Yes, Virginia there are Jews in Juneau. And they're building the city's first synagogue. (Scroll to bottom of article).
Everything you ever wanted to know about Alsaka's Jewish Community can be found here.
I think my brother-in-law mentioned something about wanting to move to Alaska recently. Go West Young Man!
Saturday, May 28, 2005
I usually catch this stuff when it happens in New York, but I'm about a week late. At least the police think they've caught the bad guys.
Two men charged with hate crimes in anti-Semitic graffiti incident
Two men were charged with hate crimes Friday for allegedly writing anti-Semitic slurs on cars parked near a synagogue in Queens, prosecutors said.
Anthony Larosa, 21, and James Connolly, 20, both of Queens, allegedly wrote slurs and drew swastikas with black markers on 18 cars and other surfaces near the Electchester Jewish Center in the Fresh Meadows section, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown's office said in a news release.
I don't know whether it's funny or sad that tonight I've posted a message on tolerance from Saudi Arabia while two young Italian and Irish-Americans (or so it seems by the names) are out defacing cars in a neighborhood of holocaust survivors.
Two men charged with hate crimes in anti-Semitic graffiti incident
Two men were charged with hate crimes Friday for allegedly writing anti-Semitic slurs on cars parked near a synagogue in Queens, prosecutors said.
Anthony Larosa, 21, and James Connolly, 20, both of Queens, allegedly wrote slurs and drew swastikas with black markers on 18 cars and other surfaces near the Electchester Jewish Center in the Fresh Meadows section, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown's office said in a news release.
I don't know whether it's funny or sad that tonight I've posted a message on tolerance from Saudi Arabia while two young Italian and Irish-Americans (or so it seems by the names) are out defacing cars in a neighborhood of holocaust survivors.
I hope I can remember to watch this on Frontline Tuesday night.
A Jew Among the Germans
As a young boy, Marian Marzynski survived the Holocaust in Poland. But his father and most of his relatives did not. In "A Jew Among the Germans," Marzynski sets out on a personal quest to find out how Germans are going to design a memorial to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It will be unveiled this May, on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. Over three years, he encounters artists, architects, and planners who struggle with the big questions of guilt, responsibility, and memory. He struggles to reconcile his own relationship to the German people and meets a young, "third generation" of Germans who declare their distance from their parents and grandparents and how earlier generations have dealt with the Holocaust.
If I do miss it, or if anyone else wants to check, full episodes of Frontline are available here.
A Jew Among the Germans
As a young boy, Marian Marzynski survived the Holocaust in Poland. But his father and most of his relatives did not. In "A Jew Among the Germans," Marzynski sets out on a personal quest to find out how Germans are going to design a memorial to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It will be unveiled this May, on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II. Over three years, he encounters artists, architects, and planners who struggle with the big questions of guilt, responsibility, and memory. He struggles to reconcile his own relationship to the German people and meets a young, "third generation" of Germans who declare their distance from their parents and grandparents and how earlier generations have dealt with the Holocaust.
If I do miss it, or if anyone else wants to check, full episodes of Frontline are available here.
There is actually an accomplished politician in Houston named Jew Don Boney.
You can order this photo of Jew Don on his website.
I don't know that I've ever heard of someone with the first name of "Jew" before, and I consider myself a pretty worldly 38 year old Jew. It seems unusual for someone who is an ordained minister. And African-American.
I wonder of he would be considered Jewlicious?
You can order this photo of Jew Don on his website.
I don't know that I've ever heard of someone with the first name of "Jew" before, and I consider myself a pretty worldly 38 year old Jew. It seems unusual for someone who is an ordained minister. And African-American.
I wonder of he would be considered Jewlicious?
A pretty lenghty article in he Dallas News provides a very detailed history of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion".
Tearing hatred apart
One of the things that struck me was that several of the defenders of anti-Semitism (including Hitler) are quoted as saying that although they know the Protocols to be forgeries, it doesn't disprove the possibility of a Jewish plot for world domination.
Sounds a lot like the defenders of the Rathergate and Guantanamo Koran stories. It's fake, but accurate!
Uh oh, does Godwin's Law count here?
Tearing hatred apart
One of the things that struck me was that several of the defenders of anti-Semitism (including Hitler) are quoted as saying that although they know the Protocols to be forgeries, it doesn't disprove the possibility of a Jewish plot for world domination.
Sounds a lot like the defenders of the Rathergate and Guantanamo Koran stories. It's fake, but accurate!
Uh oh, does Godwin's Law count here?
Thank you, Dr. Khaled Batarfi, for your piece in the Arab News.
Too Much Preaching, Too Little Teaching!
My favorite classmate at an American university was a Jew who was also a Communist. All my life I have heard only unfavorable things about Jews and Communists. How come my beloved friend is both and I never noticed until he himself told me?
Later, I befriended Jews and Communists and found them friendly, compassionate and trustworthy.
Later on, I came to know wonderful people of other faiths and other sects. Never once have I known a bad person who “hates us and conspires to undermine our faith” as I was taught earlier in my life.
This and similar experience, like befriending Catholic and Protestant priests, a rabbi, and atheists, taught me an important lesson in life. We are all the same species. No matter what is your faith, color or race, you are basically mind, heart and soul. We could connect with a simple package of hello, a smile and a handshake.
At the same time, I felt sorry for all those who are still hostage to preachers of hate, suspicion and superiority. There are plenty of these bad apples in every faith, culture and race.
Other opinion pieces by Dr. Batarfi such as "Women Driving in Saudi Arabia? Why Not?" can be found here.
I go to sleep tonight a little more hopeful for the future.
Too Much Preaching, Too Little Teaching!
My favorite classmate at an American university was a Jew who was also a Communist. All my life I have heard only unfavorable things about Jews and Communists. How come my beloved friend is both and I never noticed until he himself told me?
Later, I befriended Jews and Communists and found them friendly, compassionate and trustworthy.
Later on, I came to know wonderful people of other faiths and other sects. Never once have I known a bad person who “hates us and conspires to undermine our faith” as I was taught earlier in my life.
This and similar experience, like befriending Catholic and Protestant priests, a rabbi, and atheists, taught me an important lesson in life. We are all the same species. No matter what is your faith, color or race, you are basically mind, heart and soul. We could connect with a simple package of hello, a smile and a handshake.
At the same time, I felt sorry for all those who are still hostage to preachers of hate, suspicion and superiority. There are plenty of these bad apples in every faith, culture and race.
Other opinion pieces by Dr. Batarfi such as "Women Driving in Saudi Arabia? Why Not?" can be found here.
I go to sleep tonight a little more hopeful for the future.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Yup.
Even if the allegations about Quran desecration were completely and absolutely verified, why in the world would you publish the information during wartime? It's not that the Media themselves regard the Quran as sacred. It's just paper to them. And surely they would have to agree that if such actions might somehow gain the cooperation of a potential source of useful information (though that seems extremely unlikely to me), it would be infinitely preferable to physical torture.
But they dwell so blindly within the cocoon of their sheltered world, where it's just awful for somebody to offend "multicultural" people (though just fine to be openly vicious to American Christians or Israeli Jews), that it doesn't occur to them that they could just keep their mouths shut and avoid damaging America and putting Americans all over the world in danger.
They might even realize that by not reporting this story, true or not, they would save Muslim lives. If patriotism couldn't rein them in, then surely simple humaneness should ... one might suppose.
After all, who benefits from the publication of such a story at this time?
Only one group: People who want to bring down or weaken President Bush and everything he stands for, no matter the cost.
Even if the allegations about Quran desecration were completely and absolutely verified, why in the world would you publish the information during wartime? It's not that the Media themselves regard the Quran as sacred. It's just paper to them. And surely they would have to agree that if such actions might somehow gain the cooperation of a potential source of useful information (though that seems extremely unlikely to me), it would be infinitely preferable to physical torture.
But they dwell so blindly within the cocoon of their sheltered world, where it's just awful for somebody to offend "multicultural" people (though just fine to be openly vicious to American Christians or Israeli Jews), that it doesn't occur to them that they could just keep their mouths shut and avoid damaging America and putting Americans all over the world in danger.
They might even realize that by not reporting this story, true or not, they would save Muslim lives. If patriotism couldn't rein them in, then surely simple humaneness should ... one might suppose.
After all, who benefits from the publication of such a story at this time?
Only one group: People who want to bring down or weaken President Bush and everything he stands for, no matter the cost.
Believe me, I'm not a great fan of religions that proslytize. I just don't understand people on the left who think it's OK to make fun of, criticize or otherwise defame fundamentalist Christians and think it's a horrible crime deserving of punishment to offend religious Muslims who believes in world domination. Is our military really going to punishing our soldiers becuase they are infidels and dared to touch copies of the Koran without gloves? Shari'a law has not come to the U.S., but it has arrived at Guantanamo.
Either say f*** them all or respect them all.
Just saying.
Either say f*** them all or respect them all.
Just saying.
Supporting Tom DeLay = wanting to kill judges, at least according to the writers of Lw & Order.
NBC clashes with Tom DeLay on Law & Order
DeLay's name surfaced on Wednesday night on the show's season finale, which centered on the fictional slayings of two judges by suspected right-wing extremists.
In the episode, police are frustrated by a lack of clues, leading one officer to quip, "Maybe we should put out an APB (all-points-bulletin) for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt."
NBC clashes with Tom DeLay on Law & Order
DeLay's name surfaced on Wednesday night on the show's season finale, which centered on the fictional slayings of two judges by suspected right-wing extremists.
In the episode, police are frustrated by a lack of clues, leading one officer to quip, "Maybe we should put out an APB (all-points-bulletin) for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt."
Thursday, May 26, 2005
The NY Times puts on it's liberal, Oslo-like blinders on in it's whitewashing of Palestinian attacks on Israel. This is part of their opinion regarding Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Washington:
Obviously, Israel wants more, and Israeli officials are right when they say that Mr. Abbas must actually dismantle factories in Gaza where they say militants are using the cease-fire to build rockets to lob at Israel. More rockets are the last thing either Israelis or Palestinians need, and if Hamas and other militant groups are indeed resting up and restocking their ammunition to launch more attacks, then Mr. Abbas would do well to crack down now.
Actually, now that I'm reading this a second time, I'm even more disgusted. Is it the Times argument that maybe rocket factories don't exist in Gaza? And that Hamas and other groups are NOT actively attacking Israel but are simply taking a time out?!?
I'm on vacation, so I'm not going to go search for links about the fourteen recent attempts at suicide bombs and the dozens if not hundreds of missiles launched both at Gaza settlements and inside the green line towards Sderot and other towns.
I'm really, really disgusted. How is the world going to see Israel as anything but obstructionist if the situation on the ground is whitewashed like this? Look how hard the Palestinians are trying to be nice, and the Jews keep killing and arresting them! Bad Jews! Bad!
I have wrotten the following to the Times:
To the Editor:
In "Mr. Abbas Goes to Washington" (editorial, May 26) you suggest that Hamas and other militant groups may be "resting up and restocking their ammunition to launch more attacks" as if there haven't been any recent attacks.
There has not been a time out on attacking Jewish targets since the "cease-fire" was declared. Hundreds of rockets have been fired at settlements in Gaza as well as towns in Israel proper. Only recently it was reported that over a dozen suicide bombers have been stopped in the last two months at West Bank checkpoints. Just because these last few months of attacks hasn't resulted in multiple deaths doesn't mean that the militants have been inactive.
Obviously, Israel wants more, and Israeli officials are right when they say that Mr. Abbas must actually dismantle factories in Gaza where they say militants are using the cease-fire to build rockets to lob at Israel. More rockets are the last thing either Israelis or Palestinians need, and if Hamas and other militant groups are indeed resting up and restocking their ammunition to launch more attacks, then Mr. Abbas would do well to crack down now.
Actually, now that I'm reading this a second time, I'm even more disgusted. Is it the Times argument that maybe rocket factories don't exist in Gaza? And that Hamas and other groups are NOT actively attacking Israel but are simply taking a time out?!?
I'm on vacation, so I'm not going to go search for links about the fourteen recent attempts at suicide bombs and the dozens if not hundreds of missiles launched both at Gaza settlements and inside the green line towards Sderot and other towns.
I'm really, really disgusted. How is the world going to see Israel as anything but obstructionist if the situation on the ground is whitewashed like this? Look how hard the Palestinians are trying to be nice, and the Jews keep killing and arresting them! Bad Jews! Bad!
I have wrotten the following to the Times:
To the Editor:
In "Mr. Abbas Goes to Washington" (editorial, May 26) you suggest that Hamas and other militant groups may be "resting up and restocking their ammunition to launch more attacks" as if there haven't been any recent attacks.
There has not been a time out on attacking Jewish targets since the "cease-fire" was declared. Hundreds of rockets have been fired at settlements in Gaza as well as towns in Israel proper. Only recently it was reported that over a dozen suicide bombers have been stopped in the last two months at West Bank checkpoints. Just because these last few months of attacks hasn't resulted in multiple deaths doesn't mean that the militants have been inactive.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Not terribly important, but an example of lazy headline writing and reporting in general.
Child Population Dwindles in San Francisco
First of all , there in nothing in the article that claims that the percentage population of children in San Francisco is decreasing, only that it is lower than in some other major cities.
And when the reporter tries to look for reasons, she comes up with this:
San Francisco's large gay population — estimated at 20 percent by the city Public Health Department — is thought to be one factor, though gays and lesbians in the city are increasingly raising families.
You mean the fact that 20% of the population does not procreate is a maybe factor? Does the author feel that the amount of gays rasing children is anywhere near enough to counterbalance the average 1.87 children produced by heterosexual couples?
NOTE: This post has no relevance to my feelings on homosexuality or gay rights, nor does it claim an agenda on the part of the reporter. My point is the poor reporting, which generally doesn't even let us know where the information is sourced from.
Child Population Dwindles in San Francisco
First of all , there in nothing in the article that claims that the percentage population of children in San Francisco is decreasing, only that it is lower than in some other major cities.
And when the reporter tries to look for reasons, she comes up with this:
San Francisco's large gay population — estimated at 20 percent by the city Public Health Department — is thought to be one factor, though gays and lesbians in the city are increasingly raising families.
You mean the fact that 20% of the population does not procreate is a maybe factor? Does the author feel that the amount of gays rasing children is anywhere near enough to counterbalance the average 1.87 children produced by heterosexual couples?
NOTE: This post has no relevance to my feelings on homosexuality or gay rights, nor does it claim an agenda on the part of the reporter. My point is the poor reporting, which generally doesn't even let us know where the information is sourced from.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Media bias or plain falsehood - you decide.
"In fact, as the rhetoric suggested, the stakes were far broader, with Republicans maneuvering to strip Democrats of their right to filibuster and thus block current and future nominees to the appeals court and Supreme Court." - from the Associated Press' account of the deal reached in the Senate this evening.
Is that a constitutional right or a G-d given right?
Senators Avert Showdown Over Filibusters
"In fact, as the rhetoric suggested, the stakes were far broader, with Republicans maneuvering to strip Democrats of their right to filibuster and thus block current and future nominees to the appeals court and Supreme Court." - from the Associated Press' account of the deal reached in the Senate this evening.
Is that a constitutional right or a G-d given right?
Senators Avert Showdown Over Filibusters
The Bad, The Good and the Who Knows the real truth?
Victory for Moderation: Palestinian official denounces hate speech
First, the bad news, in the form of an excerpt from a recent sermon broadcast on Palestinian Authority-controlled television:
"The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world – except for the Jews. The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule because they are treacherous by nature, as they have been throughout history. The day will come when everything will be relieved of the Jews – even the stones and trees which were harmed by them. Listen to the Prophet Muhammad, who tells you about the evil end that awaits Jews. The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew."
Now the good news: Nabil Shaath, the PA minister in charge of state television, has condemned the sheikh who made the remark and has vowed never to broadcast that kind of sermon again. What's more, the Palestinian minister specifically defended the right of Jews to worship unmolested, saying, "We condemn assault of Judaism as a religion, and as Muslims we reject such remarks."
Victory for Moderation: Palestinian official denounces hate speech
First, the bad news, in the form of an excerpt from a recent sermon broadcast on Palestinian Authority-controlled television:
"The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world – except for the Jews. The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule because they are treacherous by nature, as they have been throughout history. The day will come when everything will be relieved of the Jews – even the stones and trees which were harmed by them. Listen to the Prophet Muhammad, who tells you about the evil end that awaits Jews. The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew."
Now the good news: Nabil Shaath, the PA minister in charge of state television, has condemned the sheikh who made the remark and has vowed never to broadcast that kind of sermon again. What's more, the Palestinian minister specifically defended the right of Jews to worship unmolested, saying, "We condemn assault of Judaism as a religion, and as Muslims we reject such remarks."
Sunday, May 22, 2005
I am so going to miss Daniel Okrent. 13 Things I Meant to Write About but Never Did
I was thinking about one of his points the other day (before he made it of course). Now that I see it in print, I feel a lot better.
9. It's a story, say, about the New York City public schools. In the first paragraph a parent, apparently picked at random, testifies that they haven't improved. Readers are clearly expected to draw conclusions from this.
But it isn't clear why the individual was picked; it isn't possible to determine whether she's representative; and there's no way of knowing whether she knows what she's talking about. Calling on the individual man or woman on the street to make conclusive judgments is beneath journalistic dignity. If polls involving hundreds of people carry a cautionary note indicating a margin of error of plus-or-minus five points, what kind of consumer warning should be glued to a reporter's ad hoc poll of three or four respondents?
That's exactly how I felt about reading the following report. (Just expand the notion of a few parents commenting about local schools to a few people quoted on behalf of 20% of the all people on the Earth.)
Guantánamo Comes to Define U.S. to Muslims
I was thinking about one of his points the other day (before he made it of course). Now that I see it in print, I feel a lot better.
9. It's a story, say, about the New York City public schools. In the first paragraph a parent, apparently picked at random, testifies that they haven't improved. Readers are clearly expected to draw conclusions from this.
But it isn't clear why the individual was picked; it isn't possible to determine whether she's representative; and there's no way of knowing whether she knows what she's talking about. Calling on the individual man or woman on the street to make conclusive judgments is beneath journalistic dignity. If polls involving hundreds of people carry a cautionary note indicating a margin of error of plus-or-minus five points, what kind of consumer warning should be glued to a reporter's ad hoc poll of three or four respondents?
That's exactly how I felt about reading the following report. (Just expand the notion of a few parents commenting about local schools to a few people quoted on behalf of 20% of the all people on the Earth.)
Guantánamo Comes to Define U.S. to Muslims
Saturday, May 21, 2005
I still have yet to hear a coherent reason for banning gay marriage and there are fewer than zero for banning civil unions. Count me as voting against this one if it comes to a referendum in November.
Texas Senate approves gay marriage ban
The Texas Senate approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions Saturday, setting up a statewide referendum this fall that would further cement a ban already in state law.
The 21-8 vote crossed the two-thirds threshold needed to send the amendment to voters in November. The House approved it last month.
If voters support the measure, Texas would join nearly 20 states with constitutional bans on gay marriage. More than 40 states have statutory definitions of marriage.
At least please keep this in mind before jumping on Texas as the most backward state.
Texas Senate approves gay marriage ban
The Texas Senate approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions Saturday, setting up a statewide referendum this fall that would further cement a ban already in state law.
The 21-8 vote crossed the two-thirds threshold needed to send the amendment to voters in November. The House approved it last month.
If voters support the measure, Texas would join nearly 20 states with constitutional bans on gay marriage. More than 40 states have statutory definitions of marriage.
At least please keep this in mind before jumping on Texas as the most backward state.
Star Wars acted by Vegetables
From the Organic Trade Association. Darth Tater, Obi Wan Cannoli. You get the picture.
From the Organic Trade Association. Darth Tater, Obi Wan Cannoli. You get the picture.
Friday, May 20, 2005
If Muslims wish other religions to respect their beliefs and their Holy book, they should lead by example.
The NY Times has an article about the proposed Freedom Center to be built at Ground Zero. The multimedia slideshow on the same page is fascinating.
A Temple of Contemplation and Conflict
A Temple of Contemplation and Conflict
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Just wanted to copy in something I posted on my brother-in-law's LiveJournal site in repsonse to someone who said that many people will believe that the recent Newsweek retraction was based on government pressure and that the military is known for it's ignorance/disrepsect of Islam.
Even assuming the story was true, it would not have been about American ignorance at all but in fact a calculated tactic based on the knowledge that mishandling the Koran is disrespectful. (That doesn't make it right though and I would never claim that every American soldier is a scholar of Islam). That being said, I imagine that soldiers are taught some of the basics when they get sent to the war zone. This report from Arab News shows that there's still major problems, but at least some of the army brass understand there's a problem:
http://www.religionnewsblog.com/10053
Also, I imagine there is not much that one needs to know about specifically about Islam OR Iraqi culture in order to treat the local population with the proper respect. I don't think there's anything about American culture that says that it's OK to trash anyone's holy books, abuse women, ridicule people, force people into sexual acts, etc. However, I have seen plenty of university-educated 22-year olds, who don't have to think about their mortality every day, do some really stupid things.
Cultural ignorance also goes both ways. If those who would believe that the government forced Newsweek to retract the story understood American freedom of the press, they would know that presidents have been impeached and removed from office based on media investigations. It certainly is improbable that a major news organization can be made to apologize for simply reporting something that might make the government look bad - that's what our most popular programs (like 60 minutes) are all about! I also don't recall anyone being forced to retract stories about Abu Ghraib, lack of adequate protection/armor for soldiers, the killing of civilians at checkpoints, etc. The government/military may fight any allegations in the public square, but the dissemination of their point of view is actually controlled by the very same media organizations that criticize it!
I'd complain, but then again I'm a capitalist, so what right do I have?
'New York Times' to Start Charging for Some Web Content in September
NEW YORK The New York Times announced today that it will start charging for some online content, beginning in September.
The new, premium level of membership will be called TimesSelect, and participants will have exclusive access to Op-Ed and news columnists on NYTimes.com, easy and in-depth access to the paper's online archives, and early access to certain articles on the site, among other features.
Home-delivery subscribers will automatically receive TimesSelect membership. For non-subscribers, it will cost $49.95. Most news, features, and multimedia on the Times site will remain free.
Damn.
'New York Times' to Start Charging for Some Web Content in September
NEW YORK The New York Times announced today that it will start charging for some online content, beginning in September.
The new, premium level of membership will be called TimesSelect, and participants will have exclusive access to Op-Ed and news columnists on NYTimes.com, easy and in-depth access to the paper's online archives, and early access to certain articles on the site, among other features.
Home-delivery subscribers will automatically receive TimesSelect membership. For non-subscribers, it will cost $49.95. Most news, features, and multimedia on the Times site will remain free.
Damn.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Here's a group of people whose story I would like to read about.
Fighters for Israel's freedom honored
Fifty-seven years after volunteering in Israel's war of independence, Marvin Libow still becomes flushed with emotion when he recalls his harrowing experience and the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers.
"I needed to be here, to commemorate my friends and celebrate all that their sacrifices have given the world," said Libow as he choked back tears yesterday morning before a memorial service at the U.S. Military Academy's Jewish Chapel. The service was honoring Col. David (Mickey) Marcus and the 40 other North American volunteers who died while fighting to preserve Israel's creation.
"Colonel Marcus laid down his life so other Jews could be free," said Cadet Matthew Moosey, a West Point senior.
Marcus, West Point class of 1924, served in World War II, including a brief stint with the Army's 101 Airborne Division. He rose to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army before retiring after the war.
After going to Israel, he became a brigadier general, the first Israeli general in 2,000 years, some historians have said. He was put in charge of the Jerusalem front, where he was successful. He was accidentally killed by one of his own sentries in June 1948, the night before a cease-fire took effect.
Col. David (Mickey) Marcus
Fighters for Israel's freedom honored
Fifty-seven years after volunteering in Israel's war of independence, Marvin Libow still becomes flushed with emotion when he recalls his harrowing experience and the sacrifices of his fellow soldiers.
"I needed to be here, to commemorate my friends and celebrate all that their sacrifices have given the world," said Libow as he choked back tears yesterday morning before a memorial service at the U.S. Military Academy's Jewish Chapel. The service was honoring Col. David (Mickey) Marcus and the 40 other North American volunteers who died while fighting to preserve Israel's creation.
"Colonel Marcus laid down his life so other Jews could be free," said Cadet Matthew Moosey, a West Point senior.
Marcus, West Point class of 1924, served in World War II, including a brief stint with the Army's 101 Airborne Division. He rose to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army before retiring after the war.
After going to Israel, he became a brigadier general, the first Israeli general in 2,000 years, some historians have said. He was put in charge of the Jerusalem front, where he was successful. He was accidentally killed by one of his own sentries in June 1948, the night before a cease-fire took effect.
Col. David (Mickey) Marcus
Sunday, May 15, 2005
I HATE it when the NY Times allows politics to creep into it's arts reporting.
In A.O. Scott's review of the new Star Wars movie, he proclaims:
Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy."
Now Lucas is no fan of Mr. Bush, but in an this interview (and others like it) he did say:
Unlike Moore, whose Cannes visit came off like an anybody-but-Bush campaign stop, Lucas never mentioned the president by name but was eager to speak his mind on U.S. policy in Iraq, careful again to note that he created the story long before the Bush-led occupation there.
"When I wrote it, Iraq didn't exist," Lucas said, laughing.
This just goes to show why art reviews in general are meaningless except as studies of the critic's own biases and conceits.
Just for fun, here is FDR from the short, but famous "Day of Infamy" speech.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory....
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
"You're with us or with the enemy" all of sudden sounds like basic common sense, doesn't it?
In A.O. Scott's review of the new Star Wars movie, he proclaims:
Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy."
Now Lucas is no fan of Mr. Bush, but in an this interview (and others like it) he did say:
Unlike Moore, whose Cannes visit came off like an anybody-but-Bush campaign stop, Lucas never mentioned the president by name but was eager to speak his mind on U.S. policy in Iraq, careful again to note that he created the story long before the Bush-led occupation there.
"When I wrote it, Iraq didn't exist," Lucas said, laughing.
This just goes to show why art reviews in general are meaningless except as studies of the critic's own biases and conceits.
Just for fun, here is FDR from the short, but famous "Day of Infamy" speech.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory....
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
"You're with us or with the enemy" all of sudden sounds like basic common sense, doesn't it?
Let's face it, Howard Dean is just an a**hole. He's certainly not a politician.
Dean rips DeLay at convention
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Party, said yesterday that the US House majority leader, Tom DeLay, ''ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence," referring to allegations of unethical conduct against the Republican leader.
Dean's remark, in a speech to Massachusetts Democrats at their party convention, drew an immediate rebuke from US Representative Barney Frank, the Newton Democrat and one of DeLay's harshest critics. ''That's just wrong," Frank said in an interview on the convention floor. ''I think Howard Dean was out of line talking about DeLay. The man has not been indicted. I don't like him, I disagree with some of what he does, but I don't think you, in a political speech, talk about a man as a criminal or his jail sentence."
Dean rips DeLay at convention
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Party, said yesterday that the US House majority leader, Tom DeLay, ''ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence," referring to allegations of unethical conduct against the Republican leader.
Dean's remark, in a speech to Massachusetts Democrats at their party convention, drew an immediate rebuke from US Representative Barney Frank, the Newton Democrat and one of DeLay's harshest critics. ''That's just wrong," Frank said in an interview on the convention floor. ''I think Howard Dean was out of line talking about DeLay. The man has not been indicted. I don't like him, I disagree with some of what he does, but I don't think you, in a political speech, talk about a man as a criminal or his jail sentence."
Blogging rule number one for those of us who are gainfully employed - never, ever, under any circumstances blog about anything having to do with work. Especially, (do I really have to say this), if the conversations you have at work tend to be confidential in nature.
SMU blogger unmasked, unemployed
When an anonymous professor launched a brutally candid Web site, some SMU students thought the resemblance to their school was striking – and offensive.
The "Phantom Professor" blog dished about epidemic eating disorders and wealthy students looking for a "Mrs." degree. The author dubbed girls in $500 sandals toting $1,500 handbags "the Ashleys" and called a handsome male colleague "Hot Pockets."
Now, after much speculation, Elaine Liner's identity has been confirmed. A local writer, she has done theater reviews for the Dallas Observer in recent months and has written articles for The Dallas Morning News in the past.
Here's the blog in question - The Phantom Prof
SMU blogger unmasked, unemployed
When an anonymous professor launched a brutally candid Web site, some SMU students thought the resemblance to their school was striking – and offensive.
The "Phantom Professor" blog dished about epidemic eating disorders and wealthy students looking for a "Mrs." degree. The author dubbed girls in $500 sandals toting $1,500 handbags "the Ashleys" and called a handsome male colleague "Hot Pockets."
Now, after much speculation, Elaine Liner's identity has been confirmed. A local writer, she has done theater reviews for the Dallas Observer in recent months and has written articles for The Dallas Morning News in the past.
Here's the blog in question - The Phantom Prof
Billionaire hires Destiny's Child (For Son's Bar Mitzvah)
British retail billionaire Philip Green has hired chart-topping R&B group Destiny's Child to perform at his son's bar mitzvah.
The stars are set to entertain guests at the three-day event on the French Riviera estimated to have cost the Bhs and Top Shop boss £4m ($7.4m).
Singer Justin Timberlake could also be performing, The Times reports.
Mr Green is said to have chartered a plane to fly about 200 of his family's friends to the bash this weekend.
I am rendered speechless. I will let these words, by a Reform rabbi no less, comfort me.
In a resolution written by Rabbi Herbert Bronstein of North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, IL the board declared that, "due to excessive and inappropriate celebration, bar/bat mitzvah has become an occasion for idolatry and the relentless commercial colonization of our sacred events."
From "When Bar/Bat Mitzvah Loses Meaning"
British retail billionaire Philip Green has hired chart-topping R&B group Destiny's Child to perform at his son's bar mitzvah.
The stars are set to entertain guests at the three-day event on the French Riviera estimated to have cost the Bhs and Top Shop boss £4m ($7.4m).
Singer Justin Timberlake could also be performing, The Times reports.
Mr Green is said to have chartered a plane to fly about 200 of his family's friends to the bash this weekend.
I am rendered speechless. I will let these words, by a Reform rabbi no less, comfort me.
In a resolution written by Rabbi Herbert Bronstein of North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, IL the board declared that, "due to excessive and inappropriate celebration, bar/bat mitzvah has become an occasion for idolatry and the relentless commercial colonization of our sacred events."
From "When Bar/Bat Mitzvah Loses Meaning"
Friday, May 13, 2005
The Good News News You Missed. They should give these guys an entire page in the A Section everyday.
Any one of these items is just as important as the bad pieces of news that get splashed across the front pages, and probably affect more people as well.
Any one of these items is just as important as the bad pieces of news that get splashed across the front pages, and probably affect more people as well.
Well, THAT didn't take long...
New German Holocaust Memorial Vandalized
Within hours of the opening of Germany's national Holocaust memorial to the public, a vandal scratched a swastika into one of the 2,711 gray slabs, a spokesman for the memorial said Friday.
The small swastika was spotted by security guards and quickly removed, though the vandal was not caught, spokesman Uwe Neumaerker said.
"What else can we do?" he said. "There are some security forces and they walk through and if they find something they remove it. ... You can't be everywhere at once."
Isn't that something like what the allies said when they chose not to bomb the rail lines to Auschwitz?
New German Holocaust Memorial Vandalized
Within hours of the opening of Germany's national Holocaust memorial to the public, a vandal scratched a swastika into one of the 2,711 gray slabs, a spokesman for the memorial said Friday.
The small swastika was spotted by security guards and quickly removed, though the vandal was not caught, spokesman Uwe Neumaerker said.
"What else can we do?" he said. "There are some security forces and they walk through and if they find something they remove it. ... You can't be everywhere at once."
Isn't that something like what the allies said when they chose not to bomb the rail lines to Auschwitz?
If you think you can stand it, you must listen to Senator Byrd's 6-minute oratory on the story of Purim and how the Republicans are going to "Hamanize" themselves. The highlight for me is each time he says "Mor-de-kie". "A-ha-soo-eh-russ" is a close second just over him shouting "Hadassah! Hadassah!"
Or as the comment goes at the link, "He's the only guy I know that pronounces the word Jew with four syllables."
What were we debating about again?
Or as the comment goes at the link, "He's the only guy I know that pronounces the word Jew with four syllables."
What were we debating about again?
Thursday, May 12, 2005
And American women think that they have to make tough life choices - stay at home mom vs. career - what about both ! Here's a little help from Palestine's next democratically elected majority party.
“Women must decide for themselves what their priorities are,” says Sami Abu-Zuhry, a Hamas official in Gaza. “Raising children for jihad, or participating in acts of martyrdom.”
Unfortunately for Palestinian women, they literally can't do both.
The great thing about Muslim women in burqas or otherwise covered head-to-toe in black is that it makes Hasidic dress for the first time seem practically mainstream.
“Women must decide for themselves what their priorities are,” says Sami Abu-Zuhry, a Hamas official in Gaza. “Raising children for jihad, or participating in acts of martyrdom.”
Unfortunately for Palestinian women, they literally can't do both.
The great thing about Muslim women in burqas or otherwise covered head-to-toe in black is that it makes Hasidic dress for the first time seem practically mainstream.
Interesting article about a mock-up of the future World Trade Center memorial.
A Backyard Fountain Like None Before
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario - The Euser family has something in their backyard, sitting on the patio out by the tarp-covered swimming pool, that a wounded city 350 miles away has been waiting a long time to see.
The temporary structure, made of 300 plywood sheets, timber framing, steel-plate bracing and three 10-horsepower pumps, simulates a 40-foot corner section of one of the memorial voids.
It is the first full-scale, three-dimensional intimation of what the World Trade Center memorial will look like and sound like and feel like; a 27-foot-high mock-up of the water walls that will ring the enormous voids marking the twin towers' absence.
A Backyard Fountain Like None Before
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario - The Euser family has something in their backyard, sitting on the patio out by the tarp-covered swimming pool, that a wounded city 350 miles away has been waiting a long time to see.
The temporary structure, made of 300 plywood sheets, timber framing, steel-plate bracing and three 10-horsepower pumps, simulates a 40-foot corner section of one of the memorial voids.
It is the first full-scale, three-dimensional intimation of what the World Trade Center memorial will look like and sound like and feel like; a 27-foot-high mock-up of the water walls that will ring the enormous voids marking the twin towers' absence.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Haifa University doesn't just get mad - it might get even.
Haifa University sends enraged letter to AUT
The University of Haifa sent a letter Tuesday to the General-Secretary of the Association of University Teachers in Britain, Sally Hunt, informing her through its London-based law firm, Mishcon de Reya, that the university has been defamed by the boycott resolution passed against it by the AUT....
Haifa University, the letter concludes, "is entitled to seek damages, a retraction, and an undertaking against further publication of the defamations."
The university will await the outcome of a special meeting to be held on May 26, in the hope that the delegates will vote to overturn the boycott.
Haifa University sends enraged letter to AUT
The University of Haifa sent a letter Tuesday to the General-Secretary of the Association of University Teachers in Britain, Sally Hunt, informing her through its London-based law firm, Mishcon de Reya, that the university has been defamed by the boycott resolution passed against it by the AUT....
Haifa University, the letter concludes, "is entitled to seek damages, a retraction, and an undertaking against further publication of the defamations."
The university will await the outcome of a special meeting to be held on May 26, in the hope that the delegates will vote to overturn the boycott.
"Oh my G-d, how can anyone have voted for George Bush when they (respectable Europeans) hate us so much now!"
Georgians burst police lines to welcome Bush
Surging crowds broke through police lines in Georgia at a square where President Bush was expected to speak today.
Thousands of people poured on to Freedom Square despite strict security, with barricades smashed to the ground.
Georgia's US-educated president, Mikhail Saakashvili, said as many as 150,000 people had gathered to hear Mr Bush.
By the way, there's fewer than 5 million people in the whole country and this rally took place on a Tuesday.
MSNBC says 300,000 showed up.
Oh, yeah and sombody threw a grenade or something at the President. Well, you can't please all the people all the time.
Georgians burst police lines to welcome Bush
Surging crowds broke through police lines in Georgia at a square where President Bush was expected to speak today.
Thousands of people poured on to Freedom Square despite strict security, with barricades smashed to the ground.
Georgia's US-educated president, Mikhail Saakashvili, said as many as 150,000 people had gathered to hear Mr Bush.
By the way, there's fewer than 5 million people in the whole country and this rally took place on a Tuesday.
MSNBC says 300,000 showed up.
Oh, yeah and sombody threw a grenade or something at the President. Well, you can't please all the people all the time.
I have a new favorite contributor to the NY Times Op-Ed page. John Tierney.
Bombs Bursting on Air
I'm not advocating official censorship, but there's no reason the news media can't reconsider their own fondness for covering suicide bombings. A little restraint would give the public a more realistic view of the world's dangers.
And perhaps take away from the terrorists the one thing that drives them - media attention. Amen.
Bombs Bursting on Air
I'm not advocating official censorship, but there's no reason the news media can't reconsider their own fondness for covering suicide bombings. A little restraint would give the public a more realistic view of the world's dangers.
And perhaps take away from the terrorists the one thing that drives them - media attention. Amen.
Monday, May 09, 2005
In A No-Confidence Vote for Mr. Abbas, The NY Times criticizes Congress for giving away 25% of an $200mm aid package designed to help Palestinians, to Israel to " build terminals for people at checkpoints surrounding Palestinian areas".
They want you to feel that there's some kind of paradox here - checkpoints are built to restrict the freedom of Palestinians - how dare they give what is supposed to be aid to the Palestinians to the evil occupiers!
I guess the Times didn't read the text of the bill, or just didn't try hard enough to understand why money for checkpoints in beneficial to the Palestinans.
As reported by Americans for Peace Now:
"The conference agreement includes a provision providing $50,000,000 for assistance for Israel to help improve the movement of people and goods in and out of Israel, as proposed by the Senate. The conferees are aware that infrastructure will be needed on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the separation lines and intend that these funds be used to meet the great need in developing this infrastructure. The resulting flow of goods and people should greatly improve the economic well-being of the Palestinian people while building the revenue base of the Palestinian Authority."
Also, if you recall the various terrorist attacks that have taken place at the important checkpoints/border crossings like this one, this one and this one, they are perpetrated by the very organizations that the current Palestinian leadership refuses to control. Every time the terrorists attack, borders must be closed and Palestinians suffer. More secure (and maybe even more comfortable?) checkpoints will certainly help the Palestinians in the long run. Besides, I don't see how Abbas, once having received the $50mm himself, could tell his people that he is spending their money on checkpoints.
The Times also feels that it's an insult to provide Hadassah with funds to help with Palestinian health and welfare. I won't even go there - the Times editors, being good liberals, must certainly remember the 60 Minutes report (An Island of Sanity) on how Hadassah helps Palestinians despite the fact, or perhaps indeed because, it is a Jewish organization.
Finally, this is the part I like the most about the spending bill:
- Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit a report to the Congress detailing: (1) information regarding the Palestinian security services, including their numbers, accountability, and chains of command, and steps taken to purge from their ranks individuals with ties to terrorist entities; (2) specific steps taken by the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, confiscate unauthorized weapons, arrest and bring terrorists to justice, destroy unauthorized arms factories, thwart and preempt terrorist attacks, and cooperate with Israel's security services; (3) specific actions taken by the Palestinian Authority to stop incitement in Palestinian Authority-controlled electronic and print media and in schools, mosques, and other institutions it controls, and to promote peace and coexistence with Israel; (4) specific steps the Palestinian Authority has taken to further democracy, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary, and transparent and accountable governance; (5) the Palestinian Authority's cooperation with United States officials in investigations into the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's finances; and (6) the amount of assistance pledged and actually provided to the Palestinian Authority by other donors:
- That not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Congress an update of this report:
- That up to $5,000,000 of the funds made available for assistance for the West Bank and Gaza by this chapter under ``Economic Support Fund'' shall be used for an outside, independent evaluation by an internationally recognized accounting firm of the transparency and accountability of Palestinian Authority accounting procedures and an audit of expenditures by the Palestinian Authority.
They want you to feel that there's some kind of paradox here - checkpoints are built to restrict the freedom of Palestinians - how dare they give what is supposed to be aid to the Palestinians to the evil occupiers!
I guess the Times didn't read the text of the bill, or just didn't try hard enough to understand why money for checkpoints in beneficial to the Palestinans.
As reported by Americans for Peace Now:
"The conference agreement includes a provision providing $50,000,000 for assistance for Israel to help improve the movement of people and goods in and out of Israel, as proposed by the Senate. The conferees are aware that infrastructure will be needed on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides of the separation lines and intend that these funds be used to meet the great need in developing this infrastructure. The resulting flow of goods and people should greatly improve the economic well-being of the Palestinian people while building the revenue base of the Palestinian Authority."
Also, if you recall the various terrorist attacks that have taken place at the important checkpoints/border crossings like this one, this one and this one, they are perpetrated by the very organizations that the current Palestinian leadership refuses to control. Every time the terrorists attack, borders must be closed and Palestinians suffer. More secure (and maybe even more comfortable?) checkpoints will certainly help the Palestinians in the long run. Besides, I don't see how Abbas, once having received the $50mm himself, could tell his people that he is spending their money on checkpoints.
The Times also feels that it's an insult to provide Hadassah with funds to help with Palestinian health and welfare. I won't even go there - the Times editors, being good liberals, must certainly remember the 60 Minutes report (An Island of Sanity) on how Hadassah helps Palestinians despite the fact, or perhaps indeed because, it is a Jewish organization.
Finally, this is the part I like the most about the spending bill:
- Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit a report to the Congress detailing: (1) information regarding the Palestinian security services, including their numbers, accountability, and chains of command, and steps taken to purge from their ranks individuals with ties to terrorist entities; (2) specific steps taken by the Palestinian Authority to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, confiscate unauthorized weapons, arrest and bring terrorists to justice, destroy unauthorized arms factories, thwart and preempt terrorist attacks, and cooperate with Israel's security services; (3) specific actions taken by the Palestinian Authority to stop incitement in Palestinian Authority-controlled electronic and print media and in schools, mosques, and other institutions it controls, and to promote peace and coexistence with Israel; (4) specific steps the Palestinian Authority has taken to further democracy, the rule of law, and an independent judiciary, and transparent and accountable governance; (5) the Palestinian Authority's cooperation with United States officials in investigations into the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's finances; and (6) the amount of assistance pledged and actually provided to the Palestinian Authority by other donors:
- That not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Congress an update of this report:
- That up to $5,000,000 of the funds made available for assistance for the West Bank and Gaza by this chapter under ``Economic Support Fund'' shall be used for an outside, independent evaluation by an internationally recognized accounting firm of the transparency and accountability of Palestinian Authority accounting procedures and an audit of expenditures by the Palestinian Authority.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
I'm airport blogging from DFW! Yeehaw!
I love looking at pictures of old New York - the beautiful and the not so beautiful.
Before Public Housing, a City Life Cleared Away
Riis's photographs of slum life were primitive, but they seared New York's conscience. Many of the worst slums were razed. Stricter safety and health standards were imposed. But slum clearance, by itself, also reduced the supply of affordable housing. And raising standards meant higher rents. So 70 years ago, New York City initiated another alternative: the nation's first public housing program. First Houses opened on the Lower East Side in 1935.
Now, a collection of 35,000 to 40,000 before-and-after photos, taken mostly by staff photographers for the New York City Housing Authority and recently discovered in a city warehouse, chronicles the grim living conditions in the slums, the destruction of their tenements and the birth of the public housing developments that replaced them.
"It's an image of the city we never thought we had," said Richard K. Lieberman, director of the La Guardia and Wagner Archives at La Guardia Community College in Queens. The archive, which is the repository for Housing Authority records, has organized the photos and made them available on its Web site, www.LaGuardiaWagnerArchive.lagcc.cuny.edu.
I love looking at pictures of old New York - the beautiful and the not so beautiful.
Before Public Housing, a City Life Cleared Away
Riis's photographs of slum life were primitive, but they seared New York's conscience. Many of the worst slums were razed. Stricter safety and health standards were imposed. But slum clearance, by itself, also reduced the supply of affordable housing. And raising standards meant higher rents. So 70 years ago, New York City initiated another alternative: the nation's first public housing program. First Houses opened on the Lower East Side in 1935.
Now, a collection of 35,000 to 40,000 before-and-after photos, taken mostly by staff photographers for the New York City Housing Authority and recently discovered in a city warehouse, chronicles the grim living conditions in the slums, the destruction of their tenements and the birth of the public housing developments that replaced them.
"It's an image of the city we never thought we had," said Richard K. Lieberman, director of the La Guardia and Wagner Archives at La Guardia Community College in Queens. The archive, which is the repository for Housing Authority records, has organized the photos and made them available on its Web site, www.LaGuardiaWagnerArchive.lagcc.cuny.edu.
Not only is the boycott of two Israeli universities by the British Association of University Teachers immoral on it's face, the reasons that were given for the boycott in the first place are based on a lie.
But you're not surprised, are you?
Israelis Need Not Apply - The British boycott of Haifa University is based on a libel.
But you're not surprised, are you?
Israelis Need Not Apply - The British boycott of Haifa University is based on a libel.
Blog critics still don't understand...
Eason Jordan, CNN's chief news executive, resigned this year after a blogmob attacked him for a reported statement at the World Economic Forum at Davos that the military had aimed at journalists in Iraq and killed 12 of them. Their complaint was even more basic than in Mr. Rather's case: they were upset that Mr. Jordan said something they believed to be untrue.
BELIEVED to be untrue? How about NOT true? How about - if indeed untrue - slanderous and traitorous? The man didn't even stand up for "the truth" afterwards - he just quit! Paula Abdul has more cojones than Eason Jordan.
Eason Jordan, CNN's chief news executive, resigned this year after a blogmob attacked him for a reported statement at the World Economic Forum at Davos that the military had aimed at journalists in Iraq and killed 12 of them. Their complaint was even more basic than in Mr. Rather's case: they were upset that Mr. Jordan said something they believed to be untrue.
BELIEVED to be untrue? How about NOT true? How about - if indeed untrue - slanderous and traitorous? The man didn't even stand up for "the truth" afterwards - he just quit! Paula Abdul has more cojones than Eason Jordan.
I was just thinking - I fly so often for business now that I really ought to create a feature called "Things I'm Printing to Read on the Plane".
The Rebbe's army conquers Europe
Across Europe an extraordinary success story is unfolding: The growth and expansion of the 200-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch movement, occurring alongside – and in some cases in competition with – the revival of the remnants of local, prewar Jewish communities.
The Rebbe's army conquers Europe
Across Europe an extraordinary success story is unfolding: The growth and expansion of the 200-year-old Chabad-Lubavitch movement, occurring alongside – and in some cases in competition with – the revival of the remnants of local, prewar Jewish communities.
Nice coverage of the March of the Living. Via Jewlicious, but without the snarky comments on the cover photo below, which can be forgiven - I was single once too. Used to be that if I heard a girl say anything in Hebrew (not to mention with an Israeli accent) I would get all hot and bothered. I still do, but luckily the wife is a Sabra.
Happy Mothers Day to all the Israeli-Argentine-almost American moms out there - you know who you are!
Jory Cohen comforts friend Dana Drori, 17, of Montreal as she breaks down yesterday after a memorial ceremony at the Birkenau death camp near Oswiecim, Poland. Dana's grandparents Jack and Chana Berliner lost their lives at the concentration camp.
I think this post refelcts just about every major theme in modern American Jewish life, all mixed up in a psychologically confused blender.
Happy Mothers Day to all the Israeli-Argentine-almost American moms out there - you know who you are!
Jory Cohen comforts friend Dana Drori, 17, of Montreal as she breaks down yesterday after a memorial ceremony at the Birkenau death camp near Oswiecim, Poland. Dana's grandparents Jack and Chana Berliner lost their lives at the concentration camp.
I think this post refelcts just about every major theme in modern American Jewish life, all mixed up in a psychologically confused blender.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
To my point somewhere below, Palestinians are shooting rockets into Israel proper already and feel there are no significant consequences to shooting anti-tank missiles at schoolbuses (thank G-d they missed). What good could possibly come from the disengagement? A larger launching pad for attacks closer to Israeli population centers? Applause from the "world community" (like that would ever happen)?
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Thousands of bullet-gray concrete blocks rise crookedly from the earth like fresh gravestones along what was once barren no man's land surrounding the Berlin Wall. Deep underground is the wartime bunker built for Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister. The site of the razed Reich Chancellery, where Adolf Hitler plotted the extermination of the Jews, is about 100 yards away.
On Tuesday, 60 years after the end of World War II in Europe, Berlin officials will unveil a monument to the Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews were killed, in the center of the German capital.
>
In typical Jewish fashion, all I'm worried about is that that the memorial, being outdoors, becomes some kind of focal point for neo-Nazi rallys.
Thousands of bullet-gray concrete blocks rise crookedly from the earth like fresh gravestones along what was once barren no man's land surrounding the Berlin Wall. Deep underground is the wartime bunker built for Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister. The site of the razed Reich Chancellery, where Adolf Hitler plotted the extermination of the Jews, is about 100 yards away.
On Tuesday, 60 years after the end of World War II in Europe, Berlin officials will unveil a monument to the Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews were killed, in the center of the German capital.
>In typical Jewish fashion, all I'm worried about is that that the memorial, being outdoors, becomes some kind of focal point for neo-Nazi rallys.
Friday, May 06, 2005
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the organization that is generally seen as an independent declarer of recession and expansion reported thusly in 2003:
The National Bureau's Business Cycle Dating Committee maintains a chronology of the U.S. business cycle. The chronology identifies the dates of peaks and troughs that frame economic recession or expansion. The period from a peak to a trough is a recession and the period from a trough to a peak is an expansion. According to the chronology, the most recent peak occurred in March 2001, ending a record-long expansion that began in 1991. The most recent trough occurred in November 2001, inaugurating an expansion.
Now one can argue that in Novemeber 2001 we began to recover from the brief recession that ocurred during President Bush's first year in office. I would say that one could still say that in 2002 and 2003 we were recovering. Now that we're 3 1/2 years along, isn't it about time we called this the Bush expansion instead of the Bush "recovery"?
From today's NY Times, remarking on the creation of almost 300,000 jobs in April and a rise in personal income - Still, for all the good news, even optimistic forecasters were reluctant to declare that the recovery, which entered its soft patch in the first quarter, was firmly back on track.
41 months of economic gowth and over 3 million new jobs since January 2004 (and a net gain since Bush took office) and we're still "recovering" and not expanding.
One of the arguments you can read against this expansion is that a lower percentage of Americans are bothering to look for work and that's what's keeing the unemployment rate down. The labor participation rate is the lowest it's been in a decade, if not longer. Is it possible that this could have something to do with the aging population and the baby boomers (like my dad) heading into retirement in massive numbers?
As our population ages, by definition a smaller percentage of adults will be in the work force. Some would have you believe that people are just giving up because the economy's so miserable. If those people looked a little deeper, maybe they'd even start to be concerned (as I believe Bush is) about how that 60% is going to support the other 40% (not to mention the children).
Isn't it amazing that nearly half of all adult Americans don't have to work and we're still the most prosperous nation on Earth? One could almost say we do it with one hand tied behind our back.
The National Bureau's Business Cycle Dating Committee maintains a chronology of the U.S. business cycle. The chronology identifies the dates of peaks and troughs that frame economic recession or expansion. The period from a peak to a trough is a recession and the period from a trough to a peak is an expansion. According to the chronology, the most recent peak occurred in March 2001, ending a record-long expansion that began in 1991. The most recent trough occurred in November 2001, inaugurating an expansion.
Now one can argue that in Novemeber 2001 we began to recover from the brief recession that ocurred during President Bush's first year in office. I would say that one could still say that in 2002 and 2003 we were recovering. Now that we're 3 1/2 years along, isn't it about time we called this the Bush expansion instead of the Bush "recovery"?
From today's NY Times, remarking on the creation of almost 300,000 jobs in April and a rise in personal income - Still, for all the good news, even optimistic forecasters were reluctant to declare that the recovery, which entered its soft patch in the first quarter, was firmly back on track.
41 months of economic gowth and over 3 million new jobs since January 2004 (and a net gain since Bush took office) and we're still "recovering" and not expanding.
One of the arguments you can read against this expansion is that a lower percentage of Americans are bothering to look for work and that's what's keeing the unemployment rate down. The labor participation rate is the lowest it's been in a decade, if not longer. Is it possible that this could have something to do with the aging population and the baby boomers (like my dad) heading into retirement in massive numbers?
As our population ages, by definition a smaller percentage of adults will be in the work force. Some would have you believe that people are just giving up because the economy's so miserable. If those people looked a little deeper, maybe they'd even start to be concerned (as I believe Bush is) about how that 60% is going to support the other 40% (not to mention the children).
Isn't it amazing that nearly half of all adult Americans don't have to work and we're still the most prosperous nation on Earth? One could almost say we do it with one hand tied behind our back.
Thanks to Zarq for this link to First Lady Laura Bush's speech on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
When President Bush and I visited Auschwitz, I realized that there are things textbooks can't teach. They can't teach you how to feel when you see prayer shawls or baby shoes left by children being torn from their mothers, or prison cells with the scratch marks of attempted escape. But what moved me the most were the thousands of eyeglasses, their lenses still smudged with tears and dirt. It struck me how vulnerable we are as humans, how many needed those glasses to see, and how many people living around the camps and around the world refused to see. We see today and we know what happened and we'll never forget.
When President Bush and I visited Auschwitz, I realized that there are things textbooks can't teach. They can't teach you how to feel when you see prayer shawls or baby shoes left by children being torn from their mothers, or prison cells with the scratch marks of attempted escape. But what moved me the most were the thousands of eyeglasses, their lenses still smudged with tears and dirt. It struck me how vulnerable we are as humans, how many needed those glasses to see, and how many people living around the camps and around the world refused to see. We see today and we know what happened and we'll never forget.
Just thinking out loud after reading this article by Caroline Glick - Wake up Washington!
On a psychological level, the images of an Israeli retreat from Gaza and northern Samaria will be footage for jihadi recruitment videos for years to come. In Iraq, a large proportion of the insurgent groups’ energies are devoted to producing images that portray them as strong and the US forces as weak. Al-Jazeera and its clones – along with cameramen employed as stringers by Western news networks and agencies – work hand-in-glove with the terrorists to produce just such images. The point, of course, is that in at least one central respect, Arabs are no different from Americans. Both like winners. Videos showing the decapitation of hostages are meant to mobilize supporters.
Yet there can be no doubt that, as attractive as watching helpless hostages getting beheaded may be to potential recruits, the spectacle of Hamas and Fatah flags being foisted onto Israeli homes in Gaza and Samaria is even more alluring. And footage of Jews attacking one another as Israel comes apart at the seams will also serve the terrorists’ purposes wonderfully well.
It's too bad Israel can't evacuate it's civilians, yet keep those lands as occupied territory and prevent the Palestinians from taking over. I still say that once the attacks from Gaza into Israel proper start up, Israel is just going to go in anyway and bulldoze everything within 10km of the border.
On a psychological level, the images of an Israeli retreat from Gaza and northern Samaria will be footage for jihadi recruitment videos for years to come. In Iraq, a large proportion of the insurgent groups’ energies are devoted to producing images that portray them as strong and the US forces as weak. Al-Jazeera and its clones – along with cameramen employed as stringers by Western news networks and agencies – work hand-in-glove with the terrorists to produce just such images. The point, of course, is that in at least one central respect, Arabs are no different from Americans. Both like winners. Videos showing the decapitation of hostages are meant to mobilize supporters.
Yet there can be no doubt that, as attractive as watching helpless hostages getting beheaded may be to potential recruits, the spectacle of Hamas and Fatah flags being foisted onto Israeli homes in Gaza and Samaria is even more alluring. And footage of Jews attacking one another as Israel comes apart at the seams will also serve the terrorists’ purposes wonderfully well.
It's too bad Israel can't evacuate it's civilians, yet keep those lands as occupied territory and prevent the Palestinians from taking over. I still say that once the attacks from Gaza into Israel proper start up, Israel is just going to go in anyway and bulldoze everything within 10km of the border.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Natan Sharansky has resigned from the Israeli cabinet due to his opposition to Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.
I respect this man immensely. However, Gaza is just not worth it. Like the U.S in Vietnam, either you go in and take the whole thing or you leave. I agree with him that disengagement won't end the conflict and may even raise the terror threat to the Israel in the short term. However, maintaining the infrastructure for a few thousand settlers just ain't worth it.
There's two ways this conflict will end. The Palestinians will get Democracy, or they will launch ("fail to prevent" if you're a sympathizer) a mega-attack that will cause Israel to respond with a biblical killing of the Palestinian first born.
The JPost also links to his resignation letter.
I respect this man immensely. However, Gaza is just not worth it. Like the U.S in Vietnam, either you go in and take the whole thing or you leave. I agree with him that disengagement won't end the conflict and may even raise the terror threat to the Israel in the short term. However, maintaining the infrastructure for a few thousand settlers just ain't worth it.
There's two ways this conflict will end. The Palestinians will get Democracy, or they will launch ("fail to prevent" if you're a sympathizer) a mega-attack that will cause Israel to respond with a biblical killing of the Palestinian first born.
The JPost also links to his resignation letter.
OK, I'll bite. Pun completely intended.
Batman Begins trailer. Great cast if their characters can rise abve their on-screen personas.
Batman Begins trailer. Great cast if their characters can rise abve their on-screen personas.
For every Pat Robertson, there are 1,000 middle-of-the-road born-agains.
When Columnists Cry 'Jihad'
Frank Rich, an often acute, broadly knowledgeable and witty cultural observer, sweepingly informed us that, under the effects of "the God racket" as now pursued in Washington, "government, culture, science, medicine and the rule of law are all under threat from an emboldened religious minority out to remake America according to its dogma." He went on to tell Times readers that GOP zealots in Congress and the White House have edged our country over into "a full-scale jihad." If Rich were to have the misfortune to live for one week in a genuine jihad, and the unlikely fortune to survive it, he would temper his categorization of the perceived President Bush-driven jihad by a minimum of 77 percent. If any "emboldened minority" is aiming to "remake America according to its dogma," it seems to many evangelicals and Catholics that it is the vanguard wanting, say, the compact of marriage to be stretched in its historic definition to include men cohabiting with men and women with women. That is, in terms of the history of this nation, a most pronounced and revolutionary novelty.
Read it all, for it is good. Perhaps the Democrats should replace the Donkey with Chicken Little.
When Columnists Cry 'Jihad'
Frank Rich, an often acute, broadly knowledgeable and witty cultural observer, sweepingly informed us that, under the effects of "the God racket" as now pursued in Washington, "government, culture, science, medicine and the rule of law are all under threat from an emboldened religious minority out to remake America according to its dogma." He went on to tell Times readers that GOP zealots in Congress and the White House have edged our country over into "a full-scale jihad." If Rich were to have the misfortune to live for one week in a genuine jihad, and the unlikely fortune to survive it, he would temper his categorization of the perceived President Bush-driven jihad by a minimum of 77 percent. If any "emboldened minority" is aiming to "remake America according to its dogma," it seems to many evangelicals and Catholics that it is the vanguard wanting, say, the compact of marriage to be stretched in its historic definition to include men cohabiting with men and women with women. That is, in terms of the history of this nation, a most pronounced and revolutionary novelty.
Read it all, for it is good. Perhaps the Democrats should replace the Donkey with Chicken Little.
Good news in the War on Terror.
Given the nature and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose. - President Bush - October 7, 2001
Pakistan catches al Qaeda number three
Pakistan says Abu Faraj Farj al Liby, whom it has said is a Libyan, was the ringleader behind at least two assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.
And although he does not figure on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "most wanted" list, Liby is believed to have taken over the role of the arrested Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who allegedly masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities.
Who is Abu Farraj al-Libbi?
Given the nature and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose. - President Bush - October 7, 2001
Pakistan catches al Qaeda number three
Pakistan says Abu Faraj Farj al Liby, whom it has said is a Libyan, was the ringleader behind at least two assassination attempts against President Pervez Musharraf in December 2003.
And although he does not figure on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "most wanted" list, Liby is believed to have taken over the role of the arrested Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who allegedly masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities.
Who is Abu Farraj al-Libbi?
The AIPAC scandal grows a little more serious.
Analyst Charged With Passing Secret Info
The FBI arrested a Pentagon analyst Wednesday on charges that he illegally passed classified information about potential attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq to employees of a pro-Israel group.
Larry Franklin, 58, of Kearneysville, W. Va., turned himself in Wednesday morning, FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman said. He was scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Virginia later Wednesday, Weierman said.
Franklin, who specialized on Iran and Middle Eastern affairs, allegedly gave the information to two people not entitled to receive it at a luncheon meeting at a restaurant in Arlington, Va., in June 2003, the Justice Department said in a statement. The people at the lunch were employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity because they are not identified in court papers.
FBI agents twice searched AIPAC offices as part of the investigation about whether Israel improperly obtained classified U.S. information on Iran. They also have interviewed two AIPAC employees about whether Franklin gave them classified information that wound up in Israel's hands.
AIPAC said it gave the FBI files related to those same two employees, who previously were identified - Steve Rosen, the director of research, and Keith Weissman, deputy director of foreign policy issues.
Neither still works for the group.
AIPAC declined to comment Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear how the information related to Iran.
This is from an article published two weeks ago, which appeared after the defendants were fired by AIPAC.
The recently dismissed employees continued to insist on their innocence. Lawyers for Rosen and Weissman issued the following statement Wednesday: "Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman have not violated any US law or AIPAC policy. Contrary to press accounts, they have never solicited, received or passed on any classified documents. They carried out their job responsibilities solely to serve AIPAC s goal of strengthening the US-Israel relationship."
There are so many ways that this could play out that it's really hard to comment. Should Jews be sending classified informtion to our enemies? Of course not. Should Jews be sending classified information to our friends (i.e. Israel) that would be used in contravention of US policy? Of course not. Should Jews send our friends (i.e. Israel) classified information that would help them defend against an enemy that is also an enemy of the US? No, but I'm willing to hear them out before condemning them.
Analyst Charged With Passing Secret Info
The FBI arrested a Pentagon analyst Wednesday on charges that he illegally passed classified information about potential attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq to employees of a pro-Israel group.
Larry Franklin, 58, of Kearneysville, W. Va., turned himself in Wednesday morning, FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman said. He was scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Virginia later Wednesday, Weierman said.
Franklin, who specialized on Iran and Middle Eastern affairs, allegedly gave the information to two people not entitled to receive it at a luncheon meeting at a restaurant in Arlington, Va., in June 2003, the Justice Department said in a statement. The people at the lunch were employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity because they are not identified in court papers.
FBI agents twice searched AIPAC offices as part of the investigation about whether Israel improperly obtained classified U.S. information on Iran. They also have interviewed two AIPAC employees about whether Franklin gave them classified information that wound up in Israel's hands.
AIPAC said it gave the FBI files related to those same two employees, who previously were identified - Steve Rosen, the director of research, and Keith Weissman, deputy director of foreign policy issues.
Neither still works for the group.
AIPAC declined to comment Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear how the information related to Iran.
This is from an article published two weeks ago, which appeared after the defendants were fired by AIPAC.
The recently dismissed employees continued to insist on their innocence. Lawyers for Rosen and Weissman issued the following statement Wednesday: "Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman have not violated any US law or AIPAC policy. Contrary to press accounts, they have never solicited, received or passed on any classified documents. They carried out their job responsibilities solely to serve AIPAC s goal of strengthening the US-Israel relationship."
There are so many ways that this could play out that it's really hard to comment. Should Jews be sending classified informtion to our enemies? Of course not. Should Jews be sending classified information to our friends (i.e. Israel) that would be used in contravention of US policy? Of course not. Should Jews send our friends (i.e. Israel) classified information that would help them defend against an enemy that is also an enemy of the US? No, but I'm willing to hear them out before condemning them.
More unnecessary rudeness as reported by Drudge:
Reporting and personal commentary NSFW.
Incessant heckling and shouting culminated in an arrest Tuesday night during a speech by controversialist Ann Coulter at the University of Texas at Austin.
THE TEXAN reports: Shouts became so pervasive during the question-and-answer session that Coulter informed the organizers she would no longer take questions if the hecklers were not silenced. For a time, the shouts were considerably lessened, until the issue of gay marriage was broached.
"You say that you believe in the sanctity of marriage," said Ajai Raj, an English sophomore. "How do you feel about marriages where the man does nothing but f*@k his wife up the ass?"
I assume they mean a sophomore from England as opposed to an English major, which is what I thought when I read it quickly the first time. In either case shouldn't a student or speaker of the mother tongue be a little more eloquent?
By the way - OK by me but it seems like a precious waste of natural resources which is what I thought liberalism was all about. Maybe that's another argument for the "gay is not a choice" crowd of which I think I am a believer- who would choose to limit their options for sexual enjoyment by choosing partners with only one entry point?
Reporting and personal commentary NSFW.
Incessant heckling and shouting culminated in an arrest Tuesday night during a speech by controversialist Ann Coulter at the University of Texas at Austin.
THE TEXAN reports: Shouts became so pervasive during the question-and-answer session that Coulter informed the organizers she would no longer take questions if the hecklers were not silenced. For a time, the shouts were considerably lessened, until the issue of gay marriage was broached.
"You say that you believe in the sanctity of marriage," said Ajai Raj, an English sophomore. "How do you feel about marriages where the man does nothing but f*@k his wife up the ass?"
I assume they mean a sophomore from England as opposed to an English major, which is what I thought when I read it quickly the first time. In either case shouldn't a student or speaker of the mother tongue be a little more eloquent?
By the way - OK by me but it seems like a precious waste of natural resources which is what I thought liberalism was all about. Maybe that's another argument for the "gay is not a choice" crowd of which I think I am a believer- who would choose to limit their options for sexual enjoyment by choosing partners with only one entry point?
Tonight, Yom HaShoah begins, the Day of Holocaust Remembrance. In my home we will be lighting a yellow candle provided by my shul's Mens Club in honor of those who perished including extended memebers of my own family, names which I may never know, memories of whom are buried with my grandparents, may they rest in peace.
Great page here at the Jerusalem Post.
Great page here at the Jerusalem Post.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
This is just ridiculous.
Pentagon Says Iraq Effort Limits Ability to Fight Other Conflicts
The concentration of American troops and weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan limits the Pentagon's ability to deal with other potential armed conflicts, the military's highest ranking officer reported to Congress on Monday.
Let's ignore the fact that there's a war going on of our own making and that we sort of have to be there.
Do we really need experts to tell us this. Here's some more headlines for tomorrow's paper (no need to credit GBAM):
Work Prevents Parents From Spending Valuable Time With Children, Study Finds.
Churchgoing Lowers Nations Productivity as Factories Close on Sundays
Oh, and by the way..somewhere near the bottom....
Despite the limitations, General Myers was unwavering in his assessment that American forces would win any major combat operation. The armed forces, he concluded, are "fully capable" of meeting all Washington's military objectives.
I like this wordsmithery too:
One government official provided a copy to The New York Times. The officials who discussed the assessment demanded anonymity because it is a classified document.
No....he demanded anonymity becuase what he did was illegal - and the Times helped him with the crime.
Pentagon Says Iraq Effort Limits Ability to Fight Other Conflicts
The concentration of American troops and weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan limits the Pentagon's ability to deal with other potential armed conflicts, the military's highest ranking officer reported to Congress on Monday.
Let's ignore the fact that there's a war going on of our own making and that we sort of have to be there.
Do we really need experts to tell us this. Here's some more headlines for tomorrow's paper (no need to credit GBAM):
Work Prevents Parents From Spending Valuable Time With Children, Study Finds.
Churchgoing Lowers Nations Productivity as Factories Close on Sundays
Oh, and by the way..somewhere near the bottom....
Despite the limitations, General Myers was unwavering in his assessment that American forces would win any major combat operation. The armed forces, he concluded, are "fully capable" of meeting all Washington's military objectives.
I like this wordsmithery too:
One government official provided a copy to The New York Times. The officials who discussed the assessment demanded anonymity because it is a classified document.
No....he demanded anonymity becuase what he did was illegal - and the Times helped him with the crime.
Amen. From Laura Bush Talks Naughty
But middle-class Americans don't simply cast ballots for Republicans. They also vote with their feet, which is why blue states and old Democratic cities are losing population to red states and Republican exurbs. People are moving there precisely because of economic reasons - more jobs, affordable houses and the lower taxes offered by Republican politicians.
They're not moving for the churches, and they don't vote for Mr. Bush simply because he reads the Bible every day.
That's me. Both times I escaped from NY, I went to red states and both times it was for the weather, cheap housing and lower taxes. My synagogue is growing by leaps and bounds (on a smaller scale than the mega-churches, but proportionally similar). No one is joining the synagogue because they thought they could find religion in Plano. This is just where people who care about religion happen to wind up now.
As I was watching the tape of the comedy stylings of Laura Bush (which can be seen here), I kept thinking that many (like Frank Rich) forget that there is a difference between an adult conversation and Howard Stern on the public airwaves as kids go off to school. If conservatives were so afraid of sex, they wouldn't be having so many kids.
For the record, I love listening to Howard Stern, and I'm happy he's going to satellite which is both less restriced and at least somewhat more difficult for smaller children to get a hold of.
But middle-class Americans don't simply cast ballots for Republicans. They also vote with their feet, which is why blue states and old Democratic cities are losing population to red states and Republican exurbs. People are moving there precisely because of economic reasons - more jobs, affordable houses and the lower taxes offered by Republican politicians.
They're not moving for the churches, and they don't vote for Mr. Bush simply because he reads the Bible every day.
That's me. Both times I escaped from NY, I went to red states and both times it was for the weather, cheap housing and lower taxes. My synagogue is growing by leaps and bounds (on a smaller scale than the mega-churches, but proportionally similar). No one is joining the synagogue because they thought they could find religion in Plano. This is just where people who care about religion happen to wind up now.
As I was watching the tape of the comedy stylings of Laura Bush (which can be seen here), I kept thinking that many (like Frank Rich) forget that there is a difference between an adult conversation and Howard Stern on the public airwaves as kids go off to school. If conservatives were so afraid of sex, they wouldn't be having so many kids.
For the record, I love listening to Howard Stern, and I'm happy he's going to satellite which is both less restriced and at least somewhat more difficult for smaller children to get a hold of.
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