Hope everyone’s been lucky enough to have this day for themselves and/or family, but it occured to me that the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. should no more be “enjoyed” than Yom Kippur.

From that cool cat at Chicotown:

It’s a crime to treat this holiday as nothing more than a “black holiday” (or a Free day from school/work) and to suggest that his life didn’t affect yours just because you are not of an African decent. Its your holiday too, realize it, embrace it, and help continue his legacy and his progress towards universal peace and tolerance.

Couldn’t have said it better, yo. Keep the dream alive.

…you worry a lot. Dad’s a retired surgeon, see, and just wasn’t satisfied playing golf every day and kibbitzing about the grandkids. He figured his skills might be put to use outside of removing a thorn from the cat’s paw and diagnosing acquaintance’s symptoms at cocktail parties, so he contacted American Jewish World Service, who sent him on to another agency, who found a spot for him helping victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake near Kashmir.

The result is a Jewish doctor working at Christian hospital in an Islamic country.

Sounds like a joke, right? But, gosh, we’re so not amused. Even your basic, run-of-the-mill season in Pakistan comes with risk of random violence in the form of radical fundamentalists and natural disaster, but this past week — well, it’s pretty much ridiculous.

First, some genius at the CIA tries to bomb out terrorist Ayaman al-Zawahri, but he decided to skip dinner that night and the explosions killed dozens of innocent people. Not surprisingly, their families, neighbors and fellow tribesfolk riot against all things American.

Then snow, and all manner of dramatic weather hit the region near where Dad’s stationed and no supplies can get through.

And just when the situation couldn’t be more frightening, now there’s a Bush coming to visit.

So, listen, if you’re already saying a prayer for Israel and Sharon and you’ve got a couple of extra seconds to send good vibes towards northern Pakistan and Dr. Skip (he promised he would keep the extremely ethnic family surname under wraps), the Yenta family could use it.

It’s been three days, so y’all can go ahead and vote again if you’d like.

As ck at Jewlicious puts it, the JIB awards aren’t about winning, they’re about visibility for all Jewish bloggers. So, right, like he says, check out the other nominees (a couple of new ones I’ve been turned onto are Protein Wisdom, nominated for Best Mega Blog and serandez, who have racked up five nominations.)

Of course, please remember the Yenta loves you when you vote again.

What is wrong with Pat Robertson? (I mean, besides being a bigot?)

Last year he shows his reptilian diplomacy skills by recommending that the U.S. assasinate Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

Now he’s announced that Ariel Sharon’s stroke was “divine punishment” for pulling out of Gaza:

“God considers this land to be his,” Robertson said on his TV program The 700 Club. “You read the Bible and he says ‘This is my land,’ and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, ‘No, this is mine.'”

Not only has Israel cut off ties with him (and at a price — Robertson and evangelical cronies bring billions of dollars into the Israeli economy), but other hardcore Christians walking away from him like he set off a stinkbomb. And the ginormous Christian tourist center Robertson was helping plan in the northern Galilee has lost its lease.

Sure, he apologized today, but no one’s buying it. After all, he’ll be yodeling about some other ridiculous “divine” claim tomorrow…