tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53663992011-04-21T20:10:43.131-04:00Just Another RantNot-so-innocent musings on oh-so-interesting things by Bradford R. PilcherBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1101673447740974602004-11-28T15:22:00.000-05:002004-11-28T15:28:12.716-05:00
The music I'm currently listening to. May I take this time to officially recommend Rhapsody to all music lovers? I think I shall.
The playlist is as follow:
1. "In Da Club" - 50 Cent
2. "Girls" - Beastie Boys
3. "Brass Monkey" - Beastie Boys
4. "Anxiety" - Black Eyed Peas
5. "My Band" - D12
6. "Ass Like That" - Eminem
7. "One More Time" - Daft Punk
8. "Da Funk" - Daft Punk
9. "I'm Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1085594462582388162004-05-26T13:58:00.000-04:002004-05-26T14:01:02.583-04:00LearningIsrael.com ... Don't Go There
This is going to be the official notice. If you're currently or have ever linked to LearningIsrael.com, remove the link. I have allowed the registration on that domain to lapse and it was quickly gobbled up by somebody, I know not who. Clicking over to that link will now yield pornographic results, of which I have no responsibility.
You have thusly been Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1082996415939673472004-04-26T12:20:00.000-04:002004-08-07T22:24:41.453-04:00If you're not against abortion, the terrorists win
The right has finally stooped to pull out the terrorist card to trump pro-choice advocates. Karen Hughes, a confidant of President Bush, said over the weekend: "I think that after September 11, the American people are valuing life more and we need policies to value the dignity and worth of every life. President Bush has worked to say, let's be Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1082145577586089282004-04-16T15:59:00.000-04:002004-04-16T16:03:30.403-04:00Iraqi nuclear sites unguarded!?!?
OK, so it's no surprise the Iraqi war sowed chaos and hampered the efforts of international organizations, particularly arms control organizations. Now the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has sent a letter to both the U.S. and U.N. Security Countil informing them that "Iraq's nuclear facilities remain unguarded, and radioactive materials are being Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1082004164788280802004-04-15T00:42:00.000-04:002004-04-15T00:46:35.653-04:00The answer to hate speech is...
I've been moved to comment on the ongoing efforts to counter JewWatch, an anti-Semitic site which found itself at the top of the Google listings for the search term "Jew," largely to highlight a larger issue. On the one hand, there is the approach of Steven Weinstock, who Steven Weiss at Protocols charitably refers to as a "jackass." He's leading the charge to Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1071093154430674542003-12-10T16:52:00.000-05:002003-12-10T16:53:38.356-05:00Mo goes ballistic - Wrestling With Zion Book Discussion
Earlier today:
Mobius responds to Ami Eden's response
Whoa... Mobius did not take well to Ami Eden's contribution thus far to our little book discussion. He covered considerable ground, but I'm going to zero in on just a few key elements here.
First up, Mobius inquires: "I'm curious to know which 'sins' in particular he's purporting to Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1071023249036035842003-12-09T21:27:00.000-05:002003-12-09T21:35:00.296-05:00Wrestling With Zion Section Two
Earlier today:
Ami Eden responds to my critiques
Pinchas Shapiro begins Section Two
Elder Pinchas has begun to address Section Two of Wrestling With Zion, but before I get to that I'd like to address the ongoing debate over Ami Eden's initial reaction to the book's introduction. First it was Mobius taking him to task, then I mentioned I felt his initial reaction Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1070944819520456142003-12-08T23:30:00.000-05:002003-12-09T20:39:09.670-05:00Wrestling With Zion the Discussion
I'm up next in the cross-blog discussion on the book, Wrestling With Zion, so I'll take a stab at the first section before I dive into Ami Eden and Mobius' tit-for-tat on the introduction. Section number one amounts to a collection of historical documents by Zionists and Jews who might be considered quite left-wing in the modern era. There's Ahad Ha-Am all the Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1069960063299687712003-11-27T14:07:00.000-05:002003-11-27T14:13:44.966-05:00The publication with an agenda
I've taken note of a little cross-blog discussion on the agenda, or lack thereof, of my publication Jewsweek. It all began with, of all things, a column by Shmueley Boteach on the recent "fashion show" of sexy lingerie maker Victoria's Secret. Not being a huge fan of Boteach's stuff, I don't tend to pay much attention to it. He contributes often and with a certain Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1069958735412731992003-11-27T13:45:00.000-05:002003-11-27T13:51:27.873-05:00Love Actually is in season
I'm going to do a few quick Thanksgiving posts then cluck on out of here for the weekend. We were planning a cross-blog book discussion to begin on Monday. That's going to be delayed for a few days, but it'll be coming and it'll be great. In the meantime, every single American (and Brit, for that matter) needs to go to the movies this holiday season and see one flick: Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1069194069956984822003-11-18T17:21:00.000-05:002003-11-18T17:24:58.560-05:00On New and Old Voices
So I'm flipping through my new issue of New Voices, and the first one helmed by new Editor-in-Chief Hasdai Westbrook. It's a good issue, addressing issues like drug use in the Orthodox community, Israel advocacy on college campuses, Jews for Jesus, and an editorial on Jewish identity in America. My publication, Jewsweek, ran that editorial in our most recent issue.
I must Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1068672376091264252003-11-12T16:26:00.000-05:002003-11-12T16:26:42.576-05:00Wrestling with Zion
I'm in the midst of reading and reviewing Wrestling with Zion, a collection of liberal Jewish voices on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It comes to us by way of editors Tony Kushner and Alisa Solomon, of The Nation, and it goes without saying that these opinions are quite outside the mainstream orthodoxy of the Jewish community (or at least the community's leadership). Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1068671388690972482003-11-12T16:09:00.000-05:002003-11-12T16:10:15.390-05:00Reflections on the National Museum of American Jewish History
I must say, my trip to Philadelphia was more intellectually (and perhaps spiritually) stimulating than I'd expected it to be. The purpose of my jaunt up to Philly was to assist the National Museum of American Jewish History in fleshing out the last floor of the core exhibit, which would deal with the last fifty years. Upon arriving, IBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1068670159114632032003-11-12T15:49:00.000-05:002003-11-12T15:49:45.246-05:00More on suing Jews for Jesus
Alright, so now that I've caught back up after visiting Philadelphia for some business, I'm back with some commentary. The first thing I want to tackle is my most recent column for Jewsweek, in which I thought it might be interesting pursue legal action against Jews for Jesus. I want to expand on that column a bit, not by fleshing out the details of how to pursue theBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1068484671180543342003-11-10T12:17:00.000-05:002003-11-10T12:18:14.950-05:00The National Museum of Jewish American History
I'm currently in Philadelphia taking part in a workshop for the National Museum of Jewish American History. We're attempting to figure out how best to tell the story of the last fifty years in their core exhibit. This exhibit will be installed in the new museum complex which will begin construction next year, to commemorate 450 years of Jewish Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1068067150599575802003-11-05T16:19:00.000-05:002003-11-05T16:21:22.263-05:00Well, I can name more than 5...
Steven I. Weiss over at Protocols was kind enough to let everyone know I'm blogging again. Thanks to him, and as a token of gratitude I'll follow up his fellow Elder Pinchas' discussion of a recent survey showing a woeful 58% of Americans couldn't name any of the President's cabinet departments. Apparently Pinchas missed four. Well, I didn't do that good, but I Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1067967878409383762003-11-04T12:44:00.000-05:002003-11-04T12:44:54.013-05:00Sexy in trouble
Tsk, tsk to the Jews -- underage Jews anyways. A breaking headline courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency informs us, "A Tel Aviv fashion outlet was burned down after it encouraged teenaged girls to strip in a publicity stunt." The old adage of two wrongs not making a right comes to mind, but it nevertheless is hard to find sympathy for the fashion outlet.
Of course it's evenBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1067915842396458102003-11-03T22:17:00.000-05:002003-11-03T22:26:00.046-05:00From Christianity to Judaism to Jews for Jesus?
So my mother, who is Christian, asks me the other day if I've read the book The Case for Christ. As it turns out, I have. A religious studies major in college and a personal lover of all things religious, I went over the book when a devoutly evangelical friend of mine bought me a copy some years back. Essentially, an atheistic journalist went on a Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1067824356572768152003-11-02T20:52:00.000-05:002003-11-02T20:55:41.653-05:00Back with a book and more...
I'm back, from an extended hiatus from blogging. I took that time to craft a book proposal and work on a few projects, some of which will be rolling out shortly. I'll let you know what they are when they roll out. In the meantime, I will get back to work writing missives and what-not. These are things you do on a blog, so they say.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1060126211706772722003-08-05T19:30:00.000-04:002003-11-02T20:48:11.076-05:00Missing Dean's point
Sam Singer over at Protocols has culled a soundbite from Howard Dean via CNN and taken exception with the Democratic candidate for essentially rephrasing the critiques of his critics, thus reinforcing his general unelectability. The soundbite in question reads as follows:
"Rejecting criticism from some of his Democratic brethren that he is too liberal to be elected Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1059578400617890392003-07-30T11:20:00.000-04:002003-07-30T11:20:00.600-04:00politics | Conservatives suck......and I've finally figured out why, exactly. Salon recently sent their intrepid Michelle Goldberg to the College Republicans' convention in our nation's capital. What she found was, to say the least, frighteningly disturbing. For those who don't have the pleasure of a Salon premium access account, allow me to excerpt:"On the Hilton's second floor they organized, Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1059408637738281192003-07-28T12:10:00.000-04:002003-07-28T12:10:37.726-04:00news | On the myth of objectivity?A rather intriguing undercurrent of discourse is pulsing on the fate of objectivity in American journalism. I suppose it's been prompted by the New York Times and BBC debacles, but I see it also reflecting what many feel is the press' failure vis-a-vis the war in Iraq and the Bush administration statements on the subject. Thus far, I've found it a fascinating Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1059371625519723512003-07-28T01:53:00.001-04:002003-07-28T01:56:21.933-04:00culture | Attack of the gay makeoverI admit it. I've tuned in and become a fan of Bravo's new Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, in which five gay men makeover some hapless straight man in all the categories that matter (hair and grooming, style, food and wine, culture, and interior design). It's all the campy voyeurism of those other oh-so-boring makeover shows mixed with the sexual identity Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1059371613376574062003-07-28T01:53:00.000-04:002003-07-28T01:53:33.343-04:00Quick UpdateAs you can see, there's a new redesign. It will likely change some, but the new color scheme and flag motif will remain. I may add some cultural bits, because I will be focusing on politics and cultural commentary as much as Jewish subjects in the coming weeks. Hopefully this will work out nicely for everyone. Now on with you... I've got some critique of Bravo's new Queer Eye for the Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1058540157516053852003-07-18T10:55:00.000-04:002003-07-18T10:55:57.516-04:00Break for Boston
Just a quick post to explain the extremely light blogging of late. I've been busy with my mother's eye surgery and some work. I'll be in Boston for the Gralla Fellowship through next week and will be back then with a much heavier schedule of blogging on political, cultural and Jewish topics. See you then.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1057968616721144812003-07-11T20:10:00.000-04:002003-07-11T20:10:16.713-04:00religion | A Bible too holy?
A London-based Reform rabbi, Sidney Brichto, has taken it upon himself to publish a new more literary form of the Bible, emphasizing a "easy-to-read fluid narrative" that will help turn the holy Book "back into the popular literary masterpiece it was once considered."
He's put out eight volumes with ten more to follow, and he's even going where no rabbi has gone Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1057900913219974872003-07-11T01:21:00.000-04:002003-07-11T01:21:53.186-04:00Technical issues
I've removed the comments for the time being, because Enetation was causing some browsers to choke. The problem was not common, but it was bugging some people. If I can get another service instead or fix the flaw with Enetation, then comments shall return. In the meantime, email me... please. No, really. Email me.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1057900557117603102003-07-11T01:15:00.000-04:002003-07-11T01:15:57.100-04:00Recent writings...My most recent column for Jewsweek magazine is essentially a lament of the propensity of some Jews to resort to vicious attacks on other Jews with whom they disagree. When Jews call other Jews kikes or question their legitimacy as Jews, a line has been crossed. The impetus for doing the column: A teenage girl who was forced to face ostracism by her fellow Jewish teens when she Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1057612042491735962003-07-07T17:07:00.000-04:002003-07-07T17:07:22.460-04:00politics | Jewish Democrats point to the poll numbersThe National Jewish Democratic Council, a fine organization, has co-opted the Ispos/Cook survey of Jewish political affiliation to argue that Jews remain staunchly Democratic and all the hub bub about Jews becoming more conservative is just well... hub bub. Now the Washington Post has picked up the NJDC angle as part of a roundup of political Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1057444074894411092003-07-05T18:27:00.000-04:002003-07-05T18:27:54.860-04:00Jewsweek this weekPost-Shabbat, I'm going to shill and recommend you read some features in the new issue of Jewsweek magazine. First up, is the cover story that is part of the ongoing Red, White and Jew series. In this, the second installment, I take a more personal look at the new openness to conservative Jews and how that will have longer lasting effects than any predictions over voting shifts Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1056855952992616282003-06-28T23:05:00.000-04:002003-06-28T23:10:59.580-04:00politics | New entry into 'World's Stupidest Politician' contest
In what must be a bid for the "World's Stupidest Politician" award, Democratic state senator Guy Glodis of Massachusetts has recommended the United States bury Islamic extremists with pig entrails in a bid to deter terrorists from attacking us. I only wish I was kidding.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1056727011476683812003-06-27T11:16:00.000-04:002003-06-27T11:23:41.413-04:00politics | Wanted... bold and self-confident liberalism
I'd like to follow up on my criticism of Martin Frost's willingness to write off the bold and self-confident opposition of Howard Dean to Bush on foreign policy as well as healthcare, education, taxes, etc. Two fantastic essays have cropped up on Alternet.
One of them, based on book excerpts from Dispatches from the Culture Wars: How the Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-1056651018364447282003-06-26T14:10:00.000-04:002003-06-26T14:11:22.210-04:00politics | Leading Democrat surrenders half the field
On last Friday's edition of MSNBC's 'Buchanan & Press,' leading Texas Democrat Martin Frost made this astonishing statement: "Well, I think the price of admission to being a serious Democratic candidate is to be strong on national security. And I don’t think you can run as an anti-war candidate and win the election." He was speaking about Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-959696762003-06-24T00:24:00.000-04:002003-06-24T00:24:08.343-04:00Let the campaign begin!
Not to get too political for everybody's tastes, but former governor of Vermont, Howard Dean, has officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's been in the race for months, and was largely considered a dark horse with limited chances at the nomination. To borrow a phrase, that was then.
He's now in position to win the MoveOn.org Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-958407512003-06-19T17:25:00.000-04:002003-06-19T17:38:36.000-04:00When Jews question Jews
This is an admittedly lengthy post, so I apologize up front, but something has been bugging me of late. It's based both on some personal experience and the ongoing Rushkoff debate. For those unfamiliar with the issue, Douglas Rushkoff has recently written a very interesting book entitled Nothing Sacred. That, along with some op-eds he's written, has prompted some to referBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-958082272003-06-18T19:33:00.000-04:002003-06-18T19:33:39.373-04:00Another week, another Jewsweek
The new issue of Jewsweek just went up, and I've got another cover story. This one's on the issue of government funding to Middle East studies centers, many of whom have been criticized as promoting anti-American and/or anti-Israel biases. A warning up front: This is a magazine style article, so it's fine to read, but this isn't sexy. It's an article about Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-957658372003-06-17T16:27:00.000-04:002003-06-17T16:36:53.000-04:00politics | Not that I want to keep blaming Canada, but...
Concordia University, long notorious as a bastion of anti-Israel sentiment and a hotbed for particularly destructive protests to that effect, has cleared a Palestinian activist of harassment charges after he painted a swastika on an Israeli flag this past March. The swasika was drawn onto an Israeli flag that another student had drawn on Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-957640792003-06-17T15:32:00.000-04:002003-06-17T15:32:24.780-04:00media | Why media diversity matters to you
As a journalist and politically active S.O.B., I'm particularly miffed by the recent FCC decision to allow companies to swallow up even more newspapers and TV stations in single markets. Why is this a problem? Because it saps media diversity, thus depriving us of competing voices and strengthening a largely corporate media that fails to serve as a true Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-957593302003-06-17T13:09:00.000-04:002003-06-17T13:09:16.376-04:00media | CNN's biased and Israeli officials are stupid
Arutz Sheva's email edition for today features a media watch criticism of a recent CNN online piece headlined "Israeli official dismisses Hamas cease-fire." Their concern, of course, is that CNN's headline seems to imply that (a) Hamas has agreed to a cease-fire and (b) Israel is the intransigent party.
Well let's get into this shall we? Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-956870512003-06-15T11:52:00.000-04:002003-06-15T11:52:05.823-04:00history | Farming vs. education, the Jewish dilemma?
Slate, ever the repository of explanations to questions few of us were asking, features an article by Steven E. Landsburg entitled Why Jews Don't Farm. The piece argues that Jews, unique among other religious or cultural groups, quit agriculture in decidedly higher numbers as early as 200 C.E. Why would Jews abandon farming in larger numbers Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-954325392003-06-08T15:16:00.000-04:002003-06-08T15:16:23.156-04:00LearningIsrael returns!
I've put up the new site design for LearningIsrael.com, which I've operated for about a year and a half now. The old design wasn't well executed, and this design should tighten up the focus while expanding the level of resources provided. In any event, over the next few months, I'll be rolling out more materials. As of right now, the new design houses only the links Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-953088232003-06-04T21:17:00.000-04:002003-06-04T21:20:43.000-04:00I shill, I shall, and I do not like green eggs and ham
I've been busy with some side stuff to keep up on my blogging, but I will make do with pointing you towards a couple of recent articles I have authored.
First up, a column entitled I'm too sexy for my Talmud, I celebrate the truly sexy nature of Judaism. Second up, in response to a recent lament by Avraham over at Protocols, I've taken to Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-949682342003-05-27T22:17:00.000-04:002003-05-27T22:17:00.893-04:00Another week of shameless self-promotion
Yes, I write for Jewsweek. Yes, I'd like you to read that publication. No, I'm not ashamed of self-promotion. So pucker up princess...
In addition to my already mentioned Matrix Reloaded article, I also contributed a cover story on the just approved (by Israel) road map plan and how we've been down this road before.
There's also a story on how you can Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-949677062003-05-27T22:04:00.000-04:002003-05-27T22:08:43.000-04:00politics | Intelligence failure or political ass-covering?
Salon.com's Joe Conason is highlighting a recent appearance on NPR by The Threatening Storm author, Kenneth Pollack. During said appearance, hawkish Pollack backed off his pre-war claims that "Iraq possessed a stockpile of [WMD] ready to use." That Saddam had everything necessary to build a nuke "was the consensus of opinion among the Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-948841282003-05-26T00:50:00.000-04:002003-05-26T00:50:08.786-04:00culture | Matrix as midrash... believe it
Feel free to take a sneak peak at my analysis of the Jewish themes in the Matrix Reloaded. It'll be in the upcoming issue of Jewsweek, and it centers on the much lamented rave scene early on in the film as well as the Architect sequence everybody seems to be chewing on.
I know what you're saying. Buddhism, check. Christianity, check. Gnosticism, check. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-948696112003-05-25T16:13:00.000-04:002003-05-25T16:13:33.750-04:00israel | Dahlan gets dumped... sort of
News of Israel's conditional acceptance of the Road Map has overshadowed another news tidbit, that of Mohammed Dahlan getting dumped by Fatah. The news was tucked into the end of a Ha'aretz report, and to be technical, Dahlan wasn't dumped. He was banned "from intervening further in Palestinian security affairs," despite that being his job. Israel Radio (Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-948442752003-05-24T21:34:00.000-04:002003-05-25T16:34:18.000-04:00culture | How could you not love her?
There are two categories of guys - the ones you can take home to meet the parents, and the ones you can't. There are two categories of women - Anita Marks, and everyone else. Just in case you haven't heard of her, Ms. Marks is Jewish, co-hosts a sports radio show, and is the quarterback for the Miami Fury women's pro football squad. Oh yeah, I forgot to Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-946554522003-05-20T18:52:00.000-04:002003-05-20T18:52:50.613-04:00politics | How Bush is compromising nat'l security?
After two wars and almost two years since 9/11, you'd think Americans would at least feel safer from terrorism. Nada, and as it turns out, it has a great deal to do with the Bush administrations ideological approach to national security. Take the issue of reforming the military. As The New Republic pointed out just after Afghanistan, Rumsfeld &Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-946037932003-05-19T19:12:00.000-04:002003-05-19T19:12:37.800-04:00politics | Bush goes nuclear, Jews follow suit
The inclusion of a provision in the 2004 Defense Authorization bill that would repeal a decade-old ban on developing low-yield nuclear weapons has gotten Democrats verklempt. They complain the attempt to re-ignite nuclear weapons development will only spark new arms races and hamstring efforts to contain nuclear proliferation in places like North Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-945485392003-05-18T16:57:00.000-04:002003-05-18T17:00:24.000-04:00politics | A perception gap between Israelis & Palestinians
A recent Yediot Ahronot article, About the Naqba, by Shlomo Avineri should be required reading for anybody trying to figure out why a reasonable solution can't be hammered out between Israelis and Palestinians. In short, there's a perception gap between the two sides which turns otherwise objective discussions into a complicated Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-945131342003-05-17T18:15:00.000-04:002003-05-17T18:15:06.186-04:00What I'll be reading post-Shabbat
The June edition of The Atlantic features a lengthy feature on who shot Mohammed al-Dura. The piece examines the "persuasive evidence that the fatal shots could not have come from the Israeli soldiers known to have been involved in the confrontation," but is focused more on "object lesson[s] in the incendiary power of an icon," since "the evidence will not Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-944842872003-05-17T00:02:00.000-04:002003-05-17T00:02:56.030-04:00politics | Canada continued...
While we're on the theme of Canada and anti-Israel sentiment, it's worth revisiting the situation at Concordia University. As you might recall, the Concordia Student Union effectively banned Hillel last fall, prompting a lawsuit from the Jewish group. Now that lawsuit has just been suspended by Quebec's Superior Court.
The reasoning of the court seems a bit, well.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-944628242003-05-16T14:25:00.000-04:002003-05-16T17:36:51.000-04:00politics | Blame Canada? Why not?
It would appear that Canada, or at least its Immigration and Refugee Board, has declared Israel guilty of war crimes and turned away Lebanese asylum seeker because of it. The incident stems from an attempt by a Lebanese man to gain entry into Canada as a political refugee. He assisted Israeli intelligence by passing along information on Hezbollah operations, andBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-943466592003-05-14T16:11:00.000-04:002003-05-14T18:29:56.000-04:00religion | Exodus vs. Israel - Building my Jewish identity
I've decided to jump into a discussion over at Open Source Judaism on a "Manifesto Towards a Second American Jewish Revolution" courtesy of SimplyJewish.com. My foray into this discussion reminds me of a few subjects I've been mulling in my head for some time, and then included in my weekly commentary for Emor this past Shabbat.
The Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-942872072003-05-13T17:00:00.000-04:002003-05-13T17:04:49.000-04:00religion | To be a Jewish athlete and/or poet... or not to be
To mine eyes, we have the makings of a better than average issue of Jewsweek this week. However, I'm particularly interested in two pieces. The first is a column by Princeton senior and New Voices writer, Melissa Harvis Renny. Originally appearing in New Voices, the piece laments the standard of Jewish observance that would deny Ms. Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-942790272003-05-13T14:21:00.000-04:002003-05-13T14:21:49.340-04:00Tell me how you really feel...
I have dutifully included comments, which you may now take full advantage of. They are courtesy of the lovely folks over at Enetation, mainly because the fine folks at YACCS weren't accepting new sign-ups. In any event, enjoy your newfound ability to tell me how you really feel.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-942477252003-05-13T01:26:00.000-04:002003-05-13T01:30:10.000-04:00What I've been reading (and seeing) of late
I'm a shill for Jewish culture, so I feel obligated to insert a plug for Bar Mitzvah Disco, a site you probably were already aware of. From my perspective, it's just quite cool to see somebody trying to collect an anthology of the cultural rite of passage that is the bar/bat mitzvah. It's like a visual record, not unlike that photo album of wacky Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-942463142003-05-13T00:55:00.000-04:002003-05-13T13:17:29.000-04:00jewish future | Israel, Eminem & alarmed American Jewry
I read The Plight of the American Jew over at the Instaconfused blog. I like the blog, and to be honest, I like the point Adi's making, but I do see something worthwhile in the Luntz report he's criticizing. Allow me to elaborate here, but I've done a full feature for Jewsweek that should be up shortly. This will just be my own opinionated Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-940689972003-05-09T15:34:00.000-04:002003-05-09T15:44:36.000-04:00politics | Jews don't run America, but they can argue
This one's going to be long...
I took issue with a post from mobius over at Jewschool, and mobius has been so kind as to respond to fellow blogger Avraham and I. I could take the time to get into everything wrong with mobius' response and clarifications, but luckily I don't have to. Avraham has done it for me.
That being said, I do think Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-940344852003-05-09T01:02:00.000-04:002003-05-09T01:02:46.426-04:00Some things I read today
Apparently there's a youth journalism project in Chicago's public housing community that pays students 15-cents a word to contribute their voices to the community. It seems to have the wonderful effect of encouraging these people to express themselves as informed citizens, which couldn't hurt anybody whether they live below the poverty line or not. All of this got me Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-940140092003-05-08T17:38:00.000-04:002003-05-08T18:04:13.000-04:00politics | No, Jews do not run America
I'm a big fan of Jewschool, but a recent posting there has officially gone off the deep end. Following up on the latest in a line of high profile figures accusing a Jewish coterie of controlling American foreign policy, mobius proceeded to apparently agree with those figures. More specifically, he was agreeing with Pat Buchanan that anti-Semitism was being Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-940049422003-05-08T14:39:00.000-04:002003-05-08T14:57:32.000-04:00politics | Shocker! A Middle East center funded by Saudis!
The Berkeley Jewish Journal has a cover story alleging the school's Center for Middle East Studies is subsidized by al-Qaeda connected Saudis. That's enough to get national media outlets interested, so CNN gave it some play and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is featuring it as one of their lead stories.
Forgive me for saying so, but thisBradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-939740412003-05-08T01:35:00.000-04:002003-05-08T01:37:51.000-04:00culture | X-Men As Bad Social Commentary?
The latest cover story over at The New Republic has the X-Men comic book as social commentary gone wrong. It seems, to Reihan Salam at least, that the X-Men's once noble message of integrationism a la MLK Jr. has gone the way of the dodo with even Professor X and his brood taking an almost Malcolm X style view of racial separatism.
"We flee to our own 'Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366399.post-939664902003-05-07T23:00:00.000-04:002003-05-08T01:43:34.000-04:00Introductions
Who the hell am I? It's a fair question, especially since by posting this blog, I'm implicitly requesting you take your time and read my thoughts. I think it's a fair trade, but then again I'm biased.
So who the hell am I? Just another guy, although to be more specific, I'm just another white guy who grew up in a comfortable middle-class suburban neighborhood, went to public Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16336460088532584018noreply@blogger.com