"If a man was drowning and you could either save him or photograph him....

...What aperture and shutter speed would you use?"

Plenty of people accuse journalists of being heartless, and I had a conversation last night that reminded me why.

I was talking with a friend who is a freelance writer, and we were discussing the frustrations of the sinking dollar against Israel's strong shekel. A dollar was worth 4.4 shekels in the beginning of the year, and now it is hovering around 3.3. Meanwhile, the relative calm in Israel means there is not that much demand for a story.

We realized that a third Intifada would be terrific for journalists writing for American papers from Israel. First, there would be a lot more space to fill in newspapers. And second, the shekel would probably tank and our paychecks would suddenly be worth a lot more. There has been some talk of another war with Hizballah recently...