Butt Out Arlen (Regarding Former Philadelphia Eagle Terrell Owens)

Joyce Comments: Senator Arlen Specter appears to have momentarily forgotten that he is not Pennsylvania's Attorney General anymore and is butting in where he is not wanted. This drama with former Philadelphia Eagle receiver Terrell Owens is a settled matter between Eagles management, the players union, Owens himself. If Specter's concern is of Owens being blacklisted, some Eagles fan he is. Owens showed the National Football League and all it's fans what a conceited jerk he really is. He may be talented on the field, but off it he has a head the size of Rhode Island and a brain the size of an ant through his conduct that hurt the psyche of the team. If his career is over, then it is because of himself. He was treated more then fair by the Eagles. Again, some Eagles fan you are-- you may want to return the $2,000 the Philadelphia Eagles donated to your campaign as you are betraying them with this nonsense of overreaching authority in this antitrust inquiry. Once again butt out, Arlen!


Posted on Tue, Nov. 29, 2005
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13279578.htm


Sparks from Specter in the T.O. case
The senator says the NFL and the Eagles may have violated antitrust laws in punishing the wide receiver.
By Amy Worden and Larry Eichel
Inquirer Staff Writers

Sen. Arlen Specter, ardent Eagles fan and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, yesterday accused the NFL and its Philadelphia franchise of potentially violating antitrust laws in their treatment of Terrell Owens.

Speaking at a news conference in Harrisburg, Specter (R., Pa.) said he was investigating the matter and might refer it to the Senate panel's antitrust subcommittee.

The senator said the league and the Eagles had effectively blacklisted the all-pro wide receiver by forbidding him from playing and by banning other teams from talking to him. He called such treatment "vindictive and inappropriate."

"It's a restraint of trade for them to do that, and the thought crosses my mind, it might be a violation of antitrust laws," Specter said. "The NFL can have whatever rules it wants on authorizing suspension or keeping you on the team for the balance of the year, but they can't violate the law."

Several legal experts consulted yesterday didn't see it that way. They noted that courts generally have held that collective-bargaining agreements - such as the one under which Owens was disciplined - take precedence over antitrust laws on terms of employment.

"As much as I hate to disagree with the esteemed senator, I don't see an antitrust claim here," said Matthew J. Mitten, director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University. "We're in the labor arena, not antitrust."

On Nov. 5, the Eagles suspended Owens for four games without pay for conduct "detrimental to the team." The team also made clear its intention to deactivate him with pay after the suspension ended, as it did this past Sunday.

Last week, arbitrator Richard Bloch upheld the team's right to do all of that, saying those steps were in keeping with the labor agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association.

An NFL spokesman commented yesterday that it was "difficult to see" how antitrust laws might have been violated.

Said league spokesman Greg Aiello: "The arbitrator's decision is consistent with our collective-bargaining agreement, and it simply enforced the terms of the player's contract."

Specter said his interest in the antitrust issue was piqued by news yesterday that the Eagles had filed a complaint with the NFL against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The complaint accused Jones of "tampering" with Owens' contract by making comments suggesting that the Cowboys might consider signing him.

"I am madder than hell at what he [Owens] has done in ruining the Eagles' season, or doing his utmost to ruin the season," Specter said. "I think he's in flagrant breach of his contract, and the Eagles would be in their rights to not pay him another dime, perhaps even sue him for damages they have sustained.

"But I do not believe, personally, it is appropriate to punish him. He's not committed a crime; he's committed a breach of contract."

Specter added that the NFL has only a limited exemption from antitrust laws, one that allows member teams to share revenues.

But the law professors who study antitrust law and its relation to sports said they were hard-pressed to see what those statutes might have to do with the Owens case.

"To have an antitrust violation, you have a contract or conspiracy in restraint of trade," said Robert McCormick, a law professor at Michigan State University. "The Eagles would have to collude with the 31 other teams to make sure that no one would hire Terrell Owens. And we're not there yet."

If an antitrust issue did exist, the experts said, the contract still would almost surely trump it - under what the courts have established as the "non-statutory labor exemption" to the antitrust laws.

That exemption was at the heart of the federal court decision last year in the case of Maurice Clarett, a former Ohio State University running back who challenged the NFL's rule about when a player is old enough to enter the draft. The court disallowed Clarett's challenge on the grounds that the league and union had established the rule through collective bargaining.

Michael McCann, a sports-law expert at Mississippi College Law School, said the ambiguity of the NFL's collective-bargaining agreement - in not specifying any detailed meaning of conduct "detrimental to the team" - might allow antitrust laws to apply.

The Eagles had no comment on Specter's remarks. Owens and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not available for comment.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Larry Eichel at 215-854-2415 or leichel@phillynews.com. Staff writer Bob Brookover contributed to this article.

West Coast Torricelli

Joyce Comments: It appears that former New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Torricelli has a Republican counterpart on the West coast who just until recently used to be in the House of Representatives named Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Dirty politics whether by the media or the politicans themselves only hurts the integrity of American politics and further sours Americans from contributing to the political process and even voting. You can see both Cunningham's and Torricelli's, among all others, fundraising reports through the Federal Election Commission at http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/com_supopp/C00338087

Randy "Duke" Cunningham FEC Discloser Report
http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/H0CA45012

Robert G. Torricelli FEC Discloser Report
http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/S6NJ00172

Twisting the Al-Qaida Connection

Joyce Comments: I just found this post by Mithridate Ombud at NewsBusters: Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias. It's very informative about how the mainstream media (also known as MSM) distorts the news to benefit the Democrats instead of to report it like it is. I'll share the post with you below:

Robyn Blumner, former ACLU Director and current St. Petersburg Times columnist retreads this old leftist tire:

Fox News gives its audience what it wants, too. That's why, in 2003, a survey from the Program on International Policy Attitudes found that 67 percent of its loyal viewers believed the fallacy that Saddam Hussein was connected to al-Qaida, whereas only 40 percent of those who relied on print media were confused on that point. Welcome to the "informed" electorate of a newspaper-free world. It's already starting to give us the government we deserve.

(Notice that people who watch Fox are fallacious believers, while the people who consume her product and don't agree with her are simply "confused".)

Saddam connected to al-Qaida? That's a weird wild thought. Where on Earth would Fox News and this "informed electorate" get that "fallacious" idea? Let's see, maybe...

State of the Union Address January 28, 2003: "Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qaida."

BBC Profile: "It is during this period that Zarqawi is thought to have renewed his acquaintance with al-Qaeda. He is believed to have fled to Iraq in 2001 after a US missile strike on his Afghan base, though the report that he lost a leg in the attack has not been verified. US officials argue that it was at al-Qaeda's behest that he moved to Iraq and established links with Ansar al-Islam - a group of Kurdish Islamists from the north of the country. He is thought to have remained with them for a while - feeling at home in mountainous northern Iraq."

Justice Department indictment of Bin Laden - Spring 1998: "Al Qaeda also forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and with the government of Iran and its associated terrorist group Hezballah for the purpose of working together against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly the United States. In addition, al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq."

Letter to Congress by CIA Director George Tenet: "Our understanding of the relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda is evolving and is based on sources of varying reliability. Some of the information we have received comes from detainees, including some of high rank. We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda going back a decade. Credible information indicates that Iraq and Al Qaeda have discussed safe haven and reciprocal nonaggression. Since Operation Enduring Freedom, we have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of Al Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad. We have credible reporting that Al Qaeda leaders sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire W.M.D. capabilities. The reporting also stated that Iraq has provided training to Al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons and gases and making conventional bombs. Iraq's increasing support to extremist Palestinians coupled with growing indications of relationship with Al Qaeda suggest that Baghdad's links to terrorists will increase, even absent U.S. military action."

ABC News - August 25, 1998: Before the pharmaceutical plant was reduced to rubble by American cruise missiles, the CIA was secretly gathering evidence that ended up putting the facility on America's target list. Intelligence sources say their agents clandestinely gathered soil samples outside the plant and found, quote, "strong evidence" of a chemical compound called EMPTA, a compound that has only one known purpose, to make VX nerve gas. The U.S. had been suspicious for months, partly because of Osama bin Laden's financial ties, but also because of strong connections to Iraq. Sources say the U.S. had intercepted phone calls from the plant to a man in Iraq who runs that country's chemical weapons program.

Joe Lieberman on MSNBC's Hardball: "I want to be real clear about the connection with terrorists. I've seen a lot of evidence on this. There are extensive contacts between Saddam Hussein's government and al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. I never could reach the conclusion that [Saddam] was part of September 11. Don't get me wrong about that. But there was so much smoke there that it made me worry. And you know, some people say with a great facility, al Qaeda and Saddam could never get together. He is secular and they're theological. But there's something that tied them together. It's their hatred of us."

Other points by Tech Central Station:

* Abdul Rahman Yasin was the only member of the al Qaeda cell that detonated the 1993 World Trade Center bomb to remain at large in the Clinton years. He fled to Iraq. U.S. forces recently discovered a cache of documents in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, that show that Iraq gave Mr. Yasin both a house and monthly salary.

* Bin Laden met at least eight times with officers of Iraq's Special Security Organization, a secret police agency run by Saddam's son Qusay, and met with officials from Saddam's mukhabarat, its external intelligence service, according to intelligence made public by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was speaking before the United Nations Security Council on February 6, 2003.

* Sudanese intelligence officials told me that their agents had observed meetings between Iraqi intelligence agents and bin Laden starting in 1994, when bin Laden lived in Khartoum.

* Bin Laden met the director of the Iraqi mukhabarat in 1996 in Khartoum, according to Mr. Powell.

* An al Qaeda operative now held by the U.S. confessed that in the mid-1990s, bin Laden had forged an agreement with Saddam's men to cease all terrorist activities against the Iraqi dictator, Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* In 1999 the Guardian, a British newspaper, reported that Farouk Hijazi, a senior officer in Iraq's mukhabarat, had journeyed deep into the icy mountains near Kandahar, Afghanistan, in December 1998 to meet with al Qaeda men. Mr. Hijazi is "thought to have offered bin Laden asylum in Iraq," the Guardian reported.

* In October 2000, another Iraqi intelligence operative, Salah Suleiman, was arrested near the Afghan border by Pakistani authorities, according to Jane's Foreign Report, a respected international newsletter. Jane's reported that Suleiman was shuttling between Iraqi intelligence and Ayman al Zawahiri, now al Qaeda's No. 2 man. (Why are all of those meetings significant? The London Observer reports that FBI investigators cite a captured al Qaeda field manual in Afghanistan, which "emphasizes the value of conducting discussions about pending terrorist attacks face to face, rather than by electronic means.")

* As recently as 2001, Iraq's embassy in Pakistan was used as a "liaison" between the Iraqi dictator and al Qaeda, Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* Spanish investigators have uncovered documents seized from Yusuf Galan -- who is charged by a Spanish court with being "directly involved with the preparation and planning" of the Sept. 11 attacks -- that show the terrorist was invited to a party at the Iraqi embassy in Madrid. The invitation used his "al Qaeda nom de guerre," London's Independent reports.

* An Iraqi defector to Turkey, known by his cover name as "Abu Mohammed," told Gwynne Roberts of the Sunday Times of London that he saw bin Laden's fighters in camps in Iraq in 1997. At the time, Mohammed was a colonel in Saddam's Fedayeen. He described an encounter at Salman Pak, the training facility southeast of Baghdad. At that vast compound run by Iraqi intelligence, Muslim militants trained to hijack planes with knives -- on a full-size Boeing 707. Col. Mohammed recalls his first visit to Salman Pak this way: "We were met by Colonel Jamil Kamil, the camp manager, and Major Ali Hawas. I noticed that a lot of people were queuing for food. (The major) said to me: 'You'll have nothing to do with these people. They are Osama bin Laden's group and the PKK and Mojahedin-e Khalq.'"

* In 1998, Abbas al-Janabi, a longtime aide to Saddam's son Uday, defected to the West. At the time, he repeatedly told reporters that there was a direct connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.

*The Sunday Times found a Saddam loyalist in a Kurdish prison who claims to have been Dr. Zawahiri's bodyguard during his 1992 visit with Saddam in Baghdad. Dr. Zawahiri was a close associate of bin Laden at the time and was present at the founding of al Qaeda in 1989.

* Following the defeat of the Taliban, almost two dozen bin Laden associates "converged on Baghdad and established a base of operations there," Mr. Powell told the United Nations in February 2003. From their Baghdad base, the secretary said, they supervised the movement of men, materiel and money for al Qaeda's global network.

* In 2001, an al Qaeda member "bragged that the situation in Iraq was 'good,'" according to intelligence made public by Mr. Powell.

* That same year, Saudi Arabian border guards arrested two al Qaeda members entering the kingdom from Iraq.

* Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi oversaw an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, Mr. Powell told the United Nations. His specialty was poisons. Wounded in fighting with U.S. forces, he sought medical treatment in Baghdad in May 2002. When Zarqawi recovered, he restarted a training camp in northern Iraq. Zarqawi's Iraq cell was later tied to the October 2002 murder of Lawrence Foley, an official of the U.S. Agency for International Development, in Amman, Jordan. The captured assassin confessed that he received orders and funds from Zarqawi's cell in Iraq, Mr. Powell said. His accomplice escaped to Iraq.

*Zarqawi met with military chief of al Qaeda, Mohammed Ibrahim Makwai (aka Saif al-Adel) in Iran in February 2003, according to intelligence sources cited by the Washington Post.

* Mohammad Atef, the head of al Qaeda's military wing until the U.S. killed him in Afghanistan in November 2001, told a senior al Qaeda member now in U.S. custody that the terror network needed labs outside of Afghanistan to manufacture chemical weapons, Mr. Powell said. "Where did they go, where did they look?" said the secretary. "They went to Iraq."

* Abu Abdullah al-Iraqi was sent to Iraq by bin Laden to purchase poison gases several times between 1997 and 2000. He called his relationship with Saddam's regime "successful," Mr. Powell told the United Nations.

* Mohamed Mansour Shahab, a smuggler hired by Iraq to transport weapons to bin Laden in Afghanistan, was arrested by anti-Hussein Kurdish forces in May, 2000. He later told his story to American intelligence and a reporter for the New Yorker magazine.

* Documents found among the debris of the Iraqi Intelligence Center show that Baghdad funded the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan terror group led by an Islamist cleric linked to bin Laden. According to a London's Daily Telegraph, the organization offered to recruit "youth to train for the jihad" at a "headquarters for international holy warrior network" to be established in Baghdad.

* Mullah Melan Krekar, ran a terror group (the Ansar al-Islam) linked to both bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Mr. Krekar admitted to a Kurdish newspaper that he met bin Laden in Afghanistan and other senior al Qaeda officials. His acknowledged meetings with bin Laden go back to 1988. When he organized Ansar al Islam in 2001 to conduct suicide attacks on Americans, "three bin Laden operatives showed up with a gift of $300,000 'to undertake jihad,'" Newsday reported. Mr. Krekar is now in custody in the Netherlands. His group operated in portion of northern Iraq loyal to Saddam Hussein -- and attacked independent Kurdish groups hostile to Saddam. A spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan told a United Press International correspondent that Mr. Krekar's group was funded by "Saddam Hussein's regime in Baghdad."

* After October 2001, hundreds of al Qaeda fighters are believed to have holed up in the Ansar al-Islam's strongholds inside northern Iraq.

Christmiscellany

12 things to know about Xmas, including where the "X" in Xmas comes from.
http://www.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200412230918.asp
John J. Miller
NR National Political Reporter
December 23, 2004, 9:18 a.m

Here's a Christmas Q&A, on random subjects of varying importance. If it's Simpsons quotes you desire, then scroll to the bottom immediately.

Why is Christmas on December 25?

The Bible provides no clear indication of the time of year when Jesus was born. Some sketchy evidence points toward the spring, but even general season is strongly disputed. In the 3rd century, Clement of Alexandria proposed May 20 for the birthday of Christ. The first reference its celebration on December 25 comes from a 4th-century Roman document, suggesting that the tradition was established around this time. According to one theory, Christians appropriated the Roman custom of commemorating the winter solstice — the birthday of the sun — on December 25. Another theory rejects this view and subscribes to the idea that the conception of Jesus took place on the same day of the year as His death. Because His death is often said to have taken place on March 25, his birthday presumably would follow this date by exactly nine months.

Who was the real St. Nick?

St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra, in Turkey, in the 4th century. That's about the only thing that can be said of him with any degree of certainty. The rest is legend, including an old story about how he saved three girls from prostitution by providing them with marriage dowries — he threw three bags of gold into their window at night. He is the patron saint of children, and in Holland there was a tradition of giving gifts to kids on his feast day of December 6. In Dutch, his name is Sinte Klaas. It seems that Dutch Protestants brought this practice to the New World, combined it with Nordic legends about a magician who gave presents to nice children but none to the naughty ones, and gave birth to the modern tradition of Santa Claus.

How did Christmas become Xmas?

It's Greek to us — literally. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos. That's where the X in Xmas comes from. There's a Christian website called www.xristos.com. Here's what it says:

Xristos is a transliteration of the New Testament Greek word for Christ "criston." The Greek letter Chi 'c' was retained to insure a connection to the roots and original texts, as well as visually represent the centrality of the cross in all. The visual symbol Chi-ro is also employed at various places by Xristos, recalling one of the earliest practices of the Christian community.

So referring to Christmas as Xmas is no sign of disrespect, as many people believe. But it helps to know its origins.

What was the Star of Bethlehem?

Would you believe it's Jupiter? That's what one astronomer thinks. I find his theory plausible, and wrote about for NRO two years ago here.

When did Christmas come to America?

The settlers at Jamestown probably celebrated Christmas in 1607. The pilgrims, by contrast, weren't too big on the holiday. There were even laws against it in New England. The Christmas tree has its roots in Germany, and sometimes it is said that Hessian soldiers brought the tradition here during the American Revolution. Others credit the Moravians in Pennsylvania in the early part of the 19th century. President Franklin Pierce put up the first White House Christmas tree, in 1856. Christmas became a federal holiday in 1870.

What's the deal with poinsettias?

They're named after Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. He was a part-time horticulturalist and became interested in many plants native to Mexico, including the so-called Christmas Eve flower. It was later renamed in his honor. There is also a Poinsett State Park in South Carolina. Bonus trivia: The red parts of a poinsettia are leaves, not flower petals. The flower is actually small and yellow. But most people think those big red leaves are the flower.

How did the tradition of sending Christmas cards begin?

Christmas cards are dated to 1843, when Sir Henry Cole decided it would take too long to handwrite the hundreds of Christmas notes he planned to send. So he had a thousand cards printed. They featured artwork by John Calcott Horsley. What started out as a timesaver, of course, now consumes huge amounts of time among those who continue to send out cards. Americans exchange two billion Christmas cards per year, according to one estimate.

Did anything else noteworthy happen at Christmastime in 1843?

Why, yes! Charles Dickens published his short novel, A Christmas Carol — "the most perfect work Dickens ever wrote," according to the Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens. Read more about Dickens and his most famous book here.

The "Christmas season," as defined by retailers, seems to begin earlier every year. When will it finally end?

That's the wrong question. Christmas is best understood as a beginning rather than an ending. In one old tradition, children didn't receive all their gifts on the 25th — their goodies were handed out over the following 12 days (the famous "12 days of Christmas"), culminating with the Epiphany celebration on January 6.

What did J.R.R. Tolkien have to say about all this?

I knew you'd ask. Tolkien loved Christmas. He wrote a series of letters from Father Christmas to his children — they are, of course, now collected in a book. And if you haven't checked Appendix B in The Return of the King lately, do it now. That's where we learn what happened on December 25 in the year 3019 of the Third Age: "The Company of the Ring leaves Rivendell at dusk." In other words, the incident that sets in motion the critical events of the entire Lord of the Rings saga takes place on Christmas Day. A momentous beginning indeed. The only thing missing is Gandalf in a Santa suit.

Can you make a cool Simpsons reference?

On one show, a sign outside a store reads: "In Honor of the Birth of Our Savior, Try-N-Save is Open All Day Christmas."

Can you do better that that?

Bart: "Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of this day — the birth of Santa?"

Guide To The Jewish Holidays

THE JEWISH CALENDAR
http://www.pitspopany.com/Wpages/PitsGuide.txt
-------------------
The Jewish calendar is a lunar-based calendar. There are
354 days in the regular Jewish year. However, each of the
Holidays must occur in a specific season – for instance,
Passover must always be celebrated in the Spring. In
order that the Holidays stay within their appointed season,
every few years a leap-month, called Adar II, is added to
the Jewish calendar. This leap-month is always added just
before Passover.

Below are the months of the Jewish calendar, their Gregorian
equivalent, and their corresponding Jewish Holidays.

Sept-Oct Tishray Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Sukkot
Oct-Nov Heshvan
Nov-Dec Kislev Hanukkah
Dec-Jan Tevet
Jan-Feb Shevat Jewish Arbor Day
Feb-Mar Adar Purim
Mar-Apr Nissan Passover
April-May Iyar Holocaust Memorial Day
Israel Independence Day
May-June Sivan Shavuot
June-July Tammuz
July-Aug Av Memorial Day for the Destruction
of the Temple
Aug-Sept Elul


The Jewish Holidays
-------------------
Since the Jewish “Day” begins at night, the start of all Jewish holidays
follows a 24-hour, night-day pattern. For example, the first "day" of Hanukkah actually begins on the 25th of the month of Kislev which, in 2002, falls on Sunday night, December 9th and ends Monday night, December 10th.
All major Jewish holidays that are not Fast days are marked by prayer, Torah readings (except Holocaust Memorial Day), family meals and special Holiday foods. Every holiday has its own unique Holiday symbols and customs.


The Torah
---------
For the Jewish people, the Torah comprises the Five Books of Moses, also called the Pentateuch. The Torah consists of:
1. Genesis (B’raisheet)
2. Exodus (Shemot)
3. Leviticus (Va’yikrah)
4. Numbers (Ba’midbar)
5. Deuteronomy (Devarim)

The Torah is divided into 54 sections. On Shabbat (Saturday) and most holidays, a section, or part of a section of the Torah is read in the synagogue.
All the major Jewish holidays are listed in the Torah, except for Hanukkah, Purim, and Holocaust Memorial Day which occurred after the Torah was written.
All the major Jewish holidays listed in the Torah except Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated an extra day by Jews living outside of the State of Israel. Thus, Passover is celebrated for 8 days outside of Israel and 7 days in Israel.
The Bible is a term sometimes used to describe the Torah. However, the Hebrew equivalent of the word "Bible" is the word "Tanach" a Hebrew acronym for Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

Rosh Hashanah
-------------
The Jewish New Year

The first day of the Jewish calendar year and the beginning of the High Holy Days, i.e., the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (see below).
Jewish lore maintains that during these 10 days the fate of the individual and the world is determined. A person is required to ask forgiveness from others, and from God, for any injustices he or she may have committed.
The prevalent image on Rosh Hashanah is that of God opening two books – The Book of Positive Deeds and the Book of Negative Deeds. Depending on the
person’s deeds, he/she is written into either the Book of Life or the Book of Death. A person has a final opportunity during these 10 days to rectify his/her misdeeds and be written into the Book of Life.
The annual reading of the Torah is concluded during this month, and the cycle of Torah reading is begun again, with the reading of Genesis. This first book of the Torah is read in synagogues until after Hanukkah approximately 100 days later).


SYMBOLS
-------
Shofar – A ram’s horn is blown during and at the conclusion of the synagogue service to remind the individual that Judgment Day is at hand.
Apples and Honey – These two foods, among others, are eaten on this holiday to signify that the individual is hoping for a sweet year.
The color white – White is symbolic of purity and is the dominant color during
these days. In the synagogue, some men wear a white robe over their clothes. Women often wear white dresses. The synagogue’s colorful Ark cover is usually replaced by a white one.


HIGHLIGHTS
----------

Many Jewish children, both in public and parochial schools, do not attend class during these days. People often take this opportunity to read about Rosh Hashanah and the Holidays immediately following it.
In August, about a month before Rosh Hashanah, there is an frenetic search for books that emphasize moral and ethical values. Teachers and parents look for “moral theme” stories that can be easily taught to children.
There is a tendency to make New Year's resolutions at this time. Jewish self awareness is very high, and people are eager to read books that will make them better people and better informed about Judaism.

Yom Kippur
----------
Meaning: Day of Atonement, Day of Awe

The holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Also called the Sabbath of Sabbaths, Yom Kippur is the last day of the Ten Days of Repentance that began with Rosh Hashanah. It is the final day to atone for the sins of the past year. The entire day is spent in synagogue.

SYMBOLS
-------
Fasting -- Yom Kippur is known for the 24-hour fast that comprises this holy day.
Girls from 12 years of age and boys from age 13 are required to fast the entire day.
Prayer – While prayer is the hallmark of all the Jewish Holidays, praying reaches a fever pitch on Yom Kippur.
The color white – White is symbolic of purity and is the dominant color on Yom Kippur. In the synagogue, some men wear a white robe over their clothes. Women often wear white dresses.

Highlights
----------
Stories dealing with moral and ethical behavior are emphasized at this time. Parents often seek books that will keep their children occupied during the long Yom Kippur service.

Sukkot
Meaning: Feast of Tabernacles

Sukkot is the first in the cycle of the three major Jewish Holidays (Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot), and completes the month of Jewish High Holy Days which began with Rosh Hashanah. It is a very joyous Holiday. It coincides with the Fall harvest in Israel.
Simchat Torah is a day added onto Sukkot, although it is not, technically, connected to the Sukkot Holiday. On this day, the last section of the fifth book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, is read in the synagogue and immediately afterward, the first section of the first book of the Torah, Genesis, is begun. This is symbolic of the concept that learning Torah is an ongoing process.


SYMBOLS
Sukkah – Temporary booths built outside the home. Symbolic of the booths that the Jews had to live in when they left Egypt. These booths have thatched or bamboo roofs. Everything normally done in the home is to be done in the Sukkah, including eating. Some people even sleep inside the Sukkah.
Lulav – A palm branch. One of the four species: palm branch, myrtle twig, willow twig, and Etrog (a lemon-like fruit) used in the synagogue during the Sukkot service.
Guests – Each day a different “guest” from the Bible is welcomed into the Sukkah: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David. Those in the Sukkah discuss the characteristics of these guests.

HIGHLIGHTS
While the entire High Holy Day month is an active book reading month for parents of young children, Sukkot is especially intense because of the festive atmosphere that exists in Jewish Community Centers and synagogues. Mini book fairs abound and much is made of the beginning of the annual reading of the Torah.

Hanukkah/Channukah
------------------
Meaning: The Jews rested on the 25th (of Kislev – after defeating the enemy)
Hanukkah is one of the major post-Biblical Jewish Holidays. It occurred in the Second Century B.C. and is celebrated on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. When the Land of Israel was under Greek rule, the Greeks wanted the Jews to give up their religion. They persecuted the people. Finally, war broke out, and the Jews, led by the Maccabees – a Priestly clan – roundly defeated the Greeks.
The Temple had been desecrated by the Greeks and no oil could be found to light the Temple Candelabra (Menorah). Miraculously, a small jar of pure oil, with just enough oil for one day, was found. But instead of lasting one day, the oil in the jar lasted eight days.

SYMBOLS
-------
Menorah – Designed to hold candles or oil, the menorah is the central symbol of the Holiday. Each night an additional candle is lit until, on the last night, all eight candles are burning. An additional candle, called a Shamesh (servant), is used each night to light the other candles.
Latkes – Potato pancakes fried in oil is the traditional Holiday food. The use of oil during Hanukkah is a reminder of the oil found in the Temple.
Draydle – A four-sided spinning top. Each side of the draydle has a different Hebrew letter on it. Playing "draydle" is a very popular game.


HIGHLIGHTS
----------
Clearly, Hanukkah is the most children-oriented of all the Jewish Holidays.
Many parents give their children a present each night of the Holiday. Children are told the story of Hanukkah in song, story and picture.
Of special note is the fact that JEWISH BOOK MONTH always begins one month before Hanukkah. In the United States, the local Jewish Community Centers and/or synagogues sponsor a giant book fair. All the Jewish book fair companies servicing these fairs use Pitspopany Press titles.
It is estimated that within this four week period over 80,000 books are purchased by Jews across the United States.

Purim
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Meaning: Lotteries

A fun Holiday in which children dress up as their favorite character from the Purim story or as one of their favorite modern-day heroes.
While superficially like Halloween, Purim is firmly grounded in Jewish religious practice. Children and adults send gifts to their neighbors, charity is given to the poor, and the story of Purim, called Megillat Esther, is read in synagogues across the country.
In the Hanukkah story, the Greeks tried to prevent the Jewish people from practicing Judaism. In the Purim story, Haman, the Persian advisor to the king, attempted to physically wipe out the Jewish population. He used a lottery to decide on which day the Jews should be destroyed. In a surprise ending, this same lottery is used to seal Haman’s fate, and the fate of those who supported him.

SYMBOLS
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Megillat Esther – The story of Purim is read aloud from a megillah, a scroll, in the synagogue, and recounts how the Jewish people were saved by the bravery of the Persian king’s Jewish queen, Esther.
Hamantashen – Triangular dough filled with jams and jellies, then baked and eaten to commemorate the three-cornered pocket or three-cornered hat that was worn by Haman, the villain in the story.
Masks/Costumes – Worn by young and old alike. Illustrates the concept that things are not always what they seem and that God works in mysterious ways.
Grogger – A noisemaker. When Haman’s name is read out loud from the Megillah, children twirl their groggers to drown out his name.


HIGHLIGHTS
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Any type of story about heroes and villains is quite popular at this time. Many schools and Jewish Community Centers hold Spring book fairs.

Passover/Pesach
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This has become the pivotal Jewish Holiday in America. Parents spend a great deal of time explaining Jewish history to their children, especially the Jewish Exodus experience from Egypt as found in Exodus, the second book of the Torah.
The word "Passover" means a number of things: that God passed over the Jewish homes and killed only the Egyptian firstborn (the 10th plague); or, can be read as a combination of two Hebrew words – Peh, which means "mouth," and Sach, which means "talk." This means that on Passover, the mouth should talk about the importance of the Exodus experience.
There is also special emphasis placed on the ingathering of the Jewish exiles into Jerusalem.

SYMBOLS
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Seder – The special family evening meal that is designed to encourage children to ask questions about their heritage. Seder means "order," and there is a specific order to the narrative, songs, and sequence of foods presented at the Seder meal. The Seder often takes many hours.
Haggadah – The most popular book, except for the Bible, used by the Jewish people. It tells the story of the Exodus experience. Children’s illustrated Haggadahs are used extensively at this time.
Matzah – The flat bread that is eaten during Passover. It is a reminder of the unleavened bread eaten by the Jews as they rushed to leave Egypt. They were in such a hurry that they had no time to let their bread rise.
Morror – Bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness of Jewish life in Egypt.

HIGHLIGHTS
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The Passover Seder goes on well into the night. Many young children fall
asleep at the Seder table. Parents are always anxious to find books that will help entertain and keep their children awake at the Seder table.
Since the text of the Haggadah does not change, Haggadahs are always in
demand just before Passover. Any Jewish book dealing with the Exodus experience is also popular, including the Book of Exodus from the Bible. Portions of the Book of Exodus are read both before and after Passover.

Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah)
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The loss of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust has created an endless stream of poignant and memorable stories about this traumatic era in world history.
For children, graphic stories of the Concentration Camps and Ghettos are not always appropriate. But stories dealing with some of the basic issues of the Holocaust, as portrayed in the titles below, are certainly appropriate.

Shavuot
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Meaning: The Feast of Weeks

Shavuot marks the official entrance of the Jewish people into the Covenant with God. It celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments were given at this time.
Shavuot falls exactly seven weeks after Passover. The Jewish people count these seven weeks to show they are eagerly "counting the days" until they receive the Torah.

SYMBOLS
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The Book of Ruth – This scroll is read aloud in synagogue. It depicts the lives of two Jewish heroines, the Moabite Ruth, and her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi. The story emphasizes that purity of lineage is not the most important quality for a Jew. Ruth is the great-grandmother of King David.
Milk products – Blintzes, a thin pastry dough filled with either cheese, potato, or jam; and cheesecake, are usually part of the Shavuot meal.

HIGHLIGHTS
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Stories dealing with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and renditions of the Book of Ruth are very popular at this time of the year. There is a widespread custom to study about Judaism during the night and day of Shavuot. Many men and women stay up all night learning.

The Sabbath
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Meaning: To Rest
Occurs every Friday night & Saturday


According to the Torah, God rested on the seventh day of Creation, and mankind is to emulate this day of rest. There is a growing awareness of Sabbath in the Jewish world and many families spend quality time together.
Books are a major source of entertainment on the Sabbath, especially but not exclusively in the tens of thousands of religious households who do not drive or watch television on the Sabbath.

SYMBOLS
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Candles – In many Jewish households two candles are lit on Friday night, when the Sabbath begins.
Challah – Two braided breads, called challahs, are placed on the table at each of the three Sabbath meals.
Synagogue – The vast majority of affiliated Jews go to synagogue to pray on the Sabbath. In the synagogue, a portion of the Torah is read, as is a section of the Prophets.
Food – There are a number of traditional Sabbath foods, including gefilte fish, cholent, and chicken soup.

HIGHLIGHTS
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There are relatively few books in the Jewish market that deal with the Sabbath experience. The growing awareness of the Sabbath as a unique Jewish
experience has created a very real demand for information about the Sabbath. This is especially true in the Jewish pre-teen and teen markets.
Considering that all Bar Mitzvah and most Bat Mitzvah ceremonies take place in the synagogue on the Sabbath, there is a need for titles dealing with the Sabbath experience.

Christmas Song Trivia! Twelve Days of Christmas

Joyce Comments: Even though Christmas is not my holiday, I have been aware of this song since I was in elementary school when we sang holiday songs in the hallway before our week off. This is interesting about this song being a camouflage to teaching the Christian religion during the times of their persecution. Below is what I found online about this.

The Real Meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas
http://patsyrose224.tripod.com/cmas2000-2.html

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come our of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.
Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

'Karate Kid' Co-Star Pat Morita Has Died

'Karate Kid' Co-Star Pat Morita Has Died

POSTED: 11:32 am EST November 25, 2005
UPDATED: 11:38 am EST November 25, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73.

Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."

In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills.

Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me."

He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields."

For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina."

"The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young Hilary Swank.

Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998.

Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.

"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."

After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons.

Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age 30 he entered show business full time.

"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. "

Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

Filibuster This!

This is something I have been wanting to place on this cornucopia of information for a while, but I have finally got around to it today. (Hey, better late than never!) Regardless, with another process of going through the motions to approvew the appointment of another Supreme Court Justice nominee, the contents to soon follow is, in fact, relevent.

Joyce and I have had some of the Kool-Aid drinking, Air(head) America listening, liberal Democrat extremists, trying to tell us, in their rose-tinted glasses world, how it is okay for the Dems to use the filibuster for basically whatever reason they feel like, better known as obstructionism to those who really can see through the fog. There are only SEVEN instances in which a filibuster is permissible, as stated by the Constitution.

The source of this information comes from the book, Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America, by Dr. Mark Levin, a legitimate expert on Constitutional Law in this great country of ours. The text, to be revealed below, is from pages 190-91 of this recommended reading:
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"Indeed, the Constitution provides only a few specific instances in which a super-majority vote is required:

- "The Concurrence of two thirds" of either the House or the Senate is required to expel a member of Congress under Article I, Section 5.

- "No Person shall be convicted" by the Senate in an impeachment trial "without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present," according to Article I, Section 3.

- Legislation can be enacted over Presedential veto if "two thirds" of each House approves, pursuant to Article I, Section 7.

- The President is authorized to ratify treaties only if "two thirds of the Senators present concur," under Article II, Section 2.

- Congress may propose amendments to the Constitution "whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary," according to Article V.

- Under the Fourteenth Amendment, Congress is authorized, "by a vote of two-thirds of each House," to restore the right of federal service to rebels who, having previously sworn allegience to the United States as a federal or state officer, subsequently supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.

- Under the Twenty-fifth Amendment, Congress may determine "by two-thirds vote of both Houses" that "the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." ...

... The president can counter Democrats' efforts by appointing judges when the Senate is not in session. By doing so, he would be exercising his power under Article II of the Constitution to make recess appointments. Article II provides, in part, "The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session."
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With the last point mentioned, this was how President Bush was able to appoint John Bolton as our representative to the United Nations.

These are the ONLY instances in which, accoring to the constitution, a filibuster is legitimate. Notice none of them mentioned anything about judicial appointments. To those who believe that the Democrats' can do no wrong, chew on this for a while.

Democrats Get More Money From "Rich"

Democrats Get More Money From "Rich"

December 18, 2002


Another myth about "the rich" has been shattered – namely the conventional wisdom that they are all Republicans – thanks to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. A December 18, 2002 Washington Times editorial reports that donors giving "small and medium amounts" in 2002 overwhelmingly supported the GOP, while "rich or deep-pocketed givers" hugely backed the Democrats!

Those giving $200 to $999: GOP $68 million; Democrats $44 million. Those giving $1,000 to $9,999: GOP $317 million; Democrats $307 million. The "fabulously wealthy" donors of $10,000+ gave $111 million to the GOP – a whopping $29 million less than the $140 million they lavished on the Democrats! Among those who gave $100,000+, the Democrats raised $72 million – more than double the $34 million the GOP took.

"Yeah, Rush, but all those millionaires are Republicans." No, that's not a fact, my friends. The fact is that in the 2002 election cycle, those who gave a million dollars or more poured $36 million into the Democrat coffers, and a paltry $3 million into the pockets of the GOP. Again: millionaire donations went Democrat by a 12:1 margin! The two parties took in about the same amount overall – GOP: $384 million; Democrats: $350 million. Just look at the Hollywood left, and you see where the big money goes.

In addition, the GOP attracted 40% more individual donors! (George W. Bush set an all-time fund-raising record by collecting the most money from one-thousand-dollar donors in the history of presidential politics.) Far more people giving small amounts exist as contributors to the Republican Party - while Democrats skunked the GOP among the super-rich. That's no surprise, since nine of the twelve richest members of the United States Senate are Democrats.

We're going to put this up on our website homepage permanently, right alongside the story that the top 50% of wage earners, those who make more than $26,000 a year, pay over 96% of all income taxes. (The IRS data) This myth that the Republicans are the party of the rich is breathing its last gasps, so we're giving you these figures to help put it out of its misery for good. This is not a political commercial you have to disprove. These are actual results of campaign contributions in just the 2002 cycle, which is why this class-envy garbage isn't getting the traction it used to.