Welcome to all of you visiting here from TheKurths.com! Derek and I work together, and I am glad that his sudden popularity for making homemade frappuccinos has had an impact on my number of visitors. Please feel free to look around and stay long. Be sure to check out the menu on the left for sections of the website beyond the blog.
Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian who was put on trial for becoming a Christian and was likely to receive a death sentence, has successfuly fled to Italy and is begin given asylum. Kol hakavod (all honor) to Italy for granting him asylum, and kol tuv (all the best) to Rahman.
Labels: Islam
Investor’s Business Daily has published a great article that provides a wonderful follow-up on my earlier post about Islam. The author of the article says that the best way for moderate Muslims to show us that Islam is not a religion of war is for those Muslims to answer some important questions for us, for instance:
Is it true that 26 chapters of the Quran deal with jihad, a fight able-bodied believers are obligated to join (Surah 2:216), and that the text orders Muslims to "instill terror into the hearts of the unbeliever" and to "smite above their necks" (8:12)?
Is the "test" of loyalty to Allah not good acts or faith in general, but martyrdom that results from fighting unbelievers (47:4) — the only assurance of salvation in Islam (4:74; 9:111)?
Are the sins of any Muslim who becomes a martyr forgiven by the very act of being slain while slaying the unbelievers (4:96)?
And is it really true that martyrs are rewarded with virgins, among other carnal delights, in Paradise (38:51, 55:56; 55:76; 56:22)?
Are those unable to do jihad — such as women or the elderly — required to give "asylum and aid" to those who do fight unbelievers in the cause of Allah (8:74)?
Does Islam advocate expansion by force? And is the final command of jihad, as revealed to Muhammad in the Quran, to conquer the world in the name of Islam (9:29)?
Is Islam the only religion that does not teach the Golden Rule (48:29)? Does the Quran instead teach violence and hatred against non-Muslims, specifically Jews and Christians (5:50)?
This list of references is one of the most comprehensive lists I have ever seen, and the author's questions get right to the heart of the issue. Take a minute and read the whole article. If you are a Muslim, I hope you will seriously consider trying to answer these questions for us.
Another link Richard pointed out is this one about George Bush and the renewal of the Patriot Act.
WASHINGTON -- When President Bush signed the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act this month, he included an addendum saying that he did not feel obliged to obey requirements that he inform Congress about how the FBI was using the act's expanded police powers.
The bill contained several oversight provisions intended to make sure the FBI did not abuse the special terrorism-related powers to search homes and secretly seize papers. The provisions require Justice Department officials to keep closer track of how often the FBI uses the new powers and in what type of situations. Under the law, the administration would have to provide the information to Congress by certain dates.
Bush signed the bill with fanfare at a White House ceremony March 9, calling it ''a piece of legislation that's vital to win the war on terror and to protect the American people." But after the reporters and guests had left, the White House quietly issued a ''signing statement," an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law.
In the statement, Bush said that he did not consider himself bound to tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that, despite the law's requirements, he could withhold the information if he decided that disclosure would ''impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the executive, or the performance of the executive's constitutional duties."
Bush wrote: ''The executive branch shall construe the provisions . . . that call for furnishing information to entities outside the executive branch . . . in a manner consistent with the president's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to withhold information . . . "
Read it all to see just how backwards this thinking is and just how scary our federal government is becoming.
Labels: Politics
Well, my sleep schedule is not much better now than it has been for the last few weeks. I have been getting enough sleep to function well, but the scheduling part of it is not sticking. We'll see where it goes.
The good news is that I am likely to live longer than those of you who sleep for 8 or more hours each night. My brother linked to a story about a 6-year study of 1 million people called the Cancer Prevention Study II. The study shows that people who sleep 8 hours or more each night are more likely to die [Update: likely to die sooner — thanks, Derek!] than people who sleep less (like 6-7 hours). Actually, insomniacs and other people who sleep only 3.5 hours each night are even more likely to live longer.
Labels: Health
In case any of you are interested, Debbie Schlussel has some information on two new movies in the theatres, both produced by Spike Lee. "Inside Man" and "CSA: The Confederate States of America" are both anti-Semitic, racist, historically inaccurate, and par for the course for Lee's movies thus far.
Here is an update on Abdul Rahman, the Christan in Afghanistan who is facing the death penalty for his beliefs (see my earlier post). According to a high government official, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, is intervening in the case, and supposedly a deal will be reached in the next few days.
That is nice to know, considering that the Afghanistan Constitution states that while "the religion of the state... is... Islam", "followers of other religions are free to exercise their faith and perform their religious rites" (Chapter 1, Article 2). In addition the Preamble to that constitution states that the people of Afghanistan respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That Declaration is even more clear on the fact that each person has a right to believe and follow their religion of choice:
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. (Article 18)
The very least Karzai can do is ensure that his government follows its own laws. Rahman changed religions in another country, not in Afghanistan, and he was not engaged in evangelism. His basic human rights are being denied him, and it is the responsibility of the Afghan government to prevent him from being executed for his beliefs.
I hope Karzai does the right thing, but to be honest, I am skeptical. If Rahman does get released, it would behoove him to seek sanctuary in the U.S. or another more forward-thinking country. If not, I suspect that he will be killed in no time for his beliefs and that the murdurers will be let off the hook. I hope I'm wrong on that...
By the way, anyone who thinks that the new government in Iraq can't go the same way is fooling themselves. Look at the Middle East and tell me how many free countries are there, countries not run or primarily influenced by Sharia law. One. Only one. Israel.
In other news, the leading Muslim imams are denouncing Rahman as an apostate and calling for his murder:
Rahman had "committed the greatest sin" by converting to Christianity and deserved to be killed, cleric Abdul Raoulf said in a sermon Friday at Herati Mosque.
"God's way is the right way, and this man whose name is Abdul Rahman is an apostate," he told about 150 worshippers.
Another cleric, Ayatullah Asife Muhseni, told a gathering of preachers and intellectuals at a Kabul hotel that the Afghan president had no right to overturn the punishment of an apostate.
He also demanded that clerics be able to question Rahman in jail to discover why he had converted to Christianity. He suggested it could have been the result of a conspiracy by Western nations or Jews. (emphasis mine)
So, let me get this straight.... Islam is right, every other religion is wrong, and Muslims have the right to kill anyone who is not Muslim based on that fact.... Oh, and this whole Rahman thing is part of the worldwide Jewish conspiracy.... That sounds like something Mohammed would say. Oh, he did (9.29-33)...
UPDATE: Looks like the case against Rahman has been dismissed "because of lack of evidence". The prosecutor will have another chance, though, if he collects enough information. Get out of there, Rahman!
Labels: Islam
I have just completed a complete renovation of Chaya's website, including a new look and layout, better organization of content, new videos (with copies that are actually small enough to download with a dial-up modem), and lots of pictures. Take a look and let me know what you think about it!
Labels: Chaya
The last week or so has been pretty hit-and-miss with my sleep schedule. I had a lot going on, missed some naps, and ended up messing up the whole thing. I have been attempting to switch over to the new idea I wrote about in my last update, and my goal now is to work that out this week. I am getting enough sleep to be functional, and occasional naps seem to help me out perfectly.
Labels: Health
My last post about the Christian man who might soon be executed for his beliefs has reminded me of something else that I have been wanting to post here. Back in January, Anne Lieberman pointed out a letter to the editor in the Boulder, Colorado newspaper, the Daily Camera, that I think makes a great point about Islam:
Let's play jihad geography. Current [major world] conflicts include Mulims vs. Jews in "Palestine," Muslims vs. Hindus in Kashmir, Mulsims vs. Christians in Africa, Muslims vs. Buddhists in Thailand, Muslims vs. Russians in the Caucasus. Significant terrorism involving the religion of peace also includes Bali, Australia, Bangladesh, Holland, France, England, Iraq and the United States (remember 9/11?).
Perhaps the reason Muslims initiate violent, bloodletting among their infidel/kafir neighbors is because the Koran demands it. Go ahead, read it.
Diagree? Still convinced that Islam is, at its root, a religion of peace? I urge you to look at TheReligionOfPeace.com, JihadWatch.org, and DhimmiWatch and see for yourself what followers of the largest religion on the planet are doing to people every day. From what I can tell, these people make up the majority of the Muslim population worldwide. Why else would 40% of Muslims living in the UK want draconian Sharia law implemented in that democratic country? Why else would a Christian in Afghanistan, who is not evangelizing, just living his life, be tried and possibly be executed under sharia law for his beliefs?
I also encourage you to take the advice of the letter quoted above and read the Koran yourself (the link points to a widely respected translation of the Koran into English). I think you may be surprised with what you see about those of us who refuse to become Muslim ourselves.
Thankfully, there are a few dissenting voices within Islam these days (Wafa Sultan is one)—Muslims who are working to moderate their religion and show that being Muslim does not require killing the infidels. I support these people wholeheartedly in their quest to see their religion tamed. I have to say, though, that I am unconvinced that it can be.
Labels: Islam
LGF links to a story about a man in Afghanistan named Abdul Rahman who has been arrested and tried for being a Christian. The judge in the case is considering sentencing the man to death because, "We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law. It is an attack on Islam."
The whole story here is that Abdul became a believer when he was working in Pakistan helping Afghan refugees 16 years ago. He then moved to Germany and recently moved back to Afghanistan. His family turned him in when the custody battle over his two girls became heated. The prosecutor has offered to drop the charges if Abdul would convert back to Islam, but Abdul has refused.
While we may all have differing opinions about the idea of someone converting to Christianity or changing religious beliefs in other ways, I think we all agree that killing this guy is no way to remedy the situation. Sending him back to Germany or even to the U.S. is a valid option.
Europe stopped the Inquisition hundreds of years ago, but it looks like Islam is still stuck in that rut.
Labels: Islam
Rabbi Gil Student mentions the release of Gray Matter, Volume 2 by Chaim Jachter. Rav Jachter is a dayan (judge) on the Beth Din of Elizabeth New Jersey and is a teacher at the Torah Academy of Bergen County, New Jersey, a four-year Modern Orthodox yeshiva high school.
In this book, Rabbi Jachter covers practical issues in modern halachah, including issues with work on Shabbat, tevilah, the workings of a modern beit din (religious court), kashering dishwashers for Pesach, using electric Chanukah menorahs, and building and maintaing a mikvah.
I am very impressed by the breadth of the subject matter of this book, and I have added it to my never-decreasing reading list (along with volume 1, chich covers an equally impressive list of subjects). I also hope that all of our Messianic leaders read it, at least to better understand some of the practical measures taken in a modern beit din. We may not agree with everything Rabbi Jachter says, but he certainly can talk about some important issues that will help our movement grow.
Labels: Judaism
Rabbi Stuart Dauermann, one of the leaders in our movement and a man I respect greatly, recently wrote a post on his blog discussing the need for covenant faithfulness among the Jews in our movement. I appreciate and applaud his comments with every fiber of my being.
Covenant faithfulness is about heeding the words of the Torah and putting them into practice. It is amazing and sad to me that I see so many Jews in our movement who have become so assimilated that they do not know Hebrew, or are so anti-Torah ("free from the Law") that they have no problem eating treif food. Common complaints about following Torah include the idea that it is hard to do and that it is restrictive. I have been progressively becoming more observant for the last 7 years, and I can honestly say that it is not an extremely hard lifestyle to live. It takes time and energy to think about your actions, but the time is certainly well spent. I have gained more understanding of G-d and more closeness to Him in my time studying and implementing Torah than I ever had before, and that is saying a lot.
If you are Jewish, I encourage you to read Rabbi Dauermann's words and take them to heart. Your covenant with G-d is a major part of His redemptive plan for mankind. If you are Gentile, I encourage you to read Rabbi Dauermann's words and consider what you can do to encourage your Jewish friends to become more faithful to their covenant. Can you work to ensure that they do not have to eat non-kosher food? Can you help them rest on Shabbat? Can you encourage them to daven (pray)?
The world hangs in the balance. Which side are you adding weight to?
Labels: Biblioblogging
I went last night (Tuesday) to Kinky Friedman's petition signing party at the State Capitol. Getting an independent candidate on the ballot is sometimes hard to do, so I felt it was necessary for me to put my name in the list. I am still not sure if I will vote for Kinky, but I am sure that I want to give him a fair chance. Besides, there are no other candidates that I can tell are worth my vote in the primaries.
The event was pretty low key. Lots of press and about 300-400 people (by my estimate). Kinky spoke for about 8 minutes, rambling a bit and not really following a script. [You can listen to his talk here - MP3, 1.8MB, 7:53 minutes]. He did not reveal much about his position on the issues, but I guess the majority of the people there already knew what his platform is.
I took a few pictures at the event, some of which are shown below for your enjoyment.
If you see me on a regular basis and are interested in signing Kinky's petition to get on the ballot, please let me know. I have a petition that you can sign. Otherwise, please see his website for information on how to sign.
Labels: Politics
Gil Student at Hirhurim mentions that the OU has some audio teachings about kashrut on their website. Apparently, they have a whole website devoted to audio teachings, www.OUradio.com. Check it out, if that's your thing.
Labels: Judaism
I started an experiment with polyphasic sleep one week ago, and I wanted to post an update about how things are going. I felt fine for the first few days. Sticking to the schedule was not hard at all, and I was able to get a whole lot of things done, including finally getting my pictures from Israel online. However, around Thursday I began to hit the wall. I was still fine up until my 6:00AM nap, but getting up from that nap became almost impossible. I found myself oversleeping and having no cognitive ability unless I got at least a few hours of sleep. That was not what I expected at all.
I did some more research the other day, after not getting past this hump. One article that I read about sleep in general and polyphasic sleep in particular was enlightening. It is an interview with Dr. Claudio Stampi, a doctor who specializes in sleep research and specifically in polyphasic sleep, helping solo sailors figure out a sleep schedule that works best for them. In the interview, Dr. Stampi explains some things about sleep that I had not read before, most importantly, he explains a bit about "slow-brainwave" sleep and its relationship with REM sleep.:
...there are two types of sleep: REM sleep, which is important for memory and learning, and non-REM sleep, which restores energy and releases hormones for growth and development. Non-REM sleep occurs in four stages: Stage one is a light slumber; stage two marks the onset of real sleep, where the heart rate and breathing slow; and stages three and four provide the deep (or slow-brainwave) sleep that is most highly restorative.... Interestingly, the body seems to want its slow-wave fix first, and racks up most of the slow-wave quota in the first three hours. If you slash eight hours of sleep to four and your body has to triage, you retain 95 percent of the slow-wave sleep while ditching large chunks of REM and stage-two sleep.
This understanding of the two sleep cycles was reinforced by another article I found online, which says that "The first cycles of the night will tend to have shorter REM periods and longer periods of deep sleep. This trend reverses as the night goes on. The later cycles have longer REM periods and shorter deep sleep periods."
After reading these articles and some other information, I have decided to take a slightly different approach to my polyphasic sleep experiment. I am going to adjust my schedule to allow me to get 2-4 ninety-minute periods of sleep every night (probably 2) and supplement those with 3-4 thirty-minute naps at various points throughout the day. I hope to see this schedule keep me from having the same problems I was having in the mornings, and allow me to get some of the needed slow-brainwave sleep that I apparently need more than Steve Pavlina does.
I have read of some polyphasic and biphasic sleepers allowing themselves another sleep cycle or two one day each week. I might try that, as well (on Shabbat, of course), as long as I keep the increments in 90-minute cycles. That is the body's natural rhythm, and I don't want to fight my body too much. This adjustment to the addition of some "regular" sleep cycles should also help allay the fears of some of my friends about me shortening my life span, either through my polyphasic sleep or through just being Type-A.
I will post more updates as time goes by. This new schedule should be well under way in a few days.
Labels: Health
Over the course of the last week or so I have ben playing around with some options for converting video files into different formats. Our digital camera takes video in Apple's .MOV format, which is pretty much incompatible with every video editing software out there. I have wanted to make montage videos of Chaya or cut out less important parts of her videos in the past, but I never had the time to investigate my options.
After playing around with at least three different options for converting and editing video files, I finally found a link to Blaze Media Pro. I'm sold. This software is amazing. It slices, it dices, it extracts, it converts into more file formats than I have even heard of. After taking some time to get used to the program and figure out its features, I have been able to actually do useful stuff, like extract the audio from the two videos in my Israel trip photo album for easier downloading.
The software has a 15-day full-featured trial period, and only costs $50 to register. No, I don't get anything if you go out and buy it, but I do give it my highest recommendation.
Labels: Technology
Well, it is finally finished! As a direct result of my trial run at polyphasic sleep, I have actually finished creating the photo album from my trip to Israel. 402 pictures, 18 sections, lots of historical information, and even two videos! Take a look, and don't forget to check out the other photo albums, too.
Labels: Israel
Here is the e-mail I received in response to my complaint to IRIS about Readiris 10 Pro not handling more than 50 pages in an opened PDF document:
Hello,
Readiris Pro 9/10 is limited to process 50 pages per batch. If you would like to be able to process more than 50 pages at once, you can:
Split the document in several parts of 50 pages
Get Readiris Corporate Edition, which does not have this limitation and that has many other features like recognition of business cards, ...)
Best regards,
David Boizard
Technical Customer Support
I.R.I.S. Group
Here is my response:
Mr. Boizard, or to whom it may concern:
I find this whole situation to be extremely unprofessional and deceptive. I paid for a full-featured OCR program (it is called Pro, not Basic), and nowhere on your website or in the program's documentation do you alert consumers to this limitation on project size. On the contrary, your description of the program's ability to handle PDF documents says that it provides "Extensive PDF support" (Readiris-Pro Features).
This is not acceptable. I am not able to use the product that I purchased, and, honestly, I am no longer interested in using your product if I cannot trust your company to be forthright about the restrictions placed on my work.
I formally request that you buy this software back from me. It is not worth the $100 I paid for it because it keeps me from being able to do the work that I purchased it for. I will gladly send you the CD and remove the software permanently from my computer. If you are unable to help me in this regard, I kindly request that you pass this issue to your supervisor or further up the chain until it reaches someone with the authority to be of assistance to me in resolving this problem. Please respond in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
Joshua Tallent
I intend to continue pursuing this to the top of the chain if necessary. I think it is shameful that this company does not inform potential users of the limitations of its products before purchase.
UPDATE: Here are further updates to this situation and its resolution: I, II, Final Resolution.
Labels: Technology
The various musings and kvetchings of a Torah-observing, eBook-editing, wife-adoring, baby-loving ger. Everything from Torah study to technology is fair game. The Four Questions come from Shabbat 31a.
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