JustASC

Dave Eggers’s last book, What is the What, is one of the few that truly deserves to be called “essential reading.” The novelized memoir of a boy caught up in Sudan’s endless civil war puts a name and a face to all the nameless misery in the world, and builds a bridge between the refugees who managed to escape to America and the homelands they left behind.

So I’m happy to accept his moral authority when it comes to U.S. policy in Darfur. Writing on the topic today with co-author John Prendergast, he calls for the U.S. to impose a carrot-and-stick policy on the murderous regime in Khartoum:

The U.S. should build an international coalition to lay out a clear choice for the ruling party in Khartoum, its militia allies, the rebels in Darfur and the authorities in southern Sudan.

Behind door one — for those who support peace, protect civilian populations, participate in elections and allow humanitarian aid — enhanced relations, trade and aid will result.

Behind door two — for those who undermine peace, attack civilians, subvert elections and obstruct humanitarian aid — the consequences should include hard target searches to freeze personal assets, international travel bans and other forms of diplomatic isolation, arms embargo enforcement and referral to the International Criminal Court.

This is the Obama administration’s opportunity to set a precedent for dealing with genocide and crimes against humanity. The implications for millions of Sudanese lives and for future genocides are enormous.

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Israel approve a version of Sherlock Holmes for their reading public:

The Israeli branch of the American-based Bilson publishing company released a version of the popular detective series adapted for the religious public.

The publication is part of a series of educational books intended to teach English to Israeli students….. In a press release, the publisher stated that hareidi-religious rabbis approved the content and that “it doesn’t contradict the spirit of Judaism.” The series is distributed by Yafeh Nof publishers and will be available at bookstores and supermarkets within Israel’s religious communities.

And why not? The guy applies Talmudic reasoning, lives in the 19th century, steers clear of women, and always wears a hat.

It’s a little complicated, but Yom Kippur forced U2 to reschedule its show at Giants Stadium.

Yom Kippur begins the evening of Sept. 27. The Jets were supposed to play that evening, but rescheduled to early afternoon to accomodate Jewish fans. U2 had been scheduled to perform on Sept. 25, but apparently couldn’t break down their stage and equipment in time for the Jets game, so they moved the show to Sept. 23.

 ”We regret any disruptions this may cause U2 fans.” said Dennis Robinson, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. “Out of respect for the religious holiday, it was critical that the game time was changed.”