What I've been reading in Links: Anti-Semitism, Economics, Book titles

Anti-Semitism:

Jews attacked in attempted murder because of their Judaism: in Denmark, scene of riots over a cartoon which is nothing compared to unnoticed Arabic anti-Semitic cartoons.

Another (American) Jew murdered because he was Jewish: Everyone has forgotten Daniel Pearl. I am so glad to read that some people haven't and that through a lawsuit they are still attempting to uncover the details of his death and how the US and others would prefer to sweep it under the rug.

More anti-Jewish acts on the part of the UN: Let's send a man who calls Israels actions the same as the Nazis to be an impartial observer to Israel. The act of this comparison is itself an act of anti-Semitism by court decree, used even by Shoah deniers as an attempt to trivialize and derogate the Holocaust.

Economics:
The End of the Financial World as We Know it (NYT): A very well written op-ed by Michael Lewis. I have read his work for years now and he just keeps getting better. From Madoff to an understanding of how he was allowed to continue. It echoes my disgust with business morality, which is clearly exhibited through this anecdote: when I entered Columbia's MBA program, we were given an ethic test, as we were when we left. Our collective ethical values dived during the two years we were there. You see the result in the financial world.
How to repair a broken financial world (NYT): I won't be holding my breath as the foxes guard the henhouse.

Book titles:
Cooking with all things Trader Joe's : interesting concept. Since I don't have TJs here (and Aldi is no substitute), I'm not sure I will get this.
Lifting for Women : I've had this recommended. I'd have to start lifting in the first place but I think I'll keep the title for the future.

Ayn Rand and Greenspan: a few articles on the melt down.

Newsweek Dec 10: Who is to Blame?

Capitalism Magazine Nov 7: Blackening Rand with Greenspan's Sins

WOWOWOW (blog): Greenspan Shrugged

New Internationalist: Alan (the Undertaker, as called by Rand) Greenspan

Slog (blog): Objectivism eats itself

What I've been reading in links: a real hodge-podge, Chanukah, Recipes, Economics, Reading

Some healthier latke recipes (NYT).

Smitten Kitchen's Best Latke recipe.

The Hanukah Market at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, with links to an exhibit on the conflation of Christmas and Chanukah.

A Jewish Parent's Guide to Christmas specials (in the US).

What happened to Michael Vicks' dogs...

Weight loss without gimmicks(NYT).

House parties about health care.

E-books gain traction.

November home sales worse than expected.

A Short History of the Great Depression, with links to many references and original documents.

You know that this is the most perfect movie ever, right?

What I've been reading recently in links...

"Kosher" Anti-Semitism

"Anyone who tars Israel with the Nazi brush by drawing obscene analogies between Israeli policies on the West Bank and the Warsaw Ghetto is wandering into very questionable territory and is legitimately open to strong criticism," Rosenfeld told the Post.

His essay, "'Progressive' Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism," which has been translated into German, asserts that vicious anti-Israeli statements and books from a number of British and American Jews are contributing to modern anti-Semitism.

Further commenting on Hecht-Galinski, Rosenfeld cited
the US State Department report "Contemporary Global anti-Semitism," which defines "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" as anti-Semitic.

On this side of the Atlantic, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, formerly known as the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, issued a "working definition of Anti-Semitism" that defines "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis" as a manifestation of anti-Semitism.

Citigroup Bailout

Once the nation’s largest and mightiest financial company, Citigroup lost half its value in the stock market last week as the bank confronted a crisis of confidence. Although Citigroup executives maintain the bank is sound, investors worry that its finances are deteriorating. Citigroup has suffered staggering losses for a year now, and few analysts think the pain is over. Many investors worry that it needs more capital.

With more than $2 trillion in assets and operations in more than 100 countries, Citigroup is so large and interconnected that its troubles could spill over into other institutions. Citigroup is widely viewed, both in Washington and on Wall Street, as too big to be allowed to fail.

Job Centers see crush of people in need...

...in the last three months, 36,000 people have come looking for jobs through the one-stop system, an increase of 60 percent over last year, while the number of jobs posted has declined by more than a third.

The number of families receiving public assistance has also jumped by 40 percent.

Why letting the domestic auto industry collapse is problematic.

"There is no denying that the risks of letting GM fail are high. Economists warn that if it fails GM is more likely to end up in Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation than a Chapter 11 restructuring. Given the current credit crunch the traditional bridge loans available to companies in Chapter 11 are all but impossible to obtain. And few consumers would be likely to buy a car — which depends on long-term warranties, service and parts — from a company in a bankruptcy reorganization. The Big Three and their affiliated suppliers account for 2% of the U.S. workforce, or more than 2.5 million U.S. jobs. GM alone employs over 100,000 workers, the same number of autoworkers that have been laid off so far this year. And that's not to mention the hit the federal government would take when GM dumps its pension, insured by the quasi-governmental agency, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp.; with nearly a million participants, it is the largest private defined-benefit pension plan in the U.S. Some experts estimate that that hit alone could cost the taxpayers more than $100 billion, with another $100 billion in lost tax revenues and $10 billion in increased Medicaid expenditures annually."

60 Minutes with President-Elect Obama

Sometimes it's hard to keep up with what's happening at this remove. I was very glad to watch this when I could in my own time zone.

A video from the President- elect

I have been recovering from the election and haven't been watching as much US news, but now I will remember to check change.gov

For the uneducated, who think our next President will raise taxes.

This is what happens when we actually have a Depression (and a war). Stop the infantile crying when expected to actually contribute to the welfare of our country.

I believe that the wealthy have a social responsibility. I believe that progressive taxation is morally correct. I am happy to have my taxes increase to ensure that all Americans have a roof over their head, food in their bellies, and access to healthcare. I include childcare to allow women to work, access to education, and care when elderly as basic human rights. I want to believe that we all feel this way.

Strangely enough, when I talk to even the most dedicated McCain voters (no one has ever told me that Palin was a positive factor, which indicates my pool of friends, family and acquaintances does not include any psychotic religious folk) they all agree with this basic premise. They fight about details and whether there may be abuses. Let's start with getting this in order before we quibble over how to enforce fairness.

photo credit Dorothea Lange 1938