A Very Important Question

As usual, Calvin asks the important question. But there is always the possibility of a change of mind and/or heart. Take, for example, a cricket match in Nottingham yesterday. An England batsman was given out just before tea, but after a discussion in the pavilion, the Indian captain decided to reinstate him. He did not have to.

Today's Guardian asks: "Is upholding the spirit of cricket more important than getting rid of an in-form opposition batsman?" Votes are currently running at over 70% for Yes. While I am glad to see such a percentage, it is also sad that such a decision has been a cause for praise and rejoicing, rather than accepted as standard practice.

Tragedy and Terror

Many are wondering why the death of Amy Winehouse appears to be engendering more emotion here in the UK than the bombing and massacre that just took place in Norway. The former seemed inevitable, and the latter unimaginable. Of course I have no answer to this question. A couple of thoughts, however, do come to mind.

Firstly, the two events are not comparable - it was just the timing that brought them together.

I watched a survivor of the shootings on the news last night. He reported quite calmly how he had hidden beneath dead bodies to try and escape; then pointed himself out in a newspaper photo that showed the pile of corpses. He was in shock, as we all are. It is impossible to get one's head round the idea that a person could do what the murderer has done. It will take time for it to sink in, if it ever does. For most of us it happened far away, and to other people.

Amy, on the other hand, was a well-documented disaster waiting to happen. While we were all pretty sure that she was on the traditional rock-and-roll road to destruction, there was always hope that at the last minute she might save herself, or be saved. Hearing that her body had been carried away from her home on Saturday killed that hope. That was tangible, and we felt it immediately. That was something that happened to us, it was our hope that died with her.

My heart goes out to the friends and family of the victims in Norway; and to the Winehouse family. As for me - I need to find someone I love, and give them a big hug.

Who Is To Blame?

The allegations about the phone-hacking by people working for the News of the World continue to grow both in size and in awfulness. You don't need me to find you a link if you want to read the latest reports. I would like, however, to raise a point that occurred to me this morning: am I culpable?

Am I culpable? I don't buy tabloid papers. But I do check out the Daily Mail regularly online. I try to avoid the stories that refer to avoirdupois, but I have been reading about the troubles of Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco. I don't care about reality show celebrities, but will generally look at something about a movie star. I don't care what the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing, but a picture of her and Prince William looking healthy and happy will cheer me up.

It seems harmless, or it seemed harmless until now. People are interested in this stuff. There is a market, and it is extremely competitive. Of course I am not condoning any of the reprehensible and possibly criminal behaviour. I just wonder - if more people decided not to pay attention to such stories, then would the NOTW and others not fall so far down this slippery slope?

Tennis B*ll*cks

Marion Bartoli of France lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany today in the Wimbledon Ladies Tennis Quarter-Final. Bartoli, who had knocked out the reigning champ Serena Williams in the previous round, has been noticed for the unusual stance and wind-up of her serving motion. It got her several aces against Williams, who has possibly the world's greatest female serve. However, in combination with her perpetual twitchy jerky motions between each point, it appears to have offended the tennis purists.

The journalist Alix Ramsey writes on the Wimbledon website:

"Her serve is all arms and legs, a collection of mismatched limbs that makes the whole motion look like a giraffe going for a spin in a tumble drier."

Amusing, perhaps. Bloody rude, though. She beat Serena Williams with it! Ramsey should be so lucky.

That's my mind made up. The ravaj is going to get herself some tennis lessons!

Thank You New York State Senate

Last night the New York State Senate passed a bill that legalises same-sex marriage. And when Governor Cuomo signed the bill soon after, it became law. In 30 days, the legal marriages, and the rights and benefits with which they come, may begin!

Thank you to the Republican senators who crossed party lines and voted for equality. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard and for so long to make this happen. Today I am proud to be a native New Yorker.

Now, come on California, for what are you waiting?!

Governor Cuomo's speech after the vote is here.
Reuters make a good point about divorce here.

When is a Jew not an Israeli?

This may be a provocative header, but I am confused. This should not surprise anyone who knows me. The particular situation that is confusing me today, however, is trying to figure out the differences between a Jew, an Israeli, and an Israeli Jew. Not all Jews are Israelis. Not all Israelis are Jews. That seems quite clear to me. But when an Israeli Jew does something that is criticised by foreign media, how does that act become definitive for all Jews?

The question is in my mind because of a story that has been picked up by the BBC, and many other internet media outlets: a Rabbinic Court in Jerusalem has sentenced a dog to be stoned to death. Read about it here. The Yahoo headline is "Jewish Court sentences ... etc".

We know that the quickest way to the heart of the British public, apart from marrying a prince, is to be a maltreated animal. Especially if you are a dog. This is a story about the unjust treatment of a dog. I'm all for animal welfare - that's why I will not eat them. It is also a story that shows an Orthodox Rabbinical Court behaving in a medieval way. The court may well have behaved exactly as the reporter suggests, i.e., believing that the dog was the reincarnated soul of the court's enemy returning to mock the judges. So what is my problem?

This is not the Judaism I live and teach, but many in the wider world will use this story to support their negative perspective of all Jews. Just look at some of the comments below the story, e.g., someone "recently read an article by a prominent Jew criticising written works apparently full of 'rampant anti-semitism' - with acts like this he can hardly blame people's attitudes against them", or "I can't believe that they should be so utterly stupid. And they want the world at large to give them credibility as a nation! No chance".

This is also not part of the life led by secular and progressive Jews in Israel. Much as millions of Muslims are neither terrorists, nor sympathetic with those who are, yet they are feared and blamed by others for the actions of their co-religionists; so it is for Jews within and without the Land of Israel. Stirring up feelings with stories like this will not help us find our way towards peace.

Feh!


A link to the original YNet story may be found here.
BBC version here.

UPDATE
report that Ma'ariv newspaper has apologised about misleading headline on this story found here.

Long Time No See

It's been a while since this page has been disturbed. The fact that the ravaj has been arranging a new job is not a real excuse, but the best she can do on a rainy miserable Sunday afternoon.

Bits and Bobs of London

On the way to an estate in Wandsworth to get a haircut from a Swiss man with a stepson called Denzil.

I Love Douglas Adams

The guy who wrote the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of my heroes. After the Torah and the Talmud, I am most likely to quote from his texts. I think it is healthy to balance the religious with the atheist!

It is ten years today since Douglas Noel Adams died, and it would only have been his 59th birthday. Gone, but very much not forgotten.

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons."
(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

Unacceptable Situation

What is wrong with this picture of the Situation Room? Where is the Secretary of State? Both Hillary Clinton and a woman at the back have been edited out of the photograph by the Chasidic newspaper Der Zeitung (based in Brooklyn, NY). Ms. Clinton does not appear to be dressed immodestly, but she is sitting in the same room as some men. Apparently this would threaten the spirituality of the Jewish community if it were to be publicly printed, and so the women were photoshopped out of the shot. I wonder why the editor would choose such a photo in the first place. So might the editor, if the White House decides to do something about his flouting of the disclaimer that accompanied the picture: that the photograph "may not be manipulated in any way".

o yeah, this is what it should have been:


10/5/11 THIS JUST IN
After international exposure of this event, the newspaper apologises.

Championes, Championes, Ole Ole Ole

So tired from the release of tension and emotion that it is hard to process the fact that it is all over. The Football Association allowed my beloved QPR to claim their rightfully-won Championship trophy. It is the old Football League trophy, and it is beautiful in its blue and white ribbons. Now for a summer of speculation - who shall stay and who shall go? Now for a summer of anticipation - how will we do against the Arsenals and the Manchester teams? Now for a summer of exposure - the Americans who watch the EPL on Fox will finally learn about the Superhoops! Three cheers and it's time to try and sleep.

Thoughts on the Death of Osama Bin Laden

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
— Martin Luther King Jr.

Also, most quoted by my Jewish friends and colleagues, the words of God to the excited angels who wanted to celebrate the drowned Egyptians, who had died in order that the Children of Israel might escape to freedom: "The works of my hands are drowning in the sea and you want to sing" (Talmud Megillah 10b).

An enemy is dead. This is not an occasion for singing and dancing.

Ole Ole Ole Ole!

At least until the Football Association decides its punishment for something that happened a couple of years ago, my beloved QPR has won the Championship of the Football League, and should be better known by you all next year when we face the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. So we are almost happy.

UUUUUUUUU RRRRRRRRR's

The Cartwheeling Verger

So if you weren't interested in a single moment of the wedding in London today, not even the lovely reaction of the bridesmaid on the balcony:

you should still have a look at this vid. Less than a minute of your life to see a moment of exuberance. Go on .....!

The (Un)Happy Hum of Helicopters

Living across the road from the Household Cavalry Barracks, and within a couple of miles of Buckingham Palace, one has become used to the occasional helicopter hovering overhead. Tonight, however, the noise is non-stop. Thousands may be sleeping on the Mall tonight, but the ravaj is being kept awake by the security choppers. Boo!

Wedding? What Wedding?

la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la

Quote of the Week 2

An excerpt from the latest volume of Shirley MacLaine's autobiography:

"An actress needs to know where to sit. If it’s daytime, you should sit facing the outside light. Natural light is flattering for the skin, as long as it’s not direct sunlight.

Never sit where there is an overhead light — it makes you look like Grandma Moses.

The actress Marlene Dietrich taught me how to light myself when we made the film 80 Days.

She also taught me a new use for small pearls — putting them in the centre of my bra cups so they looked like nipples.

Marlene also showed me how to string a small, nearly invisible chain under my chin which was then attached to hair-grips on either side of my face. This was the Dietrich facelift. I had a headache by lunchtime, but it was worth it."

Quote of the Week 1

From an interview to be published in Harper's Bazaar, Lady Gaga talks about fame and fortune:

""Am I going to try and embrace Hollywood and assimilate to that culture?" she said. 'I put my toe in that water, and it was a *Kegel-exercise vaginal reaction where I clenched and had to retract immediately. 'I ran furiously back to New York, to my old apartment, and I hung out with my friends, and I went to the same bars.'"

*According to the Mayo Clinic, "Kegel exercises can help you prevent or control urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor problems." Learn more about them here

Wayne vs Wayne

On the one hand, the nation goes mental when Wayne R-ooney swears right into the camera after getting a hat-trick for his table-topping team to come back and win a football match. Broadsheets and tabloids alike discuss his motivation and his punishment.

Little mention today, however, for Wayne R-outledge, who after scoring twice in his table-topping team's win last night, also turned to the camera and:

blew the world a kiss!

Being nice doesn't make news.

The R's Are Going Up!

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS A NAUGHTY WORD (the C word)


I am sorry about the naughty word. Chels*** are the traditional rivals of QPR, and sometimes people get a bit carried away.