Wednesday morning roundup

Does getting into a public fight with Israel really carry political risks? There are Jews like my parents who would never vote for Obama anyway, and there are Jews like me and many Israelis who say 'bring it on,' make the Israeli government stop shooting itself in the foot. Whatever the case, could Sarah Palin please stay out of it? Oh, here we go: Maureen Dowd agrees.

Carolyn sums up the gifts issue in passing and touches on the "Christmas" card issue. I don't find receiving Christmas cards offensive, although I think those that both quote scripture and are meant for non-Christians are a bit much (and I've gotten those). I guess it would be different if it's a close relative.

The general consensus is, babies on planes can be pretty f*ing annoying. It makes a difference if the parents are trying. Here's another don't: don't bring distractions that are as annoying as a crying baby--I don't want to hear a rattle behind me, either. And for the commenter who said 'headphones are inexpensive enough'--they're not, and that's not the point. The kid that was keeping me awake on the way back from Hawaii--who was hardly a baby--would have overwhelmed the power of four more sets of headphones.