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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (45815)	5/20/2004 1:25:15 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793927

What's wrong with this picture?... Ostrich Roams Besieged Gaza Camp from Broken Zoo Thu May 20, 2004 11:40 AM ET By Nidal al-Mughrabi RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Palestinian boys chased a limping ostrich through a Gaza refugee camp Thursday after an Israeli raid spelled disaster for a zoo that was a rare amusement spot for local children. The Israeli army, which uprooted over 1,000 Rafah residents by demolishing homes in a hunt for Palestinian militants, denied flattening the zoo and suggested its creatures had escaped because they were not being cared for. Whatever happened, Palestinian boys made the best of the situation. Spotting the ostrich on the loose, they gave chase, grabbed the bewildered, mangy-looking African bird and trotted through the streets with it, laughing heartily. The zoo site was in a neighborhood sealed off by Israeli troops. Residents said it had been a tiny, spartan affair hosting two ostriches, an array of colorful parrots and other exotic birds, some snakes, one monkey -- and a pony painted with black stripes to make it look like a zebra. Some 250 families in the camp -- erected in 1949 for Palestinians uprooted by Israel's independence war -- found themselves homeless again and were housed by U.N. relief workers in dingy school classrooms and rows of tents. The house demolitions were nothing new in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians who launched an uprising in occupied territories three and a half years ago. But the zoo was something special for Rafah's deprived youngsters. Its reported demise rubbed salt in the wounds of the community as the death toll from the raid rose to 40, several of them children in a protest march that came under tank fire. "Rafah's zoo was the only place of entertainment for kids here. It's a shame they destroyed it, but no surprise. Those who killed the children can also kill their fun," said Ahmed Hussein, a taxi driver who used to take families to the zoo. An Israeli army spokesman denied that troops had destroyed the zoo. "It was a very small petting zoo close to a school and the animals just escaped somehow. We didn't hurt them." The fate of the second ostrich, the monkey and pony was unknown. But children said they saw some of the parrots flying over the neighborhood, in addition to the wandering ostrich. "The demolished houses made me angry when I heard about it on the news, but the zoo was the only place where I could go with my friends to play and watch these strange animals," said Mohammed, a 12-year-old running after the ostrich. © Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

To: Lane3 who wrote (45815)	5/20/2004 3:02:30 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793927

There are several models for dealing with the support of special-ed kids. Karen, it is Karen, is it not? On a quick glance, it looks to me as if you are making my point for me. You think my dichotomy between special ed kids as a general social responsibility or a family responsibility, leaves out lots of in-betweens. You mention state and local programs as one in-between. I should have made my point clearer but my use of the terms "general social responsibility" was meant to cover that. I certainly, given the funding in New York state, did not mean to say only the federal government. Most if not all the funding comes from the state in New York. Another in-between you mention is insurance. That's an illustration of just how families might handle it. No doubt, insurance companies would find that niche profitable. But I don't see how that could be thought of as an in-between. And, finally, charity. It's been my experience that charity rarely works well for these kinds of problems. You could get some money but most likely only enough to provide even the most mininal services for the very poor. As usual, the kids of families just above that, who could not afford serious care, would suffer the most. As for co-ops, I don't know what you mean. What policies would reduce the number of kids who need special ed?