Archive for 2/4/2008 - 28 Shevat, 5768

[I attempted to epost this last night, and now, about 12 hours later, it’s still not posted, so I will try again.]

I found two old comics on Saturday. Classics Illustrated #9 (Les Miserables) and #18 (Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Neither were editions published in the 1940s, but instead the 1960s, making them slightly more affordable than they would have been otherwise. Searching the web I have found that both issues had several printings with at least 3 separate covers for each. If I can find some of the other covers without breaking my bank, I might consider it. Two other Victor Hugo novels were adapted, both of which are rarer: #56-Toilers of the Sea and #71 - The Man Who Laughs. I saw a copy this weekend of the latter from the 1940s for $25, but I passed it up.

Classics Illustrated was an interesting concept. The plot and characters of the classic novels were so chopped up and condensed to fit into the comic that those who have already read the novel cringe at what’s left out, and it’s hard to believe someone who hasn’t read the novels will be inspired to. So as something “literary” they fail completely. I’ve heard some suggest they were an early form of Cliff Notes.

I was depressed to discover Gavroche was left on the cutting room floor for Les Miserables, but I can understand his role in the novel wasn’t major. Predictably, the ending of Hunchback of Notre Dame was changed.

To support free speech: Buy Denmark.

(this includes such wonderful things as Havarti cheese, Carlsbad beer, and Legos!)

I have to write a longer post on this. I think some of the original 12 cartoons were offensive. And I think the reason the paper ran the contest to create the 12 cartoons is offensive. However, the appropriate response isn’t riots in the streets. That’s the basic summary of my thoughts. More later.

We will buy very pretty things
A walking through the faubourgs.
Violets are blue, roses are red,
Violets are blue, I love my loves.

– Les Miserables (sung by Fantine)

As an afterthought to my earlier post:

Ideally schools teach about the contributions of minorities throughout
the school year, and don’t need specific months telling them what to
teach.

Haym Solomon’s contribution to American History should be taught at
the same time the American Revolution is taught. In an American
History course in high school, that’s likely to be sometime around Oct
or Nov at my guess. Near the beginning, but after the Pilgrims and
Puritans. To teach the American Revolution then, and talk about Haym
Solomon’s role in January or April makes no sense.

To quote Tom Lehrer:

But during National Brotherhood Week
National Brotherhood Week
It’s National Everyone-Smile-At-One-Another-Hood Week
Be nice to people who are inferior to you
It’s only for a week so have no fear -
Just be grateful it doesn’t last all year!

I have on occasion had to drive with a colleague to a meeting or conference.
He has told me that he doesn’t feel safe in my car.

This morning I heard on the radio of a “car going west in the east
bound lanes of Hwy 40″.

I’ve never done that.

William Donohue of The Heritage Foundation in Washington …contends, “The American Civil Liberties Union is willing to go to court to protect the right of a student to have an obscenity on his T-shirt, but they are also willing to go to court to sue a student if he had a religious message on his T-shirt.

source

On Nov 9 2004 the ACLU defended a Mormon student who wore a religious tshirt. (the link contains a list of other cases where the ACLU has defended religious speech.

It’s amazing how many people think the ACLU only takes cases that attack religion.

There’s a movement to declare a Jewish Heritage Month.

I am of two minds. I don’t think we need weeks and months celebrating the millions of minority subgroups in this country. We don’t even have enough months.

Blacks, Jews, Latino, Hindu, Asian, Muslim, Irish, Pagan, Native American, Mormon, Indian, Buddhist. There’s 12 for the 12 months, but I suspect someone can come up with a 13th, and then two groups need to share.

However, I do see a need to educate our children about the role minorities have played in our society. How about a National Minority Month? That might be better.

Of all the examples listed in the articles I link to at the top, I had no idea Wyatt Earp was buried in a Jewish cemetary. (His wife was Jewish) The other names were familiar to me. However, a handful I learned myself about five or six years ago when I taught religious school for a year.

The Musical Baton has been passed to me by both Anna and A Whole Can of Plot. The latter passed the baton to me knowing full well the former had too, which is redundant of her, but I guess that means I mustn’t let the baton drop.

I will note, as I often do, that by definition all memes are supposed to change. So I will make sure there are changes, albeit minor ones.

Amount of music in my Ipod.

None. I don’t own one.

Amount of music on my laptop.

I have 21.22 GB of music on my laptop (14 days worth)

The song currently playing

Ring Around A Rosy Rag by Arlo Guthrie

My most recent acquisitions (according to Itunes)

It’s Five Oclock Somewhere - Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
American Idiot (full album) - Green Day
Best of the 80s (a collection)
Live at Stubbs (full album) - Matisyahu
White Album (full album) - Beatles
A Better Version of You - Paul and Storm
Best of Twisted Christmas (full album) - Bob Rivers
Bowery Songs (full album) - Joan Baez

Five songs you play often or mean the most to you.
(5 most played songs according to Itunes):

Joss Whedon’s Ballad of Serenity
Let’s Go to Michael Jackson’s House - Tom Paxton
Ariel - Dean Friedman
Red Red Wine - Bob Marley
Girl All the Bad Guys Want - Bowling for Soup

CD most recently played in your car
Stephen Lynch’s A Little Bit Special

People I’m passing the baton to:

• Uhyeahsure
• CasaChristy
• Blog on the Edge of Forever
• Poetic Reasons

We are in the month of the 204th anniversary of Victor Hugo’s birth,
so I’ve decided I’ll post a weekly quote from the master. I have a
ton of these, so there’s no danger of running out. We’ll start with
one from the novel of his which began my obsession:

“If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty
one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the
darkness.” (Les Miserables)

The television series, Soap!, structured their episodes so that every
episode began with “what happened last week” and ended with “what will
happen next week?” making it very difficult to stop between episodes
while watching the DVD.

I found it interesting that the seaon wrapped up with the whole Who
Shot Peter Campbell? arc. Sure, it was parodying real soap operas.
So obviously…they were parodying Dallas, right? I remember making
that assumption when I first saw the series in reruns.

But JR Ewing was shot in 1980. The first season of Soap aired in
1977. Wiki claims Soap! was the first ever US television show to end a season with a cliffhanger.

Blogger frustrates me. I emailed a post to my blog 2 hours ago, and
it hasn’t posted yet. Of course, I am using email to post this, so
we’ll see how long it takes for this to post. It is currently noon.
Thursday.

I am working on setting up new blogging software. The only difficulty
I am having is importing my entries here to the new setup. Hopefully
I can have all my archives in one location.

First, a little background on the synagogue I attend, quoted, verbatim from the website:

—–
In 1841… United Hebrew was founded, the first Jewish congregation west of the Mississippi and only the 20th in the entire country.

By 1870, after the construction of the first synagogue at Sixth Street between Locust and St. Charles, services were held on more traditional lines. But in 1870, a gradual swing to the Reform Movement began. By 1913 the wearing of yarmulkes was made optional.
—–

I have a yarmulke (sometimes called a kipah, or a skullcap). It’s handcrafted, comes from Israel, and for those who are familiar with the different types, it’s Yemenite in design. I wear it whenever I’m in a synagogue’s sanctuary. That’s long been the line I draw for my own observance. At services in my synagogue I am never the only person wearing one, and I’ve even seen another Yemenite almost identical to my own. At the very least, I always know the Rabbis will be wearing one.

I knew going to the forum that it was scheduled to be held in the Youth Lounge, but I also knew from my friend that a sizable number of people had already RSVPd from her church, and I suspected the attendance would be much too large to be held there. I suspected it
would be moved to the sanctuary, so I brought my yarmulke. I was correct. I walked into the sanctuary with my friend, sat down, looked up at the bimah (similar to a pulpit), and saw my Rabbi, with a bare head.

Yarmulkes have been optional in my synagogue for 73 years. I won’t say I’ve never seen him without one, but it’s rare I see him outside of religious services. I looked around the sanctuary and found one other person wearing one. I felt strange for a few seconds, but then I shrugged it off.

Reform Judaism feels we have the ability to read and interpret the Torah individually, and accept or reject those rituals we find or don’t find meaningful. There was a swing towards rejection in my grandfather’s era, and there was a visible swing back in my generation. But I was unfortunately on the younger side of the attendees.

Thinking about my reaction, it occurs to me that appearances really make a difference to me. I enjoy wearing a yarmulke in services. I enjoy having a mezuzzah on my doorpost. I once saw an individual member of the congregation wearing a tallis, which resembles a long scarf with frayed edges. Though I was rather surprised to see this, I thought to myself that I would enjoy wearing it too, if others in the congregation did, but I wouldn’t want to be the only one. I’d probably enjoy wearing a yarmulke everywhere, except no one else in my family does, nor does anyone else in my synagogue. I could change synagogues. I can’t change families.

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