Today’s minute cryptic: Baby shower starts by unwrapping mother’s presents (4) Dang, that’s good…

There are no words for how much I needed this right now, at least I don’t think there are. If there are, though, odds are pretty good that one of the three participants here would know them…

Worst title for a podcast episode that I’ve seen in some time. Think this a crucial and balanced listen on the Iranian war, the history leading up to it, and what we can and can’t know. I can’t think of anyone with strong opinions on this not learning something: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Among the MANY things to love about barbershop is that it just seems like so much fun. C’mon, wouldn’t you love to be able to do this, even after hitting “a certain age”? m.youtube.com/watch?v=2OWm...

Rmemebering the great Terry Pratchett, now 11 years gone. A small measure of his genius: “Small Gods” is a favorite of both his devoutly religious and militantly atheistic readers, who see themselves vindicated by his skewering of religious hypocrisy.

Y’know what? I’m glad for this interview. I have absolutely zero doubt that anyone defending Democratic presidents’ military excursions to a skeptical conservative interview would sound just as moronic. Time to face the monster we’ve created head-on…

Low-key convinced that 85% of contemporary American Judaism’s problems would be solved if its leadership spent one full day in NY Presbyterian’s Chesed room talking to everyone who passed through…

Okay, time for good Jewish news. Frieda Vizel has a new video out on the hasidic medical charity system and her experience with it. Grab a hanky, and get some warm & fuzzies for a bit: m.youtube.com/watch?v=vClj...

If you can’t understand the *moral legitimacy* of Western military intervention in Iran, you have no sense of morality. If you can’t understand the extreme skepticism of the *effectiveness* or *political* legitimacy of said intervention, you have no sense of modern history.

One thing. I want to be as good as this guy is at one thing in my life. Why is that so much to ask?

Just gonna leave this here: www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/m...

Like many things in this world, the rules–based international order was always an illusion, a sham, a farce. It was a USEFUL one, though, and its loss is significant, even if inevitable.

So, hypothetically, if your building turns off the water at 11am for an emergency, then promises it’ll be back on at 2pm, then sends an email at 3:20 saying it’ll be back on in an hour and it’s now 6:15 with no water & no update, are you entitled to be a wee bit perturbed? Hypothetically, of course

Today’s barbershop content: After Hours, possibly the most technically proficient quartet in history, doing an a capella standard. You know you’re insanely good when you don’t even bother with the octave jump in the first verses and only pop it out on the last one: m.youtube.com/watch?v=kmAY...

Faith in humanity: restored

Yeah; probably not driving in to work tomorrow either…

Okay, fam: we’re upping our D’ror Yikra game RIGHT NOW… m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rda4...

The Gen X urge to be The One and Only (only the second-most embarrassing song I’ll admit to loving)…

Oh. My. Goodness. So fantastic, and with material not on the recording that I originally heard decades ago. Absolutely essential listening for anyone interested in modern Jewish philosophy. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Mark Smilowitz has done the Jewish intellectual world an incredible service in restoring & reorganizing Rav Soloveitchik’s lecture series “Man and his Social Institutions.” I listened to the online recordings ages ago, and this is long overdue. Cannot recommend enough: traditiononline.org/jpm/

Desperately need the yeshiva world to hire a nightclub DJ to evaluate wedding music: if he says “I think that’s a bit much,” into the trash it goes. #OohMyHead

My liberal friends outside of NYC swooning over every thing mayor Mamdani does is such a fascinating vibe…

No barbershop content for a MONTH?! Geez; okay, let’s do some comedy: Storm Front’s 2010 gold-medal winning set. I still prefer FRED for my barbershop laughs, but gotta admit this guys are pretty darned awesome. Wish BHS would release these videos officially already: m.youtube.com/watch?v=GfVE...

Sometimes, you just need to read something without it becoming political. Don’t just confirm your priors; read, reflect and commit to making things better, however that makes sense to you: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Post a banger that isn’t in English

3/4 disingenuousness, 1/4 genuine insight, more or less… what a complete bizzaro-world listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Frieda Vizel’s podcast has become my “must listen as soon as it comes out” morning listen. Her latest on the internal chasidic economy is a typical example of her excellent work: sympathetic without sacrificing accuracy. We need more of this in our fractured time: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Waitaminit! “Natick” is pronounced “NAY-tick,” not “NAH-tick”? @rexparker.bsky.social , did I miss this?

Okay, desperate times call for desperate silliness: From the recently-released BHS 1985 Barbershop Quartet finals, here’s Rural Route Four with the groaniest parody I’ve seen in some time: m.youtube.com/watch?v=Af_D...

Getting engrossed in a niche, extremely well-researched and presented long piece of academia that appeals to you and maybe 10 other people in the world: 10/10 experience. Highly recommended.

Washington Heights Kinyan Hamasechta shiur starting a new perek of Sukkah. DM if interested…

Barbershop content thread time! Something that’s way too awesome about barbershop is that it’s simultaneously competitive and communal. Groups often sing with each other in whole or part, and it can be pretty awesome. Here’s two of the modern greats having fun: m.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDR...

In Jewish studies: Nechama Leibowitz and Christine Hayes In musical theater: Dorothy Fields In science: Lise Meitner & Marie Curie

Okay, a barbershop content two-fer: First, 2024 BHS champs Three and a Half Men having a blast doing a Harold Arlen number as part of their swan set at the 2025 competition: m.youtube.com/watch?v=hUgW...

א ליכטיג חנוכה!

Is there *really* no easy-to-find video of Stephen Colbert saying “a lichtig un freilichin Chanukkah” to Jon Stewart from Back in the Day? Why do we even *have* an internet?

Old man complaint: If I haveta have three days of flu followed by a day of stomach bug/food poisoning, I should at least get 5 pounds’ weight loss from the experience…

There was something I needed to do that I put off for too long. I sat down, thought about how to do it, tried doing it, and it worked! #ADHDLIfeCelebration

Barbershop content: 2025 BHS champs Lemon Squeezy absolutely hamming it up with “Popular.” It should not be legal to have that much fun while sounding that good: m.youtube.com/watch?v=kVBf...

Oh, and it’s been too long since I’ve put some barbershop content here. Rural Route Four were, as the name might imply, a rural-based quartet (two of the members ran a dairy farm) who combined hokey humor with heavenly harmonies. Here’s a classic fun number from them: m.youtube.com/watch?v=hXm0...

🧵Since biblical translation has come up in my feed, let’s have some fun with it, eh? The expression we’re going to examine is עזר כנגדו (“ezer k’negdo”), which appears, as per my concordance, twice in the Hebrew Bible, in Genesis 2:18 & 2:20, translated in the King James as “help meet for him.”

Because the world deserves good news: xkcd.com/3172/

Barbershop content of the day: The Lovely Wife(tm) twisted my arm to post this performance by perpetual champs Vocal Majority. She didn’t have to twist all that much… m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lto...

More barbershop it is! Not generally a big fan of barbershop choruses, although I can respect the work. This one, though, is just breathtaking: New Zealand Pacific Islander chorus Pacific Connections doing a “Moana” medley at the 2023 BHS international. m.youtube.com/watch?v=icaZ...

Today’s barbershop content: GQ, possibly the most versatile quartet on the planet, doing an impromptu performance for gospel legends the Fairfield Four: m.youtube.com/watch?v=EZzF...

Today’s barbershop clip: the Hot Air Buffoons were never a great technical quartet (although their bass was a former champion), but they had fun. The “four clap” gag never fails to crack me up: m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Qu...

This podcast is so obscenely good, I can’t even begin to find the words. Been slowly working my way through the back catalog, but decided to give the most recent one a listen, and it’s an absolute gem. Hickey’s combination of knowledge, sensitivity, and enthusiasm is unparalleled.

“Don’t put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That’s why they’re called revolutions.” — Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Today’s BHS performance for you. It may not be traditional barbershop, but if you care about that for more than a second, I fear for your soul: m.youtube.com/watch?v=ehXy...

If your criteria for “who is a ‘good Jew’” include “what political positions do they hold,” or if you believe that victims of antisemitism only deserve sympathy if they share your political viewpoints, then you have made politics your religion. Don’t do that.