A Russian ISIS fighter cut off the head of another citizen of Russia in Syria. Both men are “ethnically Russian.”

The victim was adopted by a Chechen family as a child, accepted Islam and took the name of Muhammad.

The killer was a very devout Christian until in the last year of college he met some Muslim students, converted and took the name of Taymullah.

Now, Taymullah (formerly, Anatoly) murdered Muhammad (formerly, Evgeny ) at the behest of ISIS.

Fucking shame.

On the first page of the New York Times (the first page! the New York Times!) there is an article on the protests of Russian truck drivers that I recently told you about.

The entirely clueless, dumb and lazy author of the piece not only refers to truck drivers as “middle-class” (truck drivers! in Russia! middle-class!) but insists that the protests demonstrate that the people of Russia are getting fed up with Putin (fed up! with Putin! in Russia!).

There is nothing I would love more than to believe that Russians are getting enough of Putinism but one has got to be delusional to believe that. The Internet is filled to the brim with videos and interviews of the protesting truck drivers. Time and again, they repeat how much they love, adore and support Putin and repeat that their real enemy are Jews in general and two Jewish brothers with the last name of Rotenberg in particular.

There is a really important story here, and that story is not the imaginary anti-Putinism of entirely fictional middle-class truck drivers. Rather, the story is that anti-semitism has come out of hiding in Russia and is now almost overshadowing the anti-Ukrainian and anti-Chechen sentiments. (“Almost” being the operative word here.) But it’s obviously too much to ask that journalists run a couple of Google searches to find out what is really happening.

Canada’s Justin Trudeau is eager to bring Syrian refugees to the country. He’d pledged to bring 25,000 in by the end of this month, but here’s the problem: Syrians are not interested. Only a little over 6% of refugees who were invited to move to Canada agreed to consider the offer. Canada is too far, they say.

So here is my question. If refugees are so reluctant to go to Canada, a country with quite a strong welfare state and a strong Muslim community that’s enormously influential, then why would they want to go to the US, a country with next to no welfare state and no influential Muslim community from their region?

We’ve had so many discussions of Syrian refugees but has anybody bothered to ask if they want to come here?

Students at Emory are being very Orwellian:

We demand that the faculty evaluations that each student is required to complete for each of their professors include at least two open-ended questions such as: “Has this professor made any microaggressions towards you on account of your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, and/or other identity?” and “Do you think that this professor fits into the vision of Emory University being a community of care for individuals of all racial, gender, ability, and class identities?”

I’d be screwed with a provision like this because of the “language microaggression” that I commit in every class I teach. And as for providing care, even the words make me cringe.

Emory’s administration is, of course, happy to oblige because this is a great tool for abusing and exploiting faculty members. This is playing right into the corporate administrators’ hands, just like all of these bratty protests.

Merkel says that refugees will have to renounce anti-Semitism. Well, if she says so, then what choice will they have?

Malik came to the U.S. on what is known as a “fiancé” visa. . . For the visa application, the address she listed in her Pakistani hometown does not exist. Malik received her Green Card this summer, U.S. officials said. I’m guessing that women like this Tashfeen are much more valuable to this country than women like me because for me getting a green card took much longer and the vetting process was a lot more careful.

A really good article on Syria and Chechnya. The author actually knows what she’s saying about Chechnya, which is rare.

Illinois has grown so pathetic that it sues inmates to get them to pay for room and board in prisons.

GREAT NEWS! Type 2 diabetes can be cured! I don’t have type 2 diabetes but I’m predisposed by virtue of family history and gestational diabetes, so I’m heartened by this news.

A teenage daughter of a DEA agent turns out to be a druglord. That’s one massive teenage rebellion.

Finally, a post on Shakesville with which I agree in its entirety. Miracles are possible.

“Classic philanthropy was a gift. Modern philanthropy is “impact investment.” Classic philanthropy was a gift, free and clear. Modern philanthropy comes with many, many strings attached. I will give you money– to do what I want in the manner I direct. That’s not a gift. That’s hire and salary.” Exactly.

Why Jews don’t vote Republican.