Today’s Jewcy

The Jewcer

Joey can’t hold his hooch: It’s because he’s Jewish – or so he hopes: “[W]hy have I never known another Ashkenazi Jew with the same problem? Are any of you out there? Can I please get an amen from some other poor Yiddische Flusher who spends his drunken hours dealing with this infernal flushing problem?” [Wiki]

Al-Manar’s broadcast: Responding to an item on yesterday’s Today’s Jewcy, user Danielle writes: “FYI for those interested in Hizballah's al-Manar: the satellite station already broadcasts into Israel and I don't think it's from a secret location. Lebanon and Israel are close neighbors and the broadcast from Beirut doesn't stop at the border. I don't know the technical side re how it works vis-a-vis the satellite station, but somehow, Israelis can watch al-Manar if they so desire. Also, al-Manar broadcasting, at least at some point in the past few years, has included shows in Hebrew, obviously targeting a particular audience. There is analysis that even their Arabic broadcasts aim, at least in part, to engage Israeli Arabs.” Anyone know anything else about this network? Post a comment below. [The Daily Shvitz]

Go see this: Ars Nova and Jewcy are proudly sponsoring Judy Gold’s “25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.” Previews start on Wednesday, September 27 at St. Luke’s Theater (308 W. 46th Street). Showtimes are Tuesdays at 8 PM; Wednesdays at 3 PM and 8 PM; Thursdays and Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 3 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 3 PM. (Running Time: 70 minutes, no intermission.) Tickets are $65 and can be purchased at Tele-Charge at (212) 239-6200 or http://www.Telecharge.com.

The World

Please stand by: Ayman al-Zawahiri gets better press than Kofi Annan: “Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri will soon release a new message about the pope, President Bush and Sudan's troubled Darfur region, an Islamic Web site said Wednesday.” [NYT]

Karen Armstrong gets it wrong: In her latest book, according to Efraim Karsh of the New York Sun. There’s some precedence for foolishness here: “’Muslims have never nurtured dreams of world conquest,’ wrote Karen Armstrong, a prominent representative of this view, shortly after September 11. ‘They had no designs on Europe, for example, even though Europeans imagined that they did. Once Muslim rule had been established in Spain, it was recognized that the empire could not expand indefinitely.’” I don’t exactly buy Tim Garton Ash’s thesis that Al-Qaeda represents another “Red Army” of world-historical proportion, but I do remember Israel Shahak warning in the late 90’s that the story of the day was the debate being waged within the hierarchy of Hamas: “It’s very eeen-teresting, very eeen-teresting. In Hamas, they ask, ‘Should we make a reconquest of Spain part of the short-term goals, or not?’ This,” Shahak told Christopher Hitchens, “is what you should write about.” He was right. [New York Sun] Also, Israel releases Hamas deputy PM. [BBC]

Keep quit: Olmert threatens to nix members of his cabinet for “deviant” views on foreign policy: “His criticism seemed directed at education minister Yuli Tamir, who had reportedly come out in favor of talks with Hamas recently.” Fancy Rod Paige coughing a little too loudly during Iranian containment bull sessions in the Oval Office. [J-Post]

Condi, take a cue from Jon Stewart: Musharraf was on The Daily Show yesterday: “He also gave Musharraf the ‘American delicacy’ known as a Twinkie. ‘Is it good?’ Stewart asked, then followed up with: ‘Where's Osama bin Laden?’” [WaPo]