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ResourcesForLife.com News 201407

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ResourcesForLife.com – News 201407 | 31 July 2014 | Thursday

Dear Friend,

I hope you’re doing well. Welcome to the July 2014 newsletter.

Personal Update. My Personal Update for July is now available. If we’re not already connected on Facebook, I invite you to Like my page. I recently launched my own personal website at AboutGregJohnson.com. If you’ve not already seen that, you might want to take a visit.

Recent Articles. In recent news… Iowa City will be getting a new natural food market called Lucky’s Market. Walgreens corporate headquarters are moving to Switzerland, and it’s something you should support. Click here to read why. There’s a new video campaign from India attempting to influence the cultural identity and behavior of religious men in their relationships with women. Click here to view it now.

Heart Songs. This month’s Heart Songs selection is Universal Soldier performed by First Aid Kit. Warning: This song might make you cry.

Palestine-Israel News. I’m sure some of you have been following the news from Palestine and Israel recently. Having Palestinian and Israeli friends, I’ve challenged myself to find ways to offer constructive criticism and support for both sides. Sadly, both sides are losing the current war.

As I’m writing this update, the latest news, videos, and photos from the region document that much of Gaza is in ruins. There are piles of rubble, with children’s dolls and toys scattered among the ash heaps. Military strikes have destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, television stations, water treatment facilities, power plants, dairy facilities, and shelters. Over 100,000 people have been asked to leave their homes and there are estimated to be over 200,000 refuges on the move. However, bordered by Egypt and Israel who have closed their borders to Gaza, the only place for the refugees to go is into the ocean. Even without a war, there is a serious humanitarian crisis there.

Despite much of the Gaza area being in ruins, after almost three weeks of bombardment by air, land, and sea, the latest report today by a senior IDF officer states, “Hamas still able to carry out tunnel attacks against Israel.” So, more devastation is apparently necessary. Unfortunately, with Hamas being very mobile, they are frequently nowhere to be found by the time the missiles drop on their former outposts. Perhaps they are tipped off by the advance warnings (text messages and phone calls) from Israel prior to bombing. The fatalities are mostly women, children, and innocent civilians, so this is resulting in an increase of the world-wide anti-Jewish and anti-Israel fervor. For example, Bolivia has declared every single Israeli to be a suspected terrorist, and will now require any visitor from Israel to apply for a Visa before entering Bolivia.

  • Website. I’ve launched a website called PalestineIsraelNews.com to feature and promote some of the affirming, collaborative, inclusive, and meaningful efforts being made between various religious and secular groups.
  • Facebook Page. In an effort to aggregate the moderate and extremist narratives from all perspectives, I’ve created a Palestine Israel News Facebook page to post news from all sides.  There’s not been much interest in the page so far, because people generally like to be immersed in those things that reinforce their own opinions rather than being challenged to understand others’ views.

If you’re inclined I’d encourage you to check out these resources.

Thanks. I want to thank the global team of volunteers, contributors, and workers “behind the scenes” who help make all this possible. I’m very grateful to the many people who continue to uphold and advance the mission of Resources for Life. Thanks again for your support. Please let me know if there is any way that Resources for Life can serve you better.

Regards,
Greg

Greg Johnson, Director
ResourcesForLife.com
“Resources for Better Living”
Internet: https://resourcesforlife.com/g
E-Mail: g @ resourcesforlife.com (without spaces)
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By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer and tech consultant in Iowa City. He is also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com