The Number on Her Arm

Prohuman Foundation President Bion Bartning on the importance of Holocaust remembrance. An excerpt:

For years, Holocaust education relied on proximity. My children have been fortunate. Their teachers brought Holocaust survivors into the classroom; men and women who spoke plainly about what they endured. When a survivor speaks, history stops feeling theoretical. You can see it happen: the shift from “this happened” to “this happened to someone.”

First Paragraph

They called him Moishe the Beadle, as if his entire life he had never had a surname. He was the jack-of-all-trades in a Hasidic house of prayer, a shtibl. The Jews of Sighet - the little town in Transylvania where I spent my childhood - were fond of him. He was poor and lived in utter penury. As a rule, our townspeople, while they did help the needy, did not particularly like them. Moishe the Beadle was the exception. He stayed out of people's way. His presence bothered no one. He had mastered the art of rendering himself insignificant, invisible.

- From Night by Elie Wiesel

Schindler's List: "Tell them they should be."

 

False Equivalence

Anne Frank was targeted and murdered solely because she was Jewish. Leaders making false equivalencies to her experience for political purposes is never acceptable. Despite tensions in Minneapolis, exploiting the Holocaust is deeply offensive, especially as antisemitism surges.

- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Holocaust Remembrance Day

[Photo by Malek Bee at Unsplash]

The American Grizzly

For all of you Theodore Roosevelt fans out there, check out Richard Jordan's essay in Law & Liberty.

And, of course, check out The Wind and the Lion.

[HT: Christopher Martin]

An A.I. Skeptic Consults A.I.

"We may not have to worry about the robots taking over because we'll be too dumb to know when they have."

Click here for details.

[Photo by Brey at Unsplash]

Blackboard Paint

Part of Nicholas Bate's latest book, this recommendation for blackboard paint is very tempting.

[Photo by Thomas T at Unsplash]

"The Global Empire of Palestine"

Łobaczewski’s conclusion cut against the grain. He argued that what he called macrosocial evil is the function of pathologically evil individuals. They disguise their true ambitions for power, wealth, and notoriety behind ideology, using terms like “social justice” which are vague enough to convey the righting of wrongs, to animate social movements united by grievance. Inside these movements, genuine psychopaths and those who adapt most easily to a pathological order rise to positions of power and influence.

Read all of Lee Smith's essay in Tablet magazine.

When Language is Creative: Group Names

Names for groups of animals and birds:

Antelope: a herd; Baboons: a troop; Bears: a sloth; Beavers: a colony; Buffalo: a gang; Camels: a caravan; Caterpillars: an army; Cats: a clutter or nuisance; Cheetahs: a coalition; Clams: a bed; Coyotes: a band; Crocodiles: a float; Crows: a murder; Dolphins: a pod; Ducks: a brace; Elephants: a herd or parade; Ferrets: a business; Geese: a gaggle; Goldfish: a troubling; Grasshoppers: a cloud; Hyenas: a cackle; Jaguars: a shadow; Larks: an exaltation; Lions: a pride; Moles: a labor; Owls: a parliament; Parrots: a pandemonium; Porcupines: a prickle; Raccoons: a gaze; Rattlesnakes: a rumba; Rhinoceroses: a crash; Sharks: a shiver; Tigers: an ambush; Vultures: a venue; Zebras: a zeal.