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Slouching toward open season on Jews

Jews celebrating Hanukkah were just slaughtered by Muslim gunmen on an Australian beach, in an imitation of the October 7 massacres. An inert Europe is canceling Christmas celebrations out of fear of threats of violence from Muslim minorities. In the West, when an Islamist shoots a Jew, politicians often offer two bizarre remedies: gun control or a task force to tackle Islamophobia. To catalog all the recent violence against Jews in the Western world would fill a book. We know the causes. Anemic Western leaders – politicians, college presidents, media grandees, and celebrities ...

Why science can’t disprove virgin birth

If you aren’t a Christian, the Christmas story can seem as far-fetched as Santa Claus. Billions of people will celebrate Christmas this Thursday. It’s much more than a reason to decorate and spoil your kids or grandkids. It celebrates the birth of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem to Mary and his earthly father, Joseph. Jesus was no ordinary child. He was the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Isaiah 9 ...

Happy-enough holiday is good enough

On my 11th Christmas, my parents were preparing to divorce. At the time, I didn’t know that, of course, though I imagine most children sense, on some level, the rising tension and animosity that can precede separation. They were certainly fighting more, and I remember hating it, being the only one of us kids who would be awoken by the sounds of their arguments. I was a light sleeper; was afraid I would sleepwalk right out of our apartment and onto the road out front. My parents must have been worried that I’d wake early on Christmas Day, too, because in the run-up to the holiday, ...

God’s gift who keeps on giving

With Christmas near, many people are excited to exchange gifts with family and loved ones. Children are especially enthusiastic on Christmas morning as they open their presents under the tree, hoping they received everything they asked for. They could be getting the latest technological gadgets or fashionable clothes that represent current trends. According to Amazon, some of the “hottest” gifts for girls and boys this year include mini karaoke machines with a portable Bluetooth speaker and two wireless microphones, and Masterbee digital cameras that print instant photos. Many ...

Bernie Sanders’ plan would sabotage future

Most people welcome economic growth, but Bernie Sanders hates it. The Vermont socialist has come out against data centers, the mass computing facilities essential to the development of artificial intelligence. There are all sorts of NIMBY-type reasons for local residents to oppose data centers — they use a lot of energy and water, they are noisy and unsightly — but Sanders is against them on principle. If he can stop the creation of new data centers, he can squeeze AI research to a standstill and supposedly save American jobs and give Congress more time to regulate the new ...

Two men who changed their fields forever

The strange house on 23rd Street — a trapezoid of plywood, shower glass and chain link fence — was the laughingstock of our Santa Monica neighborhood. Even Frank Gehry’s gardener joked about the architect owner: “Poor Mr. Gehry.” Years later, my father and I attended an inaugural concert given at his stunning, sculpted Disney Hall. The Berlin Philharmonic played Schubert, with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the most enchanting music I’d ever heard. The architect Gehry listened in the middle of the hall with no fanfare. At intermission, I approached him for a brief ...