Where Life Imitates the Absurd (or The Onion)

This was reported by the BBC on April 22.

This was posted by the ONN two weeks ago, I think (it doesn't say when it was posted, but I watched it sometime before Pesach).


9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

And you actually doubted that it was, "America's Finest News Source."

Up Side, Down Side

I have been reading a lot of Kant recently. I don't particularly like Kant, not because I don't like his intellectual framework, but because I have to put too much effort in to understand him. On the up side, however, it has allowed me to trample around blurting, "I Kant, I just Kant!"
Down side, up side.

Two Words That Should Always (or Never) be Found Together

Cookie-Monster and Proust. A-friggin'-Mazing!

Haredi Aesthetic

I shamelessly stole this from Miriam's blog (so there). My question is different from hers, however. What is the aesthetic of the video? To whom does it appeal? The note at the end seems to imply that it is expected that non-observant (Israeli) Jews will watch it, although that might also be imagined--our culture is so appealing that others will be enamored with it. Seriously, what is the video editor thinking with all the damn wipes? Does this conform to anyone's visual aesthetic?

Original Sin in Ten Lines

I never understood the story of the nachash. And all of a sudden it just makes sense.

1. But you know you want to eat the fruit.
2. But Dad said he'll kill me.
3. He won't.
4. OK, If you say so.
5. [Sin which tastes so good]
6. {Rustle of quick cover up with fig-leaf sheets}
7. What have you done?!!!
8. But she gave it to me.
9. SMACK
10. I'm never letting you back in My house again! And I got two things to say to you guys: you, get a job, you're gonna need it. And you, take the epidural, trust me.

How Badly do the Chagim Mess Up My Schedule This Year?

So that's the question I dread finding out every fall. The last few years have been annoying, but this fall takes the cake; Tuesday, Wednesday. Right smack dap in the middle of the week. Plus if you want/need to travel you there goes Monday. Over time, though, I have come to accept my fate.

I am pleased to report that the next few years are not quite as bad:
2009 Sat, Sun (Yay!) [3rd yr]
2010 Thurs, Fri [4th yr]
2011 Thurs, Fri [5th yr]
While Thurs, Fri is not helpful for most of the oylum, it is pretty good for academics as most classes do not meet on Friday anyway and Thursday tends to be lighter too. It also means that YK falls on shabbes so you don't lose a seventh work day.

There it goes

Right on schedule, three weeks before the big day, the poll numbers in PA start to converge. I don't know why it has to be within three weeks for people to have a clue on their voting preference, but it does.