President Nicolas Sarkozy wants every French child to be responsible for the memory of a Jewish child killed during the Holocaust. I am jewish and I don’t think this is the right way to do that.
I think the Holocaust was a unique and exceptional event that only a strong educational experience will humans understand a tiny part of its horror. No history course can achieve that goal, in my opinion.
I think the right solution was 1) build a real modern Holocaust museum in France, like YadVashem in Israel 2) Make all high school students go visit the museum once 3) Like in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, put a badge on each visitor’s jacket with the name of a Jew exterminated during the Holocaust. The visitor loses its name and takes the one of the dead during the two-three hours visit.
But I think the most disturbing thing is the feeling that Sarkozy seeks to bring religion into politics. One day we will here a replica of George Bush saying something like “God bless France”. That day, it will be time to go to politics and fill the gap.
It is impossible to avoid the question of global warming. Because yes, some doubt something is happening, and to ignore what some may consider as free thinking is not without risk.
But it is important to recall that the issue is not whether the planet is warming or not. The question is whether there is a risk of major climate change, leading to severe changes in the environment and in life, including our life the one of our children.
Today, some very serious institutions indicate that this is a major risk. It is therefore imperative to consider accepting this risk up to the threat it suggests, and take measures to reduce it.
Briefly, this is risk management.
An Oregon professor of science speaks about that with a lot of common sense, humor and conviction. Make this information available to your friends, to other people, to politicians, for them and for us to do something about it.
The Internet is part of a huge change that we are experiencing.
Change is always difficult. It destroys one’s work and creates new opportunities for others.
But nothing stops progress. Not even terrorism, conservative minds, or people refusing to talk about change.
Shimon Peres talks about that in an extraordinary manner (at the LeWeb3 2006).
