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   <title>The Good Rabbi&apos;s Blog</title>
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   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1</id>
   <updated>2008-07-23T02:34:41Z</updated>
   <subtitle>You&apos;re Gonna Need a Lot of Spiritual Advice Before This is Over...</subtitle>
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<entry>
   <title>I&apos;ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway...</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/07/last_play_at_shea.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.160</id>
   
   <published>2008-07-23T02:05:49Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-23T02:34:41Z</updated>
   
   <summary>This past weekend, I ventured up to the Big Apple to see Billy Joel&apos;s &quot;Last Play at Shea.&quot; For those not in the know, Shea stadium is going to be torn down at the end of this year&apos;s baseball season...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Music" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="236" label="Billy Joel" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="243" label="Delaware" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="245" label="I-95" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="239" label="Last Play at Shea" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="237" label="New York" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="241" label="Shea Stadium" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="BJoel.jpg" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/BJoel.jpg" width="141" height="180" />This past weekend, I ventured up to the Big Apple to see Billy Joel's "Last Play at Shea."  For those not in the know, Shea stadium is going to be torn down at the end of this year's baseball season to make way for one of those new stadiums designed to look like an old stadium.  This was easily one of the best shows that I've been to in a good long while.  I have a number of observations after taking this trip that I thought I'd share with you.

First, I have no use for the state of Delaware.  There are exactly 35 people that live there, and the stretch of I-95 that runs through it is only about 18 miles long.  Yet, this is always where the delays are, and now the people who run the Delaware department of transportation have decided to put the entire stretch of highway under construction during the day.  It's obvious that they're fairly retarded.  I have no objections to construction.  Hell, I'm from the northeast, and we always joked that there were four seasons up there - almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction.  The only thing is, most states have figured out that you should do construction <I>at night</I>, when there are fewer cars on the road.  Instead it took me an hour and a half to travel 18 miles (twice - it was equally delayed on the way back).

New York City is rapidly becoming a place where it is illegal to have any kind of personal enjoyment whatsoever.  You can't smoke, you can't listen to an iPod if you're walking on the street, you cant eat any foods with trans fats in them, and now, restaurants have to post the calorie counts for everything.  When did the big apple become the peoples' republic?

As for the show itself, it was amazing.  A full string section, and guest stars including Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltry (from The Who), and during the encore, Paul McCartney.  The <A HREF="http://www.billyjoelfan.com/Concerts/Dates/2008/07-18.shtml" TARGET="_blank">set list</A> was amazing - lots of stuff from the 70's, and as any Billy Joel fan could tell ya, that was his best stuff.  Dana, over at <A HREF="http://clubd.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_blank">club D</A> has a good review of the show.  She caught most of it, except the part during <I>Summer, Highland Falls</I>, as she was being administered oxygen (seriously, this chick loves her some Billy Joel).]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>My Shot at the Title</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/07/my_shot_at_the.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.159</id>
   
   <published>2008-07-16T17:21:20Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-16T21:59:28Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Pretty good coverage if you ask me......</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="122" label="current events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="161" label="News" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
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      <![CDATA[Pretty good coverage if you ask me...

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   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>A Farewell to an Old Friend</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/07/a_farewell_to_a_1.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.156</id>
   
   <published>2008-07-13T04:46:59Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T14:13:23Z</updated>
   
   <summary> While I&apos;m catching all of you up on my life and happenings, I&apos;m afraid I must relay news of the death of Louie, my best friends&apos; English bulldog. Those of you that have either known me for a while...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="230" label="English Bulldog" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="228" label="Louie" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="232" label="Milk-Bone" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="234" label="Smooth Criminal" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
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      <![CDATA[<div align="center"><img alt="LouiePorch.jpg" align="center" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/LouiePorch.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></div>

While I'm catching all of you up on my life and happenings, I'm afraid I must relay news of the death of Louie, my best friends' English bulldog.  Those of you that have either known me for a while or read this site from the beginning know that Louie (in his own distinctive way) had staked his ownership of me, and I was all too happy to oblige.  He was a great companion, and even though he wasn't actually my dog, I'm pretty sure he didn't realise it (he seemed just as comfortable with me as he did with his actual owners).  Here's to the smoothest of criminals (well, maybe not); I hope you're up there chomping away on the biggest milk-bone you've ever seen.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>It&apos;s Been A While...</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/07/its_been_a_whil.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.155</id>
   
   <published>2008-07-13T03:15:48Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T04:46:54Z</updated>
   
   <summary>It&apos;s been a while since I last posted here. Things have been busy, and to be honest, for a while this blog wasn&apos;t really working for me. I&apos;ve recently decided to start my writing again, and I think I&apos;m planning...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="223" label="amber" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="224" label="chris" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="30" label="life direction" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="222" label="new job" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="128" label="site updates" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="226" label="Texas" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="134" label="Wedding" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[It's been a while since I last posted here.  Things have been busy, and to be honest, for a while this blog wasn't really working for me.  I've recently decided to start my writing again, and I think I'm planning on changing this blog a bit (more on that later).  In the meantime, a lot has happened since my last post, so I thought I'd update all y'all.

My last post was toward the end of March.  The biggest news I have is that in that time, I've gone from practically unemployed to overemployed.  I assisted a few friends of mine in opening a restaurant here in D.C. that focuses on comfort food, with an international flair.  Thus far, it seems to be doing pretty well.  A writeup on that venture will be coming at some point soon.  I'm also working as a professor in the culinary arts programme at <A HREF="http://www.stratford.edu/" TARGET="_blank">Stratford University</A> in Falls Church.  During my days, I work as the food service director at <A HREF="http://www.gonzaga.org/" TARGET="_blank">Gonzaga College High School</A> (a fairly exclusive Jesuit school here in D.C., with a number of famous alumni).  It's an extremely busy job, but a good one that is giving me a lot of good experience and skills.

In addition to my three jobs (yeah, I know, I'm <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Rh_o8f8hY" TARGET="_blank">almost Jamaican</A>), I've been trying to get out around town and catch up with some of my disciples around this area.  I've also managed to travel to Texas again to spend some time with the family out there, and to attend Amber & Chris's wedding (photos are in the <A HREF="../gallery/" TARGET="_blank">photo gallery</A>).

As I mentioned earlier, I'm planning on retooling this site.  The changes to the overall look and feel will not be all that huge, but there will be more of a change in the content.  I'll let all y'all know as I put things in place.  Please bear with me as I attempt to put some newer stuff out here...]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>It&apos;s Holy Season!</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/03/holy_season.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.154</id>
   
   <published>2008-03-20T13:18:10Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary>As everyone knows, there are three holy seasons in my life - the annual chase for the Stanley Cup, World Cup (every few years), but most importantly, the NCAA post-season college basketball tournament. Well, March madness starts today! As such,...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="College Hoops" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="82" label="college basketball" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="220" label="march madness" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="78" label="NCAA" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[As everyone knows, there are three holy seasons in my life - the annual chase for the Stanley Cup, World Cup (every few years), but most importantly, the NCAA post-season college basketball tournament.  Well, March madness starts today!  As such, I'm posting <a href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/pdf/08brackets.pdf">my brackets</a> (PDF).  We'll see how everything shapes up.  A few notes:

First, you'll notice that I have three number 1 seeds going to the final four.  While normally, I wouldn't put more than two there, I believe that this year the number 1 seeds are particularly strong, with one exception.

That would be Memphis.  Memphis is an extremely overrated team that plays in a weak conference.  I think they're going down fairly hard fairly early.

On that note, I have Tennessee losing to Butler in the second round.  Tennessee has shown some very worrying cracks lately that lead me to believe that they won't go very far in the tournament.

I think that Wisconsin is the dark horse this year.  They certainly will not be taking the crown, but I think they will probably knock out Georgetown, and (dare I say it?) they stand a decent shot at knocking out Kansas.

All told, I think this is Carolina's year.  Hopefully they won't fuck it up.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>A Rabbinical Analysis of the 2008 Election, Part II</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/02/election_analysis_2008_dem.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.153</id>
   
   <published>2008-02-12T06:48:57Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary> Yesterday, I posted my analysis of the 2008 election thus far from the Republican perspective. Today, I&apos;d like to focus on the Democratic perspective. Before I continue with my look at the two main candidates (curiously enough, Mike Gravel...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="205" label="2008 Election" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="215" label="Barack Obama" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="217" label="Democrat" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="218" label="Pinko Commie Liberal Hippie" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="democratic party logo" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/democratlogo.jpg" width="262" height="257" />
Yesterday, I posted my analysis of the 2008 election thus far from the Republican perspective.  Today, I'd like to focus on the Democratic perspective.  Before I continue with my look at the two main candidates (curiously enough, <A HREF="http://www.gravel2008.com/" TARGET="_blank">Mike Gravel</A> is still in the race, despite the fact that he's basically polling exactly even with me, and I'm not even running), I'd like to address a main difference between the Republican and Democrat approaches to primaries.  In keeping with their general philosophy of sharing, holding hands, and singing <A HREF="http://www.upwithpeople.org/" TARGET="_blank"><I>Up With People!</I></A> songs, the Democrats tend to split the state and district delegates proportionally.  Republicans tend to be more about winning, so their primaries are winner-take-all (i.e. if a candidate wins a state, they get all the delegates from that state).  Figuring out the delegate counts involves an abacus, and a very complex formula, that closely rivals handicaping college basketball teams during the <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Championship" TARGET="_blank">Holy month</A> (which may explain why my previous attempt showed that the <A HREF="http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/" TARGET="_blank">Carolina Tar Heels</A> would secure the nomination).  Because math is not exactly the forte of California hippies, the San Francisco Chronicle has <A HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=c/a/2008/02/03/MNE1UOVB1.DTL" TARGET="_blank">an excellent article</A> that explains how this all works.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the big news that came with Super Tuesday is that believe it or not, <A HREF="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8358.html" TARGET="_blank">Obama seems to have overtaken Hillary's delegate count</A>.  Whether or not this turns out to be true (remember, the math here is hard), I think that I have to give the man his dues and point out the obvious: Obama won super Tuesday, hands down.  I say this because Hillary Clinton has over a hundred super delegates (delegates to the convention that are not bound to a particular candidate), and is still barely ahead, if at all, in the overall delegate count.  She has all the machinery and the operatives the Democratic party has to offer, including the ultimate political juggernaut in the party, her husband.  Even with all this, Obama continues to show increasingly stronger results.  What's really telling is the margins between Clinton's and Obama's respective votes.  Clinton only won the states that she needed to survive super Tuesday (although the sheer size of New York and California obscure that fact).  The momentum has definitely shifted to favour Obama, as even in the states he did not carry, he was right behind Clinton.  Clinton won California because of <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/opinion/10rich.html?em&ex=1202878800&en=e24742716b04417f&ei=5087%0A" TARGET="_blank">a deliberate attempt</A> to stoke a disdain for Blacks among Latinos and Asian Americans.  Amongst White voters (even women) he pulled even with Clinton in California.  In most of the toss-up states (Utah, Missouri, Minnesota) Obama has won handily.  He even managed to get at least 40% of the vote in Clinton's adopted home state of New York, came in under ten points behind Clinton in New Jersey, and out-and-out won Connecticut (both of which are in New York's back yard).  All of this was done with about two weeks for Obama to campaign in states where the Clinton had name recognition and a comfortable double-digit lead for months.  He's managed to bridge the racial divide in the south, as well has win states such as Alaska, Idaho, and North Dakota, that are not exactly known for their huge Black populations.

]]>
      <![CDATA[The second main reason that Hillary Clinton is in major trouble right now is that her entire strategy going into her candidacy (her grand master plan, if you will) was to create this air of inevitability, crush Edwards, Richardson, Biden, et al on Super Tuesday and use the event as a coronation ceremony of sorts.  She's raised tens of millions of dollars since 2000, and she banked about half of that money in the general election pot, which renders that money useless in this fight, because under U.S. election laws, money declared for the general election can <B>only</B> be used in the general election.  Obama on the other hand, left nothing to chance, and placed the bulk of the money in the primaries, which can be used now. So, Clinton has unwittingly tied her own hands when it comes to <I>usable</I> money. Unfortunately, her fundraising abilities have stagnated, because she used a smaller donor pool of party big-shots who give the maximum amount of $2,400 per person. This was fine for her campaign at the time because she was expecting to be the nominee TODAY. But with Obama's rising strength and development as a candidate with an increasingly sound, somewhat liberal platform, she is returning to the money well to find that it is drying up. Obama's money scheme centered around the "drop in the bucket" philosophy, where a lot of people contribute a small amount of money (similar to a church offering) and the collective total (when combined with the big donors) is enough. While in the beginning, this seemed like an insane strategy, he has been able to inspire hundreds of thousands of people to give $1, $10, $50, or $75 at a time. Considering that each person has a legal limit of $2,400, he can now reasonably expect (and has received ) even more money at a constant pace. And with each passing success his web-site's donor list has grown, so he can now get even more money to keep his campaign running. Also, the psychological impact of Clinton not being able to keep up would be somewhat damaging to her.

Next comes the largest obstacles to Clinton: time and perception. I say time not because it is running out, but because there is so much of it. Obama swept the elections on Saturday and Sunday (he didn't just win, he thoroughly trounced her) and he's set to sweep the so-called "Potomac Primary" here in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia tomorrow, giving him a week's worth of uncontested momentum. He will then have weeks to campaign and spread his message in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania etc. In every contest so far, the more the state in question has had time to vet Obama, and he has had to debunk misconceptions (such as having no real policy or platform) the higher his poll numbers go across the board. It's a fact. So Clinton is painted into a corner, forced to adopt a Giuliani strategy of making Texas and Ohio her make or break, last stand states, and pray that her organization can withstand the Obama momentum. And as Giuliani saw in Florida, this doesn't always pay off too well. The good news for Hillary is that she is Hillary Clinton, and there is no way the media will ignore her while Obama goes on his tear through the contests over the next several weeks.

So, lets just say that hypothetically her and Obama walk into Denver fairly tied when it comes to delegates. Hillary will probably win in a brokered convention where all her savvy and connections will secure a deal for her to be the nominee. Plus her uncontested victories in Michigan (where Obama and Edwards weren't on the ballot due to sanctions by the national party against the state party) and Florida (where neither of the two others were allowed to campaign or make inroads amongst voters), will in the end be counted, again due to connections (which I think would be a complete travesty, and will cost Howard Dean what little authority he currently has).  However, a brokered convention would appear so wrong, so un-democratic that it would be the kiss of death for Hillary, who already has a perception of being cold and calculating. This would disenfranchise a good chunk of the independent, young and possibly Black voters that Obama brought with him to the convention (it's just this bloc of voters, by the way, that represents the future of the Democrats - if they're disenfranchised yet again, the repercussions will be felt for years). Couple that with the fact that a brokered convention ending up in the coronation of a Clinton would be a <B><U>gigantic</U></B> call to arms to conservative voters, and McCain would end up winning. The only way for Hillary to avoid this would be to make Obama her running mate, and quite frankly, not only does he have no incentive to do that, he has every incentive <B>not</B> to do it.  In the end, if he should get the nomination, he would do better to find someone else to be on the bottom of his ticket (maybe a White man).

Therefore, at the end of the day, Obama is holding all or most of the cards and Hillary knows it. To recap why he won super Tuesday: Clinton did everything she <I>had</I> to do, while Obama did everything he <I>wanted</I> to do. And that makes all the difference.]]>
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>A Rabbinical Analysis of the 2008 Election</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/02/election_analysis_2008_gop.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.152</id>
   
   <published>2008-02-10T04:27:57Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary> Well, the 2008 presidential election, which, curiously enough, started in 2006, has entered a new phase. Instead of the 47 people that originally declared their candidacy, we&apos;ve now been whittled down to two real candidates and two fake candidates...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="205" label="2008 Election" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="213" label="Conservative" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="207" label="John McCain" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="211" label="Primary" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="209" label="Republican" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="Republican Party Logo" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/Republican_Logo.jpg" width="146" height="122" />

Well, the 2008 presidential election, which, curiously enough, started in 2006, has entered a new phase.  Instead of the 47 people that originally declared their candidacy, we've now been whittled down to two real candidates and two fake candidates in each party.  There's been a lot of posturing  going on, analysing the results, so I thought I'd add my own perspective.  I'll start today with the results of the Republican party.

Now that Mitt Romney has effectively ended his campaign, the nomination has basically been handed to <A HREF="http://www.johnmccain.com/" TARGET="_blank">John McCain</A>, which is just as well, because he is the most qualified of all the Republican candidates.  McCain stands an excellent chance of winning the presidency in the fall, but first, he'll have to unite his party.  A lot of the conservative talk-show windbags have been spouting off about how McCain is not a real conservative, and is not a real Republican (practically Democrat, blah, blah, blah).  This drives me crazy.  I will be the first to say that these blubbering vaginas certainly have a right to their opinions, but they do not have a right to spread untruths over the airwaves.  So in addition to an excellent <A HREF="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-kass_final_06feb06,0,982096.column" TARGET="_blank">op-ed about the hypocrisy of McCain's critics</A>, I'd like to add some thoughts, courtesy of Michael Medved.  I think his analysis is spot-on.  

I would also like to say that I think this so-called Republican civil war is much shallower than people think.  There is something rather ridiculous about people that want to prosecute the war in Iraq, but threaten to vote for Hillary Clinton in a hissy-fit because they don't like John McCain.  These windbags are not the only ones that are sharpening their knives.  People like Dick Armey and Phil Gramm see this as an opportunity to expunge the Republican party of those that hijacked the party earlier in the decade (people like Tom DeLay and Bill Frist).  I think that Senator McCain will soon consolidate power and ranks within his party, and will put this to bed for good.  More on that later.  Now, the top six lies that people say about John McCain.

]]>
      <![CDATA[<B>LIE #1: John McCain isn’t a loyal Republican.

TRUTH: McCain has been a stalwart Reagan Republican since he first entered politics in 1981.</B>

He has never backed Democratic candidates for president or lesser posts - other than supporting his friend Joe Lieberman in his Independent campaign for US Senate in 2006. Over the years, he has campaigned tirelessly for Republican office-holders in every corner of the country - including vigorous campaigning that helped win elections for his former rival George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004. McCain has earned a lifetime rating of 83 for his Senate voting record from the American Conservative Union; his friend, Fred Thompson, won a very similar lifetime rating of 86 and appropriately dubbed himself “a consistent conservative.” While some of McCain’s harshest critics regularly talk of abandoning the GOP for some third party option (and some did so to back Pat Buchanan’s embarrassing run in 2000), McCain has never abandoned his party. On three crucial items in the Bush agenda - taking the offensive against terrorists, cutting wasteful government spending, and comprehensive immigration reform - no member of Congress has provided more loyal or significant support for the President of the United States and the leader of the Republican Party.

<B>LIE #2: McCain represents a betrayal and rejection of the Reagan coalition.

TRUTH: McCain is a consistent, passionate Reagan Republican who, like the greatest president of recent years, is unabashedly pro-life, pro-second amendment rights, pro-military, pro-peace through strength, pro-small government, pro-spending cuts, and pro-tax cuts.</B>

Many leaders of the Reagan Revolution - Jack Kemp, Senator Phil Gramm, Senator Dan Coats, General Alexander Haig, George Shultz and many more - proudly back Senator McCain. The conservative Senators who know McCain best - John Kyl, Tom Coburn, Sam Brownback, Lindsey Graham, Trent Lott - support his presidential campaign after working with him in the Senate for years and seeing his commitment to Reaganism. During the six years he served in Congress under President Reagan, McCain supported the administration as one of its most effective “foot soldiers.” Unlike many of his critics, McCain echoes the Reagan approach - not the Buchanan approach - to free trade and immigration reform.

<B>LIE #3: John McCain organized “The Gang of Fourteen” to Block the Confirmation of Conservative Judges.

TRUTH: John McCain organized “The Gang of Fourteen” to win- not to block -the Confirmation of Conservative Judges, and his efforts succeeded in the Senate. </B>

This group of seven Republicans and Seven Democrats (representing a full 14% of the US Senate, obviously) ultimately broke the logjam that had delayed confirmation of some of the most conservative nominees of President Bush. Because of McCain’s leadership, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito won Supreme Court confirmation without filibuster from the Democrats. He also secured the previously blocked confirmations of Appellate Judges William Pryor, Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen, and Brett Kavanaugh, previously filibustered by Democrats. At the same time, McCain and his “gang” managed to protect the right to filibuster - an important tool with obvious value now that Republicans find themselves in the minority. McCain has never opposed a Republican nominee for the Supreme Court; unlike some of his prominent fellow Republicans, he actively supported the nomination of Judge Robert Bork. His disagreement with Senate Republican leader Bill Frist on the “Gang of Fourteen” issues involved questions of tactics, not the goal of securing a judiciary that honors the principles of strict construction.

<B>LIE #4: John McCain supports higher taxes.

TRUTH: John McCain has never voted for an increase in tax rates in 25 years in Congress-never - and clearly and consistently supports cutting and simplifying taxes. </B>

Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform has acknowledged that even though McCain refuses to take the “no new taxes” pledge he has kept that pledge with his voting record, throughout his service in the Senate and the House. Yes, he did vote against Bush tax cuts - but did so because no cuts in spending accompanied the cuts in taxes. Unlike some of his colleagues, he insists that tax cuts and increased revenues won’t be enough to close the deficit - there must be spending cuts as well. It’s increasingly obvious that he’s right: tax cuts without spending cuts won’t shrink the national debt or trim the size of government. He currently supports making all the Bush tax cuts permanent before their schedule expiration in 2010 to allow individuals and businesses to plan their futures without uncertainty. He also backs an immediate cut in the corporate tax rate from 35% (second highest rate in the world) to 20% (one of the lowest in the world) as a means of stimulating the economy and creating jobs. He also backs instituting new rules requiring a super majority - a three-fifths vote of both houses of Congress-- rather than simple majorities, to approve any tax increases. This would make it vastly more difficult for future Congresses (even under Democratic control) to take more money from hard-working Americans.

<B>LIE #5: McCain is an advocate of "amnesty" and "open borders."

TRUTH: As Senior Senator from Arizona, McCain has fought for years to tighten border security, stop illegal immigration, increase workplace enforcement and to resist "amnesty" for those who entered the country without authorization.</B>

McCain’s rival for the nomination, Mitt Romney, unequivocally and rightly acknowledged that his opponent’s position in no way amounts to "amnesty" or "open borders." In the Fox News debate in South Carolina on January 10, Governor Romney declared: "All of us on this stage agree… that we secure the border, we have the fence, and we have enough Border Patrol agents to secure the border; and that we have an employment verification system of some kind….We all agree that anybody who’s committed a crime should be sent home."

As Romney pointed then out: "The place of difference between us is what we do with the 12 million people who are here illegally." Romney’s answer? "Those who are here illegally today would be looked at person by person, given a specific time period by which they arrange their affairs, they stay here during that time period. When that time period is over, they go home…"

Alone among Presidential candidates, McCain has shown the courage to stand up against such simplistic sloganeering. No President will ever succeed in driving out all 12 million illegals - the greatest forced migration in all human history. Illegals represent more than 5% of America’s work force and the cost of firing and, ultimately, deporting for forcing out every one of those people would cripple the economy far worse than any recession. The immigration bills McCain supported (along with President Bush and the Senate Republican leadership of Mitch McConnell, Trent Lott and John Kyl) never granted "amnesty" or automatic citizenship for undocumented aliens. Instead, McCain’s idea of immigration reform always emphasized "earned legalization" and assimilation- not automatic privileges - in an effort to separate the immigrants who wanted to begin playing by the rules and to enter the American mainstream, from those who continued to defy those rules and have no long-term stake in the country. It’s not amnesty to charge $6,000 in fines and payment of back taxes, to require background checks and mastery of English, and to demand registry with the government and acknowledgment of wrong-doing before an immigrant received legal status. Before an illegal could become a citizen, the process required at least nine years (and in most cases fourteen) of cooperation, commitment and patience. Moreover, two crucial elements of last year’s immigration bill received almost no attention: under the bill any immigrant who attempted to enter America illegally after the passage of immigration reform would be apprehended, identified, finger-printed and biometrically recorded, and forever banned from receiving legal status to work or live in the United States. Second, the unfinished (and ultimately unsuccessful) compromise bill included a "trigger provision": no illegal immigrant would receive legal status until after Congress certified that the border had been effectively secured. McCain emphasizes this provision in his current proposals: insisting we secure the border first, before we make arrangements for future guest workers and give a chance to some (but by no means all) current illegal residents to earn legal status in the U.S.

<B>LIE #6: McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform represents a devastating assault on free speech.

TRUTH: McCain-Feingold was a piece of useless, misguided legislation but it’s done no serious damage to the country, the constitution or the conservative pro-life cause.</B>

After nearly seven years on the books, robust and impassioned discussion of political issues and candidates is more vibrant and free-wheeling than ever. The pro-life movement (with McCain’s enthusiastic support) has made substantial progress in the last seven years, changing minds and hearts and driving abortion rates to their lowest point in 29 years-unimpeded by McCain-Feingold. More people are involved in donating to candidates and causes than before the legislation, and there’s been an increase in the broadcast of campaign ads and distribution of political materials, not a reduction. Does any American - particularly those in key primary states - honestly believe we now have a shortage of political ads on TV? Those who say that McCain-Feingold took away free speech make no more sense than leftists who claim that the Patriot Act destroyed civil liberties or crushed dissent: their arguments remain utterly disconnected from the real world experience of every American. Hard-hitting, free wheeling debate is alive and well in the land of the free. McCain favored counterweights to lobbyist influence and the corrupting impact of money in politics because he saw that commercial involvement as a powerful force toward corporate welfare and government expansion-betraying the small government ideals he has always embraced.

Of course, this discussion only begins to scratch the surface when it comes to the smears and distortions against Senator McCain from some of his long-standing foes in the Republican establishment. Fortunately, the Senator himself is getting more opportunity to speak directly to the American people, above the heads of the talk radio hosts who are leading the hysterical charge against him.

On the night of his primary victory in South Carolina, for instance, McCain gave a concise, eloquent summary of his conservative philosophy:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
"I seek the nomination of our Party, because I am as confident today as I was when I first entered public life as a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution that the principles of the Republican Party - our confidence in the good sense and resourcefulness of free people - are always in America’s best interests. In war and peace, in good times and challenging ones, we have always known that the first responsibility of government is to keep this country safe from its enemies, and the American people free of a heavy-handed government that spends too much of their money, and tries to do for them what they are better able to do for themselves. We want government to do its job, not your job;; to do it better and to do it with less of your money; to defend our nation’s security wisely and effectively, because the cost of our defense is so dear to us; to respect our values because they are the true source of our strength; to enforce the rule of law that is the first defense of freedom; to keep the promises it makes ot us and not make promises it will not keep. We believe government should do only those things we cannot do individually, and then get out of the way so that the most industrious, ingenious, and enterprising people in the world can do what they have always done: build an even greater country than the one they inherited."
</BLOCKQUOTE>
McCain’s critics have every right to prefer other candidates, or to reject his increasingly powerful bid to unite the party and defeat the Democrats in November.

They are wrong, however, to lie about his policies, his principles, his record, and his character. Instead of the endless concentration on distorted reasons to dislike McCain, the complainers should concentrate on the basis for admiring the candidates they do support. The Republican Party would benefit from an open, honest debate about the virtues of the various candidates that make them worthy of support, rather than incessant and self-destructive focus on alleged vices of the front-running candidate that make him worthy of contempt.

Again and again in his 25 years in politics, John McCain has risked his career to provide straight talk to the American people. Those who claim to cherish the integrity of the conservative movement owe it to their party and their country to talk straight about all of the excellent candidates remaining in this race. 

The original posting of this article can be read at <A HREF="http://michaelmedved.townhall.com/blog/g/817ee854-0a2e-4a71-bb6e-38e1b2b48388" TARGET="_blank">Michael Medved's town hall blog</A>.  Tomorrow, I'll post my analysis of the Democratic race.

<I><U>Update</U>: The New York Times has a great <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/opinion/19buckley.html?ex=1361163600&en=922b7ae39d5e8b7f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all" TARGET="_blank">op-ed piece</A> by Christopher Buckley about McCain, and how the rest of these so-called conservative bitches should just shut their mouths...</I>]]>
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>A Russian Dinner: Cedar Smoked Salmon &amp; Cinnamon Chipotle Spiced Greens</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2008/01/russian_style_dinner.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2008:/blog//1.151</id>
   
   <published>2008-01-11T17:00:26Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary> For the record, there is nothing remotely Russian about these recipes. I call it &quot;Russian&quot; because these twists on some old stock favourites in my repertoire were inspired by two Russian friends of mine (more on that later). So...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Recipes" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="195" label="Cedar Plank Salmon" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="199" label="Cooking" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="197" label="Grilling" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="189" label="Recipe" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="201" label="Swiss Chard" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="203" label="Tofu" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="Cedar Plank Salmon" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/CedarPlankSalmon.jpg" width="380" height="280" />
For the record, there is nothing remotely Russian about these recipes.  I call it "Russian" because these twists on some old stock favourites in my repertoire were inspired by two Russian friends of mine (more on that later).  So before all of the culinary readers write in, keep that in mind.  :-)

This past week, the weather here in our nation's capital has been unseasonably warm (given that it's January).  As such, I determined that a little bit of grilling would be in order.  Since the lovely market down the street from me had a sale on salmon, I bought a couple fillets, and I decided to cedar smoke them.  Apart from this, I had no idea what I was going to make, or what kind of glaze to use for the salmon.  Here's where my Russian friends come in.

<A HREF="http://www.cooking-shopping-crafts-etc.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_blank">My friend Olga</A> has many talents.  She's an amazing salsa dancer, she has excellent taste in fashion (especially shoes), and she's a very crafty person.  One of her "unsung" talents, however, is that this girl can open her refrigerator, look at a number of items in it that are seemingly unconnected, and concoct a meal (and a good one at that).  This kind of improvisation was the inspiration for the side dish I made.  

I opened up my fridge, and saw I had some extra firm tofu, some <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Chard" TARGET="_blank">Swiss chard</A>, half of an onion, and some white wine.  I also had some leftover cinnamon-chipotle rub that I had made for some steaks not too long ago, and some fresh garlic.  After cutting, washing, and spin-drying the swiss chard (stems and leaves), rubbing the tofu, and searing it on the grill, and dicing up the onion and garlic, I was in business.  I heated some olive oil and sautéed the onion and garlic.  I cubed up the seared tofu, and added it to the pan with the swiss chard.  After sautéing for a minute or so, I added some more of the leftover rub (which contained both salt and pepper for seasoning), and some of the white wine, and lowered the heat and covered it.  Meanwhile, I went to tend to the salmon.

Olga has a <A HREF="http://cia007girl.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_blank">twin sister Anna</A> that I'm also pretty friendly with.  Despite our both having started our professional lives as economists, we've both managed to wander into the culinary arena.  I was in pretty constant contact with her while I was in culinary school, and now she's in culinary school up at the <A HREF="http://www.ciachef.edu" TARGET="_blank">Culinary Institute of America</A>.  In addition to sharing a lot of the crafty talents that Olga has, Anna has been one of the quiet inspirations behind some of the winning items I've put on menus recently.  She has a particular gift (even if she may not know it) for balancing flavour profiles in order to create combinations that really engage the palette.  Remember that watermelon & feta cheese salad I served at my wedding?  Guess who turned me on to that?

In a saucepan, I mixed some maple syrup, with some grapefruit juice, roasted garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a wee bit of olive oil.  I brought it to a boil, then reduced it to a simmer, and let it reduce for a while, until it reached a glaze consistency.  Some of this would be used as a basting liquid, and some of it would be for the finished product.

Anyway, I have always liked cedar smoking salmon.  It produces a light kiss of smoke that perfectly complements the salmon, whereas most smoked fish dishes have an element of burning building.  I've used this recipe with much success over the years, and I've managed to pass this on to various people, including a certain <A HREF="http://aging-disgracefully.com/blog/archives/2006/03/cedar_plank_sal.html" TARGET="_blank">disgracefully-aging gentleman</A>.  Basically, I soak a <A HREF="http://www.nwplank.com/Our-Products.html" TARGET="_blank">cedar plank</A> in either water or wine for at least an hour (you really want the liquid to penetrate it so it smoulders and smokes, instead of having a dry fire in your grill which, needless to say, will destroy your fish).  Once the grill is good and hot (whether you're using charcoal, or propane with propane accessories), you want to put the plank directly over the coals or the burner.  When the wood just starts to smoke, put the fish on the plank skin side down, and let it cook for about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or about 9-12 minutes per pound.  

When salmon is correctly cooked, it should be creamy in the middle - often people think that this is undercooked, but that would be mistaken.  Baste with the glaze every now and then, but resist the temptation to keep opening the grill.  The smoke has to work its magic.  You'll want to take the fish off (plank and all) when it registers a temperature of about 135 degrees (it will continue cooking when you take it off, so let it rest for a few minutes with some foil on top).  I serve it right off the plank, as the skin sticks to the plank, so people take what they want, and the skin remains.  Pour some of the remaining glaze over the top, and you're ready to go.

To further toast my Russian friends, I paired this meal with an extra-chilled vodka grapefruit martini, as I was in the mood for a cocktail.  If you're in the mood for wine, a chilled glass of either Sauvignon Blanc or Gewürztraminer.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/11/pb_brownies.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.150</id>
   
   <published>2007-11-08T18:32:07Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary>November is Peanut Butter Lovers&apos; Month, so I thought I&apos;d post a recipe to celebrate. Since very few of you are into a cream of peanut butter soup, I thought that a good dessert recipe is in order. Enjoy! Ingredients...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Recipes" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="188" label="Brownies" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="193" label="Chocolate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="191" label="Dessert" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="186" label="Peanut Butter" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="189" label="Recipe" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="Peanut Butter Brownies" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/pbbrownies.jpg" width="222" height="136" />November is Peanut Butter Lovers' Month, so I thought I'd post a recipe to celebrate.  Since very few of you are into a cream of peanut butter soup, I thought that a good dessert recipe is in order.  Enjoy!

<B><U>Ingredients</U></B>
3 oz (¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp) Unsweetend (Baker's) Chocolate, finely chopped
8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
1 Cup Sugar
½ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
⅔ Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Large Eggs
⅓ Cup Peanut Butter (at room temperature)

<B><U>Instructions</U></B>

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Coat an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray or shortening.

3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl in the microwave or in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir the mixture occasionally to combine. Once melted, let the mixture cool for several minutes.

4. Whisk the sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the chocolate/butter mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until no streaks of flour remain (be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl). Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

5. Drop the peanut butter in small dollops over the batter. Without touching the bottom of the pan, run a paring knife through the batter to create swirls.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge and the center of the pan comes out clean, 22 to 27 minutes.

7.  Let the brownies sit in the pan (outside of the oven) for about 10 minutes.  Turn out brownie block onto a wire rack to cool completely.  When cooled completely, cut into 2 inch squares and enjoy!
]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Why Think When You Can Scream?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/11/why_think_when.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.149</id>
   
   <published>2007-11-07T05:39:44Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary> Yesterday I witnessed something extremely bizarre. As some of you know, I&apos;ve recently started working at a local brewery here in our nation&apos;s capital for some side income. Yesterday, there was a fairly large party that came in for...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="182" label="confused" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="184" label="hardball" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="98" label="pinko commie liberal hippie" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="183" label="shrill" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="confused man" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/confused.jpg" width="256" height="288" />
Yesterday I witnessed something extremely bizarre.  As some of you know, I've recently started working at a local brewery here in our nation's capital for some side income.  Yesterday, there was a fairly large party that came in for dinner and drinks.  During the course of their sojourn there, they would occasionally break into a large cheer while looking up at one of the several televisions on the floor.  Since I was working, and couldn't see the tv's I assumed that they we're cheering for a team, and watching a sports game (most likely football), as that's what's normally on those tv's.  I had the occasion to go out on the floor, and to my utter astonishment, those idiots were watching <I><A HREF="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/" TARGET="_blank">Hardball with Chris Matthews</A></I>.

Setting aside the fact that Chris Matthews is a moron who plays a journalist on tv (really, the man is a complete fraud - check out his bio sometime), who <I>cheers</I> for one of these televised screaming matches?  What a bunch of pinko commie liberal hippies.  I guess I'm just not the Washington type.  Really, all these clowns I run into around town (especially Democrats) all think they're saving the world, and none of them realise just how intellectually vapid they are.  I mean seriously, there is absolutely zero thought and intellectual realism in their arguments.  The Republicans can be just as bad too.  They defend ideologies and policies that are so damn low on the totem pole (given all the problems we face), but still think I'm wrong to advocate a more intellectual approach.  I actually think things through, and while my reactions to things may not be the most popular (or popular at all, for that matter), they are always the right response (in terms of what is best course of action).  

People like Chris Matthews just foster a climate where people compete not for who has the best ideas, but simply who can scream the loudest.  This type of environment leads to a world where we substitute shrillness for intellectualism.  We either need to collectively start thinking again, or I guess I just have to get out of this town, as it just simply isn't me...]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>It&apos;s The Great Dolomite, Charlie Brown!</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/10/great_dolomite.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.148</id>
   
   <published>2007-10-31T14:58:46Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary>As some of you may remember a while back, I posted a video that was a ghetto version of the Charlie Brown Valentine&apos;s Day special. While it was incredibly offensive, I found it incredibly funny. Well, seeing how it&apos;s Halloween...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="68" label="Charlie Brown" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="179" label="Dolomite" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="66" label="Ghetto" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="181" label="Ramadan" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[As some of you may remember a while back, I posted a video that was a <A HREF="./archives/2007/02/my_ghetto_valen.html" TARGET="_blank">ghetto version of the Charlie Brown Valentine's Day special</A>.  While it was incredibly offensive, I found it incredibly funny.  Well, seeing how it's Halloween today, and last night ABC aired <I>It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!</I>, I thought I'd post a ghetto version of that special as well.  While I'm at it, I missed Ramadan, so the Ghetto Charlie Brown Ramadan special is included as well for no extra charge!  :-)

It's also worth noting that these are super NSFW, and generally in very poor taste, so if you're in an office, use headphones or turn your volume way down (or just wait until you get home).  You've been warned.  That having been said, this is some of the funniest shit I've seen in a while...
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   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Perfecting Myself</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/10/perfecting_myse.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.147</id>
   
   <published>2007-10-16T04:24:24Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:55Z</updated>
   
   <summary> Well, here&apos;s an interesting topic (albeit a couple days behind schedule). The other night on CNBC&apos;s Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Donny had Ann Coulter on. During the course of the interview, Donny asked her what her vision of...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="171" label="Ann Coulter" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="173" label="Donny Deutsch" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="52" label="evangelical" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="175" label="Jews" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="177" label="Perfecting" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="Ann Coulter Comic" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/coultercomic.gif" width="375" height="250" />
Well, here's an interesting topic (albeit a couple days behind schedule).  The other night on CNBC's <A HREF="http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512/site/14081545/" TARGET="_blank">Big Idea with Donny Deutsch</A>, Donny had Ann Coulter on.  During the course of the interview, Donny asked her what her vision of heaven would be like.  She responded that it would be "like New York during the Republican convention."  As odd as I find that, she went on to open her mouth and insert her foot.  Describing everyone as "good Christians" prompted Donny Deutsch to ask her about other peoples, and whether or not they'd be included, specifically Jews (Donny is Jewish).  She basically said that good evangelical Christians (like herself) just want Jews to perfect themselves by becoming Christian.

Now, I have two reactions to this.  First, Ann Coulter has always substituted shrillness for intellect, and has always been quite the publicity whore.  She doesn't care whether it's good or bad, as long as people are talking about her.  For that reason alone, I'm sort of reluctant to post this, as I feel like I'm playing into her hands that way (not that I have a huge readership, but still).  I'm not sure why people are surprised that she made this comment, as she ALWAYS tends to say things specifically to get a rise out of people.  One of these days we'll just ignore her.

The second reaction I have to this, is that she's actually right (I bet you didn't see that one coming).  Now, I'm not defending Ms. Coulter here, but she articulated <I>perfectly</I> exactly how most evangelical Christians see Jews.  See, in particular there are two verses of the New Testatment that evangelicals really hold to.  First, in John 14:6 (KJV), Jesus tells Thomas (his disciple):
<BLOCKQUOTE><I>...I am the way, the truth, and the light.  No man cometh unto the Father but by me.</I></BLOCKQUOTE>  This is coupled with a second verse from Hebrews 10:14 which states: <BLOCKQUOTE><I>For by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,</I></BLOCKQUOTE> which refers to those people who have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and saviour.

In this way, many evangelicals think that Jews are just about there, and need to take that one final step to become, well, perfected.  I'm sure that many will call Ann an anti-semite, and this would be a tremendous mistake.  She's not anti-semitic, she's simply stating (quite articulately at that) what a lot of people think.  

This sort of religious dick-waving (my god has a bigger dick than your god) is completely pointless, and anyone that gets involved in it is just proving that they are backward tribal people who wouldn't know modernity if it bit them in the ass.  The best response here is to simply ignore both her, and the professional victims that will undoubtedly call her an anti-semite (rumour has it that Abraham Foxman is on his way across the country, so he can sneak into a lecture and be deeply offended, as is his usual M.O.).  I hope that people are better than this, but to be honest, I haven't been very impressed by either the Jewish people I've seen or the evangelicals.  Hopefully they'll prove me wrong.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Nooses Abound!</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/10/nooses_abound.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.145</id>
   
   <published>2007-10-11T00:04:36Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:54Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Well, it seems that a hangman&apos;s noose has been found at Columbia University. Of course, everyone&apos;s going all ape-shit again. This is in addition to the noose found at the Coast Guard Academy, the one found at the University of...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="167" label="Coast Guard Academy" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="165" label="Jena" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="161" label="News" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="163" label="Noose" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="169" label="University of Maryland" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[Well, it seems that a <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/10/columbia.noose/index.html?iref=mpstoryview" TARGET="_blank">hangman's noose</A> has been found at <A HREF="http://www.columbia.edu" TARGET="_blank">Columbia University</A>.  Of course, everyone's going all ape-shit again.  This is in addition to the noose found at the <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/04/coast.guard.nooses/index.html" TARGET="_blank">Coast Guard Academy</A>, the one found at the <A HREF="http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3580350&page=1" TARGET="_blank">University of Maryland</A>, and of course, the one that started it all in Jena, Louisiana.

Of course, rallies have been held, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the rest of the Black agitators have marched, and yet, everyone seems to be missing the two real questions that need to be answered: First, why, in 2007, do we still have an informal segregation that produces things such as "black bleachers" and a "white tree?"  It doesn't surprise me that Sharpton, Jackson, and the rest of the crazies aren't focusing on this, as they're particularly poorly positioned to do so (remember Tawana Brawley?).

But even leaving this alone, the bigger question is who actually knows how to tie a noose, anyway?  Does anyone else find it disturbing that people can't handle basic math, but they can tie nooses?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>The Miserable State of the Food Network</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/10/food_network.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.144</id>
   
   <published>2007-10-10T03:40:20Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:54Z</updated>
   
   <summary> Note: Some of the images linked to below are somewhat suggestive (although quite tame). As such, please exercise caution if reading in an office. These links are marked with an NSFW notation. When people find out that I’m a...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="154" label="bobby flay" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="148" label="food network" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="150" label="jump the shark" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="156" label="mario batali" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="158" label="NASCAR" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="152" label="rachael ray" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="160" label="Spain" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="Rachael Ray and the Joker" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachaelray.jpg" width="147" height="271" />
<I>Note: Some of the images linked to below are somewhat suggestive (although quite tame).  As such, please exercise caution if reading in an office.  These links are marked with an NSFW notation.</I>

When people find out that I’m a professional chef, they usually react by asking me one of two questions: <I>What is your favourite restaurant in D.C.?</I> or <I>Who is your favourite chef on the Food Network?</I>  It’s somewhat irritating, but it’s something I’ve gotten used to.  Recently, I was talking with some people about the state of television in general, so I thought I’d air my thoughts about the <A HREF=http://www.foodnetwork.com/ TARGET=”_blank”>Food Network</A>, and some of the “celebrity chefs” that make the rounds there.

Overall, the Food Network is a huge disappointment these days.  It seems that the entire channel has <A HREF=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_The_Shark TARGET=”_blank”>jumped the shark</A>.  The last network to do this so spectacularly was <A HREF=http://www.mtv.com TARGET=”_blank”>MTV</A>.  Remember when the M actually stood for “music?”  Now there’s nothing but ridiculous game and dating shows, and they’ve really backed away from their core mission.  At its heart, the Food Network seems to be doing the same thing.  Now, let me dispense with one thing right away: my objections to the current Food Network programming have nothing to do with my being a professional chef.  I’m not objecting because the programming is “beneath my level.”  I’m objecting because I believe the Food Network is straying from what originally made it great: <I>education</I>.

The real reason that people watch the food Network in the first place is to learn something.  Whether that something is how to make a soufflé, or what the differences and merits are of different kinds of charcoal, the goal is the same – learning something that you didn’t know before, that will be useful to you in some way.  There were lots of times when I’d have the Food Network on in the background as I worked from home, as I used to do before I became a chef.  Now I wouldn’t even consider it.

There seems to have been a real tectonic shift of late and some of the “old dinosaurs” of the network (<A HREF=http://www.bobbyflay.com/ TARGET=”_blank”>Bobby Flay</A>, <A HREF=http://www.mariobatali.com/ TARGET=”_blank”>Mario Batali</A>, etc.) are being phased out in favour of younger, “fresher” people that, while physically attractive, have a troubling lack of experience working with food.  Again, this is not a huge invective about how Rachael Ray can’t cook (that will come later), as much as it shows a real shift in focus network-wide that I find troubling.  Instead of a focus on food, there is a preponderance of reality shows meant to pick various food personalities, Iron Chefs, etc.  I mean, for Christ’s sake, Al Roker has a show on the Food Network.  AL ROKER!  He’s not even a food <I>eater</I> these days; he’s just a weatherman, and a bad one at that.  As for Rachael Ray, she needs to concentrate on learning how to cook; not just running several shows, magazines, and men’s magazine photo shoots (see <a href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachaelrayfhm.html" onclick="window.open('http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachaelrayfhm.html','popup','width=400,height=500,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">here</A>, <a href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachaelraytday.html" onclick="window.open('http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachaelraytday.html','popup','width=400,height=500,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">here,</a> and <a href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachel4-thumb.html" onclick="window.open('http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/rachel4-thumb.html','popup','width=300,height=375,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">here</a> – NSFW).  I really do hope that they get their act together and get back to what made them big in the first place, even if they do have to hire some new celebrity chefs to do it.  It's worth noting, however, that there are aspects of their current stock (and old guard) that have not been explored.  For example, Mario Batali regularly does segments for PBS where he explores his other great passion: Spain & Spanish food (weird, huh?  Did you know he also has a line of grilling cookbooks, especially one that caters to <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Tailgates-NASCAR-Style-Batali/dp/0892048468/sr=1-3/qid=1162917566" TARGET="_blank">NASCAR fans</A>?).  To me, this is a whole untapped area of expertise...
]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>First in Flight, Last in Math</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/archives/2007/10/first_in_flight.html" />
   <id>tag:www.rottenrabbi.com,2007:/blog//1.143</id>
   
   <published>2007-10-02T19:44:50Z</published>
   <updated>2008-07-13T08:32:54Z</updated>
   
   <summary> During my morning news roundup today, I came across this article from the BBC News Service. It seems that this guy in North Carolina, who had his leg amputated above the knee, stored his leg in a smoker, so...</summary>
   <author>
      <name>The Good Rabbi</name>
      <uri>http://www.rottenrabbi.com</uri>
   </author>
         <category term="News &amp; Current Events" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
         <category term="Random Thoughts" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   <category term="144" label="Amputated Leg" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="146" label="Hillbilly" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="86" label="North Carolina" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   <category term="142" label="Smoker" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#tag" />
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/">
      <![CDATA[<img alt="box smoker" align="right" src="http://www.rottenrabbi.com/blog/images/smoker.jpg" width="211" height="281" />
During my morning news roundup today, I came across <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7024124.stm" TARGET="_blank">this article</A> from the <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/" TARGET="_blank">BBC News Service</A>.  It seems that this guy in North Carolina, who had his leg amputated above the knee, stored his leg in a smoker, so that he "could be buried whole."  The smoker was stored in a storage unit, and the man fell behind on his payments for that unit.  As such, the storage facility auctioned off his belongings and all the contents, including the leg.  

Now the man who bought the smoker is claiming that he is the rightful owner of the leg, and he stands to make a good amount of money from it (given that Halloween is coming).  Naturally the leg's former owner disagrees.  It's obvious to me that the man doesn't live in North Carolina anymore, because if he did, the fight would be over the smoker, not the leg...]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>

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