Israeli Folk Dancing

I was reporting on Judaism and went to observe Israeli folk dancing. Two of my classmates were there when I arrived in the circle dancing along. They told me to come on and jump in as well. It's pretty cool and something different. There's a lot of grapevine step, swaying and snapping in the air while in a circle, usually hand-in-hand.

The group meets at the Texas Hillel (Jewish student center in Austin) near the UT campus. Classes are free and go from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays.

You wouldn't think you'd get winded from circle, folk dances, but you will definitely make use of the water provided. The hour I was there one of the group's founders yelled out about five times in an effort to encourage the panting college students, "It's good for the thighs!"

Texas Hillel Calendar

France Riots

Youth Riot in France

France is a crazy country.

I love how America is evil, and yet they've got a president who has called immigrant, minorities in the projects "scum" when he was a part of the police force.

It's an awful situation. France has an extremely bold backlash of violence on their hands that tells me these kids from the projects have been burned by the police one too many times.

This time it all began with two teens who died in a car accident with the police. The riots of 2005 began with teens electrocuted in a situation where they were hiding from the police.

Libraries, stores, 70 vehicles! have been torched. That's crazy. Police have even been shot. I think it's probably time that the state look at racial tension, poverty, police conduct and violence and work to better its situation and regain trust from the youth, the minorities and the families in the projects.

Maybe they could think it over with some freedom fries. Just kidding. I saw the opportunity and thought I'd end on a controversial note.

Austin Events

FYI: The Hudsons play every Thursday nights starting around 6:30 p.m. at Waterloo Icehouse on 6th and Lamar. Everyone should go see them at sometime. The Hudsons are made up of two guitarist-singer-songwriter friends Brian Hudson and Hudson Mueller. The two were in opposing bands in a battle of the bands in high school.

The Hudsons were voted best folk band of 2006 by the Austin Chronicle and finished No. 7 of 100 bands that competed for a slot at Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Check it out:
The Hudsons Music

ALSO:
12/1/07 Reggae Night @ Copa, 10 p.m.
12/8/07 Seth Walker @ The Saxon Pub, 11 p.m. <---Awesome Blues Musician!

Weslaco Panther Playoffs

McAllen @ Weslaco

Weslaco High School, my alma mater, is now in the regional playoffs. My brother is a junior and second-year starter on the defense. He's in the clip above recovering a fumble. I'm so proud of him and this team.

The area game was in Weslaco this past Friday. It was misting constantly and in the 40s, but the excitement of the game kept us warm. The stands were filled with yellow ponchos, blankets and people carefully walking up the wet bleacher steps with watery, concession-stand hot chocolate.

The game was close. Final score 40-38. Injuries and interceptions. Fumbles and sacs. I forgot how much fun high-school, TEXAS football was!

Free Rice

The United Nations has designed an online, vocabulary game called Free Rice that anyone can play and help feed the hungry. For every synonym matched correctly, the UN donates 10 grains of rice to its World Food Program.

Here's how it works: As you play, advertisements will appear at the bottom of the screen. The money paid for that ad will then go to buy the amount of rice you earn by playing. The Web site does not make any profit the site.

There are 50 different vocabulary levels, and according to the site, it will automatically adjust to your level after a variety of words have been drawn from in the first few questions.

I find this concept a little weird because I'm supposedly feeding hungry people by sitting on my ass in front of my computer. Nevertheless, I'll be playing. You should too.

UT Schools for Schools

High schools and colleges across the nation are teamed up with schools in Uganda through Invisible Children's Schools for Schools program.

The participating schools are raising funds for school supplies and books in Uganda to keep/get things up and running.

The University of Texas has raised a whopping $247 of their $8,829 goal.

Get involved! Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on the roof of Whole Foods.

December 2: Screening at First Evangelical Free Church

Have You Lived Today?

I finally met my friend's roommate on Friday. Sunday morning my friend found her roommate dead in their apartment. Nothing self-inflicted. Nothing the police could identify as an outside cause. They suspect the heart or brain at the root of her death.

Picturing someone lively and active, being loud and talking about her fiance back in New York as she played card games three days ago and finding out she is no longer with us is a shock.

I thought I would just briefly share. What are you treasures in life? I'm guessing their people. I automatically think of my parents and boyfriend. Take care of the ones you love. Live your life the way you intend it to be. It's far too easy to get caught up going through the motions.

Should Professional Journalists Blog?

Can you really disseminate important information to the public and retain your credibility and audience as a journalist who blogs?

Texas Monthly's BurkaBlog tagline reads "He's right about Texas politics. And also left." Interpret this how you'd like, but I can definitely see this not going over so well with people on the right. (Hmm...how many Republicans are in Texas again?) I don't know how I feel about a journalist saying 'this is how I vote,' via a blog. People will form opinions about the reporter. That statement seems so crazy to me. People claiming they know a journalist's political views--and they actually have proof.

Whatever happened to journalists not voting in primaries to conceal their ideologies for the greater public good?

On the other hand, isn't transparency supposed to be a good thing? I've looked at blogs that announce change (Delay of Game) and blogs that give a behind the scenes account that may provide the reader with information and insight they previously did not have (Of Sacred and Secular).

For now, I'm going to oppose the Journalist-Blogger because it sometimes betrays the journalistic principles and professionalism I think are important. Why would a professional want to group himself/herself with Blogger-Wanna-be-Journalists?

Some classrooms in America require participation and expression as a learning tool for others, but when everyone is sharing at the same time and talking about their specific interest, it just becomes noise and does not mean the student is receiving the information he or she needs.

For the Bible Tells Me So

I went to see the film For the Bible Tells Me So to fulfill an extra credit opportunity for my human sexuality class. I definitely recommend it. This documentary is shown in select areas around the nation right now.

http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org/indexe.htm

The topic: Gays and the Church. The main message I perceived was that fundamentalist teachings lead to intolerance and in this case hatred, which isn't "Christian" at all. CONTEXT is important! I don't completely agree with everything said in the movie, but the message is right on and one that should be heard.

My favorite quote was from the older couple who supported openly-gay Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson who said they'd leave the judging up to God. So simple. So true.

The message also applies to the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. protesting at funerals, teaching their children "God hates fags," and having tons of kids to pass on these warped views of hatred.

Did anyone see on 20/20? Those kids couldn't even tell John Stossel what a "fag" was.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3812344&page=1

*Forgive the quoted language.
**Looks like I'm blogging now. I'm trying. Still don't want to fully get on a soap-box so-to-speak.

Peace out.

But Mom, I Don't Want to be a Blogger

Here's the deal: The word blog doesn't sounds so sweetly in my ear. It's something the tech-savies and people a little too into themselves do. If there's something going on in the world I want to know about I go to AP; I trust it.

I don't want to read anyone's online diary or their endless tribute to "the cause," whatever it may be. People going off on their soap box ... what fun!

We'll see where this goes: reasons to back my initial thoughts, blogs that break the negative connotation and of course, my personal online diary. Like omg!

Have a good weekend people of the Web. Peace out.