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Friday 3 November 2006

Matisyahu -'Jerusalem' - Looking beyond the Pop Culture veneer

Matisyahu: Beyond the Veneer [Click Read More to...]
If the Video doesn't play click: Here Matisyahu's Video Jerusalem is a initially a symphony of visual delights, candy for the eyes. Messages and images are delicately interwoven into a complex tapestry to some the realization of the strength and inner aims of this video come quickly to others the realization comes as a visual shock What is most apparent is beneath this apparent veneer of visual candy
lies some deep and profound messages and thoughts on Faith
and what it means to be a Jew. What visual and symbolic metaphors do you see in this video?

Matisyahu is a paradox. He is both on the leading edge of Music Culture and a member of Ultra Orthodox Judaism. You ask yourself how can someone co-exists within these two spheres? Surely they are both mutually exclusive of each other? Wether you like Matisyahu or otherwise, there is one thing that can't be denied, the suspicion that he was 'just a fad' has now been proven incorrect. When he first released his first album many claimed he was a flavor of the month', or in colloquial terms 'Just a T shirt' now with the release of his 2nd album the critics aren't so sure. The flavor of the month seems to have been endowed with a little more longitivity than Brittany 'Gone Trailer Park' Spears and her husband wanna be rapper, K_Fed who has just released his new album playing with fire, which a few people wish he would.

It seems K_Fed's 'Playing with Fire' debut has all but sizzled, 3 days after its release there seems to be way too much smoke and no actual fire. Maybe that's why he released it on his own label, ' a fox doesn't smell it's own stench' and a ' pig rolls in its own mud' something like that any way. Matisyahu a Brooklyn resident is America's most popular Reggae singer. Last years breakthrough album ' Live at Stubbs' (author note: - I spent my hard earned wisely) sold half a million copies. The contrast of being a Top ten musician and a Ultra Orthodox Jew exists more than just on superficial appearances. Matisyahu is a devout Orthodox Jew, he believes strongly in the practice of Shomer Negiah, [not touching the opposite sex] this practice is in complete contrast to the music industries reputation for overly friendly fans and admirers. Despite Matisyahu's strongly held beliefs, and observance of Jewish Halakha he has still managed to become an influential member of the Music industry. The service that Matisyahu brings to the Jewish community, I believe is enormous, he brings positive imagery to Judaism in a time when there has been so much opportunistic negativity expressed towards Judaism by anti Semites. Despite lucrative offers by various companies including Burger King, Matisyahu chose not to endorse their non-kosher products.

He is an beacon of spiritual values to American youth, he never overtly proselytizes or evangelizes, yet he doesn't compromise on the essence of what it means to believe in G_d and be a Religious Jew. What has to be appreciated is that Matisyahu brings a fresh relevant focus to Jewish Youth, he leads by example, yet remains relevant. In a time when there are so many 'attractive' alternatives to young Jews leaving their faith, crossing over to the secular world, he shines as a light unto them. There is already so much to admire with regards to Matisyahu, with his new album I feel there may be many more reasons to admire him to come. Bagelblogger

Matisyahu Jerusalem Lyrics

[Chorus]
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
fire not gonna come from me tongue.
Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand forget what it’s supposed to do.
In the ancient days, we will return with no delay
Picking up the bounty and the spoils on our way
We’ve been traveling from state to state
And them don’t understand what they say
3,000 years with no place to be
And they want me to give up my milk and honey
Don’t you see, it’s not about the land or the sea
Not the country but the dwelling of his majesty

[chorus]

Rebuild the temple and the crown of glory
Years gone by, about sixty
Burn in the oven in this century
And the gas tried to choke, but it couldn’t choke me
I will not lie down, I will not fall asleep
They come overseas, yes they’re trying to be free
Erase the demons out of our memory
Change your name and your identity
Afraid of the truth and our dark history
Why is everybody always chasing we
Cut off the roots of your family tree
Don't you know that's not the way to be

[chorus]

Caught up in these ways, and the worlds gone craze
Don’t you know it’s just a phase
Case of the Simon says
If I forget the truth then my words won’t penetrate
Babylon burning in the place, can’t see through dark haze
Chop down all of them dirty ways,
That’s the price that you pay for selling lies to the youth
No way, not ok, oh no way, not ok, hey
Aint no one gonna break my stride
Aint no one gonna pull me down
Oh no, I got to keep on moving
Stay alive

[chorus]
References: Metro Lyrics: Matisyahu Lyrics

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Bondi Beach Lifesavers

The Bondi Liversavers: An Australian Life saving club,
famous for being the first lifesaving club.

[END]

Further reading:
Bondi Life saving Club



Bagelblogger
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Thursday 2 November 2006

John Kerry endears himself to US troops




In what has to be a Catastrophic Gaff John Kerry belittles US Troops in Iraq To view the short video [Click Read More...]





If video doesn't play click: Here

Well Kerry that's a mighty fine thank you to the Troops in Iraq.
I think you can kiss your Presidential hopes good - bye. Title Photo: Good to see the US Troops have a sense of Humor!





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Bill Maher, How Low can you Go?

You know something gets my goat. I think its pretty desperate to try to make out you've got 'that' last video showing Steve Irwin dying.

Its desperate, poor taste and thats just for the people who feel so compelled to want to watch it!

But trying to up your publicity ranking by displaying abysmal poor taste and sensitivity to fellow human beings is lower than low.

[Click Read More..]

What's lower than showing a fake video of Steve Irwin dying?
How about trying to ride the crest of mourning for Steve Irwin for a ratings boost?
When I came across this Halloween costume that Bill Maher was wearing, I was thinking more than Crikey.
Well now I find myself wishing to invite Bill Maher to an Australian Walking Holiday across the Simpson Desert.

You may have had a Jewish Mother and a Roman Catholic father Bill, but they must have both been Extra terrestials to have spawned you.

Lets look at some of your recent performances:

"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
- Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect (2001)

"But I've often said that if I had — I have two dogs — if I had two retarded children, I'd be a hero. And yet the dogs, which are pretty much the same thing. What? They're sweet. They're loving. They're kind, but they don't mentally advance at all.... Dogs are like retarded children."
- Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect (2001)

"More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club. We've done picked all the low-lying Lynndie England* fruit, and now we need warm bodies."
- Bill Maher,Real Time (2005)(Talking abour Army Recruitment)

"Penny Lane is worth ten dead kids, Dark side of the Moon is worth a 100 dead kids
- Bill Maher

Well I spent a little time getting to know Bill's sense of comedy.


Bill Maher - Drug Use

060207-bill-maher-drug-use
Click to see Maher's Style

Well Bill I've got a Fancy Dress costume that people can wear for halloween.


The only problem is with the dribble
how will we tell you apart from people wearing the mask?

References:
Wikipedia: Bill Maher
HBO: Real time with Bill Mayer
FoxNews: Bill Maher's Remark About Army 'Borders on Treason
Video courtesy of VIDEOVAT.COM
Lynndie England was court martialed for her part in the Abu Ghraib affair.

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Wednesday 1 November 2006

Bodgey Bagel's 2nd Caption Contest - Yay We have a Winner to Bagel's First Caption Contest

Week 2 The Contest heats up!

For Entry into Bodgey Bagel's Caption Contest Week 2
Leave your Caption for the Photo in the comments.

All entries must be in beforeWednesday 8th Nov

Caption away! Leave your entries in the comments section

before Wednesday, November 8th.
May the best caption win!

The Winner of Last weeks Contest:(1st November)

[Click Read More..]

Last week Bagelblogger began a Weekly Photo Caption contest.

Tthe inaugural Bodgey Bagel Caption Contest winner is.....Drum Roll

1st Place: Goddam Ted Kennedy is driving again.
[ RightLinx ]

2nd Place: "Joe, is so fired!! I distinctly remember him saying in the staff meeting that airplanes don't use this runway."
[ Marsha ]

3rd Place: "Dang! I told you to put it in 'park' before we got off the plane!"
[ N.B. Goldstein ]

Honorable Mentions:


: Sadly, the plane with Sally Struthers on board never got off the ground.....
[ dennis ]

: That's the last time I buy mystery flight tickets!!
[ Baleboosteh ] Very funny, but on the basis of Non Partisanship this entry is disqualifed
(Looks like I'm in the dog house.)

Bagel's Dishonourable Mention: Dang when we brought these discount tickets I didn't realize we would have to run to catch the plane![BB]


Other blogs with Caption Contests:

Outside the Beltway
RightLinx
The Clash Of Civilizations
Willisms
Commonwealth Conservative
Bullwinkle Blog
The Right Place
Bravozulu
The Gone Rick Motel
Blogmeister USA
Cowboy Blob
SgtStryker
Wizbang Blog


if you have a caption contest let me know

With Thanks to The Clash of Civilizations for the encouragement
and much appreciation to those that entered Bodgey Bagel's First - thankyou.



Bodgey Bagel's Caption Contest 2 Get those Captions in!!


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Tuesday 31 October 2006

But is the Heksher Kosher? Half Moon K

I was reading Jewish Blogmeister today and I came across his post on Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

What JB wrote:

"When Campbell soup decided to go kosher it certainly made waves in the Jewish community. Although it was but one type of soup, namely their "vegetarian vegetable soup" that now had kosher supervision it was certainly a good start. I had used this soup on a variety of occasions when baking it with my gefilte fish.

The OU has announced that Campbell's Soup had dropped it's supervision. I figured Campbell's decided it didn't pay off and decided to drop the Kosher concept. I was surprised to see they didn't drop the idea but moved to another kosher supervision company: half moon K. There is quite a difference between the reliability of these two hechshers and I'm sure the new supervision is quite less expensive so that may explain the switch. At this point I will have to find something else to take it's place. "

Now I'm not trying to stir up a bees nest but..
I replied:

____________________________

Interesting wording that OU used in its Kosher Alert.
"Product no longer certified as kosher by the Orthodox Union. Product bearing the OU symbol was manufactured prior to the termination of the kosher certification and is kosher."
Might have been more informative to have stated that 'OU is no longer certifying this product as kosher'
[Just a slight change in wording from Certified to certifying]
Sometimes you ask yourself is the Kosher authority looking after your interests with regards 'what is Kosher' or their interests as in what they still certify??
To see an update on Halfmoon see here
regards Aaron

____________________________

Then I got thinking... well what's happening now with Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable Soup is it Kosher or not?......

....So The Certifying authority Half Moon K, we all know they aren't as big as OU , and there has been questions raised in the past with regards to products under their supervision, but does that mean this brings issues of Kasrut doubt now?

ie. Does Campbell's soup now become not Kosher? Half Moon K now supervise it, is their Heksher Kosher now?

Now I have a lot of respect for JB, and when he says something I listen. But I also have a lot of respect for organizations which have as their central mission not to derive profit from a service.

What to do?

Send them a letter and see what they say.

...and that's what I've done.

Here's the list of questions:

In January 2004 the Jewish Journal carried a cover story on the Half Moon K.

In this article you gave insight into the enormity of checking Half Moon hekshers, your organization said
"after three years of working on the project... about 80 percent of Half-moon hekshers are now reliable"

I've seen posted as a comment:

To the effect: "there in lies the problem, how can 80 percent of the items showing the Heksher be reliable.

1.Why were they given hekshers in the first place if they aren't/weren't reliably Kosher?"
(This seems to be a very good question. )

2. It's been 2 more years since you gave the assurance that 80% was kosher, is The Half Moon Heksher now 100% trustworthy?

3. I've read about the use of Gelatin and Carmine in food and how attitudes may have changed, but doesn't the trustworthiness/strength of an Heksher be in its weakest link? Surely for a Heksher to be 'respected' by the community it must have consistency.

4. Not ignoring the importance of checking with your Rabbi, If you have to ring a phone number, check with a Rabbi, etc doesn't this make your Heksher redundant?

5.Are those products not reliably 100% 'Kosher' planned to be thoroughly checked?
If so when do you expect to complete your checking?

6. Do you supply a list of the status of products with your Heksher?

7. Is there anything that Half Moon K would like to ensure the public understands?

I'm looking forward to getting a response, I'll keep my readers posted.

In the mean time if any readers have thoughts on this subject feel free.

- Whilst I have tried to present correct information,
With issues of Kashrut please refer to your Rabbi. -

References and further reading:
Jewishblogmeister: Campbell Soup: Kosher?
Koaoa: Kosher.org
OU Kosher Alert regarding: Campbell’s Vegetarian Vegetable Soup [Aug 30]
KosherToday:
Kosherquest.org: Home
Kosherblog.net: January 2006 Update on Half Moon K
Kosherblog.net: Half-Moon-K getting up to snuff [2004]
Jewish Journal: A More reliable Kosher [2004]
When Campbell's originally obtained the OU heksher: Press release
Campbells: Campbell Announces Its First Kosher Soup
[END]

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Pelican Pals


My Eldest Daughter Jade is 6, This is her Pelican,
"Its very important that people realise the reason why the Pelican's mouth looks funny is because he has got a big fish in it"

"Where we live there are lots of Pelican's close by, they get cheeky with the fishermen." Jade likes Pelicans.

As Mum or Dad drives down the street in 'Town' (Seaside coastal hamlet)
"They are on top each of the light poles along the road. It is quite exciting to see them."

Feel free to leave comments for Jade.

[END]


Bagelblogger! Always Fresh!



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I am a Walrus...


My Eldest Daughter Jade is 6, she's very talented when in comes to art,
She's decided that Blogging is Fun 'Because all these people say nice things' ..anyway say hello to Mr Walrus.

Feel free to leave comments for Jade.

[END]


Bagelblogger! Always Fresh!



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Say hello to a Sea Horse


My Eldest Daughter Jade is 6, she's very talented when in comes to art, She has won a rather large regional Drawing contest with one of her drawings.

Meet the local Marine life:

A Seahorse,Octopus and in the back ground a turtle

Feel free to leave comments for Jade.

[END]

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Muddle Headed Mufti - The Drama Continues


Align Center

This cartoon by Sturt Krygsman was very eye catching.


Sheik Hilali is a man of controversy and contradictions


H
e is revered by the Muslim community almost everywhere he goes in Sydney's southwestern suburbs, the nation's Arab heartland.

Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, the 65-year-old spiritual leader of Muslims in Australia, is so popular he is never allowed to pay for a meal when he eats in Muslim restaurants. When others offer to pay for him, they are also politely refused. "He is the Mufti and we are happy to provide for him," says the owner of La Roche, a Lebanese restaurant in Lakemba.

The sheik - often seen tearing around the streets in his white Ford Falcon and being mobbed by followers, including women - has an enormous power base of supporters among the Muslim communities in Sydney.

He is renowned for his kindness, charity and support for women's movements. He helped establish the Muslim Women's Association and he runs classes for Muslim women every Thursday at Auburn.

Hilali offered to help Australian model Michelle Leslie, who was jailed in Bali for drug possession, after she converted to Islam. He also offered her support after she decided to return to the catwalk, modelling swimwear.

[Click Read More to...]

He has won praise for encouraging inter-faith dialogue and for keeping a lid on tensions in the Muslim community.





But the man known as the nation's most senior Muslim cleric has created enormous controversy in the 20 years since he was appointed the leader of Australia's Muslims, a position that carries the title of Mufti. His critics are as strident in their condemnation as his supporters are devoted.

He was pilloried this week for a sermon delivered at the Lakemba mosque during Ramadan, which compared women who don't wear hijab-style dress to meat left out for cats. "If one puts uncovered meat out in the street, or on the footpath, or in the garden, or in the park, or in the backyard, without a cover and then the cats come and eat it, is it the fault of the cat or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem ... If she was in her room, in her house, wearing her hijab, being chaste, the disasters wouldn't have happened. The woman possesses the weapon of seduction and temptation," he said.

Following a nationwide outcry, he issued a statement saying that any form of harassment of women is unacceptable. "I fully respect women. Any degrading conduct towards or disrespect to women is degrading conduct and disrespect for my mother, my sister, my wife and my daughter."

His 25-year-old daughter Asma al-Hilali defended him, saying "he has probably spent more time working for women's rights than for his own family. And he has upheld the values of all women, no matter what they wear." But it was too late. There were widespread calls for him to be stripped of his title and citizenship, and deported.

Hilali's leadership of Australia's Muslims has always been disputed by sections of the Islamic community.

He was appointed to the honorary position of Mufti with the support of the country's peak Islamic body, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, in 1989. But there is no formal hierarchical structure for the Muslim faith in Australia, although there have lately been moves to set up a board that registers Muslim leaders.

And there have always been some Muslim leaders who say he has no right to use the title of Mufti or to say he is Australia's most senior Muslim cleric.

Some Islamic leaders in Victoria do not recognise his claims to national leadership, and much of this can be sheeted home to the wide ethnic differences between Muslims across the country.

Hilali is Egyptian-born and most of his followers in Sydney are Lebanese. Yet in Victoria, many Muslims are of Turkish or Albanian background and disagree with some elements of Islam in the Arab world.

Controversy has dogged the university-educated sheik since his days in Egypt, where he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The brotherhood is one of the most influential Islamist movements in the world. It was founded in Egypt in 1928, and Egypt is still considered the centre of the movement. It promotes an Islamic state through non-violent means. But breakaway members of the group have gone on to establish terrorist groups, including al-Qa'ida.

Hilali arrived in Australia in 1982 and overstayed his tourist visa. He came to the attention of the authorities in 1988 when he gave an anti-Semitic lecture to a group of Muslim students at the Universisity of Sydney. It was titled The Disposition of Jews in the Light of the Koran, and he was quoted as saying: "Judaism controls the world by secret movements (and) destructive doctrines and groups such as communism, libertinism, Freemasonry, Baha'ism, the Rotary clubs, the nationalistic and racist doctrines. The Jews try to control the world through sex, then sexual perversion, then the promotion of espionage, treason, and economic hoarding."

Following this speech, federal immigration minister Chris Hurford attempted to have him deported for inciting hatred and being against "Australian values". He survived the push and was granted permanent residency in 1990, and eventually citizenship.

Efforts to deport him failed because of the large support he had within the Islamic community in Sydney and from Labor politicians including, according to reports, Paul Keating when he was treasurer in the Hawke government.

Hilali, who now holds joint Australian and Egyptian citizenship, has since been regularly accused by Australian Jewish organisations of anti-Semitism, an accusation he denies.

Hilali was born in Egypt into what he says is an environment of knowledge and scholarship. "My father, my grandfather (and generations of forefathers) were scholars who were inheriting the teachings," he said in a radio interview. "My mother died when I was a child and the one who raised me was my aunt, who actually recited the whole Koran by heart. And she used to teach me. I learned to recite, to memorise the whole Koran, when I was 10 years old. She also taught me a lot of poetry, which I still remember."

After getting married in 1975, he and his wife Souhair travelled extensively, and their four children were born in Egypt, Lebanon and Australia. They settled in Sydney and led a quiet life for almost a decade before Hilali was arrested in 1999 on trip to Egypt after allegedly buying pharaonic antiquities from a smuggling ring for $192,000.

He was charged with smuggling antiquities. Egyptian prosecutors alleged Hilali had conspired with Egyptian priest Nassid Elias Michael and his son Bassem Michael to buy the artefacts. He was sentenced to one year's jail but the case was overturned on appeal.

Then, in 2003, he was stopped by police in Sydney and charged for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. He was charged with assaulting and hindering police, which lead to reprisal attacks and public condemnation of the police action. Although charges of assaulting and hindering police and resisting arrest were later dropped, he was fined $400.

In 2004 he created another furore with a speech he gave in a mosque in Lebanon. It was claimed he praised the September 11 attacks on the US as "God's work against the oppressors" and supported Arab martyrs and a holy war against Israel.

Hilali said the translation was out of context and that anyone who rejoiced in or supported "the 9/11 event knows nothing about the Islamic teachings". He denies he supports terrorism and has put out numerous statements condemning acts of terror.

Earlier this year Hilali split from AFIC, the group that supported him as the Mufti, saying he no longer wanted its "money or sympathy". Hilali warned the council to stop feuding. "I would like it to be known that for what is left of my life, I have taken the decision to take my stipend from God and will not accept a salary from any organisation, whether Islamic or otherwise," he said.

Hilali's split from AFIC came after the embattled group had to apologise for saying his $40,000-a-year salary would be stopped because the council's accounts were frozen. They had suggested he apply for the dole.

Hilali warned the leaders of AFIC - which had been ethnically divided since its April elections, when a group of Pakistanis took control from Fijian Indians - that they should not squander the community's money on court brawls.

"There is no place in our society for these ethnic groupings that only produce grudges and personal score-settling," he said.

His split with AFIC did not affect his standing in the community and he continued to hold the position of Mufti.

A month ago he was dumped from John Howard's Muslim Community Reference Group after denying the Holocaust and calling it a "Zionist lie". He also referred to Israel as a "cancer".

Yesterday, Hilali was busy apologising for any offence caused by his remarks about immodestly dressed women and saying he had been misunderstood.

He said in a public statement that "women in our Australian society have the freedom and right to dress as they choose; the duty of man is to avert his glance or walk away".

[Developing story more updates to come]


Article written by Natalie O'Brien,
Taken from the Australian:

Muddle Headed Mufti

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Poll * Hijab * Muslim Advisory board * Lebanese Rapists * Australia * Justification of Rape * Sheik Hilaly * Sydney gang rapes *Iktimal Hage-Ali * * Incitement to crime * Muslim incitement to a crime * Keysar Trad * Australin Mufti * BagelBlogger * Bagel Blogger

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Monday 30 October 2006

Haveil Havalim #91 - Extra Hour Edition, Its Up!

Haveil Havalim #91 - Extra Hour Edition

With so little time and so much to do now a days,
I suggest you don't waste any time.

Sweet Rose promises you the hour of your life,
welcome to :
Haveil Havalim #91 - Extra Hour Edition

[END]
Sweet Rose!Extra Hour Edition- Looks like it was worth the extra hour!.
Technorati:* * Soccer Dad * Extra Hour Edition * Haveil Havalim * Haveil Havelim * 91 Haveil Havalim * Me-ander * Shiloh Musings * Greetings From French Hill * Me-ander * Daled Amos * Psycho Toddler * betbender * meander * iris.org * shilohmusings * yourish * israelrules * lifeinisrael * me-ander * asimplejew * Elder of Ziyon * Abbagav * abaleboosteh * sultanknish * muqata * Israel * Jewish * BagelBlogger * Bagel Blogger

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Sunday 29 October 2006

Dang, I can't believe my Pork and Beans aren't Kosher!


Seems that someones been telling Porkies or there's been a little mix up somewhere along the line with Pocahontas Pork and Beans in Tomato Sauce , despite having an hechsher, OU is letting people know they aren't Kosher...really?

For an update to this refer to this
OU: Kosher Alerts [October 18]

[END]

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