Given how low expectations were prior to President Obama's recent visit to Israel, it may not be saying much to declare that he exceeded expectations. But he did, says Israeli-Palestinian peace advocate Michael Cooper, and the centerpiece was his speech  to the Israeli people.

"His speech carried broad historical perspectives, a fair and moral worldview and showed warmth and friendship toward Israel, allaying fears that he was somehow anti-Israeli," says Cooper, the  author of "Foxes in the Vineyard," (www.michaeljcooper.net), an Indie Publishing grand prize-winning novel that explores Israel's birth through historical fiction.

The Jewish-American pediatric cardiologist, who regularly visits Israeli-occupied territories to provide medical care for the underserved children there, reviews the accomplishments of the president's trip to Israel:

· The president's first accomplishment was successfully resuscitating the two-state solution ? a democratic and Jewish state of Israel living alongside a viable and independent state of Palestine. He emphasized the possibility and necessity of peace, and the justice and hope it provides for Israelis and Palestinians. He humanized those who aspire to live in peace with each other. At the same time, he marginalized the uncompromising extremists on both sides who promise only conflict. In promoting this vision of peace to the people of Israel, Obama was preaching to the choir. A recent poll in The Times of Israel reported that 67 percent of Israelis support a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with land swaps, a demilitarized Palestine, and the Old City of Jerusalem jointly administered by Israel, Palestine, and the U.S.

· President Obama convinced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call his counterpart in Turkey and to apologize for the killing of nine Turkish activists during the Gaza flotilla fiasco. Now, Israel and Turkey are moving to restore diplomatic relations and Israel can look forward to resuming her strong military and economic ties with Turkey.

· A third positive development took place two days after the visit; Netanyahu released frozen Palestinian tax funds, transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the desperately cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

Building on these positive steps, Cooper points to three things Israel might do to immediately ignite the peace process, "without waiting for outside pressure from the 'Quartet on the Middle East' (the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations), Israel can seize the initiative," he says.

· Stop expansion and apply the rule of law: Stop the expansion of all settlements in disputed territory and begin to dismantle illegal settler outposts. The latter involves nothing more than applying Israel's own laws to outposts that are illegal according to the Israeli Supreme Court.

· Quell violent Jewish settler groups: An EU report found that settler violence had more than tripled in the three years up to 2011. Israeli police and military personnel should identify and arrest violent Jewish settlers and prosecute them in a court of law. Many prominent Jewish religious figures and high-ranking government officials have already condemned the brutal acts perpretrated by extremist settlers.

· Implement good will: Establish a cabinet level Ministry of Reconciliation to oversee the establishment of good-will cultural and economic missions between Israelis and Palestinians.

"The democratic state of Israel is strong enough to defend itself against internal enemies who undermine the rule of law. Israel's future as a secure and democratic homeland for the Jewish People demands no less," Cooper says.

"If Israel were to implement positive initiatives tomorrow - peace talks could start the day after tomorrow."

About Michael Cooper

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel after graduating high school in Oakland, Calif. Living in Israel for more than a decade, he studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School. Now a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and a practicing pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he returns to Israel several times a year, volunteering on medical missions under the auspices of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Cooper's novel, "Foxes in the Vineyard," historical fiction set in 1948 Israel, was the 2011 grand prize winner of the Indie Publishing Contest. A second novel, The Rabbi's Knight, is due out soon.

Davenport, Iowa (April 9, 2013) – Find the fastest route to the FREE Figge Family Day, "Maps-Adventure, Fun and Family" on Saturday, April 13. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., families can explore the world of maps while enjoying free admission to the museum.

Kids can craft 3-dimensional treasure maps, sculpt the QC Riverfront in clay, or sketch a scenic view of the river from the Wintergarden.

Tales of travel will be read during story-time in the Library from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along with facts and fun with X Marks the Spot in Studio 1. Don't forget to take the Map Folding Challenge at the Studio 4 Map Station, where families can examine real mapmaking tools and trace their path through the museum using a gallery map to win a special prize. Snacks will be provided.

This event is sponsored by John Deere, and is a companion event to the exhibition Marking Territory: Cartographic Treasures of the Mississippi River and the World Beyond which is on display until June 16, 2013.

In anticipation of the exhibition No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service by Chicago-based artist Juan Angel Chavez, the Figge will be collecting recycled materials for the artist to use in his installation artwork, opening on June 29, 2013. Best known for reusing salvaged materials, Chavez creates sculptures that sometimes fill an entire gallery. Some of the requested objects include : clothing, stuffed animals, wood flooring, buckets and lids.  For a complete list of acceptable materials, please visit the Figge's website.

Interested parties may drop off their donation between 10:00 - 12:00 on Saturday, April 13 on the Figge Plaza (rain-out location: Figge Lobby). The first 50 people who bring acceptable materials to donate will receive a special "thank you" gift from the Figge.

An unlikely group of blind veterans from the State of Oklahoma has come together to learn how to assist their fellow veterans.  Class A-225 began training last month to use Google+ technology to learn how to become relay operators making phone calls for deaf veterans.  One veteran, Chuck Smith of Edmond OK, shares his story.

Edmond, OK (PRWEB) April 10, 2013

When class A-225 began training Chuck Smith was unsure where his path would take him but he was full of optimism.  Like many of the veterans in the class, Mr. Smith has more than a few war stories under his belt and has lived a colorful and fulfilling life.

Chuck was born in Rochester, NY and raised in the "great state of Nebraska" as a farm boy in a small town called Stamford.  When he was a young man, Chuck thought to himself "I can stay here milking cows or I can join the Marine Corps".  And join the United States Marine Corps he did.  Mr. Smith went on to serve 8 years in the Marines, served in Vietnam in '67 and '68 and was awarded the Purple Heart and other medals for his actions.  After leaving the Marines, Chuck returned to Oklahoma where he met the love of his life Nadine and has lived for 30 years in the town of Edmond.   Chuck and Nadine have been married for 19 years, have sons in Salt Lake City, UT and Georgetown, KY; and have a granddaughter that goes to Oklahoma University.

Chuck's path to training with the Veterans Workshop to be a relay operator for deaf veterans took him from helping others as an insurance adjuster/home improvement salesman to Class A-255 where he is a squad leader today.  His current adventure happened when a gentleman named John Laakman, a VIST coordinator (Visual Impairment Services Team), from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Oklahoma called him about a new program consisting of blind veterans training on Google technology to work from home training to be relay operators.  As Chuck puts it, "Being low-visioned I felt captured in my house as I cannot drive and had been looking for some time for a way to reach out and help my fellow veterans.  This relay operator program has opened a door for me that I thought had been permanently closed.  I have always enjoyed helping people and now not only am I learning how to do that from home, but I see infinite possibilities in where this can lead for both myself and the veterans we can assist with this program.  This has been a life changing experience for me.  I have become part of an amazing team and am excited to be a part of this awesome program."

Upon graduation from the program Mr. Smith is looking forward to working either as a relay operator from home making calls for deaf veterans or fine tuning his skills to be an instructor for the Veterans Workshop and leading future classes of veterans.

The class that Chuck is in, A-225, adapted a quote from Emerson and Mr. Smith completely sees the resemblance to his life now and where it will go - "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

About the Veterans Workshop: With offices in Rhode Island and Washington, DC, the Veterans Workshop has developed unique training programs for a subset of the disabled veterans community to include blind, deaf and paralyzed veterans. Training for blind veterans is underway, with training for deaf and paralyzed veterans expected in early fall.