The Last Jewish Prophet 

A review of Gilad Atzmon’s new book, The Wandering Who? 

William T. Hathaway

Gilad Atzmon, controversial author and jazz musician, has just published a study of Jewish identity politics. The Wandering Who? chronicles his journey away from his Jewish identity, and by extension away from all exclusive identities, into an inclusive humanness. It’s a painful journey, a brutally honest self exploration of these internalized tribal impulses. He emerges from the struggle deracinated but emancipated, freed of a destructive load of cultural baggage. Read more…

An Ex-Bullfighter Tells His Story

INTERVIEW BY TONI L. QUEROL
VICE.COM
PHOTO COURTESY OF ÁLVARO MÚNERA

A bull named Terciopelo [Velvet] gored the Colombian bullfighter Álvaro Múnera, aka “El Pilarico,” in 1984, confining him to a wheelchair for life. Múnera was 18 years old back then. His best friend, “El Yiyo,” was gored to death months later, and the manager of both bullfighters committed suicide three years after that.

Múnera became a hardcore animal rights defender and nothing less than the Antichrist for tauromachy [the art of bullfighting] aficionados. He currently works in the Council of the City of Medellín, using his position to defend the rights of disabled people and to promote anti-bullfighting campaigns.

vice.com: How did you decide to be a bullfighter?

Álvaro Múnera: I was born in Medellín, where my dad had taken me to see bullfights since I was four years old. The atmosphere at home was totally pro-taurino [taurino is the Spanish adjective for everything relating to bullfighting culture]. We didn’t talk about football or any other thing, it was just bulls. Bullfighting was the center of the world for my dad. Since I grew up immersed in this taurino atmosphere, it was logical that at the age of 12, I decided to be a bullfighter. Read more…

From our archives: Articles you should have read but missed the first time around
Editor’s Note: In this piece Bonnie Weinstein essentially demolishes the position held by so many left-liberals and “democratic socialists”, including some like Ehrenreich with an estimable body of progressive work.  In so doing she also exposes the limits of liberalism.

Barbara Ehrenreich

And what implications does it really have for the fate of so many homeless animals?
The logic behind such actions is often elusive, especially when all parties to the issue bear good intentions. Where do we draw the lines?

The letter below was sent to the magazine ANIMAL PEOPLE (November/December 2011):

Letters
Euthanasia

Ned Buyukmihci

I am responding to the letter by Doug Fakkema ⁽¹⁾ in the September 2011 edition of Animal People concerning “euthanasia.” [See below]

Without in any way impugning Fakkema’s motives and sincerity, he is either in denial or is unaware of the definition of the word. I do not argue that the death must be “good,” as stated by Fakkema, but his definition leaves out the most important aspect: the death should be in the interests of the individual dying. Of necessity, this means that the individual dying would benefit from death by ending a situation that is causing intractable suffering. Ideally, the individual would be able to indicate that he or she prefers death to continued life. In the case of cats, dogs or other nonhuman animals, this may not be feasible because of our inability to communicate with the individual. In these situations, it becomes especially important that the person ending life must be clear on her or his motives which must derive only from a sincere belief that ending the life will end suffering that cannot be relieved otherwise.

Using a defense that one is somehow preventing future suffering does not even warrant consideration, being patently absurd. Read more…

By Gary Steven Corseri

Do not call them “heroes”

if they have done your killing for you.

Say that they have done your bidding;

say they were your “soldiers.” Read more…