By Debbie Schlussel

I’ve been sick all weekend (and today) with a cold/flu, complete with sore throat, runny nose, coughs, etc.  Fortunately, the initial headache went away.  I’ve been taking Dayquil and what we call “Jewish penicillin” a/k/a chicken soup, as well as hot tea with honey and lemon  Probably will get some Dimetapp at some point soon. But this is the meanest cold I can remember having.

What are your best cold and flu remedies?  I’m starting to feel better (the flu part is mild and mostly gone now), but I’m still open to (almost) anything.  As with most people, I hate being sick.

By Debbie Schlussel

Not allowed to post my review of “Avatar” until later this week.  But, for now, watch this clever analysis (based only on the trailer) from Cracked (thanks to reader Ari for the tip).

To view the video, click to see the rest of the entry . . .

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By Debbie Schlussel

Even though I’ve never hunted and never will (it’s against my religion to hunt for sport, and our food is slaughtered in captivity), I really appreciate this story and congratulate 98-year-old Chet Briggs.  The Alpena, Michigan native finally bagged his first elk on Thursday.  And how he got the license to do it is a great holiday story of sharing and giving gifts that you can’t buy in a store. It’s not “The Gift of the Magi.” But it’s pretty close.

98-Year-Old Chet Briggs (Right) & Friend Larry Burcz (Left) w/ Elk

A function of big government, Briggs could not hunt elk before because you need a license in Michigan to do so and, in 30 years, he failed to win a license  the Michigan Department of Natural Resources lottery for such licenses. Even though I am not a Christian and I celebrate Chanukah, I can appreciate the joy this Christmas present brought this man. It’s a story that PETA members will hate . . . and which I love.

A good friend made a heartfelt gesture, Briggs’ dreams of elk hunting became a reality.

Back in June, Larry Burcz, a seasoned elk hunter who has known Briggs for 44 years, was selected to receive one of the hard-to-get permits. . . . He made the decision to use a special regulation that allows an elk tag winner to transfer his tag to another hunter and he made up his mind to give it to Briggs. . . .

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By Debbie Schlussel

As I write this, the Jewish holiday of Chanukah is soon to begin–as all Jewish holidays do–at sundown.

Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Light, is the story of miracles on so many levels, miracles Jews remember during this eight-day holiday, every year. But, unlike other Jewish holidays, part of our observance of this holiday is to publicize the miracles of Chanukah to the public by lighting our menorahs (plural is actually “menorot”)–the Chanukah candelabras–in our window or front door for the world to see.

We celebrate and let the world know the miracle that a small band of Jewish warriors, the Maccabees, were able to defeat the Greek-Syrian soldiers of King Antiochus, who far outnumbered them. We celebrate that a jar of oil that would only last one day, lasted eight and lit the holy Jewish Temple that had been theretofore been desecrated, until a new jar of oil was ready to keep the Temple lit.

But the Menorah and the holiday mean even more to me and those I’ve met in my life. As a grad student at the University of Wisconsin, I became friends with a Russian Jewish immigrant, Dmitry. Dmitry, from a poor Jewish family near Siberia, was sold into slavery by a Russian businessman. As a student at a university, he was regularly beaten up by his fellow students for being Jewish. Soon, a Russian businessman promised his professors at the university that he had a great opportunity for him in the United States. When Dmitry reached the airport in America, he was met by a Wisconsin farming family who brought him to their house, only let him shower once a week and paid him $20 a month. The family constantly asked him if he was a Jew, but he never admitted it, fearing he’d be beaten like he was in the former Soviet Union.

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By Debbie Schlussel

A very unsung dark comedy starring two seemingly has-beens gets my vote, this weekend.  A very obviously anti-Semitic film over which critics are raving gets my jeers.  I did not see Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” as the screening was held on the Jewish Sabbath.

*  “An Education“:  If this movie didn’t have such an anti-Semitic slant, so obvious and heavy-handed, I might have liked it.  But, instead, we’re told over and over that the villain in this movie, a criminal and predator of young and old, is a Jew.  It’s high quality British Bin Laden cinema.  The authors of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion would be proud.

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By Debbie Schlussel

For those doubters who mocked me and chose to believe a lying AirTran over passenger Tedd J. Petruna regarding what happened on AirTran Flight 297 on November 17th, you might wanna start mocking the passengers of Wednesday’s United 227, too.  Oh, and maybe you might wanna start calling former NFL coach Mike Shanahan a nut, too.  He was on the flight.

It’s yet another flight grounded because Middle Eastern men tried to create havoc, test the system, and likely do a dry run.  It’s almost an identical scenario with flight attendants scared out of their minds, etc.

But, hey, nothing to see here, move along. You know the drill: we’re just “bigots”. Uh-huh. So what happened on this flight? Why was a bomb-sniffing K9 brought in? And why were several “Middle-Eastern” men escorted off? Huh?

It’s not entirely clear why some passengers were removed from a plane at Denver International Airport on Wednesday. United Airlines issued a statement suggesting that the passengers were “re-accommodated” onto another flight.

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By Debbie Schlussel

Billy Dee Williams and the weather man both have the latest on Tiger Woods, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel.

Bonus video – Barack Obama @ the Nobel Peace Prize Award acceptance shindig:

By Debbie Schlussel

As someone who has spent a great deal of time studying and writing about Jews in America’s old West and how many Jewish merchants played an important role in Manifest Destiny, I’m well aware of the past history of Jews in Montana.  Once there were many, now there are few.  But we were a vital part of American history from its beginning, whereas a certain other religion which wishes to destroy both Jews and Christians, was not.

Montana’s Democrat Gov. Brian Schweitzer Lights the Chanukah Menorah

Still on the eve of Chanukah, which begins tonight at sundown, I enjoy this story.  And whether or not you are Jewish, I think you will, too. It’s also a great story that transcends religions, but also tells of how the Chabad movement in Judaism–victims of the Mumbai Islamic terrorist attack, a year ago–plays such a vital part in Judaism all over the world and, certainly, all over America . . . no matter how rural. Even a Hebrew speaking dog can appreciate it.

In Montana, a rabbi is an unusual sight. So when a Hasidic one walked into the State Capitol last December, with his long beard, black hat and long black coat, a police officer grabbed his bomb-sniffing German shepherd and went to ask the exotic visitor a few questions.

Though there are few Jews in Montana today, there once were many. In the late 19th century, there were thriving Jewish populations in the mining towns, where Jews emigrated to work as butchers, clothiers, jewelers, tailors and the like.

The city of Butte had kosher markets, a Jewish mayor, a B’nai B’rith lodge and three synagogues. Helena, the capital city, had Temple Emanu-El, built in 1891 with a seating capacity of 500. The elegant original facade still stands, but the building was sold and converted to offices in the 1930s, when the congregation had dwindled to almost nothing, the Jewish population having mostly assimilated or moved on to bigger cities.

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By Debbie Schlussel

****  SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE  ****

Florida is one of the states in the Union with the largest Jewish concentrations.  So, it’s ironic to me that on the eve of Chanukah (which starts tonight at sundown–more on that later), they and other Florida taxpayers–most of whom I believe would be disgusted by this guy–are paying for this absurdity:

John Allen Ditullio is a walking billboard for the neo-Nazi movement: a large 6-inch swastika tattooed under his right ear, barbed wire inked down the right side of his face, and an extreme and very personal vulgarity scrawled on one side of his neck.

Jurors will never see any of it. A judge has ruled that the state must pay a cosmetologist up to $150 a day during Ditullio’s trial on murder and attempted murder charges and apply makeup to cover up the black ink.

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By Debbie Schlussel

Though I’m not Italian, I can understand why Italian-American groups are offended by MTV’s new show, “Jersey Shore,” a “reality” show featuring the worst stereotypes (other than Mafiosi) against America’s Italians.

Trust me, MTV will never ever have the guts to do “Dearbornistan Street”–or more accurately, “Dearbornistan Jihad”–about Muslim kids in Dearborn who openly support terrorist groups.  Because that would be “stereotyping and bigotry.”  And the world would be up in arms about it.  The casting notice for “Jersey Shore” sought “loud, proud Italians” and “guidos and guidettes” to audition for the show.

Can you imagine anyone ever having the guts to audition “violent, America-hating Muslims” and “jihadis and jihadas” for a show?  Not a chance, even though it would be more accurate in portraying America’s (and everywhere else’s) followers of the “Religion of Peace” than the other description does in describing Italian-Americans.

But having Italians portrayed as “guidos” and excessively hair-gelled goons,  garish, vulgar idiots, and skanks . . . well, that’s A-OK for Viacom (MTV’s parent company).  (The Salt Lake Tribune’s Vince Horiuchi has the best summary and critique I’ve read on the show. Another good analysis is by Entertainment Weekly’s Mike Bruno.)  There’s absolutely no value in this show, and you have to be a complete moron to find it entertaining.  Sadly, morons tend to gravitate to MTV’s audience demo.

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