tzviblog

Moving!

2006-03-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

Hey there everyone out in Tzviblog land. Sorry for the long gap in blogging, but big news. I am moving my entire cyber life over to my main site - moretorah.com - the restarted blog will be there, as well as all the great More Torah MP3s (all 56, now available as free downloads), all the classic Tzvi articles are there, and best of all - the new CD, Jewish Roots Music - can be sampled there, and will soon be for sale online. Please visit the newly revamped More Torah (still minor bits of construction to go).

Anyone care to comment?

2005-09-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

Read this nonsense. Dan pointed out that the author seems to have forgotten all the Muslims who died in the tsunami and the earthquake in Iraq. It is easy to be selective when you are looking for "proofs" of how allah slaughters infidels. Moron.

What was I thinking?

2005-08-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

I quit coffee back in February. It seemed like a good idea at the time and I was egged on by all the hippy health food types. I had already boosted my intake of antioxidants with increased consumption of fruit and I do feel like a million bucks - BUT - now it seems that the hippies lied (big surprise) - look at this: coffee is loaded with goodness. True, I feel much better on fast days and it is nice to have the monkey off my back - I am no longer irritable in the morning before my cup of black magic - but if coffee is really healthy, maybe I should bring it back. Thoughts?

The Gaza Pull-out

2005-08-19T14:41:00.000-04:00

Whatever your opinion of the Gaza pull-out may be, you have to admit that the events as they unfold are an incredible testament to the greatness of the Jewish people. Think about it, the pull-out is unpopular and unprecedented, the people who live in Gaza believe they have a religious obligation to be there and are willing to die for their beliefs - and yet, there has been no bloodshed or violence. The soldiers even put away their weapons before entering the settlements. Many of the images I've seen are of soldiers crying as they hold hands with the settlers they are expelling. In any other part of the world, an expulsion of this kind would be bloody with scores dead, indiscriminate shootings, looting - you name it.

The Jewish people may have fervent disagreements but we are all one people and these scenes prove that.

Sharansky's Book

2005-08-11T23:59:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading Natan Sharansky's new book, the Case for Democracy. This is the book that President Bush said outlines his global philosophy. Sharansky's book is a great read, filled with stories from his days fighting the U.S.S.R. Also, between the lines it is very easy to see that Sharansky is a great man, a person who bends over backwards to give others the benefit of the doubt, and a person who sincerely cares and feels the pain of people who are suffering.

In terms of Sharanksy's theory (and this is ultimately the reason he wrote this book), I think he is almost correct and his ideas could probably be applied in most areas of the world. The one exception, and this is where I take issue with his thesis, is in the world of Islam.

Sharansky's idea is that if the world were free - that dictators and other authoritarian scum were driven from power - then the world would be at peace and most conflict would disappear. What he fails to acknowledge is the power of Islam as a religious system. The reality is that religious Muslims really believe what the Koran says. Some are even willing to die and to kill for it.

But I think the main reason Sharansky's ideas simply won't work (at least in the Muslim world) is because Islam has never undergone a reformation similar to what Christianity underwent. Humanitarian and open societies are able to exist in the West because the ultimate authority of the church was successfully challenged. The result of the reformation led to a weakening of the Church and the rise of competing views of religion and ulimately the rise of secular humanism. Until Islam is similarly challenged, it's fundamentalist rigidity will stand supreme and thus an openness to negotiate and accept other viewpoints will remain impossible.

I should add, that as I was thinking about this, I saw this article where Salman Rushdie calls for an Islamic reformation. Maybe I am a psychic?

To be fair, I think Rushdie's ideas (at least as they are presented here) come from a complete lack of respect or understanding of what Islam as a religious system is or means (not that you can blame him - he has been in hiding for 20 years).

These are my two cents on Sharansky's book. All in all, it was a great read and I recommend it to everyone. My next book is the Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

Important Diet Additions

2005-08-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

As Simon correctly noted, I forgot to mention my blender. My blender is the mother of all blenders. 500 watts (or volts) of pure smashing power. I load it up with bananas, strawberries and frozen blueberries and my morning is an anti-toxin high fiber all-over body fix. I shouldn't omit my juicer either. In the off, non-strawberry season, I grind up four or five apples and a chunk of ginger root and I am ready to rock the world. In my opinion, everyone should start their day with pulverized fruit (not that real fruit is bad - I eat that too), you'll feel great and it is a way to fight colds.

Someone also noted shwarma. Shwarma is an essential part of my spiritual life. It breaks almost every health rule - white flour, white potatoes, greasy meat - but if you can't eat shwarma from time to time then what's the point? A person needs to be healthy and eat well, but don't get so healthy that you forget the essentials. If the cult of health food is keeping you away from shwarma, then maybe it is time to reevaluate your eating priorities.

My Diet

2005-08-04T16:39:00.000-04:00

People have been commenting on how thin and suave I look. So here is my diet. The Rambam (Maimonides - classic awesome Jew and great thinker from back in the day) says you need to be serious about your diet - this way you can be healthy and alert to learn, not to mention to enjoy this great big beautiful world.

So this is it. I eat fruit all morning and nothing else. Then the rest of the day I do my best to avoid anything with a high glycemic index. I stay away from anything white - I eat brown bread, brown rice, no sugar (or soda or any of that). The only downer is that beer has a high glycemic index - but oh well. On Shabbos it can be hard to avoid the yummy food - especially desert.

These are my diet secrets. Everyone should get into it. My next thing is to think about exercise - I am told it is good for you too.

Understanding Malchus*

2005-07-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

The Talmud states that a person needs to make an effort to see a gentile king; when the day comes that he is privileged to see a Jewish king, he'll be able to recognize the difference.

About two months ago I visited Graceland. The grandeur and majesty of the KING's residence immediately impressed me. (The green shag-carpeted ceiling in the Jungle Room is awe-inspiring). I was blown away by his estate, his jewels and clothes - everything. In particular, seeing the KING's outstanding achievements on display in the Trophy Room gave me a new appreciation for real greatness.

But the most powerful part of Graceland is the Racquet Ball building. (The KING personally oversaw its construction.) Video footage of the KING's legendary performance: Elvis, Aloha from Hawaii - live via satellite is shown constantly. (More people watched this program then the first lunar landing.) The KING pumped out fiery versions of Proud Mary and other classics; he sweat profusely, he cared, and he gave it all. It was a very emotional experience. The KING was a leader and a giant, but most of all he was a servant.

In my opinion, every American should visit Graceland. You will gain a new understanding of what a king truly is, an understanding we unfortunately lack.

*Malchus is usually translated as "kingship" - though to be honest, I am not exactly sure what "kingship" means either.

NYC

2005-07-27T16:43:00.000-04:00

I was just in NYC. I met up with a whole bunch of people from the last Aish trip to London and we went out to dinner at Dougie's. I realize that everyone hip already knows all about Dougie's, but still - I think it is appropriate to talk about our incredible meal.

I ordered the monster burger deluxe. It was a thick and juicy hamburger with pastrami and chilli sauce dumped on top. Yum yum. Best of all, it came on a huge plate (my guess is that the plate was at least 18 inches in diameter) and it was overflowing with Dougie's amazing fries. I ate until I couldn't move. The people sitting on either side of me split a plate of 24 chicken wings (I think there were really more like 40 wings on the plate) - they were awesome. Hot, spicy, tasty. The big hit of the evening was the jumbo hot dog. Dougie's listed it as an "appetizer," but it was at least a foot long and all the empty space on the plate was filled with sauerkraut.

The bill for 9 people was only about $80 (not including the tip). This is very inexpensive, especially since we were all rendered immobile after the meal. (I should note, Dougie's is now at 247 W 72 St - across the street from where they used to be.)

The best part of my trip to Dougie's though was that on the way to NYC and back I got to use my brand new EZ Pass. I zoomed through the tolls and laughed at all the people waiting on line - eat my dust suckers.

Ken Livingstone is an idiot

2005-07-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, claims that things like foreign occupation and a denial of basic rights turns people into suicide terrorists. "Under foreign occupation and denied a right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs ... I suspect that if it had happened here in England we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves." (Ken Livingstone commenting on the origins of suicide terrorism in Israel.)

I am sorry Ken, but you are wrong. Living under foreign occupation or not being able to vote may lead to protests, unrest, civil disobedience, maybe even violence and revolution - but no civilized, moral society, no matter how hard they are pushed or oppressed, will ever lead to masses of people strapping bombs to their bodies or hijacking planes with the specific intention of dying and taking as many other people with them as possible. Keep in mind Ken, since September 2000 - beginning in Israel and now in Iraq and all over the globe, there has been a suicide attack nearly every single day somewhere in the world. That is a lot of people willing to die in order to kill.

Suicide terrorists are evil. They kill because they are convinced that intimidation and terror will enable their values, beliefs and ideology to triumph and rule the world - and in return for their self-sacrifice is a special place in heaven.

Suicide terrorists will never be stopped Ken, as long as biased, bigoted fools like you continue to make excuses and justifications for why they kill.

Jack and the Beanstalk

2005-07-20T16:22:00.000-04:00

My wife was reading Jack and the Beanstalk to my kids last night. It seems to me that Jack did some pretty terrible things and should not be the hero of the story.

It is true that he was living in dire poverty and I can certainly empathize with his plight. His family was pushed to the point that they had to sell the family cow and Jack made a pretty bad business decision trading it in for a handful of beans.

But then things get very sketchy. The beans become a huge stalk extending way in to the clouds. Jack, his curiosity piqued, climbs to the top and ends up in a pretty dangerous place - the home of a man eating giant. The wife of the giant feeds Jack and hides him from her husband. How does Jack return the favor? He steals their money! What a punk! Where is his gratitude?

There are those who will justify Jack's actions on the basis of his poverty. To them I point to the fact that after Jack stole the bag of gold, he then went back up and stole the hen that lays the golden eggs. He then went back again to steal the golden harp that plays music on its own.

And then, and this is the clincher, after he gets busted and the giants chase after him, he murders them to save his hide!

The story ends "and everyone lived happily ever after." -- What kind of sick twisted logic is that? Jack is a murderous pathological criminal, he should spend his life behind bars! Instead, the poor giants are dead and Jack is living the highlife on the stolen booty.

My list

2005-07-18T15:15:00.000-04:00

I was about to go on a long rant about all the bands missing from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I decided it is better to be positive. This is my list of the bands I think need to be inducted:

Black Sabbath - like I said before, Iron Man and Paranoid are probably the two most covered songs on the planet. (And Bill Ward is the MAN).
Deep Purple - I mentioned these guys already too - Ian Gillian and Richie Blackmore - what more needs to be said?
Steppenwolf - ok, they only have two songs that everyone knows. But come on, if the band that brought us Born to Be Wild isn't worthy of the Hall of Fame, then they should probably just shut the place down.
Ten Years After - I may be the only person alive who likes these guys, but they were particularly cool in the Woodstock movie
Joe Cocker - so what if the guy only did covers? He has the coolest voice ever.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - I know, everyone says they should be in, but it is true. They were awesome and had a ton of great songs and they sold millions. It is a crime that they are blacklisted just because they are from the south - shame on you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Van Halen - Eddie rules and Dave is Jewish - they sold out stadiums and revolutionized rock guitar, why not?
King Crimson - Robert Fripp is too weird not to let in. And I didn't see Bowie on the list, but he should be there too even if he did get a little too pop-cheese sometimes - he let Fripp get all sick on Fashion and that wins big points with me.

I am sure there are others, but this is my short list for now. Who else?

It can't happen here

2005-07-17T14:06:00.000-04:00

There is a movement within Protestant Churches, mostly in the US, to divest from Israel. So far the list includes:

The Presbyterian Church-USA
The World Council of Churches
The United Methodist Church
The Episcopal Church
The UCC

Divestment is an ugly, one-sided, and unfortunately anti-Semitic ploy to keep large corporations from doing business with Israel.

As a Jew, whatever your opinion may be about the conflict in Israel, it is important to know what your neighbors are saying. Protestantism is America's largest religious denomination, they run bake sales, have cute little churches, and at their international conclaves they discuss the evils of Zionist aggression.

I am not trying to be the prophet of doom or anything, but be aware; as amazing as America has been for the Jewish people, this is not the first experience of freedom and prosperity in our long history and things can easily change.

The Libro-con

2005-07-15T11:25:00.000-04:00

Check it out - I think there is a new social-political animal lurking on the horizon - we'll call it the "libro-con." The libro-con has his own internal logic that may appear contradictory to an outsider. I'll explain, using myself as an example. One the one hand:

I (like all libro-cons) live in a blue state
I don't shop at Wal Mart
I enjoy academia and I feel comfortable in a university setting
I am into health food and I enjoy short-grain brown rice and eat only whole wheat bread (and most importantly, I appreciate the aesthetic side of quality vegetarian eating, though I am not a vegetarian myself)
I have eclectic tastes in music and enjoy even the most pretentious art-jazz
And (which I think is the clincher) I listen regularly to NPR and although I disagree with almost everything they say, I still enjoy the programming and topics they discuss. I even find the arrogant monotone somewhat soothing.

However, in stark contrast to these socio-cultural leanings that seem to so blatantly label me as an arrogant Northeastern liberal:

I am a social conservative in regards to most issues
I am super pro-Israel
I would consider myself a hawk
I am pro-God and pro-religion

I am sure I am not alone out there either. I think Northeastern liberal centers (like New York and Boston) are secretly teeming with libro-cons. We go to cafes and we spend way too much money for the aesthetically hip coffee we are drinking, and we enjoy the alternative, avant-guard tunes blasting in the background. But if you listen to our conversations we probably spewing something right wing and radical (if we aren't discussing the latest issue of the New Yorker).

My fellow libro-cons, identify yourselves - we can start our own webpages, pretentious magazines, print bumper stickers, form societies, launch a hip political party - the sky's the limit.

The libro-con - the new breed of conservative with good taste.

Jewish Genetic Advantage

2005-07-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

Jews have special genes and that is why we are so smart. Even the Economist says so.

No Black Sabbath?

2005-07-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

I was looking at the list of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I can't believe they missed Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. I mean the Talking Heads and Tom Petty are nice and all, but no decent self-respecting rock star wannabe cranks out tortured versions of Take Me to the River or Refugee or any of that. First you learn Smoke on the Water, then Iron Man, and then you are ready to rock and roll. And Ozzy should be a double inductee! Come on, Steven Stills gets in a second time with Buffalo Springfield (a one hit wonder 60's protest band) and nothing for Ozzy - what's up with that? I think this is just a typical representation of the pseudo-sophisticated bias prevalent amongst music critics types; they ignore the obvious innovators (power chord riffs in unison - what could be more influential than that?) in favor of artists that seem more "intelligent." Be intelligent, but don't ignore true genius. Their one saving grace is at least P-Funk got in.

Speaking of meaningful, check out this list of Jewish rock stars.

More about the British

2005-07-13T10:59:00.000-04:00

It seems that the BBC isn't the only British institution blinded by reckless political correctness. Check out these short articles (1, 2, and 3) about British security and preparedness.

The stupid BBC

2005-07-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is completely ridiculous. Political correctness gone crazy.

post number one

2005-07-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

This is a super exciting and big day here in tzvi land as we go super blog happy.