Interesting Posts and Articles #366

1. At the Jewish Press, Why I Dread Purim:

It is because on Purim I have been face to face with death. Not once, but several times.

And it is because on Purim I have witnessed ugly and despicable behavior exhibited by the best and the brightest of our young yeshiva students.

It was on a Purim long ago that I was called to a hospital to learn of the death in a horrible automobile accident of a young man with whom I was particularly close.

It was on another Purim not so long ago that I personally witnessed a car run over a little boy on the parking lot of a famed Torah institution. The little boy did not die, but he came close to having his leg amputated.

And it was on a very recent Purim that I was called to counsel an emotionally traumatized Ha-tzolah ambulance driver who had spent the day delivering a number of teenagers to the local hospital, and who had to break the news of the death of one of them to the boy’s parents.

2. At Forbes, how restaurant letter grades make your food worse.

3. At Wired, that men think that women wearing red clothing are more interested in sex. This reminds me of the gemara:

 As it once happened with Rab Adda b. Ahabah who 
noticed a heathen woman 9 wearing a karbalta in the street ; 
thinking that she was an Israelite, he went up to her and tore it 
from off her. It was then discovered that she was a heathen, and    they fined him four hundred Ziizlm. He said to her, " What is thy name 1 " She replied, " Matun." He said, " Matun, Matun, 

is worth four hundred Zuzim.

where according to some, a red garment is described, and the problem was tznius; others explain the problem as one of chukas akum.

4. At Life In Israel, a funny picture of the day:

a q-tip gmach to clean your ears out before listening to Parshat Zacho

5. At a newish blog, Rashbi 2012, that Rav Yitzchak Kaduri zatza"l allegedly said that Taanis Esther of 2012 would be the last fast of the year. Supplemented by a bunch of other random nonsense.

6. At the Bad Astronomy blog: No, asteroid 2012 DA14 will not hit us next year. On this blog, yes, certain folks will try to claim that it is likely.

7. At Hirhurim, Fossils and Faith, a response by Dr. Nathan Aviezer to Mark Perakh's article at Talk Reason.

Before beginning my detailed critique of Perakh’s essay, there is a very important point to be made. In my books, I never bring any scientific facts or scientific arguments or scientific conclusions of my own. I always quote the leading scientific authorities. Therefore, when Perakh claims that my scientific discussion is all wrong, he is really asserting that the world-famous scientists whom I quote do not know what they are talking about. The reader should have no difficulty in choosing between accepting Perakh’s claims or accepting the scientific statements of Nobel Prize winners and scientists at the world’s most distinguished universities.

8. Also at Hirhurim, for Purim, the Fanat in the Hat:

I sat there with Sally.
We sat on the bus.
We sat there together.
No one made a fuss. 

Then who came aboard?
The Fanat in the Hat!
And he said to us,
“How can you sit like that?

9. DovBear presents a video edited at Gruntig, a doctored Discover card advertisement: Nees! Also, how Oprah can hardly conceal her surprise about black Jews.

10. This week's Haveil Havalim at A Soldier's Mother.

11. Here on parshablog, check out the kadma veazla on venatenu.