Interesting Posts and Articles #325

1. This week's Haveil Havalim, at Ima 2 Seven.
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2. Did the media go overboard hyping Hurricane Irene?
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3. At Achas L'Maalah, a mention of legal troubles.
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4. Did Michele Bachmann ask who likes white people? No, she asked who likes wet people.
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5. A conference on Torat HaMelech cancelled, because people protested the author's presence. A pity, and a blow to academic freedom, I think. A better approach is that mentioned at Hirhurim, about a work entitled Derech Hamelech, 'that thoroughly and convincingly refutes the contentions of Torat Hamelech (the entire book Derech Hamelech is available for free download here: link)'.
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6. Emes veEmunah considers whether terrorist charedim are hooligans or mainstream.
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7. Life In Israel has been covering the conflict about opening the girls school Orot. I can't link to every single post, so just check out the posts in general there. Also there, Rabbi Yehuda Levin explains why New York Got Off Easy from Hurricane Irene. The video:
   
   Rafi G. (of Life In Israel) notes there that no matter what, he would have had an explanation; and indeed, has offered explanations in the opposite direction. Had it been awful, Rabbi Levin would have said it was because of gay marriage.
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8. Meanwhile, Frum Satire beat out Rabbi Levin in blaming the New York earthquake:
   
   and commenters, both there and on the YouTube clip, take him as being serious. Poe's Law in action.
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   Vos Iz Neias notes the actual identical message from Rabbi Levin, and a lot of comments. Here it is, from YouTube:
   
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   Yeranen Yaakov also has a roundup of how people explain the earthquake.
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9. Also, an image of the devastation from the East Coast earthquake.
   
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10. At the Seforim blog, a discussion of head movements in Shema. And also there, from Dr. Marc Shapiro, another lengthy post, with so many interesting things in the main post and footnotes that I am reluctant to select an excerpt, which might give the impression that that is all there is, or that the other interesting stuff is on a similar topic. To select one at random:

    With regard to Mizrachi rabbis, let me quote something else repeated by R. Avraham Shapiro: The Hafetz Hayyim once wrote to a certain Mizrachi rabbi with all sorts of elaborate titles. When R. Velvel Soloveitchik was asked how the Hafetz Hayyim could write with such respect to a Mizrachi rabbi, R. Velvel responded that this is what happens when you don’t listen to any lashon ha-ra! (Imrei Shefer, p. 271). He said this as a criticism of the Hafetz Hayim. In other words, sometimes you need to listen tolashon ha-ra in order to know how to properly evaluate people. (R. Avraham was very upset with this story and doubted its veracity, although the comment is very much in line with how R. Velvel would express himself.)

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11. Also from Life In Israel, a possible protection racket in Geulah.
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12. At Judaism.StackExchange, a question, and answers, about hypnosis in halacha.
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13. At On The Main Line, Neturei Karta take on Umberto Cassuto.
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14. A housekeeper kidnaps a Jewish baby after being fired.
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15. Mystical Paths brings a question and answer from Rav Aviner. He considers the question of which of multiple spouses one is reunited with in the time of Techiyas HaMeisim. Rav Saadia Gaon says we don't know, but then, based on the Zohar, we know. No comment. Rav Saadia Gaon, though, would reject the very premise of the questions in the comment section, regarding gilgul.
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16. Here on parshablog, the Hyrax as Ruminant. And how the Samaritans falsified their Torah.