Interesting Posts and Articles #241

1. This week's Haveil Havalim at To Kiss a Mezuzah.
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2. An Opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about Congress possibly imposing draconian punishment for lying on the Internet. Not good. And then, perhaps in response, they fix the law, a bit. I still have reservations.
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3. As with every year, opposition to using chickens as kapparot. I don't see the need to end it, though I am not in favor of the minhag. Rather, make sure that it is well-supervised, hygienic, kosher, and that it does not involve tzaar baalei chayim or chillul Hashem from the mess. Perhaps the local rabbinic establishment should guide and regulate this.
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4. At Life in Israel, thugs attack woman on a mehadrin bus. Well, demanded that these fare-paying women disembark. And the other passengers and the bus driver stood by.
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5. At Hirhurim, Rabbi Ari Enkin and Rabbi Gil Student consider whether one can pronounce J's Witnesses. This reminds me of this Monty Python clip, from Life of Brian:
   
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6. At Matzav, a report of how sikrikim vandalized Manny's seforim store in Yerushalayim. See also comment #12 there, somewhat in favor of their goals, and telling people not to judge because it is Elul. Also comment #33. It takes all kinds, I guess.
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7. A fourth trimester abortion.
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8. Also at Matzav, the Rachmastrivke Rebbe's gabbai is almost stabbed by petitioner. This story is still very from
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9. At An Aspiring Mekubal, how they are burning a sefer Torah which was written by a righteous sofer but commissioned on behalf of a pedophile who molested over 100 children. The pedophile completed some letters towards the end. It seems wrong to burn the entire sefer Torah on that basis, even though of course what this pedophile did was really really awful. In another post, he gives more details and names the alleged pedophile (useful for people who live in Nachalot), and then has a follow-up that the fellow was released because the victims were too young to adequately testify.
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10. The Yeshiva World points us to the Lakewood Scoop which has a story about Rav Chaim Kanievsky segulah wine being used in a fundraiser. At the same fundraiser, they will be raffling off a siddur inscribed by Rav Shteinman.
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11. Here on parshablog, thou shalt not sleep with the fishes.