?הידעת

From ComingSoon.net:

Bazooka Joe Coming to the Big Screen?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
May 22, 2009

The Hollywood Reporter says that Michael Eisner and his Tornante Co. have hired newcomer Mark Hammer to write a feature adaptation of "Bazooka Joe," the comic strip that comes with Bazooka bubble gum.

"Bazooka Joe" has been a comic strip used as an advertising device for the gum since the 1950s. Joe, who wears an eye patch for reasons never explained, has child-friendly misadventures, sometime joined by a host of friends with the names Pesty, Mort (always with a turtleneck sweater pulled up over his mouth), Toughie, Hungry Herman, love interest Jane and a dog named Walkie Talkie.

Bazooka, the gum and the comic, are part of trading card company Topps' stable. Eisner purchased the company in 2007 for $380 million with a mandate to rejuvenate the brand.

To really do the gang justice, they'll have to tell the story backwards.

Grandma Claims Otherwise

In this article from the Jewish Week, Gary Rosenblatt acknowledges the sorry state of Jewish day school education in the United States - and government subsidies are just one of the unrealistic solutions he has to offer:

Jewish Day School Model May Now Be Thing Of Past

Rather than pretending to have a viable answer, Rosenblatt's editorial entreats the Jewish community to finally come to grips with the issue, in order to tackle it head-on: "Loyal day school families, long faced with financial hardships in meeting rising tuition costs, cannot assume that God, the schools or grandparents will provide somehow... It's time to re-introduce the subject with a renewed sense of urgency."

The article concludes by plugging a forum on the subject to be held on May 20th (and moderated by Rosenblatt) entitled: Is there a solution to the Jewish Day School Crisis? And Who Cares?

Hasbara

There is Israel advocacy, and there is Israel advocacy.

Today I learned about two very differently oriented Israel-related organizations. One, Encounter, aims to "expand personal and political understanding" of Jewish diaspora leaders by taking them to Bethlehem, Hebron and East Jerusalem to meet with Palestinians and experience their heretofore unfamiliar lives firsthand.

A number of us discussed the topic at a Lunch & Learn entitled "Dis-Closure of the Face: Revelations of Torah, Self, and Other in Jewish-Palestinian Peace-Building and in Life" delivered today by Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, who co-founded the organization with a mindfulness of Jewish textual traditions. In her class today, we discussed sources that speak of face-to-face encounters with the other, the unknowable and undigestible nature of the full extent of other human beings, along with the possibilities for revelation in our attempts to understand. More of her thoughts on the matter can be found here.

And then there's Fuel For Truth.

Right off the bat, I disagreed with their capitalization choices. Then I looked through the rest of the website.

My red flag for upsetting Israel advocacy sites is the description of Israel as a female. And this site has a fun "Did-you-know" fact that pops up on each page along the lines of:

DID YOU KNOW
Israel has defended herself in three major wars and has forged peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan?

DID YOU KNOW
Al Quaeda attacked the U.S. on 9/11 and aims to install fundamentalist Islamic rule throughout the world?

DID YOU KNOW
Fatah was founded by arch terrorist Yasser Arafat and is run today by Mahmoud Abbas?

And so on. I can't begin to count the number of ways I find the hip/militaristic tone of this group disturbing. The inclusion of "Truth" in the title of these self-proclaimed "Special Forces of Israel advocacy," which "equip young Americans with the basic facts and skills necessary to advocate to young adults, to increase support for Israel in her battle against radical Islamic terror." Their production of informational events in New York City nightclubs. Their "boot camp" program to qualify for membership: "It’s kind of like a cross between “Survivor” and “The Apprentice,” but for a good cause. Not everyone that starts successfully completes the program. Think you can make the cut?"

The materials distributed by Fuel For Truth don't comprise a full crash course in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but cull the handiest facts for an ill-informed public to hear. Take their handy Top 10 facts you need to know about the Middle East, conveniently labeled The Truth. After reading, for instance, that "In 1983 the Iran-funded Islamist terrorist organization, Hezbollah, murdered 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon while the marines slept in their barracks," don't you feel enlightened?

Perhaps most disheartening of all is the "WHY WE DO IT" section of their What We Do page:

Misinformation kills.

Even though information is more accessible today than at any other time in our history, there is a lack of motivation to learn – especially among college students and young adults. Enemies of America, Israel, and of peace have poured millions of dollars into PR campaigns to spread inaccurate information and foster hatred here in the United States. It is imperative that this misinformation is countered with truth for future generations to understand the genuine partners of peace.

Who can argue with that? As much as I appreciate the intentions of the mission statement, as well as the intellectual integrity of Rabbi Weintraub of Encounter, I have to wonder if any such programs, in the long run, are destined to FAIL. Changing the opinions of Jewish leaders takes a first step towards a trickle-down effect that may lead to policy change down the line - as does energizing uninvolved young Jewish socialites to learn more about Israel's history. No first step, though, can undo the full extent of the damage done to the opinions of all the parties involved.

I can't claim that either Encounter or Fuel For Truth take a "right" or "wrong" approach to the issue; I can only agree with the notion that if the conflict ever ends, the resolution will have to stem from education -- from decisions based on accurate information disseminated honestly, without advocating For Truth.

For the People Who Are Still Alive

To quote Mr. Coulton out of context, there's no use crying over every mistake; you just keep on trying 'till you run out of cake. Only in this spirit could the following entry headline an event called "Peace of Cake" in honor of Israel's independence. Here's an excerpt from the Bwog's (blog of Columbia University's literary magazine The Blue and White) article Free Cake and Peace!:

Bwog didn't know cake could be used as a tactic to bring about peace in the Middle East, but when you think about it, what could make more sense?

Columbia students and provocative baked goods have a long history together, and the comments section is hoppin' with deleted and incendiary posts. A few favorites:

Posted by Are they:

going to cut the cake according to pre-1948 borders?

Posted by That cake:

Has a legitimate right to exist in my stomach

Posted by Anti-zionist:

The cake is a lie.

Posted by Dude:

It's cake.

Posted by thoughts:

Let's face it, would you rather have Bar Rafaeli or Edward Said?
DiCaprio was right and you have to choose Israel every time.

PorcineFAIL

Mexico is the clear winner here:

Israel must call new disease Mexico Flu, as swine unkosher
by the Associated Press

Ultra-Orthodox Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman on Monday declared that Israel would call the new potentially deadly disease that has already struck two continents 'Mexico Flu,' rather than 'Swine Flu, as pigs are not kosher.

"We will call it Mexico flu. We won't call it swine flu," Litzman told a news conference on Monday, assuring the Israeli public that authorities were prepared to handle any cases.

Under Jewish dietary laws, pigs are considered unclean and pork is forbidden food, although the non-kosher meat is available in some stores in Israel.
Two cases of suspected swine flu have been detected in Israel, but Health Ministry officials have said chances are low that either hospitalized men has actually contracted the disease.

Both men, one 47 years old and the other 26, were quarantined after checking into hospital with flu-like symptoms upon their return from Mexico this week.

Read it on Haaretz.com

Quick Fix Fail

Cake Wrecks notes several tasty seasonal offerings in this post.

None, as far as I can tell, are kosher for Passover - but they sure have a funny way of showing it.

For instance, what's the fastest way to make your run-of-the-mill (ha!) baked goods into Passover baked goods?

Cake Wrecks' Flickr source explains in two easy steps:

"Step 1: Cross out flour on the ingredients list.

Step 2: Add a star of David."

Speaks for itself.