Monthly Archives: February 2010

Playing Punk

Posted on February 28, 2010 by

I had a great and turbulent time in New York, from the moment my mother kissed me goodbye in front of a Bowery hotel when I was 20 to my last meal eight years later in a Flatbush Chinese restaurant. I rented eight apartments, held three jobs, spent seven months on the dole, fought two court cases (I won both), and survived two relationships. You can only live like that in your twenties, and I did. Continue reading →

Posted in Man About Rome | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Making Friends, Making Enemies

Posted on February 26, 2010 by

Andrew Sullivan’s response to Wieseltier is here (It’s already old news; the world has moved on.) I haven’t read it all through, partially because I’m not getting paid by anyone to read and write, unlike the folks at the heart … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and the Middle East | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Trouble with God

Posted on February 25, 2010 by

When I wrote my post on Wieseltier-Sullivan, I wasn’t cognizant that I had entered into battle in this year’s Dershowitz-Phillips debate. Silly me. In fact, I wasn’t even cognizant of the fact that the world was paying attention to Wieseltier-on-Sullivan-on-Wieseltier-on-Sullivan … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Humanism & Freethought, Intellectuals, Israel and the Middle East | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Now Reading

Posted on February 24, 2010 by
Posted in Atheism, Humanism & Freethought, Bookmarks | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Review of Summer for the Gods by Edward J. Larson

Posted on February 15, 2010 by

Edward J. Larson has written a brilliant, judicious account of the trial of John Scopes, a schoolteacher prosecuted by the state of Tennessee for teaching the theory of evolution in a public school. The trial was dubbed the “trial of the … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Book Reviews, creationism, Religious Hypocrisy, Separation of church and state, Skepticism | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Leon Wieseltier Blasts Andrew Sullivan

Posted on February 14, 2010 by

It was a long time coming. If you’re in the mood for a nice long article (well, not so nice), put your boxing mittens on: Criticism of Israeli policy, and sympathy for the Palestinians, and support for a two-state solution, … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Atheism, Humanism & Freethought, Intellectuals, Israel and the Middle East | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Some Photos of Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Crete

Posted on February 13, 2010 by

Summer ’08. Before the arsonists got to it.

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The BBC Gets it Wrong, as Usual

Posted on February 12, 2010 by

In their report on the Crete synagogue arsonists, the BBC snuck in a tiny slap on the wrist to Israel. While rhapsodizing over the multi-culti worshippers – “Muslims, Christians, Catholics and Orthodox believers” (wait, aren’t Catholics Christians??) – at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Europe, Israel and the Middle East, Media Watch, World | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Crete Synagogue Burned Down

Posted on February 12, 2010 by

We visited this synagogue, Etz Chayyim, on our trip to Crete in 2008. It was a beautiful, tranquil, unpretentious place open to the public. Apparently, they used to boast that it was one of the last Jewish buildings in Europe … Continue reading →

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History as a Conspiracy Theory

Posted on February 11, 2010 by

Here is an excellent interview with David Aaronovitch, author of Voodoo Histories, in Salon. What makes us susceptible to conspiracy theories? We want to believe theories that contradict the idea that young, iconic people died senselessly. If a story takes … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Skepticism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment