Monthly Archives: September 2012

Urban Sukkah (Vertical)

Posted on September 30, 2012 by zjb

Somewhere in tractate Sukkot of the Babylonian Talmud the rabbis talk about building sukkot up in trees and on camels. These days, there are a lot of high-end, high-concept sukkot out there. It’s all the rage, since the 2010 Sukkah … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bid Data Big Energy (Place)

Posted on September 29, 2012 by zjb

I’m still mulling the in-depth investigative report last week in the NYT about data storage server sites. It’s main point concerns the huge amounts of data we generate and the huge amounts of electricity needed not only to store the … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

That’s All Folks!

Posted on September 28, 2012 by zjb

But what was he thinking? For an American Jew, it doesn’t get any better than this, an Israeli geo-politcs cum Looney Tunes mash-up. Never underestimate the importance of an appropriate visual. For more of the same, see http://972mag.com/bibis-acme-bomb-at-unga-inspires-israeli-meme-artists/56636/

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

New York Ironweed (In C) (Driverless Car)

Posted on September 27, 2012 by zjb

The highlight of this morning’s drive up to Syracuse was a Terrence Riley’s “In C,” a pioneering work in 1960s musical minimalism. “In C” starts off with a simple “pulse” beat, which builds up into layers. I’m not really sure … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Yom Kippur Aesthetics (Politics)

Posted on September 26, 2012 by zjb

Did any of this rigmarole that some of us just went through that we call Yom Kippur, did any of it have to do with politics or the larger social good?  By this I mean the fasting, the deal made … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Posted on September 25, 2012 by zjb

A query from Tokyo Greenspace, strangely apropos to Yom Kippur. Who will live and who will die, who by water and who by fire? –ZJB

Posted in uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kol Nidre, Johnny Mathis

Posted on September 24, 2012 by zjb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30HKyLhGCjk  I was looking around for something to mark Kol Nidre, this most solemn of Jewish rites. This one hit the right chord. Johhny Mathis was one of the great swooners of the 1960s, right before the dawn of rock … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

שלאגן (Yom Kippur Beating)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by zjb

Ok, I’ve never heard of religious Jews getting themselves whipped, even if only a little symbolic bit, for Yom Kippur. You can see some pictures here. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I find … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Kafka Days of Awe (Yom Kippur)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by zjb

According to Mishnah Yoma, the High Priest at the Temple would read, among other things, the Book of Job on the evening before Yom Kippur. It’s an odd choice, if only at first glance. In years previous I’ve read more … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Laura Levitt & Judith Butler (Jewish Studies — Cultural Politics)

Posted on September 22, 2012 by zjb

Or was Leopold Zunz just wasting his time and ours when he established the academic study of Judaism two hundred years ago in Germany? Sometimes I’m not sure. Who actually cares about Leopold Zunz? Does Jewish Studies even matter? It … Continue reading →

Posted in uncategorized | 2 Comments