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June 19, 2013

Peter Grier and Harry Bruinius: In the end, NSA might not need to snoop so secretly after all

Howard LaFranchi: Taliban peace talks hold glimmer of hope, but also unanswerable questions

Warren Richey: Supreme Court: For right to remain silent, a suspect must speak
Meredith Cohn: Leeches are making a comeback as medical helpers

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to pick the healthiest breakfast cereal

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: Spicy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

June 17, 2013

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein: Black to the Future: American Apparel Gets Biblical

Patrik Jonsson: Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?

Kate Irby, Ali Watkins, Trevor Graff and Kevin Thibodeaux: All the ways you're being watched
Don Lee: G-8 meeting will test NSA leaks' effect on U.S. influence

Patrik Jonsson: Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?

Stacey Burling: Why the stigma for migraine sufferers?

The Kosher Gourmet by Lisa Abraham: Does it work? 5 new kitchen gadgets put to the test

June 14, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget: Religious economics and being a ruler

John P. Martin: Hitler insider's missing diary found

Matt Pearce: NSA surveillance disclosure could affect court cases
Peter Tinti: US bounties changes strategy on (Wild, Wild) West African jihadis

Daniel Pendrick, M.D.: Memory loss? Old age may be the least of it

Lauren F. Friedman: But it's all natural! Should we have an instinctive preference for herbal remedies?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Streisand and Alicia Keys in Israel; "Girls" Stuff; Mel Brooks, Another TV special; Superman (who is Jewish) returns --- Israeli plays his mom

The Kosher Gourmet by Sharon K. Ghag : Bored with salad? Bling it up a bit (4 effortless recipes that will result in a 'WOW!')

June 12, 2013

Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: What's so special about Omega-3 supplements?
Morgan Housel: What newspapers were saying when you should have been buying

Pete Spotts: How cockroaches evolved so as to bypass 'roach motels'

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: Deep-dish cookie: Warm, gooey and a little over the top

June 10, 2013

Joseph A. Slobodzian: Faith healing and third degree murder: Thorny legal case
Lindsay Wise: Few options for online users to avoid spying, experts say

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: There are plenty of nutritional food bargains out there
Harvard Health Letters: Can bariatric surgery control diabetes?

Zach Murdock: Superglue helps doctors save infant's life

The Kosher Gourmet by Celebrated chef Mario Batali : As good as grilling gets: Rib eye with dry mushroom spice rub

June 7, 2013

Rabbi David Aaron: Beating jealousy

Caroline B. Glick: Wounded . . . and dangerous

Clifford D. May: Al Qaeda vs. Hezbollah
Harvard Health Letters: Fighting back against allergy season

Kimberly Lankford: Grandparents who use FSA to cover grandkid's braces and other must-know info

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom:J ewish Tony Nominees/Tony Awards; Jewish Teen Actor In Sci-Fi Flick; Jewish singer in "Voice" finals

The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust

June 5, 2013

John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less

Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Mushrooms Have Medicinal As Well As Culinary Value
Morgan Housel: Why you never learn from your investment mistakes

Don Lee: In China, kindergarten rivalry takes deadly turn

The Kosher Gourmet by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan: 30-Minute Coq au Vin isn't a dream

June 3, 2013

Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself

Richard A. Serrano: Pvt. Bradley Manning's WikiLeaks trial also a test for government

Mark Trumbull: Have degree, driving cab: Nearly half of college grads are overqualified
Kim Lankford: What to do when long-term care insurance premiums rise

Deborah Netburn: Study: Adults' mouth bacteria may help babies

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Contestant on 'The Voice'; Will Smith's 'Jewish movie family'; Bravo Gives Long Island Jews the Jersey Shore Treatment; Magicians and More

The Kosher Gourmet by Bill Ward: How to be as refined as the wines at a wine tasting

May 29, 2013

Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die

Dennis Prager: The 'Muslims-Killed-by-the-West' Lie

David Clark Scott: Open war on teachers?
Morgan Housel: If you know only five things about investing, make it these

Sara Reardon: AGenome detectives change the donation game

Deborah Netburn: A one-way ticket to Mars? 78,000-plus and counting apply by video

The Kosher Gourmet by Bev Bennett: CHEDDAR AND CHERRY MUFFINS --- your mouth is already watering

May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting


Jewish World Review April 27, 2004 / 6 Iyar, 5764

Columbia U's new friends

By Zev Chafets


Has the PC bastion suddenly changed its ways?


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | I have in the past criticized Columbia University for setting up an Edward Said chair of Middle Eastern studies with money from anonymous donors.


Recently, Columbia published the names of the contributors to this project. Among them is the United Arab Emirates, which put up $200,000.


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I applaud Columbia for its transparency. I applaud it more loudly for accepting the donation. Reaching out to the UAE is a refreshing change from the dogmatic political correctness that too often stifles intellectual diversity on elite college campuses.


A glance at the most recent State Department report on human rights reveals how flexible Columbia actually is: The UAE is ruled by a self-appointed council of tribal patriarchs.


It holds no elections.


Citizens have no right to change the government by peaceful — or any other — means.


Political parties are outlawed.


Women are property.


They are forbidden by law to marry non-Muslims. They are not allowed to travel abroad without male permission. Local custom is for men to seize and hold the passports of their female relatives. All education (except, weirdly, master of business administration programs) is strictly segregated by gender.

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Islam is the official religion of the UAE. As in most other Muslim states, there is no separation between mosque and state. Sunni imams and religious functionaries are also government employees.


The moral code of the UAE is informed by the Koran. Adultery is a grave sin, punishable by flogging. "Fornication" and "co-habitation" are illegal. Needless to say, homosexuality is strictly forbidden. So are alcohol and drugs. Polygamy, on the other hand, is permitted (to men only). The UAE's lifestyle is enforced by religious courts that are under the control of the ruling patriarchs. Capital punishment is used when necessary.


No one complains about such repression because complaining is banned. There is no right of free speech in the UAE. Newspapers are censored according to a list of proscribed topics and opinions. Impious or dissident Internet sites are blocked. Incoming mail is sometimes opened and scrutinized by state agents. Demonstrations require government permission.


The business of the UAE is oil. The ruling patriarchs are senior partners in the international fossil fuel industry. Eighty-five percent of the population is composed of foreign workers and their families. About half come from the Indian subcontinent. They are not permitted to organize — labor unions are illegal in the UAE. They also are denied public health care, education and housing. Those who grumble too loudly are routinely deported. "Societal discrimination," the State Department report noted, "while not legally sanctioned, was prevalent and occurred in most areas of daily life. ..."


The UAE has no liberal universities along the lines of Columbia. Its most famous academic think tank, the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up, was closed down last year — largely due to American pressure — after it was discovered to be publishing anti-Jewish books and promoting Holocaust denial.


Not that there's anything wrong with any of that, of course. Prof. Said himself taught that Arabs cannot be judged by Westerners. A nation like the UAE may seem to Americans homophobic, sexist, theocratic, anti-democratic, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, economically exploitative and intellectually stunted.


But in the Arab Middle East that is pretty much the norm, not to say the cultural ideal.


Still, it is bold of Columbia to embrace this difference by taking the emirs' money. These days, universities often display an exaggerated concern for the sensibilities of their students and faculty. Columbia refuses to buckle under such pressure.


By accepting the beneficence of the UAE — a nation that discriminates against women, gays, Indians, Jews and other minorities, prohibits free speech and intellectual inquiry and rules by armed tribal feudalism — the university provides a rare example of academic fearlessness as well as a fitting memorial to the life and thought of Edward Said himself.

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JWR contributor Zev Chafets is a columnist for The New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.

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