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Many Americans were surprised to him in a role like this, as the President of our great nation. You see, he was young, and black. Yet he had a certain steady charisma about him. And a sense of integrity.

Tonight, I saw him on television, as he talked plain talk to Americans, helping them make sense of our challenging times. He mentioned that this great recession may make us great again, spurring us to revalue that which matters most in life. He gave hope to his listeners.

How sad, though, that this was an Allstate commercial featuring this guy. I hoped to see Obama playing more of this role as the Preacher-in-Chief, yet he hasn't warmed to that role.

"Anyone can take people where they already want to go," said the pundit Jonathan Alter many years ago. "True leaders can take people where only their better selves are willing to tread." If Obama is to change the tone in Washington, he will have to make an effort here. He may have had a better first year if he spent more time pointing his fellow countrymen to a better place rather than jumping in so quickly into the partisan fray.

The news was bad but not surprising, considering. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Even though Jewish hate crimes and anti-Semitic incidents have fallen 7 % nationwide, they have risen worldwide and 21% in the fair state of California.

Locally, there has been more vandalism to synagogues, an Orthodox Jewish man was recently beaten up, and Jewish children have been taunted and beaten in Los Angeles schools and in Santa Clarita public schools.

Anti-anything is not good especially when you are a member of that group, but for other ethnic groups it often means an insult here and there or temporarily wounded pride and dignity. For the Jews, it means not only that but that one of us will usually wind up dead or maimed.

I am lucky, though. I was born well after the Holocaust, the Spanish Inquisition and the pogroms in Russia, and I am able to sit behind my computer and type out what I think. If someone paints a swastika on my door, I can declare it a hate crime and go to the police. My forbearers weren't so lucky. They had to grin and bear it or pretend to ignore it or act as if it didn't bother them or that they weren't afraid. At times, they also had to move from place to place or hide.

Motivated by their stories, I developed one of many missions in my time on this planet. I decided to speak for those who couldn't speak for themselves. It has become one of my raison d'etres.

The problem is that anti-Semitism's always going to rear its ugly, old head. The question is what can be done to help stop it? And the answer is constant vigilance, gritted teeth and education.

To that end, here are ten questions and/or comments people sometimes ask about Judaism along with some answers.

1.) Why are Jews so cheap?

We are not cheap. We happen to give more charity than any other ethnic group. Speaking of which, can I write you up for a donation?

2.) What about Bernard Madoff?

Every ethnic group has its apple that fell from the tree. The Germans had Pope John Paul II, who seemed like a basically decent and nice man especially compared to this one, but they also spawned Hitler. What are you going to do? You can't judge the whole barrel by one or two bad apples.

3.) Why do Jews like money?

Outside of hippies, have you ever met anyone who didn't like money? Money is important.

4.) Why do Jews sing when they pray?

Because we are a musical bunch.

5.) Why do Jewish men make good husbands?

Because I said so.

6.) Why are Jewish women are materialistic and demanding?

Like Paris Hilton's such a peach? Come on.

7.) The Jews run Hollywood.

Hollywood was much better when the Jews were in charge.

8.) The Jews own the newspapers, or what's left of them.

If we did, there'd be a lot more comics and an expanded stock market analysis.

9.) The Jews own the banks.

I wish.

10.) Why are the Jews more intelligent than everyone else?

Allow me to quote Golda Meir who once said, "If the Jews are so smart, then how come we picked the only land that doesn't have any oil in the Middle East?" It is something to think about, isn't it?

...well, online versions of the dinosaurs. See here. Not much reason to believe that "fair and balanced" outlets have gashed the establishment boys. it goes back to my point that the people who decry an MSM agenda constitute a hyperpartisan minority, not the, um, silent majority of America.

What was up with that tepid poem that followed Obama's inaugural speech? I had to switch off the radio, at this line "A woman and her son wait for the bus." It was such a let down. I expected a rising tempo, a heartfelt celebration. And got people waiting for the bus and kids taking out pencils.

Eh.

I'm sure Elizabeth Alexander is a fine person and admirable poet, but still, was Maya Angelou busy?

I can still remember Clinton's inauguration in 1993 with crystal clarity, down to what I was seeing out of the car windshield as a hurtled down Interstate 60 in Moreno Valley headed for who knows where. It was memorable not because of anything anyone said, and not because of Clinton, but because of Angelou's "On the Pulse of the Morning" which was the most exciting part of the morning.

Wouldn't have Angelou's "Stilll I Rise" been perfect for today?

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise

Daily News staffer Kevin Modesti has reported that adult entertainment tycoons Joe Francis and Larry Flynt want $5 billion of taxpayer money for their industry, in order to stimulate it through hard times. There, I said it.

It seems preposterous if serious, and it's just a publicity grab for this Valley-based industry, right? Still, how exactly does GM claim it has more of a right to taxpayer money than Larry Flynt. One makes some obscenely bad products, while the other makes products that at least pass the obscenity test. It was GM that sold us the Hummer, and which now pledges to be chaster in its future designs if we can save it now.

AIG alone has rifled through our pockets to the tune of $145 billion, beyond all the other bailouts that have been occurring. If Joe Francis and our suffering local adult-entertainment workers want a mere $5 billion more, I'm not altogether sure they're any more unworthy of it than the other folks who are managing to profit off their own losses.

When did this cranky codger become a barometer of racial harmony in the United States? Everybody is hinging on the next racist word to come out of Don Imus' mouth. And there will probably be more, mind you. But if the guy's offensive, don't listen to him. Don't advertise on his show. Don't buy the products that advertise on his show. Money talks, and bad pundits then walk.

Both times when Imus has incurred the wrath of Al Sharpton, it's reminded me that what Imus thinks passes for humor doesn't do anything to add to the conversation of race in America. I grew up watching the Wayans family's "In Living Color" show, which was not only hilarious but had brilliant and poignant things to say on racial relations and stereotypes, whether it was Homey D. Clown succumbing to The Man at Chez Whitey or the timeless skit of Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan doing their version of "Who's on First?"

Even the man who dethroned Imus from his shock jock throne, Howard Stern, beats Imus by a mile when it comes to talking race: When Stern has as a guest Daniel Carver, an imperial wizard and grand dragon (see, there's room for jokes there already) of the Ku Klux Klan, there is nothing more powerful than hearing the racist banter come directly from Carver's mouth. We're shocked by the reality of what's out there, but we're better for knowing about it. And we laugh at a guy who is so silly, so antiquated in his view of the world as he reviews movies such as "Jungle Fever," etc. And it reminds us that racism has no place in today's world.

Entertainment needn't shy away from race, but can frankly bring these issues to the forefront and make you laugh at the same time. Imus sorely lacks this ability.

Forget the Spears or the Hiltons; The Tudors -- the royal family that included wild and crazy Henry the VIII, Ann Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth -- are the hottest thing in Hollywood at the moment.

There's the been the four queen Elizabeth movies, two starring Cate Blanchett, the latest one just last year, and two starring Helen Mirren on HBO as a package last fall. There's the second season of the Showtime series The Tudors. There was the recent release of "The Other Boleyn Girl" based on a book by the same name by Philippa Gregory (which I confessed I have read, and quite enjoyed), a novelized version of Anne Boleyn's rise to queen and fall to headlessness. Indeed, this was just one of a series of books by Gregory on the many women of Henry VIII which are also hot, hot, hot.

What was it about the royals of the 1500s that so fascinate us right now? That they lived their decadent lives with little care to the commoners? That they grossly indulged themselves with no regard to moderation? That they partied all the time? That they killed one another with impunity? That they wore outlandish clothes that cost a fortune? Sounds pretty familiar.

My favorite contestant is the old guy in this audition tape from Mazar-e-Sharif:

It's like "American Idol," but scours for contestants in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, etc. There's even an Afghan Ryan Seacrest (who's actually a medical student) and a woman on the judging panel a la Paula Abdul. It's in its third season, and this year a woman from Kandahar placed third, the highest ever for a woman, drawing lots of fans and pissing off conservative clerics. And I can't help but notice that, sans beards, there are some hot guys in Afghanistan...

Well, technically I'm an Inglewood girl, but I am a fan of "No Country for Old Men," so I'm not disappointed at Sunday night's Oscar results. It was an edge-of-your-seat film, Javier Bardem was amazing, and all in all the film was truly great.

But hopefully soon, soon, soon it will be native Valley son Paul Thomas Anderson's chance up on that Oscar stage. I was really hoping that "There Will Be Blood," which is no less than a work of art, would get more Oscars than for Daniel Day-Lewis and cinematography. Goodness, the mining and drilling scenes should have garnered the sound statue as well, but I thought the direction on "Blood" topped "Country." Then again, I'm a PTA fan since "Boogie Nights" (aka the Valley's biopic), so I might be a tad biased...