Since my parents died in 2013, a lot of really bizarre stuff has happened to me. Being in such close proximity to death for such a long time changed my perceptions. At least, that’s what I tell myself. What I used to think was weirdness I now accept as perfectly natural. In fact I no…
Withdraw, but don’t be upset
April 22, 2015
Over the past several weeks, I’ve received many messages from people who are closing their Twitter and Facebook accounts due to the unending hate they face. I think that’s a reasonable reaction. What bothers me is that they think that they’re weak for opting out. I want to tell everyone who’s considering self-banishment from social…
Yom HaShoah
April 15, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2105, is Yom HaShoah in Israel, “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.” The Israelis remember not only those who were murdered but also those who fought back. This is what happens at 10:00 a.m. Unlike a lot of people, I never had any trouble believing that the Holocaust happened. My mother went to…
An Interview with Kola Boof, one of my favorite writers
March 29, 2015
An interview with Kola Boof, a writer who dedicated her autobiography to the Atlantic Ocean. Tell me about Undefeated: A North African Writer’s Support for Israel. You said it’s very personal. What do you mean by that? This book is personal because of my lifelong desire to see the Arab Muslim empire lose control of…
The concept of racism has lost all meaning
March 28, 2015
Words are supposed to have definitions. One way in which those with nefarious agendas control the steaming masses is by flinging accusations in all directions, hoping to cow dissenters into silence. For years now, there’s been racism behind every tree and under every rock. It took a Twitter user to drive home the point that…
The main difference between us and animals
March 21, 2015
There are lots of differences between us and animals. We humans wear clothes, even if it’s just a penis sheath. Almost every group of us has a written language. We manufacture conveyances that defy the laws of nature, just so we can hurry from Point A to Point B. Last night it hit me that…
My calculated risk
February 27, 2015
Every now and then I’m reminded that what I do is dangerous. However, for me it’s a calculated risk, as I’ll explain in a moment. Today the American writer and blogger Avijit Roy was murdered in Bangladesh. He was killed by Islamists with machetes as he left a book fair. His wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya…
To tread the air above the din
February 20, 2015
I’m not much connected to the world anymore. Maybe I should say I’m not much connected to worldly concerns. What I long for is the ability to tread the air above the din. That’s a lyric from one of the best Led Zepplin songs, “Achilles Last Stand.” It was an April morning when they told…
At the root of all conspiracy theories
February 16, 2015
Behold a reader’s message. Personally, I don’t believe in ANY of the classic conspiracy theories that refuse to die: the JFK assassination, Area 51, Flight 800, Roswell, 9/11, chem trails, the Illuminati, and so on. Of course some conspiracies theories are true, but the overwhelming majority aren’t. To me it’s extremely obvious that the Islamic…