What is...?

“A Work of Art
... is not a living thing ...
that walks or runs.
But the making of a life.
That which gives you a reaction.
To some it is the wonder of Man's Fingers.
To some it is the wonder of the Mind.
To some it is the wonder of Technique.
And to some it is how Real it is.
To some, how Transcendent it is.

Like the 5th Symphony
it presents itself with a feeling
that you know it, if you have heard it once.
And you look for it,
and though you know it you must hear it again.
Though you know it you must see it again.
Truly a work of Art is one that tells us,
that Nature cannot make what man can make.”
-Louis Kahn

Kosherbanz.com

Ok, admit it! As soon as you discovered the Silly Bandz fad, you've known two things... 1) This is the greatest and most logical necessity since sliced bread, and 2) You will wait in suspense until some ingenues designer/importer will come up with......................................................... Jewish Silly Bandz!!!! Of course, of course! They are here! They are available in two themes and three colors, in quantities ranging from 24 to 9,600 pieces! Get them for your Judaica Store, Day Camp, Hebrew School, Chabad House, nephew, students, parents, Bubbies! or start your own business selling bandz in your area... they're really cheap and shipping's free!

What? No I'm not just plugging my brother's site.... I'm offering you some very important advice in my professional, unbiased opinion... Ok? Now go and shop your heart out

Thanks

Breakthrough

There are days when I pick the guitar and nothing clicks. It is so bad I wonder how I ever convinced myself I could play the darn thing... The strings feel \taught restrained against the neck, unresponsive to my aching fingertips’ attempt to press them to the fingerboard. When the other hand attempts to pluck the strings they feel frozen stiff, the pick feels stiff in my figures as it attacks the strings at a rough angle, the rhythm that ensues sounds clipped and erratic, forced upon the melody. The few chords I know are a lame, of-key sounding excuse for the melody, resulting in a frustrating jumble that exactly like any other half-heated song I’ve ever tried.

Then there are days...
There are days when the guitar fits snug against my body. The strings so responsive, I can actually hear each note of the chord individually, resonating on different register, filling the room. Both hands are moving in sync, guided by the flow, wrists free of restraint or apprehension. I can "hear" the music vibrating inside of the sound hole; instead of aggressively projecting the sound, it seeps towards me, like a steady warmth spreading from the guitar’s body into mine, thorough my thigh, upper arm, and chest upon which the guitar rests. When the music reaches my ears it is has already passed through my brain; it is already comprehensible. (Unlike on previous days when my brain is trying to make sense of the sounds being forced upon my ears from the outside.)

It is on such days when I can pray...

הכן לקראת אלוהיך ישראל....

Signs of the Times

F.S. I guess I was right. Jewelry is for ever men are not!Josh just broke up with me b/c of a feeling in his heart. If anyone wants to call him and tell him what a mistake he is making feel free. 333 345 6789. Other wise I don't want to talk about it right now.

E.P. aw, so sorry F. you sound really hurt and rightfully so. did you see any signs of commitmentphobia with him? tell me more about what he said...feeling in his heart? for other men? how could he break up with you? if you want to psychoanalyze him email me!

The above is a recent status update of one of my facebook "friends". Although we share a lot of friends and other thing in common (even our birthdays, actually) we've probably never spoken more than five sentences... and now I, along with hundreds of her "friends" are exposed to one of her most personal moments, and her ex's weaknesses are already on the psychoanalytic-operating table (why not?! if everyone's doing it on TV these days, it must be for the good of mankind.) Why does it feels so weird/wrong to re-post this, especially with his phone number, yet can more harm come with re-posting what is already known? There are a million ways for anyone to get anyone's number,, do we still hesitate to give it out?

While videoing the fireworks this past July 4th, I turned my camera to capture the crowd. A woman standing nearby put her hand up in defense, a look of contempt in her eyes. I think she was right, but how was what I was doing invading her privacy any more than the cameraman who was broadcasting our faces world-wide? Did she think I was a perv or that it was more personal because I was in sole possession of the footage? If that's the case then what about the fact that anyone can get anything they want on youtube? Is it just what we don't know don't hurt us?

How would you feel if a classmate walked in on the second day of class, stood three inches from your nose and began taking pictures of you listening to the lecture? What if a journalist did it? What if that classmate was a self-proclaimed journalist? Would it matter if she was going to put in the community paper, the New York Times, or on Facebook?

I think this will be a great debate that will help define the next century. How do we define privacy, and is there any point in fighting for it?