Ezzie's Blog Roundup, 9/19: Cancer Research

This isn't a blog roundup so much as a general roundup; there are a number of items of interest out there, and thanks to DB, Freakonomics, and various anons for pointing some of them out.

For those who don't know, I audit hedge funds for a living. I'll often joke or lament that there is little redeemable social quality to it, as opposed to (say) Serach's job, in which she teaches two classes, each with 14 special-education students. But it's not completely true: The money that is being made is usually not just sitting there making these people richer (though that certainly is true), but rather is being used to promote good ideas, new businesses, and sometimes even more: Breaking down the walls between people in cancer research so they're willing to share their ideas. It's a very interesting article.

Elsewhere:

• The New York Times writes about and has a slideshow of pictures that were taken around Auschwitz in 1944 - a rarity, as most pictures were from after the liberation of the camps. The pictures are of German officers and auxiliaries having a good time... just a few miles from where hundreds of thousands were being murdered. It's mind-boggling in its sickness.
• Orthomom discusses an interesting piece about people testing for Gaucher (and other) diseases, and the decision by some to abort. It is a very difficult balance of morals.
• Mishmar's Boruch Horowitz discusses choosing your battles wisely.
• Kefirot on political conservatism, the environment, and life. Quite a nice mix.
• Chana on trust.
  

Finally, an interesting video someone sent me; apparently there's a new cable channel called TJCTV dedicated to Jews. It looks very interesting, and I hope it's successful.