themerrypunditocracy

The Case of Gil Hoffman: Citizen Armies and Journalistic Ethics

2011-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Recently I went to see a talk by Gil Hoffman at a synagogue in Bridgeport. Hoffman, who is currently on a US speaking tour, is a reporter for the Jerusalem Post covering Israeli politics and government. As an Israeli citizen, he serves as a reservist in the Israeli Defense Forces -- specifically, as his JPost bio states, in the IDF "Spokesperson Unit." Obviously this is a conflict of interest, but of what magnitude? To be sure, having an army in which all citizens are required to serve presents some unique ethical conundrums for people in certain lines of work -- that is to say, some ethical dilemmas are inevitable. Mr. Hoffman is affable, funny and generally charming (one can see why he would be an effective spokesman for the IDF) but given the extremely flattering treatment of Israeli government policy that he offers in his public presentations -- he seems loath to criticize the government for anything, and flatly describes opposition to Jewish settlements in the West Bank as anti-semitism -- one has to wonder, where exactly does his journalistic duty to inform the public end and his duty to the IDF begin (and vice versa)?

GOP Foreign Policy in a Nutshell, As Evidenced By the CBS-NJ Debate

2011-11-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

America Fuck Yeah, Israel Fuck Yeah, Other Countries Go to Hell.

Where to See Outdoor Shakespeare in Connecticut

2011-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Outdoor Shakespeare is nothing new: in fact the very first performances of the Bard's work were held at the plein-air Globe Theatre on the banks of London's River Thames. But outdoor performances of Shakespeare as an annual summertime ritual is a more recent phenomenon whose 'Big Bang' moment was in 1954 when New York's famed Public Theater started staging free performances of Shakespeare in Central Park every summer.

Where are the best places to see outdoor Shakespeare in Connecticut? If you're looking for a scenic location, you won't want to miss the Flock Theatre Company's performances beside the lily pond in the glorious Connecticut College Arboretum. If you're looking for top-notch acting and production values, you can't beat the Elm Shakespeare Company, which performs towards the end of summer in New Haven's Edgerton Park and on the Guilford Green. And if you want something memorable -- and maybe a little goofy -- be sure to head to Bridgeport for Connecticut Free Shakespeare's "Shakespeare in the Zoo," in which peacocks roaming the grounds of the Beardsley Zoo have been known to make cameos by wandering onstage during this company's playful and music-filled productions.

Here is a list of options for outdoor Shakespeare in Connecticut. If you go, remember to bring a comfy folding chair and bug spray. Although the performances may be free to attend, they are not free to produce, and donations are always appreciated.

Elm Shakespeare Company -- New Haven and Guilford -- http://elmshakespeare.org/

Connecticut Free Shakespeare -- Bridgeport -- http://ctfreeshakespeare.com/

Flock Theatre -- New London - http://flocktheatre.org

Capital Classics Theatre Company - Saint Joseph College, Hartford - http://www.capitalclassics.org/

Shakespeare on the Sound - Norwalk - http://www.shakespeareonthesound.org

ARTFARM "Shakespeare in the Grove" - Middletown - https://sites.google.com/a/art-farm.org/www/

Just Your Average Catholic, Communist, Gay Poet/Politician

2010-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Only in Italy.

OUP Gives Long Overdue Credit to Female Baseball Historian

2010-08-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

"It’s taken 50 years but Dorothy Jane Mills, formerly Dorothy Z. Seymour, wife of the late baseball historian Harold Seymour, has received long overdue acknowledgment as coauthor along with her late husband of three seminal books on the history of baseball that are considered the scholarly standard in the field. In a formal announcement by Oxford University Press executive editor Tim Bent, Mills was given formal credit and her name will now accompany her late husband’s on the books' covers and title pages."

Pork, Pastors, and Prayer Breakfasts

2010-08-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thirteen really Muslim things Obama has done.

Uncle Solar Wants You!

2010-08-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Clean Energy Victory Bonds.

US Navy Swastika Building Update

2010-08-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

"A couple of years ago, the swastika-shaped building at the Naval Amphibious Base in San-Diego discovered by Google Earth became an Internet hit. The former U.S. resident and now Israeli citizen Avrahaum Segol got word from a friend in 2006 and made getting rid of the offensive symbol his own personal project."

Question

2010-08-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

When is the New York Times going to run an obituary of Matthew Simmons? The longer they ignore his death, the more they fuel these kinds of conspiracy theories.

Axis of Social Media

2010-08-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

North Korea takes its war against Yankee imperialism onto the battleground of facebook.

Pirate Defense Lawyers Take Note

2010-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Law Library of Congress has digitized its collection of pre-1923 piracy trials.

Dean Vs. DFA

2010-08-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Is it weird that DFA is putting out this when Howard Dean is putting out this?

How Jimmy Carter Saved Craft Beer

2010-08-05T14:30:00.003-07:00

One of the unheralded accomplishments of a misunderstood and under-rated president.

News flash! Journalists Prepared to Once Again Utterly Misread Annual Social Security Trustees Report

2010-08-05T09:59:00.001-07:00

"Thursday's report will once again describe an essential program in admirable fiscal health. But every year, journalists twist the facts to fit a narrative favored by the political elite: that the program is in crisis. Rather than manufacturing a false drama that shakes people's confidence about their future benefits, two Social Security experts write, reporters should stick to the facts."

"Further and Faster Than Margaret Thatcher"

2010-08-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

New Statesman looks at David Cameron's first 100 days.

How The One-State "Solution" Got Its Mojo Back

2010-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

JTA:

In one of the more curious twists in Israeli politics, prominent figures on Israel’s right wing have begun pushing for a one-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians as equal citizens with full voting rights. The one-state solution previously had been the preserve of the post-Zionist left, Palestinian hard-liners and left-leaning European intellectuals who envisioned turning Israel proper, the West Bank and Gaza into a single state in which the Palestinians soon would become the majority and assume the reins of government. For the overwhelming majority of Israelis, the idea has been anathema because it seemed to spell the end of the Zionist dream of a sovereign Jewish state. So what has changed? In a word: Gaza.

Excited Delirium

2010-08-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Is 'excited delirium' an actual cause of death or is it a euphemism for 'death by Taser?'

When Politicians Pledge to Keep Jobs At Home...

2010-08-04T19:08:00.001-07:00

... it's time to ask who's producing their campaign commercials.

Is Use of Facebook and Twitter a Campaign Expenditure?

2010-08-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

"My name is Joe Candidate, and I approved this tweet."

Should Professors Be Allowed to Run For Office?

2010-08-02T10:47:00.001-07:00

"Faculty leaders at Central Michigan University have rebelled against a policy that, they say, gives administrators arbitrary power to forbid them to seek public office."

Seeds of Change

2010-08-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

"The Story of ACORN, America's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group." Book rec of the day.

Quote of the Day

2010-07-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

"This is not the State of Israel rejecting liberal Jews, but reiterating a rejection that has existed for the last 60 years.” --Donniel Hartman, co-director of Jerusalem-based Shalom Hartman Institute and a proponent of ending the Orthodox monopoly and introducing religious pluralism into Israeli government policy.

Quote of the Day

2010-07-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Wesley is like a mighty oak tree." -- Denzel Washington, character witness for tax-evasion felon Wesley Snipes

Andrew Breitbart and Al Bundy

2010-07-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

John McWhorter on Sherrodgate.

Retire Hillary's Debt, a.k.a Subsidize Mark Penn's Children's College Fund

2010-07-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

Call now to get your special commemorative DVD!

Repositioning the Missionary

2010-07-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Very cheeky title. Book rec of the day.

The Rare Politician Who Doesn't Casually Throw His Staff Under The Bus

2010-07-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg stands up for the right to be slightly off-message.

World's Most Expensive Bicycles

2010-07-19T20:37:00.001-07:00

Bikes as status symbols... must be a European phenomenon.

Question of the Day

2010-07-16T09:40:00.001-07:00

Which is the worse loss for Cleveland: Lebron or Harvey Pekar?

Negative Advertising Works, Especially Against Crazy People

2010-07-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

Harry Reid rises again.

US-Israel Spy Exchange?

2010-07-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Eugene Bird asks: "What should Israel give up in exchange for [Jonathan] Pollard, its master spy in US Naval intelligence?"

Morbid Tweeting

2010-06-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Announcing executions on twitter does seem like crossing some sort of line.

Epic Music Journalism Corrections of 2010

2010-06-10T11:47:00.001-07:00

Including this classic:

Public Enemy does not think 9/11 is a joke. 911, however…

The Washington Post said: Originally, an article on the group stated that Public Enemy called 9/11 a joke. A corrected version tells a different story: “Public Enemy has earned notoriety with more than 20 years of politically charged music about fighting the power, challenging racism and declaring that 911 was a joke. The group has joined forces with Virgin Mobile USA to combat youth homelessness as part of National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week.”

The correction: “A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number.”

Tweet of the Day

2010-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Max Blumenthal mocks Haaretz's (tongue-in-cheek? one can only hope so) blurb on the Jewish content -- i.e. Scarlett Johansson and Sandra Bullock snogging, "a special treat for members of the tribe since Johansson is like the Jews’ very own Barbie doll" -- of the MTV Movie Awards: @MaxBlumenthal I had to read this twice bc I thought it a satire on Jewish identity. The last sentence is the best--or worst--part. http://bit.ly/9B1Fjv

Silver Lining

2010-06-09T12:42:00.001-07:00

As MJ Rosenberg points out, one positive outcome of the flotilla disaster is that, as Jewish groups turn against the Turkish government, there is going to be more pressure on congress and the administration to get serious about recognizing the Armenian genocide of 1915.

New Stieg Larsson Manuscripts Found?

2010-06-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Really? Doesn't appear to be publishable... of course a cynic might wonder about the authenticity of 'newly discovered' material by an international literary sensation (from which someone might stand to make millions of dollars)...

The Power Broker

2010-06-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Looking at the divisions exposed by the Democratic Senate primary in Arkansas, Ben Smith has some smart thoughts about how the departure of Andy Stern has deprived the labor movement of a powerful insider to press its concerns in the White House, and deprived the White House of a powerful insider to press its concerns in the labor movement.

Zombie Lit Reading List

2010-06-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Mel Brooks's son, Max, seems to have a strong foothold in this genre.

FDR & The New Deal For Beginners

2010-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Book rec of the day.

Peeps

2010-06-09T10:29:00.001-07:00

What's with candidates winning primary elections making statements like "the people have spoken" or Carly Fiorina's "I hear your message loud and clear - the people of California have had enough"? Since when is the Republican primary electorate 'the people?'

Conventional Wisdom May Be Conventional Stupidity

2010-05-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

I largely agree with this piece by Larry Sabato and Alan Abramowitz that the dominant narrative about the "angry voter" of 2010 is overstated and glosses over many over important demographic, social, and economic factors.

The Past Is Not Past

2010-05-24T09:57:00.001-07:00

Lately there has been a fresh round of attacks on Judge Richard Goldstone related to his judicial activities in apartheid South Africa after "revelations" in an Israeli newspaper that he had sentenced blacks to death. There is much to criticize about the Goldstone Report, and perhaps about Goldstone's record during apartheid as well... but doesn't this line of attack from pro-Israel groups just serve to raise the question of Israel's own record in supporting the state terrorist South African regime? How can Dershowitz go on about Goldstone's lending an "air of legitimacy to an entirely illegitimate and barbaric regime" without so much as mentioning that Israel (along with the US) was one of the very last diplomatic defenders of the apartheid regime in the 1980s, after nearly every other civilized country in the world had withdrawn their support? Defenders of Goldstone will ask with a certain amount of justification: is it worse for a young lawyer to participate opportunistically in an unjust judicial system (and then later to protest and undermine it) or to peddle to an "illegitimate and barbaric regime" military equipment that was used to maim and murder thousands of blacks in the Soweto uprising of 1976? Let us be clear: there are many realpolitik rationalizations of Israel's amoral diplomatic behavior, and of course there is the excuse that "the US did it, too." But there are similar excuses for Goldstone's opportunism as well. If we are going to have a discussion about who did what to support South African apartheid, let us put everything on the table without fear and favor.

For those who are interested, Sasha Polakow-Suransky has just published what is likely to be (for a while, at least) the definitive treatment of the Israel-South Africa relationship -- the book is intelligently and sensitively reviewed by Benjamin Pogrund here.

Freshkills Haiku

2010-05-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

From the NYC Parks Dept:

Second Annual Freshkills Haiku Contest Winners Announced

The Parks Department is proud to announce this year’s second annual Haiku contest winners. More than 40 poets participated over the course of National Poetry Month in April. We received some terrific entries and the winning poems are provided below.

Adult winners:

Quietly sleeping,
Buried discards of past years
Support vibrant hills
- Stephen Knowles

Now green and growing
This upside-down museum
Forms new paths of hope
- Leona Egan

Tall thousand grasses
rub hollow elbows to the
chopstick cricket legs
- Robin Locke Monda

Student winner:

Looking at the mounds,
you are rolling down the past.
Future brings us new
- Lauren Seaquist, age 14

Wimbledon's Official Poet

2010-05-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

BBC: "People queuing to get into Wimbledon this year could be entertained by the All England Lawn Tennis Championships' first official poet. Matt Harvey will write a poem every day during the annual two-week competition in London SW19 next month. The Championships Poet 2010 will publish his verses - about anything from racquet stringers to strawberries and cream - online and in podcasts. He will also keep a blog, tweet and recite his poems to queuing spectators. " Don't expect to see this at NASCAR anytime soon.

Best Missed Dunk Ever? (And We're Not Talking About Susan Bysiewicz's Campaign)

2010-05-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

"Lingering Smell of Cigarette Smoke"

2010-05-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Westport, Connecticut collector buys Jeep once owned by Obama.

Fun Facts About the Debt Market

2010-05-14T18:27:00.001-07:00

According to at least one risk analyst California is a riskier investment than Iraq.

PoPoMo Milestones

2010-05-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

Cell phones now used more for data than for calls.

News You Can Use

2010-05-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

Why do so many cars crash into beauty salons?

Just How Politically Toxic Is Wall Street?

2010-05-13T11:06:00.001-07:00

How did Meg Whitman's seemingly insurmountable lead in the California Republican gubernatorial primary suddenly collapse? Seems to have a little, or a lot, to do with her ties to a little investment firm called Goldman Sachs.

The Curious Legacy of Colonialism

2010-05-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

New trend in Portugal: fleeing to Angola for economic opportunity.

The Year of Living Violently

2010-05-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Controversial scholar Michael Bellesiles makes a come-back.

$100,000 Per Completion

2010-05-11T14:07:00.001-07:00

Was JaMarcus Russell the most over-paid player in the history of the NFL?

"Swift-Boating" As a Bipartisan Trope

2010-05-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

I was intrigued to find Ron Paul talking about "swift-boating" (in a fundraising letter last week for his son's Senate campaign) - apparently this staple of Democratic rhetorical push-back is no longer just a left-wing trope:

__________________

Dear Friend,

It looks like the establishment is really desperate to keep my son Rand out of the Senate. Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani and Rick Santorum were already backing his opponent. And, as you probably know, Senator Mitch McConnell joined the party this week and endorsed Rand's establishment-backed opponent Trey Grayson. Senator McConnell is now doing TV ads for Grayson statewide.

But it gets far, far worse than that. That's why I'm writing you this urgent email today.

They're trying to "Swift Boat" Rand...

Put That In Your Tea Bag and Smoke It

2010-05-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

US tax rates lower in 2009 than at any time since 1950.

Resume Workshops for Guantanamo Detainees

2010-05-11T11:02:00.001-07:00

Among the highlights of this excellent Terry Gross interview with Spencer Ackerman on military tribunals at Guantanamo is Ackerman's discussion of resume-writing classes for detainees (I see that Adam Serwer has covered this ground, i.e. Guantanamo "life skills" classes, as well). Also, Ackerman's tone of mild disappointment that he wasn't one of the reporters kicked out of the courtroom for "revealing" the name of an interrogator whose identity was already all over the Internet.

Controversial Mojave Desert Cross Stolen

2010-05-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

VFW promises that the memorial, whose constitutionality was recently taken up by the US Supreme Court, will be rebuilt.

Special Election to Fill Scott Brown's State Senate Seat

2010-05-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Election today in Mass.

Hillary Still Paying Off Campaign Debt

2010-05-11T10:22:00.001-07:00

One last chance to contribute to Mark Penn's yacht fund...

Texas Tough

2010-04-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

"The Rise of America's Prison Empire." Book rec of the day.

X-Rated Braille

2010-04-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Porn for the blind.

Workers of the World, Enjoy!

2010-04-15T12:57:00.001-07:00

"Aesthetic Politics from Revolutionary Syndicalism to the Global Justice Movement." Book rec of the day.

Sarah Palin Haiku

2010-04-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Vote for the best.

What Else Is New?

2010-04-12T21:55:00.001-07:00

Unsurprisingly, yet another preposterous slander of the President's Middle East policy and his supposed anti-Israel bias turns out to be a complete non-story. This story had "distortion" written all over it, but it was widely circulated and credulously accepted among many in the right-wing blogosphere... truly sad.

Elections in Literature

2010-04-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

"How familiar are you with campaign literature worthy of the name?"

Raul Hilberg's Inner Turmoil

2010-04-07T21:28:00.000-07:00

Fascinating essay on the great Holocaust scholar Raul Hilberg's combination of brilliance alongside an enormous capacity for grumpiness and resentment (in particular of Hannah Arendt, whose "banality of evil" concept was in a sense a theoretical footnote to Hilberg's meticulous research)... how can it be that there's no book-length biography of him?

"De-Legitimization"

2010-04-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

"The new buzzword in the world of pro-Israel activism."

Birth of the Iconic California Swimming Pool

2010-04-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

Nifty little essay. (Via LA Observed.)

Underwater

2010-04-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

NPR's Planet Money reports on the capsizing of the shipping industry: "So there was a big shipping bubble that inflated about the same time the housing bubble did. It grew for some similar reasons -- a go-go economy, easy credit, a belief that prices never decline, etc. And, like housing, it's now turned ugly."

More Signs of Tough Times in the Newspaper Biz

2010-04-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

California outdoors writer Tom Stienstra (growing up in California I had a couple of his books on camping and fishing in the Sierras) gets busted for allegedly growing pot at his home. In, er, the town of Weed.

What Does Chaim Potok Have To Do With "Lost"?

2010-04-01T22:44:00.001-07:00

One blogger envisions the enigmatic ABC show as a kind of roman-a-clef based on Potok's famous novel "The Chosen"...

2048: Humanity's Agreement to Live Together

2010-04-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

"2048 tells the story of the most important social movement in the 21st century: humanity’s agreement, in writing, to create a social order that will allow people to live together in peace and prosperity based upon human rights and the rule of law. Many of the problems the world faces, such as war, poverty, and environmental ruin are the by-product of a flawed international social order. Fortunately, there is an international agreement, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which all countries signed in 1948, that promises a social order of justice, equality, and freedom. But although the UDHR was agreed to by all countries it is only a declaration and is unenforceable in courts of law. The 2048 Project, launched by the author and his colleagues at the University of California School of Law and from which the book gets it’s name, is a movement to make the fundamental rights in the Declaration enforceable in the courts of all countries by 2048, the 100th anniversary of the Universal Declaration. Through its programs and Web site, the 2048 Project provides education, research materials, and a place for drafters to post documents, as well as hosts international conferences on human rights. 2048 tells how the UDHR came to be written and the origins of the movement to make it enforceable; lays out the five basic freedoms the UDHR is meant to protect; and gives detailed advice on what everyone can do to make international human rights a reality." Book rec of the day.

Ron Paul's Earmark Requests

2010-04-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Even Ron Paul can't break the addiction. But wait, it's actually a DEEPLY PRINCIPLED earmark request: Paul apparently believes that because the federal government takes so much money from citizens, it is his job to get back as much as possible (for what or whom? citizens in his district? but why should taxpayers in Oregon have to foot the bill for expansion of a wastewater treatment plant in Fulshear, Texas?)... which sounds a bit to me like saying you're against group sex, but hey if these people over here are ALREADY having a threesome, then pass the vaseline.

NY Times vs. The Vatican

2010-04-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

The Vatican knows how to play hardball: the Vatican recently responded to a scandal in Italy by (according to Vatican-watcher John Allen) conspiring “to smear an Italian Catholic journalist by leaking fake documents suggesting he was involved in a gay affair.” They could take a page out of the Scientologists' book and hire some out-of-work journalists to dig up dirt on Bill Keller... is Jayson Blair available?

LTE of the Day

2010-04-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

From a recent issue of the Marin County 'Pacific Sun' weekly newspaper:

I was unable to attend the recent Tea Party in Mill Valley. I had looked forward to hopping in my car, which because of massive government regulation, is fairly clean and safe, driving along our smooth city-maintained streets past the beautiful public library, outstanding public high school and middle school. Then past the struggling private bank where much of my money rests (thank goodness for the bureaucrat or career politician who dreamed up FDIC insurance), and parking at the station of our government-sponsored heroes--known as police and firefighters--who use government-provided equipment and municipal water to ensure our safety. Then I would have walked across the government-maintained grassy sports field, over that lovely redwood bridge the town built, along the publicly maintained bike path that travels along the ecologically vibrant marsh, which was saved by community resources, to the community center itself, which never would have been built without government assistance.

There I certainly would have stolen one last glance of magnificent Mt. Tamalpais, preserved in large part by local governments and our municipal water district, before entering to rail against having to pay taxes and the odious specter of the government having a hand in providing healthcare for its citizens. Maybe I would have even won the "Draw a Hitler-mustache on Obama" coloring contest! Although I was unable to attend, thanks to the proximity of the government-run waste water treatment facility, I was still able to send my regards.

--Richard Marshall, Mill Valley

The Problem With The AIPAC Conference

2010-03-21T08:46:00.001-07:00

Jeffrey Goldberg opines. The conference seems to be even worse than usual -- a decreasingly pluralistic celebration of an increasingly greater abstraction, an increasingly unreal place. Bernard Avishai, using scare quotes to denote that Jerusalem is now the epicenter of that unreality, wonders about the "hole in the heart that backing Netanyahu over 'Jerusalem' seems to be filling."

Detroit's Post-Industrial Cash Cow

2010-03-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

Urban farming?

The Gay Terrorist Who Might Have Stoped 9/11

2010-03-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

From The Week:

Who is the "gay terrorist"? An Iraqi Arab named Ahmad Hikmat Shakir and described as "enigmatic but jovial...tall as a mushroom, fat and gay." He worked as a VIP greeter for Malaysian Airlines.

It seems that the CIA basically tried to blackmail him into becoming a mole, which raises the question - just how bad is Al-Qaeda's gaydar?

WTF of the Day

2010-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Betsy McCaughey for NY Sen? (Almost makes sense if the Republicans really want to make HCR repeal the central issue of the 2010 campaign...)

March Meshuges

2010-03-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Bracketology with a Jewish twist.

Tough Economic Times in the Ivy League

2010-03-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yale's polo team forced to downsize.

Behaving Like Teenagers?

2010-03-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

LA Jewish Journal's Rob Eshman explains how when Mom & Dad (i.e. US and Israel) got in a fight, "organized American Jewry copped an attitude."

Shout-Out To Congressman Tim Walz

2010-03-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Last week I was in DC for the HCAN rally and march... and after the rally we went to visit some CT reps in the Cannon office building (we also took some pictures of each other making obscene gestures in front of the placard for Michele Bachmann's office suite, which happens to be right across the hall from John Larson's, but I digress). In between meetings we went down to the basement cafeteria for a quick break, and Congressman Walz (DFL-MN), who just happened to be passing by, came up to a few of us who were sporting HCAN stickers on our clothing and started thanking us profusely for showing up in DC to promote HCR. Always feels good to be acknowledged. Keep up the good work, Tim!

Shakespearean DNA

2010-03-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

New evidence of the lost Shakespeare play "Cardenio?"

W's "Green" Presidential Library

2010-03-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Dallas Morning News: "The center's 23-acre tract will include native plants and sophisticated conservation measures, such as a wetland and underground cisterns to catch and recycle most rainwater. The building, made of Texas materials over cast concrete, will get nearly 10 percent of its electricity and all of its hot water from solar energy." On behalf of tree-huggers everywhere, I would just like to thank W and Glenn Beck for all their support of environmental sustainability and green jobs.

Socrates and the Fat Rabbis

2010-03-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

"What kind of literature is the Talmud? To answer this question, Daniel Boyarin looks to an unlikely source: the dialogues of Plato. In these ancient texts he finds similarities, both in their unique combination of various genres and topics and in their dialogic structure. But Boyarin goes beyond the typological parallelism between the texts, arguing also for a cultural relationship. In 'Socrates and the Fat Rabbis,' Boyarin suggests that these dialogues are not dialogic at all. Using Michael Bakhtin’s notion of represented dialogue and real dialogism, Boyarin demonstrates, through multiple close readings, that the give-and-take in these texts is actually monologic in spirit. At the same time, he shows that there are other elements that manifest genuine dialogicality. Boyarin ultimately singles out Menippean satire as the most important genre with which to understand both the Talmud and Plato, pointing out their seriocomic peculiarity. An innovative contribution to rabbinic studies, 'Socrates and the Fat Rabbis' makes a major contribution to scholarship on the discursive and cultural practices of the ancient Mediterranean." Book rec of the day.

"More Durable Than 'The Old Man of the Mountain'"

2010-03-15T08:31:00.001-07:00

New Hampshire remembers Granny D, who walked across the country at 89 years old to promote campaign finance reform. Touching Nashua Telegraph obit here. Her friend and co-author Dennis Burke's eulogy here.

The New Buddhist Atheism

2010-03-13T21:40:00.001-08:00

A form of non-religious religion that even Hitchens can live with.

The Ecotechnic Future: Envisioning a Post-Peak World

2010-03-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

"In response to the coming impact of peak oil, John Michael Greer helps us envision the transition from an industrial society to a sustainable ecotechnic world—not returning to the past, but creating a society that supports relatively advanced technology on a sustainable resource base." Book rec of the day.

"The Rosenfeld"

2010-03-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

New unit of measurement for power NOT used due to energy efficiency improvements. (See also nega-watt.) H/t Revkin.

Material Culture of Breweries

2010-03-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

"From antique beer bottles to closely guarded recipes and treasured historic architecture, brewery culture has a special place in American history. This fascinating book brings the material culture of breweries in the United States to life, from many regions of the country and from the early productions of the sixteenth century to today’s industrial operations. Herman Ronnenberg, a historical archaeologist and brewery expert who participates in major brewery clubs and publishes regularly on the topic, offers something for everyone from scholars to casual beer aficionados. He traces the evolution of techniques, equipment, raw materials, and architecture over five centuries, discusses informal production outside of breweries, and offers detailed information on makers marks, patents, labels, and beer containers that allows readers to identify items in their own collections. Well illustrated with photographs and drawings, this book will be popular with collectors and general readers, and essential for those working in historical archaeology, local history, material culture, and related fields." Book rec of the day.

A Recipe For Defacement of Federal Property

2010-03-04T13:51:00.001-08:00

Reagan to replace Ulysses S. Grant on $50 bill?

UPDATE: Is it good for the Jews?

Gentile Soirees

2010-03-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

MJ Rosenberg has spent the whole day on twitter attacking Marty Peretz for a dismissive comment about anti-Israel leftists attending "gentile soirees." Here is just a sampling:

My paternal grandfather was a gentile.Is that chopped liver, people? #p2
37 minutes ago via bit.ly

http://bit.ly/crkJP6 I just counted. of my closest friends, 14 are gentiles. And yet. no invite to gentile soirees. Yes, I'm pissed. #p2
38 minutes ago via bit.ly

http://bit.ly/crkJP6 Peretz was a TA at Harvard 4 30 years Maybe it's a Harvard thing (no gentile soirees 4 him or tenure track either). #p2
39 minutes ago via bit.ly

http://bit.ly/crkJP6 Was GOP convention a "gentile soiree" plus JOE & Hadassah. #p2
41 minutes ago via bit.ly

http://bit.ly/crkJP6 Problem is. If you are a lib Dem, there are no "gentile soirees" or "straight soirees" either. That makes us Dems. #p2
42 minutes ago via bit.ly

http://bit.ly/crkJP6 FLASH. Just told "gentile soirees" don't have African-Americans in attendance. My bad. #p2 #ISRAEL
43 minutes ago via bit.ly

My son Peter is a bigshot in hiphop world. Goes to lots of events where he's only white guy. Are these "gentile soirees?"
#p2 #ISRAEL
44 minutes ago via bit.ly

Milton Friedman Is Chile's New Bicycle

2010-03-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

Bret Stephens recently made the argument in WSJ that while Milton Friedman personally abhorred 'socialistic' building codes, he and his pal Augusto Pinochet were largely responsible for the prosperity of Chile's economy that enabled the country to enforce the tough building codes which helped to sustain most post-1970s buildings in the recent earthquake. Got that? Paul Krugman responds here.

UPDATE: Naomi Klein piles on.

"A Racist Fantasy"

2010-03-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Zizek on Avatar.

Capitalism And The Jews

2010-03-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

"The unique historical relationship between capitalism and the Jews is crucial to understanding modern European and Jewish history. But the subject has been addressed less often by mainstream historians than by anti-Semites or apologists. In this book Jerry Muller, a leading historian of capitalism, separates myth from reality to explain why the Jewish experience with capitalism has been so important and complex--and so ambivalent." Book rec of the day.

A Different Kind of Oscars Blog

2010-02-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will be using a system known as instant-runoff voting (IRV) for Best Picture balloting. The Center for Voting and Democracy, which helps to design voting systems, is blogging about it here. And you can practice your IRV chops by voting on a sample Oscars ballot here.

Sigh of Relief For SF Tourism Authorities

2010-02-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

Sea lions return to Pier 39.

Conan Joins Twitter

2010-02-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

"I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account." (And he's currently outpacing the Dalai Lama -- another recent entrant into the twittersphere -- in followers.)

Egyptian Cold Case Files

2010-02-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

The miracle of DNA reveals that King Tut probably suffered from a club foot and died of malaria.