Don't forget!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Jewish Museum 10/29/10-03/27/11: Houdini Art and Magic part 2 - New York NY | Examiner.com
That Houdini, who was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries continues to inspire twenty-first century visual artists such as Matthew Barney, Petah Coyne, Jane Hammond, Vik Muniz, Deborah Oropallo, and Raymond Pettibon speaks to his enduring power of his multi-dimensional prowess and personality.
Read the examiner.com article and view the slideshow.
Jewish Museum 10/29/10-03/27/11: Houdini Art and Magic part 1 - New York NY
On Friday October 29, 2010 The Jewish Museumwill present Houdini: Art and Magic, the first major art museum exhibition to examine the life, legend and enduring cultural influence of Harry Houdini. The exhibit will explore the career and lasting impact of the magician, escape artist, vaudeville entertainer, silent movie actor, author and lecturer through 163 objects including 26 recent works of art inspired by Houdini.
Read the entire examiner.com article and view the slideshow.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Despite pressure, Pete Seeger won’t cancel participation in Israeli-organized peace rally | JTA - Jewish & Israel News
Despite pressure, Pete Seeger won’t cancel participation in Israeli-organized peace rally
By Sue Fishkoff · October 14, 2010
Despite his opposition to Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza, Seeger refuses to heed calls to boycott an upcoming peace event organized by an Israeli institution.
- Read the article on jta.org
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Feminism And Romance Go Hand In Hand
ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2007) — Contrary to popular opinion, feminism and romance are not incompatible and feminism may actually improve the quality of heterosexual relationships, according to Laurie Rudman and Julie Phelan, from Rutgers University in the US. Their study* also shows that unflattering feminist stereotypes, that tend to stigmatize feminists as unattractive and sexually unappealing, are unsupported.
Read the entire article on sciencedaily.com
Only insecure guys want to be with a partner they don't admire and respect as an equal.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Yael Hedaya: Israeli novelist and In Treatment script writer - New York NY
The third season of the HBO psychological drama "In Treatment," a series based on the Israeli dramatic series "BeTipul," begins tonight at 9:00 PM, and tomorrow "Eden," the latest novel by "BeTipul" head writer Yael Hedaya, will be published in English by Metropolitan Books...
Read the article on examiner.com
Friday, October 22, 2010
Sat/Sun 10/23-24: Altneuland - Israeli Queer Cinema Festival - New York NY
Tomorrow October 23rd and Sunday October 24th NYU presents Altneuland, a two-day film festival of Israeli Queer Cinema. The seven movies included at the festival represent some of the finest selections from current Israeli LGBT cinema.
Read the article and view the screenings schedule on examiner.com
Art 101: Joan Snyder and Russell Roberts solo shows
The works of two abstract painters who are also Jewish New Yorkers are the subjects of solo shows at two Manhattan galleries.
Read the article on examiner.com
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Hawk or falcon in Prospect Park
A hawk or falcon I saw this afternoon in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY. It alighted on the branch with its kill (a pigeon) which it proceeded to eat.
Of Cats and Men – The Arty Semite – Forward.com
October 21, 2010, 1:42pmOf Cats and Men
By Jake Marmer
Each Thursday, The Arty Semite features excerpts and reviews of the best contemporary Jewish poetry. This week, Jake Marmer introduces the work of Karen Alkalay-Gut, whose first poem appeared in the Forverts when she was 10 years old.
Courtesy Karen Alkalay-GutA remarkable Israeli poet and professor at Tel Aviv University, Karen Alkalay-Gut is the author of numerous poetry collections, including “So Far, So Good” (2004). She writes almost exclusively in English, though her writing career began in Yiddish. When she was just 10, her poem “Mein Koter” was published here – in the Forverts.
Read the article and the poems on blogs.forward.com
Robert Creamer: Two Weeks Out -- Nine Reasons Why Democrats Will Keep Control of the House
With two weeks to go in the 2010 mid-term elections there are a number of good reasons to believe -- contrary to most conventional wisdom -- that Democrats will still control the House once the smoke clears from the electoral battlefield.
Read the entire article on huffingtonpost.com
Hopeful article for Democrats. I live in solidly blue NYC; if my health didn't prevent me from traveling this article would motivate me to go to a district with a tight race and knock on doors.
Apple’s “Back to the Mac” Event: All the Announcements
Read the entire article on mashable.com
I wonder how much it will cost to upgrade to Lion. To upgrade or not to upgrade?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Jewish Education 101: Thursday night 10/21: Taste of Limmud - New York NY
David wearing purple for Spirit Day 2010-10-20 | Flickr - Photo Sharing
via flickr.com
See my 10/05/2010 post about Spirit Day.
I was watching the Yankees-Rangers game and took the photo with PhotoBooth on our macbook.
See my 10/05/2010 Spirit Day post.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Which Religion Is More Expensive
Christian churches and Jewish synagogues rely on very different financing models, yet both “appear to raise about the same amount per member,” according to a survey conducted by the Jewish newspaper The Forward (article by Josh Nathan-Kazis). While synagogue members pay annual dues, churches rely primarily on voluntary donations from members.
The Forward interviewed church and synagogue officials at institutions in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, and Tulsa. Consider a comparison between a Conservative Jewish synagogue in Atlanta (Ahavath Achim) and an Episcopalian church in Manhattan (Church of the Heavenly Rest):
The two congregations are broadly comparable: Both serve slightly more than 1,000 middle- and upper-middle class households, have a multimillion-dollar endowment, employ about a dozen people and operate on an annual budget of $2.7 million.
Both draw around half their income from regular fees paid by members. But, like virtually all American churches, Heavenly Rest does not charge dues. Like most synagogues, Ahavath Achim does.
At Ahavath Achim, those fees are assigned by the synagogue, with each family paying up to $2,100 per year. Annual pledges at Heavenly Rest? As much, or as little, as you can give. While only one-third of member families participate in the church’s annual pledge drive, those that do give an average of $2,700 — far more than the cost of dues at Ahavath Achim.
So one big difference between the two models is that giving in churches is much less evenly distributed than in synagogues. That said, a significant number of synagogue members give extra, as the charts below (where the orange represents voluntary giving) demonstrate. In fact, the executive director of a Conservative synagogue in Boston estimates that 95 percent of members give more than required.
Graphs courtesy of the Forward.
Given how easy it is to attend church services without donating anything at all, it’s interesting that members of Christian churches give so generously. Do they do it for the “warm glow,” or do churches have a different, less obvious, means of persuading people to donate?
The Forward has also put together some interesting statistics on how churches and synagogues spend their money. Here’s a preview: your parents will probably worry less if you become a rabbi than a priest …
Dwyer Gunn is editor of the Freakonomics blog. Follow @freakonomics on Twitter.
Susan Shapiro's "Why I Don't Hate My Mother-in-Law"
Read Susan Shapiro's endearing tribute to her mother-in-law on lemondrop.com
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sign Planned Parenthood's Birth Control Matters Petition
Birth Control Matters is an effort to make no-cost prescription birth control available so that all women can use the method that works best for them and to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
Affordable prescription birth control is an essential part of health care for millions of women. The average woman spends 30 years of her life trying to avoid getting pregnant. More than one-third of women voters in America have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control at some point in their lives, and, as a result, have used birth control inconsistently.
Making birth control available at no cost is the single most important step we can take to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
The new health care reform law represents the single biggest opportunity to advance women’s health in 45 years. To make this opportunity a reality, the law must require health plans to provide prescription birth control to women with no co-pays, as part of the prevention provision. This would be a huge step forward for America – and especially for the many of women in this nation who cannot afford to pay for prescription contraception.
The time has come to provide birth control at no cost to every woman who wants it.
Please sign the petition.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ammiel Alcalay reading Saturday afternoon - New York NY
Poet, novelist, essayist, translator, and scholar of Hebrew and Jewish literature of the Middle East Ammiel Alcalay will give a reading this Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the Bowery Poetry Club located at 308 Bowery between Bleeker and Houston across the street from CBGBs.
Read the entire article on examiner.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Jewish non-fiction author talks in Brooklyn and Manhattan this week and next - New York NY
Read the entire article on examiner.com
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Howard Jacobson on taking comic novels seriously | Books | The Guardian
'Show me a novel that's not comic and I'll show you a novel that's not doing its job."
Read the entire article on guardian.co.uk
Monday, October 11, 2010
New York Journal of Books Launches to Fill a Gap
Press release:
New York, NY, October 11, 2010 — Book lovers everywhere now have an exciting new resource for book reviews they can trust. The New York Journal of Books (www.nyjournalofbooks.com
“We intend to fill the gap that has resulted from the contraction, and in some cases the total elimination, of esteemed print book reviews,” says founder Ted Sturtz. “Unrestrained by page counts and printing costs, we are dedicated to delivering the most comprehensive detailed book reviews in North America written by credentialed reviewers whose knowledge, insight, voice, and measure of the written word permeate our book profiles.”
Thanks to the broad expertise of the NYJB’s team of reviewers, the free site features an eclectic selection of titles sourced from independent publishers as well as imprints of the largest publishers. To help readers make their book selections, reviews are enhanced with rich media, such as video, audio and book browsing.
Visitors to NYJB will also enjoy the immediacy possible only online. Going forward, reviews will be posted at midnight on the date a book is released. When users discover books they want to read, they’ll find that the ability to purchase is conveniently a click away for a truly one-stop experience.
NYJB Publisher, Lisa Rojany Buccieri, author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, lead author of Writing Children's Books for Dummies, and owner of Editorial Services of Los Angeles, noted “fierce attention to the editing and newreviewer selection process will ensure that, as the volume of reviews grows, the quality of reviews will be maintained.” She added, “At the same time, we also take great joy in the panorama of reviewers on our panel and their truly unique voices. They don’t simply judge books. They engage, inform, and even entertain our readers.”
Advertisers on the site have the choice of appearing on major landing pages to reach a broad audience, or appearing in specific genres (for example, romance or military) that reach a highly targeted demographic or enthusiasts and professionals (for example, cooking, wine, or technology).
For more info: media@nyjournalobooks.com
About NYJB Reviewers
Our more than 130 credentialed reviewers have published: 4,000+ book reviews, 500+ books, 500+ short stories, 20,000+ articles, 12+ screenplays and 24+ plays. They have received more than 75 literary and professional awards.
My reviews are here: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/david-cooper
Eden | New York Journal of Books
David Cooper's review of Yael Hedaya's novel Eden compares Jessica Cohen's translation with Ms. Hedaya's original Hebrew. The novel features two marriages and a teenage girl all of whom are at-risk and in varied states of distress.
Read the entire review on nyjournalofbooks.com
An excerpt from Eden appears in Words Without Borders
Sunday, October 10, 2010
AFMDA Happy Hour 10/14; Envisioning Justice: NIF's New Generations benefit 10/21
Why is this child of an African foreign worker dressed as an Israeli police officer for Purim? Ilan Spira was the first Israeli photographer to document Tel Aviv’s foreign and migrant workers. Photo: New Israel Fund Two Jewish fund raising events for donors in their 20s and 30s are coming up in this week and next here in New York. Read the article on examiner.com
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Linda Norgrove dies in Afghanistan hostage rescue attempt | UK news | guardian.co.uk
Aid worker murdered by kidnappers as Nato troops tried to free her two weeks after abduction from Kunar province
Read the article on guardian.co.uk
Friday, October 8, 2010
Jews on the bridge: bagels and bondage 10/10, meditation 10/21 - New York NY
Read the article on examiner.com
Hope Will Find You: Rabbi Naomi Levy on Faith and her Child's Condition - TIME
Read the interview on time.com
And then Noa corrected herself. She said, "No, Mom, hope will find you." I gasped when Noa said "hope will find you." I lost my breath. Because I had been trying for so long to hold onto hope or to grasp for hope, but my wise child was telling me I didn't have to try so hard or hold on so desperately. She was telling me to relax and let hope in, like a kind of grace. Noa was telling me hope was looking for me. That hope would track us all down.
Obama Kills Bill Which Would Have Made It More Difficult for Homeowners to Challenge Foreclosures
Read the article on commondreams.org
Congressional staffers said many lawmakers and White House officials initially didn't realize that the bill, which nominally deals only with notarizations, could have big impact on foreclosure cases.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
US cities with greatest housing stress
Yahoo Finance: Which Cities Face Biggest Housing Risks?
The second column should decline after 2014 when health insurance reform kicks in.
The third column combines those on fixed incomes (pensions/other retirement income and unemployment insurance payments) with those with no income.
The fourth column, "Housing-Stress Indicator," combines the other three.
To be sure, a high level of income can make crossing the 30% threshold of housing costs-to-income less risky for a borrower. New York, for example, is in the top 10 for the housing-stress indicator among the 49 most populous cities, but the percentage of people without health insurance and unemployment are both below the national averages in the region. The New York area has one of the highest median incomes in the nation, allowing residents to apportion more to housing while maintaining wiggle room to deal with other expenses.
Below is a chart of the 49 most populous U.S. metro areas with their stress readings and components, sorted by the cities with the highest housing-stress indicator to the least.
| Metro Area | Spending >30% of Income on Housing | Without Health Insurance | Population Not Working | Housing-Stress Indicator |
| United States, average | 37.5% | 15.1% | 33.1% | 85.7 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 57.7% | 25.6% | 33.3% | 116.6 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 54.3% | 20.5% | 39.5% | 114.3 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | 54.3% | 21.5% | 33.5% | 109.3 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA | 53.9% | 17.0% | 36.4% | 107.3 |
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | 49.6% | 22.3% | 32.2% | 104.1 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee, FL | 47.6% | 21.2% | 32.6% | 101.4 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 46.6% | 18.5% | 34.4% | 99.5 |
| Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA | 48.4% | 12.6% | 35.4% | 96.4 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 50.5% | 12.3% | 31.6% | 94.4 |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | 48.8% | 12.9% | 32.2% | 93.9 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 41.3% | 17.9% | 33.5% | 92.7 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 50.2% | 11.9% | 30.6% | 92.7 |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | 39.0% | 12.9% | 39.1% | 91 |
| New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA | 38.0% | 18.8% | 33.7% | 90.5 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 40.0% | 16.8% | 33.3% | 90.1 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI | 42.9% | 14.4% | 31.9% | 89.2 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 42.1% | 11.7% | 34.6% | 88.4 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | 36.5% | 19.2% | 32.4% | 88.1 |
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX | 32.2% | 24.6% | 31.1% | 87.9 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 35.9% | 16.3% | 35.4% | 87.6 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA | 40.9% | 14.8% | 31.3% | 87 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 32.0% | 24.0% | 29.6% | 85.6 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 43.0% | 12.1% | 29.9% | 85 |
| San Antonio, TX | 30.1% | 20.0% | 34.4% | 84.5 |
| Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA | 42.9% | 9.0% | 29.9% | 81.8 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 31.6% | 20.5% | 27.7% | 79.8 |
| Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH | 35.2% | 11.5% | 32.7% | 79.4 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 37.4% | 10.0% | 31.7% | 79.1 |
| Richmond, VA | 34.1% | 12.8% | 31.5% | 78.4 |
| Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO | 35.0% | 15.3% | 27.3% | 77.6 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 31.0% | 12.3% | 34.2% | 77.5 |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC | 31.7% | 15.7% | 30.1% | 77.5 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 38.3% | 11.0% | 27.2% | 76.5 |
| Baltimore-Towson, MD | 36.8% | 10.1% | 29.4% | 76.3 |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 32.4% | 13.3% | 30.5% | 76.2 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 26.4% | 17.9% | 30.6% | 74.9 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 35.3% | 9.9% | 28.6% | 73.8 |
| Columbus, OH | 30.6% | 12.7% | 30.1% | 73.4 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | 40.2% | 4.7% | 27.6% | 72.5 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel, IN | 28.2% | 13.6% | 29.9% | 71.7 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 35.5% | 7.6% | 28.4% | 71.5 |
| Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN | 27.5% | 12.4% | 31.6% | 71.5 |
| Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN | 28.1% | 11.8% | 30.9% | 70.8 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 29.7% | 10.5% | 30.4% | 70.6 |
| Rochester, NY | 29.4% | 7.9% | 31.9% | 69.2 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 27.6% | 13.2% | 27.8% | 68.6 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 34.7% | 9.1% | 24.7% | 68.5 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 28.1% | 8.6% | 31.0% | 67.7 |
| Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY | 27.8% | 7.9% | 31.2% | 66.9 |
___
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A rabbinic response to the recent spate of young gay suicides - New York NY
In a Davar Torah on Parashat Noach, Rabbi David Mitchell responds to the recent spate of young gay men taking their own lives (including Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge) by asking us, as individuals and the Jewish community collectively, what we are doing to prevent such tragic deaths. His answer is not nearly enough.
Read the article on examiner.com
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Spirit Day
Originally posted by at Spirit Day
It's been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes at at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that's exactly what we'd like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh (top) RIP Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase (middle) RIP Asher Brown and Billy Lucas. (bottom) REBLOG to spread a message of love, unity and peace.Monday, October 4, 2010
avoid-these-office-buzzwords: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance
My favorite example:
KPI (Key Performance Indicators)
Important measurements, usually of the immeasurable. Example: "The American Psychological Association recently established KPIs for marriage: the weekly incidence of sexual intercourse plus the number of hours spent watching the same TV shows, minus total minutes bickering over the proper loading of the dishwasher."
Read the entire article on finance.yahoo.com
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Op-Ed Contributor Michael Cunningham - Found in Translation - The New York Times
"...One of the consolations of writing books is the seemingly unquenchable conviction that the next book will be better, will be bigger and bolder and more comprehensive and truer to the lives we live. We exist in a condition of hope, we love the beauty and truth that come to us, and we do our best to tamp down our doubts and disappointments.
We are on a quest, and are not discouraged by our collective suspicion that the perfection we look for in art is about as likely to turn up as is the Holy Grail. That is one of the reasons we, I mean we humans, are not only the creators, translators and consumers of literature, but also its subjects."
We are on a quest, and are not discouraged by our collective suspicion that the perfection we look for in art is about as likely to turn up as is the Holy Grail. That is one of the reasons we, I mean we humans, are not only the creators, translators and consumers of literature, but also its subjects."
Read the entire article on nytimes.com
BBC NEWS | Africa | Goat 'condoms' save Kenyan herds
Read the article on news.bbc.co.uk
Maasai herdsmen in Kenya have turned to an age-old contraceptive device, the "olor", to protect their precious goat herds from an ongoing drought.
Friday, October 1, 2010
CBC News - Canada - Prostitution laws struck down by Ont. court
Terri-Jean Bedford, left, and Valerie Scott, shown in 2009, along with a third woman, launched a constitutional challenge of Canada's anti-prostitution laws. An Ontario court ruled Tuesday the Criminal Code provisions relating to prostitution contribute to the danger faced by sex-trade workers. (Michael Turschic/CBC)
An Ontario court has thrown out key provisions of Canada's anti-prostitution laws in response to a constitutional challenge by a Toronto dominatrix and two prostitutes in 2009.
Ontario's Superior Court of Justice ruled Tuesday the Criminal Code provisions relating to prostitution contribute to the danger faced by sex-trade workers.
'This decision means that sex workers can now pick up the phone and call the police and report a bad client.'— Valerie Scott
Read the entire article on cbc.ca
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