April 25, 2008
Lena Guerrero, Remembering a Life Too Short
First came a text message, then an email: friends in Texas heard the news that Lena Guerrero had died yesterday after battling brain tumors for eight years. She was 50, and I remember her life as one of the great what-ifs of American politics. She was a member of the Texas House of Representatives at age 26, Texas Railroad Commissioner, speaker at the 1992 Democratic convention. But then . . .
First, some history.
Lena and I were classmates at Mission High School in Texas, Class of 1976. She was the student council president, I was the newspaper editor -- teen-age obsessions that immediately pegged our career arcs. She had a great political astuteness and drive from a very young age, and attended American Legion Auxiliary's Girls State and Girls Nation program, quite an honor. The photo belows shows her in action leading a Student Council meeting.
Continue reading "Lena Guerrero, Remembering a Life Too Short"
Van | 04/25/08 at 06:57 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 24, 2008
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Ease My Pain
I'm feeling slightly less bitter about my football affiliations today, thanks to the ever-dependable Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. While the football players got their tuchuses kicked by the Giants, the Cheerleaders are starring in a promotion for, are you ready? The Roto-Rooter Pimped Out Powder Room Sweepstakes.
No doubt a bright young marketer gambled that the Cowboys would be gunning for the Super Bowl now, and the promotion would have huge synergies. Well, the Cowboys went down the toilet, but the Cheerleaders are still prancing on with gusto. The Pimped Out Powder Room certainly gets my synapses firing.
Roto-Rooter has a video of them showing the pink environment to random folks in Hollywood, to cries of delight. You can see it here, along with the entry form for the sweepstakes.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders -- accept no substitutes.
Van | 01/24/08 at 09:43 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 21, 2008
Revenge is a Dish Served Very Cold
As a die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan, I collapsed in frustration when the New York Giants beat the Cowboys to go to the NFC championship game. I had been eagerly awaiting a Cowboy-Packer title game in the friendly confines of Texas Stadium, followed by a titanic Dallas-New England struggle in the Super Bowl. That won't happen.
But, the Giants' thrilling OT victory over the Packers in the Tundra Bowl yesterday proved deeply satisfying. Like many Texans, I've nursed an unquenchable boyhood grudge against Green Bay since the Packers beat the Cowboys in the Ice Bowl on December 31, 1967. Sure, the Cowboys went on to greatness under Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, but my horror as a 10 year watching the Cowboys go down in icy flames never really faded. (I grew up in Cowboy coach Tom Landry's home town, Mission, Texas, so the loss had severe civic reverberations.)
Until yesterday. While the Giants beat the Cowboys two Sundays ago, my 50-year old self doesn't view this as a world-shattering loss. That's the breaks. But yesterday's game, which had the Giants beat the Packers on a field goal in ovetime, now THAT was a victory to savour. Given the choice of Cowboy opponents, I'd much rather see the Giants win. And they did. Right there in the frozen heart of darkness, Lambeau Field, the Giants stuck it to the Packers the same way the Packers stuck it to Don Meredith and the Cowboys a little over 40 years ago.
Justice has been served.
Van | 01/21/08 at 09:57 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 07, 2007
A1c0r
Pardon me while I geek out.
OMG. The creator of Quicksilver comes out of the shadows.
He's American.
He's totally cute.
He works for Google.
I thought he was a misanthropic obese aging code geek with stringy hair who lives in Germany. I'm not sure why I thought that, but I've hovered around the Quicksilver forums occasionally (because that's the only way to find out how the damn thing works), and that's what I thought. On the internet no one knows you're a dog.
I am such a fan of this guy. The fact that he's also a cute young guy as well as a visionary genius is almost unbearable.
Near the end of the presentation he connects how Quicksilver works to where Google is going. So I can see what they are paying him for.
Judith | 09/07/07 at 11:45 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 04, 2007
When Worlds Collide: Fancy Footwork in the Men's Room
All these years I viewed men's rooms as supremely utilitarian facilities. They utterly lacked what I imagined women's rooms to hold: drama, tears, sharing of lipstick, whispered confessions, straightened seams, silvery laughter.
Boy, was I clueless! It turns out that men's rooms are in fact swirling beehives of social ferment. These days, we have two unstoppable trends: first, colleges falling all over themselves to install foot-washing basins in men's rooms and, second, the "out of the closet" knowledge of gay cruisers' time-tested, foot-tapping techniques for making new friends in public washrooms.
I see a connection between these two trend lines.
Continue reading "When Worlds Collide: Fancy Footwork in the Men's Room"
Van | 09/04/07 at 08:23 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 03, 2007
Bush Derangement Syndrome Runs Wild on JDate
As an occasional reader of JDate profiles (for a "friend," of course), I occasionally come across examples of BDS -- Bush Derangement Syndrome. I suppose some women think this is an attractive personality trait to display, along with beach walking and sipping fine wine. If nothing else, it flags profiles my "friend" should avoid.
I found one recently that topples over the edge into lunacy. Does this sound like the basis of a fun, engaging relationship?
My view of the present administration is grim; actually its very grim beginning with mr. rr who left the white house with the same dementia he came in with. If you lean politically in that direction, we probably won't click.
But wait, there's more!
Filling out the section of "What I'm looking for," this Jdater wrote,
Loving, intelligent, sensitive, compassionate, and understands how politically, the last eight years can lead one to appreciate the concept of justifiable homicide.
Can anybody top this?
Continue reading "Bush Derangement Syndrome Runs Wild on JDate"
Van | 09/03/07 at 08:04 AM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 19, 2007
5 years of Kesher Talk
I have been so busy that I missed my 5-year anniversary with this blog, which was Rosh Chodesh Ellul 2002, which was Wednesday. (The blog itself was started by Howard Fienberg in December 2001, but I officially joined the next August.)
I also missed posting anything for Ellul and the High Holy Days like I did last year. If you want to go through my 2006 50-day multimedia extravaganza, start here. You can get to all of them here. I really loved doing it and am very proud of it and it was exhausting, and I'm not doing it this year.
But to me Rosh Chodesh Ellul always means, among many other things, the beginning of my blogging life, which has brought me new friends and adventures and a tiny bit of fame.
Judith | 08/19/07 at 07:47 PM | 9 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 17, 2007
Insert joke about Shrub here
Walking around Hoboken with Mary and her hubby, after a few drinks at a local pub, on a balmy July evening. This pickup truck was parked on a leafy residential street.
The letters on the back windshield are those rub-on white vinyl kind, thats why they show up so well in the photo.
I don't think this guy has actually beaten up any Republicans. Because he probably doesn't know any. Or the friends he would never suspect are deep in the closet. And because he's a peaceful live-and-let live kinda liberal guy.
Judith | 08/17/07 at 10:28 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 01, 2007
G'day, Rupert Industrial Average!
Wall Street has had a rough couple of days, according to the Rupert Industrial Average. Haven't heard of that? Get ready, because for all I know that will be the new name for the august Dow Jones Industrial Average, a/k/a "the stock market."
And why not? Now that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has a done deal to buy Dow Jones all kinds of fun changes might happen.
Let's see what the market tells Mr. Murdoch today. Will it be the end of capitalism as we know it?
Van | 08/01/07 at 07:27 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
July 29, 2007
My Dinner with Ayaan and Alexandr
I just finished reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I found it a page-turner, with a propulsive force as Hirsi moves through her tumultuous life. Her uncompromising message came after a profound moral awakening that reminded me of the journey of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, as he moved through the Gulag and realized the corruption of the Soviet system. His record of that rot, in The Gulag Archipelago, deeply influenced my political thinking and led me to view him as a prophet, in the most serious sense of that word.
A century from now, Ayaan Hirsi Ali might well be viewed as a prophet in our times, the voice of reason against oppressive forms of Islam. She speaks up for the silent, the women, those cowed by the demands for conformity in thought and action.
If I could set up a fantasy lunch with anybody I want, Ayaan and Alexandr would be the first two names. A discussion between the two prophets would be mesmerizing.
What about other KTers? Who's on your fantasy dinner invite list?
Van | 07/29/07 at 07:47 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
July 04, 2007
Suspended in GAFIA
Back when I was a scruffy con-going science-fiction fan, we called it "gafiating."
I call it "my gorge is rising as I contemplate the Movable Type interface" and "is it not profoundly neurotic to sit in this hotel and blog when I could be hiking on Mt Tamalpais?" But I wasn't planning to walk away from this blog, just .... taking .... a .... break. An .... open-ended ..... break.
It'll be five years next month, after all.
But put your hands together for Van Wallach, who has continued to tend the fire while I've been away. In fact one reason I indulged myself a bit longer is that KT was down to one post a day, if that, while I gafiated for two months, and our traffic dropped off by no more than 50%, but also spiking from major blogs linking to some of Van's posts. I can only conclude that my contribution is missed by maybe 20 people, all of whom I know personally. So carry on, Van .......
I'm not sure how back I am going to be when, but last week I recorded a panel on Western journalists and "fixers," and I will post video after everyone has come back from holiday.
(The title of this post is a shoutout to fellow obscure pop music fan Rob in Glasgow. Hope you're okay.) (All my years as a fan of gnarly Brit trad paid off because unlike some LGF and Hot Air commenters I had no trouble understanding this eyewitness. Glottal stops don't scare me.)
UPDATE: Smeatonmania!
Judith | 07/04/07 at 12:34 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
June 07, 2007
Help! Loudon Wainwright III Has Assumed Control of My Brain
The new movie Knocked Up has gained rave reviews, and with it comes visibility for singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, who did the music and even acts (as a gynecologist!) in the film.
The publicity comes with a heavy price, however. I heard Wainwright interviewed on Fordham University's WFUV last night, and he sang a song. Then this morning I heard the same song, "Daughter." The singing and lyrics are so memorable they unfairly reach the level of Vulcan mind control. As the Pop Matters website notes,
“Daughter” is a tear-jerker about his young daughter—but also maybe Martha?—with the most sentimental/anti-sentimental lyrics of the year: “That’s my daughter in the water / Every time she fell I caught her / Every time she fell / That’s my daughter in the water / I lost every time I fought her / I lost every time.”
I CANNOT TURN THE SONG OFF IN MY BRAIN.
Continue reading "Help! Loudon Wainwright III Has Assumed Control of My Brain"
Van | 06/07/07 at 07:12 AM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
April 23, 2007
Erica Jong, Muse to the Spammers?
I despise spam as much as anybody, but I got one today that made me read the subject line and laugh. I didn't open it, but I haven't deleted it yet. It actually had a twisted literary merit.
I can't quote it here before a family audience. Aimed at a male audience, it basically said, listen to your body part, it is telling you to get a product that will make it bigger. The actual text is much punchier and worthy of a Spammy award.
The more I pondered this vivid prose, the more it reminded me of something else, written by none other than my fellow Nutmegger, literary superstar and Jewish love goddess Erica Jong, of "Fear of Flying" fame. I recalled that Jong had written a poem with the same theme, of singing body parts, the male doing an aria, more or less, to the female. I won't quote that passage either, and I can't find a link to the poem.
Did a highly literate spammer stumble upon a Jongian book of verse and find this delightful snippet of creativity? I doubt it. But somehow, through the collective unconscious, Jong's poetry lept from erotic daydream to online sales copy, and my life is richer for it. My writing here should be so honored.
Van | 04/23/07 at 10:20 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
April 06, 2007
Is the TX Senate influenced by the weirdness of Austin?
Long time readers of this blog know that although I was born and raised in Dallas TX I lived in Austin for many years and have a great affection for the place, including its idiosyncratic population. My cute bungalow (now rented out) is in the infamous "Keep Austin Weird" zipcode of 78704.
So I cringe at some of the comments below this piece on another radical imam giving another controversial invocation for another elected body in the US:
Continue reading "Is the TX Senate influenced by the weirdness of Austin?"
Judith | 04/06/07 at 07:27 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
April 04, 2007
Another manifesto in an old religious war
I've been using Macs since 1991 but I think this is funny. Most of it's stupid* or irrelevant but it's funny anyway.
* The reason iTunes doesn't "just work" on your PC is because ..... it's a PC.
But I approve of the tone of his site, which is used to good effect on Dylan Avery.
Judith | 04/04/07 at 02:59 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 31, 2007
Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Social Nerd You're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a hippie, but some of you may be tree-huggers. You're the . . . more »Judith | 03/31/07 at 09:01 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 27, 2007
Tummy troubles
I am coming down with whatever is going around. I have lots of posts in the works but my brain is soft right now. So I will finally do some of the brainless stuff I have been putting off, like . . . more »Judith | 03/27/07 at 09:11 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 25, 2007
Cinnamon Stillwell: N. CA Representative for Campus Watch
Having spent the last five years as a political columnist and more recently, a blogger, I've now decided to further my involvement in the battle of ideas. In particular, the one raging on American college campuses and most especially, Mideast . . . more »Cinnamon | 03/25/07 at 01:06 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 22, 2007
And Now for the Important News of the Day
Battlestar Galactica gets renewed for a full season 4 plus a two hour movie. The third season finale is coming up this Sunday evening - along with the end of Rome. The big question is whether Starbuck returns this week, . . . more »Alcibiades | 03/22/07 at 01:26 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 19, 2007
Visual DNA
Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™ From Mary, who got it from Karol, who got it from Rightthinking Girl, who got it from Sheila O'Malley (who I hadn't read for awhile and was happy to be reacquainted with; . . . more »Judith | 03/19/07 at 09:57 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 17, 2007
I Spy
Mary has a post about our trip to DC on Wednesday, including our visit to the International Spy Museum. We were originally intending to roam around the National Gallery but we saw a sign for the Spy Museum which seemed . . . more »Judith | 03/17/07 at 11:21 PM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
March 12, 2007
My Non-Review of 300
From Occasional Kesher Talk Contributor, Ben (from NY): I haven’t seen the movie. Some would say this one fact eliminates me from reasonable discussion of it, but on the other hand, no-one alive today has seen the actual Battle of . . . more »Alcibiades | 03/12/07 at 08:28 PM | 9 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
February 22, 2007
The MTW Conference: Sunday Panels 3-5
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. Home page for my posts and links to other sites about the conference. Sunday December 17th: This panel discussed how the Qana media manipulation was engineered by Hezbollah and how that affected Israel's image . . . more »Judith | 02/22/07 at 05:23 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
February 20, 2007
Countering Defeatism: Words of Courage From the Frontlines
Amidst the sickening display of defeatism that's been taking place in our nation's capital, it's refreshing to hear from a true warrior on the frontlines of the war on terrorism. Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West - currently . . . more »Cinnamon | 02/20/07 at 12:47 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
February 04, 2007
Growing old gracefully
Via Glenn, a somewhat strenuous defense of attractiveness in women over 50. As someone who will turn 54 inabout 2 weeks 2 days (Wednesday to be exact; my how time does fly . . . .), I like reading this . . . more »Judith | 02/04/07 at 08:07 PM | 7 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 29, 2007
Cinnamon Stillwell on Indians: Interview with David Yeagley at BadEagle.com
In my post-9/11 political travels on the right, I've often gravitated towards others I see as minority Republicans and/or conservatives in their respective environments. In my own case, it's being right-of-center in San Francisco and a politically conservative Jewish woman. . . . more »Cinnamon | 01/29/07 at 11:14 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 17, 2007
More home movies from Israel
The other thing I like about Video Egg is that the video goes live as soon as you post the code, no waitng for it to "process" and get approved. The upload process itself takes a few minutes, but still . . . more »Judith | 01/17/07 at 03:25 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 13, 2007
Further Thoughts On Psychology Today's "9/11 Effect" Article
Last week, I posted an item about a Psychology Today article titled "The Ideological Animal" (now fully available at the website). The article purports to explain what motivates those of us who made the post-9/11 shift from left to right . . . more »Cinnamon | 01/13/07 at 01:28 PM | 6 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 08, 2007
Portrait of the blogger as a jaded grad student
A nicotine-deprived Benjamin Kerstein (infrequent Kesher Talk co-blogger) in the Aroma in Beersheva, catering to my allergy to cigarette smoke. We had one of those college dorm-type bull sessions, mostly about different flavors of Zionism (Ben's specialty). I wish I . . . more »Judith | 01/08/07 at 02:18 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 04, 2007
The Guest Thing That Wouldn't Leave
So ..... I'm still in Israel. In our last exciting episode I was hanging at the airport waiting for our plane to be fixed. (In the previous episodes I was barnstorming all over the country fitting in my roadtripping before . . . more »Judith | 01/04/07 at 05:27 PM | 10 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
Psychology Today on Cinnamon Stillwell and The "9/11 Effect"
Several months ago, I took part in an interview with the magazine Psychology Today for an article on political transformation, particularly in the post-9/11 landscape. My inclusion was based on an SFGate.com article I'd written on the subject, "The Making . . . more »Cinnamon | 01/04/07 at 03:25 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
January 03, 2007
Blogging in Ben Gurion Airport at 5 AM
Yes, this is my valiant 5-yr-old Powerbook, which made a comeback after the conference was over. Okay, time to check in . . . . . . . more »Judith | 01/03/07 at 09:54 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 31, 2006
Happy New Year!
! . . . more »Alcibiades | 12/31/06 at 05:20 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
Conference on Media as Theater of War: collected links
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. This is the home page for my blogging about the conference on Media as Theater of War, the Blogosphere, and the Global Battle for Civil Society, Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. UPDATE: More links . . . more »Judith | 12/31/06 at 11:47 AM | 10 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 28, 2006
The MTW Conference: Mary has more balls than me
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. All my posts about the conference are collected here, also links to other blogs writing about the conference. I will post about the panels, I promise. So Michael Totten emails me and Richard Fernandez . . . more »Judith | 12/28/06 at 07:46 PM | 7 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
The MTW Conference: Unofficial activities
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. All my posts about the conference are collected here, also links to other blogs writing about the conference. You are probably all waiting to hear about the actual panels, but that's harder to write . . . more »Judith | 12/28/06 at 07:15 AM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 26, 2006
The Christmas Kerfuffle Revisited
Although I'm a day late, this seemed a good time to revisit an SFGate column I wrote last year providing a Jewish perspective to the kerfuffle over Christmas. It remains sadly relevant and I must say, all the politicizing of . . . more »Cinnamon | 12/26/06 at 04:39 PM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 25, 2006
So For Any Battlestar Galactica Fans Out There...A Couple of Mysteries
First Merry Christmas to our Christian readers. And for those who celebrate it, Happy Guernarthar's Ascension Day as well. You know who you are. Do we have any BSG fans out there? I'm a big one myself - it's my . . . more »Alcibiades | 12/25/06 at 02:08 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 24, 2006
Land of the Fresh-Squeezed Juice
Latest in the Laptop Saga: I wanted to upload some stuff I had backed up on a CD and brought with me. Richard's spare laptop doesn't swallow CDs for some reason. So I thought maybe I could fire up my . . . more »Judith | 12/24/06 at 01:56 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 23, 2006
Master of Time and Space
Yes, I have been playing with the very fabric of reality by posting my saved Hanukkah posts on the right days, retroactively. I did actually store them in unpublished entries on those days, I just forgot to post them, with . . . more »Judith | 12/23/06 at 07:20 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
Fighting through the thickets of Yahoo Mail
Everyone who was expecting an email from me in the past week: I have been using Yahoo Mail while traveling, and I now know some of my emails didn't go through. Others did. If you were trying to reach me, . . . more »Judith | 12/23/06 at 01:32 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 22, 2006
The Media as Theater of War Conference: shmoozing
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. All my posts about the conference are collected here, also links to other blogs writing about the conference. UPDATE: A gaggle of Pajamas Media bloggers, lined up against the wall and shot by Idan . . . more »Judith | 12/22/06 at 03:03 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
Spit and Baby Killers: Echoes of Vietnam
We often hear false comparisons between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam war, but one link that holds true is the anti-military attitude exhibited by the left. U.S. soldiers today are treated as either victims or butchers--whichever one happens . . . more »Cinnamon | 12/22/06 at 02:24 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 16, 2006
Live from the Daniel Hotel . . .
Hertzliya, Israel, December 17-18, 2006. All my posts about the conference are collected here, also links to other blogs writing about the conference. Update from the conference: It starts tomorrow. Lots of good conversation tonight at this ultra-swank hotel . . . more »Judith | 12/16/06 at 06:43 PM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 15, 2006
Happy Hanukkah from Jerusalem
I am in Jerusalem, about to have Shabbat dinner with Richard Landes and a few other people who will be at the conference which begins Saturday night in Herzliyah: Media as Theater of War, the Blogosphere, and the Global . . . more »Judith | 12/15/06 at 09:18 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
December 03, 2006
January 1, 2007: Michael Richards Declares, "I am the Fourth Dixie Chick"
January 1, 2007: Outspoken not-so-funnyman Michael Richards startled the world today by declaring himself "the fourth Dixie Chick," arguing he was a victim of "Rovian mind control" during in his November outburst against black hecklers at a comedy club. "Secret . . . more »Van | 12/03/06 at 09:11 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 29, 2006
The Bathsheba Deadline: Fiction Straight Out of the Headlines
Political junkies looking for fiction straight out of the headlines should definitely consider gravitating towards Jack Engelhard's serial novel "The Bathsheba Deadline." It's an "Amazon Shorts" novel, which means it's published in installments and touches on real life events as . . . more »Cinnamon | 11/29/06 at 12:01 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 21, 2006
Ellen Update: Barkin's Brave New Life
When we last checked in on Jewish love goddess Ellen Barkin, she was preparing to wash that man right out of her hair, symbolically, by selling some spare tokens of wasted affection from former husband Ron Perelman, to net $21 . . . more »Van | 11/21/06 at 07:27 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 14, 2006
Born, never asked
This is for Van's birthday. . . . more »Judith | 11/14/06 at 11:13 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 12, 2006
A Relevant Blog for Another Birthday
I had another birthday a few weeks ago, no. 49, and for the first time I feel within striking distance of 63, the age at which my mother died. That's 14 years. The question that arises in my mind: Now . . . more »Van | 11/12/06 at 07:47 PM | 5 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 09, 2006
Ouch
. . . more »Judith | 11/09/06 at 10:35 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
November 02, 2006
Spare change to help me get to the UN?
This homeless suicide bomber was found at a Halloween party on the West Coast. . . . more »Judith | 11/02/06 at 01:17 PM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 30, 2006
The Elephant in the Room
Everyone is buzzing about this article in yesterday's NYTimes which tells it like it is for me and all my Liberal Hawk/disgruntled Democrat/Republican/conservative friends. Everything we had been complaining about since 2003, acknowledged in ink on newsprint, by the former . . . more »Judith | 10/30/06 at 12:49 PM | 52 Comments | 14 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 27, 2006
Michael Weiss Quintet at the Vanguard thru Sunday night
My brother got a rave review in the NYTimes yesterday, well-deserved and overdue. He has been slaving in the jazz trenches for 25 years, appreciated by cognocenti and unknown by everyone else. The pianist Michael Weiss knows a lot . . . more »Judith | 10/27/06 at 05:42 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 25, 2006
"Absolutely San Francisco" - Absolutely Fabulous Theater!
[CS: This is something of a local, as in San Francisco Bay Area, story, but I thought Kesher Talk readers might appreciate it nonetheless...] I must admit, my days as a theater-goer, whether large productions or small, in San Francisco . . . more »Cinnamon | 10/25/06 at 02:27 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 22, 2006
Disengagement Article Published In New Book
Forgive the shameless self-promotion, but I wanted to share some good news. I'm pleased to announce that one of my articles is included in a new book, "United States and the World Face to Face: America's Best and Worst: Women, . . . more »Cinnamon | 10/22/06 at 10:01 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 17, 2006
My Burka Anecdote
Since Jack Straw finally spoke his mind on fully veiled Muslim women a few weeks back, he has now emerged as the most popular politician in the Labour party. And many other politicians in Britain are racing to follow suit. . . . more »Alcibiades | 10/17/06 at 06:46 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
More Manly Virtues
It seems I'm not the only lady blogger who thought Robert Jensen's commentary decrying the supposed evils of manhood was not only ridiculous, but suggested a far from desirable outcome. Desolving masculinity, that is. Fausta accurately labels Jensen a "wuss" . . . more »Cinnamon | 10/17/06 at 01:12 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 15, 2006
Long Live the Manly Virtues!
A friend forwarded me University of Texas Journalism Professor Robert Jensen's ode to pathetic wimpiness (which is posted at SFGate.com, for whom I also write), "Men being men is a bad deal, Guys should evolve beyond masculinity." Guys should evolve . . . more »Cinnamon | 10/15/06 at 12:32 PM | 8 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 11, 2006
Vulnerable in Manhattan
I am sitting in my apartment on the 25th floor of a 44-story high rise apartment building near Columbus Circle. It is raining, grey and gloomy. I can see west from my windows, but it is too far away to . . . more »Judith | 10/11/06 at 07:55 PM | 1 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 09, 2006
Die Hard With A Vengeance - Battlestar Galactica Version
There was some amount of perturbation among Battlestar Galactica fans of the pro-Iraq persuasion when it looked like the new season might possibly turn out to be no more than a negative commentary on the Iraq war, Hollywood style. This, . . . more »Alcibiades | 10/09/06 at 04:25 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
October 03, 2006
Feline technology
I could use one of these. . . . more »Judith | 10/03/06 at 07:21 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 20, 2006
And now for some important news
Christopher Tolkien has completed an unfinished story of his father's, left in several drafts, due for publication in the coming year. Christopher Tolkien has spent 30 years working on The Children of Hurin, which The Lord of the Rings author . . . more »Alcibiades | 09/20/06 at 03:36 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
Ellul 26, selichot 4: Yehi ratzon milfanechah
Teshuva contemplations every day until Yom Kippur here. You can also find the link on the sidebar under "Yamim Noraim." This week of selichot coincides with the last week of Rabbi Scheinerman's guide to teshuvah. Resolution. - to take . . . more »Judith | 09/20/06 at 12:42 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 15, 2006
Oriana Fallaci: 1929 - 2006
Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci died today in her beloved Florence, after a long battle with cancer. She was 77. Fallaci is best known since 9-11 as a fervent champion of Western civilization, foe of Islam, and severe critic of . . . more »Judith | 09/15/06 at 08:00 AM | 1 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 10, 2006
Hudson Institute Conference on the future of the UN
I will be attending this event tomorrow: The UN and Beyond: United Democratic Nations September 11, 2006, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM Union League Club, New York, NY This conference, which is by invitation only, will offer a comprehensive examination of the . . . more »Judith | 09/10/06 at 11:43 PM | 22 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 06, 2006
Michael Totten blogger bash
We had a rockin' party Monday night. Michael Totten asked me to round up some local fans for a dinner party while he was here, so we both publicized this on our blogs and the emails came pouring in. Michael . . . more »Judith | 09/06/06 at 03:54 PM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
September 01, 2006
Plamegate fallout
Poor David Corn. The latest in a string of stories on this by Hitchens, links to all the others are embedded, I believe. The gist is that the people making the most noise about what an awful thing it was . . . more »Judith | 09/01/06 at 07:48 AM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 31, 2006
NYC blogger socializing
Michael Totten and spouse are going to be in NYC for a few days, so if you are in the area and would like to join us for dinner on Labor Day, email me. Also next weekend and on 9-11 . . . more »Judith | 08/31/06 at 04:23 PM | 5 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 15, 2006
I came here for an argument
My apologies for not approving comments very quickly today. I had to be (gasp!) away from my computer for, well, hours! (But the nervous dental student finally got good impressions for two crowns, and my hair is slightly more auburn . . . more »Judith | 08/15/06 at 04:53 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
August 12, 2006
The Imaginative Scam Artist, from the Heart of Darkness
Dating sites generate their own specialty genre of scam 'n spam, illiterate and generic messages always lacking standard punctuation and anything approaching believability. Typically the message come from some outlandishly attractive woman of color, or a blindlingly blonde woman. Today . . . more »Van | 08/12/06 at 09:26 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it
My Weekend Plans
The next few days, I'm going to be doing a fair amount of this: So blogging on my end will be light. [Uh, have I just admitted I'm a Zionist piglet?] . . . more »Alcibiades | 08/12/06 at 10:11 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it