Parenting: German for “Misery”
Is there anything worse than divorce, unemployment, or the death of a partner? According to German adults: parenthood. Rachel Margolis, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, and Mikko Myrskylä, Executive Director of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, were interested in understanding why parents so often stop at one child, … Continue reading
Matisyahu Fights For The Freedom to Sing
Mrs. Garnett, my 9th grade art teacher, taught us that an artist’s job is to be bold and use his art to confront society about its flaws. However, sometimes, it’s an artist’s life experience that is actually more instructive. Take, for instance, American Jewish Reggae singer Matisyahu. Matisyahu was scheduled to perform at Spain’s Rototom Sunsplash Festival on August … Continue reading
RSVP Yes to Drunk Wedding
The New York Times doesn’t typically report on video-on-demand movies. Yet, The Times recently did just that, chronicling the behind-the-scenes squabbling about the distribution of Drunk Wedding. Paramount apparently came incredibly close to widely releasing the micro-budget film. Since you may not yet have seen, or even heard about this NSFW ensemble comedy, I called director Nick Weiss (a college friend), … Continue reading
Hugh Hefner’s Son Rebels
Twenty-three year-old Cooper Hefner recently proposed to his girlfriend of two years, 24-year-old British actress Scarlett Byrne. In advance of the big ask, Cooper flew across the Pond to secure the blessing of Byrne’s father. And after Byrne accepted, both families celebrated, including Cooper’s grandma. All of this makes Cooper sound remarkably traditional and family-oriented in a … Continue reading
What Amy Schumer’s ‘Trainwreck’ Teaches About Fathers
Is Amy Schumer a secret conservative plant? If you’re a social conservative watching her new movie, “Trainwreck,” you do have to pause and consider the notion. Thirty-something Amy Townsend (Schumer) is a hot mess, or a train wreck, if you like, from the movie’s start. We learn Amy’s back story in the opening scene, as … Continue reading
melissa langsam braunstein 
What Natalie Portman Gets Right And Wrong About Jews
Posted by melissa braunstein on August 31, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Natalie Portman apparently thinks Jews spend too much time talking about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. In an interview about her new movie with the British Independent, the Oscar-winner made provocative and newsworthy observations. However, they were also problematic for a variety of reasons. Portman’s most insightful comment is also her most incendiary: “‘I think a really big question … Continue reading →
Filed under Clips, Cultural Commentary, Politics · Tagged with Anti-Semitism, Darfur, Iran, Israel, Jewry, Jews, Natalie Portman, Rwandan Genocide, The Holocaust