with the relative peace that exists in Israel now than the potential peace that an agreement might bring. So, the challenge is to bring a peace agreement that will bring real peace, which means no terrorism or bombs or killings, not just a piece of paper that creates a Palestinian state. So, the title is misleading. Actually the Israeli people desperately want peace, but it has to be a real peace that preserves the present relative peace that the Israeli people enjoy, not a phony peace which gives the peacemakers the ability to claim success while terorrism resumes. Actually, there is a possibility now that a 2 state solution and peace can both be achieved. Not only has Israel's economy thrived recently, but so has the economy on the West Bank. The biggest hurdles are not between Israel and Palestine, but within each country. It is impossible for Palestine to include Gaza and maintain security there as long as Gaza is ruled by Hamas which by words and actions has shown no sign of wanting to make real peace with Israel or the West Bank. Israel has its own divisions between religious nationalists and secular Israelis who would prefer to separate religion and government.
Anyway, we dogs don't need screaming headlines. We take things as they are.
Chloe

Territoriality

Hi Humans,
One thing we dogs have in common with you humans is our desire to control territory. You make fun of our territoriality customs (like marking our territory with urine). You humans make it so complicated with deeds, fences, realtors, and lawyers. Isn't urine much simpler and less expensive? You should follow our example.
Chloe

Elton John

I love Elton John. He is a human I can really respect. Not only does he make great music, but he also does what is right no matter what the flock of sheep around him do.
Chloe

Eating

I eat when I am hungry, and when I am full I stop eating. But some of you humans don't know when to stop eating. You eat for silly reasons, because you're sad, because you're happy, or whatever, to the point of making yourselves sick. Other humans starve themselves to maintain their figures. And you humans are supposed to be so much smarter than us dogs. You humans never cease to amaze me with your strange habits.
By the way, Mommy has started a new series of pendant beads with floral designs. You can check them out at Floral Pendants .

The Price of Fame

Hi Humans,
Have you noticed how brilliant famous humans can do great things and then screw everything up with something stupid. For example, look at General McCrystal who apparently was uniquely good at managing a war and then torpedoed himself with loose talk to a magazine reporter. Look at President Clinton who managed the economy of the USA brilliantly and then made himself into a cartoon character in his silly sexual expoits. Then there was the Republican senator who was caught soliciting in an airport men's room. And then there was President Nixon who took himself down by supporting dirty tricks to gain unfair advantage in an election that he probably would have won anyway. The list goes on and on. Don't those people know they are living in a fish bowl? That's the price of fame. Well I'm glad I'm just an obscure dog. And I don't do any of those dumb things anyway.
Chloe

Back to California

Hi Humans,
I am returning to California tomorrow, back to my doggie door, back to my side yard dog run, away from the tall buildings, sidewalks full of hoards of humans rushing back and forth, and all the noises of traffic, ambulances, and other assorted stuff. Vacation was fun, but it will be good to come home.
By the way, Mommy will be back at work, and her web site at www.beadshaper.com will be completely open again.
Chloe