OPINION
16 Obiter Dicta
Elections
NormaLeeDean
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pad for deadly rockets aimed at Israeli civilian centres (notably with increased frequency since Israel’s
unilateral withdrawal), who has as its stated purpose
the destruction of Israel and killing of every Jew, and
who has proven its cynical interest in keeping both
Israelis and Palestinians living in fear, Israel must
consider what a reasonable country similarly situated can be expected to do.
For the Israeli courts, individual freedoms and
security are not mere philosophical platitudes, but
reality—and they have done an exemplary job of balancing the two. So much so, that law schools, legal
journals, and other high courts around the world
often refer to Israeli jurists as examples of judicial
excellence.
The Israeli Supreme Court has on numerous occasions ruled in favour of Palestinians bringing claims
against the government or the military, and the latter
have complied with the rulings.
Indeed, democracy and the rule of law, not military might, are Israel’s true strengths: that is why I
know Israel will survive.
Knowing that this government was elected
(though Bibi has yet to form a government) on the
backdrop of an impending deal that would bring Iran
closer to nuclear capability, an ever-present threat
from its subsidiary, Hamas, and legal warfare being
waged by the PA, while being unjustly castigated by
the rest of the democratic world helps to contextualize the poll results.
Israelis felt physically embattled and morally
abandoned, and that is why Bibi won. And yet, I
believe Israeli democracy will survive.
I am a staunch progressive and a Zionist (which
simply means that one believes in Israel’s right to
exist in peace and security as the democratic Jewish
homeland). For me, the two have never been mutually exclusive. I have never had difficulty reconciling
my Zionism with my feminism or my commitment to
fight racism and homophobia, for example. I am not
a Zionist despite being a progressive or a progressive
despite being a Zionist; I am a Zionist because I am a
progressive, and in many ways, a progressive because
I am a Zionist.
That also means I am hopeful. I don’t know what
the borders will look like, who the leaders will be, or
when it will happen, but I refuse to countenance the
relinquishing of that ancient hope of living in freedom and peace, and insist on being part of the proud
and on-going history of this tiny, arid, oil-less strip
of land I love so dearly. u
immediately, ready for the question. The informants
and whistle-blowers in this story were “bold” and
“didn’t back down.” It takes a lot of courage to challenge the status quo. When asked about developing
the play, she notes that her goal was to “inspire people
to think about injustice.”
In my opinion, she completely hit the target. All
the attempts to discredit those seeking an inquest
by attributing their motives to less than noble reasons struck me with both sadness and indignation.
“You’d think that, in events like these, those involved
would try to figure out what went wrong and how to
correct it for the future, but that’s not how it works,”
Catherine says. “Usually, they’ll do anything they can
to cover-up their mess.”
After the event, we walk back to Osgoode together,
through York’s expansive campus. It’s easy to get lost,
especially in the drabness of pre-spring. “Nothing
looks good this time of year,” she says. We continue
admiring the campus anyway. I think to myself that
her comment is a good metaphor for her play. While
nothing looks good when the snow melts—revealing all the dirt and trash buried by winter—it doesn’t
mean we should look away. Instead, we should have
the courage to blow the whistle when we are confronted with injustice. u
Kraft dinner
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to eat. The more KD that doesn’t touch the walls of
a bowl, the more which makes it into your belly,
and the less which finds itself permanently decorating the insides of your fine china. Furthermore,
forks should always be used over spoons. This is just
common sense—with a fork you can both stab and
scoop the noodles.
Ninthly, in my experience the perfect drink to
accompany KD is pink lemonade. Somehow its tartness is the perfect complement. In a pinch, Coke or
Diet Coke would do well. However, I would steer
clear of milk and all hot beverages.
Tenthly, never leave cooked KD in the pot for more
than two hours—at this point the noodles begin to
harden and stick to the pot making it an absolute
bitch to clean. If you cannot finish the entire box,
immediately scoop whatever remains into a piece
of Tupperware—makes for a great late night snack.
Next, before eating, soak the pot in warm water with
a little dish soap. Something so quick and simple
will save you from a headache later.
t humbs up
Tesla’s major new product line—which isn’t a
car!
ê The finished product—a thing of beauty.
Lastly, making Kraft Dinner is an art and not a science. The box lists exact quantities of butter and
milk to add. Don’t be a stooge by pulling out your
measuring cups. It’s Kraft Dinner, not a s. 15 Charter
analysis. Once you have a few boxes under your belt,
you begin to develop a finely tuned sense of just
how much milk and margarine to add to achieve the
proper consistency of sauce.
Some people would answer that they do not like
Kraft Dinner in itself—that they only make it when
there is nothing else available or when they desire a
cheap meal. To those misguided people I would say:
really? Try making and eating Kraft Dinner by following my golden rules. It is very likely that it will
alter your entire perspective on life.
There may be other controversial points that arise
in connection with Kraft Dinner, but for now these
points are sufficient to ensure most are on the right
path. A walk down the Kraft Dinner aisle at the local
supermarket reveals many Kraft Dinner varieties:
Sharp Cheddar, Three Cheese, Extra Creamy, Cheese
and Tomato, et cetera… Within reason, I encourage
occa sional diversity—even the addition of choppedup hot dogs now and then to spice things up.
However, the Original is the crème de la crème when
it comes to Kraft Dinner, and it should be regarded
as such. It is a quintessential Canadian classic.
For an added challenge while making your next
box of KD, see if you can make it through the entire
process without “losing a noodle”. It is tougher than
you think. u