Ed got me onto an xkcd kick last night, and, well, this is why an English major is garbage: (I kid, I kid! ... sort of :) )
Elsewhere: Have a wonderful Shabbos!
- Classy move by President Obama, giving a 10-year old a note to miss class. Nice. One kid who won't hate politicians.
- An interesting piece on why Orthodox women don't wear pants at Jew in the City. Personally, I don't necessarily agree (or disagree) with some of the reasoning, though it's all accurate, but I actually always felt the last point was not to be underestimated and probably the best reason. I also don't think women typically are interested in MC Hammer pants. The only pants-like clothing I've seen girls/women wear that is obviously non-problematic was in Israel, where you actually would think it was a dress they were so loose. That said, what bothers me is the assumption that someone who wears pants doesn't care about halacha or cares less than someone who won't. If their shita is that certain pants are okay, you may disagree, but don't just lump them in the "does not care" crowd. It's sad that a friend felt she had to stop following what she felt was okay halachically because she'd only get set up on dates with people who did not care at all.
- Interesting piece on "Friend Turnover" at Freakonomics. I'm actually surprised it's as high as it is, assuming we're talking about the person's basic social circle.
- Adventures in Chinuch doesn't understand the "flipping out" when it comes to secular names. I have to agree: What's wrong with secular names? I think the Rashi on lo shinu es shemam has got to be one of the most mis-applied Rashis in Torah. Look through Gemara - they have almost no "Jewish" names, they're all Aramicized names! R' Akiva? Aramaic for Yaakov. On the flip side, I personally just don't see a need to give kids different English names, particularly today when it's not as if any name is especially strange. My English name: Eliezer Chaim. But for those who do? Why change it?
- For all the fleish-o-phobes... here's what cheeses not to eat (at Hirhurim) if you want to avoid being milchig. What's funny is it never even came up when I was a kid despite our love of cheese, and I was surprised when my cousins in Israel were waiting 6 hours to eat meat.
- Cool Coca-Cola art. Recycled cans to make, oh, a truck. Or a dress and a tux. Or a row of Coke zombies. Or... underwear!?
Actually, there are some limits as to what will be tolerated as valid in the study of literature. I recall a class discussion in which a student proposed, "Why not bring in . . . ?" and the professor responded, "Why not bring in the kitchen sink?" Yet, it is true, that some people in the field have made a name for themselves precisely because they have proposed outrageous things. But would that be so different than revolutionizing art by splashing paint on huge canvases as Pollack did?
ReplyDelete>but I actually always felt the last point was not to be underestimated and probably the best reason.
ReplyDeleteYup, and actually, its just about what I wrote on my post here.
http://holyhyrax.blogspot.com/2008/08/in-defence-of-skirt.html
Heaven protect me from those who stick their pinky fingertip into one of the pots of Critical Theory and critique the whole meal based on that small taste. The field of critical theory is too vast and too diverse to be reduced down to one frame of one cartoon poking fun at deconstruction.
ReplyDeleteEzzie love, there's a real danger when you attack English majors. Their weapon of choice is words, and as the poet wrote "His words flayed the skin from his enemies, like swords through butter, and they fell helpless before the onslaught."
xkcd has some great strips. Some hit a little too close to home, though!
ReplyDeleteInteresting Ezzie. Your name is the reverse of my son's name.
ReplyDeleteEzzie love, there's a real danger when you attack English majors. Their weapon of choice is words, and as the poet wrote "His words flayed the skin from his enemies, like swords through butter, and they fell helpless before the onslaught."
ReplyDelete.
It's okay. Ezzie can do this, too. Clearly that means he's actually an English major in disguise. Perhaps that's why he makes fun of us so much - so we won't be suspicious. Hmmm... :P
The names are even in Greek.
ReplyDeleteThis actually causes problems in my life- people assume my name in English in my name in Hebrew (it is not....)
(and note that in the US cheeses are made very differently due to pasteurization...) You would have to source a real Parmesan, not the one in the bottle (which is aged 6 months...)
And does anywhere know where I can get a Kosher Brie? Just sayin'
new yeshivish blog
ReplyDelete'not brisker yeshivish'
It's odd, but until recently I never thought of pants as modest, and now I squirm about wearing skirts because of all the leg I'm exposing. I seriously feel like the least modest person in the office.
ReplyDeleteShanaMaidel:
ReplyDeleteYou can buy a kosher Brie by this brand:
http://www.lespetitesfermieres.com/itemlistLP.html
Ariella - It's less about what can be brought in vs. how little you actually need to know to be able to pretend to be an expert.
ReplyDeletePlus, I agree on Pollack - it's what has turned art into a mockery when it comes to serious study.
HH - Yup.
ProfK - See Erachet's comment. :) Plus, I do the same with most fields.
jwh - Yup :)
Avrom - That's more common than mine.
Erachet - Nah. More like I don't see a need to study something that's so obvious. ;)
Shana - My mom's is Rena Mirel in English...but Rivka Mindel in Hebrew. How's that for fun. :P
Lon - Someone once told me there's a shita (but I've never been able to confirm it, and I suspect it's not sourced) for some to simply dress more modestly than their surroundings, as opposed to specific guidelines of tznius. In a way it makes more sense; the assumption there is that any specific guidelines mentioned were simply what was appropriate in a given time/place. OTOH, I would think there's a minimum requirement.
Alexis - Thanks.
Nice piece by jew in the city, thanks for pointing me there.
ReplyDeleteTheir weapon of choice is words, and as the poet wrote "His words flayed the skin from his enemies, like swords through butter, and they fell helpless before the onslaught."
ReplyDeletePerhaps, but never forget the great lessons of sandlot poetry - "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me"
G - Whoever said, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," was full of it.
ReplyDeleteEzzie- I was told the same shittah
ReplyDeletea lot of the modest injuctions are relatively new, and are in fact reactions against feminism and the fast changing pace of the fashion cycle. You used to be able to find pictures of chassidic rebbetzins in sleeveless pre-WW1. Try finding the beginning, not the end, of Rav Feinstein's teshuva of why women shouldn't wear pants. (or is it sleeveless?).
A further note: Dress for the location- really. I wear a lot of pants because I live most of my time on a really cold campus and work in an art studio. For safety reasons/dirt reasons, I end up in pants. (If I get clearances and training, I maintain the ability to use the metal shops and wood shops, including welding, power-sanding, gas torches and a variety of saws for both metal and wood. A skirt is a safety hazard. Further, I prefer not to ruin skirts with my charcoals, considering I generally walk away looking like a chimney sweep.)