I. YAHOONEWS - Israel and Greece seek to expand military ties
Israeli and Greek leaders discussed expanding military ties on Tuesday including sharing military know-how and holding joint war games, officials said. Israel has been keen to expand ties with Greece as its relations with Turkey -- another strategic Mediterranean partner -- soured since an Israeli raid on a Turkish-backed aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip in May. As he wrapped up his two-day trip to Greece, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- the highest ranking Israeli to visit the country -- said the two nations were "opening a new chapter." He told reporters that he and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou had discussed military cooperation. An official in Netanyahu's entourage told Reuters these discussions "explored establishing greater cooperation between both countries' military industries and armies." A Greek official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed they "talked about new forms of cooperation on defence and security issues" including the expansion of joint military exercises and sharing technological knowledge. In a symbolic gesture, Papandreou hosted Netanyahu on a trip to an island off the Athens coast on Tuesday, setting sail on a missile boat Israel sold to Greece eight years ago. Papandreou told a joint news conference with the Israeli leader on Monday that they were looking at expanding strategic ties. Israeli officials said a team of experts on security and trade ties would soon meet to map out further details. Netanyahu has said he wants to mend fences with Turkey and that upgrading relations with Greece could further that goal. Greece is Turkey's long-standing rival in the Mediterranean. The came to the brink of war at least twice in the 20th century. Israel sees Greece as more ready to build ties with it because it senses that Athens' traditional Arab allies seem less opposed than in the past, due to shared fears of Iran which many in the West believe is seeking to make a nuclear bomb. "Relations are now developing at great speed due to our common interests," another senior Israeli official told reporters on the sidelines of the trip. Netanyahu is the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit Greece, which only forged full diplomatic ties with the Jewish state in 1990, later than other European countries. Israel and Greece signed a defence cooperation agreement in 1994.
Growing up in the West Bank, Mujahid Sarsur knew next to nothing about the Holocaust and saw little ground to sympathize with a people he saw as his occupier. But thanks to an Israeli roommate overseas, the 21-year-old Palestinian student learned about the Nazi murder of 6 million Jews during World War II and discovered a new understanding of his Israeli neighbors. Now he wants other Arabs to do the same. Sarsur heads one of a handful of Palestinian grass-roots groups seeking knowledge about the Holocaust. On Wednesday, he led a delegation of 22 students to Israel's official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem. The students, fasting for Ramadan, listened closely to their Arabic-speaking guide's explanations, and were left wide-eyed by the gruesome images of the death camps. Arab sentiment toward the Holocaust ranges from ignorance about its details to outright denial. Some hold a more complex belief system, acknowledging that the Holocaust did happen, but that they are paying the price by the loss of their land with the creation of the state of Israel after World War II. Last year, in an incident that got international attention, a Palestinian youth orchestra performed a concert for Holocaust survivors in Israel and caused such uproar among Palestinians that it was shut down. Its conductor was banished and blocked from entering a West Bank refugee camp out of concern for her safety. Two years ago, Yad Vashem launched an Arabic version of its website to combat Holocaust denial in the Arab world and provide credible historic material to those who seek it. A similar version in Farsi was aimed at Iran, whose president has called the Holocaust a "myth." Dorit Novak, the director of Yad Vashem's international school for Holocaust studies, called the visit a "blessed initiative" and hoped for continued dialogue to break down the stereotypes on both sides. "I appreciate their principles, their courage, their curiosity and their willingness to come, listen and learn," she said. "The Arab world is exposed to the Holocaust in a very distorted way. I know this is limited outreach, but I am willing to suffice with something limited in the reality in which we live."
III. PRNEWSWIRE - Greek Americans to NY/NJ Port Authority: Rebuild Ground Zero Church
The leading membership-based association for the nation’s three million American citizens of Greek heritage, and countless Philhellenes, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), has requested the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to resume negotiations with the representatives of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in an effort to rebuild the church destroyed at Ground Zero on September 11, announced National President Nicholas A. Karacostas. “The Greek American community is displeased and angered that Port Authority officials have declared that a deal to rebuild St. Nicholas is dead,” Karacostas said. “We view the church to be of national significance given the circumstances of its fate; a fate that has all but been forgotten by officials. We urge the Port Authority to honor its commitment to the congregation of St. Nicholas and resume negotiations to rebuild the church at its rightful place at Ground Zero. Karacostas expressed the organization’s disappointment in a letter sent August 18, 2010 to Mr. Christopher Ward, executive director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He added AHEPA will not tolerate additional bureaucratic stall tactics in the effort to rebuild the church, which has served the community at large since 1922.” Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, to protect individuals from the evils of bigotry and discrimination, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 350 chapters across the United States, Canada, Greece and Cyprus. The mission of AHEPA is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism. For more information, please visit www.ahepa.org.
IV. SFGATE - Mosque debate divides Democrats, especially in NY
As vulnerable congressional Democrats weigh how to respond to President Barack Obama's statements on Muslims' right to build a mosque near ground zero, those in New York and closest to the controversy are staying silent or scrambling away. Democrats control both Senate seats and 27 of the state's 29 Congressional districts, but analysts believe as many as eight House Democrats in the state may be headed to defeat this year. Republicans, hoping to ease Democrats' grip on the state, insist the economy remains the major campaign issue but say the mosque flap could also help move voters their way. From eastern Long Island to more rural upstate areas, House Democrats have been opposing the construction of a $100 million Islamic center two blocks from the World Trade Center site. More than 2,700 people died there on Sept. 11, 2001, at the hands of Islamic terrorists, and the wound remains fresh for many New Yorkers who are still traumatized by the attacks or who lost loved ones that day. The latest Democrat to break with Obama is Rep. John Hall, a two-term incumbent expected to face a strong challenge from Republican Nan Hayworth in the 19th district north of New York City. In a statement released Wednesday, Hall said freedom of religion was essential to democracy but that he hoped the project would be constructed elsewhere. "I think honoring those killed on Sept. 11 and showing sensitivity to their families, it would be best if the center were built at a different location," Hall said. Hall joins three other House Democrats believed to be vulnerable in November who have announced their opposition to the project. In eastern Long Island, four-term Rep. Tim Bishop said ground zero should be a symbol of interfaith understanding. If developers of the Islamic center are seeking such unity, they should move the project, he said. In Staten Island, the most conservative of New York City's five boroughs, Democratic Rep. Mike McMahon said the project was a local matter and shouldn't come under federal jurisdiction. Nonetheless, he said he hoped it would be moved. "I believe a new location is the right compromise so that Muslim Americans can worship without eliciting feelings that push us away from our country's basic tenet of religious acceptance while the families of 9/11 victims obtain the peace of mind they deserve," McMahon said. The matter has even quieted the state's normally garrulous senior senator, Chuck Schumer, who is seeking re-election this year and has yet to weigh in on the controversy that is roiling the state. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is also facing voters this fall, has issued terse statements of support for the center but said she would also back efforts to move it if community members decided to do so.
V. REUTERS - Iraq Timeline: Invasion, surge and withdrawal
The United States is on track to draw down its forces in Iraq to 50,000 by August 31, but there are doubts President Barack Obama can fulfill his pledge to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2011. The 50,000 remaining will train Iraqi armed forces and police units. Here is a timeline on U.S. forces in Iraq since 2003: March 20, 2003 - U.S.-led forces invade Iraq from Kuwait to oust Saddam Hussein. -- About 125,000 U.S. and British soldiers and Marines are in Iraq. By the end of April, U.S. says it will add 100,000 more soldiers to the U.S.-led invasion force. April 9 - U.S. troops take Baghdad, Saddam disappears. May 1 - President George W. Bush declares hostilities over. -- Between March 20 and May 1, 138 U.S. troops are killed. December 13 - U.S. troops capture Saddam near Tikrit. February 22, 2006 - Bombing of Shi'ite shrine in Samarra sparks widespread sectarian slaughter, raising fears of civil war. February 14, 2007 - Maliki launches U.S.-backed crackdown in Baghdad aimed at pulling Iraq back from brink of civil war. -- Five U.S. combat brigades plus supporting troops, or some 30,000 soldiers, are sent to Iraq between February and mid-June 2007. Besides reducing violence, Washington wanted to create "breathing space" for Iraqi leaders to make progress on laws seen as critical to fostering national reconciliation. June 15 - U.S. military says it has completed its troop buildup, or "surge," to 160,000 soldiers. -- From April to June 2007, 331 U.S. soldiers are killed, the deadliest quarter of the war for the U.S. military. September 10 - U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, recommends cutting troops by more than 20,000 by mid-2008. July 22, 2008 - The U.S. military says the last of five extra combat brigades sent to Iraq in 2007 have withdrawn, leaving just under 147,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. November 17, 2008 - Iraq and the United States sign an accord requiring Washington to withdraw its forces by the end of 2011. The pact gives the government authority over the U.S. mission for the first time, replacing a U.N. Security Council mandate. Parliament approves pact after negotiations 10 days later. January 1, 2009 - U.S.-Iraq security pact comes into force, placing 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq under Iraqi authority. February 27 - New U.S. President Barack Obama announces plan to end U.S. combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010, but says will leave up to 50,000 troops to train Iraqi forces. June 30 - All U.S. combat units withdraw from Iraq's urban centers and redeploy to bases outside. June, 4 2010 - U.S. military says there are 88,000 troops in Iraq. Aug 18 - U.S. troop strength in Iraq is 56,000, a senior Obama administration official says. -- The military says that there have been 4,419 U.S. military deaths since the invasion in 2003.
The number of Pakistani flood victims in need urgent humanitarian relief has risen from six million to eight million, the United Nations said on Thursday. "Since it's an evolving situation, things are unfolding. Our estimate has gone up and now eight million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance," UN humanitarian operations spokesman Maurizio Giuliano told Reuters. Several weeks of flooding in Pakistan has affected 20 million people and about 1/5 of Pakistan's land mass.
The bells of St. Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral in Sitka are expected to ring again in the near future – and ring correctly. In partnership with the Sitka Historical Society, the Orthodox Church has rebuilt the belfry stairs in St. Michael’s, and has cleaned and refurbished the eight bells. All that’s left is teaching a new generation of Sitkans to ring them. The original St. Michael’s Cathedral, built by Russian colonists from hewn timbers, was famously destroyed by fire on New Year’s in 1966. It’s eight-bell carillon rendered into molten slag. The church was rebuilt, and recast bells were reinstalled by 1976. The bells have often rung in Sitka since then, but they haven’t sounded anything like this: This is a historic recording preserved by the National Park Service. It’s believed to be John Williams, or perhaps his nephew Phillip Williams, the last in several generations of his family who did not just ring the bells, but played them. It was recorded around 1960. “It’s not just ringing 1 – 2. You’re using your feet, all of your arms, two or three chords at a time. You actually play melodies. It’s not just ding – dong.” Fr. Sergious Gerken has been the parish priest in Sitka since May of this year. He says there is an extensive body of musical literature for the bells which are tuned – to western ears – in a C-seventh chord. The biggest bell weighs 1400 pounds, and sounds the G note below middle C. I’m standing with Fr. Sergious and Sitka Historical Society director Bob Medinger four stories over Lincoln Street, in the refurbished belfry. I’m not totally comfortable in tall, rickety structures, but the rebuilt cathedral is constructed of iron girders, and looks reassuringly sturdy. Fr. Sergious says there is a 1000-year tradition of bell ringing in Orthodox Christianity, much of it musical, especially during services and holidays, and much of it merely practical. “I have my Mickey Mouse watch and it tells me its 3:30 right now. Who could afford a clock or a watch except the emperor or some rich merchant? So the thing was to be able to ring the bells for matins, for midday, for any special occasion – or alarm. When there’s a fire, church bells ring, everybody congregates. It was a focal point: if a ship comes in you’d be able to notify the rest of the people. This gives us an opportunity to also do something along those lines. Bells were an important part of town.” Between the destruction of the original cathedral, and the hazardous conditions that developed in the wooden stairways and hatches in the reconstructed belfry, Sitka lost its tradition its tradition of bell playing, but that is about to change. Fr. Stephan Mehlich, from the Orthodox diocese in San Anselmo, California, has agreed to visit Sitka in September to train new ringers. Mehlich himself was trained at St. Tikon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. Bob Medinger says it’s a chance to recapture some of Sitka’s past. “Right now we are in the serious throes of trying to recruit ringers. We’d like to get up to four, perhaps one or two more. Reading music is very important. If you think you’ve got the time and you’d like to do something quite amazing – have quite a view during your work session up there. You can chat with us about the kind of commitment you’d like to make. We’re trying to get Fr. Mehlich up here in the third week of September. Tentatively that’s the week we’re trying to do the training.” St. Michael’s would like to find recruits both within and outside of the Orthodox congregation. Medinger says the Historical Society supports the idea of bringing music back into Sitka’s daily life, whether striking the hour or greeting arriving ships. Some barriers do remain: During work to improve the four flights of steep stairs to the belfry, significant rot was discovered in the floor of the belfry itself. Replacing it has punched a $15,000 hole into the project’s budget. Medinger hopes tour revenue of the refurbished tower may cover some of that cost. He and Fr. Sergious also hope to create a program to allow major donors – even those who don’t read music – a chance to play the bells. Fr. Sergious -- “Oh… Be Quasimodo for a day, that would be great!”