In which a group of graying eternal amateurs discuss their passions, interests and obsessions, among them: movies, art, politics, evolutionary biology, taxes, writing, computers, these kids these days, and lousy educations.

E-Mail Donald
Demographer, recovering sociologist, and arts buff

E-Mail Fenster
College administrator and arts buff

E-Mail Francis
Architectural historian and arts buff

E-Mail Friedrich
Entrepreneur and arts buff
E-Mail Michael
Media flunky and arts buff


We assume it's OK to quote emailers by name.







Try Advanced Search


  1. Seattle Squeeze: New Urban Living
  2. Checking In
  3. Ben Aronson's Representational Abstractions
  4. Rock is ... Forever?
  5. We Need the Arts: A Sob Story
  6. Form Following (Commercial) Function
  7. Two Humorous Items from the Financial Crisis
  8. Ken Auster of the Kute Kaptions
  9. What Might Representational Painters Paint?
  10. In The Times ...


CultureBlogs
Sasha Castel
AC Douglas
Out of Lascaux
The Ambler
PhilosoBlog
Modern Art Notes
Cranky Professor
Mike Snider on Poetry
Silliman on Poetry
Felix Salmon
Gregdotorg
BookSlut
Polly Frost
Polly and Ray's Forum
Cronaca
Plep
Stumbling Tongue
Brian's Culture Blog
Banana Oil
Scourge of Modernism
Visible Darkness
Seablogger
Thomas Hobbs
Blog Lodge
Leibman Theory
Goliard Dream
Third Level Digression
Here Inside
My Stupid Dog
W.J. Duquette


Politics, Education, and Economics Blogs
Andrew Sullivan
The Corner at National Review
Steve Sailer
Samizdata
Junius
Joanne Jacobs
CalPundit
Natalie Solent
A Libertarian Parent in the Countryside
Rational Parenting
Public Interest.co.uk
Colby Cosh
View from the Right
Pejman Pundit
Spleenville
God of the Machine
One Good Turn
CinderellaBloggerfella
Liberty Log
Daily Pundit
InstaPundit
MindFloss
Catallaxy Files
Greatest Jeneration
Glenn Frazier
Jane Galt
Jim Miller
Limbic Nutrition
Innocents Abroad
Chicago Boyz
James Lileks
Cybrarian at Large
Hello Bloggy!
Setting the World to Rights
Travelling Shoes


Miscellaneous
Redwood Dragon
IMAO
The Invisible Hand
ScrappleFace
Daze Reader
Lynn Sislo
The Fat Guy
Jon Walz

Links


Our Last 50 Referrers







« Eatin' and Cookin' | Main | War to KO competish but still may face non-boffo business »

June 29, 2005

Elsewhere

Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

A couple of fascinating and to-the-point postings about those endlessly fascinating people, the Jews:

* Never having given it a moment's thought, I was completely unaware of how remarkable it is that millions of present-day Jews speak Hebrew, which until recently was a dead language. GNXP's David Boxenhorn tells the story.

* What with intermarriage, freedom, and prosperity, American Jewishness may be growing a little ... watered-down. And rare. Neil Kramer wonders -- humorously -- if maybe the time has come for Jews to start making like Christians and try to convert others to their faith. I'm just now catching up with Neil's brain and words, and I'm having a very good time doing so. Neil runs one seriously funny blog.

Best,

Michael

posted by Michael at June 29, 2005




Comments

Thanks so much for introducing me to Neil's blog. Very funny yet/and very thoughtful. A real pearl.

Posted by: Judith on June 30, 2005 3:21 AM



Thank you for your kind words and introducing your readers to my blog. Until recently, the bulk of my readers came from a Croatian forum where someone linked to one of my photos of Lindsay Lohan. I will try hard to appeal to both your sophisticated readers and my traditional Croatian fan base.

Posted by: Neil on June 30, 2005 4:27 AM



I may be wrong, but my understanding is Jewish evangelism, such that it is, involves turning people away when they first request conversion. I think the rule of thumb is to refuse 3 times before allowing anything to begin, and even then it's not a guarantee. As I understand it, the idea is to make sure that the person is serious and not just God shopping.

Posted by: Yahmdallah on June 30, 2005 10:44 AM



Has anything historically more imperiled the survival of the Jews as a people than the acceptance they have found in America? Here the overwhelming majority of Jews first became "secular," and then began intermarrying at rates close to 50%. So, with the exception of the orthodox minority among them, Jews are diminishing as a percentage of the overall population and will soon be, if they are not already, diminishing in absolute terms.

Posted by: ricpic on June 30, 2005 11:03 AM






Post a comment
Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:



Remember your info?