The latest literary rising star is none other than Joshua Braff, brother of writer/director/actor Zach. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green shares the “coming-of-age-in-a-meshuggeh-Jewish-family” theme of Zach’s film Garden State (now out on DVD, co-starring Princess Natalie Portman!) but apparently seeks it laughs from darker, more dysfunctional places.
Both brothers swear the tyrannical fathers in their work are not based in reality, but with Garden State making indie film history and Unthinkable Thoughts poised for bestsellerdom, we certainly hope their parents are kvelling like mad.

We’re probably the only ones, but we’ve got a hankering for some good ol’ fashioned, salty chopped liver. The kind they sell at the fancy gourmet supermarket doesn’t taste like it should, so we found this recipe on Aish.com. In the extremely rare case that you like chopped liver but don’t eat meat, Bubbie Irma has even supplied a vegetarian version. Best spread on matzah!
Yum yum and Good Shabbos!

Thanks to Papa “themiddle” at Jewlicious for turning us on to Oy, Baby, a “Baby Einstein”-ish video made just for Jewish little ones! Now parents can feel just a smidge less guilt when they park the tots in front of the tube so they can check their e-mail…

Yes, Chanukah is but a distant memory, but we came across this amazing menorah created by Shalom Lamm on Jews In Green and just had to share. Using nine 44mm artillery shells, dental molding and the quote from Isaiah 2:4

J. writer Roy S. Gutterman muses on the entertainment potential of Jews trying to get together:

…Jdate sucks. Read Esther’s latest amusing, yet ineffective, correspondence with JDate at JDaters Anonymous. We’re so sorry about your travails, dear, and know you must be frusturated as all get-out, but if trying to communicate with the retards in their “Customer Care” department keeps you this funny, we hope they never take down your profile.

If you were a couch potato in Britain tonight, you could watch Jmerica favorite supermodel Caprice compete with seven other celebs for a big cash prize (to be donated to charity) on the UK’s celebrity version of Big Brother. Other housemates include scary Brigette Nielsen (who seems to be trying to revive her career by starring in as many reality shows her agent can scramble up) and feminist writer Germaine Greer.
c/o Daily Jews.

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We like to pretend we’re real tough, but our hard little hearts were deeply affected by watching the gross decimation as the tsumani claimed so many lives. We want to help, but we feel like our fifty bucks ain’t gonna do much towards the aftermath of God’s wrath. But Aish.com reminds us to not be so self-absorbed:
In addition to monetary aid, writer Sara Yoheved Rigler suggests a
spiritual response should also be considered. When you ask yourself “What can
I do?” here are some spiritual responses:
1. Allow yourself to mourn for the tragic loss of life. Do not emotionally
distance yourself by burying your heart, feel the pain.
2. Recognize the fragility — and therefore the preciousness — of life.
The people on the beaches of Southeast Asia that day had no warning
this would be their final hour. Neither will we. Appreciate the
preciousness of every hour.
3. Recognize the spiritual effect of every action you do — not just on
yourself but on the world. Petty lying, stealing, cheating, gossip,
promiscuity, and exploitation set in motion waves of negativity. When
many people engage in such actions, those waves can build up into tidal
waves.
4. Change one action. Undertake to do a good deed or eschew one kind of
negative behavior. This is a better defensive measure than any early
warning system.

So we’re going to stop lying, gossiping, cheating and/or exploiting in order to help the world. But we still wish we could send more money.

As if the tsunami victims don’t have enough tsuris, the Kabbalah Center has thrown their hat into the disaster aid ring by sending 10,000 liters of their specially blessed water to Southeast Asia. Considering the majority of that population practices Islam, wouldn’t the funds be better spent on plain old distilled water from Safeway?