The Vicious Babushka

Scheduling Conflicts Resolved for Basketball Team That Won't Dunk on Shabbos

Beren High School basketball team

HOUSTON — An Orthodox Jewish school that drew national attention when a Texas school organization initially refused to reschedule a semifinal basketball game that conflicted with the Sabbath is back in the state semifinals this weekend. But this time without the controversy.

Beren Academy and its players don't play basketball games between Friday night and Saturday night in observance of the Sabbath. That created a conflict last year when Beren advanced to the semifinals and was scheduled to play at 9 p.m. on a Friday in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial School's 2A boys basketball tournament.

TAPPS at first would not move the game time. But after a group of parents filed a complaint in federal court citing religious discrimination, and the controversy brought national attention to the small Houston school, TAPPS relented. Beren won its semifinal game, rescheduled to Friday afternoon, then lost the championship rescheduled for late Saturday night.

"It was tough, just because it's out of your control in a lot of ways," Beren coach Chris Cole recalled Thursday. "I mean that from a lot of different standpoints. When so many people get involved, you don't have any say in a lot of things that other people decide to do."

This year, Beren will play its semifinal game at 1 p.m. Friday. Although the championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, it will be moved to 8 p.m. if the Stars advance.

Cole said he's relieved that his young players won't be at the center of a national debate, and that he won't have to talk to them about the likelihood of not getting to play for a championship because of their religious beliefs. The players were unanimously ready to accept that last year, saying their faith outweighed the chance for athletic glory.

Beren officials met with the TAPPS executive board in June, and TAPPS added a bylaw to its constitution to accommodate schools when the scheduling of athletics events overlaps with religious observances.

Read more at Star-Telegram

"Dancing Rabbis" are Boffo at Houston Rockets Game

 

Panda Makes Tiger Hav a Sad

BUT THEIR R MOAR GAMZ!

TIGERS WIN!

We love you Tigers!

EPIC WIN: Yeshiva Student Interrupts Cross-Country Race to Save the Life of Another Runner

Seth Goldstein, of Cooper Yeshiva High School in Memphis, TN.

On the second loop of his cross country race, high school runner, Seth Goldstein,voluntarily fell behind to save the life of a runner on a rival team.

"I was feeling good," Goldstein, 17, a senior at Cooper Yeshiva High in Memphis,Tenn., told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "That's when everything happened in front of me."

One of the runners from a rival school in Germantown, Tenn., suddenly collapsed in front of Goldstein; he was the only one who stopped to help the boy.

"His lips were turning blue and his eyes were rolled back in his head," Goldstein told KNOX News. "I was terrified. But then I thought to myself, freaking out isn't going to help any here."

Goldstein immediately took action -- he called his parents and told them to call 911.

By that time, the rival runner had begun to regurgitate blood.

"He had bitten his tongue and was bleeding pretty bad," Goldstein recounted to theCommercial Appeal. "I feared he was going to choke on his blood. I rolled him on his side so he wouldn't asphyxiate."

Jessica Chandler, a mother from the fallen boy's school, ran up to the pair just as the student began to have seizures, according to Yahoo News.

"He was awesome," Chandler said of Goldstein's rescue methods. "He was so competent and kind. When the boy started to come out of it he just kept saying, 'You're going to be OK. We're here. We're with you. You're going to be OK.'"

EMTs arrived shortly, and took over care of the injured runner, reported CBS Sports. When it was clear that the runner was suffering from heat-induced seizures and would recover, Goldstein stood and asked if he could finish the race. It was only then that Chandler and the EMTs realized that Goldstein was just another participant.

"The EMTs looked at me kind of funny," Goldstein said. "They're like, 'You're racing? Well, sure, go ahead. I guess you can finish the race.' "

Read more at Huffington Post.

 

Scary Jew Shadow at the Olympics

A Jewish man walk past pictures of some of the eleven Israeli athletes that were killed in the Munich Olympics in 1972, during the London 2012 Olympic Games, London, Britain, 06 August 2012. A ceremony will take place remembering the eleven Israeli athletes who were murdered forty years ago at the Munich Olympic games in 1972. Credit: EPA/VIN

 

Commemorations for 1972 Munich Olympic Israel Team in Spite of Official IOC Refusal

Moment of silence in Trafalger Square

Silences have been held around Britain to mark 40 years since 11 Israeli athletes were murdered during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

More than 20,000 people joined the Zionist Federation organised "Minute for Munich", a virtual silence conducted by individuals wherever they were at 11am, that had been promoted on social media.

A short memorial service at the Israeli Embassy and planned by the ZF was streamed live online from 10.45am, in which the memorial prayer was recited and memorial candles were lit.

Around 200 people marked the Minute for Munich in Trafalgar Square. In front of journalists and television crews from around the world they waved British and Israeli flags before observing the minute's silence.

The event was organised by the British Israel Coalition and other Israel advocacy groups. BIC's Ari Soffer told the crowd: "The British Jewish community is showing its solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel.

"We should not allow this tragedy to go un-commemorated. This is a time to show our respect and remember the dead."

During the short service the crowd recited memorial prayers including El male Rachamim and the names of the murdered Israelis. Following the minute of silence kaddish was said, followed by the singing of the British and Israeli national anthems.

A Swedish tourist, Joseph, said he felt it was important to attend: "I escaped from Poland to move to Sweden and it's natural for us, as Jews, to show solidarity with Israel.

"The IOC decision not to hold a silence during the opening ceremony is terrible. It's unbelievably arrogant and ignorant. They have not done it out of antisemitism, but for political reasons.

Read more at The Jewish Chronicle.

Bomb Threat at Comerica Park, 3rd Threat in a Week Against Detroit Landmarks

Comerica Park: The Game Went On.

DETROIT, July 18 (UPI) -- Detroit police and U.S. Homeland Security personnel responded to a bomb threat at Comerica Park Tuesday night and said no suspicious device was found.

The bomb threat -- the second in the Detroit area this week -- was phoned in to 9-1-1 at about 8 p.m. during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels, Sgt. Eren Stephens told The Detroit News. No one was evacuated from the park, and the all-clear was given by 11 p.m., the newspaper said.

A bomb threat shut down the Ambassador Bridge, which spans the border with Canada, from about 7 p.m. Monday to 1 a.m. Tuesday, and a similar threat was received for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel last week.

"We're following leads, and relative to the most recent incident; I think they're promising leads," Police Chief Ralph Godbee said. "But we're far from saying we're close to closing anything."

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Canadian leaders last month announced an agreement to build a new border crossing. A spokeswoman for Snyder Tuesday cited "homeland security and economic security issues" as factors that show the need for an additional border crossing.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2012/07/18/Bomb-threat-at-Detroits-Comerica-Park/UPI-75091342627830/#ixzz214B8Yree

Why Can't the Women Sit In Front? Babushka Proposes a Solution.

"Better to sit behind a Lion than to sit behind a woman"

One of the questions that frequently comes up during the "segregated buses" brouhaha, is why can't the women sit up front and the men in back? This would alleviate some of the unpleasant historical associations that are conjured up by forcing a certain population to sit in the back of the bus.

Proponents of the segregated buses have pointed to a saying from the Talmud: "It is better to go behind a lion than to go behind a woman." Immediate a solution presents itself: PUT A LION ON EVERY BUS. Who would dare to harass a woman if Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley or Kyle Vander Bosch were on the bus? Nobody would want to mess with them.

This would only work during the off season, and only if the Lions do not go to the Super Bowl.

Another solution, if the Lions don't want to be bus enforcers, is to have all the seats at the rear facing backwards!

ESPN Flooded With Anti-Semitic Fantasy Team Names

 Although a team named the "Hebrew Hammers" would be cool.

NEW YORK -- ESPN has removed fantasy leagues with anti-Semitic names from its website after the Simon Wiesenthal Center pointed them out.

The Jewish human rights organization is praising the sports network for quickly responding to its complaint, which it brought to ESPN's attention on Wednesday.

The Wiesenthal Center says that among the offensive team names were "Jews are Immoral" and "Jews Are Terrible."

Network spokesman Josh Krulewitz said that while ESPN has systems in place to protect against inappropriate team and league names "clearly with millions of users and deceptive ways around the safeguards, we can never completely eliminate it."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Wiesenthal Center said Thursday that ESPN responded in good faith to its concerns.

Read more at ESPN.

It's Hanukkah in August in San Francisco

 It's Hanukkah in August!

The San Francisco Giants’ home sellout streak this season reached 52 games on the night of Aug. 2. The team’s losing streak reached five.

But even though many of the 2,000 fans who bought Jewish Heritage Night tickets were disappointed by another loss — and a mediocre outing by Giants’ starting pitcher Tim Lincecum — they did leave AT&T Park with a lovely parting gift: an orange and black mini-menorah emblazoned with the words “Giants” in English and “Go Giants!” in Hebrew.

“I came here two years ago for Jewish Heritage Night and they gave out a T-shirt,” said San Francisco resident Sam Draisin, who cheered the Giants on feverously from the last row of the upper deck. “The menorah is much better. I’ll probably use it.”

While some fans might have expected a cheap, flimsy menorah, the free souvenir was actually quite solid — made of a sturdy material called polyresin — even though it measured just 5 inches by 3 inches.

Cantor Rita Glassman of San Francisco’s Congregation Sherith Israel sang the national anthem before the start of the game. She also sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Giants’ Jewish Heritage Night in 2007.

In the two hours before the game, the center field plaza area was vibrant as a klezmer band and Israeli dancers performed. As the 7:15 p.m. first pitch neared, the fans there for Jewish Heritage Night headed to seats that were grouped together in several sections, either in the lower boxes in left field or the upper deck.

Since there was little to cheer about at the game for Giants fans, the biggest celebration might have been in Lot D parking before the game. There, Rabbi Yosef Langer of Chabad of San Francisco held his regular Jewish Heritage Night tailgate mixer.

More than 400 fans from different synagogues and Jewish organizations — and of different faiths — celebrated by drinking free He’ Brew beer and eating what seemed to be a nearly endless supply of kosher hot dogs, veggie dogs, cotton candy and popcorn. (There were actually 750 hot dogs and veggie dogs, and zero were left when the party ended.)

A number of people from Touro University California, an independent, Jewish-sponsored institute of higher learning located on Mare Island in Vallejo, were also at the party. Touro University was the sponsor of this year’s Jewish heritage game.

A motorized cable car owned by Chabad was nearby, decorated with posters from past Jewish heritage events. Langer called it a “mitzvah mobile.” He also said he was very happy with the pre-game party.

“I feel tailgating is a subculture and the happening thing,” Langer said. “There was young and old, black and white, transgender; everyone was represented. It was beautiful.”

Adam Keim of San Francisco said he always has a good time at Langer’s party and at the game — and he’s not even Jewish.

Read more at JWeekly.com.

6 Socially Accepted Forms of Child Abuse More Agonizing Than Circumcision

The anti-circumcision fascists have a set of copy-and-paste "talking points" which they use to spam every forum that tries to address this issue. It is useless to attempt to engage them in actual debate, they will just spam their crap over and over and over again. This is evident seeing the identical posts that show up in the Jewish Journal and The Forward, which do not monitor comments very closely. The talking points, in a nutshell, are these:

1. Circumcision is a form of child abuse
2. Male circumcision and female genital cutting are absolutely identical and there is no difference whatsoever
3. Circumcision without consent is a violation of human rights
4. Religion sucks!
5. Ignore that nazi comic book

Talking Point #2 is simply ridiculous: it is undeniable that males and females are built differently "down there."

Talking Point #4 is a matter of opinion. Everyone has an opinion, and no person's opinion should be forced on to any other person.

Talking Point #5 is the result of the spam mentality refusing to address a serious problem in their ranks.

We will address Points #1 and #3 by pointing out other forms of socially acceptable "child abuse" which are in fact much more painful and emotionally traumatic, as well as parental obligations which supercede any "rights" that these activists (many of whom have no children of their own) may claim for someone else's minor child.

1. String Beans and Mushrooms (or, your Mother is a Lousy Cook)

You can't leave the table until you finish your veggies!

How many kids are forced to sit at the dinner table in front of a plate of string beans (back in the day when green beans had strings in them, that you would chew and chew and chew and it just stayed all stringy and eccch) or mushrooms, or liver, or broccoli or cauliflower or cabbage or brussels sprouts or fishy-stinking fish balls or other gross stuff that was "good for you" but your mom couldn't cook and it tasted like crap. Children are tortured by not being allowed to leave the table, not allowed to eat dessert, without first eating all that gross stuff first. How is that not a total violation of every human rights law, ever?

Being forced to eat disgusting food as a child can totally spoil your appreciation for the same food when it is prepared properly and is quite delicious. Your "gag" reflex has been fine-tuned and the smell or texture of that food that you hated as a kid can stay in your taste buds forever, even though you may now have a talented spouse who can prepare all this formerly despised food in an appealing and delicious way.

2. Going to the Dentist

Kids just love the gentle dentist!

Dental hygiene is important, but ask any adult man what was worse about his childhood: a bris that he doesn't even remember, or all those hours trapped in the dentist's chair? No one gives a teenager the choice to put off cosmetic orthodontia until early adulthood or until middle age when he can afford to pay for it by himself.

3. Ballet Lessons

 
What's inside those pretty satin toe slippers

What little girl doesn't dream of being a ballerina in a fluffy pink tutu and satin toe slippers, but for every prima ballerina who dances the lead in The Nutcrackers and Swan Lake, there are thousands of wannabees with permanently disfigured feet and life-threatening eating disorders. Ballerinas must begin their training at an extremely young age and practice for hours on end, and if they haven't made it to a major ballet company by their mid 20's, their lives are pretty much over.

See also these forms of child abuse: gymnastics, figure skating.

4. Middle School.

Middle School sucks and it goes on for 3 years.

Think back: what did you like best about Middle School? Most people will answer, "when it was finally over." If you loved Middle School, chances are that you were one of the popular kids who led the clique of "cool kids." Which means, that you were probably a bully, making life excruciatingly miserable for the other 95% of kids who didn't belong to your elite "in" group.

The worst part is when a kid finally can't take it any more and confides in a teacher or trusted adult about the bullying, and is told: "When they laugh at you, just laugh with them!"

The only way to avoid the day-in and day-out agony of Middle School is to be Home-Schooled, which is another form of Child Abuse if the parents doing the home schooling are not qualified educational professionals.

5. High School Sports.

Wes Leonard: teenage basketball star dropped dead after a game.

(CNN) -- There were 35 black and orange balloons at Wes Leonard's funeral in Fenville, Michigan, on Tuesday, to represent the number on his high school basketball jersey. Even athletes from other schools who had competed against him were moved to tears.

Leonard, 16, died of cardiac arrest while playing basketball last Thursday, CNN affiliate WOOD reported. He'd had an enlarged heart, an autopsy found.

His wasn't the only sudden death among sports-playing U.S. high schoolers in the last two weeks. Matthew Hammerdorfer, 17, died playing rugby in Fort Collins, Colorado, due to cardiac arrest from a congenital heart defect. In North Carolina, 16-year-old Javaris Brinkley died of heart failure after playing basketball at a church Monday; he'd had a known heart condition, according to the Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald. And 17-year-old soccer and track star Sarah Landauer of Gainesville, Florida, collapsed at track practice; she died Wednesday, local news reports said; the cause of death has not yet been released.

Although four deaths in two weeks (100 teenage athletes die every year!) may seem like a lot, it's consistent with the national average for scholastic athletes, it does draw attention to questions that have been looming for years: Should there be more extensive health screenings before young people can participate in sports? And should schools be required to have defibrillators? Read more at CNN.

6. Not Being Allowed to Have a Circumcision.

Foreskin Monster: Kidnaps the baby from his parents and gives it to a gang of beach bums.

While we're on the subject of "children's rights" that the anti-circ crowd love to spam about, every child has a right to a heritage and a home with loving parents. The Aryan super-monster "Foreskin Man" flits all over the globe, snatching Jewish and African infants from their mothers and fathers and giving them away to strangers who might guard their perfect genitalia but deprive the child of something even more valuable: his history, his heritage, and his identity. Can you say "child-trafficking"?

Think of Jaycee Dugard on a global scale: this is F-Man's accomplishment. No doubt when the beach hippies get bored of the squalling little infant, like, the first time it makes a mess in the diaper, they give it back to F-Man who then--what? Sells it to somebody else who is fixated on intact genitalia? Keep the little things as exhibits or prisoners in his sinister "Museum of Genital Integrity"?

Seriously, how do the "intactivists" intend to enforce their ban if it should somehow get passed in a popular vote? Appoint a special "Penis Task Force" to inspect all male infants born to Jewish families and put them into special protective orphanages until they reach adulthood?

Even if the child is allowed to stay with his parents on the condition that they don't give him a bris until his 18th birthday, what kind of mental agony does this inflict on the Jewish boy deprived of his heritage? There will be years of pain of anticipation and dread the entire time that the circumcision has yet to be performed, and the emotional anguish of being denied to take his rightful place among his own people.

The Greeks and Romans attempted to ban circumcision among the Jews by applying the death penalty against those who performed it. They failed. Let's eat!

Consumer Product Safety Commission: Do Not Mock Happy Fun Ball

WASHINGTON — The government is warning people to stay out of those giant see-through inflatable spheres known as "water walking balls" because of the risk of suffocation or drowning.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday that it "does not know of any safe way to use" the products, which are popular at amusement parks, resorts, malls and carnivals. They resemble hamster balls but are large enough for humans.

People climb into the plastic, airtight balls and then roll around — or try to walk — on water in pools, lakes or rivers.

"We want to tell the public how dangerous these products are before someone is killed," said Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the commission. "Our investigation into water walking balls will not stop with today's warning."

The agency is worried about too little oxygen in the balls as well as the buildup of carbon dioxide.

Another concern: the fact that the product has no emergency exit and can be opened only by a person outside of the ball — a serious problem if a person inside the ball experiences distress.

Read more at MSNBC.

Ice Hockey Fans Have a Place in Israel

Toronto it's not, but Metulla's Canada Centre provides a cool venue for immigrant and native Israelis thirsting for fast-paced fun on the ice.

A mere kilometer from the Lebanese border, Israel's only permanent regulation-size ice rink draws hockey players of all ages from throughout the country. It's not a sport normally associated with the Middle East, but for Israel's many Russian and Canadian immigrants, ice hockey is part of their culture. And they're willing to drive for hours to maintain it.

Since its start in 1989, the federation has started drawing native Israelis as well, and competing in an international division. Kids come for two-day mini-camps on the ice, and senior leagues - with players from 16 to 60 -- meet weekly. When they're not at the Metulla rink, most players must practice on rollerblades for lack of an appropriate venue.

Plans are afoot to build a second Olympic-size rink in central Israel. For now, however, the diehards are happy to trek up north to the Canada Centre for a bracing breath of cold air and an action-packed, competitive workout.

Read more at Israel21c.com.

This Year's Best Super Bowl Commercial (Cost $10.8 Million to Broadcast)

 

The Eminem "Imported From Detroit" 2-minute spot was outstanding. The only thing that would have made it even better is if it were a Lincoln ad. Ford Motor Company said they were not advertising on the Super Bowl this year, but there were at least two Ford ads, neither of them particularly memorable.

It's clear that Chrysler's Super Bowl two-minute ad featuring Detroit went over well in these parts. And while Chrysler's ad technically was for its new 200 sedan, the spot undoubtedly was intended as much for the city as it was for the car. We're curious about how it fared beyond our city, region and state.

To the people who were watching in Florida, New York or anywhere other than Detroit and know Detroit by what they read and what makes CNN, to Michigan expats who follow Michigan sports but don't see a life for themselves here: What did you think of the Chrysler ad? Did you get goosebumps?

By late Sunday evening, at least one person outside of Detroit said the ad made an impression.

"To me, it wasn't even a commercial for a car or a car company, it was for an entire city," Grant Pace, executive creative director at Boston-based advertising firm Conover Tuttle Pace, told the Boston Herald. "It was inspired, and it gave me chills."

Read more at Detroit Free Press.

EPIC FAIL: Louisville Station Reports Steelers Beat "Jew" York Jets

Jew York Jets lost to the Shittsburgh Stealers.

This is the thing about TV, especially something wit the immediacy of a newscast – you’re always this close to a massive screwup. WLKY, a Louisville-based station, experienced an unfortunate brush with this reality while giving viewers a rundown of yesterday’s AFC Championship Game. Yes, the graphic says the Jets are from “Jew York.” Yes, we admit we were amused. No, we do not think the network was as amused as we were, and yes, we imagine some poor producer had an interesting discussion with one superior or another. Beware typos, people.

Read more at Sportsgrid.

Outrageous Outrage of the Day: Bloomberg Plows the Bike Lanes!

 

This is an EPIC FAIL if you want to generate outrage: the major street shown on the video is already clear.

These are Parks & Recreation trucks plowing the bike lanes. Guess what: it's their job!

Now the "hipsters" can enjoy their "Naked Bike Ride" midwinter event on nicely plowed lanes.

More Suffering and Misery in Blockaded, Starving Gaza

Palestinian children dribble basketballs in an attempt to break the Guinness world record of 7,500 basketballs bounced simultaneously, in an event organized by the the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on July 22, 2010 Getty Images. 

RAFAH, Gaza Strip – The top U.N. aid official in Gaza says more than 7,000 children in the Palestinian territory have simultaneously dribbled basketballs for five minutes in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

The event took place on a bombed-out airport runway near the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

Local U.N. chief John Ging says he expects to know in a few days if the children set the record. To do so, they must beat a 2007 record set in Indiana.

The event was part of the U.N.'s summer camps for about 250,000 Gaza children.

The U.N. said Gaza children set their first world record last year by simultaneously flying more than 3,000 kites — a record they will try to break next week.

Read more at Ass. Press.

Basketballs, luxury shopping malls, kites--when will this horror end?

Israel Fields Robotic Soccer Team

Israel may not have been able to enter a soccer team into the World Cup, but it did get picked for the world cup in soccer robotics.The Israeli national team didn't make the cut for this year's World Cup soccer tournament, in fact they've only made the cut once -- in 1970. But that doesn't faze Israelis who are more known for their high tech prowess, over sport, any way. Using their brains instead of brawn, a group of Israeli researchers and their students headed to Singapore for six days in June to coach their own kind of soccer team -- one made of robots at the annual RoboCup tournament.

They might not have won the prestigious tournament, but in the good spirit of robotics and diplomacy the team played against Texas and Austria, practiced with Turkey, and was even invited to come with their robots to Iran.

It's the second year that Israelis have been invited to the robotic soccer league, the Robot World Cup, which pits robots from different universities around the world against each other. Going in with an advantage, making the cut among only 24 teams from around the globe, Israel's Team BURST from Bar Ilan University had to deal with a "repository" failure calling on their human support team to race around the clock trying to fix the robots before kickoff.

In the end the Israeli university team placed nowhere near the top, yet "we scored a goal," boasts Dr. Eli Kolberg, on the committee of the RoboCup league, and researcher at Bar Ilan University. He also escorted a junior high school team from Holon, Israel, which won a robotics dance competition.

Read more at Israel21c

Rabbis Play in World Cup

 

Chabad of Cape Town.