text:
Pistol Gun Industrial Barbell 14g Silver or Gold
Pistol gun silver or gold industrial barbell 14g piercing or scaffold piercing. Choose matte dark silver or matted black beads and your color wire wrapping to hold the beads in the middle of the industrial barbell. The beading can slide on the industrial bar so you can insert the barbell with ease.
Silver Gun:
316L surgical steel barbell
316L surgical steel plated brass pistol gun ends
Gold Gun:
316L surgical steel IP plated gold barbell
Gold plated brass pistol gun ends
See more industrial barbells here:
♦ Priority shipping upgrade is now available within the US when checking out! If this shipping method is chosen, your order will ship same day if placed before noon eastern time, or the next business day at the latest and will arrive within 1-3 business days.
♦ All orders are shipped with delivery confirmation and tracking, and will arrive in a gift box to protect your items during shipping. Shipping is charged for the first item and all other items ship for free in the same order.
♦ Please note that body piercing jewelry is not returnable for sanitary and hygiene reasons. Please make sure that your gauge and lengths are correct for your piercing. If you have any questions please contact me prior to purchase.
To see more click here:
**Caring for Plated Jewelry**
To maintain the nice vibrant finish of gold plated or rose gold plated jewelry, extra care needs to be taken. Please remove plated jewelry when showering, washing your face, exercising and swimming. Lotions, soaps, makeup, chlorine, etc will cause a reaction in the metal and it will tarnish. When wearing plated nose jewelry, keep make up and lotions clear of the jewelry. Wipe it after each use with a soft cloth to remove any dirt and debris that may have collected during the time it was worn.
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Cactus Cowboy Hat Sun Stars Bullhead Leather iPhone 12 / 12 Pro Cell Phone Case - Ready to Ship
Army Green 14 Gauge or 16 Gauge Industrial Barbell Beaded Gold, Silver, or Rose Gold


text:
Services on Demand
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in Google
SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 n.11 Pretoria Nov. 2011
Responding to climate change in southern Africa : the role of research
J MyersI; T YoungII; M GallowayIII; P ManyikeIV; T TuckerV
IBSc, MB ChB, DTM&H, MD. Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health Research, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town
IIMB ChB, PhD, FCPath (SA) Virol . Strategic Evaluation, Advisory & Development Consulting, Cape Town, and Division of Clinical Virology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town
IIIMB ChB, MMed (PHM). Strategic Evaluation, Advisory & Development Consulting, Cape Town
IVMPhil (Journalism). Strategic Evaluation, Advisory & Development Consulting, Cape Town
VBPharm, MSc (Med). PhD Strategic Evaluation, Advisory & Development Consulting, Cape Town
Projections show that the effects of climate change in Africa will not be uniform over the region. The region is extremely vulnerable to climate change because of poverty, a high pre-existing disease burden, fragmented health services and water and food insecurity. Despite the consensus that locally relevant information is necessary to inform policy and practice related to climate change, very few studies assessing the association between climate change and health in southern Africa have been conducted. More comprehensive information is therefore urgently needed for the southern African region to estimate the health risks from projected future changes in climate.
Evidence is that the southern African region (Fig. 1)1 is experiencing an increasing frequency of hot days and a decreasing frequency of extremely cold days. Rainfall trends are variable, but evidence points to an increased interannual variability, with extremely wet periods and more intense droughts in different countries. Projections show that changes will not be uniform over the region; the central, southern land mass extending over Botswana, parts of north-western South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe is likely to experience the greatest warming of 0.2 - 0.5ºC per decade. Frequency of extremely dry winters and springs will increase by roughly 20%, while the frequency of extremely wet summers will double. Warming is also predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of tropical storms in the Indian Ocean.
The region is vulnerable to climate change because of poverty, a high pre-existing disease burden, fragmented health services, and water and food insecurity. Despite the consensus that locally relevant information is necessary to inform policy and practice related to climate change, very few studies assessing the association between climate change and health in southern Africa have been conducted.2-4 Existing research focuses on infectious diseases - particularly malaria. Little work has been done on attributing disease burden to climate change in the region. Furthermore, an overview of health considerations in the National Adaptation Programmes of Action for climate change in least-developed countries and small-island states found that health was not seen as a priority, as most activities focused on biodiversity and agricultural activities.5 Very few institutions specialising in climate change and health were identified.
The health effects of climate change are not uniform and will be influenced by local environmental conditions, socio-economic circumstances, the extent of adaptations implemented to minimise the full range of threats to health, and other modulating factors.6 The IPCC Working Group 2 report (2007)7 shows that the health consequences of climate change will fall primarily on low-income, poorly resourced and geographically vulnerable populations. Importantly, planning and action will need to be intersectoral, draw on local data, and involve local and regional authorities and health care providers.
Framework for responding to climate change
Corrective activities may be grouped into mitigation, adaptation, education and training, and raising awareness. Research is central to all these, as it will inform identification and assessment of effects, comparison of interventions, and determination of best practices.
Regarding mitigation, 5 African countries are responsible for most of Africa's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with South Africa by far the greatest emitter, responsible for 39% of the continental total - making GHG emissions in the SADC region relatively higher than in other regions of Africa.8 This issue is a high priority for intervention and will depend on national energy policy.
Adaptation needs to be underpinned by surveillance for climaterelated health risks9 including early adverse weather alerts and disaster preparedness. Beginning with the infrastructural, urban planning and housing design needs to consider climate- and insect-proofing, enhanced infectious disease control includes vaccines, vector control, case detection and treatment. Community partnerships are required to identify and solve health problems, including neighbourhood watch schemes aimed at the elderly and children.
Mitigation and adaptation interventions should be monitored and evaluated for effectiveness and efficiency.
Climate change and health should be incorporated as part of undergraduate and postgraduate public health education curricula, and appropriate training packages developed. Special efforts should be made to recruit trainees from areas at greatest risk from the health effects of climate change.
Awareness should be raised through informing, educating and empowering the public at large, along with policymakers and all relevant stakeholders about the health risks of climate change as well as primary and secondary prevention strategies which can reduce the impact.
Research in support of adapting to climate change
Research should aim to facilitate the reduction of both global and local climate change health risks via aetiological studies, risk assessments, scenario planning of likely future health risks, and evaluation of adaptive interventions. More comprehensive information is needed for the southern African region to estimate the health risks from projected future changes in climate. Epidemiological studies are needed to identify climate-health relationships, to quantify them, and to identify high-risk groups or communities. Table I provides a framework for research provided by McMichael.10
To gain a more complex understanding from epidemiological modelling, it is important to incorporate confounding or interacting, non-climate variables. Scenario planning should incorporate information about trends in other determinants of health outcomes for which future extrapolations are considered feasible (e.g. demographic trends in age structures); likely future contextual conditions (e.g. uptake of domestic air-conditioning by 2050); the advent of relevant vaccines and likely consequent population immunity levels; and deliberate 'adaptive' changes (e.g. mosquito control programmes, heat-wave warning systems, flood protection measures).
The health sector itself requires research attention as a result of the environmental effect of resource use and waste generation, and the need for sustainable health sector practices. Health economic analysis of climate-related health impacts, along with research into communication strategies for climate-related health issues, is an important research focus.
Pressing action and research priorities include the assessment of the climate-related burden of disease in southern Africa, and the identification of appropriate adaptations for which there is existing evidence of effectiveness and cost-efficiency elsewhere, particularly parts of the globe with similar climate-change scenarios.
1. Scholes RJ, Biggs R. Ecosystem Services in Southern Africa: A Regional Assessment. 2004. Pretoria: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, 2004. [ Links ]
2. Byass P. Climate change and population health in Africa: where are the scientists? Global Health Action 2009. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v2i0.2065. [ Links ]
3. Dube OP, Chimbari MJ, on behalf of DBL - Centre for Health Research and Development Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Documentation of Research on Climate Change and Human Health in Southern Africa. July 2009. http://www.ddrn.dk/filer/forum/File/Climate_change_and_human_health_in_SADC_region_July09.pdf (accessed 5 October 2010). [ Links ]
4. Ramin BM, McMichael AJ. Climate change and health in sub-Saharan Africa: a case-based perspective. EcoHealth 2009. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-009-0222-4. [ Links ]
5. Manga L, Bagayoko M, Meredith T, Neira M. Overview of Health Considerations within National Adaptation Programmes of Action for Climate Change in Least Developed Countries and Small Island States. Geneva: WHO, 2010. [ Links ]
6. Frumkin H, McMichael AJ. Climate change and public health: thinking, communicating, acting. Am J Prev Med 2008;35(5):403-410. DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.08.019 [ Links ]
7. Parry M, Canziani O, Palutokof J, et al., eds. Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group 2 to Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. [ Links ]
8. http://www.eia.gov/countries/ (accessed 1 September 2010). [ Links ]
9. Myers J, Young T, Galloway M, Manyike P, Tucker T. A public health approach to the impact of climate change on health in southern Africa: identifying priority modifiable risks. S Afr Med J 2011;101:xxx-xxx. NB complete at page proof stage [ Links ]
10. McMichael AJ. Climate Change, Global Environmental Change, and Health: Context, Concepts and Research Tasks for Epidemiologists. Canberra: European Educational Programme in Epidemiology, 2010. [ Links ]
11. Kjellstrom T, Holmer I, Lemke B. Workplace heat stress, health and productivity an increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change. Global Health Action 2009. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v2i0.2047 [ Links ]
12. Schulte PA, Chun H. Climate change and occupational safety and health: establishing a preliminary framework. J Occup Environ Hygiene 2009;6(9):542-554. [ Links ]
13. Campbell-Lendrum D, Woodruff R. Comparative risk assessment of the burden of disease from climate change. Environ Health Perspect 2006;114(12):1935-1941. [ Links ]
14. Lewin S, Norman R, Nannan N, Thomas E, Bradshaw D and the South African Comparative Risk Assessment Collaborating Group. Estimating the burden of disease attributable to unsafe water and lack of sanitation and hygiene in South Africa in 2000. S Afr Med J 2007;97:755-762. [ Links ]
15. Norman R, Bradshaw D, Schneider M, et al. A comparative risk assessment for South Africa in 2000: towards promoting health and preventing disease. S Afr Med J 2007;97(8):637-641. [ Links ]
16. Victora CG, Huttly SR, Fuchs SC, Olinto MT. The role of conceptual frameworks in epidemiological analysis: a hierarchical approach. Int J Epidemiol 1997;26(1):224-227. [ Links ]
Accepted 12 September 2011.
Corresponding author: T Tucker (firstname.lastname@example.com)

subset: commoncrawl


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taskjuggler 3.6.0
TaskJuggler is a modern and powerful, Free and Open Source Software project management tool. Its new approach to project planing and tracking is more flexible and superior to the commonly used Gantt chart editing tools. TaskJuggler is project management software for serious project managers. It covers the complete spectrum of project management tasks from the first idea to the completion of the project. It assists you during project scoping, resource assignment, cost and revenue planing, risk and communication management.
Copy to clipboard
Runtime afhankelijkheden (2):
mail >= 2.4.3
term-ansicolor >= 1.0.7
Development afhankelijkheden (1):
rspec >= 2.5.0


text:
Clearly mention your requirements along with the tasks that the prospective candidate will do after joining your organization. Be crisp and clear with your objectives so that the candidate knows exactly what to expect from this job opportunity.
This is probably the most important section of any job description. Therefore, you should be super clear about the responsibilities associated with the job for which you are looking for a suitable candidate. In a pointed manner, list down all the major responsibilities that you want the candidate to fulfill if they join your organization.
Hire pre-vetted remote developers on Turing
Under this section, mention all the academic and professional qualifications that a candidate needs to have in order to apply for this role. You should list down all the mandatory technical skills required for this job.
This is an optional section where you can list down any additional skills/requirements that you expect from the candidate.
This is an exciting section of your back-end developer job description template. This is where you can list down all the additional benefits/perks that a candidate will get once they join your company.
Hire pre-vetted remote developers on Turing
Tell us the skills you need and we'll find the best developer for you in days, not weeks.


text:
Categories Cart Account Search Recent View Go to Top
All Categories ×
- Desktops
- Laptops & Notebooks
- Components
- Tablets
- Software
- Phones & PDAs
- Cameras
- MP3 Players
Laptops & Notebooks
Shop Laptop feature only the best laptop deals on the market. By comparing laptop deals from the likes of PC World, Comet, Dixons, The Link and Carphone Warehouse, Shop Laptop has the most comprehensive selection of laptops on the internet. At Shop Laptop, we pride ourselves on offering customers the very best laptop deals. From refurbished laptops to netbooks, Shop Laptop ensures that every laptop - in every colour, style, size and technical spec - is featured on the site at the lowest possible price.
There are no products to list in this category.


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Fancy a break from Christmas shopping this coming Saturday (16th December)? Then head off to the Peel in Kingston where those lovely Highland Cow people are putting on a frankly ace all-dayer from 4pm.
The cost on the doors is a mere £6.50 and the line-up is as follows:
Frank Turner
Public Relations Exercise (pictured)
One Toy Soldier
Score One For Safety
The Fez
See you there!? If you're attending, add the show to your gig calendar here.


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Cushing® Asset Management and Swank Capital Announce Rebalancing of The Cushing® Energy Supply Chain Index
Dallas, Texas (May 23, 2019) Cushing® Asset Management, LP, and Swank Capital, LLC, announce today the upcoming rebalancing of The Cushing® Energy Supply Chain Index (the "Index") as part of normal index operations. After the markets close on May 31, 2019, the constituents of the Index will be rebalanced, and the following changes will become effective on June 3, 2019:
Constituents added:
Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM)
BP Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: BPMP)
NGL Energy Partners LP (NYSE: NGL)
Constituents removed:
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC)
Energy Transfer LP (NYSE: ET)
Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SHLX)
Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN)
The Cushing® Energy Supply Chain Index tracks
the performance of widely held companies engaged in exploration and production,
refining and marketing, or storage and transportation of oil, natural gas, coal
and consumable fuels; oil and natural gas equipment and services companies; and
companies that extract and/or manufacture materials. Constituents of the Index
are weighted based on current yield. The Index price level is calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices and
reported on a real-time basis under the Bloomberg ticker "CSCI".
Cushing® Asset Management, LP ("Cushing"), a subsidiary of Swank Capital, LLC, is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Cushing serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds and managed accounts which invest primarily in securities of midstream energy infrastructure companies and other natural resource companies.
Cushing is also dedicated to serving the needs of investors by sponsoring a variety of benchmarks, including The Cushing® 30 MLP Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPX), The Cushing® 30 MLP Market Cap Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CMCI), The Cushing® MLP High Income Index (Bloomberg Ticker: MLPY), The Cushing® Energy Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CENI), The Cushing®Transportation Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CTRI) and The Cushing®Utility Index (Bloomberg Ticker: CUTI). For more information, please visit https://www.cushingasset.com/indices.
Brian Atwood
Source: Cushing® Asset Management, LP, and Swank Capital, LLC
The Cushing® Energy Supply Chain Index (the "Index") is the exclusive property of Swank Capital, LLC, and Cushing Asset Management, LP, which have contracted with S&P Opco, LLC (a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC) ("S&P Dow Jones Indices") to calculate and maintain the Index. S&P® is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC ("SPFS"); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC ("Dow Jones"); and, these trademarks have been licensed to S&P Dow Jones Indices. "Calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices" and its related stylized mark(s) have been licensed for use by Cushing Asset Management, LP. Neither S&P Dow Jones Indices, SPFS, Dow Jones nor any of their affiliates sponsor and promote the Index and none shall be liable for any errors or omissions in calculating the Index.


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I picked up my Maverick from Miracle Auto Paint in Pleasanton Wednesday afternoon. Actually Miracle's owner, Jeff Jacobson, picked me up and drove me down to Pleasanton to pick up the finished car.
It looks so good now I'm half afraid to take it out of the garage. My neighbor Sally took photos of me with it yesterday morning. I posted the best one with this blog. I almost never go out without a hat, so now you can see I have hair on the top of my head.
I drove my Maverick to Miracle on April 2nd from A-1 Upholstery in Dublin, where I left it on April 1st to have tears in the driver's seat repaired. Bob Betz of A-1 did a great job and the seat looks like new. Miracle is all the way on the south end of Pleasanton, so leaving from A-1 saved a little time driving it down there.
I bought the Grabber hood decal and striping kit from Phoenix Graphics, which I brought with me for Miracle to apply after painting the car. That's when the problems started. Either the hood decal was defective or it was not applied correctly. The owner, Jeff Jacobson, called to tell me the decal couldn't be used and Phoenix Graphics should replace it under the guarantee.
Phoenix Graphics offers a guarantee, but since the person who tried to install it wasn't there and threw the decal away, Christian at Phoenix Graphics couldn't conclude the problem was with their decal and not the installation.
I wanted to get the car finished for the June 1st Good-Guys show and it was already May, so I ordered another one for the discounted price of $79 and had Phoenix Graphics ship it directly to Miracle Auto Paint.
The additional $79 didn't bother me too much, but because the decal didn't go on properly the installer made the assumption that the stripes wouldn't either. These are vinyl with a 3-D effect on the car. In other words they are not painted on, but glued on.
The owner, Jeff Jacobson, thought a good way around using the "defective" black stripes was to paint the black portion an inch higher on the car and put a yellow stripe in between to give the effect of a black stripe on the yellow background. This was not good with me.
I sent Jeff an email and phoned him a day later to see what he could do to fix this, because I really wanted to keep the car as original as possible. It isn't a hot rod with flames on the fenders or stripes and decals for decoration. It is an original 1973 Maverick Grabber that I wanted to look like a new 1973 Maverick Grabber, instead of a worn out one.
Jeff said they would redo everything. Miracle's Manager, Donovan Brunk, completely redid the car and brought in a friend of his who specializes in installing decals and stripes. The second hood decal from Phoenix Graphics arrived damaged in shipping and this time Phoenix Graphics replaced it no charge, but it added another week to the job. Then Don needed another stencil it for the GRABBER graphic next to the fender on one side; so I ordered a replacement stencil from Phoenix Graphics and another week went by.
All of these orders delayed getting my car until after the Good-Guys All American Get-Together on June 1 & 2nd. So after arriving at the March Good-Guys show too late to get a good spot to exhibit my car, I missed the June show too. Still as I told Jeff, I'd rather have the car done right than fast.
Jeff offered me a $200 credit on the paint job, but I only took off $100. It probably cost them more than that to redo everything; besides Miracle shouldn't be punished for telling the truth and taking responsibility for making it right. Too many people today weasel out of their responsibilities. I credit Don Brunk and Jeff Jacobson at Miracle and Christian at Phoenix Graphics for making everything right even at their expense.
The car was ready on Friday, June 21st. I had an appointment at the DMV in Pleasanton at 2 pm and planned to drive down to Miracle after my appointment. I arrived at the DMV at about 1:50 pm. There was a moderate line, which I thought was for people without appointments, but it turned out to be for those of us with appointments.
Other people without appointments just walked up to the woman at the desk and checked in. In the meantime those of use with appointments continued to wait. I questioned why we were waiting when others were going in.
A young man at the other check-in desk said that appointments started at 2 pm and it wasn't 2 pm yet. So we all had to wait until 2 pm just to go in and get a seat. The electronic sign over the desk said that appointments had a 0 wait time, but between waiting 15 minutes on the line and another 10 when I finally got in, I waited longer than people without an appointment thanks to the Pleasanton DMV's appointment process!
I went to the DMV to find out the status of my Pet Lover's License Plate. I preordered a Pet Lover's License Plate in 2011 to help them reach the 7500 they needed to be accepted by the DMV. They reached that number at the end of last year; so I thought the plates would be available by now.
They are shown on the list of available plates, but the man at Window 5 said they are not available yet. I also asked about the new vintage plates for 1970's cars. The man at the window said he couldn't get them for me and told me to follow the instructions on the website. So my trip to the DMV was a complete waste of time.
At least I could drive down to Miracle and see how my car turned out. I drove down Hopyard to Valley and took Valley to Bernal. Miracle Auto Paint is on California Avenue which I recalled was just off Bernal, but I couldn't find it. I drove up and down Bernal three times looking for California Avenue and finally gave up.
When I got home I looked it up on the map. California Avenue is off of Stanley, which is off Valley or Bernal. I had driven there three or four times, so I was sure I could find it again and didn't bring a map with me. That's why I should always bring maps with me.
Some of you might suggest a GPS, but I tried that in Maine and found it more distracting than helpful. Printed maps are fine if I read them before I leave and can stop and look at them along the way.
I phoned Miracle and told them I would pick up the car on Monday. My neighbor Sally offered to drive me down there Monday afternoon, but it rained on Monday and I didn't want my freshly painted car to get rain spotted on the way home.
Sally came over on Tuesday, but it was still drizzling. Sally couldn't take me on Wednesday so Jeff, the owner, drove up from Pleasanton and drove me down. At least this time I didn't get lost.


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Israeli, Greek and U.S. forces are in the midst of a drill in preparation for a possible war over Israel's huge off-shore gas discoveries, which also may contain commercializable oil. Lebanon and Hizbullah have claimed the fields are in Lebanese territory and that they will "defend" the area against drilling by Israel.
The week-long drill is simulating air-to-air combat and anti-submarine warfare and is taking place off the coast of Turkey, possibly signaling it not to interfere with Israeli energy operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The "enemy" forces will be similar to those of the Turkish air force, according to the Defencenet.gr website.
Joint exercises also will take place off the coast of Cyprus and at the port in Haifa, with the participation of the famed U.S. Sixth Fleet.
The United States and Israel also are preparing for a massive "Austere Challenge" exercise this summer involving thousands of soldiers from both countries.
Last week, a one-day drill included Israeli soldiers operating the Arrow, the Patriot, Hawk, Stinger, and Iron Dome batteries defense systems, according to DefenseProfessionals.com.
"The ability of the formation to bring together all the defense systems is amazing", said U.S. Army Col. Stephen Richmond, head of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. "I'm very impressed with the capabilities presented here," he was quoted as saying.
Russia is keeping a wary eye on the American-Israeli exercises and is staging its own war drill in a Syrian port, according to DEBKAfile. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned this week against a pre-emptive strike, which he said would violate international law.
A Russian guided missile destroyer reportedly sailed to the Syrian port of Tartus for an exercise with what DEBKAfile said is three-fold message for the United States that Moscow is supplying Syrian President Bashar Assad with defense systems, that the Russian and Iranian support of Assad will continue and that the deployment of the warship illustrates Moscow's ability for a rapid response to foreign maneuvers.


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For the last 70 years Mendo Mill has helped build and shape Mendocino and Lake Counties. With humble roots as a lumber mill on Orr Springs road in 1944 Mendo Mill has since grown to be Mendocino and Lake Counties' Premier Home Center and Lumber Yard.
Several years after opening the mill Mendo Mill changed direction and opened their first retail location in Ukiah. With its success Mendo Mill expanded to Willits, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and most recently Lakeport.
Now with five full-service home centers Mendo Mill is large enough to handle the needs of the largest contractors, but still small enough to give personal attention to the Do-It-Yourselfer.
For our professional customers we have Contractor Sales Specialists available in each location as well as outside sales people, and material delivery service; all of these services are designed to help you keep your focus on the job.
For our weekend-warriors and DIY-ers we have a staff of knowledgeable people that can help you quickly find what you are looking for and perhaps provide some advice. We also have a kitchen design center in each location with experts that can help you change rough drawings and dimensions into the kitchen or bathroom of your dreams.
As one of the top 20 Ace Hardware Retailers in the world we have the buying power and product selection to provide you with what you are looking for at a very competitive price. With over 65,000 items available to our customers we are able to provide a one-stop home improvement experience.
In addition to our hardware department in each location we also have:
- Newly re-designed Paint Department with color-matching services, a wide selection of stock colors and a full line of accessories
- Seasonal garden departments with a large selection of plants, soils, amendments, irrigation and tools
- Covered Lumber Yards with a huge selection of building materials
- Fully stocked plumbing department
- Electrical department, complete with tools and materials
- On-line shopping through AceHardware.com with free and rapid ship-to-store.
Whatever your building, maintenance or remodeling needs are we are committed to providing excellent customer service to every customer, every time. If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
Mendo Mill: Helpful, Convenient and Always Competitive.


text:
Season's greetings friends! I simply can't believe Christmas is two days away, there is still so much to do! Presents to wrap, family to visit, and cookies to bake for Santa. Here are a few lovely images that will get you in the mood to enjoy the weekend!
Words simply cannot express my gratitude to all of you who visit here every now and then. You inspire me so much! Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement through comments, emails and tweets. I'm so excited for all the promise the New Year brings, and even more creative projects and opportunities that await.
Signing off for the weekend wishing you all a very
Merry Christmas!
See you next week!
Image sources: My Home Ideas; Martha Stewart; Cottage Living; Country Living; Good Girl Gone Glad; Pepper Design; Apartment Therapy


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Post-Penguin Anchor Text Case Study
The author's views are entirely their own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
It's no secret that Google's Panda and Penguin updates caused a lot of panic. SEOs and marketers were FREAKING out and honestly, I got tired of reading about it - I'm sure most of you did too. Although I'm pretty turned off to information about these updates, I've been really interested in the anchor text issues surrounding the Penguin update. If sites that have over-optimized anchors lost traffic due to the update, it seems to make sense that sites can move up with relatively few (or without any) anchored links. I wanted to test that idea and decided that it was time for a good, old fashioned case study.
Designing the Case Study
Instead of trying to sound cool and acting like I designed a super professional case study, I'll just tell you how it really happened. I simply wanted to know if I could take a brand new domain (with no links obviously), and get it to rank for a decently competitive term, in an oft-spammed niche by getting links (mostly non-exact match keyword anchored) from relevant pages of relevant sites.
Finding the Keyword Phrase
So I wanted to use a semi-difficult keyword phrase that was in a spammy niche. That way the case study would be more conclusive. I looked at a lot of different options for keywords - most of them were in the finance vertical and were based on credit cards, loans, or credit. I decided eventually that I would try to find a credit-related keyword. That way, I wouldn't end up with a ranking for a loan or credit card keyword, without being able to provide the actual loan or credit card the searcher was looking for. Credit keywords, on the other hand, are informational in nature and fit better with the content (which is admittedly ghetto right now) I could produce. The phrase I ended up choosing is '650 credit score'. Using the SEOmoz Pro Keyword Difficulty Tool, the phrase has a keyword difficulty score of 50, which is in the range I wanted. It's difficult enough for a good test but not difficult enough to make getting results impossible. Here's what the phrase looks like:
Setting Up the Site
On August 14, 2012, I set up the site on a brand new domain - Doctor650.com (not going to link from here because I don't want to compromise the case study). I used WordPress as my CMS and wrote six articles about having a credit score in the 650 range. The content is passable but honestly, not amazing. I do know a lot about credit and have improved my own credit score from under 500 to over 800. I was also personally in the 650 range for a while. On top of that I spoke with a loan officer to get information about getting loans with a 650 score. That said, I didn't take 10 hours to write each of the articles. The site design is horrendous (not my strong point).
I'm fully aware that the site is not the 'ultimate resource' on this topic, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the site had 'Panda' issues at some point. My bounce rate is ridiculously high. The keyword phrase I'm going after is on the home page twice - once at the top in a heading, and once as a label for the comments. I'm not using spammy linking strategy inside the site. All of my articles are linked to from the sidebar but I've used anchors that don't contain the exact phrase, on purpose.
Linking Strategy
I wanted to get relevant links from sites that either were exclusively about credit or credit scores, or already had a lot of information on one of these topics. I wrote guest posts for sites that I found in the Finance category of PostRunner (a guest-posting community/portal that I co-founded) as the source of all of the links, with the exception of one link that I got from making a cheesy video that I posted on YouTube (not my greatest accomplishment). This link is of course no-followed like all links from YouTube. Here are the anchors for the links that I used in the case study, in the order that I got them:
- here
- Doctor 650
- my site
- Dissecting The 650 Credit Score
- here
- Doctor650.com
- here
- http://www.doctor650.com/ (no-followed link from YouTube)
- resource on 650 credit scores
- Doctor650.com
- clicking here
- Doctor650.com
- 650 credit score
As you can see, I got only one exact-match anchored link but I did get three that contain some version of the phrase.
Results of the Experiment
On Oct 6 - 53 days after I 'launched' the site - the site popped up at #4 in Google for '650 credit score'. It also ranks pretty high for a lot of related terms. It has steadily climbed from where I first saw it (in the 80s) without any major jumps. It's moved a few positions at a time, for the most part. I found it interesting that the site seemed to drop a few positions each time I acquired a new link, and would then come back stronger than ever after a few days. As of today, the site ranks #2 (it's been moving up and down between #2 and #4). Here's the ranking analysis from the SEOmoz Keyword Difficulty Tool:
As would be expected, my domain is by far the weakest in the top six, in fact it's the weakest in the top 20. The site only has 13 links and they are from good sites that aren't exceptionally strong.
Probable Conclusions
- It's possible to positively influence rankings using significantly few exact match anchored links if they are from highly relevant pages on relevant sites.
- It remains possible to rank for fairly difficult phrases quickly with a brand new domain.
Things I Wish I Had Done Differently
- I wish I had NOT used the main keyword in any of the links. Now I'm interested in designing a similar case study that doesn't use any exact-match anchored links. My thought process in using one was that this site doesn't have the necessary swag to get some on its own but now I'm wondering where the site would be ranked without that link.
- I wish that I had not made the YouTube video. I made it mostly because I wanted to see where the video would rank on its own since I know that I could push traffic from the video to the site. But, it's impossible to measure whether the video is affecting the case study and I wish it wasn't there. I considered deleting it, but wanted to leave it there in the spirit of TAGFEE. It was created and I wanted to disclose that.
The Future Of the Case Study
Right now the case study is in a holding pattern. It's still moving up even though it hasn't had any new links since mid-September (that I'm aware of). It might get to #1 on its own but it might not. If it doesn't move up in the next month or so, I'll get a few more links that aren't anchored with keywords. I'm also interested in expanding the site into a more valuable resource, one that can better stand the test of time. To be honest I'm not sure exactly what the searcher who searches for this phrase wants, so I'm going to have to figure that out. If you have ideas that can help me turn this site into a better resource, I'd love to hear them. You and I both know that it needs help.


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We all have that one friend: the insufferable know-it-all who seems to be an expert on every subject known to humankind. You tell a story or spit out a fact, and he can't help but one-up you. Loudly. In front of lots of your other friends. And then he smirks. If you'd like to beat him at his own game, turn to podcasts to get some good talking points.
Once just a media afterthought, podcasts now have devoted followings and huge production budgets. Shows such as Radiolab and This American Life have become household names, and now seemingly everyone has an opinion on who the next big podcast personality will be. Some of the best podcasts cover tech topics, so we decided to scour iTunes to bring you the best free technology-related podcasts available. (Besides our own, of course: Our podcasts are awesome, but it's in poor taste for us to plug ourselves.) If you need company during your long commute—or if you want to body-slam your friend with all of your newfound knowledge—then look no further than these shows.
1. Wired.co.uk Podcast
I'm beginning to believe that the British just know how to be better hosts. The U.S. equivalent is Wired's Gadget Lab podcast, which apparently has been discontinued. No matter: All you need is Wired UK (RSS) to get all kinds of cool stories, engaging interviews, and experienced insight.
Though each podcast lasts only about 30 minutes, hosts Nate Lanxon and Olivia Solon throw in a nice mix of breaking news stories and discussions of fascinating offbeat and investigative pieces. Whether you're looking for news on Steve Ballmer's retirement or research about hate speech on Twitter, Wired UK is a great, well-polished tech podcast.
Recommended listening: Episode 135, featuring 4G, smart vibrators, and HateBrain.
2. Spark with Nora Young
Nora Young's investigative segments are exceptionally produced, professional, and most often, surprising. Spark (RSS) is a Canadian show that focuses on how culture has been affected and changed by technology. The definition of "technology" here is pretty broad: You'll learn about remote-controlled cars, artificial intelligence, and smart cities in these nearly hour-long podcasts. Unlike with many talk shows I've heard, the stories are never cluttered and the interviews are well paced and informative. The show's greatest strength is its approachability: Even if you're not a data expert or a technophile, you'll never feel overwhelmed by the expertise illustrated by the segments. And if you want more details on any specific topic, Nora Young publishes many extended interviews that didn't make the initial broadcast.
Recommended listening: Episode 223, featuring "flipping the classroom," the digital-skills divide, and inequality and digital engagement.
3. Lifehacker
Of the many tech publications that have tie-in podcasts, Lifehacker (RSS) offers one of the best. The show starts out with a nice little chip-tunes ditty and is hosted by two Lifehacker staffers: editor-in-chief Whitson Gordon and editor Adam Dachis. The hour-long episodes are brimming with knowledge, but start you off with a good overview of the topics they'll be discussing. The hosts sometimes get lost on tangents—and they clearly enjoy their own banter—but Gordon and Dachis truly know what they're talking about.
Recommended listening: August 29, 2013, featuring tiny apartment hacks, selling your smartphone, and productive pooping. September 19, 2013, featuring iOS 7 madness, Android widgets, and quitting a job you hate.
4. Tekzilla
Revision 3's Tekzilla (RSS) is one of the most well-produced video podcasts out there. The three hosts—Patrick Norton, Robert Heron, and Veronica Belmont—have good chemistry and give Tekzilla a whimsical, game-show-like quality, punctuated by numerous inside jokes. (For example, each episode opens with a cooking reference, which seems odd but adds to the show's overall flavor.) They're exceptionally knowledgeable and comment on both offbeat items and headline news. Tekzilla is perhaps the best all-encompassing podcast available, as the hosts cut the news-commentary segments with practical advice and some cool lab or product demonstrations. Usually the show is only about 30 minutes, and although some jokes miss the mark and the hosts' cross-chatter can make the podcast sound haphazard, the overall product is pretty compelling.
Recommended listening: September 3, 2013, featuring iPhone-to-Android moves made easy, SSDs plus hybrid drives, Ripmonster, ISBN scanning, and cataloging your media.
5. Let's Talk About Tech
This new BBC show (RSS) with host Chris Warburton has already made quite an impact in a short time span. Its 50-minute episodes are exceptionally well polished and very news focused, but sometimes the result comes off as a bit dry and occasionally scattered. It's a shame that not many episodes are available yet, because the podcasts are more diverse in their topic selection than other shows. If you don't want to put up with banter but want technology news from a British perspective, check this one out.
Recommended listening: September 28, 2013, featuring technology journalist Rory Reid and the latest on BlackBerry's troubles.
6. The Tech Guy Podcast
Because of the show's host, Leo Laporte (RSS), I prefer this podcast to any other in the This Week in Tech (TWiT) family. Laporte is an Emmy-award-winning tech journalist and entrepreneur who knows how to tell a story, and he always has an interesting angle or anecdote. He is perhaps the best in the field at distilling a story to its applicable (and often amusing) basics. For example, when discussing how Netflix knows what shows to recommend to its users, Laporte reveals that Netflix pays attention to what people pirate. He then moves on to a great discussion of Netflix's challenges and the problems of piracy. His podcasts are long (usually around two hours) and sometimes he likes his own jokes more than the audience does, but he has insightful opinions and is a patient responder to call-ins and questions from his audience.
Recommended listening: September 15, 2013 with special guest Chris Marquardt, featuring the iPhone 5s, traveling tech tips, email forwarding, and listener calls.
7. Engadget
Hosted by Brian Heater and Tim Stevens, this gadget-centric podcast (RSS) features numerous guests, but never feels too crowded in its conversations. The production quality isn't fantastic and the hosts don't do a good job of giving you a preview of what they're going to discuss, but they have real connections in the industry, which makes for some compelling exclusives and insight. If you're a fan of tablets, phones, and other handheld tech (which you probably are, since you're here), Engadget's hour-long podcasts should satiate your craving for news.
Recommended listening: Episode 361, featuring the iPhone 5s and 5c, the BlackBerry Z30, and Sony's intriguing new lens.
8. The Vergecast and Verge Mobile shows
Depending on your interests—be they focused on general technology and culture, or mobile topics—the Verge's pair of podcasts should have something to your liking. Both podcasts have three hosts, and although every podcast crew seems to think they're hilarious, the Verge's staff (especially the Vergecast's Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, and Paul Miller) is often genuinely funny. The members of the Vergecast (RSS) crew in particular have good rapport and are a joy to listen to when they find something they don't like, be it a bad product or a poor business decision. Both podcasts are about an hour each, and if you enjoy a more conventional "morning radio show" vibe, the Vergecast and Verge Mobile (RSS) may be just what you need.
Recommended listening: August 6, 2013, featuring a big week for Motorola.
9. NPR: Technology Podcast
NPR: Technology Podcast (RSS) offers the "best of" from NPR's award-winning shows All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other programs. The hosts vary and the segments are all professional, well polished, and usually off the beaten path. You aren't going to get much commentary on just-launched iOS apps or advice on how to secure your Wi-Fi hotspot, but you will get some exceptionally well-researched pieces and interviews on technology. The shows are a bit dry, but the 30-minute episodes are a great recap of a week's worth of NPR's finest.
Recommended listening: October 2, 2013, featuring NSA revelations leaving encryption experts in a quandary, and Popular Science's claim that Web comments are bad for science.
10. TED Radio Hour
A newer program hosted on NPR, TED (RSS) has become a global brand for innovative ideas. TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) talks are often shared virally and highly regarded, and these nearly hour-long segments combine TED's exceptional range of experts with NPR's production values and top-notch hosting. Guy Raz is a warm, curious, and humorous host who serves as a good interviewer and a capable hand as he guides the listener through many unusual topics. The only knock on the series is that the "T" of the TED name isn't always the focus, so you'll get entire episodes dedicated to interesting but nontechnology subjects. If you want to check out more TED talks, iTunes also has a TED Talks Technology video podcast collection, and though they're a mixed bag of talks, some of them are fantastic.
Recommended episode: August 9, 2013, featuring how science and technology tell us to "hack" solutions to our biggest problems.
Honorable mentions
It wouldn't be a complete tech-podcast roundup without mentions of gaming and science offerings, now would it?
Radiolab: Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, this exceptionally charming and well-produced show of storytelling examines where science meets culture. The hour-long Radiolab (RSS) episodes examine huge ideas such as "blame" and "doubt," while the shorter 20-minute segments take on beautiful moments such as an astronaut's first space walk and the lives of sea creatures.
The Besties: Everyone with video game knowledge and a microphone thinks they can post a podcast that is funny and insightful about games. Typically, however, the results sound like a bunch of nerds laughing at each other—and frankly, most gaming podcasts are insufferable. The Besties (RSS) is just like that, but the hosts are funny and they have a catchy chip-tunes theme song. The Besties is Polygon's podcast, and from the offbeat opening to the depth of knowledge, it remains one of the best gaming podcasts out there. Aside from the cold opening conversation, The Besties' crew mainly cuts to the chase, keeping the off-topic banter to a minimum and instead focusing on their diverse and experienced opinions on games.


text:
We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.
This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.
During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.
These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.


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text:
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Happy Birthday Bultmann!
Saturday at the Movies: Jerusalem in IMAX 3D
Friday, August 19, 2011
Friday Book Giveaway!
Scholars have long debated the "double character" of Romans. Why did Paul address a long discussion of Jewish themes to a Gentile audience? Das provides a fresh understanding of the identity and attitudes of the Gentile Christians in Rome and of the expulsion of Jews from Rome under the emperor Claudius. His reading offers new insight into Paul's concern for the Jewish roots of the Christ movement.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Women in the Greco-Roman World
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper
I recently read Brant Pitre's book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper (Doubleday, 2011). Pitre is Professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.
The book is birthed from Pitre's personal experience. In the introduction he explains how he was ambushed by a Baptist minister over issues of Catholic theology, in particular the belief in Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist. Pitre is Roman Catholic and his wife, at least at that time, Baptist. They had gone to visit her pastor who was to marry the then engaged couple. But the meeting turned into a fiasco as the pastor pummeled Pitre with question after question about Catholic theology. It was Pitre's inability to answer the questions that eventually led to not only his pursuit of a PhD in biblical studies, but also to writing this book.
In the book Pitre attempts to show the Jewish background to the Eucharist and, in particular, that Jesus taught that "he was really and truly present in the Eucharist" (p. 17). Pitre unpacks his argument over the course of eight chapters.
The groundwork for the investigation is laid by looking at the Last Supper and Jesus' statements about "eating his flesh" and "drinking his blood."These statements are, of course, in direct contradiction to other statements about eating flesh and blood in places like Gen. 9:3-4, Lev. 17:10-12 and Deut. 12:16. Pitre asks the important question of how a first century Jew like Jesus could make such statements in light of the OT injunctions. Pitre argues that one must immerse themselves in the Jewish literature to fully understand what Jesus was saying and doing (pp. 19-21).
Pitre starts by providing a helpful look at Jewish messianic expectations. In a nutshell, Jews were looking for a new Moses who would lead a new exodus. Along with this there would be a new covenant, a new temple and a new promise land. Pitre then outlines how Jesus and his ministry reflect that Jewish hope (pp. 42-47). When Pitre looks at the Last Supper he finds aspects of Jesus instituting a "new Passover" which will begin the new exodus (pp. 68-74).
Of particular interest to Pitre are the bread and the wine. In chapter four he connects the bread of Jesus' Eucharistic words with the manna of the exodus. He explains how manna was viewed, in Jewish tradition, as the "preexistent bread of the angels" (Ps. 7823-25; Wis 16:20-21) and expected to appear again when the messiah arrived (2 Bar 29:3, 6-8). Pitre goes on to connect this hope for manna with the prayer taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13. He argues that the clause in 6:11 "give us our daily bread" is better translated as "give us our supersubstantial bread." He supports this translation with an appeal to the Bread of Life sermon in John 6:30-34 and comments made by Jerome and Cyprian (p, 94-96). He goes on to suggest that this means that the bread of the Eucharist cannot be a mere symbol, but is the new manna and is, therefore, supernatural bread. He says "if the old manna of the first exodus was supernatural bread from heaven, then new manna of the Messiah must also be supernatural bread from heaven" (p. 103). By extension, Pitre argues that as the "new manna" Jesus can ask his followers to eat "his flesh" because by eating of the bread in the Eucharist they are eating the "new manna" which is Jesus (p. 115).
Next, Pitre connects Jesus' real presence in communion with the bread of the presence, which was placed before God daily in the temple. He contends that the Hebrew panim, which can be translated as "presence" or "face" should be translated as face, thus making the bread the "bread of the face" (p. 121). Pitre links this bread to Jesus through the story about King David eating the bread in Matt 12:1-6 (p. 135). He then connects the instructions about the Bread of the Presence (Ex 25; Lev 24) with the Eucharistic words of Jesus in Luke 22. Pitre contends that Jesus' institution of the Eucharist was also the institution of the new Bread and Wine of the Presence, the bread of Jesus' own presence (p. 143).
Finally, Pitre looks at the various cups of wine used at the Passover meal and how they figure into Jesus' Last Supper. He shows that there were four cups during the meal, the last of which he calls the cup of "concluding rites." He suggests, however, that Jesus does not drink this cup at the supper. He bases this claim on Jesus' vow "not to drink again of the fruit of the vine until [he does so] in the new kingdom" (Matt 26:7-30; Mark 14:24-26). Pitre argues that when Jesus prays for God to "take away the cup" in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Jesus is talking about the fourth cup (pp. 163-64). But, he says, Jesus does finally drink the cup on the cross as he takes in the wine from the sponge offered to him (pp. 166-68). By doing this, Pitre suggests, Jesus extended the Passover meal to the cross and transformed the cross into a Passover (169). Jesus finished the meal when he drank from the wine soaked sponge and then died as the Passover sacrifice.
Pitre is to be commended for his work on this topic. He brings together a number of loose ends and helps to connect them. Those not familiar with the Old Testament and Second Temple literature will be introduced to a number of new ideas. But Pitre provides not just historical and literary links, he also helps readers to think theologically about the Eucharist and its connection to the Passover. The tone is casual, yet informative which makes it accessible to those who are NOT scholars. There is a lot in this book and I am sure that I have not done it justice in this review, so I encourage you to read it for yourself. I present below six areas of critique that I want to make of Pitre's work.
- While he garners an impressive array of Jewish texts to support his conclusions, many of them are too far removed to be used with his level of confidence. His use of the Mishnah, the Talmud and Midrahsim is suspect since this literature is at least 200 years old or older. Certainly there may be some connections to Jewish messianic expectations and an understanding of the Passover between this literature and the first century. But Pitre never explains how we can be confident that he can use this material for his project. He notes that they can be used"with caution," but he never presents his methodology (pp. 20-21). A lot can change in the course of 200 or more years. The way that he presents his arguments with this supporting literature will be found problematic by many.
- I would level the same criticism at his use of early Christian literature like Jerome, Cyprian and others. Granted, some later church fathers did make these types of theological interpretations of the Last Supper. But, as with the Jewish literature, we cannot be sure that what they thought in the fourth century was what Jesus and other early Christians thought in the first century. There are many other things that the later church fathers said about the NT that we would not want to claim today, like some of the antisemitic lines found among some of the fathers. So we must be cautious in the way that we use these sources.
- His use of the gospels is problematical because he tends to harmonize them and picks and chooses the gospel that seems to support his goals. He does not tell the reader why Matthew's version is better than Mark's or Luke's for instance. It is difficult to know why he has chosen which text. There does not seem to be any consideration of the differing presentations and theologies that exist between the synoptic gospels.
- Along the same lines is his use of John's gospel. Pitre uses John quite often, especially the Bread of Life discourse. But what he never acknowledges nor tells his reader is that there is no institution of the Eucharist in John's gospel. John replaces the bread and wine with a foot washing. Similarly, Pitre's claim that while on the Cross, Jesus knowingly drank the wine from the sponge as a way to "complete the Passover" is suspect since only in John does Jesus say "I thirst." John seems to be doing something theological rather than historical. It would have been good to hear from Pitre his thoughts on John's theological interpretation of the Last Supper and how that may or may not alter his conclusions and his theology.
- At times he pushes the bounds of linguistic theory by insisting on obscure or very wooden translations. His argument that the "Bread of the Presence" be the "Bread of the Face" and that the "daily bread" be "supernatural bread" seems to bend the language to fit the project.
- Finally, it is difficult to know if Pitre is doing history or theology. Granted, the two are not mutually exclusive by necessity. But how one uses the sources is determined by the goal. Pitre claims that he is providing the Jewish roots of the Eucharist, but quite often he seems to be using his sources to support his theology rather than to develop it. His theology would be stronger, I suggest, if he had done his historical work more carefully.
Let me conclude by saying that I am not challenging Roman Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus. I commend Pitre for trying to understand the theology of his church and for trying to find a way to help others understand it. This book does have a lot to commend to it, in particular the impressive collection of texts that he has brought together.
I am challenging, however, the methodology used to get there. I think his aim of showing the Jewish roots of the Eucharist is an admirable and worthwhile project. But it is important that the case not be overstated by using methods and sources that do not necessarily do the job.
I suggest that this book be used with caution.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Who gets to question the Bible?
Readers of The Banner, the publication of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, reacted instantly to the news in January that two religion professors at Calvin College had written scholarly papers suggesting that evidence of genetics and evolution raised questions about the traditional, literal reading of Genesis about creation, the story of Adam and Eve, and the fall of humanity out of an initial idyllic state.
The professors were not disavowing the role of God or of their church, but were arguing that modern science challenges traditional, literal readings of the Book of Genesis in ways that may require theological shifts.
Nonetheless, the reaction from readers of The Banner, as expressed in many (but not all) comments on the website, was clear: no deviation from Genesis as literal truth could be tolerated. "To protect the church and college from false teachers and contrary orthodox beliefs it would be right to let these guys go," said one comment. "Cleary, professors who deny scripture as interpreted by our creeds and who have broken promises they made when the singed the Form of Subscription should be fired," said another. One recent post says: "Why is it that so many Christians and academics in Christian colleges seem more concerned about keeping in step with what the world teaches than they are about what God's Word teaches? Are we ashamed of God's Word in the face of beliefs of our worldly peers?"


text:
Translated by Doubi Swarc and Emanuel Frankel
Edited by Jerrold Landau
Reb A. Y. Weisenfeld delved deeply into the wisdom of Israel, Talmud, Midrash, Jewish lore, Jewish law, scriptures, religion, philosophy, and the history of the Jewish people and its greats. With great concentration and strong consistency, with a refined and truthful spirit, pure from any prejudice, he delved into the depths of the opinions and ideas of the researchers and philosophers of the Jewish people and the nations of the world. He also studied for some years with the great scholar Reb Yitzchak Mizes of blessed memory, who helped him to venture into sublime matters.
It is self evident that the zealots saw him as the one who peered and was damaged [1], and they set their tongue and arrows after him to excommunicate him. Weisenfeld was summoned before the court of law of the Gaon Reb Berish Meisels. He, knowing the purity of heart and straightness of the path of Reb A. Y., invited him to his court to calm the storm of the zealots. The Gaon talked to him softly, and strengthened his heart to be one of those who accept embarrassment and not one of those who embarrass, for many of the Maskilim do not sit idly, but rather retort with curses to their detractors.
Still during his youth, Weisenfeld exchanged letters with the Gaon Reb Tzvi Hirsch Chajes and other greats of the spirit. When an impure spirit began to take hold of the hearts of the Maskilim, and they began to make breaches and expose meanings in the Torah that are not in accordance with Jewish law, and that blacken the face of Jewish traditions, Weisenfeld went out in a religious war [2] against the destroyers and uprooters. He also engaged in a vigorous battle against the group of Hassidim who hatched plans to remove the rabbinate from the Gaon Meisels and replace whim with one of their own group who did not even reach the ankles of the rabbi.
In the year 5620 (1860), Weisenfeld married an intelligent girl from Zgierz. She was the only daughter of an honorable family, who were all knowledgeable in Torah. Her father Reb Yosef Leizer Weilnad was an honorable and dear man, who knew the book and was also an honest merchant.
On the day of his wedding, his friends and pals, people of note from near and far, gave him great honor and feted him with songs and gifts. Rabbi Mizes gave him the book of the Ramchal [3] Layesharim Tehilla (Praise to the Upright), since this book was a gift similar to the composition that he wrote in honor of the marriage of his friend. Mizes inscribed the following words at the front of the book: To my dear friend, wise and whole, Reb Avraham Yaakov Weisenfeld, may his light shine. Regarding whom G-d did not grant me the proper endowments, and the poetic talents were not with me to prepare for you the tasty morsels that I love; and as my soul approaches the day of your wedding and joy of your heart, I said that I would give you this dear poem as an eternal souvenir, and this honorable poet will be for me like the song of my mouth, for honor and praise is fitting for you. Things should go well for you al the days of your existence. To your soul like my soul, the soul of your friend who holds you in esteem, Yitzchak HaKohen Mizes, Krakow, Saturday night, the first day of the month of Bul [4] 5660.
Reb Nachman Keller of Tarnow gave him as a gift The Guide for the Perplexed of the Time by Ranak [5]. In the cover of his book, he wrote a special poem that he wrote in Weisenfeld's honor for his wedding day. We will bring down here a few stanzas.
A.You, my friend, are not of the Perplexed of the Time
For I brought you this Guide on this occasion;
In this foggy land your eyes were opened,
To see clear light and know good reasoning.
B.Indeed, among many perplexed blind people you are intelligent
You go in a straight path between the lame who limp;
With a glance below, foolishness and lies fly
Then the intelligent person is silent for nobody is listening!
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- -- and now my friend who battles forever
With a strong arm against those who disparage wisdom
To build for you a house, you have now come:
To cleave to your wife and to marry her in faithfulness;
*Look upon this Guide and gird yourself with strength!
This man Krochmal saw toil and anger,
And his spirit did not wear out, the night brightened for him
He worked on many things and now, you go do so with your strength!
Do and you will succeed, for G-d helps you
And He will bless the fine man on the day of his wedding:
Your wife should be like a fruitful vine in your home
And the angels of G-d shall answer: Thus shall the man be blessed!
The rabbi of Zgierz of that time, the Gaon Reb Shalom Tzvi HaKohen of holy blessed memory, the student of Reb Bunem of Przysucha, who headed a large Yeshiva that educated great rabbis, became a friend and a brother to Weisenfeld. Their friendship lasted for seventeen years until his death, as can be seen from his letters, and from the eulogy he wrote about him in Hatzofeh Lehamagid (volume 2 from the year 21).
During his travels to Germany, Weisenfeld met with the wise men of the west, including Frankel and Graetz [6]. During his discussions with Graetz, he pointed out some of his errors in relation to various Jewish scholars. Graetz thanked him and promised to fix the errors.
Weisenfeld earned the friendship and camaraderie with many scholars and writers such as Zwiefel, Reifman, Fein, Frischman, Sokolow, Yisrael Yaffa and others. The writers of articles wrote the following about him: Reb A. Y. Weisenfeld is like a man who took up his box and went out to the field, found barley and put it in, found wheat and put it in, as well as lentils and beans, and when he came home he sorted out each species. Weisenfeld went out to the field of our literature, to all of its domains and realms, found a word of Torah and set his eye upon it, found a word of secular wisdom and set his heart upon it, as with Midrash and research. When someone would visit him in his home, he would separate each genre, and discuss matters of Torah with a Torah oriented person, matters of wisdom with a Maskil, and matters of research with a researcher. His mind was fine and broad, and his manner of speech was pleasant and refined. His spirit was the spirit of wisdom, etc.
In Nachum Sokolow's eulogy for Weisenfeld (Hatzefira, issue 272, from the year 1897) he said: There are wise people who prefer that people not know them face to face, but rather should read and study their books. On the other hand, there are certain exceptional individuals who prefer that everyone knows them only face to face. One such exceptional individual was Weisenfeld. Those who knew him saw him as the symbol of a progressive Maskil, a treasury of knowledge and information, a living monument from the era of splendor and glory of the Haskala of Galicia, a monument forged from the honorable chair of the Ranak [5], the Gshir [7] and other like people. Those who knew him not only honored him with glorious honor but also loved him with a high degree of love, not only for his expertise, knowledge and thinking, but also for his sublime character, beauty of soul, and purity of spirit that warmed the hearts of those near to him. He was enthusiastic about and loved the Torah, literature, and the Hebrew language with clear fervor, faith, enthusiasm, and emotion, one of the remnants of the old generation of the wise men of Galicia, one of the early ones, of the generation of those that raised the flag of the Hebrew Haskala in Galicia.
Weisenfeld lived in Zgierz for 33 years, until he was forced to leave. He then returned to his birthplace of Krakow. This exile that was decreed upon him pained him greatly, and he was sad to leave his many friends who cleaved to him and hung on to him like a flame to a coal, even though many of them set out on the journey to meet him and see him again. Even the fine and important people of Krakow, both Torah oriented and Maskilim, old and young, came to his door daily.
On the 11th of Kislev 5658 (1897) in the 69th year of his live, he was requisitioned by the celestial court. The following words are engraved upon his tombstone.
A sublime man rests in this grave
A great scholar, of mighty spirit
With great humility, fear of Heaven, and all knowledge
He went in the path of faith all of his days
Torah was his desire from his youth
Day and night he talked about it, and it was all his striving
Evening and morning scholars were among his household
Their faces became gloomy on the day of his death
The scholars ceased, the choirs stopped!
Translated by Doubi Swarc and Emanuel Frankel
Edited by Jerrold Landau
Reb Tovia Lifshitz arrived in Zgierz around 1868. The poet Yaakov Cohen mentions in his memoirs (Netiv Chayay Paths of my Life in the Haboker newspaper) that in his youth, he became close with Reb Tovia Lifshitz, who displayed love toward him and brought him very near.
According to the memoirs of the poet, Reb Tovia Lifshitz was known as the head of the Maskilim of Zgierz after the departure of Mr. Weisenfeld in the year 5653 (1893). Aside from his expertise in the sources of Hebrew culture, he brought with him also a knowledge of German. He was conversant with the German classicists and philosophers. He conducted deep research into the Yiddish literature, both secular and religious, and the sources of the Semitic languages. He participated in Hamelitz of Zederbaum [9] as well as in Hatzefira. He wrote various articles in those periodicals. Along with this, he corresponded with various important personalities and writers such as Y. L. Gordon, Peretz Smolenski, Harkavi, Dr. Feilchenfeld of Posen (Poznan), Professor Hildesheimer [10], Mordechai the son of Hillel HaKohen, Zalman Lebuntin and many others. He also participated in the Odessa committee of Chovevei Zion, and was the first chairman of the Zionist union in Zgierz.
Reb Tovia Lifshitz was a deep thinker and knew how to present his words in a clear form, sometimes sharp and even a bit sarcastic. For example, in his book Nitfei Tal [11] in his commentary on the Torah portion of Shmot, when the leaders of people in Egypt come to Moses with the complaint Why did you do evil unto this nation? [12], Reb Tovia Lifshitz comments: We hear this complaint even today from the opponents of Zionism. They fear that the political situation will worsen for the nation, and attempt to put an end to its motion. Thus is the manner of those small in faith and mind during all eras. Oh let it be that the end of their complaints during our day will be like the end of their complaints of that era. (Nitfei Tal page 18).
And in another place, he states: If the people who come up from Egypt will see.. [13] how difficult is it for those born into slavery to be freemen, (ibid, page 32).
In the memoirs of the poet Yaakov Cohen, Reb Tovia Lifshitz is presented as a man of average stature, with very handsome grayish eyes, filled with intelligence and the joy of life. He was a broker by occupation. Of the sixteen children that his wife bore him, five sons survived. Of them the poet knew Yitzchak who was the friend of my older sister, and Shimon and Leon, who were students of Katznelson.
Yaakov Cohen relates: About one month after the Zionist Congress, the Maskilim of the city and the notables were invited to the home of Reb Tovia Lifshitz. The host lectured to them about the Zionist idea and about the duty of the nation to organize in order to give the needed to support to those who speak on behalf of the movement, and to collect the needed means. They decided to found an organization called Bnei Zion. I myself proposed the name, writes Yaakov Cohen. The host volunteered to give over the room in which the meeting was held for a certain period as a meeting place for the members of the organization. Thus a faithful core group was founded that used to gather in particular on Sabbath afternoons to read newspapers and Zionist literature, and to hear the discussions of the owner of the house about issues of the movement and his commentaries on the weekly Torah portion, which were also for the most part bound up with ideas relating to the nation, its qualities, and its roots.
In his book Nitfei Tal (page 136), the speech that he presented at the founding of this organization is brought down. We will bring down few sections that are worthy of being remembered.
In his logical commentaries on the Midrash in the Torah portion of Vayeitzei [14] regarding Jacob's dream, where in accordance with the Midrash, when G-d showed Jacob the ladder, he was showing him the history of the Jewish people and its spiritual power that would hold it throughout the generations after an explanation that encompasses the entire Midrash, Reb T. L. states: My masters, every prophesy that is written was written for the generations, in accordance with the words of our sages of blessed memory. Let us examine the status of Israel during the past thirty years, from when Alexander II opened up the door of freedom before us, how fragmented the Jewish people have become; The Maskilim among us went forward to the place from where they will not return, for they assimilated, forgot the Rock that forged them, and have become dry bones without the moisture of Judaism, neither religious nor national; on the other hand, the observant and Orthodox people have sequestered themselves into the four ells of the Beis Midrashes, and have become like the Egyptian mummies who would melt into dust if a wind were to blow upon them. Even the Orthodox, the last people who guard the walls of religion and the people, have become fragmented into small groups, dispersed and dry; the Western Jews can be considered as those who dwell in the grave, for they have tasted completely from marriage [15], and have erased any memory and sign even from their prayer books: can we not way as Ezekiel: Our hope has disappeared for it has been decreed upon us [16], four our bones have become dry and they cannot be revived?
However, please see one of the wonders of our chronicles, the wonders of G-d who stands with us, for thunders came and stripped the crookedness from our hearts. Thunders came to damage the remnants of the house of Israel. However, instead of causing all of the leaves to fall that have become worn out from the tree of Judah, we have seen the opposite, that the worn out leaves have awakened to a new life.
Reb T. L. waxed long in his words, as he analyzes the vision of the prophet with reference to the current times and its course, with emotional words that awaken the national spirit amidst the Jewish youth, who had just previously been lackadaisical and narrow minded. However the storm winds come, a general wind from the four directions of the heavens, which blow upon the four corners of the earth, and awaken all of those that slumber in the earth. All of them stood up upon their feet, not a scattered flock but rather a very great crowd from all factions and groups, from all nations and lands. In all of them one spirit is blown, the spirit of Zionism, And I brought you into your land, when I open your graves, oh my nation.
Reb T. L. concludes: With Zionism, we return to the nationhood of Israel, but it is incumbent upon us also to return to the Torah of Israel and its spirit, as stated by the words of the prophet And I will place my spirit upon you and you will live, and I will place you upon your Land, so that you will know that I am G-d, who speaks and carries through.
Indeed these fiery words of prophesy delivered more than 65 years ago (The Bnei Zion group was founded in the year 5657 / 1897) by Reb Tovia Lifshitz in Zgierz, can be seen today as the words of the living G-d.
Tovia Lifshitz' book includes two compositions: a) commentaries and notes upon the Bible; b) Nitfei Tal (T. L. being an acronym for his name), which includes articles, speeches and articles of correspondence which were written by chance, or which were written to mark important events in the Jewish world. The book was published by Krinski in Warsaw (5664 1914).
Lifshitz was one of the most important and honorable men in our town, one of the notables of the city. His influence in cultural and Zionist life in our city was without bound. For a certain time, he also served as the treasurer of the first Gemilat Chasadim organization. He donated his rich library to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Reb Tovia Lifshitz died in the year 5676 (1916) at the age of 73, during the time of the First World War. Almost the entire city participated in the funeral. The mayor and wise men of the city eulogized him as a great Jew in his generation, who was faithful to his people.
There is a long epitaph on his gravestone, praising his deeds and activities. It was written in verse by Reb Moshel Eiger with the participation of Isucher Szwarc, and concludes with the old classic statement: He loved Plato and Aristotle, and truth above all.
May his memory be a blessing, and may his name flourish among the great people of our city.
One of his sons, Arieh (Leon ) Lifshitz, was a scholarly and learned man. From him, we obtained the details and main biographical details regarding his father of blessed memory. He was active in the fields of culture and education in Zgierz and later in Lodz. His name is remembered as a well-known pedagogue. He is also known as being the founder and director of the first school for the deaf and the mute in Lodz. Here in the Land of Israel, he was active as a volunteer for the teaching of Hebrew to new immigrants in development towns. For a time during the 1950s, he was on the board of the Organization of Zgierz Émigrés in Israel, and he donated his portion to the Book of Zgierz by writing an essay on his memories that is published in this book. Earlier he also lived in Gan Shlomo next to Petach Tikva, and later in Upper Nazareth, where he died.
May his soul be bound in the bond of eternal life.
Translated by Doubi Swarc and Emanuel Frankel
Edited by Jerrold Landau Reb Tovia Lifshitz was born in Siadi, Lithuania in the year 1849. He remained in Zgierz for 70 years. He died in 1916 during the time of the German rule. He studied in the Telshe Yeshiva, and excelled with his sharp, analytical mind. He became a student of the rabbi of Sirvintdai, Reb Hershel Szpiro. (They called him the crazy Hershel because he delved into mathematics and astronomy. Later he became the renowned Professor Szpiro of Heidelberg, the creator of the Jewish National Fund).
Lifshitz was heartily involved in studying the Hebrew literature and language. He also explored the Yiddish, world, and religious literature of various hues, and became fluent in the German language, in which he studied the appropriate literature of Judaism and Semitic languages.
The researcher collaborated in and published articles in Zederbaum's Hamelitz , and in Hatzefira which was edited by Chaim Zelig Slonimski and Nachum Sokolow. He carried on a wide ranging correspondence with great Jewish personalities, such as Yitzchak Leib Gordon, Smolenski, Zederbaum, Harkavi, Dr. Feilchenfeld from Posen (compiler of works on Jewish memorials), Professor Hildesheimer, Mordechai the son of Hillel HaKohen, Zalman Levontin, (the first director of the Palestine Bank).
Lifshitz took part in the Odessa Committee of Chovevei Zion and was the first chairman of the Zionist union in Zgierz.
Reb Tovia Lifshitz left in his well his immense, variegated library, which for the most part consisted of works on Judaism and the wisdom of Israel, to the national library of Jerusalem. It was transferred there shortly after the First World War.
Translated by Doubi Swarc and Emanuel Frankel
Edited by Jerrold Landau
Deep in the HeartZgierz did not only produce rabbis and great scholars. It was also the birthplace and place of nurturing of scholars and writers, men of renown, who laid the foundations of modern Hebrew literature and thought. Among these writers was David Frischman.
Is the land of Ophir [17]
Treasures of gold are found therein
There, there are diamonds and emeralds
Memories from the time of youth.
(From the poem Ophir.)
Frischman was born in Zgierz on the 5th of Tevet 5620 (December 31, 1859). His father Reb Shaul, who was a merchant and a scholar, was known as a person with both a strong and sharp intellect. Frischman's mother as well, Freda Beila, was, as is described, an intelligent women with a poetic soul. Some of his relatives on his mother's side were renowned artists and sculptors, such as Henryk Glickensztejn, and Shmuel Hirshenberg (a national artist, and also a teacher in Betzalel in Jerusalem [18]). David's parents left Zgierz when he was still a child, and moved to nearby Lodz, which had a broader vista both for business and Haskala. Later, David was sent to Zgierz to study Torah, Talmud, and Jewish law from the Judge Reb Moshe Bennet of blessed memory. There he befriended Isucher Szwarc, for study and self-completion.
During his childhood, he was meticulous in the observance of commandments, and he absorbed his Torah from the cheder, the melamed, and also the Beis Midrash of Zgierz. His governess taught him European languages, and also customs and mannerisms that were accepted in the progressive circles. He was very diligent with his books. His power of memory was great, and he also had a good and quick grasp. He was quiet and silent by nature, closed and inwardly focussed; he was always thinking, envisioning, and dreaming. During his early youth, he worked greatly on the meanings and concentration in prayer, in order to bring near the end and bring nigh the redemption. Stories of wonders captivated his heart, as well as stories of morality and Kaballah. These sowed scattered seeds in his fertile mind, and filled his creativity with prose and song.
He wrote poems, stories and articles already during his youth. Aside from writing in Hebrew, he also wrote in German, and he translated from language to language. During his early youth, he translated the first section of Et Tzavua (Colored Pen) of Mapu into German, and also The Count of Monte Cristo of Dumas into Hebrew. His first book that became known was Hamoreh Tzedek (The Righteous Teacher), which was printed in Hashachar in the year 5638 (1878). Frischman said that it was in honor of his Bar Mitzvah. However, his era of creativity primarily began with the publishing of the story On Yom Kippur (printed in Haboker Or in the year 5641 1881) after he published a small satire On a Rooster and a Hen [19].
In the year 5673 (1913) the Hebrew writers celebrated his literary Jubilee (Thirty years), and in honor of the festival, they published the entire writings of David Frischman, and a selection of his translations in 16 volumes (published by Tushia, Warsaw, 5674). Four volumes of the selected writings of Frischman were already published in the years 5659 5672 (1899 1912). Later, New Writings of Frischman were published (published by Sifro, Warsaw, 5671-5672 1911-1912) in five volumes.
During the period of his youth, Frischman was attracted to the style of writing of the Maskilim of his era. On the manuscript of the translation of the book Monte Cristo, Nakam Veshilem (Revenge and Recompense), Frischman writes: This fine composition was written by the exalted French writer, Alexandre Dumas in his native tongue, and received acclaim, and now has been translated in to the Hebrew language by myself, the young man David Frischman, who basks in the shadow of his forefathers here in Lodz (volume I), the year 5634 (1874) (that is to say, when he was fourteen years old).
He adds a dedication to his parents on the second page of the manuscript.
A note of gratitude. In honor of my father, the prince, the intelligent, the dear one, honored and noble, a man of faith, with a dear spirit, pure of heart, sublime and splendid, my Father Shaul Frischman, may his light shine. And in honor of my modest and upright mother, the intelligent dear, honorable princess, may she be blessed over all women in the tents, and she excels over them all, Freda Beila may she be live. From their son the translator. [20]
The era of Frischman's study in Zgierz under the judge Reb Moshe Bennet, left a deep imprint upon his soul, as can be seen. Its signs are evident in his many creations of prose and poetry. He always saw before him the elderly rabbi, and his leadership that decided the life of the community. He delved deeply into the souls and spiritual essence of the elders of Torah in a language filled with signs and symbols, that included both reverence and satire together. The following segment of his poetry is an example that demonstrates the resonance in Frischman's soul regarding his memories of Zgierz:
And furthermore, I will recall for a second time:
Our rabbis taught!
Myriads of torches of sun, a pillar of grains of gold,
Engraved pillars of light from the wonders of a wondrous world,
Come down through he window and shine upon the Gemara,
And also shine upon my cheeks; on the pages of the half diagonal
And I in the second half and I am then a young lad,
Sitting before the table of G-d with my page of Gemara.
And from within a bright cloud that sometimes goes and then descends,
It sometimes dips down and disappears, sometimes dips down and appears,
An oval shaped head, flooded in a cloud of curls,
A twisting of gold sparkles has the Divine Presence descended upon me?
In order to remember!In the multitude of days and in every place where you are, remember these words that come from the depths of my heart, and may these words serve as a testimony for me that I did not ask anything that was not part of the circles of simple life, and remember that these ideas did not come from an abundance of good upon me. Your faithful friend.
Men who were very evil they devoured me, they frightened me,
Wounded me, persecuted me at the time they were jealous of me,
Or did worse than this, for they also loved me,
In their hearts there was only evil, at the time that goodness was expressed;
And what did I do them do to them that they have surrounded me so?
For they loved me so, they hated me so?
For they have frightened me so and surrounded me so with their entire mouth?
For they shut their ears to me, or did they hear?
Are you yourself one of them perhaps?
My brother! I do not demand that you love my soul
Not friendship nor brotherliness do I request at this time
But only not to do evil to me and not to hate me
Do not create waters of the seas in a place of dry land
In order make me fall, in order to drown me
D. Frischman
From this outpouring of Frischman's soul , it is possible to figure out the status of his spirit, and the suspicion that was planted in his heart with regard to his circle of friends, whom he regarded as if they speak one thing with the mouth and another with the heart, without doubt from personal experience. He was seeking complete faithfulness and dedication, honest love.
Szwarc continues in his aforementioned letter, and write among other things: I send you with this 'The Song of the Wine' that was written by the late man in the year 5631 or 2 (1872), when he was still very young, approximately twelve years old (Frischman was born in Zgierz in the year 5620 1860), unlike that which was published in his annals of 5625 (1865). His birth certificate (1860) can be found here in the home of the officials).
Isucher Szwarc writes the following regarding the family of Frischman:
I remember from my youth his grandfather Reb Avigdor Frischman, an honorable man in our city, a merchant and a man of Torah. He had a large library with books of religion and research. He took great delight in this grandchild of his, who was a genius in the full sense of the word. He studied diligently the Talmud and its commentaries. He learned Hebrew in Lodz from the Hebrew teacher, the Maskil Tzvi Goldstejn of Piotrkow, who also was involved in the writing of poetry, and translated Lehakat Hashodedim (The Band of Thieves) into Hebrew. His parents moved to Lodz prior to his Bar Mitzvah, and sent David to the city of Zgierz to study from the local judge, Reb Moshe Bennet of blessed memory. Already then, he would read with me the books of Schiller and Goethe.
He wrote me many letters from Breslau (Wroclaw), but they are sitting in some corner, and I cannot find them now.
With greetings of peace, Isucher Szwarc.
In the year 5680 (1920), the year of the war between Poland and Soviet Russia, Frischman left Warsaw and went to Berlin. In the middle of the year 5682 (1922) his gallstone and liver illness worsened. He was operated on in the month of Av that year due to a difficult illness. He died in Berlin on the 10th of Av and was brought to burial there.
Frischman was a complete world of Hebrew literature and its creations. Generations enjoyed his creations with a spiritual, esthetic enjoyment. They served as material for many books and researchers, to read and dissect.
In Zgierz, where he was greatly revered, they decided to honor his memory on the anniversary of his death with a reading in his name in the Jewish public library. That library was called The David Frischman Jewish Library of Zgierz until its final day.
His good memory will remain within his nation forever.
A rich and wide ranging bibliography on David Frischman and his creations can be found in the Lexicon of Hebrew Literature by Getzel Karsel and in the Lexicon of Jewish Literature by Zalman Reisin.
- A reference to a Talmudic story describing four rabbis who 'peered' into the 'orchard' (a Talmudic euphemism for mystical realms). Rabbi Akiva came out whole, Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya was damaged (i.e. became a heretic), Ben Zoma went mad, and Ben Azzai died. The reference here was to the one who became a heretic. Back
- Literally 'milchemet mitzvah', a 'commanded war', referring to the situation in Jewish law where a war is mandated. Back
- Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, a well-known 18th century Jewish philosopher. Back
- Bul is a biblical name for the month of Cheshvan. Back
- Rabbi Nachman Krochmal, a 19th century writer and philosopher. Back
- Graetz is one of the greatest Jewish historians. Back
- I am not who this acronym stands for. Back
- Hersh or Hershel is the Yiddish version of the Hebrew name Tzvi. Back
- For a short on-line biography on Alexander Ossipovitch Zederbaum, see http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=76&letter=Z . Back
- Rabbi Ezriel Hildesheimer was the founder of a rabbinical seminary in Berlin that taught traditional Torah in a traditional Orthodox style, along with secular studies. Back
- Literally, The Drippings of Dew however Tal dew, is also the acronym for Tovia Lifshitz, so it would mean The Drippings of Tovia Lifshitz. Back
- Shmot is the first Torah portion of the book of Exodus. After Moses and Aaron first attempt to speak to Pharaoh, the slavery is worsened in that the Jews were no longer given straw to bake bricks, yet their quota of labor remained the same. The leaders then ask Moses and Aaron Why did you do evil unto this nation? Back
- From the book of Numbers, where the 40 wandering is declared upon the Jewish people. G-d states, that it won't happen that one man of those who went up from Egypt will see the Land. Back
- Vayeitzei is a Torah portion from the middle of Genesis, opening with Jacob's dream, and dealing with Jacob's sojourn with Laban, his marriage to Laban's daughters, the birth of his children, and his disputes with Laban. Back
- I assume that this refers to intermarriage. Back
- A verse from Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones. Back
- Ophir is a land mentioned in the bible as the source of many of the precious stones and metals that were used for the building of Solomon's palace and temple. Its identity is unknown, and it has been surmised that it might perhaps be somewhere on the Somali or Omani coast. Back
- The Betzalel Academy is a very famous Jerusalem arts academy. Back
- There is a footnote in the text at this point, which reads as follows He wrote many stories on the subject of the landscape of his birthplace of Zgierz, including 'Tikun Leil Shavuot' ('The Order of Shavuot Eve'), 'Kiddush Levana' ('The Sanctification of the Moon'), 'He Died', the poem 'Ophir', 'Three Who Ate', and many others. Note: most of these story titles have references to areas of Jewish ritual. Back
- This dedication is replete with biblical innuendoes. Back
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