Random musings before I go to bed
I don't think I've ever been so productive at work for such an extended period of time.
Nah, that's gotta be an exageration, but it sure feels that way. When I first started last week, I thought not having access to Yahoo mail and instant messenger would kill me, but the truth is, I'm so busy, I don't have any time to converse with my friends. For the last 4 days, I've worked nonstop on project documentation. Which is why I haven't had any time during the day to update my blog; and by the time I get home, I'm too tired to actually think of what to write.
While working in my little cube, I overheard a few pathetic conversations. Luis, the guy sitting next to me, apparently didn' t know that today was Election Day, and that his state of Virginia was actually electing a new governor (Go Kaine!). Apparently, Luis doesn't vote. And he's not the only one at GT who didn't have a clue. Another woman asked at 11am if they announced the winner of the election yet. Uh, lady. The polls just opened!
Granted, there aren't many major elections across the country. But why is it news to people that the second Tuesday of every November is Election Day in this country? I WISH I had something to vote for this year. Unfortunately, DC only holds elections every other year. What is there to vote for here, anyways, right? The whole thing just makes me sad.
So there's not much else to share, and I'm too tired to rant about David's latest post. The pamphlet he links to is certainly NOT source-based at all. I didn't see an extensive bibliography and/or footnotes, citing where the author got his facts from. When writing on hotly-debated issues such as the Middle East conflict, it is absolutely essential to cite and list where you get your information from. There are few references in there, but certainly not enough to satisfy my curious mind. And I wouldn't necessarily say that everything written in there is fact, based on objective historical truthes. There's a reason why this is a hotly-debated issue.
Ah, and one last thing: I'm going to sleep happy. I got some potentially exciting news this evening, but can't share it until I get confirmation. And that may take some time. So sit tight. And wait for it.
Nah, that's gotta be an exageration, but it sure feels that way. When I first started last week, I thought not having access to Yahoo mail and instant messenger would kill me, but the truth is, I'm so busy, I don't have any time to converse with my friends. For the last 4 days, I've worked nonstop on project documentation. Which is why I haven't had any time during the day to update my blog; and by the time I get home, I'm too tired to actually think of what to write.
While working in my little cube, I overheard a few pathetic conversations. Luis, the guy sitting next to me, apparently didn' t know that today was Election Day, and that his state of Virginia was actually electing a new governor (Go Kaine!). Apparently, Luis doesn't vote. And he's not the only one at GT who didn't have a clue. Another woman asked at 11am if they announced the winner of the election yet. Uh, lady. The polls just opened!
Granted, there aren't many major elections across the country. But why is it news to people that the second Tuesday of every November is Election Day in this country? I WISH I had something to vote for this year. Unfortunately, DC only holds elections every other year. What is there to vote for here, anyways, right? The whole thing just makes me sad.
So there's not much else to share, and I'm too tired to rant about David's latest post. The pamphlet he links to is certainly NOT source-based at all. I didn't see an extensive bibliography and/or footnotes, citing where the author got his facts from. When writing on hotly-debated issues such as the Middle East conflict, it is absolutely essential to cite and list where you get your information from. There are few references in there, but certainly not enough to satisfy my curious mind. And I wouldn't necessarily say that everything written in there is fact, based on objective historical truthes. There's a reason why this is a hotly-debated issue.
Ah, and one last thing: I'm going to sleep happy. I got some potentially exciting news this evening, but can't share it until I get confirmation. And that may take some time. So sit tight. And wait for it.
posted by elanit | 10:20 PM
2 Comments:
Did you not see the footnotes throughout, the appendices after each section, or the 2-page bibliography at the end? The vast majority of statements Levy makes are either thoroughly non-controversial ("Israel's very creation is referred to by its Arab enemies as 'the Nakba' or the 'caatastrophe'"), or are quite copiously sourced (c.f. the discussion of Deir Yassin on p. 18-19).
I would guess that we probably disagree on some political questions (shock! horror!) but it's important to establish commonality of facts before making decisions or recommendations.
So let me ask it this way: are there any specific factual errors or cases where a source oversteps?
There aren't that many footnotes throughout, and only second section has the appendix. The bibliography is not extensive, and the list of websites are are compilation of mostly conservative/rightwing organizations or individuals (besides for the Israeli government websites). Daniel Pipes?? C'mon! He is in no way, shape, or form an objective source. And that's just on the surface.
I'm not saying that nothing in this pamphlet is fact or true; all I'm saying is that it's very hard to find any one publication that states all facts and no opinion. I have yet to cross-reference this with other sources I have at home; that takes time, which right now I don't have. But it's on my list of things to do, and we can discuss afterwards. :)
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