Tag: course
GOP: Polls and the Hinge Points of History
There may no longer be a unifying “center” to hold the GOP together.
Sexual Choices
In Judaism sex is regarded as something wonderful, positive, and a gift of God.
Denmark Bans Meatballs to Accommodate Muslims
"The next thing could be that Danish nurses are forced to go under cover as Muslim women..." — Danish People's Party
Don’t Just Stand There, Get Out your Candles!
Three thousand new apartments should be transformed into 30,000 new apartment buildings.
Touching the Opposite Sex
'Shomer negiah,' the halachic bar on physical contact with the opposite sex, is wrongly treated by many as a Chumra that many do not observe.
No IDF Soldier Involved in Killing of Ax Wielding Arab
IDF Spokesperson Lt. Ella Barzilai released the following statement:
"In the past couple of hours there have been several claims that IDF soldiers caused the...
Reality Check: Palestine Will Remain a Non-Existent State
The non-member 'state' status will sink the Palestinian leadership even deeper into an obsession with intransigence in practice and paper victories that mean nothing in the real world.
Updated: Rumors From Syria
Not a week passes without some new rumor from Syria tearing up the social media channels. Here's the latest about Assad.
The Mashgiach Wore a Dress: The Fight over Opening Kosher Supervision to Women
Israel's Chief Rabbinate is yet to give its formal approval to the initiative.
Who Won the Latest Israel-Hamas War? (You’ll Be Surprised)
I’m amused by those who think that Hamas won the recent conflict.
Jewish Mothers Have Rights
I'm not a fan of Shimon Peres - I have to be honest. If I look back over his career as a politician...well, I'd rather not. But Peres has his moments. He is very supportive of women. I heard him speak a few months ago. He spoke of men as babies and says women run the world, ground it, nurture it.
Maker of Anti-Muslim Film Gets a Year in Prison
Of course, everybody also knew that, had Youssef not produced that idiotic film, he would have been allowed to go on with his grifter's life.
So Many ‘Things’: A Personal Account of Hurricane Sandy
There it was, a backyard full of my basement furniture, and bags and bags of waterlogged papers.
Four More Years
Once again I find myself congratulating the man I did not vote for. Barack Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term as President of the United States. As I said in my endorsement of his opponent, the President is a good and decent man. I don’t think he has been a bad President. He just hasn’t been a great President.
Haveil Havalim #384
Haveil Havalim is a great idea (I'm not going to post the normal shpiel here - just let me say it's our way of sharing a whole bunch of interesting blogs and blog posts that were posted this last week in the Jewish-Israel blogsphere.
Topics For Third Presidential Debate – This One’s On Foreign Policy
The issue of what happened in Benghazi, Libya in September 11, 2012 is likely to come up in at least one if not several of the different topic areas. President Obama will seek to put a definitive end to the questioning about how his administration handled the crisis, and presidential-hopeful Mitt Romney will seek to lay out the inconsistencies in the narratives presented by this administration over the course of the six weeks since the tragedy.
Postcard from Israel: The Haifa Flea Market
Definitely not on the standard list of tourist destinations in Israel, and less well-known than its counterpart in Yaffo (Jaffa), the flea market in down-town Haifa is well worth a visit whether you’re buying or just browsing. The market is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and of course it is best to get there as early as possible – with well-honed haggling skills!
Of Apples and Trees and Rabbis
I never liked comedienne Sarah Silverman. I never thought she was all that funny. Her humor is mostly vulgar and designed to shock people into laughing. Most comedians will tell you that if the only way you can make people laugh is with vulgar jokes, then you’re not really much of a comedian. But I digress. What upsets me the most about her is her very open self-identification as a Jew. Normally when successful people tout their Judaism, it makes me proud. But when she does it – it is an embarrassment. In fact I wish she would just change her name… or go away altogether.
Why Obama is Likely to Blow Debate No. 2
The short answer is: because he’s got nothing. There is no record to run on, no argument to make for four more years. The ideology that drives him is outdated and bankrupt. He has, in fact, implemented his policies – Republicans have had little means of stopping him – and those policies are the problem. But there’s a slightly longer answer too.
Obama’s Debate Slip Tells More About his Real View than Anything Else He’s Said...
The Obama-Romney debate has been analyzed from many angles, especially about who won. Yet in the course of the event, Obama said what might be the most revealing slip he has ever made. This one phrase tells more about Obama and the ideology of his left-wing supporters than every other word they have spoken in the last four years.
Unholy Behavior
The enmity I have observed between groups here in the holy land has been a source of great disappointment to me. Not that I didn’t know it exists. But I have encountered numerous instances of it I and did not realize the extent of it.
Learn Hebrew with Israel’s Best Teachers – In Real-Time, In Your Home
Live from Israel - Learn to read, speak & write Hebrew with qualified academic Israeli teachers online from your home.
Learn Hebrew at your pace and time - according to your level.
Rocket Ship of T’shuva
Sudden t’shuva is different. It seems to come about all at once with superhuman energy and willpower.
Egypt Kicks Sand in Obama’s Face
Egypt, the Arab world’s most important single country, has been turned from an ally of America—albeit an imperfect one of course—in maintaining and trying to extend Arab-Israeli peace into a leading advocate of expanding the conflict and even potentially going to war.
Democrat Convention Plan Shows Obama will Lose the Election
The information released about the Democratic convention seems to show it is designed to prove how radical the party is, to play to the most limited possible sector of the population.
Back To School Made Easy
The new school year is just around the corner, and as the summer days wind down the air is filled with the anticipation of the approaching back-to-school season. During this time, students and their parents often feel the apprehension and worry of preparing for school. Of course, we’d rather take advantage of these final warm vacation days and really enjoy ourselves, but the nervousness of the new school year is palpable. The best cure for this anxiety is to help ease the fear of the unknown by preparing for school. Set your children up for success by helping them prepare for this transition smoothly. Here are some tips to help you and your children experience this season bump-free.
The T’shuva Train
Rabbi Kook explains that t’shuva comes about in two distinct formats, either suddenly, or in a gradual, slowly developing fashion. Both of these pathways to t’shuva are readily found in the baal t’shuva world. Some people will tell you how their lives suddenly changed overnight. Others describe their experience as a long, challenging process which unfolded over years. Many factors influence the way in which t’shuva appears.
As the Pendulum Swings – Ever Rightward
Fact is there is of course nothing wrong with raising standards of religious observance. As long as it is voluntary. But when schools start making new demands along those lines, they completely ignore individual choice. Being Machmir should be an individual choice and not forced upon anyone. These strictrures have nothing to do with basic Halacha. They have to do with image.
Victim of Scientology Recites his Plight as Church’s New Tel-Aviv Center Is Inaugurated
The new, renovated Scientology Center opened in Tel Aviv. IDF Radio interviewed a man who said his family fell apart when his wife joined the Church of Scientology.
Pink Eye Essentials
Approximately fifteen to twenty million Americans are afflicted annually with the epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, an infection or irritation of the thin, clear membrane, known as the conjunctiva, that lies over the white part of the eye and lines the inside of the eyelid. More commonly known as conjunctivitis or pink eye, because of the uncharacteristic red and possibly swollen appearance the eye takes on during this condition, it is most commonly caused by either or a viral or bacterial infection.