Latkes or Hamentashen?

For a debate over which is better, latkes or hamentashen, click here.

Haveil Havalim Time

Haveil Havalim #258: Purim 5770 Edition is up at The Israel Situation.

Famous Jews

Marnie Winston-Macauley always writes amusing articles over at Aish. In this column, she has "tales of Jews who are both fascinating and unsung", including two of my favorite people, Fiorello LaGuardia, and Ed Koch.

"New York City’s most famous mayor (1934-45), called 'Little Flower', feisty Fiorello LaGuardia, was born in 1882 to a Jewish mother (Irene Luzzato Coen). He won the love of Jewish New Yorkers for his fierce protection of immigrant garment workers. Ironically, while a Congressman, flyers 'flew' calling him a Jew-hater during his re-election bid in 1922. 'Fio' challenged his opponent to a debate – in Yiddish! As Mayor, he was such an ardent foe of the Nazi regime, German ambassador protested LaGuardia’s remarks to Secretary of State Hull, who shared them with FDR. The Holocaust was deeply personal for La Guardia. Gemma La Guardia Gluck, his sister, spent eight months in Ravensbruck, as did her daughter and grandson. Her husband died in Mauthausen. Despite her brother’s fame, it took a year, before the Gluck family got to New York in 1947, shortly before Fiorello died of cancer. Until her own death in 1962, she lived in a Queens housing project-- constructed by the LaGuardia Administration."

Joannie Rochette: The Show Must Go On

While reading stories online about the brave Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, who won the bronze medal a week after her mother's sudden death, I was disgusted to read many nasty comments about her win, particularly those in this article. The author must be the Tin Man - he has no heart.

Watcher's Council Winners

Congratulations to that Weasel-Watcher Soccer Dad! His cleverly titled post, "Cry havoc and let slip the fog of (agw) lore" was this week's first place winner!

Happy Purim!

I always get a kick out of the many parodies and spoofs on the Jewish websites each Purim. The one at the Jewish Daily Forward is called -- what else -- Backward, while The Jewish Week reports on a great new movie.

The Obamacare Summit Farce

Obama went on for so long at the end that all I could think of was Bill Clinton's convention keynote address in 1988, and everyone applauding when he finally said, "And in conclusion..."! There are some great comments over at NRO's The Corner. Kathryn Jean Lopez mentions screaming at the TV (which I was doing myself); while Jay Nordlinger has this astute observation:

"This health-care summit was a bad idea for the Democrats for this reason: They have long benefited from a perception — a perception greatly abetted by the media: The Republicans don’t care about health care, they don’t know about health care, they are the Party of No. All the ideas and caring are on the Democratic side. It is not so, and it has never been so. And now everybody knows it."

Gee, and all this time I thought all we Republicans wanted to do was starve children and kill patients!

Good News & Bad News for the Jews

The good news and the bad news.

Politically Correct Terrorism

Here's an excellent article by Soccer Dad.

Graphic News

American Digest is displaying this graph that tells you all you need to know about Obamanomics.

Not Wild About Harry

There he goes again! I greatly enjoyed Darleen Click's headline: "ZOMG!!! Poor Mrs. Harry Reid…!!!"

Neal Boortz's Common Sense

I like Neal Boortz because he talks common sense. In today's Neals Nuze column, he sums up health care and the entitlement mentality this way: "In a nutshell .. you have no right to good health. You do have a right to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Exercise that right responsibly and things might turn out better."

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds Vol. 6 No. 22 is on call at MD Whistleblower.

Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz and Schwartz

Read about the remarkable life of Yitta Schwartz.

Potential Darwin Award Winners

That was the first thing that came to mind when I read this story:

"A 'no trespassing' sign warned four teenagers in Florida not to walk onto the railroad trestle where they were joking around and taking pictures. A fisherman along the banks of the creek below also told them to be careful. The final warning was the howling whistle of an oncoming train. They tried to heed the piercing alarm, but only one was able to sprint to safety.The other three, all girls, were struck and killed by the train Saturday."

Watcher's Council Winners

Visit Soccer Dad to find out who made the latest list of Watcher's Council winners.

Obamacare Obsession

From American Thinker, an article about the Obamacare that this administration is still determined to force down all our throats. And again, I ask why, if this is supposed to be about insuring the uninsured, the Democrats don't simply do just that -- and only that?

Haveil Havalim Time

Jack has announced that Haveil Havalim #257: The "Moshe Rabbeinu Birthday/Yahrzeit" Edition is now available at Ki Yachol Nuchal! There's some good reading here, along with pretty photographs of flowers in Israel.

Celebrity Culture in America

After Tiger Woods' craftily-arranged speech, Adam Buckman wrote a good analysis of our reality TV culture:

"Who’s next? Charlie Sheen? How about Jon Gosselin getting 10 minutes of daytime airtime to apologize to Kate and their eight children? Or maybe Snooki and the others from 'Jersey Shore' getting 20 minutes to apologize for their show (among other things)? Of course not. Still, the word is out: Celebrities, big ones, are now to be accorded the same access to the airwaves as presidents and prime ministers. Behold: You have just witnessed another milestone in the evolution of celebrity culture in America."

Lying Can Be Murder

Remember the Duke Lacrosse "rape" case, in which a stripper/prostitute falsely accused 3 decent college boys of attacking her? Remember the prosecutor who defended her and was disbarred for suppressing evidence? Remember the 88 Duke professors who believed the boys were guilty? Well, here's what that fine upstanding woman is doing now. (via Nealz Nuze)

Somebody Up There Likes Him

What an interesting story this is! One of the athletes participating in the first boxing event at the new Yankee Stadium is studying to be a Rabbi.

People Are Sheep

Seeing my co-workers stop working in order to watch Tiger Woods' well-choreographed apology just reinforced my long-held conviction that the American people are gullible sheep.

The Religion of Peace Strikes Again?

Remember Fort Hood, and Fort Dix? Could this be yet another attack at an Army base? If the answer is yes, let's see how long it takes the media to use the word "terrorism" this time.

Jewish in New York

In a wonderfully enjoyable article, Lenore Skenazy asks if New York Jews are more Jewish:

"Oh, to use 'appetizing' as a noun! Oh, to remember sunny summers spent splashing on the beach at Coney Island. Oh, to have a knish do for me what a madeleine did for Proust — unleash a torrent of memories, except instead of tortured and French, mine are warm and borough based. A violin fiddles in the background; Mayor Ed Koch plays the role of Tevye. Oh, to have been born a New York Jew!"

Terrorism in Texas

What a horror! As soon as I got the breaking news story at work and saw the photos at The Austin Statesman website, I knew it had to be terrorism. What's equally disturbing are the people who are actually siding with this lunatic! They have printed his manifesto on the website, and that made me think of the Unabomber.

Beautiful Music

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Isn't this a lovely piece? I have my computer open to the classical music area of Iceberg Radio, and this was playing when I got home from work. I had never heard it before and was instantly captivated as well as soothed.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Here's a good one from Argus Hamilton, commenting on the news items of the day: “The Weather Channel reported snow on the ground in forty-nine states Friday for the first time ever. It's a winter nobody will forget. Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his book on global warming and now it's up for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.”

The Conservative 100

Take a look at this list of the 100 most popular conservative websites. It's a way to see how many of your own favorites are on the list, and a good way to discover new sites.

Grand Rounds

ACP Hospitalist invites you to join Grand Rounds, where you can read some of the best medical posts on the Internet.

Ignobel Nobels

I agree with Donald Trump that Al Gore should be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize for the global warming farce. And while theu're at it, Obama should be stripped of his own Nobel Peace Prize.

Bye Bayh!

As soon as I heard that Evan Bayh wouldn't seek reelection, I knew that everyone would come up with the same obvious headline! As for Patrick Kennedy's decision not to seek reelection, good riddance! I hope this "Kennedy seat" is also taken by a Republican.

Rules of Grammar

All of you who love grammar or do proofreading at work will enjoy this old, amusing list of rules.

Watcher's Council Winners

A list of the latest Watcher's Council winners is up at Soccer Dad.

Haveil Havalim Time

Jack has announced that Havel Havelim Rosh for Chodesh Adar, Not A Joke is now available at the home of Shiloh Musings.

The Vancouver Olympics

I liked this New York Times article about last night's colorful Opening Ceremonies. The carrying in of the Olympic flag is always so patriotic and stirring; and Donald Sutherland has the perfect voice for narrating the history of Canada. But as for NBC's commentary, it made me miss Jim McKay even more!

Filthy Lies

Atlas Shrugs links to a Guardian article on filthy blood libel claims. "Just when we thought we heard everything, there comes Lady Tonge, the Liberal Democrat peer, calling for Israel to set up an inquiry to disprove allegations that its medical teams in Haiti 'harvested' organs of earthquake victims for use in transplants." The IDF rushes to help disaster victims -- and this is the thanks they get. This creature is no "Lady"!

Politically Incorrect Speech

I greatly enjoyed this post via Instapundit, regarding the brouhaha over supposed "racist" code words, such as "professor". Are there people who actually spend all their time looking for offenses where none is meant? How niggardly!

More From the Religion of Peace

P. David Homik at FrontPage Magazine has a good analysis of
Muslim antisemitism. But how many times does the obvious have to be stated? "That the Palestinians, however, show such high enthusiasm for the likes of Hezbollah, Nasrallah, Ahmadinejad, and Bin Laden gives a better clue as to why 'peace' keeps running aground than all the anguished analyses of supposedly failed diplomacy." And how do you like this wholesome children's show, as reported by Smooth Stone?

Betsy's Best

Need something good to read? Betsy's Page offers these interesting links.

A Rant Against Valentine's Day

Andrea Peyser hates Valentine's Day.

Surviving the Odds

Read this article about Alexei Vaitsen, a Holocaust survivor who remembers and can identify Nazi guard John Demjanjuk, currently on trial.

Aerial Photos from September 11

The "Health Care Summit" Farce

The Anchoress has the perfect analysis:

"Is Obama’s 'health care summit' just meant for show?. I vote a big yes. The guy spent the past year saying, 'I won. Shut up. The GOP has no plan; they just want the status quo. I don’t want to hear a lot of talk. Do it my way. Bush sucks.' Now, he wants to confer with the GOP after he has a final bill prepared. It’s Roy Scheider in All That Jazz again, lighting a cigarette, looking into the mirror and announcing, 'Showtime!'

The Republicans would be doing all of us a great favor by suggesting that Obama simply cover the uninsured he's supposedly so worried about, and leave the rest of us alone.

Soccer Dad Stuff

Soccer Dad has been asked to write for JewishByte, a blog from the Orthodox Jewish community in Baltimore; this is his first contribution. Congratulations!

Grand Rounds

Join the latest Grand Rounds at Edwin Leap.

Argus Hamilton Quips

His latest column includes a helpful hint that those in the Balt/Wash/Philly areas might appreciate:

"The Weather Channel reported Thursday that last week's ice storms in the South knocked out electricity in some areas for a week. Oklahoma has a firewood shortage because the trees are all frozen. People are staying warm by burning Al Gore's books."

One-Armed Bandit

I'm not referring to Las Vegas or a remake of "The Fugitive". Instapundit's headline of the day sounds like a joke, but it appears the story is real.

Haveil Havalim Time

Simply Jews is the host of Haveil Havalim #255: post-Groundhog Day edition. At least we know that thanks to Jewish bloggers like these, we will have at least 6 more weeks of HH!

The Blizzard of 2010

Wow! What a record-setting snowstorm in Maryland and the Washington area! You'd think that all the hot air issuing from the White House would have helped a bit. Good luck to those of you dealing with these difficult conditions today.

The Enemy is Listening

Here's a good editorial from Investors Business Daily, about the inability of the Obama Administration to take terrorism and national security seriously.

There Oughtta Be a Law(yer)!

Per the terrific website Overlawyered, "The federal government is seeking applicants who are mentally ill, mentally retarded or both to work as lawyers in the Justice Department." Make sure you read the job announcement to see what the other "targeted disabilities" are.

Too Much Information

Regarding Jenny Sanford and her publicity tour, the Palmetto Scoop echoes my sentiments and says "Enough already!" This goes for Elizabeth Edwards, too!

JBlog Carnival Roundup

Soccer Dad has a roundup of recent Jewish blog carnivals.

Where in the World is Israel?

Andrea Peyser has news about these toy globes that have just one tiny little flaw:

"These planetary models contain just about all the countries on Earth -- from France to China, Singapore to Spain. But there's one glaring exception: Israel. In the spot where Israel should be, this word is printed: "Palestine." Some of those who unwittingly purchased the Israel-free orbs feel as if they've played a role in a modern-day Final Solution."

I'm reminded of this story from May 2009.

Happy Birthday, Norman Rockwell!

Today is Norman Rockwell's birthday, which even Google commemorated in its doodle. Here's a Smithsonian magazine article on how some of his most famous paintings were created; and The Saturday Evening Post has a section on Willie Gillis. I've always been a big fan.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Check out Argus Hamilton's take on what's making news, including these items:

" Toyota apologized Saturday for faulty gas pedals on four million vehicles just recalled. When you press the pedal down it stays down and the car accelerates out of control. Whoever designed the gas pedal should be fired and made Treasury Secretary."

"President Obama met Saturday with George H.W. Bush and son Jeb Bush at the White House. The president was glad to meet Jeb. He blamed George W. Bush for the economy and George H.W. Bush for Iraq, and it's nice to have a Bush in the bank for future blame."

A Love Story

Here's a heartwarming story about Mr. & Mrs. Atkins of Philadelphia -- married for 80 years.

Evil for Sale

Like many of us, Jack is understandably outraged over the news that Mengele's diary is up for sale! I'd love to see a Holocaust survivor buy it...and promptly burn it.

Sticks and Stones...

We Republicans and conservatives have been called every name in the book: racists, lunatics, hate-mongers, so it shouldn't be surprising to hear that Chris Matthews has compared us to the Khmer Rouge!

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds Vol. 6 No. 19 is up at Musings of a Distractible Mind. Note the wonderful photos of the Groundhog Day ceremony -- so amusingly old-fashioned!

Betsy's Best

Betsy's Page is Cruising The Web to bring you highlights you may have missed.

Watcher's Council Winners

Check out the latest Watcher's Council winners at Soccer Dad.