Outside Reading: Our Vanishing Night

For a long time, I have been left in awe from the night sky with all of its stars. While I was reading the National Geographic magazine, a picture caught my eye. The picture was of a natural rock bridge, with the midnight sky showing off all of its millions of stars. The first few pages of the article Our Vanishing Night had pictures of various night skies. Right after the picture of the beautiful night sky as mentioned above, there was a picture of Chicago in the middle of the night. With all of its lights illuminating the cloud and fog filled sky, it made me really appreciate the small amount of stars we have in Minnesota. The author, Verlyn Klinkenborg, talks about how we have changed ourselves, and brought this lack of nature upon ourselves. Klinkenborg writes, "If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars, we would go in darkness happily, the midnight would as visible to us as it is the the vast number of nocturnal species on this planet." This quote reminded me of something I learned about the human eye way back in elementary school. When dark your pupils grow smaller to let more light in, and when bright, they grow smaller to let less light in. If you are in the dark, then suddenly turn the lights on your eyes take a good 2 or 3 seconds to fully adjust to the light. This relates to the quote because the author is saying we have been living in light so much our eyes are used to it, and if we started living in the dark again, eventually our eyes would adjust. I found this interesting because of all the cool pictures along with my fascination with astronomy.

Outside Reading: UnderØath

In anticipation of the upcoming Underoath concert, I chose to read and blog about the band, specifically the story behind the band. The facts I found in the band's bio on their website (http://www.underoath777.com/) are the information I'm reading about. The article focuses on the bands newest album: Lost In The Sound Of Separation, and their past albums. Underoath is a 6 man band from Tampa, FL, writing their music in honor of God. When I first began to listen to "hardcore" music I really was driven away by the vulgarity and emptiness of the lyrics, along with the overall feelings portrayed by the bands. So I decided to look for some positive influences, and stumbled across Underoath. At first they seemed way too hard and metal for my taste, but as the months passed by they grew on me. The lyrics of the songs aren't just meaningless metaphors, they have so much more depth. I believe Underoath's success is due to, first of all their sincere passion for what they do, and who they do it for, but also how they can reach out to people. Most lyrics in today's "music" either talk about sex, drugs, breakups, or illegal activity. Underoath strives away from that and blasts out lyrics that don't degrade our culture. Underoaths guitarist says:

"We were actually out to dinner one day out by our practice space and Aaron pulled out his iPhone and he was thinking about that song and he said, ‘I wrote
these lyrics’. And what he wrote was so meaningful. It was this huge
statement.”Citing the lyric “Good God if your song leaves our lips/if your work
leaves our hands/then we will be wonders and vagabonds,” the guitarist
continues, “Our band has always been this Christian band and we’ve always been
open about what we believe in, but there comes a certain point where a lot of
the messages in our songs are very ambiguous. And that was so bold and straight
up, talking about how we’re all people but without purpose we can feel lost.”

Underoath isn't afraid to share what they trust in, in my opinion this is the reason they are so successful. So in honor of their upcoming concert, November 5th, I encourage you to learn about, and listen to Underoath.

For more on Underoath, visit: http://www.underoath777.com/
To read the article from above, visit: http://www.underoath777.com/band.php

Heroes In a Box

After working at an event called "A Night To Honor Israel" at my church, I've decided to focus this project on Israeli/Jewish Heroes. Throughout history there has been numerous heroes, dating all the way back to biblical times. For example, Abraham, chosen by God, also known as Yahweh, to lead the Jews. Also during the biblical times, Moses was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew/Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt. Most commonly known Jewish/Israeli heroes are either related to the Bible/Torah or the Holocaust. To my surprise, there were a large amount of Jewish/Israeli heroes during the late U.S colonization. Many fled Europe due to prosecution, but to their dismay, realized that the U.S bore the same prejudices. No, we didn't preform mass slaughterings or torture, but the Jews weren't treated as equals; they weren't allowed to practice Judaism in a synagogue, serve in the militia, or even practice handicrafts. Despite the anti-Semitic actions associated by purely hate filled words, Jews persevered, and kept on fighting. All of the heroes displayed many characteristics, such as faith, determination, peace, gentleness, and dedication to the extent of martyrdom. The characteristics that were the most important and helpful were faith and determination. In the Jews case these two worked together; their faith in God is what kept them going.

Picture: http://www.shamash.org/holocaust/photos/

I chose this picture, as graphic as it is, to show how much determination they had. This picture shows next to 100 murdered bodies of Jews. The Jewish community knew what happened to Jews in these camps, yet they didn't give up, they didn't throw their life away; they did whatever necessary to stay alive and honor their God.

Picture: http://go.ariel.muni.il/ariel/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=1

"For Zion's Sake" (Above) is a group of 17 teen-aged Jews from Ariel, near Israel. I got the pleasure of working FOH (Front of House) at the NTHI at my church, with all of these people. This group shows that even the Jewish and Israeli youth of today's modern world are dedicated. Just for not being afraid to say what they believe in, and traveling all around the world sharing that, is more than enough to make them heroes.

Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WslLNTYzmzw

This video shows modern day Jews that are still going strong, thanks to their Jewish ancestors perseverance. Although this video does not directly talk about Israeli/Jewish Heroes, it shows that the Jewish faith, along with Israel is a major part of these peoples lives. It also talks about how some of them find it easier to be Jewish when in Israel, rather than the U.S.

© 2006, Lyor Shternberg

CUPPED PALM




Now I will love you against myself, against
fear, which swallows my breath from a cupped palm,
against the world which orders me to destroy my body,
my body's soul, with a host
of other bodies, against
consciousness dancing itself to death.
This whole dance of nothingness, all these inner eyes
spreading fake skies within, traps made of cold blue netting.
Your absence
is your gift. Not because I chose you
as the great absentee
and not because I want you
tender and distant,
but because
at the edge of your absence
the nearness of your body waits,
human, making an actual
place in the world
for me.

This poem shows the remaining inner struggles that goes on in Judaism. This piece of work reminded me to have faith, and to go against my "body's" better judgement, and to trust in what God has told me. Although I am Christian, there is really only one difference between these 2 religions, and that is the Messiah. Some Christians have embraced Replacement Theory, basically condemning Jews, but personally, I don't. So really at the end of times we'll just have to ask the Messiah, "Hey, have you been here before?" That is when we will find out which religion is "right". Jews suffered at the hands of Christians for hundreds of years, especially because of Replacement Theory. So we persecuted them, with the exception of "Righteous Gentiles", but they had faith, allowing Jews to keep determined, and now some are viewed as heroes. Just another example going to show that violence in any form is never good, and will eventually come back to haunt you.

Conclusion

Being a Christian, I never really viewed Judaism as being "equal". After my experience working with "For Zion's Sake", learning about Judaism's past, and researching for this assignment, I have come to the conclusion that Jews and Christians are next to identical. Both of our religions have had, do have, and will have numerous heroes; the majority of them displaying determination through their faith. Through this I have also increased my knowledge of the modern Jewish culture, along with their past. Today's Jewish and Israeli heroes aren't facing deadly persecution daily, most never face it, but this unadulterated hatred still has a presence. Today's modern Jew's struggle more with the disconnection from their homeland, which holds all of their past and a lot of their family, and the same thing many Christians struggle with; faith. Whether you are Christian or Jewish, sometimes you can find it hard to have complete faith in the teachings, not necessarily because you don't believe it, but because you haven't experienced it. In other words, some find it hard to trust everything they have with someone they haven't seen, heard, or touched. The lack of this uncertainty is what made the Israeli and Jewish heroes who they are, they used their faith to drive their determination, and survive unimaginable hatred.

Outside Reading: An Outline Geography of Ireland

Tonight I chose to read something more educational then my previous reads. I've wanted to go to Ireland for a long time, so I decided to study up on what its like. I've had an interest in Ireland mainly because of the land/geography, of course I think the culture and music are both amazing, but the scenery is something that has caught my eye. The article starts off by giving the specific identifying geographical information such as latitude, longitude, climate, elevation, etc... The body of the article describes the physical features, such as the Caledonian mountain range, stretching from Scandinavia through Scotland and Ireland. In the beginning of the article along with the basic geographical facts, its give information about its government; "

Since 1921 the island has been divided politically into two parts. The independent twenty-six county area, comprising 70,282 sq. km, has a population of 3,523,401 (1991). Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and contains six of the nine counties of the ancient province of Ulster, has a population of 1,569,971 (1991). In 1973 Ireland became a member of the European Union (EU)."

Later it goes on to tell the reader about more about the physical landscape, which is what interests me. Ireland, along with having mountains, has many grassy hill regions with creeks, lakes, and rivers throughout them. I'm interested in photography, particularly pictures of landscapes and nature. So Ireland, with it's vass grassy regions, mountains, various bodies of water, and multiple bays, would be a wonderful opporunity for me to get some great pictures and just have fun!
Article From: Here
Picture From: Here

Best Singing you will ever hear.

Jewish/Israeli Heroes

איך מגיעים ל את



Heroes
http://www.fau.edu/library/brodytoc.htm

pictures
http://www.shamash.org/holocaust/photos/

Israeli Heroes
http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2008/230208.php

For Zion's Sake
http://www.forzion.com/

Paintings/art/music
http://jewishuniverse.israelnationalnews.com/

Hebrew Phrases
http://www.gov.il/FirstGov/TopNavEng/SayItHebrew

Gov.
http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Government/Panel/

Outside Reading: Juggle Magazine Fall 2007

Once again, I read Juggle Magazine. Normally I wouldn't write twice about the same magazine, but this certain article caught my attention. As stated in my previous post, Juggling being viewed as a sport vs. and art is a hot topic. I didn't come across this article until now, but there was a 2 issue report AND verdict on it, written by a well known "artsy" juggler; Jay Gilligan. Jay is known for his artistic juggling associated with his technical juggling. Jay was a wise choice to write the article because he is involved in both types of juggling. Much to many jugglers dismay, the article titled "Art vs. Sport: The Final Answer!" depicts the answer to be neither! Jay says, "'As a personal opinion - for me there is no meaning in juggling.'" This meaning that juggling shouldn't tried to be defined as one or the other, it is what it is. Jay goes on to explain different examples endorsing both view points and makes it clear that his type of juggling is mainly artistic. In the end Jay says,

"I guess there's still no clear os imple answer here but I'm still happy i tried to articulate my viewpwoint because now im farther along to having the language clearly and intelligentally express and defend myposition. I no longer hace to say, 'Juggling can be art.... simply because I think so.'"

So after all, there is no answer to the question; "Is juggling a sport or an art?"

for more on Jay Gilligan, click here
Image from http://www.buildingweight.com/

Outside Reading: Juggle Magazine Fall 2008

Today I chose to read a more fun article. I chose to read "What's Good For Juggling?" by Jason Garfield in the "Juggle" magazine. In the Juggling world Jason Garfield is quite famous.... along with infamous: Some of his edgy comedy acts and juggling have caused some audience members to be offended. Anyways, Jason wrote about the narrow mindedness of many jugglers in relation to juggling being a sport or a performing art. This particular topic is a "hot topic" in the juggling world, but Jason approaches it a little differently; he speaks of this in a way that relates specifically to him. Jason founded the "WJF" (World Juggling Federation) which focuses mainly on the sport aspect of juggling. Using his dry and sarcastic sense of humor Jason talks about why he created it, and that reason is simple; himself. Jason says "I grew up, like many other jugglers, being constantly subjected to clown and circus references when I practiced and wished something existed in juggling that people weren't aware of that gave it the respect I wanted." Jason also calls himself open-minded, and even acknowledges that it would be hard to see that in him. I found it interesting that Jason wrote in the IJA (International Jugglers Association) magazine after he has basically weaned himself out of it, and into the WJF. Everybody knows Jason has a "cocky" character, but I don't think anyone expected for him to write in this magazine.

For more info on Juggle Magazine, visit their website here

Images from http://www.jasongarfield.com/

Hoops blog is overrated.

Outside Reading: A Walk In the Woods

I started reading the book "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson, a couple months ago. Casual summer reading typically doesn't work very well with me; in other words, I forget about it. Recently I restarted reading it and tonight, just finished the novel. I chose to write about it not only because it is the only "blog worthy" text I've read, but because the author wrote it after he hiked the Appalachian Trail.
The book takes a while to focus on the preparation for the journey, from explaining the dangers, to required equipment. After Bill made the decision to make the journey, he did some research about the climate, terrain, and wildlife. Bears were mentioned numerous times, so Bill built up a small fear of being attacked by a bear while on the trail. The books he read described horrifying bear incidents along with what to do, and what not to do around all different types of bears. Along with researching about the trail, he had to prepare for it, which meant buying the right gear. This section of the book shows how easy it is to be deceived and sucked into impulse buying. The sales clerk shows him all kinds of bags and accouterments, but made it appear that to survive his trip, Bill would have to get a special bag, extra straps and other gear. After a while Bill sort of zoned out, and ended up spending a massively large amount of money on some equipment that he most likely didn't need. Later on in the book he realizes he fell victim to the rush of impulse buying.
Bill knew he couldn't stand to do the whole trip by himself, so he invited an old friend named "Katz" to join him. When Katz arrived in the airport Bill was surprised to see a pudgy man eating candy. Throughout his journey, Bill makes it clear to the reader that planning ahead is very important. Katz would constantly lag behind, slowing Bill down, and complain about whatever there was to complain about. Bill jumped into this whole event a little unprepared, yes of course he knew about the trail and had the right equpitment, but he really wasn't ready. Personally I enjoy to do spontaneous things, but when something important is aproaching I make sure to plan ahead. For example, my mother knows about the possibility of alcohol at parties and she trusts that I wont go to a party that knowingly will have some. If I ever did, well lets just say I wouldn't need to worry about going to any parties anymore. I plan ahead, and find out who is going to be there, and whether or not it is a smart choice to go ahead and go or to stay home. Multiple times this has saved me, along with my social life. Even though the alcohol issue isn't directly related to Bill Bryson's journey, the message given by Bill about planning ahead, applies to most every teens life.
The main reason I actually enjoyed this book is because the author was down to earth and a real person. I really dislike when an author tries to sound superior or something they're not; Bill Bryson presented his journey on the Appalachain Trail in a way I think many guys would truly enjoy to read.

For info on Bill Bryson and his book A Walk In the Woods, click here

Image from "http://www.chrismasto.com/delicious/images/197"

Jason & Jonny's bus ride today was quite depressing due to the lack of upperclassmen... Due to the PLAN test. Somebody save me!

Outside Reading: Religion in Public Schools

Religion in public schools has been a reoccurring issue for many years, whether it's Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, or any other belief. I chose to read a web article about it because it is something that is considered "taboo" to inquire about at school. Most religious based web articles or books are typically bias towards the authors beliefs. The website I found made it clear that they are unbiased. The site reads:

"There are millions of religious web sites on the Internet. Almost all promote a single viewpoint -- that of the webmaster or of the sponsoring denomination. This web site is different. Our goal is to help religious people understand the great diversity of beliefs and practices within Christianity today, and down through history.

This web site has a lot more material on Christianity than on any other religion. That is because of the importance of Christianity and the political power of organized para-church groups."

The article talked about different aspects of Christianity, such as different denominations or "versions" of Christianity. Surprisingly the website didn't talk about religion in public schools, even though it was listed as such in a Google search (www.google.com) That goes to show how reliable web pages are. After some searching on the site I did find some in a way, bias thoughts/statements. It discussed "Religious Tolerance" in general, not in schools. The slightly opinionated part talked about how if everyone was religiously tolerant, the world would be a better place. The Author says:

"We feel that the world would be a much better place in which to live if everyone were religiously tolerant. Civil unrest, mass murder, and genocide would be greatly reduced." It isn't really biased, just more opinionated."

Citation:

Copyright © 1998 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Last updated 2008-AUG-05
Author: Bruce A Robinson

w00t homecoming yo. It was freeeaaakin hott though. Got my lovely suit sweaty haha. Blg soon!

Ecology is a major topic of modern day discussion. In the movie A Civil Action, ecology along with the ignorance of humans sparks a lot of controversy in the movie.
In the small town, many children have died indirectly due to the water pollution. This causes the mourning parents to be enraged with the company and call Jan Schlichtmann for help. Many people currently are extremely outraged by the state of our world and they address their congressman or vote for the presidential candidate who they think will fix it. Jan was all about money in the beginning of the film, and felt that he didn't need to worry about the towns problem because its not his problem. In today's world people who pollute think hat their wrong doings are insignificant and they wont have to suffer for it. Although they may not suffer for it, their children will, and the next generation of the human race. A Civil Action confronts the pollution issue, but from a politically neutral standpoint. the writers didn't try to "promote" global warming nor falsify it. Global warming is one of the biggest issues in politics and the US in general, and is believed to be caused almost completely by humans. This movie did have good character development, but what helped Jan "find himself" was the pollution.
The film presents a message saying that what we do will eventually come back to harm us, so like "karma" in a way. Along with a neutral political standpoint it also addresses how companies and major corporations are harming our society. The main character Jan shows us that even though we feel insignificant, we can make a difference.