Listening to: River of Dreams (adapted from 'Winter' from Vivaldi's Four Seasons), Hayley Westenra
I'm distracted... Though, thank goodness I've finished all of my project write up but my conclusion and summary of which are mostly done anyway.
My mind is somewhere else. I wonder why its there in the first place. I feel as though I'm about to pop. No, its got nothing to do with stress though after lunch, I've got to start on another assignment and I've got to pack for my little trip to Bath tomorrow.
I was left to my own devices after the breakdown of my discipline and I stumbled across this news article.
"Muppets Bringing Peace to the Middle East"
Yes ladies and worms! Where countless politicians and diplomats have failed, Elmo, Cookie Monster and their "Sesame Street" buddies are on a mission to promote peace and tolerance in the Middle East.
"Sesame Workshop partnered with local producers to create "Sesame Stories," an adventurous initiative to use new and existing "Sesame Street" characters to foster respect and understanding among children in the region.
Gary Knell, president and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop, says in an interview that producers knew that not everybody would be open to the idea of Elmo & Co. teaching Israeli kids to respect Palestinians and vice versa.
"It's a highly charged environment, and the press is going to reflect some of that," Knell says. "Yes, some Israeli reports accused us of being lackeys of the Palestinians, while another article accused us of being lackeys of the Bush White House and charged that Elmo was carrying the will of the White House to the Middle East. A Jordanian Internet site accused us of being Zionist lap dogs."
Knell stresses that the majority of media reports about the Muppets experiment had been positive.
"Sesame Stories" is now airing as three parallel productions on Jordan Television, the HOP! Channel in Israel and the Ma'an Network in the West Bank and Gaza.
Daniella Hellerstein, whose family emigrated to Israel three years ago from the United States, says she encourages four young kids to watch the show.
"I like the overall message -- tolerance and respect -- and I support the effort 100%," she says. But she adds: "My children don't completely appreciate the point of the characters -- they don't differentiate between the Jewish and Arab characters."
Havi Livne, another mother in the region, welcomes the show unreservedly. "Suddenly, a program is dealing with Arabs not just as terrorists. For me, it opened a window to talk with the children about something very important. And it's very important for me to know it's shown in the Palestinian Authority and Jordan."
Link: The Muppets!
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