USA

Jews, Christians, Muslims to join in MLK salute

San Diegans of various faiths will gather at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at the Marston House in Balboa Park, at 3525 Seventh Avenue (corner of Upas) to honor the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been five days past his 91st birthday. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

World dignitaries’ A-List converge on Jerusalem

Kings, princes, presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers will converge on Jerusalem this week for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. The race for hotel rooms has been frenetic and the prestige hotels have mainly been booked on a “first come first served” basis with a few exceptions. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, International, Middle East, USA

Two San Diegans on new Kol Yisrael slate

We have previously announced the names of four San Diegans who have been nominated on different slates to serve as delegates to the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem next October.  San Diego County is also represented on the new Kol Yisrael slate, backed by a variety of organizations, including StandWithUs and the Israel-American Council, two of the fastest growing Zionist organizations in the U.S.. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Why I won’t vote for Biden, Sanders or Warren

– Two policy positions should disqualify any candidate for president – casting a vote to invade Iraq or distorting Israel’s role in its struggle with the Palestinians. That would eliminate former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the three consistent front-runners for the Democratic nomination. In October 2002, then-Senator Biden joined 76 other senators in voting to send troops to invade Iraq, and Sanders and Warren cannot pontificate on the Middle East for long without placing a disproportionate amount of blame on Israel. {Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA

Weather forecaster publishes cli-fi novel

For Glenn Schwartz in Philadelphia, writing a cli-fi novel about the weather came easy. He’s a certified broadcast meteorologist who has done the weather on TV for 40 years of his 47-year career. His specialty has been in forecasting and severe weather, especially hurricanes. He co-authored the award-winning Philadelphia Area Weather Book in 2002 and was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2010. His debut novel is titled The Weathermaker and is written under the byline of Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz. More on the nickname later. [Dan Bloom]

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The World We Share, USA

Balloting begins Jan. 21 for World Zionist Congress

Between Jan. 21 and March 11, American Jews may participate in the selection of U.S. delegates to the World Zionist Congress, which will meet in Jerusalem from Oct. 20-22 to help set policy for three major Jewish organizations: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund, and the Jewish Agency for Israel.  The Congress’s policy decisions will influence how approximately $1 billion is allocated. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Australia’s wildfires are a warning to us all

It seemed only natural, after hearing and reading about the terrible conflagration in Australia, to reach out to our friends and acquaintances there to ask how they were faring. Most sent back fairly optimistic replies, reassuring us that their lives and homes were not in danger, though the ever-present smoke made daily life less pleasant. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, The World We Share, USA

‘Lucky Ones’ suffers from poor writing, editing

I have very mixed feelings about this book {“We Were the Lucky Ones”]. On the one hand, it is a hearfelt attempt to reconstruct the experiences of various members of the author’s family (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins) during the Holocaust. On the other, however, the writing does not flow easily, and the fact that the narrative is mainly (though not solely) in the present tense jars on my sensibilities as a reader. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, USA

Artistic genius of Félix Vallotton

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently presenting through Jan. 26 the work of Félix Vallotton, an artist who has been largely neglected relative to his contemporaries, such as Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard. This makes the present exhibition all the more welcome, and fascinating. Vallotton’s work unquestionably merits the renewed attention — his paintings possess a mysterious quality, narrative appeal, and attention to detail, as well as invoke a delicious sense of irony and wit. [Sam Ben-Meir, PhD]

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International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Rivals jab Jacobs, Gomez in 53rd CD debate

In an otherwise peaceful debate Sunday, two Democrats with military backgrounds launched salvos against the front-runners in the race to replace Rep. Susan Davis in the 53rd Congressional District. Their targets: Qualcomm heir Sara Jacobs and San Diego Councilwoman Georgette Gómez (with the local Democratic Party as collateral damage). [Ken Stone, Times of San Diego]

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Ken Stone, San Diego County, USA

NBA’s Nets wear ‘No Place for Hate’ shirts

In light of the numerous anti-Semitic attacks that have taken place in Brooklyn over the past few months, during pre-game last night the Brooklyn Nets wore a specially created “No Place for Hate” shirt, in collaboration with ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). No Place for Hate ® is ADL’s signature education program for combating bias, bullying and hatred in public schools. [Anti-Defamation League press release]

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Sports & Competitions, USA

SDSU wins plaudits for blocking anti-Semitic speaker

StandWithUs, a national organization combating anti-Semitism on American college campuses, has congratulated San Diego State University for blocking a speaking invitation to Ava Muhammad, who is a spokeswoman for Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA