Adam Dickter's blog

Friday, October 9th, 2009

The deadline for nominations for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was Feb. 2.

That’s about 12 days into the Obama Administration. So it would be hard to argue that those who intended for President Barack Obama to win were judging him by his accomplishments, unless you consider his election itself through a highly skilled campaign a contribution to world peace.

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

As holiday rituals go, Sukkot has more than its fair share.

In addition to prayer for dew, the ushpizin and of course the blessing of the four species, I’ve added one of my own.

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Imagine getting a phone call from an advancing army warning you to get out of the area.

Or getting a “knock on the roof,” in the form of a dummy bomb dropped from a military plane, warning you that the terrorist hiding in your building has been targeted, and the next bomb will be real.

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

What if some prominent individual or group started holding press conferences to declare that the Earth is flat, or that it is stationary while the sun revolves around it?

Would scientists rush to debunk this theory, publishing papers and holding conferences, or just shake their heads in disbelief and return to their work?

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Lashon Hara is one of the occupational hazards of this job.

It is not only religiously observant reporters who have to worry about being guilty of gossip but anyone with a  conscience. Responsible journalism is about balancing the public’s need to know with the privacy of individuals, their right to make mistakes and above all, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

But what do you do with someone who says the most damaging things — about himself?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

During my week in Israel, Alexandra Polsky had a bit of a more hectic schedule than the other olim I was covering as she settled into a yeshiva program in Tel Aviv, a temporary apartment in Jerusalem and searched for a job. So it was hard to keep in touch.

That’s why God created e-mail.

I received a lovely update from her this morning. And since I’m a little blogged out from 10 days of frantic posting, I thought it would be nice to let you hear from her in her own words: