Israel's Netanyahu Warns Partners Amid Coalition Crisis

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s prime minister said Sunday that the public expects the government to “return to normal conduct” and hinted at the possibility of early elections if his coalition does not overcome a crisis linked to a contentious nationality bill.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments were his strongest yet since talk of early elections erupted following discord over legislation that would enshrine Israel’s status as a Jewish state. Netanyahu says such legislation is needed in order to defend Israel’s right to exist, while critics say it would undermine democracy and make the country’s Arab minority second-class citizens.

Two of his most senior coalition partners have vowed to oppose the bill in its current form, even at the expense of toppling the government.

Netanyahu warned against threats to bring down the government, while hinting that he would dissolve it himself if things did not change.

“Hardly a day passes without us running into dictates or threats of resignations or one type of ultimatums or another while ministers are lashing out at the government and the prime minister,” he told a weekly Cabinet meeting.

“I hope we can return to normal conduct. This is what the public expects from us. This is the only way to lead the country, and if not we will have to draw conclusions.”

The comments came a day after Finance Minister Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, accused Netanyahu of playing “petty politics” and said he hadn’t spoken to him in a month. The leader of the other centrist party in the coalition, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, has warned that passing the nationality bill could force early elections.

Debate over the bill comes amid soaring tensions between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the population of 8 million.

Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948 defined it as both Jewish and democratic. The new legislation seeks to enshrine these principles as a Basic Law, making them part of Israel’s de facto constitution.

The proposal would also make Jewish law a source of legislative inspiration and delist Arabic as an official language.

Alleged Shoplifters Drove In Circles In Parking Lot: Cops

NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — Folks who live near Idaho’s western border may complain about Oregon drivers, but a pair charged with shoplifting in Nampa on Thanksgiving made police officers’ jobs a lot easier this week.

After reports of ongoing shoplifting, Nampa officers responded to a busy parking lot full of holiday shoppers. When they tried to arrest Gregory Redner and Camilla Hunt, both of Oregon, the pair fled.

Police say Hunt ran to a car and drove away. Given the potential threat to public safety, the police declined to pursue her in the busy parking lot.

But Hunt didn’t make an escape. Instead, she drove in circles.

Police laid a spike strip down and Hunt drove over it, deflating two of her tires.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/11EqeNu ) the pair face multiple charges.

Faith Leaders Join The Fight For Lower Payday Loan Rates

WASHINGTON (RNS) Dozens of faith leaders and consumer advocates are pressing Congress to create a national interest rate cap for payday lenders instead of the exorbitant three-digit rates currently charged to people in several states.

Eighty activists from 22 states came to Washington in hopes of shaping new regulations that are expected from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Many of their congregations are surrounded by payday loan businesses that they say prey on poor residents by charging high interest rates and creating a cycle of debt.

“Together, you guys are really bringing a strong message and a light and a moral perspective about predatory lending that’s valuable,” said Rachel Anderson, director of faith-based outreach for the Center for Responsible Lending, which spearheaded a three-day visit and training session for religious leaders on Capitol Hill. “We hope that your message is heard strongly.”

The leaders asked members of Congress on Wednesday (Nov. 19) to pass legislation capping interest rates, citing a 36 percent interest cap required by the Military Lending Act.

“If it’s fair for the military, we felt it should be fair for all people,” said the Rev. Susan McCann of Grace Episcopal Church in Liberty, Mo.

Stephen Reeves, an advocate with the Georgia-based Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said a cap would eliminate “creative loopholes” used by the payday loan industry.

“That’s the solution — to make these funds affordable and attainable, where the trap is not set for the members of our communities and our churches,” he said.

The Community Financial Services Association of America, which represents payday lenders, rejects charges of preying on poor and minority communities, saying payday lenders “provide services to a broad cross section of Americans because there is widespread demand.” They say “payday advance customers are typical hardworking adults who may not have savings or disposable income to use as a safety net when unexpected expenses occur.”

In October, the National Association of Evangelicals issued a statement calling on payday lenders to offer products that “do not exploit poor and vulnerable borrowers” and urged the CFPB to investigate abuses.

NAE Vice President Galen Carey said consumers like him may have access to a 3.5 percent interest rate through a credit union, but others do not.

“That sort of resource is not available to all people, and so that’s why we need to have other provisions,” he said.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Lumen’s Solar-Powered Dragonfly Necklace

Lumen's Twiinkling Dragonfly NecklaceThe use of solar power in ornamental design is an emerging trend worthy of note. Introducing Lumen’s Twinkling, LED Dragonfly Necklace. Read on for more on this glittering innovation.

Man tracks down stolen package through Facebook, surveillance footage

Man tracks down stolen package through Facebook, surveillance footageIt’s not unheard of these days for delivered packages to go missing, especially when so many people are buying potentially valuable gifts online. The delivery service drives up, leaves a box at your front door when no one answers, and someone nearby with ill intentions and a chance opportunity snatches the item and runs off. One man in Texas recently … Continue reading

For Art Basel Miami Beach, Insider Tips to Maximize Fun and Minimize Crowds

That super-nova of the cultural world, Art Basel Miami Beach is running December 4- 7. This year’s Florida event will draw nearly 100k buyers, gawkers, and hangers-on, showing off and showing modern and contemporary works in 250 galleries and numerous exhibitions and programs throughout the area.

I live in Miami, and I’ve watched Art Basel Miami Beach grow from a stellar art event into one of the world’s over-the-top annual parties. In many ways it’s become a victim of its success: too much traffic, too many Botoxed air-kisses, too many wannabes in designer clothes and mile-high heels. Yes, the art is exciting, the buzz is the buzziest, the languages create a modern Tower of Babble, and the creative energy and cash deals stagger the senses.

But if crowds turn you off, or if you just want a break from the intensity, you’ll need a strategy — and a car if possible. And these tips will help you avoid vacay throngs throughout the whole winter season.

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Timing is everything — and the word is early

Partiers sleep late, and the international set eats late, creating a time-window for clever attendees. The word to memorize is EARLY. Show up when exhibits open. Walk the beach boardwalk in the cool of morning, stroll Lincoln Road before 10 am. Brunch/lunch at 11:30 or noon, make dinner reservations for 6 pm, open the clubs by 10 pm, and get to sleep by midnight. Think “early” and you’ll maximize your time, minimize your stress, and score reservations.

Get off the Beach, and away from PAMM and Wynwood.

Crowds congregate where the art is, so when you need a break, rent a car or call a cab or Uber and head north, south or west — away from the Miami Beach Convention Center and art-centric areas like the new Perez Art Museum Miami and the wall murals of Wynwood.

Those are great areas for any other visit, but during Art Basel, they are mobbed. If expressways are clogged, it is, after all, “the season,” so be patient, use a GPS, and factor in extra time. And for time management, if you can use public transport in downtown areas — Metrorail, the People Mover, trolleys or buses, so much the better. (A bike or feet can only get you so far.)

Do what the Art Basel crowd won’t be doing

Just for this week or so, skip the famed, trendy destinations where people flock. Seek places considered old school, unsexy or too far away from the art, but within an hour’s drive or so of Miami, even with traffic. Stroll or pedicab the Broadwalk (that’s “broad” as in wide and maybe as in women but that’s not PC, so maybe not) in Hollywood Beach. Discover Simpson Park Hammock on Brickell, the last large section of original vegetation in downtown Miami.

Drive up to the historic Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale. Walk peaceful Crandon Park beach by the lighthouse on Key Biscayne. See a drive-in movie in the Grove. Visit The Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach. Kayak in peace at Oleta River State Park in North Miami or by Virginia Key, off the Rickenbacker Causeway. Drive to folk-artsy Coral Castle in Homestead.

Eat where locals do

If you eat on the Beach, stay away from the famed and the glitzy. And if you can, try other Miami neighborhoods where the crowds don’t need to be seen and the locals hang out in sweats. Joe’s is for another time; Garcia’s on the Miami River has fresh stone crabs.

Tropical Chinese near Tropical Park offers dim sum brunch; Latin America Cafeteria on Coral Way creates the world’s best cuban sandwich; tiny Momi, in Brickell Village offers world-class ramen; Scotty’s Landing, overlooks the water in Coconut Grove, with casual ambiance. Check Yelp.

Even for local places, reserve ahead and eat early because spillover crowds may happen. In Miami always, and especially during Art Basel, the early bird gets the reservation.

A Carol for Our Times: The Melrose Quartet perform "Sing John Ball" (video)

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As a music journalist it may seem out of place to bring up the socio-political issues of the day. But in the music that I have recently covered at the English Folk Expo, I found this song whose words and music stir me, and drove me to think about who we are and what we stand for as a species.

It’s a great song, written by Sydney Carter about the revolutionary cleric John Ball who preached against the class system. His sermons were a rallying cry for the Peasant Revolt of 1381.

In Ball’s own words:

“From the beginning all men by nature were created alike, and our bondage or servitude came in by…. unjust oppression…. And therefore I exhort you to consider that now the time is come, appointed to us by God, in which ye may (if ye will) cast off the yoke of bondage, and recover liberty.”

These were radical thoughts for a time when Church, Manor and Monarchy were the only systems, and the working class were starving while the royalty feasted. The rebellion was harshly put down. Ball was drawn and quartered and his severed limbs put on display as a caution to anyone who might think to challenge the powers of the day.

But Ball’s words are remarkably close to the words of our own founding fathers, 400 years later. As an American attending the English Folk Expo, I found myself deeply moved by this song and its back story, and thinking about it repeatedly. It was also by far, the most often sung tune of the event.

The version I have chosen to post is by the glorious Melrose Quartet. These four people presented such a strong show that I truly wanted to stop my camcorders and just enjoy myself. In fact, this video only exists because I HAD stopped shooting, and then started with my handheld again.

A Carol for Our Times: The Melrose Quartet perform “Sing John Ball” from Michal Shapiro on Vimeo.

For all the hope and idealism of the lyrics of Carter’s anthemic song, the reality is that we all carry within us the primal hard wiring that seeks to subjugate the “other.” Perhaps it is a survival mechanism, but whether by a fluke of birth, race, wealth or brute force, there will always be a battle between the predators and the prey, the haves and have-nots, or simply, “us” vs “them.” Even the victims of yesterday can become the oppressors of today; no one is exempt. It is why all spirituality attempts to connect us to each other, to see the face of the godhead in the face of the stranger, and to become better than the isolated, selfish creatures we are.

It is the toughest commandment; “to be ruled by the love of one another,” but these days it is one we need to carry forth beyond the Holidays and into every day, and to everyone. It may even be a more relevant survival strategy in the long run. To quote a founding father “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

The Concert at the Main Stage was part of the Homegrown Festival, a joint venture between the
The Met Arts Center and the EFEx

For more about the Melrose Quartet: http://www.melrosequartet.co.uk
For more about the English Folk Expo: http://www.englishfolkexpo.com/
For more about The Met: http://themet.biz/

Matthew And Grace Huang Acquitted In Daughter's Death, Freed From Qatar

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A Qatari appeals court on Sunday overturned a ruling against an American couple over the death of their adopted daughter and said they are free to leave, ending a closely watched legal saga that may have stemmed from cultural misunderstandings in the conservative Gulf nation.

Los Angeles couple Matthew and Grace Huang, who were originally jailed on murder charges following the January 2013 death of their adopted daughter Gloria, headed to the airport soon after the ruling to try to leave Qatar, said Eric Volz, who is coordinating legal and publicity efforts for the family. The couple was convicted of child endangerment and sentenced to three years in prison in March. They were allowed to remain free pending their appeal but could not leave the wealthy OPEC nation.

The Huangs say 8-year-old Gloria died of medical problems complicated by unusual eating habits that included periods of binging and self-starvation. Prosecutors alleged she died after being denied food and locked in her room.

The Huangs have two other African-born adopted children and have been pressing Qatari officials unsuccessfully for permission to leave the country to be with them.

“It has been a long and emotional trial for me and my family, and Grace and I want to go home and be reunited with our sons,” Matthew Huang said after the ruling. “We have been unable to grieve our daughter.”

U.S. officials intervened on the couple’s behalf, with State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki last month urging Qatar to lift their travel ban immediately and bring the case to “an expeditious and just conclusion.”

Qatar hosts an important American military air operations center involved in airstrikes against the Islamic State group.

Western-style adoptions and cross-cultural families are relatively rare in 2022 World Cup host Qatar, which has aggressively pursued a higher international profile through sporting events and overseas investments. A report by Qatari police had earlier raised questions about why the Huangs, who are of Asian descent, would adopt children who did not share their “hereditary traits.”

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Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed reporting from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

10 Arrested During Ferguson Protest In Portland

PORTLAND, Ore (AP) — Authorities say 10 people have been arrested in Portland during a protest related to the Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting.

The city police bureau says the arrests came Saturday night “after a large group of protesters laid down in the street and refused lawful orders to clear the roadway.” Earlier, the gathering over the Missouri shooting death of a black man by a white police officer included a speech by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The Oregonian reports that Jackson urged nonviolence and said the resignation of the officer was “a step in the right direction,” but that much remained to be done to achieve justice for the victim.

Police say that after Jackson left, some protesters marched around downtown and sporadically disrupted traffic.

Officials say some bottles were thrown at officers and a police car was damaged.

The nine adults and one juvenile arrested will face charges that include disorderly conduct.

Chris Christie Votes Against Pigs Amid Rising Political Ambitions

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivered a major blow to advocates of pig welfare on Friday in a move many have decried as a “cynical political calculation.”