People

The star of David and candle stands on the table on a black background in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and genocide.

Rashida Tlaib’s Hate Speech Enablers

World leaders on Monday marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp with calls warning against the rise of global antisemitism. A day earlier, Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib promoted a false “blood libel” claim that Jews murdered a Palestinian child in Jerusalem. Jewish leaders demanded that Tlaib apologize. Here’s why I’m glad she didn’t.

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PARIS, FRANCE - JUN 22, 2017: New Boeing 737-9 MAX airliner at the Paris Air Show 2017.

The Boeing Accountants Overseeing 737 Max Safety

Boeing’s grounded 737 MAX, which experienced two crashes and claimed 346 lives, was a cost saving move to tweak an existing airplane design rather than develop a new plane from scratch. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that nearly half of the Boeing directors who approved the initiative have ties to private equity. One of them is David Calhoun, who took over as Boeing’s CEO on Monday.

The flying public can take great comfort knowing that Calhoun is an accountant by training, as are two of the three Boeing directors who comprise the board’s aerospace safety committee. What more could possibly go wrong?

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NO, Bloody word over shattered background

Harvey Weinstein’s Delusional PR Offensive

Most PR professionals will tell you the importance of getting out before the media and telling your story. Harvey Weinstein and his advisors offer a case study as to why that’s sometimes a very bad idea.

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Empty vintage court's room with table,chairs and microphones.

The Electoral College of Bandy X Lee

Yale faculty psychiatrist Bandy X Lee wants medical health professionals to have the final say on who’s fit to serve as president, preferably before candidates can run for office. Had the Constitution’s framers allowed for such a panel, Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy would have been deemed mentally unfit, as would Pete Buttgieg prior to December 1973. Nazi Germany provided a lesson as to what can happen when psychiatrists are allowed inordinate influence on the political process.

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winter landscape colorful sunrise over the snow-covered field

When Rabbis Know More Than Doctors

It was the call I long feared and dreaded. “Dad has taken a bad turn and the doctors say it’s only a matter of hours,” my eldest sister Janie advised on that early February 2014 morning. “You need to get to Toronto as soon as possible.” Driving home the severity…

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My Fascination with Ayelet Zurer and Israeli TV

Jews have long been great storytellers. The tradition began in the BC era with Moses’ publication of his five-book anthology “The Bible,” a record bestseller.  We’ve been on a roll ever since. Acclaimed Jewish novelists of more recent times included Philip Roth, Saul Bellow, Franz Kafka, Herman Wouk, and Joseph…

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How Charles Zook Rescued Me From New York City

My intentions weren’t entirely honorable when I struck up my first conversation with Charles Zook eight years ago. He was sitting next to me poolside at an unconventional retreat in Northern California, and I was admiring the redheaded woman he was with. She was naturally pretty, poised, and exuded intelligence.…

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