This is an extremely interesting and comprehensive look at the Arab/Israeli conflict int he Middle East, covering the origins and the reasons why it has gone on so long. Especially interesting to me was the discussion of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. Just about as mnay, maybe more, Jews were expelled from Arab lands since the formation of Israeli as Arabs that fled from Israel, rejecting offers to stay and live peacefully. WHy does the world seem to care about the Arab refugees and ignore or disdain the existence of Jewish refugees? Is it anti-semitism, or simply the fact that the surrounding Arab countries have kept the refugees in camps for 60 years instead of resettling them? The article mentions estimates of as high as $80 billion lost by the Jews that were forced to leave their ancestral homelands in Arab countries, and a somewhat underwhelming $2.5 billion for the Arabs that chose to leave Israel. Yet somehow the Palestinians' nascent government is given billions every year by foreign governments who then condemn the Jews. At any rate, this article explodes a lot of the myths and lies surrounding the whole affair, and makes for good reading. It's in .pdf format, so you'll need Adobe [Mom, I think Dad already has it installed, if it doesn't work, ask him to install it for you later, or call me and I'll walk you through it].

Incidentally, congrats to my Mother, who is one of the proud few in her circle of female friends who can actually use a computer and write email and such!