Thursday 28 February 2013

Shushan Purim 2013~Karliner Rebbe Arrives...

It was a beautiful night for walking. A friend and I headed to Mea Shearim to see the Purim Celebrations. One of my favorite groups is Karlin-Stolin. The women are friendly and the atmosphere in the synagogue is very hospitable.

On this night, Karliners were preparing their outdoor area for the celebrations. When we arrived there were Hasidim already lining the benches, and the table for the Rebbe was being prepared with the large challot that will be handed out after the blessings. Of course, this is only for men, but many women stand in the area near the top of the stairs. As we were trying to snap pictures a group of men began pushing us back and one shouted "no pictures".

I happened to be trying to make a video so did not turn the phone off. Suddenly I was pushed and the Rebbe passed so close I could have touched him. If you watch the film you will see the blur as I was pushed aside, then you will see the Rebbe passing. The rest of the video is the Hasidim singing and clapping as the Rebbe takes his seat.

The Rebbe of Carlin Arrives for the Celebrations

Monday 25 February 2013

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Salman Khan: Let's Use Video to Reinvent Education

I like to watch TED Talks whenever I can. Sometimes one can listen while doing other tasks, but most times the presenters have great pictures, slides or videos to go with the lectures and I end up glued to the screen. 

Salman Khan is the creator of Khan Academy, an amazing website of very carefully structured educational videos offering complete curricula in many subjects. The website states: Learn Almost Anything For Free~that is a big statement!

There are approximately 3,900 videos ranging from Basic Math (as in 1+1), to Computer Science, Test Prep and Humanities. You can create a profile to save your work and even earn badges as you progress. While I am not qualified to say this should replace traditional teaching, I will say that it is an extremely easy and valuable resource that anyone can use and benefit from.

In this talk he shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script--give students video lectures to watch at home, and do "homework" in the classroom with the teacher available to help.

This is for Everyone~Do Visit Khan Academy and See for Yourself!

Netanyahu: Time to Stand up to Hezbollah

Hezbollah is a Terror Group~Any Questions?

Silent Conquest~The End of Freedom of Expression

Freedom~To Live and Speak is a Gift. The "givers" fought hard and died so we could say and do what we want today. That Freedom is being eroded, chipped away by those who would drag us back into the dark ages.

The OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) is a group made up of fifty-seven Islamic states and make no mistake, Islam and Sharia are their guidelines, a world wide Muslim Caliphate is their goal. Founded after the arab states lost the Six Day War to Israel in 1967, the OIC is now the most powerful voting block in the UN. Among the many issues they are pushing is the establishment of a "blasphemy law". Do you even understand what this means? It means that we could be arrested and jailed, or worse, just for expressing our opinion~particularly if that opinion is deemed to be unflattering to anything Islamic. Blogs, websites, magazines, meetings or private gatherings are areas that could be invaded and used against us. Our silence to this "creeping sharia" will lead to the loss of our own freedom...

A Tour of the International Space Laboratory~Amazing!

Did You Ever Want to Be An Astronaut? Better Watch This First!

Israel, Jerusalem, Judaism, Zionism, Middle East, Aliyah, Conversion, and everything else that pops up