To evaluate the impact of religiosity on mortality and morbidity, the investigators looked at variables including self-report of religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, and religious strength as well as comfort, in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) and death. It is important to note that the study did not attempt to measure spirituality; rather, it examined self-report religiosity measures (irrespective of the participant’s religion).
Those attending religious services at least once per week showed a 20% mortality risk reduction mark compared with those not attending services at all. These findings corroborate prior studies that have shown up to a 25% reduction in such risk. [Read more.]
I would like to thank the various independent minyanim that I attend on a regular basis for existing as, it seems, they’re to thank for my recent “got off easy” car accident. (What? I’m not properly understanding the conclusions?)
In the wake of the 70th anniversary of Kristalnacht, one might ask oneself, is there anything left to learn about the Shoah? Is there anything left to learn from the Shoah?
Well, thanks to information gleaned from postings on a couple of different internet message boards, I can assure you the answer is yes.
According to the highly reputable British tabloid The Sun, the long-believed rumor that Hitler was monorchic has been confirmed by his doctor’s priest’s diary. The Brits are particularly overjoyed at this revelation as it lends credence to their charming folksong “Hitler Has Only Got One Ball.” (The link above includes a fascinating sidebar detailing variations in the lyrics to the ditty.)
In related news, a Los Angeles area figure skating troupe has out Mel Brooks’ed Mel himself by putting The Producers on ice. See below. If you want to skip straight to the skating Nazis, that part starts around 4:30.
My conscience requires me to cap this with Brooks’s quote about his original intent with The Producers: “Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance. “
This is somewhat old news but it provides a new way to beat a dead scarf, so why not.
A few days ago I spotted a young German man on the Berlin subway wearing a Kaffiyeh Yisraelit. I mentioned this to a German friend. My friend did a quick google search and turned up this gem: The Kaffiyeh Feygele. It seems a gay or two on the “anti-German” left has now appropriated Rachel Ray’s favorite scarf.
In the place of the classic Levantine pattern, the Kaffiyeh Feygele has hearts, butt plugs, condoms and hammers and sickles. Also, it has stars of David in the corners. This is an article in the German paper Taz on the phenomenon.
My name is Rob Kutner. I’m a writer for “The Daily Show,” as well as the creator of annual NYC Purim spiel “The Shushan Channel,” and the co-writer of a little piece of fun-with-stereotypes you may or may not have seen called “Jewno.”
But most recently, I’ve authored a book entitled APOCALYPSE HOW, a tongue-in-cheek “survival” guide that goes through topical chapters n Food, Clothing, Shelter, Social Life, Dating, Politics, Career, Recreation, and Finance — to show you how the world to come will be much better than the current one.
However, since the book’s publication, I’ve received numerous complaints from Jews (I know, can you believe it???) that the book does not sufficiently address specifically Jewish end-time issues.
So, I want to assure you that the next edition will contain an entire “Olam ha-Bagraphy,” including such critical tachliss as:
-Food — Ten low-fat, delicious, and totally blecch-friendly recipes for Levyatan (ever tried it smoked with a nice shmear?)
-Relocation — Finding a comfortable place to stay in Israel when all the world’s Jews have returned there (Hint: How do you feel about the Negev?)
-Home Makeover — Design advice for Beit HaMikdash 3 (Ex: Who makes the best dolphin skin, and where you can buy it wholesale)
-Personnel — Telling the real Mashiach from impostors (Spoiler alert: It is Schneerson after all - should have donated to the telethon!)
Â
BUT, I cannot release this updated version until ALL COPIES of the current run are sold out. So it’s up to you guys. Â Go towww.apocalypsehowthebook.com
and buy one now! Hint: Makes a great Bar/Bat Mitzvah gift — and much funnier than a savings bond.
I give them full points for consistency. Of course, it doesn’t solve the problems of the use of resources to produce meat. It also raises all kinds of questions (and to be honest, although I’ve occasionally had a burger, the idea of meat produced by humans creeps me out especially knowing all the really awful stuff behind and alongside Genetically modified food- which currently is mostly herbiferous).
But of course, the really great questions have already been asked by Jewish Star Trek fans, who pondered the matter via the replicator: Could one eat a kosher cheeseburger? Who would be qualified to supervise the meat, since in theory there might still be animals around that people schechted? Would it be kosher to eat pork produced this way? How about human flesh? The questions are endless.
If it was liver, do you still have to broil it within an inch of destruction?
PETA: You have challenged us; now we challenge you to answer these question for us!
Netzach of Chesed William Shatner doing the Exodus story. Yes, I think that qualifies for a post about endurance in mercy, if only in the lack thereof. OTOH, maybe it’s fabulous. A new movie coming out too … about crashing a Shivah.
It always frustrated me that tfillin is translated as “phylacteries” because it doesn’t help in the slightest to explain what they are or their function. What the hell is a phylactery? So while joking over this phenomenon in the office this morning, of course someone said look it up — and the wikipedia result floored me:
Phylactery, an amulet to protect the wearer from harm, enclosing magical text, herbs, or relics.
Wtf? That’s even less helpful in describing what they are! The other two definitions on wikipedia are sci-fi fantasy fiction and videogame references. I can blame the Greeks only for the first one.
One (solar) year from today, Wednesday, April 8, 2009, is birkat ha-chamah, the blessing for the sun that is said only once every 28 years!
Why every 28 years?
The short version: It’s based on bad science, but it’s still cool to have something like this that only happens a few times per lifetime. We should brainstorm about how to take advantage of this opportunity!
Here in Jerusalem (and theoretically in other cities that were walled at the time of Joshua), we just completed Purim Meshulash, a 3-day Purim celebration (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) that occurs any time the date of Purim falls on Shabbat. Since 14 Adar never falls on Shabbat but 15 Adar sometimes does, this is only relevant in walled cities (and practically speaking, only in Jerusalem).
We just had another Purim Meshulash 3 years ago, but there won’t be another one for another 13 years! Because you see, we’re on the cusp of a major transition in the Hebrew calendar. More »
“Half the world’s population is going to be celebrating something,” says Raymond Clothey, Professor Emeritus of Religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh. “My goodness,” says Delton Krueger, owner of www.interfaithcalendar.org, who follows “14 major religions and six others.” He counts 20 holidays altogether (including some religious double-dips, like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) between the 20th (which is also quite crowded) and the 21st. He marvels: “There is no other time in 2008 when there is this kind of concentration.”
And in fact for quite a bit longer than that. Ed Reingold and Nachum Dershowitz, co-authors of the books Calendrical Calculations and Calendrical Tabulations, determined how often in the period between 1600 and 2400 A.D. Good Friday, Purim, Narouz and the Eid would occur in the same week. The answer is nine times in 800 years. Then they tackled the odds that they would converge on a two-day period. And the total is … only once: tomorrow. And that’s not even counting Magha Puja and Small Holi.
And how often do I get to post from my favorite blog, Consumerist, on Jewschool? I’m gonna grab this baby and run with it:
We all know that people have been -for quite some time- acting under the mistaken notion that kosher = healthy. I seem to recall some major war in Poland between two different rabbis and their organizations over who got to oversee Polish vodka production because people there were convinced that kosher meant better product.
Now, Chinese exporters are betting that kosher certification can convince foreign consumers that their wares are safe. It’s just another marketing tool for them, of course.
Consumerist quotes the San Jose Mercury News:
Many Chinese companies were unfamiliar with the concept: One furniture maker asked for kosher certification, drawing a polite rebuff. Another facility asked to get certified as kosher even though it was smoking eel on site, a kosher no-no. The company was turned down; it is now building a separate, kosher-only facility.
And many companies weren’t ready for the grilling the rabbis gave them on their first visits to their plants, seeing it as a sign of distrust. “In China, everything works on relationships,” said Grunberg of the Orthodox Union, which certifies more than 400,000 products worldwide.
The News, also notes that according to the OU, Kosher certifications by rabbis have doubled to more than 300 in China in the past two years. Originally, it was apparently to get access to the kosher market, $11.5 billion U.S a year, but after the rash of problems with contaminated pet food, toothpaste, seafood and the like, Chinese exporters have turned to kashrut certification in order to assure people that their product is safe.
There might be some benefit to having kashrut oversight: since 2001, the Orthodox Union has required makers of products it certifies as kosher to place a code on their packages identifying the plant where it was made so the product can be traced in a recall. However, since September of this year, all Chinese food exports have been required to have this code by Chinese regulators.
It doesn’t especially bother me, really, though, I must admit. While I don’t think that hashgacha is likely to make the products safer (or at least not much) at least there’s the possibility that there will be more interesting products at my local cheapo grocery that I can buy. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I found some very tasty red bean flavored steamed buns with a nice OU on them!
Since we’ve now completed another year, it’s time for our annual, highly idiosyncratic, completely unscientific, best–of round up. Happy (secular) new year from all of us here at Jewschool! More »
Here at Jewschool, we’ve had some posts and comments that have been critical of Israel, so it’s only fair that we balance our coverage with some flagwaving. 5.2 metric tons of it.
That’s right, today marked the unfurling of the largest flag in the world, measuring 660 meters by 100 meters. (For the Americans, that means the short side measures one football field).
Filipino entrepreneur and evangelical Christian Grace Galindez-Gupana said she decided two years ago to produce a giant Israeli flag as a testament to her love for Israel and the Jewish people, and as a celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel.
“God spoke to me in thunder and lightening,” Galindez-Gupana said. “The Lord said, ‘Make the flag of Israel, the standard of my people.’”
Personally, I think this flag isn’t nearly as tasty as the world’s largest hamentashen, but then again I’m one of those lefties.
Jones soda, which produces some normally pretty tasty flavors, and which I normally like for their failure to use High Fructose Corn Syrup, has apparently decided that all press is good press, and all flavors are good flavors. For the winter holiday season this year they have impartially produced (respectively) a Christmas and a Chanukah soda flavors pack.
The Christmas flavors include Christmas Ham Soda, Christmas Tree Soda, Egg Nog Soda and Sugar Plum Soda; the Chanuka flavors Latke Soda, Apple Sauce Soda, Chocolate Coins Soda and Sufganiya, which they call “Jelly Doughnut Soda.”
I note that they have decided that it would be amusing to horrify one’s friends by allowing observant Jews to snarf ham flavored soda at their Chanuka parties by making it kosher. SInce it is not yet Thanksgiving, this is at least an episode of Christmas creep, although I note with relief that at least they did not bring it out before Halloween. Shopping at a number of stores this year, I found myself inundated by rows of red and green items and Christmas carols (Which, by and large, I detest) before the end of October. Significantly before. I expect before the end of the decade to stock up on earplugs before August begins.
A long time ago, I posted on the Polari Bible translation. So, for the sake of consistency, I felt the need to share with you the literary masterpiece that is not the LOLCat Bible. It’s… well, it’s pretty annoying, actually. But we here at Jewschool are dedicated to bringing you the full spectrum of Jewish and/or religious experiences, so here you go (Exodus 20, natch):
1. Then Ceiling Cat spoked all them werds:
2. I iz suprior man, and I broughted u out of hawt lend wit no cheezbrgrs for hard werk at all
3. U gotz other Ceiling Cat, I mek u ded.
4. If u try be Ceiling Cat of any of mai creayshunz up in floaty skai, down in erth or in watr or I mek u ded.
5. If u think faek Ceiling Cat iz Ceiling Cat, I mek u ded and ur children ded and ur children-children ded, for being stupid.
6. If not I wuv u and all ur childrenz-childrenz-childrenz!
7. U sez Inivsible Man bad, I mek u ded, for I dun liek it. Srsly.
8. Remembur caturday and keep holy.
9. U werk sicks dais and finish werk, kapish?
10. Dai sevn, u no werk. U and all ur peepz go wrship me.
11. I maded heavenz and erth and see and the stuff that does teh funney hoppey stuffz in and on it - so I make it holy cuz I no werk.
12. Bez u good to papa and mama so u has long lief.
13. U no mek peepz ded!
14. U no mek sexxes wit other gurlz or menz than ur wief (so no awsum treesum alowed!).
15. U no tek stuffs for free if not getz for free.
16. U no tell bad stuff about ur neibor.
17. U no wantz neibor stuff! No wief, no gurlz, no menz, no animulz! NOT YOURS.
More where that came from here. It’s actually an incomplete wiki, so if you fancy yourself a LOL-P, a LOL-E, a LOL-J or an LOL-redactor–here’s your big chance.
Evidently there’s a new book out in which some guy tries to spend a year “living the Bible as literally as possible.” Annoyingly but not surprisingly, a lot of the fuss in the marketing materials is on all the really weird stuff he did, like letting his beard grow, not mixing wool and linen, and, you know, thinking about what he eats. Oooh, weird. (They make a lot of fuss over the beard thing.) I’m actually curious about how he interpreted a lot of the mitzvot–that is to say, did Rabbinic interpretation and definitions (of, say, what Shabbat is) affect him, and if not, how did he figure out how to translate some of the more vague instructions into ma’aseh (stuff you actually do)? Did he hold like the Karites?
In this Newsweek interview, though, it seems that the author, A. J. Jacobs, got a bit more out of the experiment than just getting to pretend he was Charlton Heston.
The experience changed me in big ways and small ways. There’s a lot about gratefulness in the Bible, and I would say I’m more thankful. I focus on the hundred little things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four things that go wrong. And I love the Sabbath. There’s something I really like about a forced day of rest…. One thing I learned is that the outside affects the inside, your behavior shapes your thoughts. I also really liked what one of my spiritual advisers said, which was that you can view life as a series of rights and entitlements, or a series of responsibilities. I like seeing my life as a series of responsibilities. It’s sort of, “Ask not what the world can do for you, ask what you can do for the world.”
I’m personally reserving judgement on the project until I actually read it. Hate the marketing, though.
