Odds And Ends

American Pharaoh, Jewish Owner

American Pharaoh, Jewish Owner

When American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing in June 2105, it ended a 37 year dry spell.  The last horse to capture the esteemed cahmpionship of the track was Affirmed in 1978.  American Pharaoh is owned by Ahmed Zayat, an Egyptian born Jew...

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Puppy Room

Delahousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia has created a “puppy room” on campus.  In order to reduce stress levels, promote good mental health, and encourage feelings of well-being students are encouraged to spend some time with cute, furry companions. ...

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A Controversial Gift

In Greece, the Larissa Voukefalas soccer club received a bail-out as well, not from the European Union, but from “Madam Soula,” a 67-year old former prostitute and owner of two luxury brothels.  It is difficult to determine whether the resultant controversy was...

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Waiting for Baggage

Even after additional baggage handlers were added to the staff in Houston's airport, passenger complaints persisted.  The waiting times were reduced.  But what seemed to bother passengers is not how long they waited, but the fact that they has=d to wait at...

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Sexual Confusion

While there is room for debate within the parameters of Jewish law (cf. Rabbi Michael Broyde, “The Establishment of Paternity and Maternity in Jewish Law and American Law,” www. jlaw.com) as to whether a man who underwent gender reassignment surgery is considered...

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Filters Are not Just for Coffee

Boeing’s new “Dreamliner” is equipped with windows that require no shades since the windows are designed to vary the light that can pass through, altering the mood and atmosphere as needed.  The New Scientist now reports that a thin coating of nanocrystals can be...

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Nobel Prizes

With the announced award of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature to Swedish poet Tomas Transtroemer, a total of 8 Swedes have won the award in the 110 years of its history. Yet that percentage is not as impressive as another statistic. Twenty-five percent of all Nobel...

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Different Is Not Bad

Jews are neither average nor typical. According to the Huffington Post, the most typical person in the world today is a right-handed, male of Chinese descent. And by the year 2030, the projection will change only slightly. At that time the typical person will be a...

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The Purpose of Yom Kippur

Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986 while on his way home from a movie theatre in Stockholm. The crime remains unsolved. According to the Associated Press, that has not stopped about 130 people from coming forward claiming to be the...

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Not Lost in Translation

One would like to think that the longer people have walked this earth the more sophisticated and even mature they have become. Experience alone should account for increased social refinement. But this is not the opinion of the publishers of the New American Bible...

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Words to Live By

What lies behind you and what lies ahead of you pales in comparison to what lies inside you.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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