A Post in the Key of Random

The Jew & The Carrot and Rosh Hashanah
Yesterday, The Jew & The Carrot posted links to some great recipes for Rosh Hashanah and clearly noted which ones are vegan. Click here to check out the blog's Healthy and Sustainable Rosh Hashanah Resources. On Friday, The Jew & The Carrot suggested a half-dozen different vegan alternatives to honey. (My general position on honey is that "if we choose to avoid honey, fine. Let’s just not make a huge production of it ...," as a Michael Greger article I'd linked to on The Jew & The Carrot said, so I was surprised to see my name besides those of two rabbis and the blog's EIC on this topic!)

To the Heart of Shalom
Two years ago, I wrote a post exploring whether there's a Jewish connection to Celtic punk/rock. Last night, at a Virginia Beach venue called the Jewish Mother, I saw a Christian Celtic-punk band named Flatfoot 56. It's worth noting that in the chorus of their song "Hold Fast" (click here to see a live performance), they sing, "From the depths of Sheol to the heart of shalom / We will stand strong together; we will never be alone." I get the impression that the band often plays to an Oi! crowd that attracts a lot of skinheads, but their "An eye for an eye and we'll all be blind!" message makes them more than OK in my book!

Hurricane Bear
heebnvegan readers will probably recall the story of Jacob "The Golden Ghost" Calle, a Texan vegan who hurt his leg in a Houston air guitar contest. (heebnvegan broke the news in July, and the Houston Press' blog picked up the story shortly afterward.) Last weekend, Calle went to Galveston, Texas, to clown around during Hurricane Ike. After a TV station showed Calle in the bear suit as part of its hurricane coverage, the hilarious video was seen by many on YouTube and posted to numerous blogs, including the Sun Sentinel's blog. The Wall Street Journal's blog picked up the story, and CNN even found a way to work in the video in its coverage of Ralph Nader's presidential campaign. VH1 used Calle's stunt as one of two examples of how "news crashing" has reached a new level. For more information and to order Hurricane Bear merchandise (including a Hurricane Bear mousepad), go to HurricaneBear.com.

David Foster Wallace
Revered author David Foster Wallace was found dead earlier this month. In 2004, Wallace wrote a groundbreaking article for Gourmet magazine (you read that right) exploring the ethical issues associated with eating lobsters and causing them to suffer. He made the point—better than most can—that we need to consider animals’ pain and suffering rather than just blindly consuming them without any regard for their interests. The Jew & The Carrot called "Consider the Lobster" a "beautiful, compassionate, soul-searching article on man’s relationship with food." In the article, Wallace wrote, "[A]fter all the abstract intellection, there remain the facts of the frantically clanking lid, the pathetic clinging to the edge of the pot. Standing at the stove, it is hard to deny in any meaningful way that this is a living creature experiencing pain and wishing to avoid/escape the painful experience."

Livni the Vegetarian
On Thursday, I noted that Tzipi Livni, who might soon become Israel's prime minister, is a vegetarian. Although it mocks the topic at hand, I can't help but link to this post from the blog of Andrew Silow-Carroll, the editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Jewish News.