The Vicious Babushka

What Goes Better With a Locust Swarm, Drawn Butter or BBQ Sauce?

Fried Locusts.

Jerusalem - In the last few days, a devastating plague of locusts, numbering in the tens of millions, has been sweeping across Egypt. In Israel, the Ministry of Agriculture is on full alert. A special hotline has been set up, and the pesticides have been prepared.

Hopefully, modern agricultural technology will help us avoid disasters such as that of 1915, when a plague of locusts in Israel led to much tragedy.

Meanwhile, I have my own early warning system – a friend on military duty near the Egyptian border has promised to call me if swarms arrive. I’d love to see it first-hand, and to catch a couple of hundred to feed to my reptile collection – and to eat myself.

It is commonly overlooked that not only does the Torah permit man to eat certain mammals, birds and fish, but it even permits him to eat certain insects – namely, several types of locusts. The identification of the kosher varieties was lost amongst European Jews, who were not exposed to locust swarms. But Jews from North Africa maintained a tradition regarding kosher locusts.

The expert on identifying kosher species today is my colleague Dr. Zohar Amar, author of Ha-Arbeh b’Mesoret Yisrael . He has identified the species for which there is the most widespread tradition amongst North African Jews as Schistocercia gregaria, the Egyptian desert locust. This is by far the most common species of locust, and it is the species currently swarming in Egypt.

According to many authorities in Jewish law, even Ashkenazi Jews can adopt the North African tradition. This is because it is different from a situation such as that which existed with the stork, where certain communities had a tradition that it was a kosher bird, while others had a tradition that it was a non-kosher bird. With locusts, there is no tradition in Ashkenaz against these types of locusts being kosher; Ashkenazim simply lack a tradition either way. Therefore, according to many authorities, such as the late Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, it is possible to rely upon the North African tradition regarding kosher varieties.

I have eaten locusts on several occasions. They do not require a special form of slaughter, and one usually kills them by dropping them into boiling water. They can be cooked in a variety of ways – lacking any particular culinary skills, I usually just fry them with oil and some spices. (My wife, however, insists that I do not use her kitchen utensils for the task; she is locust-intolerant.) It’s not the taste that is distinctive, so much as the tactile experience of eating a bug – crunchy on the outside with a chewy center!

Read more by Rabbi Nathan Slifkin.

Tastes like chicken!

Panda Makes Tiger Hav a Sad

BUT THEIR R MOAR GAMZ!

Turks Capture Bird with "Large Nostrils" Believed to be Israeli Spy

The "Large Nostrils" are the tip-off.

Turkish authorities believe that they have found a bird used for espionage purposes by Israel, the country's media reported.

According to a Tuesday report in Yedioth Ahronoth, an investigation to that effect was launched in Ankara several days ago, after a farmer discovered a dead Merops Apiaster, commonly known as the European Bee-Eater, in his field. The bird had a ring reading "Israel" on one of its legs.

Bird-banding is a common practice in ornithology, meant to help scientists track bird migration routes.

The band, however, was not the most damning piece of evidence against the bee-eater: Its nostrils were.

The bird-beak in question reportedly sported "unusually large nostrils," which – combined with the identification ring – raised suspicions that the bird was "implanted with a surveillance device" and that it arrived in Turkey as part of an espionage mission.

The bird's remains were originally handed over to the Turkish Agriculture Ministry, which then turned in over to Ankara's security services.

Read more at YNet.

1%'ers Have Problems Too

This dog costs $17,000 a year to groom, walk and feed.

Bloomberg business reports:

Andrew Schiff was sitting in a traffic jam in California this month after giving a speech at an investment conference about gold. He turned off the satellite radio, got out of the car and screamed a profanity.

"I'm not Zen at all, and when I'm freaking out about the situation, where I'm stuck like a rat in a trap on a highway with no way to get out, it's very hard," Schiff, director of marketing for broker-dealer Euro Pacific Capital Inc., said in an interview.

Schiff, 46, is facing another kind of jam this year: Paid a lower bonus, he said the $350,000 he earns, enough to put him in the country's top 1 percent by income, doesn't cover his family's private-school tuition, a Kent, Connecticut, summer rental and the upgrade they would like from their 1,200-square- foot Brooklyn duplex.

"I feel stuck," Schiff said. "The New York that I wanted to have is still just beyond my reach."

The smaller bonus checks that hit accounts across the financial-services industry this month are making it difficult to maintain the lifestyles that Wall Street workers expect, according to interviews with bankers and their accountants, therapists, advisers and headhunters.

"People who don't have money don't understand the stress," said Alan Dlugash, a partner at accounting firm Marks Paneth & Shron LLP in New York who specializes in financial planning for the wealthy. "Could you imagine what it's like to say I got three kids in private school, I have to think about pulling them out? How do you do that?"

Bonus Caps

Facing a slump in revenue from investment banking and trading, Wall Street firms have trimmed 2011 discretionary pay. At Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Barclays Capital, the cuts were at least 25 percent. Morgan Stanley (MS) capped cash bonuses at $125,000, and Deutsche Bank AG (DBK) increased the percentage of deferred pay.

"It's a disaster," said Ilana Weinstein, chief executive officer of New York-based search firm IDW Group LLC. "The entire construct of compensation has changed."

The suffering. The horror. The HORROR.

Is there a fund where people can contribute to help these desperate suffering souls? A loaf of artisan bread, a can of caviar?

Snake Dies From Infant Bite

Baby and the snake he bit to death.

Infant who bit head off of reptile winds up unscathed; 'I screamed until neighbors came,' horrified mom says

An encounter between a snake and a baby ended in a surprising outcome Thursday, when the infant's mother walked into his room to find him chewing on the dead reptile.

The infant, Imad Gadir, whose family resides in Shfaram, was not hurt when he bit the unlucky coin snake, but was taken to Haifa's Ramabam Medical Center, just in case.

According to Imad's grandfather, Shaheen Shaheen, who recalled the family's tumultuous morning, the boy woke up when his father left for work at 6:30 am. The 1-year-old left his parents' bed and headed to his room, where he found the 35-centimeter (13-inch) snake. He then grabbed it and bit its head off.

"It wasn't a pretty sight," Shaheen said. "He's a baby, he didn't know what he was doing. He thought it was a game. I don't wish this kind of thing on anyone."

Read more at YNet.

EPIC FAIL: Really Stupid Jews Make "Bark Mitzvah" For Their Dogs

 
What could possibly be more humiliating?

Does Your Dog Deserve a 'Bark Mitzvah'?

By Nathan Burstein

It is with mixed feelings that the Shmooze brings you this latest development in dubious religious trends: the rise of bar mitzvahs for dogs.

While not exactly mainstream, the ceremonies, known as “bark mitzvahs,” are apparently now a rite of passage for some Jewish dog owners and their pets, part of what the Associated Press describes as a “booming multimillion-dollar industry.”

The AP yesterday released footage of a ceremony honoring a New Jersey canine named Nicky, who celebrated reaching age 13 — in dog years — by donning a kippah for a ceremony attended by his owner and friends. “I really believe that the animals have a right to have a party and a religion,” said Lee Day, a talis-wearing woman described by the news service as a “bark mitzvah performer.”

Predictably, not everyone is thrilled with the trend. “It’s really part of a sacred tradition,” said Rabbi Daniel Satlow, referring to the human version of the ceremony. “To imagine that a dog could do anything like this is degrading.”

Read more at the Chewish Drooly Foreskin.

It's so "gratifying" to see that the Chewish Drooly Foreskin has taken time out from its busy schedule of promoting Roseanne Barr for President of the World to endorse this "fabulous" trend.

Scary Jew Shadow Prepares for Yom Kippur

 An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man swings a chicken over his head, later to be slaughtered as part of the Kaparot ritual, in which it is believed that one transfers one's sins from the past year into the chicken in Beni Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday Oct. 7, 2011. The ceremony is held before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which starts on Friday. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer. AP Photo.

 
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is reflected in a car window as he swings a chicken over his head, later to be slaughtered as part of the Kaparot ritual in which it is believed that one transfers one's sins from the past year into the chicken in Beni Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Oct. 7, 2011. The ceremony is held before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which starts on Friday. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer. AP Photo.

 
The Shadows of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men praying are seen on the banks of the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv during the ritual of Tashlich on October 6, 2011. Tashlich is a ritual during which believers cast their sins into the water and the fish, and it is performed one day before the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, is a 25-hour period of fasting and intense reflection and prayers where the central theme is atonement that begins tomorrow after sunset. Getty Images.

Doofus of the Day: Maryland Woman Sees Poisonous Snake, Thinks it's a Cute Kitteh

 

“I had no idea there were poisonous snakes in my backyard by the pool. I mean who would've thought that?” Debra Panitch wonders.

The Potomac resident found copperhead snake in her backyard around 6:30 last night. She was cleaning for a party in honor of her son's bar mitzvah when she spotted the tiny little thing and picked it up to show her kids. [Teh Stupid!!]

“I was trying to teach my girls don't be afraid of every little spider and squirmy thing,” Panitch said.

But maybe her kids’ instincts were right. When she put it back down, it sunk one of its fangs into her thumb. As she later learned, baby snakes can't control their venom, so it gave her everything that it had.

“I think I really scared them. Obviously, you know, not good to see your mom driven away by an ambulance,” she said.

“I knew she'd be fine in the doctor's hands and stuff but I didn’t know it would be this bad,” said her son Nadiv.

The mother’s hand began to swell to the point that it felt like the skin might burst. It’s good she sought medical help.

“If you don't get something like this treated and its expanding, you can have very serious tissue damage you can lose your hand, or you can lose your life,” Dr. Erik Shobitz said.

Read more at WJLA.com.

Somebody please send Mrs. Panitch the DVD of "True Grit."

Charges Dropped Against Front-Yard Farmer

Oak Park has dropped its case against the Oak Park woman for having a vegetable garden in her front yard, but her lawyer said the city is still going after her for not having her dogs licensed.

“They’re saying they never formally dismissed” the entire case, said Solomon Radner, who represents Julie Bass.

Bass’ garden has created a national stir, as proponents of everything from urban gardening to small government have bombarded city officials at work and home with letters of support – and sometimes threats -- for the mother of six and the five raised beds that sit in front her home on Dartmouth Street.

City officials said they didn’t mind the garden, but wanted her to put it in the back yard, rather than the front, hence the citations. At her first court date, the two sides reached an impasse on the meaning of the word “suitable” which was in the ordinance cited in her violation, and Bass asked for a jury trial.

Read more at Detroit Free Press.

After Comparing Jews (Sorry, Zionists!) to Dogs, Richard Falk Apologizes to Dogs

 Dog, wearing a yarmulke and a USA shirt, chews up a baby while pissing on Lady Justice.

Richard Falk's "apology" 

With apologies, I realize that the cartoon that originally appeared on my blog devoted to the arrest warrants for Qaddafi and two others issued by the ICC had strongly anti-semitic symbolism that I had not detected before it was pointed out to me. I posted the cartoon to express my view that double standards pertained to the American and ICC approach to international criminal accountability. As soon as I was made aware of the anti-semitic content of the cartoon I removed it from my blog, although initially I denied such a posting because I did not realize that it was anti-semitic and was mistaken as to what was being referred to. My intention has never been to demean in any way Jews as a people despite my strong criticisms of Israeli policies, and some versions of Zionist support. My interest and commitment has always been directed at finding a just and sustainable peace for both peoples, although I believe that this must be based on a belated recognition of Palestinian rights, and not on power relationships.

To be clear, I oppose any denigration of a people based on ethnicity, race, religion, stage of development, and believe in the human dignity of all people in their individual and collective identity. Beyond this, if we are to have a sustainable human future we must also make peace with nature, and treat animals with as much respect as possible. This is both a sacred imperative of my idea of a spiritual life, but also an integral aspect of species survival on an increasingly crowded, overheated, and endangered planet.

Returning to the cartoon, I regret my carelessness, and apologize for any unintended hurt and outrage caused thereby. At the same time, I am quite aware that many of the messages were motivated to discredit me due to my views of Israeli policies and behavior.

Read more at UNWatch.

He's worried that dogs were offended by Jews being compared to them.

Shark Found in Synagogue Pool

There was a pool shark at the Young Israel of Staten Island last Wednesday, but not at a billiards table.

Two men hired to open the pool behind the Young Israel in Willowbrook discovered a shark at the bottom of the pool after removing the cover and draining the water.

“I have no idea how it got there,” Lazar Shcherb of D&M Pool Management told NY1 News.

The Young Israel believes someone threw the dead fish over the gate and into the pool as a prank. “Apparently, the pool maintenance company found a dead fish in one of the pools, thrown in sometime over the spring,” according to a statement issued by the synagogue to its members. “The pools have been totally drained, sanitized and are being prepared for the opening of camp next week. In no way has our children's safety been compromised due to the prank.”

Read more at The Jewish Week.

This reminds me of the old Jewish folk song,

Why diddy-dy diddy-dy diddy-dy hey!
There's a shark in the mikvah!
Why diddy-dy diddy-dy diddy-dy hey!
There's a shark in the mikvah!

Geert Wilders in Favor of Dutch Law Banning Kosher and Halal Animal Slaughter

 Jews and Muslims need to work together.

The Dutch parliament voted Tuesday to ban the slaughter of livestock without stunning, or anesthetizing, the animals first, in a move that would make Islamic halal and Jewish kosher methods of butchering animals illegal.

The bill, proposed by the Party for the Animals, the first animal-rights group that is represented in a European legislature, passed the lower house of parliament by 116 votes to 30. It still must be approved by the upper house before becoming law, according to Reuters.

In a rare display of unity, Jews and Muslims strongly denounced the move as a violation of religious freedom. If the law is enacted and enforced, it's likely that observant Jews and Muslims, who butcher animals according to stringent centuries-old rules, would have to import meat from abroad, stop eating it altogether, or leave the country, the Australian reported.

The Netherlands is home to about one million Muslims, mostly immigrants from Turkey and Morocco, while the Jewish community numbers 40,000-50,000.

The vote came after months of bitter debate in the Netherlands over the apparent contradiction between the country’s tradition of religious tolerance and its concerns about animal welfare, according to the Financial Times. Observant Jews and Muslims denounced it as the latest in a series of what were perceived as European anti-Islamic initiatives such as the French ban on wearing veils in public and the Swiss ban on minarets. In this case, the issue would affect traditional Jewish practices as well.

According to Reuters:

Netherlands Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs told Reuters. “Those who survived the (second world) war remember the very first law made by the Germans in Holland was the banning of schechita or the Jewish way of slaughtering animals.”

The law got support from centrist parties on secular scientific grounds, and from the far-right Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, an anti-Islamic group.

Read more at GlobalPost.

The Dog That Was NOT Stoned to Death--Statement of the Rabbinical Court in Response to Media Hoax

Israeli Dog (Not a stray)

A Jerusalem rabbinical court recently sentenced a wandering dog to death by stoning. The cruel sentence stemmed from the suspicion that the hound was the reincarnation of a famous secular lawyer, who insulted the court's judges 20 years ago.

Several weeks ago, according to the Behadrei Hadarim website, a large dog entered the Monetary Affairs Court near the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim. The dog scared the court's visitors and, to their surprise, refused to leave even after they attempted to drive him away.

Still offended, one of the judges sentenced the poor animal to death by stoning, recruiting the neighborhood's children to carry out the order. Luckily, the dog managed to escape.

One of the judges suddenly recalled that about 20 years ago, a famous secular lawyer who insulted the court was cursed by the panel of judges, who wished that his spirit would move on to the body of a dog (considered an impure animal by Halacha). The lawyer passed away several years ago.

Read more at YNet.

The YNet story is dated June 16, 2011, but the story was already revealed to be bogus the day before!

June 15, 2011:

Remember the story of the dog that appeared at the gates of the beis din in mea Shearim? They could not chase it away, and supposedly had decided it was a gilgul of someone who had shamed the dayanim many years earlier. they supposedly had kids stone it and chase it away.

The story raised a ruckus at the time, and the organization against cruelty to animals even filed a complaint against the beis din, all the while the head of the beis din denied the allegations.

Today, the Maariv newspaper ran a "clarification" and apology about that story, saying the rav had said there is no basis for abusing the dog, not halachically and not logically. The rav had also said that city hall had sent their dog catcher to collect the dog from the premises of the beis din. The newspaper apologizes for the misleading headlines from when it was reported.

Read more at LifeinIsrael.com.

Meanwhile, the YNet story, which was proven to be a lie even before YNet decided to publish it, has gone viral and picked up by the BBC and other news outlets. The YNet story has almost 200 talkbacks, most of them crazy with outrage and hate against the Orthodox population.

The story, which is a total fiction, originated in the Hebrew secular media, with each iteration becoming more and more grotesque for comic effect and because hey, everybody hates the Haredim. And because this slander was published IN HEBREW, the general media then picked it up without question.

The Jerusalem Rabbinical Court issued a statement:

June 2, 2011, Sivan 5771
At the beginning of this month, it was reported in various media outlets that a dog wandered into the Beth Din during proceedings, and allegedly was sentenced to be killed by stones at the hand of the judges.

One can see how the story changes and grows out of all proportion from one media story to the next, in this order:
1. At first it was reported that the Beth Din decided that the dog was a reincarnation of some person.
2. The next version reported that the Beth Din ordered children to pelt the dog with stones.
3. The next version reported that the dog was actually stoned to death!

This story never happened and never existed. The dissemination of this take has brought great harm upon the rabbis and judges of the Beth Din who donate their time and knowledge for over twelve years, without receiving payment of any kind. The media outlets which published this story without bothering to verify it with the Beth Din, or who received a statement from the Beth Din and then ignored it, have all committed libel and slander.

Because there is a large population that is totally ignorant of Jewish laws and customs, who may be led in error to believe this tale, the Beth Din issues this detailed explanation:

This was an attempt at "black humor" on the part of the author, a pointless joke that is not even funny. The author perhaps wished to confuse or embarrass his audience for their ignorance, because he had no doubt that his words would be taken seriously.

There is absolutely no basis for such a thing, not in halachah and not in common sense. There never was a case of stoning of a dog or any other animal in the Jewish religion, not during the time of the Temple nor during the time of the Patriarch Abraham. There is no mention of any such thing in the Torah, nor in the Prophets or the holy Writings, it is simply a figment of the imagination that never happened and never existed.

The only part of this story which is accurate, is that a dog--a bitch and not a male dog as reported by the media--a bitch pregnant with puppies--who wandered into the Beth Din and sat down in a corner of the room. And the neighborhood children who had probably never seen a dog before, shouted with delight and glee at the sight, outside of the Beth Din there gathered perhaps hundreds of children who came to catch a glimpse of the dog. They are used to seeing stray cats, but dogs are rare, and they all wanted to see the sight.

The only action that was taken after the dog entered the courtroom and quietly found a place to rest, was to call the city officials in charge of animal control to come and remove the dog, and this can be verified with the authorities.

Any embellishment to this simple fact, comes from the imagination and bitter sense of humor of the author who fabricated it, namely: there was no reincarnation, no mention of any lawyer who passed away 20 years ago, no correction or punishment recommended, and no stoning took place.

Fabrications of this type come very close to the classic blood libel, and one wonders why the author, with his peculiar brand of sick humor, did not also include in his tale how the dog was slaughtered and its blood collected in a jar for the purpose of mixing into next year's shmurah matzah (something which the entire world knows is a falsehood and has never happened).

In addition:

The court remained in session for the entire afternoon, listening to the cases of dozens of litigants who had been scheduled for that day. You can interview each and every one of them as witnesses who saw what happened to the dog. Everyone will testify that nothing at all happened!

Therefore, the entire media report of stoning, or of giving the order to stone, is not based on any eyewitnesses or observed fact!

This speaks for itself.

The Secretariat of the Beth Din. [excerpt translated by Babushka]

Read more at Harry's Place.

Babushka has sent an email to YNet requesting a retraction and clarification, at the present time the number of hateful talkbacks is approaching 200 and YNet has not withdrawn this bogus story.

Update: YNet has finally removed the article from their website, 1:30PM June 21, 2011.

Jews and Muslims Appeal Dutch Law Requiring Animals to be Stunned Before Slaughter

Jewish and Muslim representatives Thursday appealed to Dutch lawmakers not to enforce plans requiring animals to be stunned before halaal and kosher slaughtering rituals.

"We are against any form of stunning because it's against our religion," Yusuf Altuntas, president of the CMO -- an organisation that links the Muslim community with the Dutch government -- told a parliamentary commission.

"One of the first measures taken during the Occupation (during World War II) was the closing of kosher abattoirs," Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs added during the debate in The Hague.

Dutch law required animals to be stunned before being slaughtered but made an exception for ritual halaal and kosher slaughters.

The country's Party for Animals (PvdD) which holds two seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament, has submitted a proposal, if implemented, would see this exception abolished.

Dutch media widely reported that the PvdD's proposal was expected to get a majority nod from parliamentarians, but a timeframe was not given.

"The animals suffer more and are more distressed if they are not stunned," Esther Ouwehand, a PvdD parliamentarian told AFP.

"By getting this modification in the law, we hope to inspire other countries," she added, pointing out that in Norway and Sweden these measures had already been taken.

More than two million animals -- mainly sheep and chickens -- were being subjected to ritual slaughter every year in the Netherlands, the PvdD added.

Abdelfattah Ali-Salah, director of Halal Correct, the organisation which issues halaal certificates in the country, however called the figure "inexact".

He said some 250,000 animals were slaughtered yearly without being stunned beforehand.

Jewish and Muslim representatives Thursday insisted ritual slaughter respected the animals' welfare, notably restriction methods used to limit suffering and that those slaughtering received expert training.

Read more at AFP.

Can someone explain how "stunning" is "more humane" than instantly slicing through the carotid artery? Stunning is basically this: the animal is tased until it becomes unconscious. Frequently the electrocution must be applied repeatedly because animal skulls are thick and one application of the taser is not always sufficient.

EPIC FAIL: Pig Bones Given Jewish Burial

Jewish funeral for pagans and pigs

Experts: Tombs found at Jaffa excavation site not Jewish

Announcement comes after examination of site revealed burials contained pig bones, allowing archaeologists to conclude they were not Jewish burials; excavation has been site of ultra-Orthodox demonstrations.

The Israel Antiquities Authority has established that the tombs uncovered in the area of the French Hospital near the Andromeda housing complex in Jaffa are not Jewish.

This was announced after an examination of the site revealed that the burials contained pig bones, allowing archaeologists to conclude that they were not Jewish burials.

The antiquities authority based its conclusion on tests conducted by the Israeli Institute of Archaeology, and the opinion of Prof. Guy Bar-Oz, head of the archaeology laboratory at the University of Haifa.

The area, at the corner of Louis Pasteur and Yefet streets, had been the scene of stormy demonstrations over the past year by protesters from the ultra-Orthodox Eda Haredit, who claimed that archaeological excavations at the site were desecrating Jewish tombs.

Two months ago, the High Court of Justice rejected a petition against the excavations.

The tombs were discovered during construction of an underground parking garage for a five-story hotel that is to be built on the site. The authority's announcement means that the developer can now go ahead with the work. Yossi Levi, the authority's archaeologist for the central district, said: "It's easy to identify the characteristics of Jewish burials. These are clearly not the burials of Jews; we have no doubt about it.

"We found tombs from three periods: the Persian, the Byzantine and the Muslim. Crosses were carved at the entrance to two tombs. Some of the funerary offerings included parts of the jaw bones of pigs, which was very common to pagan burials. Everything we know tells us that these were not Jewish burials."

Levi said the excavations were monitored by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the bones were handed over to a representative of the ministry.

Rabbi David Shmidel, head of Atra Kadisha, the group behind the protests at the site, rejected the antiquities authority's conclusions. "We assume that the people buried here were Jews, and so we are going to continue the struggle," Shmidel told Haaretz.

"We heard the story about the pigs. Not long ago a private archaeologist hired [to appear] in court, told an unlikely story about pigs. Who is buried with pig bones in a burial cave? Not Jews and not non-Jews," Shmidel said.

Shmidel said Atra Kadisha would be persuaded to stop its protests if what he termed a higher level of proof emerged, for example, an inscription.

Read more at Haaretz.

Haaretz and YNet will never miss an opportunity to rip on the Haredim, but, why hand them that opportunity on a plate and wrapped up in a bow?

Barry the Shmuck's Creepy Hobby Becomes Hot Hipster Trend

Barry (Steve Carell) and his dead mice dioramas. The movie used plastic molds.

These mice are now men.

A bizarre Victorian hobby that transforms dead mice into miniature "humans" is getting its revival in -- where else -- hipster Brooklyn.

A Gowanus gallery offering a $45 class in "anthropomorphic taxidermy" today sold out in four hours.

For inspiration, the gallery will have a punk-rocker mouse with green hair and a Hamlet mouse cloaked in a cape on hand for the class.

They look like sculptures, but the figurines were once living, breathing, scurrying rodents.

"It looks less like an animal and more like a weird art project," said Susan Jeiven, 39, a tattoo artist and taxidermist who'll teach the class at Observatory art space.

The three-hour stuffing session is not for the squeamish.

Jeiven buys the frozen vermin from snake-feed stores, then thaws them out and sucks out their blood with a syringe.

On class day, students will clean out the mice's innards with razors and remove their bones. Borox and strong chemicals are applied to preserve their coats.

Then the artistry gets under way, with the students shaping molds out of clay, sewing on the preserved skins, and using wires to set the mice into odd poses.

Jeiven is a purist, so her mice will be dressed in Victorian bloomers and vintage doll clothing.

Read more at NY Post.

Why do these people call themselves "hipsters" and not "shmucks"?

Mossad is Training Vultures to Spy on Saudi Arabia

The alleged Zionist infiltrator

Vulture used as part of bird migration research was reportedly captured in rural area of Saudi Arabia.

A vulture tagged by scientists at Tel Aviv University has strayed into Saudi Arabian territory, where it was promptly arrested on suspicion of being a Mossad spy, the Israeli and Saudi media reported Tuesday.

The bird was found in a rural area of the country wearing a transmitter and a leg bracelet bearing the words "Tel Aviv University", according to the reports, which surfaced first in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv.

Although these tags indicate that the bird was part of a long-term research project into migration patters, residents and local reporters told Saudi Arabia's Al-Weeam newspaper that the matter seemed to be a "Zionist plot."

The accusations went viral, with hundreds of posts on Arabic-language websites and forums claiming that the "Zionists" had trained these birds for espionage.

Read more at Haaretz.

All your animal kingdom are belong to us! Bwahahaha!

Outrageous Outrage Over Rebbetzin's Letter Against Interfaith Dating

Intermarriage, Dogs & Cats Living Together!

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- More than two dozen Israeli rabbis' wives have signed a letter urging Jewish women not to date or work with Arab men.

The letter, which had at least 27 signatories, was distributed Tuesday by Lehava, a one-year-old organization dedicated to preventing intermarriage between Jews and Arabs.

The letter comes on the heels of another letter published earlier this month and signed by several dozen municipal rabbis calling on Jews not to sell or rent properties to non-Jews. That letter created a furor, sparking a host of condemnations from some Israeli political figures and numerous religious and community leaders in the United States, including the main Modern Orthodox rabbinical group, the Rabbinical Council of America.

"There are quite a few Arab workers who use Hebrew names," noted the letter from the rabbis' wives. "Yusuf becomes Yossi, Samir becomes Sami and Abed becomes Ami. They seek your proximity, try to appeal to you and give you all the attention you could ask for. They actually know how to be polite and how to act, making you believe they really care… but their behavior is only temporary. As soon as they have in you in their grasp, in their village, under their complete control -- everything becomes different. Your life will never be the same, and the attention you sought will be replaced with curses, physical abuse and humiliation."

Read more at JTA.org

So when your grandmother told you not to date a non-Jew, she was being a racist? A nazi, even? Like nobody in all of Jewish history ever suggested that maybe marrying out of the faith was not a good thing?

Generally, the kind of Jews who date and marry non-Jews also don't really feel much attachment to Judaism. People who do feel strongly about their faith will want to look for partners who share their faith. The solution is to strengthen their bonds to their faith, not issue "Public Declarations" condemning interfaith marriage, as though, up till now, everybody was OK with it.

If Jewish men are really so disturbed by Jewish girls dating Arabs, maybe they should be more attentive and romantic so that Jewish girls will be attracted to them instead of to some "dashing sheik."

Likewise, why would a Jewish man want to marry Chelsea Clinton when he could have a mother-in-law like...The Vicious Babushka!

Mossad Using Trained Sharks to Assassinate Red Sea Tourists, Egypt Claims

 We always knew Bruce was Jewish.

Egyptian authorities leaving no stone unturned in bid to discover mysterious shark attacks which left German tourist dead. 'Mossad plot not out of the question,' says South Sinai governor

Shark attacks on tourists in the Red Sea have triggered a flurry of speculation as to what could have caused them, with suggestions ranging from overfishing to an Israeli plot to harm Egyptian tourism.

The body of a 70-year-old German woman washed up on the shore at Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea after an attack on Sunday. Officials said the shark had taken a chunk out of her right thigh and bitten through her right elbow.

Egypt had just lifted a ban on swimming in parts of the area imposed after three Russians and a Ukrainian were injured in shark attacks last week.

The government has invited international experts to help locate the killer shark but officials were at loss as to what could have caused its behavior.

"There is not one reason that will be ignored. We are seeking any reason that causes a change in shark behavior," Ahmed el-Edkawi, assistant secretary for the South Sinai region, told Reuters.

Some said sharks had been drawn to shallow waters after cattle being shipped in for last month's Islamic feast of the sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha, had died and were thrown overboard.

Others suggested it could have been part of a secret plot by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.

"What is being said about the Mossad throwing the deadly shark (in the sea) to hit tourism in Egypt is not out of the question, but it needs time to confirm," South Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha was quoted as saying by state news site egynews.net.

Read more at YNet.

Eid Al-Adha Slaughter is Over, Sure Enough, PETA Comes Out of Hiding

 An Israeli member of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) animal rights activists performs during their Fur-Free Friday campaign to make shoppers aware of the cruelty behind the fur industry in Tel Aviv, Israel , Friday, Nov.26, 2010. AP Photo.

Notice the poster at right with the picture of a rabbi wearing a streimal.

 
Israeli anti-fur activists protest during a national rally against the exploitation of fur called by Worldwide Fur Free Friday, an animal protection association, on November 26, 2010 in Tel Aviv. The sign on the woman's body reads in Hebrew, 'Israel says no to fur'.
Getty Images. [The poor thing must be cold wearing nothing but paint, and the original picture is NSFW, so I give her a nice pair of fur pasties. VB]

Look at this little attention queen. Where was she last week? Did she paint her naked body in the colors of the Palestinian flag and march in Gaza with a message in Arabic, "Palestine says No to Eid animal sacrifice." Uh, no.