March 07, 2010

My Personal Oscars, and a Razzie or Two

The Oscars are kicking off at this very moment, so this the right moment to share some thoughts on films, new and old. I don't have anything original to say about movies competing tonight. I liked "The Blind Side" for its depiction of Southern culture -- guns, God and gridiron -- and "District Nine" wowed me with its concept and execution, and I'm waiting for a sequel to that. I wanted to see Avatar 3-D but the projector broke down and I never tried again. I saw "The Last Station" last night and liked it -- Christopher Plummer deserves his best supporting actor nominee.

But other movies keep spinning in my mind, and I'll give them some awards as they tumble out of my head. Let's call them the "Vanwallies."

Best movie with unexpected casting: "Unleashed." I have great respect for martial arts star Jet Li and old pros Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins, but I never imagined a movie that would bring all of them together. Unleashed does that, in a great mash-up of butt-kicking action, sentiment and a harrowing plot concept. I've never seen a Bob Hoskins movie I didn't thoroughly enjoy, and this is no exception. Runnerup in the Hoskins film favorites: "Ruby Blue," in the blossoming genre of movies involving pidgeon breeding, mob violence and transgender issues.

Continue reading "My Personal Oscars, and a Razzie or Two"

Van | 03/07/10 at 08:31 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 31, 2009

New Year's Resolutions: The More Things Change . . .

In August 1986 I received a hand-bound blank book from my dear friend Rena Frank. I knew her through Dorot, a program for the Jewish elderly in New York. Rena and I were friends from 1980 until she died in 1994. Born in Berlin, she escaped Germany in 1938 for London and in 1952 she arrived in New York. She wrote on the first page:

The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and endure much. May you have only happy thoughts and memories when opening this album.

I use the album as a special diary in which I write on only two days each year: My birthday and New Year's Day, two and and a half months apart. The book gives a snapshot of how I view my life, the year past and the year ahead. I dubbed it "The Book of LIfe" with the first entry on October 16, 1986, at a time when I was a freelance writer living in New York's neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. I have not missed an entry since then.

My entry for January 1, 1987 was this:

I'm well into carrying out my exciting program for 1987, called REVELATION-REVOLUTION '87. This consists of DAILY:

1. Flossing
2. Excercising (including occasional jogging)
3. Disciplined writing
4. Apt. upgrading
5. Surfin' safaris to exotic climes, preferably with an assignment.
6. A romantic involvement that feels right, where I go for her as much as she goes for me. Those who don't learn from the past are condemned to repeat it! I want to love.
7. At .least $25,000 in billings, with more efficient output.
8. Cut back on sugar -- it works for Melissa [a friend in Brooklyn].

Van | 12/31/09 at 06:27 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

October 01, 2009

From the Archives: Report on Blackout 2003

[This essay originally appeared in the Stamford Times newspaper in the fall of 2003, about the August blackout. It has never appeared online until now.]

Long Day’s Journey into Another Long Day’s Journey: Blackout 2003
For 24 hours, no hearts were broken in New York City

Thursday, August 14, was progressing nicely. I got an excellent year-end review, raising hopes for continuing employment and (be still my heart) a bonus and a raise. I was looking forward to my vacation the next week.

In retrospect, signs abounded that Something Was About To Happen. Just before 3 pm, I pondered my American Express bill. Should I pay it online Thursday, or Friday, when I got my direct deposit? Did it matter? Which would hit my checking account first (given the perilous state of my finances, such timing is a major concern). I could wait, I could act, I could wait until later in the day. Finally, with the madcap abandon that so often marks my actions, I decided to pay on Thursday and at 3:01 pm I pushed the button to send American Express its latest cup of blood. Done.

Mrs. Ex-Wallach called me around 4:10 pm. She had driven our son and a friend to the Science Museum in Queens, a good summer vacation activity. We were chatting when the lights in my office suddenly died. My computer stayed on via battery power but everything else just stopped. The room stayed light because of sunlight from nearby windows. “Gee,” I said, “The power just went out.” In a matter of seconds I realized Mrs. Ex-Wallach had vanished, remaining only as a cellphone number frozen on the display of my office phone.

Continue reading "From the Archives: Report on Blackout 2003"

Van | 10/01/09 at 10:31 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 12, 2009

Now That's Entertainment: Air Sex World Championship Competition Hits NY Tonight

Why did this have to be a kid weekend? Otherwise, I'd hightail down to the Highline Ballroom for the New York City Air Sex Finals. Based on the concept of air guitar, "air sex" is, well, use your imagination.

Part mime, part burlesque and all embarrassing fun, the Air Sex World Championships is holding competitions nationwide. New York is the fourth event of 16, ending in Tucson later this month.

The website uses plenty of photos and videos to carefully explain this difficult and demanding new sport. The rules show the seriousness of this exciting new form of entertainment:

Time: Contestants have a maximum of 2 minutes to perform an air sex routine. This can include all phases of an air sex encounter: meeting, seduction, foreplay and intercourse, or you can simply cut to the chase.

Music: Competitors must perform to music, you can either bring a CD of your performance track with you, or you can choose from our selection of air sex music. You may also include an audio prelude to your performance, maximum of 30 seconds.

Other Rules: Unlike air guitar, there are not many other rules. Props are allowed, teams are allowed, talking is allowed. The only important rule is that all sexual climaxes must be simulated, not real.

From looking at the website, some "brand names" are already emerging. Check out the videos of Slut Truffle in the Austin competition, where her tender, emotionally nuanced performances remind one of nothing so much as an air sex interpretation of "Swan Lake."

Down the road, I can see this becoming a hugely successful TV series, "So You Think You Can Do Air Sex?" with celebrity contestants and judges. I suggest starting with the cast of "One Day at a Time" and then move on to "Lost in Space" so we baby boomers can have performers we identify with. After that, celebrity face-offs, starting with Al Roker vs. Bill O'Reilly.

Van | 06/12/09 at 08:48 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 25, 2009

Shoe Porn, Male Division

Women and shoes, shoes and women -- that's what makes the world go around, to paraphrase Lenny Bruce. He actually said something spicier, but you get the point.

I've always told friends that women have most of the fun in life in the fashion arena. Shopping involves such drama, such choice, such consultations, so different from the find it-size it-buy it approach men take. The looks has to be right for the occasion, the style has to say something, the heel has to be just the right height.

I decided I wanted to get in on the action, and recently I find the male shoe porn guide at, of all places, the Sears store in Danbury, Connecticut. There, I found the spring 2009 workboot catalog. While this footwear won't get applause during Fashion Week in New York, the collection had me eagerly thumbing through pages thinking, "I want this and this and, yes, those." What did I see?

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Van | 05/25/09 at 10:19 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 21, 2009

Aunt Charlotte Chronicles: "Vaa-yun, Where's My Letter?"

My brother Cooper and I were young and puzzled. Our mother Shirley and her older sister Charlotte sometimes talked about “Dear Momma” and “Dear Poppa.” Who were they?

Mom explained, “When we were little girls, we saw our mother writing letters. Charlotte and I asked her, ‘Who are you writing to?’ And our mother told us, ‘To Dear Momma and Dear Poppa.’” That is, my grandmother Eva Lissner wrote to her parents, Esther and Lehman Michelson of Gonzales, Texas. So granddaughters Shirley and Charlotte forever referred to their grandparents as Dear Momma and Dear Poppa.

I always associate this story with the fast-vanishing grace of letter writing. Esther and Lehman, my great-grandparents, were born in the 1860s, so the family chain of devoted correspondents goes way back. In my mind's eye, my grandmother Eva saw her mother Esther writing to her mother Charlotte (my aunt's namesake) and back into time’s embracing mist.

Continue reading "Aunt Charlotte Chronicles: "Vaa-yun, Where's My Letter?""

Van | 05/21/09 at 08:24 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 16, 2009

Out of the Orange and Into the Black: Life at Princeton and Beyond

[Princeton University, my alma mater, holds its Reunions weekend at the end of May. Next year I'll have my 30th reunion for the Class of 1980. Looking ahead to that, I'm looking back at the essay I wrote for the 25th reunion book in 2005, edited for a general audience with bracketed comments updating the essay four years later.]

Even before my first class (Spanish 101 at 185 Nassau Street, consistent of Arlene and 15 guys), Princeton was a disaster, and it never improved. On the Outdoor Action camping trip before Freshman Week I sliced my hand open with a knife, severing two tendons, and ended my first week of classes in surgery at the Princeton Medical Center, not partying. A cast covered my left arm halfway up to my elbow for the next six weeks.

Fall of sophomore year I took Math 103 on a pass/fail basis -- and failed. Has this ever happened in the history of Princeton? I doubt it.

Continue reading "Out of the Orange and Into the Black: Life at Princeton and Beyond"

Van | 05/16/09 at 10:41 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 25, 2009

Casting a Wide Net at the Greenwich Library

I made a culture run to the awesome Greenwich Library today and came home with arms full of a rich bounty of entertainment in three media. Here's the haul of goodies, with some notes:

Movies: Deja Vu with Denzel Washington. I've already seen this great thriller, but I wanted to watch one scene again, one that kicked off a blog idea.

Books: 2666 by the late Roberto Bolano. I've read very positive reviews of this book, set in the fictional Mexican border city of Santa Teresa (Ciudad Juarez). At over 800 pages long, that's a lot of train reading, but the locale fascinates me so I'll give it a try. If I can't swing it, hey, I'll go back to my chick lit research reading.

Music: Finally, the main event gets started. I always feel like Queen for a Day scrambling down supermarket aisles scooping up groceries when I hit the CD section at the Greenwich Library. In this case, music is the meal, and the Greenwich buffet is always open. Today's delectables:

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Van | 01/25/09 at 07:11 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 12, 2009

In Search of Memories: My Mother, 25 Years Later

This essay ran in the long-defunct publication New Men's News in December 1984. It has never appeared online. An earlier Kesher Talk essay on a related topic, "Ranchito Morbido," appears here.

The train raced south through the foggy countryside of France in September 1984. My destination was Châteauroux, where I had been born almost 27 years earlier. Gazing at the fields and windbreaks this September, I wondered how many times I made the two-plus hour trip from Paris held on my mother’s lap.

The visit carried a double emotional wallop. I had never seen my birthplace, an Air Force hospital. Also, it completed a grieving period for my mother. Shirley Elizabeth Lissner Wallach died of bone cancer January 12, 1984, aged 63. That date is the apogee of a line of mourning which began in August 1981 with a dawn phone call from her sister Charlotte telling me the diagnosis.

Continue reading "In Search of Memories: My Mother, 25 Years Later"

Van | 01/12/09 at 06:40 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 04, 2009

Writing That Hits Home: U.S.A. by John Dos Passos

I read the U.S.A. trilogy by John Dos Passos over 25 years ago. The trilogy's introduction hit me like an anvil dropped on my head. It still does, although I'm no longer 25 years old and living the freelance writer life in a tin-roofed top-floor studio apartment in Brooklyn:

The young man walks by himself, fast but not fast enough, far but not far enough (faces slide out of sight, talk trails into tattered scraps, footsteps tap fainter in alleys); he must catch the last subway, the streetcar, the bus, run up the gangplanks of all the steamboats, register at all the hotels, work in the cities, answer the wantads, learn the trades, take up the jobs, live in all the boardinghouses, sleep in all the beds. One bed is not enough, one job is not enough, one life is not enough. At night, head swimming with wants, he walks by himself alone.

No job, no woman, no house, no city.

Van | 01/04/09 at 04:20 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

October 06, 2008

Best (Worst) Timing Ever for an Investment Story?

Smart Money magazine certainly takes a firm position on the cover of its October issue. The publication goes way, way out on a limb with the cover line

DOUBLE YOUR NEST EGG: Now is the Time to Jump Into Cheap Stocks, Funds and Real Estate

Online, we learn the article appeared on the dread day of September 16, 2008, the day the avalanche began to pick up speed and gather hapless i-bankers others in its terrifying, and continuing downhill plunge.

I would like to hear from anybody who took Smart Money's advice and went bullish into the market when it looked like the Dow would settle into a great buying opportunity at, say, 11,000. That's got a nice ring to it.

Now that I think of it, 8000 sounds like an even better buying opportunity.

For this investment, maybe?

Van | 10/06/08 at 09:01 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

October 05, 2008

Choices and Consequences

As the economy shudders, financial decisions I made years ago appear in a new light. I kicked myself when I had to sell my shares in Merrill Lynch in the late 1990s -- but now, that's not such a bad move, since, given the glacial pace of change in my investments, I no doubt would have hung on to September's bitter end (I still have 10 shares of GM, the remnant of 100 shares that I inherited from my mother in 1985. Those dividends ain't paying many bills these days).

Wherever I worked, I always opened a 401-K. When I changed jobs, I left the 401-K at the old job rather than rolling it over to another account. Over the years I collected four or five such accounts, on top of plain old IRAs. I could barely remember the passwords on the accounts, much less rationally manage them. I had multiple variations of S&P 500 index funds, some more aggressive funds, other odds and ends, the equivalent of a junk drawer with any old stuff thrown in. They were like old ratty blue jeans -- hard to be rid of.

Until . . .

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Van | 10/05/08 at 03:16 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 29, 2008

The Whale and the Amoeba: Paul Newman and Me

One benefit of a career in journalism is that it brings you occasional brushes with greatness. I had that in my career, none more memorable than a few minutes with Paul Newman. For 11 years we shared the same zip code -- 06880 -- but I met him only once. I encountered Old Blue Eyes, my fellow Westportonian, thanks to my work as East Coast Editor of Video Store magazine.

While members of the video trade press rarely traveled in the exotic circles of those covering theatrical movie releases, occasionally we'd get to partake of those thrilling press junkets that drummed up (invariably positive) press for a new release. That happened with "Nobody's Fool" in 1994. I got to see the movie, then joined other video-trade journalists for tightly choreographed, friendly group interviews with actors and and directors; these group interviews were technically known within journalistic circles as "gang bangs."

I don't remember many details of my time with Newman; I might have mentioned something about Westport. But we were both there, his blue eyes, my hazel eyes flitting around the table. He was very good, hoarse of voice, and plainly he held our attention. We never met again -- I got laid off by the magazine a year later -- but I always treasure the memory of our brief encounter.

Oh, and one of the other interviews was also memorable. The movie also starred Melanie Griffith as Newman's love interest in the film. Unlike Griffith, she came across as very ill-at-ease in the interview, and even had her high-octane publicist, Pat Kingsley, in the room in case any of the sheep-like trade press got rambunctious. We never did (no questions about Don Johnson!), and Griffith could rotate to the next group of ink-stained wretches with her composure intact.

Update: Vanity Fair magazine had a long piece about Newman in its September issue, planned before his passing. Read it here.

Van | 09/29/08 at 06:40 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 10, 2008

My Letter to the New York Times, or, "Adventures of Boysenberry Finn"

The August 4 New York Times gave writer-Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn the full send-off, with an obit that ran two full pages. The Times had years -- decades! -- to prepare and polish this obituary.

The Times still screwed it up, in some breath-taking ways. I noticed one glaring error and sent the paper this letter:

A subhead in the obituary of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn says he was "Born With the Soviet Union." The text says he was born in 1918, "a year after the Soviet Union arose from revolution." Sorry to burst your enthusiasm for the fruits of the revolution, but the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was not formed until December 1922. The October Revolution only put the Bolsheviks in power and did not immediately create the USSR. Check your stories from correspondent Walter Duranty -- he could probably help you set the historical record straight.

My letter didn't appear, but the correction did, along with other corrections that show an amazing inattention to basic facts of the man's life.

Continue reading "My Letter to the New York Times, or, "Adventures of Boysenberry Finn""

Van | 08/10/08 at 07:06 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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. . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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 . . . more »

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

August 09, 2006

My 4th blogging anniversary

I first started posting on this blog Friday, August 9th, 2002. Which that year was Rosh Chodesh Ellul. (This year Rosh Chodesh Ellul is August 25th.) Glenn Reynolds had his 5th blogging anniversary yesterday. I still can't get my mind . . . more »

Judith | 08/09/06 at 11:10 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Living the Red State Life

So, after a few months of dithering and not quite getting around it, I finally went on my first shooting expedition at the shooting range on West 20th Street. I went with Mary who wrote up her experiences already at . . . more »

Alcibiades | 08/09/06 at 11:10 AM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 31, 2006

Sitemeter anniversary

Last summer I moved Kesher Talk from Blogger to Movable Type, and I zeroed out the Sitemeter on July 30th, 2005. Since then we have had 147,878 total visits, which averages out to about 2830 / wk. Traffic jumped beginning . . . more »

Judith | 07/31/06 at 12:59 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 02, 2006

Go France! for a change!

Despite all the nasty things I've thought and written about France in the post 9/11 world, when it came down to it, I was rooting for France over Brazil in yesterday's world cup match. France and I have history together; . . . more »

Alcibiades | 07/02/06 at 04:56 PM | 8 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 27, 2006

A Serious Father-Son Talk

There come times in the relationship between a father and a son when they have a serious talk. It may be awkward, it can be humorous, but a father's obligations demand it. I'm referring, of course, to The Talk about . . . more »

Van | 06/27/06 at 05:24 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 20, 2006

I am xs petite, hear me roar!

I don't shop at Saks (even their end-of-summer triple-mark-down sale is too rich for my budget), but I'm glad our petite voices are being heard, because . . . . For designers who specialize in petite sizes, the decision by . . . more »

Judith | 06/20/06 at 09:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 19, 2006

Rock Lobster

This is so Austin. . . . more »

Judith | 06/19/06 at 07:12 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 18, 2006

Hitchens, Margolis, and McGann explain it all to you

Mary wrote up our recent foray into geopolitical theorizing, which included bloggers "Alcibiades" and Pamela, as well as several friends. We ran into Michael Weiss (no relation), the instigator of the NYC Solidarity with Denmark rally, and two friends, who . . . more »

Judith | 06/18/06 at 11:56 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 17, 2006

My Brilliant Soccer Innovation

I'm watching the Ghana-Czech Republic soccer game, and suddenly -- the idea comes to me, the idea that will revolutionize soccer and draw more American interest to the sport. The background of the insight: super-low scoring. One ball, big field, . . . more »

Van | 06/17/06 at 12:50 PM | 3 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 22, 2006

The latest academic boycott of Israel

Joseph Skibell - a novelist and professor at Emory University - addresses the latest academic boycott of Israel: Must an American novelist really lecture his British academic colleagues on the dangers of McCarthyistic political tests? Must an American really remind . . . more »

Judith | 05/22/06 at 09:56 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 21, 2006

A brief pause

Looks like all three of us got busy or burned out at once. Never fear! Keshertalk is still here! I'm sure there will be new stuff to read tomorrow. In the meantime, a traditional bloggish filler: . . . more »

Judith | 05/21/06 at 11:24 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 14, 2006

Fomenting Anarchy in the Apple Store

Today I visited the Apple Store on Prince St. in NYC, as I scout for software for my new (used from Craig's List, actually) PowerBook G4. What a jumping, lively place I found, bursting with Macs on full display -- . . . more »

Van | 05/14/06 at 05:44 PM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 07, 2006

Jews Lost in the Blues: Name That Tune

Several months ago I heard a blues song by a female singer, probably on a college radio station. I was so dumbfounded by the lyrics that I didn't write down the artist or the station. A Google search revealed no . . . more »

Van | 05/07/06 at 01:11 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 06, 2006

Mercy On Broadway

You know how you get a sudden craving for the comfort foods of your youth? I've been satisfying a sudden craving for the comfort music of my youth. For some reason last week I had a sudden craving for . . . more »

Judith | 05/06/06 at 09:04 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

The Tragedy of Male Longevity

Psychologist Dr. Helen has a sizzling fisking of a New York Times article from April 30 about the grim downside of increasing male longevity. She writes, The New York Times has an article today entitled, "The Bell Tolls for the . . . more »

Van | 05/06/06 at 09:46 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 05, 2006

What Every Man Needs . . .

. . . OK, and after that, I would nominate a Swiss Army knife. I got one about six Father's Days ago and I find it incredibly useful to have around my SBP (swinging bachelor pad). This morning I'm assembling . . . more »

Van | 05/05/06 at 10:17 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 14, 2006

The soundtrack of my life, Tiger edition

In honor of zeroing out my hard drives, installing OSX 10.4.5, downloading and reinstalling all my apps, restoring all my data and preferences, repairing my permissions, deleting unneeded localizations, and importing about 25% of my music collection into iTunes . . . . more »

Judith | 03/14/06 at 08:38 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 04, 2006

Exercised

Earlier this week, the really early morning tv watching crowd was treated to a video of Condi showing off her exercise routine. And it is pretty impressive really. She's a former figure skater, and now, at age 50+, she's up . . . more »

Alcibiades | 03/04/06 at 08:21 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 17, 2006

A Teapot and A Broom

So does anyone understand curling? How does the scoring work? What are you supposed to do? Why would you ever play it? What's the point? Though those full layout shots as they are setting up and releasing the, um, large . . . more »

Alcibiades | 02/17/06 at 05:45 PM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 13, 2006

NYC weather

Thank you to everyone who made my Amazon Wish List a little shorter and my birthday more fun; it's great to be appreciated. Also, for everyone who couldn't join me in deepest Brighton Beach in a nasty rainstorm to eat . . . more »

Judith | 02/13/06 at 07:44 AM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 07, 2006

Watch This Trailer

I just watched the trailer to Sophie Scholl, the Oscar-nominated portrayal of the student protestor executed by the Nazis. Hadn't heard about it before I saw the recommendation at Clive Davis. But I've seldom seen a more powerful trailer. . . . more »

Alcibiades | 02/07/06 at 10:29 PM | 10 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 06, 2006

Birthday bleg

As editor of this blog for three and a half years, I'm going to indulge myself by keeping this post at the top for the next few days. My birthday is February 7th. My Amazon wish list is on the . . . more »

Judith | 02/06/06 at 10:01 PM | 8 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 01, 2006

The State of My Union

Welcome new Kesher Talk contributor "Levy Ben." I didn't watch the president's State of the Union address. I never do. I have never heard a president give me any information I didn't already have, ever, in one of these speeches. . . . more »

levyben | 02/01/06 at 09:13 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 24, 2006

24

After 4 hours of 24 last week, didn't you all feel that just one hour this week was like starvation rations? Can someone please tell me what happened to President Palmer in Season 3, was it? Did he resign? Did . . . more »

Alcibiades | 01/24/06 at 04:51 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 23, 2006

Bukharin Food in Queens, NY

I think this looks and sounds delicious -- but then I love Central Asian food. I used to have some delicious recipes, mostly of kinds of meat dumplings. (Well I still do, I just haven't made them for a . . . more »

Alcibiades | 01/23/06 at 02:31 PM | 8 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 28, 2005

Boy on boy action

I was wondering if anyone was going to bring this up. . . . Just a comment about straight men and their wives not going to “Brokeback Mountain.” Jeffrey, their wives will be going with the other wives. The straight . . . more »

Judith | 12/28/05 at 06:29 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 25, 2005

Miracle on 47th Street: A Heartwarming Holiday Encounter

On Friday I took a late-morning train into New York. A young woman sat beside me with a rolling suitcase. Once she got arranged we started talking. She lives in Connecticut and was going into the city to meet her . . . more »

Van | 12/25/05 at 02:16 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 24, 2005

Welcome to a new co-blogger!

Please give a hearty welcome to our newest contributor, Van Wallach. Van is a professional journalist who has been publishing on the web for some time. His first piece for Kesher Talk was a report on a Jewish Policy Center . . . more »

Judith | 12/24/05 at 06:08 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 18, 2005

Yes, we do everything better in Texas

Everyone's linking to this over the top holiday light display, and I have to wonder if this guy blasts that soundtrack out his window while the display is flashing. Then I wonder if his neighbors love him or hate him. . . . more »

Judith | 12/18/05 at 10:11 PM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 11, 2005

Four years of evolution

Kesher Talk was four years old on Saturday. Kesher Talk was probably the first political blog with a specifically Jewish character, and the first Jewish neo-con blog. It was launched on December 10th, 2001, by Howard Fienberg. I joined . . . more »

Judith | 12/11/05 at 10:04 PM | 10 Comments | 3 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 06, 2005

Armadillo

Jeff Goldstein, out there in snow country, has to create invisible armadillo friends. But in Texas we have real armadillos, and I thought I wasn't going to see one my entire vacation, although deer were ambling all over people's lawns . . . more »

Judith | 12/06/05 at 07:21 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 03, 2005

A high-wire act

A crew has been pointing the bricks on my building since September. Recently they've worked their way around to my side of the building and I see four guys on a roped platform go up and down past my window . . . more »

Judith | 12/03/05 at 05:42 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 01, 2005

I vont to suck your blooooood

I'm sure, dear reader, you have not been distracted from your daily routine with worry about how my bedbug problem turned out. I wish that was the case for me. So far the exterminator has come four times. I finally . . . more »

Judith | 12/01/05 at 02:07 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 29, 2005

Keep Austin Weird, yet more

As I strolled across the meadow in St. Edward's Park yesterday, I fell in with a large middle-aged woman with that "lesbian menopause" look: extremely short hair, one earring, sweatshirt chic, serene "Yeah, I'm fat, so what's it to you?" . . . more »

Judith | 11/29/05 at 12:40 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 28, 2005

Keep Austin Weird, cont.

Today I drove out to Hamilton Pool, and after sitting in the sun watching the waterfall I hiked down to the Pedernales. Unfortunately it was too cold to swim but it was very sunny. Any photo can only convey a . . . more »

Judith | 11/28/05 at 11:05 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 26, 2005

Keep Austin Weird

I'm housesitting for some friends and they don't have wifi and I don't want to subject myself to dial-up, so I went driving around looking for some funky place open late. Unlike NYC, just about every cafe in Austin has . . . more »

Judith | 11/26/05 at 11:43 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 23, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

I'll be back in a few days. . . . more »

Alcibiades | 11/23/05 at 05:05 PM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 08, 2005

Texas wants you anyway

I'm going to Austin for Thanksgiving. See friends and friends' kids, enjoy warm weather (forecast for next week is low 80s), daven at my old shul, hike in Barton Creek. Maybe drive by my cute little house in 78704 . . . more »

Judith | 11/08/05 at 09:35 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

October 02, 2005

Eventful

It's been a busy blog weekend. Friday night I went to the huge blogger bash produced by NYC blogger impresario and Right Wing Death Beast Karol Sheinen. Saturday night I attended a memorial service for journalist Steven Vincent, murdered by . . . more »

Judith | 10/02/05 at 03:29 PM | 0 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

How to change the world

Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In? brought to you by Quizilla You belong in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. You value freedom above all else. You would fight and die for your family and . . . more »

Judith | 10/02/05 at 12:52 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 30, 2005

Slight bleg

Anyone notice how varied my BlogAds are? One promoting Christian radio, one advocating fighting the "religious right" by emphasizing the establishment clause, one for a "spiritual esoterica" emporium, and my free ad promoting the Jewish BlogAd network. (That's right, one . . . more »

Judith | 09/30/05 at 03:00 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

More Serenity Reviews

Both the Washington Post and the New York Sun give Serenity a big thumbs up. They both stress as well that the movie is not just for people who are already fans of the TV show. . . . more »

Alcibiades | 09/30/05 at 11:21 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 29, 2005

Beach haven

Mary and I went to the beach again last week. We missed the exit for Island Beach State Park so we ended up on the next barrier island down the Jersey shore. Since it was September, the area was pretty . . . more »

Judith | 09/29/05 at 06:04 PM | 3 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Heh! Good for you after all!

Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday. . . . more »

Alcibiades | 09/29/05 at 12:13 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 28, 2005

Just Got Back From Seeing Serenity...

...And much of the Blogosphere seems to be talking about Tom DeLay. Since I don't have anything to say about that one way or another, I'll say instead go out and see Serenity. What a great film! It manages to . . . more »

Alcibiades | 09/28/05 at 10:06 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

My first stupid internet quiz

I've managed to avoid these things up to now, but. . . . this is pretty accurate: . . . more »

Judith | 09/28/05 at 09:08 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 21, 2005

Emergency landing

So I come home from the Steve Mumford talk at Barnes & Noble about 9 PM, I get out of the subway at Columbus Circle and I decide to stop in Whole Foods and peruse the deli case before going . . . more »

Judith | 09/21/05 at 10:38 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 18, 2005

Random scenes from my life

I stole this photo from Pamela's blog. Here we are at our dinner after the Hitchens-Galloway debate. From left to right: Mara, Mary, Pamela, Peter and David are hidden from view, then Rona (of last year's "Today Show" street . . . more »

Judith | 09/18/05 at 12:26 AM | 2 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 16, 2005

NYC bloggy doings

It's a busy couple of weeks here in NYC. Everyone's back from vacation, classes are starting, arts programs are starting, High Holidays are coming, and people are throwing parties: If you read Reason, here's an opportunity to meet up with . . . more »

Judith | 09/16/05 at 04:32 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 29, 2005

Get your tickets now

I want to remind people about the upcoming Hitchens-Galloway tour. If you are in the NYC Metro area, you can watch the pyrotechnics at Baruch College. Some of us Liberal Hawks are going to attend as a Hitchens cheering section . . . more »

Judith | 08/29/05 at 12:55 PM | 2 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 24, 2005

Changing the World, One Mind at a Time

I've been meaning to link to this excellent column on Arthur Koestler in the NYSun since yesterday, celebrating the centenary of his birth. Arthur Koestler, that one-time titan in the Cold and culture wars, was born 100 years ago this . . . more »

Alcibiades | 08/24/05 at 05:06 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 22, 2005

Thermal depolymerization

Increased fuel efficiency should go hand in hand with encouraging innovative solutions to fuel needs. Which gives me another opportunity to plug thermal depolymerization. Put anything carbon-based in one end, get different grades of oil at the other end. It's . . . more »

Judith | 08/22/05 at 12:17 PM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 19, 2005

Calling all malachim

Sometimes the saddest thing is when we don't have people around to tell us when we are making a big mistake. Or to show us how to see a situation in a different way. Or to compassionately deter us from . . . more »

Judith | 08/19/05 at 05:21 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 16, 2005

Blogging in the burbs

My friend Ron isn't afraid to go on record as a Right Wing Death Beast, here in his local paper:Ron Soussa, of Montville, counts "Power Line" (www.powerlineblog.com) and "little green footballs" (www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog), among his favorites. "The people who write on . . . more »

Judith | 08/16/05 at 12:38 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 09, 2005

Rotten tomatoes

A friend emailed me: Any interest in seeing..... Fahrenheit 911? It is showing on one of the premium channels I subscribe to . . . I have yet to see it, prefer not induce further rage in my already enraged . . . more »

Judith | 08/09/05 at 04:45 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 31, 2005

The Wifebeaters this Wednesday

If you are in the NYC area, check out the Wifebeaters at Bowery Poetry Club. 308 Bowery @ Bleecker, right across from CBGB's 10 pm The Wifebeaters is Ivan Lenin's band. Half of Karol's posse are members. Here's a sample. . . . more »

Judith | 07/31/05 at 02:50 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Life's a beach

Mary is making me sound like much more of a grizzled adventure traveler than I am. I do hate crowded tourist sites. I do like to bodysurf. I did take two sea kayaking trips some years ago - one in . . . more »

Judith | 07/31/05 at 10:40 AM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 15, 2005

More WWII photos

After browsing this link I posted (which I found via Chicagoboyz), Rona emailed me the following (reproduced with permission):That found film link was cool. In WWII my father found a whole reel of unexposed 35mm film for movie making. He . . . more »

Judith | 07/15/05 at 04:05 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 07, 2005

Shul-hopping

My father's yahrzeit is Monday July 18th. I expect to be somewhere in southern Florida that day. Any pointers to egalitarian shacharit minyans would be appreciated. Leave a comment or email me. I will be travelling with Mary Madigan; . . . more »

Judith | 07/07/05 at 07:35 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 22, 2005

Take back the memorial

Yesterday several of us NYC Metro Liberal Hawks joined the protest against the proposed 9-11 memorial. Mary took pix. The Nautical File and Riding Sun (not part of our group but I wish I had met them) took pix. . . . more »

Judith | 06/22/05 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 16, 2005

Blog roundup

Scott wrote this on Memorial Day (my apologies for not linking sooner). I had some pleasant moments of nostalgia from his description of the first NYC LGF reader brunch:A few years ago, in the wake of 911, I had the . . . more »

Judith | 06/16/05 at 11:52 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Back down the mountain

The retreat was enjoyable in spite of the unusual heat and humidity, and it didn't rain. I'm glad I packed all those tank tops. There were a few blog-related moments. I got to hang with my friend from Montreal who . . . more »

Judith | 06/16/05 at 11:22 PM | 15 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 05, 2005

Playing hooky

So this is my first post in two weeks, the longest hiatus I have taken from this blog in almost three years. I didn't go anywhere. I didn't stop reading blogs. I wasn't sick. I didn't have a hugely . . . more »

Judith | 06/05/05 at 11:28 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 23, 2005

More Free Muslims Against Terrorism

Previous entries on the Muslims Against Terrorism rally in Washington DC here, here, and here. Oleg Atbashian, founder of Communists for Kerry and the People's Cube, has a link-rich report on the Muslims Against Terrorism rally in Washington DC . . . more »

Judith | 05/23/05 at 01:29 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 22, 2005

Eyeless in Gaza

I got to see Ariel Sharon speak this afternoon in NYC. This is a pretty good description of the event. What the report doesn't tell you is that Sharon opened his speech by saying "I came here this morning . . . more »

Judith | 05/22/05 at 11:33 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 16, 2005

How to do interfaith alliance-building

Previous entries on the Free Muslims Against Terrorism rally here and here. Here again is the must-watch video of Imam Khaleel Mohammed's speech at the rally. Turns out he also has as much contempt for PC Jews as I . . . more »

Judith | 05/16/05 at 01:13 PM | 7 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 15, 2005

Fifty Muslims and friends against terrorism

I left for the "Free Muslims Against Terrorism" rally at 6:30 AM yesterday to take the subway to meet my ride to Washington DC. I got back from the rally about 3 AM, after a long dinner and drinks . . . more »

Judith | 05/15/05 at 07:11 PM | 16 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 13, 2005

Here's to hirsuteness

Sullivan and readers have been talking about the current fad - which crosses all genders and sexual orientations - for hair removal. I personally find this fad repulsive. I haven't seen as many naked guys lately as I would . . . more »

Judith | 05/13/05 at 10:43 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 10, 2005

Not Now Not Ever

Mary has a short report on the rally in Central Park on Sunday against the genocide in the Sudan. It got a respectable crowd, considering that it took place on Mother's Day. The rally was generated by a group . . . more »

Judith | 05/10/05 at 08:16 AM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 06, 2005

Protestors in Babeland

Lebanese protest babes, courtesy Michael Totten. NYC Protest Warrior babes, courtesy Scott Sala. I wrote here about last Sunday's PW response to a May Day rally in Union Square. More from the Communists for Kerry splinter group, the People's . . . more »

Judith | 05/06/05 at 05:10 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 05, 2005

Citizenship

I have jury duty today. I've never been called before. I'm torn. Serving on a long difficult trial would be a very interesting experience, and feed my romantic "12 Angry Men" fantasies of standing up for justice and mercy, . . . more »

Judith | 05/05/05 at 07:07 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 03, 2005

Political re-education

Sunday started off cool and rainy, but turned warm and sunny by the time I left shul about noon after the last shacharit service of Pesach 2005. I walked over to Union Square to join my fellow Protest Warriors . . . more »

Judith | 05/03/05 at 04:27 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

May 02, 2005

Greetings from Columbus Circle

I finally got around to listing Kesher Talk at NYC Bloggers. There are 44 blogs listed for this subway station alone. There are 100 at Union Square. There are 32 at my brother's stop, Grand Army Plaza. . . . more »

Judith | 05/02/05 at 10:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

April 21, 2005

Latest meeting of the recovering progressives support group

Amongst the "where were you on 9-11?" stories and the "screamed at and ostracized by liberal friends" stories, and the gossip about other bloggers, one topic at Monday's dinner was the addictiveness of blogging. It sucks up hours of . . . more »

Judith | 04/21/05 at 03:44 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

April 14, 2005

The Feminist Sex Wars revisited

I've been reading blog eulogies for Andrea Dworkin, and remembering the Feminist Sex Wars of the early 80s, when the Dworkin-McKinnon anti-porn movement was in full swing. The anti-porn wing generated an opposition which became known as the pro-sex . . . more »

Judith | 04/14/05 at 08:02 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

April 02, 2005

Buy a venti chai latte today

Speaking of divestment, Oxfam divested from Starbucks. Well, I never thought much of Oxfam anyway; they are darlings of Body Shop founder Anita whatserface, and they also published that horrible poster with the blood orange advocating that people boycott . . . more »

Judith | 04/02/05 at 08:52 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 27, 2005

It was fahbulous, dahling!

Oh, the frenetic social swirl of NYC bloggers! The glamour! The celebrity sightings! The flirting! The scintillating conversation! the drinking! The pulsating way-too-loud music! Oh, and Happy Easter from Ace. UPDATE: What Ken, Eric, and Kim were doing instead. . . . more »

Judith | 03/27/05 at 06:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 22, 2005

Party animals

If you're in the NYC area, check it out. . . . more »

Judith | 03/22/05 at 11:37 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 17, 2005

When I was a boy, part II

Part I here. Also here and here. First of all, Howard Kurtz has weighed in on the female political blogger kerfluffle. After quoting a few high-profile female bloggers and columnists, he says:As for this column, I encourage female bloggers . . . more »

Judith | 03/17/05 at 10:53 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

For St Paddy's Day

Some old Irish poetry from Oxblog. (If I were home much tomorrow and not having to somewhat unexpectedly prep for leading shacharit this Saturday, I would haul out my old Bothy Band and Planxty tapes.) Since this is a . . . more »

Judith | 03/17/05 at 08:05 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 16, 2005

The conscience of the blogosphere

I provoked Eric's screed about the intellectually lazy political blogosphere, and then urged him to post it, so go read it. Eric lands some accurate blows, although I am not as exercised about this stuff as he is, being . . . more »

Judith | 03/16/05 at 11:12 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

People will blog about anything Dept

Glenn links to I Love Colonoscopies. (However, for some reason the blogger explains his unusual passion somewhere else.) Coincidentally, my second colonoscopy is next week. (Several of my relatives died of colon cancer, although I'm healthy so far.) They've . . . more »

Judith | 03/16/05 at 09:04 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 15, 2005

Academic Integrity and the Middle East: Letter to the Editor

The Jewish Week published this report on the Columbia conference on Academic Integrity and the Middle East. I just sent them this letter: . . . more »

Judith | 03/15/05 at 12:14 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 13, 2005

Latest spam innovation

It had to happen:Dear Sir, My humble compliments. My name is Capt. David Spins I am an American soldier, I am serving in the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq, we have just been re-assigned to Germany. . . . more »

Judith | 03/13/05 at 09:42 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 12, 2005

I love the blogosphere Dept.

In a comment thread at Baraita, Will offered to check into Daf Yomi classes in Manhattan that might accept women. He and I exchanged a few emails on Thursday and Friday. We had never met or corresponded previously. So . . . more »

Judith | 03/12/05 at 11:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 11, 2005

Why I like living in Manhattan

One reason is all the smart fun political bloggers I have met, most of whom I got to hang with last night at a bar a few blocks from the UN. The most complete reports are from Karol and . . . more »

Judith | 03/11/05 at 04:06 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 02, 2005

More Condi buzz

I was telling someone at the Protest Warrior meeting/excuse to drink beer last week that it's a shame Condi isn't Jewish. Then it would be perfect. News Anchor #1 (with furrowed brow) to News Anchor #2: "Bill, do you . . . more »

Judith | 03/02/05 at 11:35 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Daf Yomi, Berachot 2a

Introductory Daf Yomi post here, which explains the whole thing for those of you who didn't read KT before. Naomi Chana - who along with articles in the Forward and Jewish Week inspired me to do this - says . . . more »

Judith | 03/02/05 at 08:54 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 28, 2005

The New Silent Majority

Vodkapundit has another anecdote from a liberal hawk friend in the closet, and asks, "Could folks like us be the new Silent Majority?" Yes. Yes. And yes. I formed an entire social circle in NYC out of people who . . . more »

Judith | 02/28/05 at 07:12 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

When I was a boy

The last word on the latest gender kerfluffle belongs to songwriter Dar Williams. (I was a boy too, I still am sometimes, and I bet most of you girls can say the same. If this song raises a small . . . more »

Judith | 02/28/05 at 04:18 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 25, 2005

More popular science

The post was getting long, so I started a new one. Speaking of actual scientific studies, and science reporting that actually reports the results, Ilyka notes this NYTimes article (and even VRWC Death Beasts tend to agree that the . . . more »

Judith | 02/25/05 at 05:57 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Popular science

I remember studies like this being on the front page of Time in the 1980s. Women, men, math, maps, different areas of the brain. Same stuff. But look at the percentages. You still got millions of men and women . . . more »

Judith | 02/25/05 at 02:04 PM | 8 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Weather report

More snow here in NYC and I have to schlep to NYU Dental School all the way over on the East Side this afternoon. (I like to get my dental work done at dental schools when I don't have . . . more »

Judith | 02/25/05 at 07:37 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 24, 2005

Democracy Watch, cont.

Previous entries on this topic here (Syria) and here (Central Asia). Last night I went to another VRWC social event. Some of the Communists for Kerry folk happened to be there and we giddily hoisted toasts to the spread . . . more »

Judith | 02/24/05 at 02:07 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 23, 2005

Blog roundup - the virtual neighborhood

David is parent-blogging. I am enjoying this because I am an acquaintance of David's parents (although I have not yet met David) and I can clearly picture them in my mind's eye as I read about the Adesnik Elder . . . more »

Judith | 02/23/05 at 05:50 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 20, 2005

Sha'arey Gan Orange, cont.

I guess I should keep posting Christo Gates items as long as they are installed (about a week left now). Yesterday I finally got my Gates walk, as about 12 people from one of my minyans left the shul . . . more »

Judith | 02/20/05 at 07:03 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 18, 2005

Buy this CD

The hazzan of my shul back in Austin just released a recording, and one of the most influential Jewish music critics thinks he likes it:Neil Blumofe: �Moses� Muses� (Horeb) Well, it�s not often I get to say this but . . . more »

Judith | 02/18/05 at 09:37 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 16, 2005

What kind of geek am I?

The kind who watches the British House of Commons live. On C-SPAN. In a little window on my computer. For fun. While filing away the accumulation in my email inbox. While recovering from the flu. UPDATE: The plague continues . . . more »

Judith | 02/16/05 at 07:38 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 13, 2005

The plague, cont.

The worst is over. I think the massive amounts of zinc lozenges made a big difference. Today is the "feeling normal for a few hours at a stretch" day. Tomorrow is the "almost normal but get tired easily" day. . . . more »

Judith | 02/13/05 at 11:18 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 11, 2005

The Plague

In spite of massive amounts of zinc, echinacea, astragalus, vitamin C, and frequent hand-washing - I got it. Now I just hope it won't last too long. I think the final straw was the juxtaposition of not getting enough . . . more »

Judith | 02/11/05 at 09:58 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 09, 2005

Ride 'em, Jewboy!

My former summer camp counselor (and radical country music star, raconteur, mystery novel author, and all-around gadfly) Kinky Friedman, is planning to run for governor of Texas. If I were still living in TX, I'd vote for him, not . . . more »

Judith | 02/09/05 at 02:56 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 07, 2005

Weather report

Sunny, in the 50s, great weather for a NYC February. A wonderful birthday present. And here's some belated NYC photosnowblogging, with a twist: The Circle Line tour. UPDATE: Today is also the birthday (fourth) of LGF. UPDATE: Mary - . . . more »

Judith | 02/07/05 at 05:18 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 30, 2005

Afterglow

Iraqi election link roundup here. Mary and I met at Susan's apartment this afternoon to watch the Spirit of America coverage on C-SPAN. The whole set-up had that endearing Wayne's World Public Access TV feel, but it also had . . . more »

Judith | 01/30/05 at 06:26 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 28, 2005

Homework

I have to give a d'var next Shabbat. The parshah, Mishpatim, is one of those so chock full of incidents and topics and provocative images that it's hard to choose what to talk about. I've got the Etz Chayyim. . . . more »

Judith | 01/28/05 at 09:15 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 27, 2005

The Best of Kesher Talk - 2002

I haven't been posting as much specifically Jewish stuff in the past few week as I have in the past. So if you're stopping by from the Israellycool Jewish Blog Awards, and you haven't been a regular KT reader, . . . more »

Judith | 01/27/05 at 07:00 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 26, 2005

The Best of Kesher Talk - 2003

I haven't been posting as much specifically Jewish stuff in the past few week as I have in the past. So if you're stopping by from the Israellycool Jewish Blog Awards, and you haven't been a regular KT reader, . . . more »

Judith | 01/26/05 at 10:59 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 25, 2005

Tu B'Shvat

Tu B'Shvat is over, although there's one more seder tonight at the JCC, which I won't be attending as it is a very crunchy environmentalist event, and there will be much hand-wringing over the election, which I don't want . . . more »

Judith | 01/25/05 at 06:53 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

The Best of Kesher Talk - 2004

I haven't been posting as much specifically Jewish stuff in the past few week as I have in the past. So if you're stopping by from the Israellycool Jewish Blog Awards, and you haven't been a regular KT reader, . . . more »

Judith | 01/25/05 at 06:44 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 22, 2005

Saturday Snowblogging

Pix of Manhattan streets from Scott. Ditto from Jessica. Jackson Heights. On the Hoboken waterfront with Mary. UPDATE: Michele is blizzard-blogging up a storm. As it were. Start here and click forward. I don't mind the falling snow, since . . . more »

Judith | 01/22/05 at 08:25 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 19, 2005

The UN lives down to every cliche

Mary has already posted a wonderfully detailed report (with pix!) of our encounter with the UN yesterday, and here is what little I have to add: We found out about this conference from Karol's Right Events calendar blog. It was . . . more »

Judith | 01/19/05 at 08:11 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 17, 2005

Blog socializing fabulosity

The best way to get together with out of town bloggers is to notice when they post about going to NYC and then ask them if they want to meet. That's how I met "Tom Paine", Roger Simon, Iowahawk, . . . more »

Judith | 01/17/05 at 11:27 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 31, 2004

The obligatory backward look

Lots of good news in 2004. Really. 2004 was the year of puppet sex, says Jesse Walker in a fine retrospective which gives a nod to the ur-adult-puppet movie and warmup for the Lord of the Rings saga, Meet . . . more »

Judith | 12/31/04 at 05:24 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 21, 2004

Good news

Good news for mild SAD sufferers like me. After today, the days start getting longer. Yay! UPDATE: Rachel has some thoughts on the solstice. . . . more »

Judith | 12/21/04 at 09:22 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

Cold weather

A few years ago a huge iceberg calved off the Ross Ice Shelf and is making life difficult for penguins and scientists down there. (Blog link courtesy of Ken Wheaton.) Antarctic iceberg webcam. Fun facts about icebergs. Awesome iceberg . . . more »

Judith | 12/21/04 at 01:55 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 18, 2004

One of my few personal posts

Cathy Siepp: Luke Ford came over last night for latkes and the last night of Hanukah. I still hate his new site -- the bland Blogspot template seems to have gotten into his style -- but the other day . . . more »

Judith | 12/18/04 at 08:03 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 06, 2004

8 reasons why they haven't hit us again

As someone living in a hi-rise in midtown Manhattan, I find this reassuring. Especially Reason #2. . . . more »

Judith | 12/06/04 at 10:25 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 04, 2004

Moving to posher digs

Virtually, that is. I got one of the last G4 iMacs with the 20" screen, on eBay. For ergonomic reasons. I got tired of sitting hunched over peering into my laptop screen. Upgraded to Panther finally. So the last . . . more »

Judith | 12/04/04 at 07:18 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 09, 2004

Politics and chili

It's been a very social week, what with all the election-related celebrating. Thursday evening, a party at the Metropolitan Republican Club. Sort of a reunion with some of my NJ phonebank people, plus new friends. This is the official . . . more »

Judith | 11/09/04 at 11:22 PM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

November 03, 2004

The morning after

Relieved. Exhausted. Spent all afternoon and early evening in Hackensack NJ calling voters and watching nerve-wracking TV pundits, along with my friend of the Command Post essays and several other Bushie New Yorkers I had rounded up to help. . . . more »

Judith | 11/03/04 at 03:31 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

October 09, 2004

Taba

Simchat Torah is the glorious culmination of a week of what is supposed to be unadulterated joy and relaxation at completing the hard work of self-examination and teshuvah of Ellul and the Yamim Noraim. Of course (and it is . . . more »

Judith | 10/09/04 at 08:13 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

September 28, 2004

Where the elite meet to greet

Via Protocols, yet another in the many slavishly flattering articles on my wonderful davening and studying minyan, which is also tediously cliquish if your demographic isn't 20-something/Ivy League/Jewish Day school/Jewish professional parent/year in Israel/earnest left-liberal. But the davening and . . . more »

Judith | 09/28/04 at 09:52 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 29, 2004

Socialite blogging

Before being swept up by convention/protest fever, I attended a whirlwind evening of Republican bloggish goodness, well-documented by Karol. . . . more »

Judith | 08/29/04 at 03:50 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 11, 2004

NYC weather report

I sure am glad I didn't put off going to the store earlier today. There's a monsoon out there. But it's kinda cool from 25 floors up. And now I don't have to turn on the A/C in my . . . more »

Judith | 08/11/04 at 02:46 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

August 06, 2004

Party hardy, dude!

I've been to several of these "Party for Bush" events. Last month 4 of us LGF-reading-quasi-liberals (well, Peggy says she's not a liberal any more at all!) got together to visit two parties of the many that took place . . . more »

Judith | 08/06/04 at 03:24 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

July 12, 2004

"That's right, you're not from Texas - Texas wants you anyway

Fletch used to live in Tennessee and produced the beautiful Smokyblog, which is no more, even in cache. It specialized in luscious digital photography of the natural beauty and cultural artifacts of the Smoky Mountains. The good news is . . . more »

Judith | 07/12/04 at 12:46 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 30, 2004

Harry Weiss, 1922-2000

Today is my dad's yahrzeit (the Gregorian calendar date is in three weeks). He was a charming, difficult individual who was generous with his temper as well as his love and resources. He built a successful business in ladies' . . . more »

Judith | 06/30/04 at 04:44 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

June 22, 2004

Eyes and ears

Actually, this makes me feel all warm and cosy. I have a related story. I moved this April, from one mid-town doorman building to a posher one. I had been in my previous apt. 2 years. I am working . . . more »

Judith | 06/22/04 at 11:17 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 21, 2004

Free Speech

I participated in the anti-antiwar protest yesterday with the NYC chapter of Protest Warrior, which conducted many interviews with antiwar activists as well as marching with our somewhat subtle signage. A dreadlocked dude from the conservative punk constituency showed . . . more »

Judith | 03/21/04 at 11:56 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 19, 2004

How to meet your Jewish soul mate

I met mine at a hockey game, but I don't think that would work out for most people. Doron Kornbluth of Jewishdating.com has 7 tips on how to make it happen: Move to a Jewish neighborhoodJoin a Torah classMake . . . more »

William | 03/19/04 at 08:55 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 12, 2004

Blogging forecast: Light with periods of intense anxiety

Moving is never relaxing. Even if you are moving 3 blocks up the street. Especially not when the old landlord is being pissy about subletting, and the new one isn't quite sure when the apartment will be ready for . . . more »

Judith | 03/12/04 at 04:45 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

March 04, 2004

AWOL

Blogging from me will be light this week. I'm apartment hunting in Manhattan, which is more than a full-time job. But I want to mention that Purim starts Saturday night, and there will be some righteous partying among the . . . more »

Judith | 03/04/04 at 10:03 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 29, 2004

Y'varekh'kha Adonai v'yishm'rekha

As shaliach tzibbur, I chanted these words (in Hebrew) on Shabbat a week ago (during the repetition of the shacharit amidah, and the week before that (during the repetition of the musaf amidah) (Unusually, I happened to be leading . . . more »

Judith | 02/29/04 at 08:33 PM | 0 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 10, 2004

Big Bend

Sasha Castel understands the lure of Big Bend (one of the most underrated - and remote - wilderness areas in the continental US). As I note in the comments, most Easterners - even hiking/camping aficionados - have never heard . . . more »

Judith | 02/10/04 at 10:30 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 06, 2004

Just FYI

Tomorrow is my birthday. If you've been reading KT for awhile you know which one. It's also Tu B'shvat, the New Year of the Trees. And Shabbat Shira, with the longest haftarah in the chumash. I've chanted that haftarah . . . more »

Judith | 02/06/04 at 03:13 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

February 04, 2004

Insanely great

This week the Mac turns 20. My math professor boyfriend in 1989 gave me his old SE. Then I had one of the early-90s beige boxes, then one of the first PowerMacs, then a Lombard Powerbook (which I bought . . . more »

Judith | 02/04/04 at 09:23 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

January 28, 2004

The return of Pine

Off the Pine was one of the first blogs I stumbled across back in the Mezozoic age when I was searching the web for any sign that anyone was responding to the surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda I . . . more »

Judith | 01/28/04 at 01:28 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it

December 09, 2002

NYC LGF readers paint the town

The eminence gris of the New York lgf contingent (who posts under the name Free Radical) has a gift of picking up interesting people. He goes to some libertarian party that Asparagirl had emailed everyone on the list about (it . . . more »

Judith | 12/09/02 at 03:33 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Life and how to live it