Talk of the Town - talkofthetown's Blog - Bakersfield.com

Going Dow, Dow, Down!

So much for the financial rescue plan that would save a floundering Wall Street.

The Dow has dipped below 10,000 for the first time in 4 years. It's currently down more than 500 points.

In brighter economic news, I saw gas for under $3.50 on my way to work!

Swings and roundabouts, as my folks used to say when I was a kid.

— Andrew Mockett

Study: Intelligent people less likely to believe in God

According to a new study, people with higher IQs are less likely to believe in God.

Professor Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, who has provoked controversy in the past with research linking intelligence to race and sex, said university academics were less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else.

Torah scroll dedication

by COURTENAY EDELHART
Californian staff writer

I had misgivings about moving to Bakersfield earlier this year because of my Jewish faith. I couldn’t imagine there would be any Jews in rural, devoutly Christian Bakersfield.

It was a pleasant surprise, when I arrived, to discover Bakersfield was more cosmopolitan than I’d thought. There were no less than three temples to choose from, including--shock and amazement-- a Chassidic one.

Chassidism is a form of mystical Orthodox Judaism that began in the 1700s in Eastern Europe. Men in the community often wear black suits and hats, and women dress modestly in long skirts.

You’d expect to find Chassids in Brooklyn, or Los Angeles’ Fairfax district. I never would have dreamed I’d find them here.

I belong to the Reform movement, the most liberal of Judaism’s branches. But when I found out Chabad of Bakersfield would be dedicating a new Torah scroll and had invited the public to celebrate its dedication, I decided to attend.

For one thing, Chassids know how to throw a party. There’s always klezmer music and dancing.

Plus, I had never been to a Torah scroll dedication before. Scrolls have preceded me at every temple I’ve ever joined.

A Torah scroll dedication is a huge deal in the Jewish community because modern scrolls are still created the same way they were thousands of years ago.

A Torah scroll contains the first five books of Moses, which are divided into portions to be read each week during services. A scribe writes the Torah in Hebrew calligraphy on specially treated parchment that is stitched together to form one continuous scroll.

A scroll contains about 600,000 characters. You remember I said it’s written by hand, right?

Oh, and the scroll has to be flawless. One little teeny tiny spelling error renders the whole thing unusable. Who are mere mortals to alter the word of God?

A scroll is written with a quill, because modern writing implements are usually made of metal, the same material used to make weapons. That would be profane, because weapons take life. The Torah, it is believed, gives life.

The “Rose & Irwin Joseph Lebanoff Torah Scroll” was donated by Maxine Barber and her siblings in honor of their parents. One scribe began it in Jerusalem, and after 10 months of tedious labor shipped it to Bakersfield, where a guest scribe from Las Vegas filled in Deuteronomy 34:12 to complete it.

No lie. I said Vegas.

After a few minutes passed to allow the ink to dry, Rabbi Shmuel Schlanger held the scroll open and aloft for the community to view, then rolled it up and placed a velvet cover over it. The handles were capped with ornate silver crowns, as is customary.

“When Moses received the Torah, they marched around with it for 40 years in the desert,” the rabbi quipped. “We’ll take a little less time marching in front of the building, here. Watch out for cars.”

A hand-held canopy was then hoisted in the air to honor and shield the scroll, and a joyful procession followed clergy and the donor family singing Hebrew prayers. The procession wound its way through the parking lot, into the street and then into the temple sanctuary. There, after a blessing, the scroll was placed inside the ark, or sacred cabinet where scrolls are stored when not in use.

It is a uniquely appropriate time to dedicate a new scroll.

This fall commences the most holy time of year on the Jewish calendar. We will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, at nightfall Monday.

Our tradition holds that we have 10 days from the onset of Rosh Hashanah to pray and reflect on our conduct. It is a time to seek forgiveness from anyone we may have wronged over the past year. Only after reconciliation can we ask for mercy on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, when we fast and seek God’s forgiveness. This year Yom Kippur falls on Oct. 9.

To Christians it may be 2008. But on the Jewish calendar, it will soon be 5769.

Think about that.

In this day and age, it might stun non-Jews to learn that my people don’t just waltz over to Kinko’s and print out a scroll on a computer when they need a new one.

But there is something truly special about knowing the history and moral code of the Jewish people has been handed down the same way for millennia.

Rabbi Schlanger said it best.

“A lot of people ask how long a Torah scroll is when it’s completely unrolled,” he said.
“The answer is, endless.”

MTV awards host calls Bush a 'retard'

He may have been a relative unknown in America, but British comedian Russell Brand is the talk of the entertainment world after he called President Bush a 'retard' at the MTV music awards.

The lewd jokes he made about Christian rock band the Jonas Brothers didn't go down too well either.

"Some people, I think they're called racists, say America is not ready for a black president.

"But I know America to be a forward thinking country because otherwise why would you have let that retard and cowboy fella be president for eight years?

"We were very impressed. We thought it was nice of you to let him have a go, because, in England, he wouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors."

Brand is no stranger to controversy.

LPGA demands its players speak English

The LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009.

A few years ago, the LPGA came up with a plan to increase the marketability of its players. This is what the tour came up with:

LPGA's Five Points of Celebrity – Appearance, Relevance, Approachability, Joy/Passion, and Performance.

Performance is at the end; appearance is at the beginning. This tells you something about the LPGA's priorities.

The main reason the LPGA wants its players to speak English is so sponsors can ham it up with the players during Pro-Ams and corporate events.

Is the new policy unsportsmanlike and un-American?

Should a 9-year-old with a fast fastball be banned from pitching?

In Connecticut, a nine-year-old baseball player pitches so fast he's been banned from taking the mound.

He's never hit anyone with a pitch, but opposing batters (8-10 year-olds) are scared to face him.

So league officials said they will disband the boy's team and redistribute the players among other teams.

But the team has refused to disband.

At first glance it doesn't seem fair that the boy is being punished for being too good, but there are other options available, like pitching to older players in a different league.

The whole story is here.

Way too much beach volleyball

I thought it was just me who was absolutely sick and tired of beach volleyball, then I came across this blog.

Seriously, I've watched NBC's prime time coverage almost every night and I haven't seen one table tennis match or one pursuit bike zooming around the velodrome. I've seen that boring wombat Mary Carillo blathering on about ancient temples and stuff and I've seen Chris Collinsworth making out with Michael Phelps' mom. Why, just last night prime time included the gymnastics gala. GALA I tell you! No medals, no competition, just another chance to see Shawn Johnson and that other chick who says she's Russian but she's on our team. Lukin or something.

Who is Michael Phelps dating?

Pretty much anyone he wants to is the answer to that one.

But there are a couple of medal contenders:

U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard and British model Lily Donaldson.

Beard has appeared in Playboy, but didn't reach the finals of Beijing's 200m breaststroke after winning gold in Athens.

Donaldson replaced Kate Moss as one of the faces of Burberry.

Either way, Phelps is going for gold.

Whites no longer U.S. majority in 2042

Where's whitey?

In 36 years white people will no longer make up the majority of Americans.

New government estimates have moved the date up 8 years from their projections made in 2004.

The main contributing factor is the high birth rates among minority residents, especially Hispanics.

Story here.

Are the Chinese cheating?

From The Associated Press:

Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week.

Story here.