Crime and Punishment

Anyone who hurts or kills children and the elderly should get the harshest punishment possible. Here are two cases: This story is not only inexcusable for its crime, but also remarkable for the fact that the victim is still working at the age of 100! Her presence at the evil Wal-Mart should put to shame all young, able-bodied people who are not working!   In this particular case, I'm all for an eye for an eye: this so-called "grandmother" should be thrown off a 5th floor walkway. There are too many instances these days of "parents" and other relatives murdering children, and they deserve no mercy.

Grand Rounds

Grab your charts and join Grand Rounds Vol. 7 No. 10, now underway at Colorado Health Insurance Insider.

For God's Sake!

Will someone please tell today's spoiled, self-absorbed athletes that it's only a game?  It's not as if they are striving to eradicate disease, and yet sports seems more important. (This goes for the fans, too, especially the ones who loot and riot even if their team wins!)  I guess the old saying that "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" has become extinct in today's society.

Oh Brother!

And speaking of the media, just read about this Obamamania, via thetaxprof:

"Want to know what a sycophantic, suck-up, state-run media looks like? Look no further than the taxpayer funded NPR which tries its best to spin hay into gold for our community organizer-in-chief. From Weasel Zippers via memeorandum: NPR: Obama's Fat Lip Gives Him “Street Cred,” Scar Will Help Him Stare Down Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il. My first reaction was something like 'you've got to be kidding me.'"

I bet more people cared about Obama's lip than they did about the release of classified documents.

Traitors

Read Max Boot's excellent analysis of the latest WikiLeaks publication:

"There was a time when editors and reporters thought of themselves as citizens first and journalists second. There were damaging leaks even during World War II, but when they occurred they were generally denounced by the rest of the press. We now seem to have reached a moment when the West’s major news organizations, working hand in glove with a sleazy website, feel free to throw spitballs at those who make policy and those who execute it. This is journalism as pure vandalism. If I were responsible, I would feel shame and embarrassment. But apparently, those healthy emotions are in short supply these days."

Unfortunately, he is absolutely right.

"Father" of the Year

I'm surprised this lowlife isn't starring in his own reality TV show yet! Why should taxpayers have to support all of these irresponsible people?

"The Arab-Israel Conflict in a Nutshell", by Dennis Prager

Pass this on: Dennis Prager's "The Arab-Israel Conflict in a Nutshell". "This preoccupation with a little democratic humane state is absolutely irrational...One side wants the other dead, and if they didn't, there would be peace....Why can't a little state the size of El Salvador that calls itself Israel be allowed to exist?"

WikiLouse

Why is our government powerless to stop this guy?

Haveil Havalim Time

Per Jack, Haveil Havalim #293 - The it was just Thanksgiving and now it's almost Hanukkah Edition is now available at Homeshuling, a Jewish parenting blog by Amy Meltzer.

Musn't Call Him a M-----

Let's not jump to conclusions -- I'm sure
he's just another hapless youth.

Wild Animals

I'm talking about the two-legged variety, not the four-legged ones. Just look at this video, which I saw at theblogprof. This is one "tradition" they ought to do away with, and the "crazed shoppers" ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Black Friday Thuggery

Don't you just love these stories about the Christmas spirit?  And we still have a whole month of it to endure.

I Could Kvell!

Here's an enjoyable article about a Yiddish camp in the Catskills: "Words tossed about during the week included not just those like kvetch and kibitz, which have entered American idiom, but also fresher candidates like shreklekh (terrible or frightening), naches (prideful joy), farblondget (mixed up) and luftmensch (an impractical person with no apparent income)."

Triumphant Reunion

Stories like this are always so touching: "A Holocaust survivor was reunited in Queens Tuesday with the man who helped rescue her 65 years ago."

Commercial Success

What a great commercial, and a catchy tune, too! My favorite part of this is in the doctor's waiting room.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm thankful that I live in America, the greatest country in the world.  And the late gentleman in this article definitely knew what Thanksgiving meant: “If anyone would like to know more of what Thanksgiving really means," he said, "ask a Holocaust survivor."

We're On The Money!

Isn't this fascinating? I had never heard of this before until I read about it just now in the May/June 2010 Saturday Evening Post: "G.I. Bills. Most coin and currency enthusiasts build collections based on rarity and value, but some prize the history behind the hard cash, as in the case of a “short snorter.” During World War II and the Korean War, short snorters were typically $1 bills that servicemen carried as good luck charms. When soldiers gathered, they sought out other short snorters and signed each other’s bills, often including dates and locations. High-ranking officers and even celebrities signed them, too. For more about these unique pieces of history, visit the Web site shortsnorter.org."

Remembering the Victims

This is quite an achievement: "Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial announced Monday it was close to identifying the names of some two-thirds of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis and their collaborators during World War II."

O-Bummer

This perfect Dry Bones cartoon describes all that the mainstream media would never admit about Obama.

Movie Madness

There's nothing quite like a Rex Reed review of a bad movie. Check out  what he says about "Burlesque": "Trash comes in all forms, but rarely in a sequined G-string. That's all there is to a brain-dead, cliché-riddled pastiche of old Betty Grable movies called Burlesque. This one is strictly for Cher fans who like their campy shtick loud, lewd and ludicrous. But the biggest problem among many is that it's not her movie. She's hardly in it. Instead of an excuse to breathe oxygen into the twilight of Cher's career, it turns out to be a slutty pasteup constructed out of spit and chewing gum to showcase the movie debut of the caterwauling Christina Aguilera. They should have all stayed in bed. This movie is so bad that it makes you realize how much you miss Showgirls....At the press screening I attended, the audience was laughing so hard I had trouble hearing the actors."

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds Vol. 7, No. 9 - the Thanksgiving Edition is up at the Facebook page of Amanda Brown, DVM.

Entitlements Gone Wild

Not only do I detest the entitlement mentality, I get infuriated by the brazen shamelessness of the people receiving those entitlements: "Pregnant again, the mother with five children in care who vows to keep having babies until she gets a council house... Last night a spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said the case 'shows why our welfare system needs so desperately to be reformed'. He added: 'This woman has little incentive to go and find work, to get on in life, or to pay for her own housing, because the state is providing all of this for her. The real losers in this sorry tale are the children...but it is unfair for taxpayers to be asked to support people who have large numbers of children, and no intention of providing for them.'"

Mosque Moxie

How is THIS for sheer gall?  "Developers of a planned mosque at New York’s Ground Zero have applied for a $5million grant from a fund set up to rebuild the city after 9/11." Let's hope their application is denied.

A Tragic Anniversary

I didn't hear one person mention today that it's the anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. To me, November 22 means only one thing, the way September 11 and December 7 mean only one thing.  This article asks people where they were when they heard the terrible news. I was 8 years old and just remember being sent home from school, and watching the coverage on TV.

The Name Game

I liked this Wall Street Journal article about the names of characters in novels.  I just finished the story "1922" in Stephen King's book "Full Dark, No Stars", and it included a character named Rhoda Penmark.  I understood the reference immediately and wondered how many other readers knew that it was the name of the title character in the film "The Bad Seed"!

Political Correctness: It Just Kills Me

The NY Post's Phil Mushnick asks a question many of us have asked:  "What do you think the reaction is to these satellite-delivered American TV racial profiling debates as heard by Islamic terrorists, operating anywhere from Tehran to Toronto? They must laugh their heads off, wonder if we’re all nuts. Surely, they ask: 'How, at this point in history, can there be any such debate among our sworn enemies? How much more mayhem can we inflict on them before they realize that we’ve declared war?'" The answer is simple: our old nemesis, political correctness. When will it end?

Firehouse Memorial

Some of the beams from the World Trade Center have ended up in a perfect location.

Haveil Havalim Time

Soccer Dad's legacy continues, with Haveil Havalim #292, hosted by To Kiss A Mezuzah.

Having a Bad Reaction

theblogprof wonders, "If Bill Nye The Science Guy Falls And Nobody's There To See It, Does He Make A Sound?" :  "Or, as writer Brett Michael Dykes put it: 'If the Science Guy passes out and nobody tweets it, did it happen?' Turns out that Bill Nye passed out right on stage at an event, and no one came to help. Not one person. Instead, the crowd was busy tweeting that he collapsed."  This sort of thing has happened before, including this case, and it's always disturbing to see the reaction.

"Quote" "Unquote"

As a stickler for good writing and grammar, I find that things like this drive me crazy!  It was on the Last "Laugh" page of my November Reader's Digest. You can find more examples here, at The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks, so obviously I'm not alone!

G.B.F.

Read Victory Davis Hanson's anaylsis of The George W. Bush Fixation. It's like Bush Derangement Syndrome, but this one lasts even longer. "Barack Obama remains fixated by George W. Bush. For nearly two years, President Obama and his team have prefaced their explanations for the tough economy, tough finances and tough situation abroad with a 'Bush did it' chorus. Apparently, they believed that most of our problems, here and abroad, either started with George W. Bush, or at least would not transcend him....So here is a polite suggestion for President Obama: After nearly two years of governance, free up your own policies to either succeed or fail on their own merits without chaining them to the Bush past. In a word: Let go of a now-smiling and relatively rehabilitated Bush -- before such a fixation consumes you and your presidency."

Best Blogs of 2010

First Thoughts has a list of the best blogs of 2010.  Discover some new blogs, and appreciate the ones you already visit.

Sholom Aleichem

I read "Up the Down Staircase" many times as a kid and loved it, but I had no idea that Bel Kaufman's grandfather was Sholom Aleichem until I read this article at The Forward.

The Retirement of Soccer Dad

I got the news today that Soccer Dad -- aka David Gerstman -- has retired from blogging.  Soccer Dad was one of my longtime favorite blogs, and I learned so much.  Among other things, he created the popular Haveil Havalim carnival of Jewish blogs.  Good luck, David -- we'll all miss you!

Israeli vs. US Airports

Yid With Lid sums up the difference between Israeli and American security: "Many of the issues in front of our

policymakers have previously been faced by Israel, a country that has been under the threat terrorist attack since its inception in 1948. And we keep hearing why can't we run our airport security the same way they do in Israel? The real answer to that question is here in the US personal dignity and security take a back seat to political correctness.

Voting for Selfishness

This is what our selfish, reality-TV culture has wrought: "A married couple has sparked fury by setting up a website to let the public vote on whether or not they should have an abortion." I've got a better idea -- let's vote to sterilize them!

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds - Doctor Who edition is up at Emergiblog.

Hog Wild

Remember this , from 2007? Well, here we go yet again! From today's Nealz Nuze: "A toy shop has been branded 'ridiculous' by mothers after it removed a pig from a children's farm set - in case it offended Muslim and Jewish parents."  Read the swinish details here.

No Palestinian State!

Make sure you read this column by Irwin Graulich:

"For 2000 years, the Jewish people were persecuted, murdered, forced to convert, crucified, shot, buried alive, tortured and most recently gassed and burned. We became accustomed to suffering and dying–to being defeated. Today, because of Israel, we are winners–big winners on the world stage. And people hate winners, especially strong winners. The UN, the EU, much of the world including Obama, Hillary, George Mitchell, J Street, Peace Now and of course the Israeli and American Left have great sympathy for losers–even evil losers. And losers who have excellent pr are especially loved by these groups. For the sake of the Jewish people, it is better to have an Israel that is hated by most of the world, than an Auschwitz that is loved with gorgeous obituaries. Read My Lips–No Palestinian State!"

No Comparison

Monica Crowley explains the difference between Presidents Bush and Obama. Among other things:

"Bush believes in America’s greatness, and not only did he never apologize for it, but he did what he thought best to enhance it.
Obama doesn’t believe in America’s greatness; in fact, he believes the opposite: that we’ve been a force for ill in the world, for which he should profusely apologize and attempt to make 'amends.'"

Jewish Blogging

Soccer Dad encourages you to read these Jewish blogs .

Argus Hamilton Quips

Click here for Argus Hamilton's take on the news, including this item: "Senator Harry Reid made plans Thursday to try to pass an illegal alien amnesty bill during the lame duck session. He owes them his job. Just for Harry Reid to get re-elected last week, his name had to be printed on the Nevada state ballot as Anglo Salvador."  And speaking of illegal aliens,  PoliPundit has an amusing solution to the airport body scan problem.

Long May It Wave!

Good!  I was hoping this would be the response to the story of the boy forbidden fly an American flag on his bike.  It's very encouraging when the silent majority speaks up.

That'll Teach 'Em!

I'm sure the terrorists are even more scared of us now,
after this!

Outrageous Chutzpah

What kind of garbage is this?: "A driver who's serving a manslaughter sentence for striking and killing a 14-year-old boy is suing the victim's parents, blaming them for their son's death because they allowed him to ride his bike in the street without a helmet." All I could think of was the line from "All About Eve": "This beats all world's records for running, standing or jumping gall!"

Vindication Victory

Per Power Line, it's nice to see that President Bush has been vindicated yet again. (The Bush-bashing never ends.  Look at this.)

Haveil Havalim Time

Haveil Havalim #291 - The Tribute to Stephen Harper Editionis up at The Rebbetzin's Husband.  (Stephen Harper happens to be the Prime Minister of Canada, and he is pro-Israel.)

Remembering Leon Klinghoffer

I remember  this heartless murder as if it were yesterday. This shows how long we've been excusing brutal terrorist acts.

PC Lunacy of the Day

These ignoramuses obviously have too much time on their hands, and nothing more important to think about: "Council bureaucrats have stripped gingerbread men of their gender and renamed them gingerbread ‘persons’ on menus for 400 primary schools." Make sure you vote in the poll, the results of which are, thankfully, very politically incorrect.

The Meaning of Patriotism

Cindy Adams is proud to be an American, as we all should be.

Winston Churchill

This is a nice article about Winston Churchill. I wonder what he'd make of Britain's and America's spinelessness in the face of terrorism.

Politically Incorrect American Pride

Please explain to me why middle school students would protest the American flag.  And why would school officials kowtow to them instead of ignoring them? What has happened to this country?

Book News

I can't wait to get Laura Hillenbrand's new book; she's a wonderful writer. With my luck, the library will have this one, the Frank Sinatra biography, and Stephen King's latest book of short stories all at the same time.

Happy Veterans Day

Instapundit links to this heartfelt Veterans Day tribute. Check out this photo gallery to see some of the ways the day was commemorated.

The Result of Bending Over Backwards

Take a look at these charming news stories. And here's a must-read from Pamela Geller about the continual concessions to Muslims at our own peril, despite September 11:

"While we are constantly being schooled in how insensitive we are to Muslims and how we should be bowing to the idea of a Ground Zero mega-mosque, or are being admonished for not embracing the Sharia, the state of wartime siege continues unabated. The Muslim world is under no such mandate to reach out or reciprocate. They only have to demand, and the West apologizes. The war that no one will talk about for fear of reprisals blazes on. And when the brave actually do talk about it, they are relegated to the pile of racist-islamophobic-antimuslim-bigots. This schema defies reason."

  Do you sense a pattern here?

Honoring The Heroes

Metafilter has a touching post about honoring our war dead. What a contrast these dedicated women make to those lowlives from Westboro Baptist Church!

How About a Senior Tea Party?

Compare and contrast. Here's how our money is redistributed:  waste more money to help Mass. low-income people stop smoking; but reduce Social Security cost-of-living increases. There is something extremely wrong with the priorities in this country. Why work and pay taxes at all?

Politically Correct Yearbooks

I enjoyed these comments from NY Times readers (!) on the subject of making yearbooks "more inclusive".  Where will this self-esteem garbage end?  What next, giving raises to all workers so that the shirkers don't get their feelings hurt? Giving the Cy Young Award to a winless pitcher?

Apologizing for Greatness

I nearly threw up reading about  how our State Department groveled at the United Nations. You can't make this stuff up!  Between the thought of the U.S. having to answer "human rights" allegations from the likes of Iran, North Korea,  & Libya;  and hearing Obama as he continues to denigrate our country,  it's just too much.

Today I Am a 91 Year-Old Man

Here's a wonderful story: "A 91-year-old Dutch Jew who fought the Nazis in World War II has marked his bar mitzvah, the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony - decades after the traditional date."

The Punishment Fits the Crime

Leave it to the New York Post to cut to the chase on its home page today:  "Connecticut Fiend Gets Death".  I'm relieved the jury did the right thing at last.

What a Trip!

Instapundit and the UK Daily Mail discuss the Obamas' extravagant travels.  Says Insty, "If he were a Republican, we’d be hearing about the “'Imperial Presidency' in the American press. Instead, such criticism is left to the British." I said the same thing yesterday when remarking on the lack of media coverage; can you just imagine if this were George W. Bush? This is why I read the British press.

Everyday Life

This is a very good look at what daily life in Israel is like.

Work Shyness

"Work-shy"?  That's a new name for it!  They ought to try this radical concept in our country next, especially with all young, able-bodied males.

Watcher's Council Winners

The latest Watcher's Council winners are listed over at Soccer Dad.

Execute Him

Why is it taking so long to reach a decision in this case? 91% of respondents, including myself, think Steven Hayes deserves to be executed for what he did.  I was also outraged to learn that one of the jurors actually sent a note to the bailiff - asking for a date! So you have to wonder what kind of people these jurors are.

Haveil Havalim Time

HH #290 — Falling Back Edition is up at Frume Sarah's World.

The Lampshade

We grew up hearing these stories, which Holocaust-deniers have always dismissed.  That you could buy and sell such an item at what amounts to a flea market makes the total disregard for human life even more degrading.

An Amazing Woman

This Holocaust survivor considers herself one of the luckiest people alive.

Utter Shamelessless on Display

At Soccer Dad, news that the usyal suspects are blaming Israel for the Democrats' defeat on Election Day.

In Connecticut, the jury is actually having trouble deciding if the brutal murderer of the Petit family should be executed -- according to the sadistic killer's lawyer, "This is a human being. You may not like him..but he is not a rabid dog."  This is an insult to dogs and to human beings.

If it weren't for the bloggers, would you even know that today is the first anniversary of the Ft Hood massacre?

Just a Lot of Bull(horn)

While the Messiah is off to India to be worshipped and adored, Bush Derangement Syndrome continues here at home.  Perhaps SMU would prefer a mosque rather than a bullhorn on its grounds.

"Hyper-Communication"

Andrea Peyser described our out-of-control "age of hyper-communication": "Whether in the bedroom, the bathroom or even while on a date, folks today are never out of touch with someone potentially better. But despite all that communicating, people never connect." I've never seen anything like it; it looks like cell phones are now a part of people's hands -- they are either on the phone or text-messaging at all hours, even at work. What's incredibly obnoxious is when you're talking to someone face-to-face and they stop to take a call or respond to a text message. At the rate things are going, constant cell phone use will eventually be excused as the latest "disability".

Post-Election Analysis

"A prez in denial" is the name of a good editorial at the New York Post.  Obviously, it's all still Bush's fault. Over at Soccer Dad, you can read about how important the Republican victory was for Israel.

Ship Shape

I never get tired of reading about the Titanic.

The Lower East Side

At the library today, I grabbed "97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement".  From the introduction, "Though separated by time and national background, the Glockners, the Moores, the Gumpertzes, the Rogarshevskys, and the Baldizzis, were all players in the Age of Migration...97 Orchard chronicles what became of those immigrants, but from a special vantage point: it retells the immigrant story from the elemental perspective of the foods they ate."  Doesn't that sound interesting?

Proud to be a Republican

And proud of the Republicans, who conducted themselves splendidly while the Democrats self-destructed  without their help. (It would have been even nicer if Harry Reid, Barney Frank, and Jerry Brown had lost, but you can't have everything!) At least the embarassing Alan Grayson was defeated, and John Kasich won in Ohio. And in the e-newsletter today from the Media Research Center, I was delighted to read about Michelle Bachman's retort to Chris Matthews. The liberal media must be foaming at the mouth. There's a lot of great coverage all over the Internet, so have a happy read!

Happy Election Day!

Make sure you check out this video at Instapundit titled "Vote: It's Your To Speak Out". I just spoke out by voting. Paper ballots aren't quite so satisfying as using the levers and pulling the curtain open, but today's vote was more important than ever. The media will try to spin the results, but they can't hide the fact that this will be a decisive Republican victory -- and an emphatic vote against Obamacare.

Grand Rounds

I prescribe Grand Rounds Vol 7, No.6: The 2010 Politically (in)Correct Mid-Term Election Edition,  now underway at Dr. Wes.

What a Tweetheart

Doug Ross @ Journal asks, "What has this country become under Barack Obama? Sending birthday wishes to dictators in the hope they'll release their hostages?"

Haveil Havalim Time

Haveil Havalim #289 - the good name edition is up at Soccer Dad, who founded HH in the first place!