Alia's Thoughts

Hiya

We WON!

How awesome is that?!

The first Black President ever! A multi-racial man, with a multicultural family!

The American Dream comes true!

More tomorrow when my thoughts are in better order.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: ecstatic

Hiya

Today is blog action day. The topic? Poverty. Ceser Chavez seemed like a good icon for today.

I haven't talked much about the election, or the economy, in my blog. I think most of you know where I stand on the election. So let us talk about the economy.

Our economy is rapidly going down hill. No one denies this. The rich like to blame the poor, about taking loans that they couldn't pay for. The poor like to blame the banks about giving them loans without checking. The banks like to blame everyone about trying to support the American life and giving everyone a chance at the American dream.

Bad loans were given. Bad loans were then RESOLD and when people defaulted, we started to have problems. This is a piece of what got us into this mess. Of course, rarely stated, the fact that everyone is living beyond their means, the fact that colleges are raising tuition at a rate faster than inflation and cost of living, the fact that states are cutting programs for the middle class and poor also contributed to this problem.

During the course of the election, McCain has used scared tactics about one of the 'dirty' words in politics: "Socialism".

Socialism became a dirty word because of its association with Communism. Without getting into my believes, or anything else, with regards to it, Communism is an EXTREME form of Socialism. Most Socialism is GOOD and BENEFITS everyone, except, maybe, the super rich.

Of course, during all this panic, it has rarely come up that things ARE socialist in the US. The example I like to use is the Police and Fire departments. We all pay into a common fund (see: Taxes). When we are robbed, and the police are called, it doesn't matter if we can pay or not (unless you are raped in Alaska). They do the best they can to help you. In fact, if two calls come in at the same time, one urgent and one less urgent, the ability to pay does NOT influence who they help and in what order.

In fact, on the EXTREME ends of the US wealth system, things are even more socialized. Food Stamps, which neither candidate is talking about getting rid of, are a socialism idea. There are examples for the Rich too, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Poverty in the US is a major problem that isn't going away. Unfortunately, it probably won't go away in the lifetime of any us reading this. Poverty, in the US, seems to be caused by a number of problems.

( Fixes )

Current Mood: thoughtful

Hiya

The Doctor's appointment went wonderfully. Only one minor hiccup, and that was with my weight. I've only gained one pound since last month. *Sighs* On the other hand, I now basically have liberaty to go nuts with food since I have to gain between 2 and 3 pounds between now and the 17th of September.

The baby is the correct size for due date (maybe a day off, but no one counts single days). Every thing looks good. The baby is intacted.

We were also able to get a decent view of what it will be.

That is, James and I are (most likely) having a baby BOY.

Yes, that's right, a little baby James. It's going to be a long 18 years.

We are actually really excited.

SQUEE!

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: excited

Happy Birthday dearmary

Happy Birthday gold_wave

Current Mood: celebretory

Happy Birthday alankypirate!

Hope you get lots of CCGs today!

Current Mood: rushed

Hiya

I'm thinking that tomorrow, after work, I might go lay down flowers at the Memorial in Kings Commons. I didn't get to do it on Friday and I was going to go today, but I wasn't feeling up to it. People are welcome to join me if they wish. I get off of work at 5pm tomorrow, and I'm planning on heading straight over. *IF* I time it right, I should be able to catch a bus and be at the Student Center by 5:30ish.

There is a big debate about what to do about Cole Hall. I've been mulling it over, and while I agree that it should be shut down for the rest of the semester, I don't think it should be closed or demolished. To do so would be a disrespect to what the victims, and even the shooter (who himself is a victim) came here for, an Education. Say what you will about Cole Hall, but it is important to education aspect. I even think the classroom should go back into use, though with some modifications. There should be a plaque memorializing what occurred, with a permanent memorial set up else where. The side doors, on BOTH lecture halls, should be locked, with only maintenance staff and current teachers who teach in that hall having keys.

Would that have stopped him? Probably not. If he was determined enough, it wouldn’t have mattered, but it might have give them a warning, as he tried to shoot out the lock or kick down the door. But it is more secure.

Really, I don’t think that there was much else that could have been done. The Police and EMTs, and everyone else responded really quickly, within 30 seconds at some points.

I figure this is as good a place as any to mention this as well. On Saturday I saw Mike and Mindy. Mike, who works with James (not to be confused with the FIVE Mike's that work at my store), and his girlfriend Mindy, were sitting right outside the door.

Since I have people on my list who don't go to NIU and have never been, Cole Hall has a T shape hallway. The top of the T is a slightly curved hallway with four glass doors that lead outside, the middle one was the one shown that was broken and shattered; four doors that lead to the two classrooms (two doors each) and in between the sets of doors, a glass door that leads down the rest of the T. At the top, there are benches, and vending machines and tables that students would sit on, eat on, and just hang out.

That was where Mike and Mindy were when the shooting happened. I guess Mindy was in the next class in that classroom, and Mike generally stopped by to say Hi.

When I saw them on Saturday, they both still looked very shell shocked. They were buying flowers to lay at the memorial. Mike had gone to work on Friday but said that was a major mistake. He talked with the Grief Counselors, but is no where near okay.

It makes me sad. I like Mike, and I generally like Mindy (though I've only spent time with her twice). He is generally a pretty happy guy and it hurt me, more potently then anything else, that he looked so shocked and sad.

I still don’t know what is going on with Jose's sister, except that she was upgraded to Fair Condition, but had been shot in her neck, head and chest.

It still shocks me that this happened. In DeKalb. But the outpouring of support from all over the country has been amazing. When the VT shootings happened, I felt very removed. I was sad and shocked, but it didn't really change anything. When the Delaware shootings happened, I felt closer to it, since I was worried some of Alex's friends were hit (they weren't). But now? It isn't removed anymore. And like others, even though I didn't know anyone who was killed, and don't know anyone who was physically hurt, I still have to deal with the mental scars and there are many.

This might be my last public post on the topic. I'll have to see how things go after this.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: thoughtful

Hiya

Tonight the healing started.

I went to the vigil. I dont' know how many people were there. Well over 1,000. Probably another 500-1,000 in the hall. Probably even more. I'm bad at judging. The Duke Ellington Ball Room was packed. People were standing in every available space. There were a handful of open seats, but few and far between. There was a line outside going down the stairs and out the door.

I have a 'skill' that serves me well in these situations. Despite the fact that I was running late, due to work, I still managed to get in. For as long as I can remember, I've been very good at moving through crowds. I rarely get stuck and I can often go where I want to. This skill annoys James at GenCon because I'll start working through the crowd and he'll lose track of me.

Anyway, to see that many people come together, was awe inspiring. Jesse Jackson spoke. I've heard him speak in person before, and have met him once or twice. He is an interesting man. But to hear the room sing Amazing Grace was...well...words don’t describe it. I ran into Naomi on the way out (before I went back in) and I saw Bu Henry as well.

My sister's on again, off again boyfriend, Dwight, posted on Facebook about how he didn't think we should be making groups, using the icon I have above, making a big public deal about such things because that is just encouraging more people to go out and kill, just to be famous.

I pointed back to him that we do these things because we need to heal. This is our way of healing.

For the first time since the violence happened, I started to see real healing today. The surreal aspects have started to fall away and turn into reality. I no longer feel as though I'm in a dream, as I did during part of Thursday. The NIU community needs to heal. DeKalb will never be the same, and we have to mourn that. It is all part of healing.

Valentine's Day, for the next few years at least, is going to be tainted. Tainted with the memory of this year.

There is a Facebook group that nearly made me cry, it is titled simply enough: Pray for Northern Illinois University Students and Families. Like many Facebook groups, there is a photo album where 562 photos have been posted. The vast majority are from other schools, almost all say "2/14/08 - Today we are Huskies too." There are wishes in there from schools across the country, including VT. VT and NIU with forever be linked by this. But to read over the well wishes was just a bit overwhelming. To see support from so far away....there aren't words. There will never be words.

I know I wasn't directly affected. No one I personally knew died. But this didn't just happen to 22 people. This happened to the community. This happened to DeKalb. We are bound together by tragedy.

Now, as I head for bed, I leave you with Jesse Jackson's words for the night:

"Today we mourn, tomorrow we live."

~Shadow

Current Mood: sleepy

Hiya

Wow, three updates in a day (well, two days since it is technically the 15th). But today was filled with important events and I want to get some of this down on (electronic) paper.

Today I woke up at 10:30am, a late start for me lately. The plan had been to wake up, get going around 2, go to the store and get my paycheck, then head for Suburban where we wanted to put a deposit down on a new apartment (one that will be larger and, most likely, cost less then what we are paying now). Then it would be dinner, home and a movie. WoW would be installed and a character created.

Obviously this didn't go as planned.

For starters, while I woke up at 10, James did not. He closed Tuesday night, and since it was his boss actually closing, he left at 11pm despite the fact that they weren't technically done yet. Then he was up Wed morning to be at work at 8am. From there, he got 45 minutes of R&R before we went out for D&D. We were at Joe and Shawnee's until 1am. Needless to say, he was very tired.

Anyway, he woke up at 1:30, and wanted a chance to play. It wasn't a big deal. The only reason it was mentioned at all was because we decided to get going around 3.

Up until this point, everything was fine. We didn't leave at 3, rather at about 3:15...and we all know what had happened. When we came outside there was a girl crying in the hall way while she was on the phone with her mom. She looked at us, and bawling said that we should check on our friends because there was a shooting near her classroom. At no point did she say where her classroom was, and, like seasinger I tend to wait to have information before processing too much, otherwise I go crazy. It was possible she was mistaken, or a Kish student. There just wasn't enough information.

Since we weren't planning on going near campus, we decided to go ahead with the plans. I turned on NPR in the car, rather then the CD, thinking if there was any news, we'd get it there.

Just as we found the station, reports started to flicker in. There was a shooting at the bookstore. That there were two gunmen. That one gunman had been captured and that a gunman was still on the loose. In the trip from our apartment to Schnucks, we heard three contradicting stories...in other words, no one knew anything yet except that shots were fired on campus. As we turned onto Annie Glidden, we noticed dire5 on the phone...so that made us feel a bit better.

We went into my store, and while they had started to hear rumors of the shooting, they knew even less then I did. So I helpfully filled them in on what little I knew. As it turned out, not all of the information was wrong, just jumbled. Beth got a call that the school was on lockdown while we were there, and that was worrisome.

At that point, things in my brain switched from 'not enough information' to 'maybe we have enough to start figuring out what to do'. Despite the fact that I tend to freak out over little things, with major stuff I just turn calm. My mom was big on freaking out over stuff (still is), so someone needed to remain calm...and I wound up being that person. Potentially saved my life, or at least stopped a serious injury, one time when my father capsized a boat and I wound up tangled in the lining, who knows what would have happened if I had freaked out.

Anyway, my brain started to work through who needed to be contacted. I had called kitty_rose_85 to inquire about kelsiarei since the initial reports had put the shooter in the bookstore. Next on the list was my mom, because I knew the minute she heard "DeKalb" and "Shooting" she'd panic. She even admitted as much when I got a hold of her later. Then on the list was the funniest phone call of the day.

I called to check on Joe. After some problems with the phones, I got him on the phone (I think it was three attempts). I asked if he was okay, and he went "why wouldn't I be?" And I took three seconds to answer as my mouth dropped. I then explained what happened, and in typical Joe response, I got "oh, I skipped classes today."

After that it was Sam and Greg who I was unable to reach. I figured that was everyone who I knew who would have had reason to be on Campus. Needless to say, James and I decided that it wasn't worth it to go to Suburban today. We looked up Annie Glidden, past the school and said "no way." We could see the helicopters already moving in.

So we went home. We turned on the news. I started updating LJ, the Cam email, Facebook, and the message boards I'm on. Just letting people know I was in fact okay. My best friend, Jessica, called to check in (which was strange since she called on James' line). I finally reached my mom, who had not yet heard anything but was thanking me for calling because she would have freaked out otherwise. I contacted my cousins to let them know that James and I were safe.

And then my brain started to process what we knew. I don't think it was connected to what happened in December. Someone was saying on the news that there was a new threat discovered last week, and maybe that was connected, but I don't think we can ever know.

All of my friends are safe. I am two degrees away from the injuries. One of James' co-worker's sister was reported injured. At the time we last talked to him, no deaths had been reported, so we don't know how bad off she is, or if she was one of the slain. dire5 was friends with the TA, but the TA will be okay.

So I calmed down. There wasn't any reason to stop with life. We started to try and figure out dinner. James didn't want to leave, and I just wanted to eat. We called 3 places. One was closed. The other two refused to deliver so close to campus (I should preface, this was at 5:30, way after the reports about the shooter being dead had been confirmed). We don't have much in way of food in the house, so we were stuck.

We got up and headed out to Los Rancheros. We ate to a live band on Valentines Day. We tried to forget. It didn't work really well. Then we stopped by James' store.

The phone was busy. It rang four times while we were there. HR was calling. Peter told us how he was in the shower when he heard. How his phone hadn't worked for 30 min and when it did he had panicked messages from his mother. We started to trade stories, and update them on the news reports.

James and I came home. I created a WoW character named Redfirefox. We forgot for a while. We watched Lost, we watched the news. We did other things.

But it's surreal. It's DeKalb. I told someone today that if someone walked over to me and told me that my High School had been shot up, even when I had been in High School, I wouldn't have been surprised. But NIU? This is a different level.

Last year, after the VT shootings, there was a shooting at the University of Delaware. My other best friend, Alex (not to be confused with genial_failure), had attended that school but had moved back to CT. I checked in, just to make sure. His mom called my mom today to make sure I was okay (there was some confusion, for some reason she thought it was DePaul where my mom worked, but then realized it was DeKalb).

DeKalb will take a while to heal, if it ever does. It will be a generation before the stain goes away...if not more. 5 people are dead and the reasons are still not known. It took them a few days to announce things involving the VT shootings, and that was much more straight forward. The guy attended the school. People saw him arguing the day before with a girl.

This isn't so easy, at least it doesn't appear to be. A former student, who was kicked out? left the program? Who might have been at Champaign? Who didn't appear to have any connections to people on campus. So why? Why NIU? It is going to be a while until we have answers. My brain doesn't like lack of information.

My heart goes out to those who lost people today, on Valentine's Day. My heart goes out and grieves with DeKalb and the NIU community.

And now my life will pick up and move on. Otherwise I will be wrapped up in a shell of paranoia and fear, a legacy passed down. I have to go to work tomorrow. I want to go game on Saturday. If I could wear red at work, and if I had anything red to wear, I would do so.

I have so many questions. Did the weather cause the guy to snap? The day? A random factor? Answers that I will probably never know.

But as I said, life goes on. The only way to heal is to look at the pieces, pick them up and start moving on and putting them together. To stare too long paralyzes you.

~Shadow

PS> This is a rare public entry.

Current Mood: contemplative

Hiya

James and I are both okay.

We left to run errends and a woman was bawling and stated someone got shot outside of her classroom. It was worrisome but without more infomation, we decided to run and get my paycheck.

We did, and then quickly decided to come home.

Now we are watching the news, but we wanted to make sure everyone knew we were okay.

~Shadow

Current Mood: shocked

Hiya

To my WOW Playing Friends, please go and take this survey. I will take it assuming I get WOW tonight. Katrina is a frined of mine from a message board, and we have a lot in common. She is trying to get enough subjects to formulate actual results so please respond!

This is the full infomation as posted on said Message Board:

World of Warcraft players are being invited to participate in a study being conducted by Katrina Hovey, an Honours student in the Psychology Department at the University of New Brunswick, and Supervised by Dr. Richard Nicki. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between several personality traits and internet gaming habits. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and to thank you for taking the time to participate, we are giving away a 3-month World of Warcraft membership to 5 random participants. For your privacy, identifying information taken for the purpose of prize distribution will be stored separately from your survey answers. The chance of winning a prize depends on the number of participants and is expected to be 1/50.

Take the survey at This Site

If you have any questions, contact Katrina at t342z@unb.ca with “World of Warcraft Survey” in the subject line.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: hungry

Hiya

I haven't decided if this is going to devolved into an actual update. I don't actually think I have much to update on (though I am suppose to get my 90 day review this week, most likely today, and I'm worried about that...more on that when I get my review).

Anyway, over in weirdjews2 someone linked to this article Maariv, Neshot Hare'alah (Women of the Veil) .

Now I can read Hebrew, but I don't understand Hebrew (which is a subtitle difference). So the article was gibberish. Someone in the Weird Jews community linked me to this site: Mom in Israel - Hyper-Tzniut which has translated and summed up, in English, parts of the article.

Basically what the article is talking about is a movement dubbed Hyper Tzniut (the link takes you to all of the entries Mom in Israel has made about the subject). Tzniut translates basically as modesty.

In normal Orthodox Judaism, it is considered modest to cover your ankles, wrists, hair, and neck. This is why, if you go to the North Side of Chicago/Evanston/Skokie area (about three blocks from where my mom lives) you see all of these women and men dressed very formally no matter what time of the day or year. Those are technically Hasidic Jews, but they hold very fast to the ideas of Tzniut.

I think it says something when the Hasidic Community thinks those that pracitice Hyper-Tzniut are crazy...

Anyway, basically Hyper-Tzniut is what most Arab Cultures practice. Veiling the face, making the female form hard to make out, etc. Except this is extreme even by their standards. Now Israel is not a cold place, even in the most extreme winter it only dips to about 40F, yet these women are wearing six, seven, eight plus layers of clothing. Some of them cover BOTH eyes and let their kids guide them.

The leader of the movement, apparently, doesn't even talk to her kids most days. She only talks for about four hours a day, and then it's with her female clients (though the article mentions that while the reporter was there, they noticed her giving her son directions). In fact, from the sounds of it, she doesn't talk to her husband.

Now I'm not one that keeps a lot of Jewish Traditions. Yes we do Shabbat now (most weeks...), we do High Holy Days. I light a Remembrance Candle for my father every year, though I do it on the day he died by the Roman Calendar rather then by the Jewish Calendar. But we dont' keep kosher (except maybe once a week a year when I'm at my grandparents house), I don't cover my hair, and while I've drifted away from wearing shorts, I still don't wear skirts that often, and it's even rarer for me to wear tights or stockings (though I do for Viola...).

Anyway, this movement scares me. Israel is a different beast, and just a few people who routinely do one thing can actually influence whole NEIGHBORHOODS. It's mentioned somewhere (I think its on the blog) that 10 years ago, in Haredi communities only girls over 12 would wear tights. Now if a girl over the age of 2 does not, they risk being shunned by the community. Why? Because a minority started to dress their kids that way, and it stuck.

Really, if you think back to High School and Middle School, where that one person would do something 'cool' and then everyone had to copy them or no longer be cool (okay, so maybe more stereotypical high school then reality but you get the idea), it's like that. One group does something, and then someone goes "Holy Shit! We should be doing that to!" And soon the whole community does it.

I have to admit, I'm worried about the children. If you have a group of children who grow up in this society, whose MOTHER doesn't really talk to them or show them the same type of affection, who have to lead their mother around blindly, what kind of adults are they going to grow up to be? Someone pointed out in one of the comments, that you make two types: either a group that goes away from Judaism, or a group that becomes super extreme. Judaism has enough extremist in Israel, we don't need anymore.

I'm a bit worried about the society as well. Judaism has made leaps and bounds in egaliterism, even among the Orthodox and Hasidic communities. In fact, even in the Biblical era, women had more rights in Judaism then in Christianity. Women can get a divorce and have a marriage contract that states that if the marriage should end, the woman gets X amount of money and such.

But this is a severe backslide. This is problematic in the Middle East, but that is a society that is changing, even while women still choose to dress this way. I'm all for freedom of CHOICE, but something about this choice rubs me wrong. Maybe because when I think Jew I don't think of veils and ten layers of clothing. Actually only Islam makes me think 'veils', even knowing that many don't wear veils and nothing makes me think 10 layers of clothing.

I can say that this risks being bad for Jews the world over. Jews play nice, and we present a nice outside front, but there are alot of conflicts between Hasidic and Orthodox, Orthodox and everything that isn't, Conservative and Reform, and even Reform and Reconstructions (which is funny because they often get lumped together), to say nothing of the Haredi and everything that isn't. In the US, we have "Community" Temples that are affected by the community and blend all of those together. I don't think they exist in Israel.

Reformed and Reconstructions are often not considered 'real Jews' by the Orthodox communities, in part, because there is no enforcement of Tzniut. The Conservative Movement at least pays it lip service. The Reformed and Reconstructionists don't even do that.

So what happens when the so-called 'Real Jews' all dress in veils in Israel. Does that mean that the American Orthodox Movement are no longer 'Real Jews'? The Chasidic Communities that don't adapt (because I don't think many of them will)? The Conservative Movement?

Do I think this will happen? Not for a number of years. The Haredi community is not mainstream Judaism, so it might not even spill over. Many of the communities are already rejecting the idea of Hyper-Tzniut. But it is still something to keep an eye on. It is still a worrisome movement. Or maybe that's just the Feminist in me talking.

---
*Re: Haredi and Hasidic Judaism. They aren't quite interchangeable though most Hasidic groups are a part of the Haredi Movement. Haredi Judaism at Wikipedia explains better then I could. In addition, Jewish Denominations talk better about the different believe systems and the like, and Tzniut talks about the Modesty laws.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: contemplative

To Phone Customer,

No, I'm sorry. We don't take credit cards over the phone. We don't take credit cards for Gift Cards EVER. I'm sorry that someone in the morning said we did (and she most likely did), but it isn't true.

No, I don't mind getting a manager. But really, did you have to yell at him? It isn't his fault.

Thanks.

To Customer coming in the door,

Seriously. I'm wearing a COAT, a HAT and a SCARF. I'm kissing and holding hands with a boy next to me. Yes the coat was still unzipped so you can see that I do work there. But seriously? Did you really need to stop me as I was heading out hte door to ask if we had something? I'm trying to LEAVE, with my husband.

Go find the damn thing yourself, or ask someone who doesn't have one foot out the door.

Thanks.

Hiya

Things I'm Thankful for:

*James
*My family
*My friends
*A job
*A roof over my head
*Being able to help out our friends

Yeah.

Pretty simple list this year.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: thankful

Hiya

Today is blog action day. So I'll post on that topic and give you all a break from the Jewish Stuff.

The topic: The Environment.

One of the things I enjoyed the most when in Malaysia was seeing the very different environment then what exists, well, anywhere in the US. It is sad to even think that such beauty will be gone in a generation or two.

Global Warming has had a big push lately. Even Bush agreed that it existed. But nothing is being done. People raise money. People talk big. But it is still cheaper to buy a used Gas Guzzling car then to buy a new Hybrid (never mind trying to find a used one). Conversion kits to run on cooking oil often only work right on diesel engines, which often requiring conversion kits to go from unleaded to diesel, are thousands of dollars and out of reach of most of America. Driving is still the most used form of transportation in the US despite knowing that we are contributing to global warming. In fact the US releases more CO2 in the air then any other country.

Public Transportation, a very good alternative in big cities, is getting funding cut all over. Look at the current crisis in Chicago, where soon riding the bus will be the same price as a gallon of gas.

We talk a big talk, but when it comes to doing things about the environment, I think we fail. And I'm just as much at fault. I take the car when I could probably walk. I turn on the AC when it gets humid and don't turn it off until the temp has gotten to under 80. I keep on my computer even when I'm not home or when I'm asleep. I don't unplug my cell phone charger, or the TV, or anything when it isn't in use.

But it is something we should all improve on, the world over. If we loose the environment, we loose. We need the environment to survive. We can already see some of the terrible impact that global warming is having. Katrina shifted course, parts of Africa are back in droughts. The wet season in some places are lasting too long, but not long enough in others. We had Summer extend into October. Last Winter was completely wrong. Fall is starting later and later, and winter is shorter and shorter and this ISN'T a good thing.

We need to do better.

Everyday I go to The Rainforest Site . The claim is that every time you click (and you can only do so once a day) you save 11.4 sq feet of rainforest. I visit their other links as well, and click there.

Do I know it works? No. But it doesn't cost me anything except maybe a few seconds. And at least I feel like I can do SOMETHING, since I have no money to donate. When I get a job, a real job, I'm going to get my bike fixed (or at this point probably just buy a new one). Then I will bike to work and bike to friends houses instead of relying on cars. Because I feel as though I have to do something, and every little thing counts.



Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: migrained

Hiya

You thought you were done with me after the long post in the early hours this morning. Well, you aren't. I'm back. Read that post first.

First off, I figured out the questions. See how many of these you can answer. Don't respond in comments, this is just stuff to get you thinking. Some of the answers will appear in the long post below.

1) What are the two main ethnic divisions (if you know the third big one, that's cool too)? What are the languages associated with each of them? What determines which ethnic division one falls? Which is the largest group?.

2) What is the name of the day that celebrates the Holocaust?

3) What is a Mitzvah and what does the word mean?

4) Where was the biggest Ghetto uprising during WW2?

5) Where did the term Ghetto originate?

6) Where did a group of ~1200 Jews escape to and fight against the Nazi's? Who organized them?

7) What was the area of Russia called where Jews were forced to settle? And what areas did it encompass?

8) What causes one to be a Righteous Among the Nations? How many people have been declared Righteous? What single country has the most? According to Halakha, what makes one Righteous? Can a Jew ever be considered Righteous Among the Nations? Why are there only 21 people listed for Denmark, and what did the Danish people do that was so extraordinary during WWII?

9) What is the term used to describe the fact that most Jews live outside the state of Israel?

10) Who do we boo and make lots of noise to drown out his name whenever his name is spoken? What is the holiday surrounding this? What treat, served on this holiday, is named after him?

11) What are the four major denominations?

Okay, now on to the bulk of this entry.

I brought up in the last entry the idea of Jews as a Race rather then just Religion and I noted that my Uncle truly believes that Jews are *NOT* a Race but I thought he was only partially correct. So I want to explain this in more depth.

I want to start this topic off with a quote from an LJ I read last night, regarding a similar topic. This is from kita0610 and I hope they don't mind if I use it. I'm not on their FList, nor are they on mine.

"I'm not part of the white American race. I can pass, and I absolutely can get privilege based on that passing. But it isn't who I really am."*

I completely agree. I'm not a member of the White American Race. I am a member of an invisible minority. Like kita0610 I have the Dark Hair, though light eyes and not dark, and fair skin. When my host family in Malaysia looked at me, they knew I was Jewish, even if my nose is smaller then the stereotypical Jewish nose (that my father and uncles have), the rest of me 'looks Jewish'.

But how can something look Jewish if being Jewish isn't a race? Well, first another story.

Once upon a time, my mother was telling me and my sister the story of her and my father getting a bloodtest before they got married. At the time, in Mass (though I don't know if it is true any longer), it was a requirement to get a bloodtest before getting a marriage license. My mom mentioned that she would have insisted on having one anyway. My sister and I asked her why. She responded that she wanted to make sure that she wouldn't pass along any bad traits to us.

We were young, so that was all she felt like explaining. Later on we found out that she was worried about Tay-Sachs disease. Why? Because one of the three major groups carrying the mutation are Ashkenazi Jews, which both of my parents are. According to my mother, both tested negative (the other groups? Cajuns and French Canadians). Despite the supposed clear test, I am planning on getting both myself and James tested. He is Ashkenazi through his mothers side but his father isn't Jewish. The risk that he has the gene is smaller but not impossible. Assuming my mother is correct and both tests were completely negative, even if one of us turns out positive our kids won't be affected. But it is better to know then not.

Once again, how can something that isn't a race be more susceptible to certain diseases? A few years ago it came out that there was a crisis with bone marrow and blood donations. That they needed more Ashkenazi Jews to donate because there were certain genetic markers that would make the marrow or blood work better.

We also have our own culture that is, without assimilation factored in, distinct and unique from any other culture. We have our own laws and courts and rules. There is a lot of overlap, but it is unique.

Now to be fair, for many centuries Jews lived in isolated communities and bred with each other. Think like the Amish only on a larger scale. Of course genetic mutations are more likely to pop up over and over again in isolated populations.

To make things more complicated the definition of being Jewish, already discussed in part in my previous entry, is also muddled. Racially, you can't say that someone who has a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother isn't a Jewish. They will have similar genetic markers that someone with a non-Jewish Father and a Jewish mother will have or someone who is Jewish on both sides. Complicating it again is the religious aspect. It is possible to convert into the religion and then be considered a Jew. Racially, you haven't changed, but you are a Jew none-the-less. In the Holocaust, any of the above would have gotten you shipped off to a ghetto or concentration camp.

Another thing that muddles the waters is the 'what we look like' issue. As 'Jewish' isn't an option on the census, I check "White". My skin is white. Someone who looks at me says "There goes another white person." Most Ashkenazi Jews are white. But Sephardic Jews? Most of them probably identify as Hispanic. There are also Arab Jews and African Jews (and I'm not talking Sammy Davis, Jr either). We are all Jews. We all believe the same things, but Ethnically and Culturally there are some differences. The one that always sticks in my mind is that during Passover, while Ashkenazi Jews give up bread the Sephardic Jews give up RICE. There is an Ethnic distinction.

And yet, ask a Sephardic Jew or an Arab Jew what they are, and they will answer Jewish. In fact, the whole idea of a Hispanic (or Latino) distinction on the census is new. Some, mostly from Spain, were considered White, but those from Mexico? Colored (I'm also not trying to get into the debate of Spanish verse Mexican verses other Latin American countries). Arabs? again, it varied.

My personal conclusion goes like this: I think Jews are their own subrace. The majority are from Caucasian areas, but there are significant populations of Hispanics, Arabs and Africans. Because it is possible to convert into the Jewish Religion (IE the Religion of the Jewish Race) it means that we have expanded and have become more racially diversified. However, we are losing the racial diversity as well because of the refusal to acknowledge people who are genetically Jewish even if they aren't Religiously so (a person with a Jewish Father for example).

What does that make me? I'm a Russian Jew from America. But I tend to think of myself as an American who happens to be Russian Jew, just as there are people who think of themselves as an American who happens to be German.

I also think the whole discussion is irrelevant. It doesn't matter if Jews are a race, a religion, a culture, or something completely different. There will always be anti-Semites (which is worth a discussion on that word). They will always have their own ways of defining it.

But one day I hope the world can move beyond defining people by Race first, and pay more attention to who the person is.

--
*This is just a small line from a much larger discussion. The particular piece of it is here: http://kita0610.livejournal.com/380521.html . Really though, I'll come out and declare that this post is in response to chopchica even if it started a month ago. It has recently started back up due to fandom wank.

Later
~Shadow

Current Mood: contemplative

Hiya

First the random stuff:
*Actual conversation regarding the Intel Retail Site Purchase Program (oh, motherofchina and seasinger if you aren't on it, you should be. Cheap, top of the line computer parts. James thinks its probably too late to get in on this years purchase program but maybe next years. Email me or something for the link).

James: Which one should we get. The first bundle has an Intel Core2 Quad processer with 2.4 gHz plus the motherboard and Windows Vista for $219. The second one has an Intel Core2 Quad processer with 2.66 gHz plus the same for $249.

Me: *Blink* So that's only a difference of .88gHz? For an extra $30.

James: Pretty much...

Me: As much as I love the tech, we should go cheaper. Since we probably shouldn't buy this at all, except for the fact that it's like $1000 (the first bundle is actual $860something). So I'll take the $800.

James: Cool. Next month then.

*The Bears are looking better. Even though they lost, the last 5 minutes were really exciting and show that they are able to move the ball. Besides, they FINALLY actually used Hestor on Offense and he finally caught the ball. I am excited.

*End of Random.

minisinoo has an interesting post regarding what one thinks of common knowledge, especially the knowledge of ones cultural background. Hers deals with Native American Indians. But it mostly spun off of some posts regarding Yuletime and being Jewish, which spun off even more discussion about Anti-Semitism. I'm nowhere near through all of it and I have three open tabs while I write this.

It is an interesting discussion, on both ends. So I thought I'd add some comments. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do the questions, and part of that will depend on if I can think of any before I go to sleep.

Some of this you may all know this, some of it you don't. Mostly a bunch of this deals with what I view as the secularization of the Jews in the 50s and 60s, in the US, and the somewhat lasting effects. Also understand that this is all in the US. While I hope to study other Jewish communities one day, I dont' know enough about Jewish communities elsewhere to speak on them.

I'm 100% Jewish. Both of my parents are Jewish. All four of my grandparents are Jewish and so on and so forth.

My great grandparents both came over in the late 1800s, in the middle of the Pogrom's in Russia. The story goes that one of my great grandparents fled to Christen friends who hid her and helped her escape during a Pogrom.

My mom was raised completely secular. In fact when you think of a stereotypical Jewish Girl from New York from the 50s, that's my mom. Both of her parents were doctors. They vacationed on Long Island. They didn't live in Manhattan but in Yonkers. They didn't even do any of the 'normal' Jewish things (Shabbat, the High Holy days). In fact, short of Chanukah, she barely knew anything about being Jewish. My mom speaks about six words of Yiddish (and they are all the common words). She speaks no Russian.

My father was raised Conservative...sort of. See, where he grew up, in Springfield, Missouri, there was only one synagogue. It was shared by the Orthodox and the Reform groups, no Conservative. So the boys mostly went to the Reform side. Except for Bar Mitzvah prep, where they had to go to the Orthodox side. My father spoke about thirty words of Yiddish and no Russian.

My uncles speak about the same as my father. My grandmother speaks near fluent Yiddish, though she probably can't remember most of it now.

*NONE* of my cousins speak more then the common words of Yiddish (the ones that have more or less found their way into the English Language). None of us speak Russian. Only one of us speaks any passable Hebrew, despite all of us going to Hebrew School.

I think that, especially among the Jewish populations just after WW2, there was a big push to secularize or not stand out. Both of my parents were raised to be Americans first and Jews second, though my mom was raised with less emphasis on the second then the first. And my father about equal on both.

James' story is even more indicative of the need to secularize at the time and has now left him trying to deal with questions regarding his grandmother and even being Jewish. Things that are expected a Jewish Man of his age to know, he doesn't even have a clue about. He is learning. I'm proud.

But back to my point. I think that this push to secularize has lead to one of the big crisis facing Judaism the world over. Despite seeming very big in the US, only about 2.6% of the WORLD population identify as Jewish. We are currently having more people leave the faith then enter it. Why? Well there seem to be a number of reasons.

The first one goes right back to the fact that we have secularized so much and even assimilated. Now, without getting into Star Trek jokes, I'm generally a fan of some assimilation. Too little, and society has problems functioning. Too much and well, you loose the culture. I think that's where Judaism mostly is. In 6th grade Sunday School, my teacher asked us a question that has stuck in my mind for all these years. "Are you an American Jew or a Jewish American?" He explained that the second word defined what you thought yourself as. In 6th grade, it was all a little heady and I don't think most people got it.

I think far too many people answer Jewish American, or an American who happens to be Jewish. I still answer this way, so I'm being a bit hypocritical on this point (but there is a good reason for it, see below). We have lost alot of our cultural identity. Outside of handfuls of areas in the US, such as Queens, NY and Skokie, IL, where there exists an isolated Orthodox community (either Lubaviches or other forms of Chabad Jews), Yiddish has mostly died in the US. I have a feeling that outside of even more isolated areas in Europe, and outside of Israel, the language has died all together.

The crisis I've been eluding to, and babbling off on, is the fact that people are marrying, and CONVERTING, outside of the faith. They don't, or can't, understand that being Jewish is more then just cultural. My uncle likes to say that a Jewish race doesn't exist. That being Jewish is completely Religious. I think he is partially wrong, but partially correct. Too many people think that being Jewish is a completely secular issue.

The Reform community has a small answer to this problem. Anyone is Jewish so long as either their mother OR father is. Part of the idea is that if the Nazi's don't distingue why should we? The Orthodox community has stuck with the traditional line of "Only a Mother", which has lead to many people being told they weren't Jewish which has continued the spiral. Someone told me once, and I have no clue if it is true, that more WOMEN were marrying out of the faith then the men were. It hurts traditional Judaism MORE if the women leave. The Reform idea, and most Conservative movements agree at least quietly with the Reform point of view, means that all those babies being born are STILL Jewish, as long as the woman hasn't been baptized or otherwise renounced Judaism.

The other big issue is that, IMO, many Jewish Americans don't want to be associated with what is going on in Israel, so they distance themselves. They aren't "really" Jewish and they want their kids to be assimilated, as they often were, so not to have the pressure to be on one side or the other.

There are a lot of people who feel the way I do, that Israel needs to be broken up and a Palestine State needs to be made. That short of that, or the complete genocide of one or the other, NOTHING will end the mess. The people who feel this way, alot of them are afraid to speak up. They are afraid because it makes other Jews, those who feel differently, VERY angry. It has lead to people calling other people less Jewish because of what they believe.

I have more to say on the topic but I'm about ready for bed, and I've already babbled enough. I'll save it for another time. But I want to add one last thing to the paragraph I just wrote:

The Torah is CLEAR. Killing is a Sin (which is a term not used lightly in the Torah). If you are an Orthodox Jew living in Israel, you are EXCUSED from complosenary Military Duty. Why? Because it would VIOLATE Jewish Law to kill someone.

This is also true in Islam, but I dont' know enough about the Qur’an to speak on that. I do know enough about the Torah.

Yes, in the past, violence has been used, but we never struck the first blow. This time we have. We are violating rules of the Torah for NO GOOD REASON. Muslims and Jews lived for Centuries without seriously harming each other. Yes, they sometimes got into fights, but nothing like what it is today.

Neither side is right in this mess.

That's all for tonight.

Later
~Shadow

PS> I'm sorry for not cutting this, but I really want people to read it and think on it. You'll also notice that this is a public post. Feel free to link people to it. I think it is more important for people to read it and think on it then for me to keep this quite.

Current Mood: sleepy

L'Shanah Tovah!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Current Mood: dorky

Hiya

I rarely do a double post in a day. Mostly cause I hate it. But I thought I made myself clear:

*FRIENDS ONLY*

I don't have a banner, because I'm lazy.

Friends Only means Don't Share the Journal. Don't Share what I Write. If I wanted everything in the Journal Public then it would be.

I rant in here. I ask for advice when I have a serious problem. I post funny things. I don't want my life under a microscope. I don't want future employers coming here and reading my LJ. I don't want people I don't know reading it.

Hence the *FRIENDS ONLY*.

If you can't understand that, then please leave.

~Shadow

Hiya

I've spent three days trying to figure out what the Deathly Hallows refered too. I was thinking it would be a *PLACE* not a collection of objects. But that was kind of cool.

This book reconfermed something that started in book 5. Harry is a fucking idoit. Seriously. It took him 7 books to make the connection between Godric Gryffindor and Godric's Hollow. More over, it still took him MONTHS to realized it. Yes, it wound up not being very helpful (though I was sure they'd find something there, besides just the snake), or maybe it would up being very helpful.

I was disappointed in the Snape resoluation.

Let me explain. There was a crash outside, probably Logan storming in here. He will take care of Jean. With her attention momentarily distracted I pulled the trigger, the chamber didn’t jam this time.


Notes: Scott has Danielle Moonstar's powers while Jean has the Scarlet Witch's. In my head Logan has Peter Rasputains but that never actually made it on to the page.

EDIT: Stupid live journal made it look bad.



Later
~Shadow