Quote of the Day
April 17, 2016
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” ― Mark Twain
Month: April 2016
A Letter to Donald Trump by Rabbi Brant Rosen
April 17, 2016
Here is the letter I included in my weekly Friday e-mail to my congregants at Tzedek Chicago: Dear Haverim, One week ago, Tzedek Chicago cancelled its regularly scheduled Shabbat service in order to attend the Trump protest that was being held outside the UIC Pavilion. It just felt as if this was just too critical … More A Letter to Donald Trump by Rabbi Brant Rosen
Quote of the Day
April 16, 2016
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum – even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system … More Quote of the Day
Pope Francis, a Friend of the Left?
April 15, 2016
Amanda Marcotte argues in Salon that Bernie Sanders “has to accept that Pope Francis is not a friend of the left.” http://www.salon.com/2016/04/14/bernie_sanders_must_accept_that_pope_francis_isnt_a_friend_to_the_left_the_pontiff_cant_be_a_true_humanitarian_with_his_anti_woman_and_anti_lgbt_views/ According to Marcotte the Pope is no humanitarian, because, among other things, he has not embraced LGBT rights, apparently a sine qua non of laying claim to humanitarianism. While Pope Francis hasn’t managed … More Pope Francis, a Friend of the Left?
Quote of the Day
April 14, 2016
“As academia becomes more and more fragmented and balkanized into more narrow niches, an increasing proportion of what academics produce is unnecessarily obscure and obtuse, and, not surprisingly, poorly written. Graduate students read this drivel written by their academic elders, and then seek to emulate it, perpetuating the rule of pompous prose.”—Peter Dreier “Academic Drivel … More Quote of the Day
The Railroad Station by Wisława Szymborska
April 14, 2016
My nonarrival in the city of N. took place on the dot. You’d been alerted in my unmailed letter. You were able not to be there at the agreed-upon time. The train pulled up at Platform 3. A lot of people got out. My absence joined the throng as it made its way toward the … More The Railroad Station by Wisława Szymborska
Quote of the Day
April 13, 2016
“In the long run, the oppressor is also a victim. In the short run (and so far, human history has consisted only of short runs), the victims, themselves desperate and tainted with the culture that oppresses them, turn on other victims. ” ― Howard Zinn
Bullshit
April 13, 2016
This is a great piece on bullshit with nice examples from that great master of bullshit Deepak Chopra.. https://aeon.co/opinions/why-bullshit-is-no-laughing-matter?utm_source=Aeon+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f7251ca0d2-Saturday_newsletter_9_April_20164_6_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_411a82e59d-f7251ca0d2-68749541cid:DCBD16DE-085C-4142-9493-074ACD6689F4
The Great Leap
April 13, 2016
A faction of Canada’s New Democratic Party presented the Leap Manifesto (https://leapmanifesto.org/en/the-leap-manifesto/) at the NDP’s convention in Edmonton Alberta. The Leap is a call to action on climate change. The writers of the Leap are obviously terrified of the devil—the one in the details. For example, the Leap calls an immediate cessation of all oil … More The Great Leap
Quote of the Day
April 11, 2016
“I happen to be Jewish and I believe Israel has the right to exist, but I don’t think that Israel has the right to oppress the Palestinian people the way they have been doing. And I firmly reject the notion that a person who criticizes Israel, criticizes Zionism, is anti-Semitic. I find it bizarre. I’m … More Quote of the Day
No Harm Spilt 