On The Positive Side

A few positive stories worthy of note:

• With yesterday's surprising news of Kadima joining the Israeli government, the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu is now the largest unity government in Israeli history. That's really amazing. Jameel has a fantastic summary of who stands to gain and lose from this, and this was a great point:

  "Obama is a partisan president, while Bibi is the leader of the largest national unity coalition in the history of Israel. Netanyahu has the support of most of the country behind him for whatever he may need to do."

  Is it not often the case that those who lead with clarity and purpose and most of all, responsibility, tend to gain support, while those who constantly heap blame on others tend to divide? 
• A brilliant campaign on texting and driving: Force people to pass a road test while they text. (HT: Josh)
• A frum 11-year old girl in Baltimore is a finalist in the Google Doodle contest with a really impressive drawing (vote for her here). The school she's in added to the kiddush Hashem by balancing their stance on the Internet with her accomplishments, and combined forces with an understanding Google for a pair of assemblies in her honor which also stressed how each person has their own talents they can use to achieve in life. Really well done all around.
• (HT: Jonathan H.) A fantastic smackdown by R' Shteinman of school administrators looking to reject kids who aren't "the right type" for their school. He questions why this family isn't good enough for the school, he calls out the egotism of the parents who think less of other parents, and when the administrator refers to the person as important, then R' Shteinman calls him an even bigger ba'al ga'avah. It's troubling what pains the administrators go to to try and get a heter to reject the kids, and they don't quite seem to get that R' Shteinman's lines are partially directed at them, but it's an incredible video worth watching. He also notes that he and the Brisker Rav and others went to regular Talmud Torahs growing up, and wonders why that's not good enough for these parents who are concerned about the influence these children of open-minded parents will have on their own:

  "He's worried about his kids going off the derech? Kids in the good schools go off the derech too."

Purim in 1932 Tel Aviv

(via MPaths)

Really interesting to see this - from how it was built up to the hilarious name of Adloyada for the carnival (Ad d'lo yada is a term for how on Purim people should reach the point of not knowing the difference between Mordechai and Haman) to the growing concern about Nazi Germany to the national groups and companies that still exist today, 80 years later.

Countdown to Condemnation Against Israel from the World (and our friends on the Left) has begun.

Netanyahu's Speech - Translated by sub-par Ulpan Student

You have to know some basic Hebrew for this. It is utterly brilliant.

The byline on the video says: For more info about Hahafuch group: http://www.facebook.com/hahafuch And remember, if you don't think Israel is funny then you haven't seen our show.

Written by Aaron Friedman
www.aaronfriedmancomedy.com

Google Celebrates Tu B'Av

Hat tip: Binny

http://www.google.co.il/

Very cool.

4,000 Years of Jerusalem in 5 Minutes

Very well done, showing the history of Jerusalem using artwork, archeology, and written history.

Bibi's Impact

It seems just about everyone thinks Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was incredibly strong this past week in how he addressed and presented Israel's concerns and approach to the future of the Middle East, whether they agree in general or not. And, throughout the country and especially in Congress, most people really liked and appreciated the points he made as well, leading to the seemingly unending, loud standing ovations from the entire Congress, something most Presidents get once or twice in each of their State of the Union addresses - which is a depressing point, when one thinks about it.

There are however two particularly interesting points that seemed worth a bit more inspection:

• What is so different between Bibi Netanyahu circa 1999 and Bibi Netanyahu circa 2011,
• And why did what he say resonate so strongly with Americans?

Bennett Ruda at Daled Amos asked the first question today:

I wonder whether Netanyahu is any less passionate than he was during his first term as Prime Minister--I imagine not. But few remember Bibi's first term as Prime Minister all that fondly.
Let's not forget that Netanyahu's performance over the weekind was something of a surprise--a pleasant surprise, but a surprise nevertheless. There was concern, as there has been for many months, that Bibi would fold--that he would give in to US pressure. But he did not.

I believe (and Bennett agreed as well) that the difference is primarily expectations. In the nineties, Netanyahu ran on a platform which essentially stated that the peace process as formulated was devastating to Israel and would place the country in grave danger, by being the first country to capitulate to terrorist tactics - then went on to make some questionable concessions himself. All in all, people were disappointed as compared to what they had desired and expected.

This week, the expectations were much lower, and much more nerve-wracking. People weren't sure what Netanyahu may or may not concede to after a strong speech by President Obama. But instead (and perhaps the overstepping of the President in calling for a return to a 1967-based border before discussing Jerusalem, "right of return", et al allowed for this), he did the exact opposite. He firmed up his stance clearly and unequivocally, demonstrating exactly why those points were not demands, but necessities, and obvious to any rational observer or listener.

~~~

In today's Best of the Web, James Taranto quotes Walter Russell Mead, who believes that Netanyahu's speech "may have been the single most stunning and effective public rebuke to an American President a foreign leader has ever delivered." Perhaps more interestingly, Taranto discusses (and agrees with) Mead's assertion that

Being pro-Israel matters in American mass politics because the public mind believes at a deep level that to be pro-Israel is to be pro-America and pro-faith. Substantial numbers of voters believe that politicians who don't "get" Israel also don't "get" America and don't "get" God.

While this certainly has a strong ring of truth to it, it doesn't seem to be the primary reason Netanyahu resonated so well across the spectrum with his statements.What Netanyahu discussed, when he wasn't giving basic but important history lessons, were true elements relating to freedom. There are broad differences among American Jews, let alone Americans, in terms of what Israel should be doing and how to approach the Middle East's various issues. But above all, what Americans value is freedom, and I believe that it is that core value which is what spoke so strongly to Americans from Netanyahu's speech and other comments throughout the weekend.

There are two basic elements of freedom, democracy, and liberty: The freedom to make one's own choices in life; and the restrictions we place on ourselves so as not to infringe on other people's freedoms.* When the leader of a small but strong democracy notes that his people simply must have secure, defensible borders, Americans relate. We understand, perhaps now better than ever, that it is integral to feel safe in one's own country - whether at home, on a bus, at work, or on the way home from school. When he asks us to imagine a country just nine miles wide in the middle, it is not hard to relate to the difficulty of defending a country as wide as the average person's daily commute. When he states Israel will not accept approaches which do not protect their basic interests, and neither would America in the same situation, we accept that only Israel should determine its fate. And when he speaks his mind to say (thanks JoeSettler for the text)

Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel's Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one half of 1% are truly free, and they're all citizens of Israel!

This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East; Israel is what is right about the Middle East!

most people just get it.

For all of the issues, all of the concerns, Israel is doing what the United States has always done: Stand for freedom. As Netanyahu noted in an interview, the Korean War memorial says simply "Freedom is never Free." The United States has fought many wars, often even ones that barely involved them, for the cause of freedom. Israel has fought many wars, and is now trying to forge a lasting peace, to protect its people and their freedoms - with neighbors who themselves are not free. It is nearly impossible for any American, raised on the principles of freedom and liberty, to not feel a strong kinship with Israel.

Until a final resolution is reached, there will continue to be debate as to the best route to a lasting peace, should one exist. But most important for Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu, is that he was able to clearly transmit the principles which must guide such a peace - principles which cannot be denied, principles which are understood as fundamental concepts by the people of the United States of America: Security; self-determination; and above all, freedom.


* Ezzie: I believe I just saw someone say this, and I'm drawing a blank as to who and where. My sincere apologies.

Netanyahu's Comments Before Obama

Perhaps the best comments by an Israeli Prime Minister to and in front of an American President in decades, Netanyahu makes it abundantly clear what Israel will and will not accept. Some people view this as a slap to Obama; I'm not so sure - I think that Obama sitting through this is interesting and impressive, and moreover gives him an "out" moving forward. (Contrast to Clinton's appropriate rant about Arafat to Arafat as he left office.) Israel now has said its piece (and said it well), while Obama can say he did his best to the Arabs while keeping his Jewish support ("The Prime Minister and I had a very good conversation", etc.).

Either way - I, and I'm sure countless others, are quite happy with Netanyahu.

Hat tip: Dave and others

Obama's Middle East Speech: Nothing New

Not that I'm faulting or complaining, but it's astounding how little new material is in today's speech by President Obama regarding Israel and the Palestinians.

In fact, that's all I have to say on it.

Thanks to the apple for the transcript.

EZ Reads 4/13/11

• Via Yourish, the city that outsourced everything. This is absolutely brilliant. Sandy Springs, Georgia, broke off from Fulton County in 2005, and decided that rather than create their own services at a large expense, they would outsource it. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in a huge cost savings, as they pay a fraction to private industries to take care of their municipal needs, and are able to invest that savings into capital projects to create an efficient infrastructure. They have no long-term liabilities, have not had to raise taxes, and they have plenty of money still available. It's incredibly impressive, and is a perfect example as to how government should not only not take over services, but should outsource these services as much as possible to private companies. Since Sandy Springs started, a few other communities have incorporated similarly and are following their lead.
• Tonight is Joe Tait's last night behind the microphone at Cleveland Cavalier games. He's the best there ever was. A couple good articles here and here.
• Chana posts the transcripts from the very important symposium The Cycle of Violence: Power and Control in Relationships. An important read for anyone married, engaged, or dating.
• The Atlantic with an interesting insight into the minds of geniuses in How Genius Works, by asking a number of creative minds how they work.
• Daled Amos with a great quote on why the Palestinians may not be ready for statehood:

  Not to put too fine a point on it: if you can’t finish drafting your constitution; if your “president” is in the seventh year of his four-year term; if you have no functioning legislature and cannot hold parliamentary elections; if half your putative state is occupied by terrorists; if your education system is a cesspool of anti-Semitism; if you insist upon dedicating public squares to those who massacred civilians; if your ruling party is corroded by corruption; if you have no free press or independent judiciary; if you cannot implement anything in negotiations that you refuse to conduct in any event; and if you haven’t finished Phase I of the Roadmap . . . well, you might not be ready for a state.
  Rick Richman, All Set to Be a Failed State
  

  Unless you are talking about the state of Palestine. Well, at least the state will be financially viable--what with 60% of the GNP for the West Bank coming from the US, EU, UN and World Bank.

  Sigh.
  

EZ Reads & Commentary 4/8/11

There's something in here for everyone - enjoy! (HT: Diana for a few of these)

On the more serious side:

• Mother in Israel, who sadly lost her father, writes about what was helpful (and what was not) during her shiva. A good series of advice for people on how to help... and how not to. (MiI)
• Russian billionaire to fund Jewish "Al-Jazeera", except with less propaganda. (JPost)
• A CNN sports legend is leaving birthday messages for his little daughter as he fights a losing battle with cancer. (CNN)
• Eli Clark on "Who is Modern Orthodox?" (Hirhurim)
• Josh Waxman asks if believing a pomegranate has 613 seeds is a fundamental belief (no) and explains why some truly think so.(Parshablog)
• On a What Would You Do show (Israeli version, not ABC's), it's impressive that just about every Israeli not just didn't support an (acting) anti-Arab store owner, but criticized, offered to pay for the (acting) Arab lady trying to buy coffee, and many got extremely emotional (angry or sad) about it. (Cross Currents)

Elsewhere, some fun/cool stuff:

• New sport that looks cool/fun, if a bit confusing (Why do they have 4 goals if it's two teams? Do they have to defend two each?) - Kronum.
• Unorthodox Orthodox guitarist. I just like that he was playing at an IFL game. (RafiG)
• Israel winery wins international award - I always liked Golan. (EoZ)
• Israeli tots win international ice hockey tournament... despite never having played on ice before. (EoZ)
• Fun video from the Governor press conference when the famous YouTube kid who cried he couldn't be Governor is made Governor for a day in New Jersey. If Christie does run for President, this video will do him well; also, he comes off well on TV.
• Cool time lapse video of a flight from San Francisco to Paris. Best part: Aurora Borealis in middle.
• Via A Soldier's Mother, Dov Hoschander (a genuinely nice guy who I've met a few times through a friend) has made a really nice music video of a song dedicated to the IDF, based on the Mi Shebeirach for soldiers in the army.
  

EZ Reads 4/5/11

Clearing out all the posts I've been meaning to put up in the last week...

• How Israel could become an energy giant (WSJ)
• R' Herschel Schachter on What Is Orthodox? (Matzav - HT: YS)
• Nice piece on Mimulo flower shop in Brooklyn by The New York Times, which also has some interesting insights into the Chabad/Orthodox world surrounding it. (HT: Hirhurim)
• Great news piece by WBAL about a teacher in Ner Israel - Baltimore who has been teaching for 75 years, including 51 at NIRC. (Aish)
• Full transcript of Netanyahu's YouTube interview (DaledAmos). Really interesting.
• An interesting collection of thoughts on James Kugel's recent book (Fink or Swim)
• What adopting a white girl taught one black family (Newsweek). I don't know that the biases are so much more true for black parents of a white child than the reverse - I think it's natural to suspect an adult tending to a child that looks nothing like them, and distinctly recall having similar concerns on a whitewater rafting trip where my friend and I were on a raft with a black child with white adoptive parents. (Their continuous negativity didn't help much.) That said, I think there's a reasonable case to be made for taking race into some kind of consideration in adoption - if in a specific case the race of the child or parents could become a troubling factor for the child as they try to grow up it may not be a good situation. Similarly, I think there's a preference (or should be) to keep children with people of the same general religion and the like - I know OHEL tries to move Jewish children into Jewish foster homes, for example.

One Heart Global

Over the last few weeks, our close friend (whom I wrote about here) who lives in Israel was staying at our home while on vacation. While she was on a short road trip with a friend during her vacation, and we were taking Kayla for surgery to have a second round of tubes put in her ears, there was a bus bombing in Jerusalem. After the surgery I tried calling her to let her know about the attack, and she asked if I had spoken to her mother - apparently her mother had tried calling her a few times. The fear in her voice was palpable, and while thank God nobody from her family was near the attack, it brought back the memories of my own years in Israel and all the times since when there have been terror attacks and the frantic calls back and forth to let everyone know everyone was okay (or c'v not).

During my time in Israel in 2001-2003, I would often go to this friend's first cousin, also a great family friend who we had grown up with in Cleveland. She had kindly offered to let me come and often bring friends to watch NFL (particularly Browns) games late Sunday nights in her apartment, along with having me for meals if I was in the area. I was near her Katamon apartment, on the way back from her cousin's family in Efrat, when bombers blew up Ben Yehuda street killing about 25 and injuring over a hundred, including a cousin's brother-in-law, narrowly missing friends of mine from school. I recall hearing a large boom, then... mostly silence, from where I was. I recall wondering why no buses came, no traffic at all in fact, for about 45 minutes - only to hear the news when cousins started calling me to see if I had been nearby.

While in Katamon on occasion, I also became friends with her roommate at the time, Sarri Singer, who was very active in numerous ways. She was dedicated to helping victims of terror and working (if I'm recalling correctly) for Gift of Life, which is a massive bone marrow registry, actually setting up a swabbing at Ohr Yerushalayim where I was in school one day where the whole yeshiva took part. Her roommate's father, who was my own father's best friend for fifty years, had died of leukemia, which made her work that much more meaningful. Sarri had come to Israel dedicated to helping victims of terror after a missed alarm clock led to her not being in her office just two buildings away from Ground Zero on 9/11. I recall thinking that what she did was really just impressive - she was truly dedicated to working hard on the various projects and causes she was involved with.

The week I left the country after my second year in Israel, I was horrified to learn that she herself had been on a bus which was blown up by a terrorist, killing a little girl seated next to her along with 15 others, wounding over 100, and leaving her hospitalized for two weeks.

Today, I see that her hard work and dedication is paying numerous dividends. Sarri has co-founded and grown an amazing organization called OneHeartGlobal, dedicated to helping victims of terror from all over the world. This past Friday she and an Irish member who has lost eight family members in attacks were interviewed by Gayle King, and you can listen to the full interview there.

You can donate to OneHeartGlobal here.

Queens Israel Solidarity Concert

Queens Israel Solidarity Concert 2011

Israel Solidarity Fund of America

3502 Quentin Road Brooklyn, NY 11234

(917) 751-1237

April 4, 2011

Dear Friend,

In the last few weeks a young family in Itamar, Israel was brutally murdered and the following week a bus was bombed in Jerusalem. Americans read about these horrible events and now many are looking for a way to help.  We live here in New York without such fears of attack and bombings. We must stand together in support of those who risk their lives each day by living in Israel. Their presence in Israel ensures that Jewish people will always have a homeland.

We will be holding a benefit concert to bring people in the Queens community and beyond together in support of Israel and to raise money for victims of terror.

By aiding victims of terror we will help ourselves and our people to live better lives. We need your help. As a grassroots effort, being launched by members of the community, we need to raise money to make money. At this time we are looking to raise $40-50,000 by April 10, 2011 in order to get this event off the ground. Once we have sponsorships for the event, all profits from the concert will go directly to the victims and their families. Israel Solidarity Fund is run by volunteers and has no over head costs. We hope we can count on your support.

Queens Israel Solidarity Concert
June 19, 2011 at CUNY Queens College – Colden Theatre
Top Jewish music talent (TBD based on monies raised)

Sponsorship Levels:

• Platinum - $25,000
• Name/Logo on all ads – concert sponsored by…, 20 VIP tickets, ad on inside-cover of playbill
• Gold - $15,000
• 15 VIP tickets, banner on stage, ad on inside-cover of playbill
• Silver - $10,000
• 10 VIP tickets, banner on stage, ad on inside-cover of playbill
• Bronze - $5,000
• 8 VIP tickets, banner on stage, full-page ad in playbill
• Supporter - $2,500
• 6 VIP tickets, banner on stage, full-page ad in playbill
• Corporate - $1,000
• 6 VIP tickets, full-page ad in playbill
• Family - $500
• 4 VIP tickets, half-page ad in playbill
• Friend - $250
• 2 VIP tickets, quarter-page ad in playbill

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support. Please call with any questions or for more information.

Sincerely,

Samantha Kramer
Co-Chair Queens Israel Solidarity Concert

EZ Reads 4/2/11

• Austin Kleon: How to Steal Like an Artist (and 9 other things nobody told me). There are some really good points within.
• Hirhurim on R' Gedalia Dov Schwartz's pamphlet on converts to Judaism. Very interesting.
• More parents are at least considering public and charter schools in New Jersey.
• IsraellyCool analyzes the ridiculous Times op-ed by a Jewish couple about checkpoints in Israel, noting the history of attacks of soldiers at checkpoints including that very checkpoint, and showing that the time spent going through isn't much different than what a person may go through at airport security.
• Goldstone backs away from his now infamous Goldstone Report, which condemned Israel. Thanks, only two years too late to use common sense. Whatever, it's better than nothing.

EZ Reads 3/28/11

Woah, March is almost over?! It's been a busy month. Real writing will hopefully resume tomorrow... meanwhile here's some good reads from the past few days:

• I finally watched the amazing interview of 12-year old Tamar Fogel. It's mind-boggling how mature she is.
• The biggest buyers of Gemaros (Talmuds) worldwide are far and away...South Korean!?
• How perfectionism can lead to procrastination (and what to do about it). Who knew!?
• Justice and humanity and twisted irony - a Palestinian Arab attacks soldiers, and they stop him after he injures one... then fly the attacker and victim together to get treatment.
• R' Gil discusses how the Orthodox world mirrors the Evangelical Christian one in terms of divides, and questions what to learn from it.
• For all those who love sociology, the claims of a sociologist may impact one of the largest potential class actions in history. It's actually interesting, but I would think that even if it can be proven it shouldn't therefore make them guilty - I don't see how unconscious bias of the whole population would be fair to sue over. There would be no end to it.

EZ Reads 3/25/11

Yesterday, Elianna turned five years old. That's pretty crazy.

• An amazing video by the Jewish Federations of North America as part of their Passover fundraising. Two minutes will bring a tear (or more) to your eye. (Also, Vervel, doesn't she look like your eldest a bit?)
• Searching for Bright Light discusses the 6:30am phone call from her son studying in Israel saying he's all right and how she reacted. A few hours later my sister tells us rockets hit a town over from them, and they live in Central Israel. Pretty crazy what we put up with as a people.
• The NFL has an awesome 6-minute video highlighting the 2010 season.
• Orthonomics hosts KoaB for part III of how to shop for Pesach on a budget.
• A really interesting story written by a Cornell student turned Israeli basketball player in Sports Illustrated. (via Josh)

  In order to be cleared or get an exemption from the army, you first have to go through the daylong army placement system. This process, which makes a trip to the DMV look like a day at Disneyland, was a nightmare. First, I was interviewed. Among other things, they prodded me about my family history and asked me to read and write in Hebrew (which I hadn't done since I was Bar Mitzvahed at age 13). My interviewer then really caught my attention by asking me to whom I would like to give my pension if I die in battle. I was then given a physical, where I scored a 93 (out of 100) on the army's official medical exam. This meant I could choose any division of the army I wish to participate in (this is considered a huge honor for most Israelis). After a computer aptitude test, the two basketball team managers accompanying me saved me from near enlistment. If it wasn't for them and their somewhat pushy tactics (Israelis have a knack for making every conversation seem like an argument), I could have easily been drafted right then and there.

• If you haven't yet seen The Thin Jew Line (a daily show sketch on an eruv battle in the Hamptons), watch it. It's freaking hilarious.
• Via Freakonomics, Joel Rose has left the New York Department of Education and is trying to take the School of One to scale. If he can do this, it would be quite something for education in general.
• Harry is not lamenting the co-opting of chazzanus by the Conservative.

Have a great Shabbos!

Why I Took A Bus Tonight

Why I Took A Bus Tonight Even Though My Destination Was A Five Minute Walk Away
by Yaacov Jacob

My family made Aliyah to Jerusalem a little over a month ago.
Living here during a bombing is definitely a scarier experience, then
being in the states and hearing about it. It really shakes you to
your core. I take the 74 almost everyday on my way to work. But
tonight I realized that I came to Jerusalem because I really wanted to
live here. I came because I'm willing to die here. I live here
because I, like everyone else in Israel are willing to fight for The
Land, for Torah and Judaism, for Hashem and his children.

Tonight I waited 15 minutes for a bus to come, not because I
didn't want to walk for five minutes, but because I needed to prove to
myself that I want to be here. I want to be here, and I don't intend
on leaving any time soon. As I got off the bus I went up to the
driver and said, "thank you for everything."
He looked at me with a sincere connecting stare and replied with
the exact same words, "thank you for everything."

Bombing in Jerusalem

There was a bombing in Jerusalem today, outside of the Binyanei Ha'Uma (across from the Central Bus Station, right near the area where many buses load/unload from the pictures). For near-live updates read the Muqata.

EZ Reads 3/21/11

Purim is always a good time to find out what people "really" think of you, so it was great to read yesterday and this morning about myself. Apparently, I am a brain-intruding, disheveled, pushy, annoying, sex offending stalker robot (I just know this is going to show up on Google). Congratulations to Diana on pulling the series off and to all the writers for the absolute hilarity; it's amazing how much of those posts were true (er, not the descriptions of me! Mostly...)!

Anyway, there are some really interesting reads out there from the weekend as life returns to normal and the world slowly ceases spinning.

• If Purim is over, are you starting to get ready for Pesach? Kosher on a Budget has you covered.
• A convert through the Vaad HaRabbonim of Queens is one a number of Orthodox converts whose conversions are not being recognized in Israel.
• Why do we let girls dress like sluts? Interesting excerpt:

  I have a different theory. It has to do with how conflicted my own generation of women is about our own past, when many of us behaved in ways that we now regret. A woman I know, with two mature daughters, said, "If I could do it again, I wouldn't even have slept with my own husband before marriage. Sex is the most powerful thing there is, and our generation, what did we know?" [...]
  
  So here we are, the feminist and postfeminist and postpill generation. We somehow survived our own teen and college years (except for those who didn't), and now, with the exception of some Mormons, evangelicals and Orthodox Jews, scads of us don't know how to teach our own sons and daughters not to give away their bodies so readily. We're embarrassed, and we don't want to be, God forbid, hypocrites.
  
  Still, in my own circle of girlfriends, the desire to push back is strong. I don't know one of them who doesn't have feelings of lingering discomfort regarding her own sexual past. And not one woman I've ever asked about the subject has said that she wishes she'd "experimented" more.

• R' Gil posts the "secret" rules and guidelines most rabbonim follow when it comes to paskening halacha. Nothing too surprising, but still a good basic breakdown.
• Ha'aretz on the rising stakes of Kosher certification. Such politics, unsurprisingly, but also really interesting and the most in-depth piece I've read on the subject.
• Life in Israel has Netanyahu's interview with CNN on peace.
• Those French (Chassidish?) twins who do wedding routines do an ad for Jeunesse - not bad. I'm just wondering if they're 18.
• Hilarious cartoon on ADD vs. jerks at Doghouse... and xkcd has a great rejoinder to the "Year X called, they want their ____ back" line. I'm totally using that one next time.
• Crazy video from Spanish basketball - announcer is as good as the video.
  

Enjoy, and I hope everyone recovers from Purim well.