Author Archives: jik

“Papers, please.”

On the 9th of December 2005, Deborah Davis will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in a case that will determine whether Deb and the rest of us in the USA live in a free society, or in a country where we must show “papers” whenever a cop demands them. One morning in late September… Read More »

Rabbi Mordecai Tendler case?

While searching for material on the Web about the agunah problem to answer a question someone asked about whether excommunication is still used within Judaism, I came upon news I hadn’t previously heard, concerning the expulsion earlier this year of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler from the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA).

FootSmart: Totally Evil or Totally Incompetent?

Updated 8/29/2015: And… They’re spamming me again. Now, it’s through the “salesforce marketing cloud.” I’ve unsubscribed using the link in today’s spam, and I also sent a complaint to SalesForce. We’ll see if anything comes of it (I doubt it). Updated 1/31/2006: I’ve put on-line the statement of claim I was intending to use to… Read More »

Vote!

Tomorrow is election day in the US. Since it’s an odd year, there are no elections for Federal offices tomorrow, except perhaps for a few special elections scattered here and there. Nevertheless, if there is a state or local election in your community, and you are eligible to vote, and you don’t vote tomorrow, then… Read More »

“Google Print” is here to stay

Google has embarked on an ambitious project to scan millions of books into an online, searchable database. Many people and organizations object to the project on the grounds that it infringes on these books’ copyrights. These include the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, both of which have filed suit to stop Google… Read More »

“Guns should go”? No, lies should go!

I tend to oppose gun control, although I’m only a little bit “right of center” on the issue. When I was young and irresponsible, I was a rabid supporter of gun control, until I actually spent some time paying careful attention to the arguments being put forth by both sides of the debate. What I… Read More »

Ignorance and antisemitism at Portland State University

An opinion piece about Jerusalem in the October 18, 2005 edition of the Portland State University Vanguard was so riddled with factual errors and antisemitic statements that the editors of the newspaper removed the article from their Web site on October 27 and replaced it with this text: Editor’s note, Oct. 27, 2005: This article… Read More »

When “Kosher, Vegan” is neither

Given the web of Federal and state laws and regulations surrounding food labeling and deceptive trade practices, you would think that a food manufacturer with a nationwide market wouldn’t survive for long if it outright lied about the ingredients in its products, intentionally deceiving vegans, vegetarians, and people who keep kosher. Alas, that’s apparently not… Read More »