According to Israeli, Syrian and Turkish press, Israel and Syria are having official peace talks in Ankara.

Yet in the US if anyone thinks about even talking with Syria or Hamas, they are accused of appeasement and betraying Israeli.

Oh well...

I just heard that some doctor predicts Ted Kennedy has less than a year to live, which makes me sad, and reminds me of the story my coworker told me yesterday.

Well, it depends on how malignant it is. One year is if he has an aggressive case, 5 years is the average for normal cases...

Yet in the US if anyone thinks about even talking with Syria or Hamas, they are accused of appeasement and betraying Israeli.

I didn't know that. I always thought that US was one of the mediators between Israel and [enter almost any Arab country name]. Doesn't US talk with Hamas all of the time? That's the impression I got.

I was a little bit surprised at first to hear the it was the Turkish who joined the negotiation as the 3rd side, but then again, it makes a lot of sense.

Doesn't US talk with Hamas all of the time?

Nope. Jimmy Carter, who was president in the late seventies, talked to them a few weeks ago, and was criticized a lot for it.

Sorry, let me rephrase myself - ever since Hamas became the elected government for the Palestinian Authority, doesn't US talk with it?

Shir, the current administration's policy is to publicly treat Hamas and Hezbollah solely as terrorist organizations. Not to say that there isn't back channel talks somewhere, but if the US President says that the US doesn't talk to terrorists and explicitly lists Hamas and Hezbollah as them, it is hard to make any headway with backchannel talks. Not to say that they don't undertake terrorist activities, but since both aspects of both organizations undertake civil governance roles, it makes it hard for the US to talk about the Gaza Strip.

Historically, the US government has tried to act as a mediator, but the current administration, especially in 2000-2004, has made it very difficult for Middle Eastern countries to believe the US wouldn't gleefully stab anyone in the back without provocation.

As an example about the current US political climate, a Hezbollah representative has said admiring things about Barack Obama, a Democratic party candidate for President, and that "endorsement" is being used to demonize him.

The official line is that the US will be willing to talk with Hamas if they officially renounce violence and recognize Israel. It's never been quite clear how this "We're going to change their minds by not talking to them" thing was supposed to work.

Ah, it's hard to figure out exactly what the US position is, but it seems to be try to deal only with Abbas in the West Bank and try to ignore the Gaza Strip as much as possible...

HOWTO make "rotten shark"

Worried that the uremic acid in the shark you just caught makes it unsuitable for consumption? Try "rotten shark" -- putrefied, buried, dried shark jerky, an Icelandic "delicacy" that is even more fun to read about than it is to eat:

Take one large shark, gut and discard the innards, the cartilage and the head. Cut flesh into large pieces.Wash in running water to get all slime and blood off. Dig a large hole in coarse gravel, preferably down by the sea and far from the nearest inhabited house - this is to make sure the smell doesn't bother anybody. Put in the shark pieces, and press them well together. It's best to do this when the weather is fairly warm (but not hot), as it hastens the curing process. Cover with more gravel and put heavy rocks on top to press down. Leave for 6-7 weeks (in summer) to 2-3 months (in winter). During this time, fluid will drain from the shark flesh, and putrefication will set in.

It's never been quite clear how this "We're going to change their minds by not talking to them" thing was supposed to work.

It's known among political theorists as the "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" method.