From The New York Times: "A Definitive Debunking of Donald Trump’s 9/11 Claims"

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/nyregion/a-definitive-debunking-of-donald-trumps-9-11-claims.html

New York Times essay: "Ben Carson Is Wrong on Guns and the Holocaust"

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/opinion/ben-carson-is-wrong-on-guns-and-the-holocaust.html

Pope Francis

Am deeply moved, watching Pope Francis on television--seeing the beneficence, the cheerfulness, the kindheartedness he extends.  His visit is remarkable, and inspiring.

Recommended Reading

Rosh Hashanah Readings: Inspiration, Information and Contemplation, Edited by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins. 

http://www.amazon.com/Rosh-Hashanah-Readings-Inspiration-Contemplation/dp/1580234372/

Yom Kippur Readings: Inspiration, Information and Contemplation, Edited by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins.

http://www.amazon.com/Yom-Kippur-Readings-Inspiration-Contemplation/dp/1580234380/

From The New York Times: "Testy News Conference Exchange Puts Donald Trump’s Quirks on Display"

Interesting story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/27/us/politics/testy-news-conference-exchange-puts-donald-trumps-quirks-on-display.html

From The New Yorker, online, 8/4/15: "Who Would Kill a Giraffe?"

 A piece by Robin Wright:

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/who-would-kill-a-giraffe

From The New Yorker, online: "Why Biden Would Be a Serious Contender"

http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/joe-bidens-big-decision?mbid

CECIL Act and New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez

From Yahoo News: "US senator introduces 'CECIL' act to curb trophy hunting."

http://news.yahoo.com/us-senator-introduces-cecil-act-curb-trophy-hunting-203448015.html

Am pleased to hear that Senator Menendez is taking this step.  Am also glad that my other New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, as well as Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal, and Maryland's Ben Cardin, are signing on as co-sponsors.

The South Carolina church

What a terrible and tragic story--the killings, Wednesday evening, in the South Carolina church.  Here is a piece from CNN.com; it provides portraits of several of the victims.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/18/us/charleston-church-shooting-victims/index.html

Washington Post blog post about Shepard Smith

Here is a blog post, from Erik Wemple of the Washington Post, who writes about media.  The piece, titled "Shepard Smith, the racial conscience of Fox News," appeared on Tuesday (April 28th). 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2015/04/28/shepard-smith-the-racial-conscience-of-fox-news/

The Armenian Genocide

Friday (April 24th) was the 100th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide.

I am currently reading "The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response," by Peter Balakian. 

http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Tigris-Armenian-Genocide-Americas/dp/0060558709/

I am also planning on reading the noted 1933 novel about the genocide, "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh," by Franz Werfel.

http://www.amazon.com/Forty-Days-Musa-Verba-Mundi/dp/1567924077/

Oklahoma City, 1995

It is startling, that it has been twenty years since the terrible and catastrophic terrorist attack in Oklahoma City.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/us/oklahoma-city-bombing-20th-anniversary-bill-clinton.html?smid=fb-share

Holocaust Remembrance Day

From Time Magazine, on-line, concerning today's Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

http://time.com/3813714/holocaust-remembrance-day-warsaw/

In Israel, the observance began last night, and continued until this evening.

April 14, 1865

The 150th anniversary of Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox, occurred on April 9th. Today is the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Lincoln. He was shot on the night of April 14, 1865, and died the next morning.

Here is a story concerning events and exhibits related to the assassination, and the anniversary:

http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20150407/LIFESTYLES/150409615

"#AskHamas," on Twitter

Here are two stories about "#AskHamas," the Twitter public relations campaign by the terror group, and how it didn't necessarily go the way Hamas might have liked.

The first is from Tablet Magazine; the second appeared in The Times of Israel.

http://tabletmag.com/scroll/189634/hamas-social-media-campaign-backfires

http://www.timesofisrael.com/askhamas-twitter-campaign-backfires-on-gaza-group/