Kareem and The Holocaust

How interesting!: "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to visit Israel. Former NBA star, who is making film about WWII, to meet Rabbi Lau whom his father liberated from Nazi concentration camp....Lau said that Abdul-Jabbar's father, Ferdinand L. Alcindor, had a dying wish: 'That his son visit Israel, and meet the little boy that he rescued from Buchenwald and turned into a prominent rabbi.'"

Very Annoying

If you'd like to vent about the things that annoy you,  feel free to comment at this New York Times page.   Notice how many people mention cell phones as one of the worst annoyances.

Pet Peeve

These people have way too much time on their hands:  "Calling animals 'pets' is insulting, academics claim." I bet they agree with those who insist that vegetables feel pain when picked from the soil.

Baseball in Brooklyn?

I really enjoyed reading Marc Tracy's suggestion regarding the Dodgers:  "'.. Mr. Selig, if you want to be remembered as a hero, you have one obvious move left: Move the team back to Brooklyn.'"

Join the Sticky Notes Campaign!

I love it!   At the gas pumps, "Turn Your Sticky Notes Into Conservative Votes!"   I may write "It's Obama's Fault" on a Post-It Note next time I fill up.  (You can also do this whenever you mail a letter or a bill -- just write a message on the back of the envelope.)

Terrible Tornadoes

What frightening, devastating tornadoes in Alabama!  You can send a check to Temple Emanu-El at 2100 Highland Ave., Birmingham, AL 35205.  "Temple Emanu-El will work together with the Birmingham Jewish Federation and the Collat Jewish Family Services to distribute the funds from our Jewish community."

Argus Hamilton Quips

I like his latest column, which includes this item: "Teleprompter inventor Hubert Schlafly died Tuesday at age ninety-one in his home in Connecticut. He invented the device fifty years ago to help soap opera actors remember their lines. President Obama ordered U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff, then scrolled up slowly."  I'm surprised Obama didn't give the eulogy.

The Edge of Night

Now THIS is truly "awesome"! : "The Photopic Sky Survey is a 5,000 megapixel, 360 degree panorama of the entire night sky stitched together from 37,440 exposures."   (via Metafilter)

Grand Rounds

For some reason, I'm no longer getting updates of Grand Rounds on my RSS feeder.  Here is Bedside Manner's Grand Rounds Vol.7, #30:Patient-Centered Care; and you can find  Grand Rounds, Vol.7, No.31 at Dispatch From Second Base.

Moving Photos

How interesting!  You have to look at this.  
(As seen at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System)

"Rights" That Are Wrong

Dennis Prager's column on the welfare state sums it up perfectly!

"The welfare state enables — and thereby produces — people whose preoccupations become more and more self-centered as time goes on:
How many benefits will I receive from the state?
How much will the state pay for my education?
How much will the state pay for my health care and retirement?
What is the youngest age at which I can retire?
How much vacation time can I get each year?
How many days can I call in sick and get paid?
How many months can I claim paternity- or maternity-care money?
The list gets longer with each election of a left-wing party. And each entitlement becomes a 'right,' as the Left transforms entitlements into the language of 'rights' as quickly as possible.
What handouts do, and what the transformation of handouts into rights does, is create a citizenry that increasingly lacks the most important character trait — gratitude. Of all the characteristics needed for both a happy and morally decent life, none surpasses gratitude. Grateful people are happier, and grateful people are more morally decent. That is why we teach our children to say 'thank you.' But the welfare state undoes that. One does not express thanks for a right. So, instead of 'thank you,' the citizen of the welfare state is taught to say, 'What more can I get?'" 

Cruising The Web With Betsy

As always, there's a lot of good reading at Betsy's Page.

Hooray for Hammerstein

What an enjoyable piece of writing this is!  "My Uncle, Oscar Hammerstein" by John Steele Gordon.

Watcher's Council Winners

Here are the latest Watcher's Council winners.

Unfair Welfair

Gee, what a shock! "THE TELEGRAPH: Welfare handouts aren’t fair – and the public knows it." . Welfare handouts are especially unfair when they are given to healthy, young men and women in return for absolutely nothing.  Wasn't welfare originally intended as a temporary measure instead of the lifetime, generational entitlement it's become? Obama says we should all sacrifice, and now he's talking about more taxes. Well, how about sacrificing by cutting welfare entitlements, or, at least, putting a sensible time limit on it? If our spineless politicians are afraid of losing the votes of welfare recipients, they should know they will get the votes of the rest of us.

Haveil Havalim Time

I managed to miss these two editions of Haveil Havalim, so without further ado, here are Haveil Havalim #312 - It's Time To Talk About The Elephant In The Room at Esser Agaroth; and
Haveil Havalim #313 - the Pre-Passover Edition at To Kiss A Mezuzah.

A Bittersweet Ending to a Tragic Story

I came across this story at World Jewish Daily: "Israeli cousins discover each other in online search of Holocaust names database."

Jesus in Hollywood

Here's an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about  the movie "King of Kings"  and its impact on people. My favorite Biblical movies include  "Jesus of Nazareth",  "The Greatest Story Ever Told",  "Ben Hur", and the 1960's "King of Kings". (That the last two had scores by Miklós Rózsa didn't hurt.)

O-bservations

A commenter on the Nealz Nuze website made these observations, which I'm sure most of us conservatives have noticed ourselves over the last few years:

"Occasionally I'll go read what leftists post in more lefty-friendly forums and get at least a few chuckles. I'll name just a few things that caught my attention:

* Obama is not to blame for high gas prices, even by the same people who blamed Bush for higher gas prices while he was in office.
* Obama is not to blame for spending so much money because that is the only thing that kept us out of a depression.
* Obama is not to blame for the poor economy, because (of course), it is all Bush's fault.
* Obama is not to blame for extending the Bush tax cuts, because he was 'forced' to do so by the evil Republicans in Congress.
* Obama is not to blame for military operations in Libya because he didn't 'lie us into it' like Bush did in Iraq.
* Obama is not to blame for not fulfilling so many of his campaign promises (like ending operations in Iraq, cutting the deficit in half during his first term, not raising taxes on those making under $250k/year, not raising the debt ceiling, etc.) because the mess Bush left was much worse than anybody knew about.
* Obama could get the deficit and national debt under control, if only the evil Republicans would go along with much higher tax rates on the rich. [Note: spending is NEVER mentioned when this position is being promoted]

Whenever I point out to those who actually believe this stuff that some of Obama's policies are simply a continuation of Bush's, they get really mad and basically stand on their head and spin rapidly. They also continually deflect back to Bush when cornered with logic, reasoning and facts. It is funny to see them defend Obama when his actions are almost carbon copies of Bush and when that is pointed out to them they almost always go into attack mode.
If these same people weren't voters it would be a lot funnier. Maybe some of the rest of you can add more to my list or post your own experiences. I hope all of you have a great weekend and enjoy some time with friends and family." 

This Magic Moment

I had no idea that Jay Black was Jewish!

Good Friday to You

Here are some photos of Holy Week around the world.

Despicable Liars

Speaking of cheaters, I wish it could be possible for con artists like this one to have to experience a real disability just for one day.

Steroids Hall of Fame

This interesting article by Christine Brennan was discussed on the Mike & Mike radio show yesterday morning.  If these cheaters' records are allowed to stand, then these athletes ought to have their own wing in the Hall of Fame. Why should Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens ever be thought of with the same reverence we feel for honest record-setting athletes of the past?

"An Open Goal for Our Enemies"

Pass along this column by Melanie Phillips, who ends it by saying, 

"Tumultuous changes are under way in the Arab world. At present, it is unclear what the outcome will be. But at this crucial juncture in history, a time of unparalleled danger not just for individual countries but for western civilisation, the west has not produced one single leader who possesses the insight, statesmanship and moral courage to deal with it.
Instead in Britain we have toytown politicians, tyros who are clearly wholly out of their depth -- and supported by an administrative class that increasingly only knows what it must think rather than how to do so. In France, the ridiculous, strutting Sarkozy was apparently prompted to go to war in Libya by the even more ridiculous and strutting ‘public intellectual’ Bernard-Henri Levy. Say no more. And the US is currently led by a President whose lethal anti-western radicalism has rendered America an impotent giant, whose powerlessness is plain for all the enemies of the west to see.
The West is now an open goal for its enemies."

Breeder of the Day

I wish they'd refer to creatures like this one as anything other than "mother":  "Oakland police arrest 25-year-old woman for prostitution, find 1-month-old twins in her car...Holmgren said the woman 'showed no remorse at all.' She told police she needed money to get back home to Stockton and asked, "'What else am I supposed to do?" Holmgren said. The woman also has three other children, ages 3, 4 and 5, police said."
What else is she supposed to do, she asked?  For starters, how about "get yourself sterilized"?

Palestinian Chutzpah

This headline shouldn't surprise us:  "Arabs attack Jewish shepherd, then complain to police."  And speaking of chutzpah, why is the shooting of synagogue windows not immediately seen as a hate crime?  To consider such attacks to be mere "pranks" is ridiculous.

Fierce about Pierce

I don't always agree with everything Liz Smith says, But I sure enjoyed her review of the unnecessary remake of "Mildred Pierce".  She writes, 

"Well, I finally saw the last three episodes of 'Mildred Pierce' and all I can say is — three cheers for Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth (who played the vicious daughter Veda) and director Michael Curtiz, who guided their film to screen history and nabbed an Oscar for Joan.
The new version was close to excruciating as it wound down. Talk about a literal translation! And Miss Winslet appeared to be under anesthesia. Crawford was restrained as Mildred, but what she could do with her eyes and the slightest inflection of her voice. Kate — a brilliant actress, usually — appeared here to have no color, no fire. She was just an impossibly dreary masochist, sacrificing everything for her ungrateful serpent’s tooth of a child — and speaking in a flat, maddening monotone.
As for Evan Rachel Wood, who played Veda — sorry, kid, for low-down meanness, but Ann Blyth was the champ. But enough. That’s just my opinion."

Trig Palin Derangement Syndrome

What is wrong with these leftist lunatics?

Norwegian Nazis

It never ends! Read this post: "Taxi drivers in Oslo are reportedly refusing to drop riders off at synagogue."

Avoid Them Like the Plague

Bill Levinson compares the Palestinians to the Ten Plagues. (The Palestinians should first get the 10 plagues!)

Most Ridiculous Headline of the Day

This proves that there's no fool like an old fool: "Zsa Zsa Gabor, 94, to have baby via surrogate, claims husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt."

Happy Passover!

Edwin Black gives an account of the Exodus.

Tax & Spend

Betsy is absolutely right: "What the Republicans need is someone who can explain this basic math to the American public. A few Ross Perot like graphs, including this one, would be useful. This is the message you can ponder as you celebrate paying your taxes today." Even if the Republicans had someone like this, he'd be attacked as evil, starving the poor, etc.  I'm fed up with it! If the bleeding heart liberals want to continually give more money to the poor, let them do it!

"Just Boys"

No surprise here as the Arabs question why Israel has arrested these "boys": "'I have very serious doubts about the Israeli claims,' he said. 'We said we wanted to help because we also want to know the truth and want to see the one responsible for the killing punished. They refused, and they carried out their own secret investigation. In the end, they came up with this story about the two boys. These two are just boys, and they must have come under tremendous pressure and torture during interrogation that forced them to confess to something they have not done.'" I hate the "they're only just boys" defense anyway -- it's used in our own country all the time -- but to attack Israel for even this slaughter is more despicable than usual.

Choice of Words

It looks like Israel has a mainstream media, too! Look at the difference in the wording of the headlines about the capture of the killers of the Fogel Family.  Israel Today magazine has it right: "IDF nabs terrorist butchers of Jewish family".  But here's Haaretz: "Two teens from West Bank village arrested over Itamar massacre".  This headline doesn't even mention that the "teens" are the perpetrators of the massacre!

Watcher's Council Winners

Check out the latest Watcher's Council winners at Watcher of Weasels, who is keeping an eye on the weasels of the world.

The Exodus, Internet Style

       
I came across this clever video over at Jewish World Daily.

Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye!

I saw this nightmare hole on TV last night and thought it looked like a comedy skit! Imagine if this had happened to Tiger Woods instead -- there would have been club-throwing and cursing galore!

Surrounded by Enemies

Greg Crosby writes: "Passover is an appropriate time for Americans to remember who their real friends are in the Middle East. Israel is surrounded by enemies and needs our help."

Entitlement Enabling

An excellent description of the entitlement mentality: "We are a generous nation. Americans help those who are going through a difficult time until they can get back on their feet. There was a time when such help by American taxpayers was referred to as 'being on charity,' and it was considered a blessing. A temporary blessing. It was part of what made this a great country. We later started calling it the somewhat chillier 'government relief,' and then the more sterile 'public assistance.' Now it is something to which many feel entitled from cradle to grave, never being on their feet to begin with, making 'getting back on their feet' a nonstarter. We are now at a point where easing back on the charity is viewed as 'stealing.'  In fact, raising taxes on someone — even someone who earns more money than most of us — to give to someone else is actual stealing. Perhaps Obama and the far left can start referring to tax hikes as 'compulsory charity' in order to sugarcoat what is really going on." Many years ago, it was called "being on the dole" and was considered shameful, especially for able-bodied men. They ought to bring the stigma back instead of making receiving charity so easy -- and so expected.
In the same vein, Michelle Malkin reports on efforts to sign up more and more people for food stamps.

Most Ridiculous Lawsuit of the Month

As the e-mail I received said,  this is not an April Fool's joke. Vote for your favorite ridiculous April lawsuit.

What America Has Become

This line sums up Obama's disgraceful speech: "President Obama is correct that there are two competing visions for the future of the nation; one born of our nation's founders and that honors individual achievement and prosperity, or one that extorts from it."   And in other encouraging news, "Only 45.4% of Americans had jobs in 2010, the lowest rate since 1983 and down from a peak of 49.3% in 2000. Last year, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record."   And that means fewer of us taxpayers supporting everyone else!  Well, let's hope that us 45.4% don't return Obama to office next year.

Perfect Peeps

Rush over to the Washington Post to see the entries in the Peeps Diorama Contest! The winner?  "Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue".

Jewish Ice Cream Flavors

Click here for some amusing ideas.

Morally & Financially Bankrupt

This is a very scary read:  John Hawkins discusses "5 Things That Will Happen To You When America Goes Bankrupt". These are just five more reasons to get Obama and the Democrats out of office.

Kiddie Entitlements

Stories like this, about resorting to bribing people to do what they should be doing on their own, infuriate me!  I see they're starting them off young so by the time they're adults, they will expect to be paid for everything they do.  Those of us who studied hard as kids and made the honor roll at school -- should we now demand back pay? What next, bribing people to do their jobs, or bribing them to pay their taxes?  The possibilities are endless.

Ay-Ay-Eichmann

Here's an account of the trial of the evil Adolf Eichmann; hanging was too good for him.  He should have been made to suffer as his victims suffered.

Time to Play the World's Smallest Violin

I nearly retched when I read about the tough life Obama leads: '"I just miss - I miss being anonymous," he said at the meeting in the White House. "I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk."'  Well,  if we can defeat him in 2012, he'll be able to do all these things again, so let's make that happen!

A Perfect Analogy

Via Doug Ross @ Journal: "Mark Steyn likens America and its staggering debt to a man so obese he is dependent upon others to feed him and service his waste."

(Belated) Haveil Havalim Time

Oops! It seems that I missed the most recent editions of Haveil Havalim!   Here is Haveil Havalim #310 The Post Purim Hangover Edition at Izgad; and  Haveil Havalim #311 — The Warp and Woof Edition, over at Frume Sarah's World.

Obsessed With The Golfing Obama

The Masters coverage is unwatchable thanks to the nonstop shilling for Tiger Woods by his clacque at CBS.  I've resorted to watching with the sound off because I'm tired of hearing his name mentioned in every sentence. You'd swear that he, not McIlroy, were in the lead! 

Baseball's Best

If you're disillusioned by greedy, disloyal, cheating, steroid-using ballplayers,  go back in time with these wonderful baseball photographs , which I found at Metafilter.  Also, read "The Glory of Their Times", by Lawrence S. Ritter.

Treif Alert

I will never understand Jews who continue to support Obama. 

Imagination Land

Take a look at, and pass along,  this fairy tale from Andrew Klavan about Barack the Magic Suit.  (Otherwise known as Barack the Empty Suit).

Shut Up and Shut Down

Maybe a government shutdown is just the wake-up call this country needs to send a clear message that reckless spending and entitlements have got to end.  Can someone explain to me why abortions are considered necessities of life by the Democrats?

No We Can't

Have a look at an idea for Obama's new campaign slogan.

You've Got To Be Kidding

Instapundit links to this Salon piece titled  "I can't believe my best friend is a Republican."  Please tell me this is only a satire. If it isn't, these liberal Democrats are obviously more rabid than I suspected.

Great News from Libya

I'm much more frightened of Obama than I am of Gaddafi. Read Monica Crowley.

Name of the Year

When you need a laugh,  you can't help chuckling over these strange names!

A Fire On It!

Juxtapose this ridiculous story with the story from last year of the man whose home was allowed to burn down.

May-hem

Rachel Raskin-Zrihen has a good column about the May 15 plot by Muslim extremists to invade Israel. It feels as if the same words have been used over and over again over the years, yet it's the Muslims who are always seen as the "victims":

"The Israelis can’t be expected to allow themselves to be invaded by millions of armed, homicidal maniacs – civilian or otherwise. And they can’t let them roam the streets, wreaking havoc, which is what they’ll try to do. And they can’t ask the entire Israeli population to cower in their homes and hope the problem goes away. We know from horrible, recent experience that too often, the barbarian enemy has no compunction whatsoever about going into people’s houses and murdering babies in their beds.
The only response I can think of is for the entire Jewish population of Israel to be armed and barricaded in their homes and businesses that day, prepared to shoot anything besides Israeli soldiers that moves in the streets.
If these Facebook instigators succeed in making this happen, there will be a bloodbath in Israel’s streets, one way or the other.
So, what will the world say?
Well, we know this from past experience.
There will be a tremendous international hew and cry over Israel’s “disproportionate use of force,” and calls for more death to Jews.
But the game changer will be what the United States elects to do."

Ed Koch Bridge

Here's a poem about the newly renamed Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. I'd much rather have it named after Mayor Koch than after that awful Mayor Bloomberg!

The Blame Game

It's obviously the Republicans' fault, since everyone knows they are trying to starve people.  "Experts: Farmers not to blame for high food prices". 

Top Conservative Websites

Doug Ross @ Journal lists the top 150 conservative websites.

The Civil War

After hearing  that Ken Burns' masterpiece  "The Civil War" will be on TV this week to mark the 150th anniversary of that battle, I just had to listen to another reading of  the letter from Sullivan Ballou to his wife.  David McCullough's narration, the "Ashokan Farewell" music, and the photographs shown to accompany the letter blended just perfectly. (Note: this YouTube video has sound with a black screen) I have seen "The Civil War" at least 10 times by now, and it's always the best thing on the air. Some of the more memorable parts include 104 year old Daisy Turner reciting a poem by heart; and Shelby Foote.

All Bottled Up

Here's a nice story, which I discovered at the aptly-titled website Happy News.

Watcher's Council Winners

Soccer Dad used to always blog this, so his absence was felt again when I came across this link for Watcher of Weasels and its most recent list of Watcher's Council winners.

Nobama

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has come up with this clever ad for the Obama campaign.  And here's a billboard I like. Let's hope we see a lot more of these things before it's too late.

Prague Library

Isn't this photo amazing? You can see it and many more panoramic images here.

Just My Type

Betsy is Cruising the Web, and she includes a link to an article about the appeal of old-fashioned typewriters. How radical! Some of us even remember typing on an old manual Underwood machine with black & red ribbon spools and round rubber erasers! And I still miss the sound of the IBM Selectric I used many years ago.

Ben Stein on Libya

A new reason for war: 

"Herewith a few, no doubt foolish, thoughts about President Barack H. Obama's Middle East policy.
First, it doesn't make any sense. President Barack H. Obama's close friend and apologist, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts (D) wrote a week ago in the Wall Street Journal to the effect that one of our main goals in helping to oust our longtime ally, Hosni Mubarak, in Egypt, and our nutty 'friend,' Moammar Gaddafi in Libya was to get the Egyptian and Libyan people good jobs.
Yes. I am not making this up. Surely, this must be the first time in human history that one nation bombed the hell out of a much smaller, weaker nation to get the people there jobs. And anyway, how are we going to get those poor people jobs? How can a cruise missile get people good jobs (except maybe cleaning up the rubble)? And if Mr. Barack H. Obama and Senator Kerry know how to get "good jobs" for the people of Libya, maybe they could use that knowhow to get jobs for the roughly 15.5 million Americans who are unemployed.
When I think that we have gone to war with rationales like that one, I really want to just find a cave and hide in it until Mr. Obama goes away." 

That goes double for me! There's more, so read the rest.

Take One Tablet

Tablet Magazine always has interesting things to read, and I particularly liked  this analysis of the character of Mr. Bernstein from one of my favorite films, "Citizen Kane".  Also, take a look at these touching photographs of Slovakian life destroyed during the Holocaust.