Sunday, November 9, 2014

Virginia Senator Mark Warner

Election Day, last week, was of course a dismal day, in many instances, for Democrats. Am very happy, though (as a former resident of Virginia), that Democratic Senator Mark Warner, a fine public servant, prevailed, in his extremely close race against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie. Mr. Gillespie conceded the race on Friday.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/ed-gillespie-concedes-senate-race/article_0419aa52-66f8-11e4-9015-001a4bcf6878.html

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Good essay in Tablet Magazine, about Hamas

The essay, by Liel Leibovitz, a senior writer for the Jewish-oriented online publication Tablet Magazine, concerns the "false narrative of moral equivalency," regarding Israel and Hamas.  It appeared on July 11th.

Friday, July 11, 2014

"Hamas’s Human Shield War," from Commentary Magazine, July 10th

Years ago I was a subscriber to Commentary (the hard-copy edition). I now read some of the essays and blog posts on the magazine's website, though am not always an admirer--in particular, because of the frequent (and, I think, tiresome) animus, on the site, toward President Obama and his administration. Nonetheless, I liked the following piece by the magazine's Senior Online Editor, Jonathan Tobin:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/07/10/hamas-human-shield-war-gaza-israel-missiles/

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Days of Remembrance: April 27-May 4

The Days of Remembrance--Holocaust remembrance week--began on April 27th, and continues until May 4th. The theme for this year's observance, as designated by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, is "Confronting the Holocaust: American Responses."

http://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance

http://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance/2014-days-of-remembrance/2014-theme

Friday, April 25, 2014

Jewish Lights Publishing

Since the late 1990s, I've been reading books brought out by Jewish Lights Publishing, which is based in Vermont.



I've read many fine books from the Jewish Lights catalogue.  Here are a few that I've enjoyed:

The Way Into Encountering God in Judaism, by Neil Gillman

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Into-Encountering-God-Judaism/dp/1580231993/

The Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-so-Everyday Moments: Timeless Wisdom from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
 
http://www.amazon.com/Gentle-Weapon-Everyday-Not-so-Everyday-Timeless/dp/1580230229/

Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction, edited by Jack Dann
 

God in Our Relationships: Spirituality Between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber, by Rabbi Dennis S. Ross

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Lawrence Walsh, Iran-Contra Prosecutor, Dies at 102

 Mr. Walsh's obituary, in The New York Times, concludes with a compelling quote:

In his book, Mr. Walsh said that he had found a model for his time as independent counsel in the Iran-contra case in Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea,” in which a fisherman labors long and hard to catch a marlin. When he does, he lashes it to the side of his skiff, only to have sharks strip the flesh before he gets to shore.

“As the independent counsel, I sometimes felt like the old man,” he wrote. “More often I felt like the marlin.” 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/us/politics/lawrence-e-walsh-iran-contra-prosecutor-dies-at-102.html?ref=obituaries

Thursday, March 6, 2014

“The Black-Eyed Blonde," By Benjamin Black

This new Philip Marlowe novel is by Benjamin Black (a/k/a John Banville).  I'm looking forward to reading it.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Eyed-Blonde-Philip-Marlowe-Novel/dp/0805098143/

Here is a New York Times review of the book, by Janet Maslin:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/07/books/philip-marlowe-returns-in-the-black-eyed-blonde.html?ref=books

Friday, February 7, 2014

Poet Maxine Kumin (1925-2014)

Ms. Kumin, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1973, died on Thursday.  Her body of work also included fiction, and non-fiction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/books/maxine-kumin-pulitzer-winning-poet-dies-at-88.html?ref=obituaries&_r=0

Monday, February 3, 2014

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Franklin McCain, of the "Greensboro Four"

Mr. McCain--who took part in the famous sit-ins, in 1960, at a whites-only lunch counter in North Carolina--passed away this week, at the age of 73.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/11/us/franklin-mccain-who-fought-for-rights-at-all-white-lunch-counter-dies-at-73.html?ref=obituaries