synthesis of the unrelated

Sometimes the greatest inventions really aren’t new inventions at all.  They are just the combining of two seemingly unrelated items for the first time.  The first example that comes to mind is peanut butter and jelly.  It’s a staple in the American diet, but before they were combined who would have ever thought of putting them together?  Well, maybe that’s an obvious one.

Here’s an idea that may not be so obvious, but I would argue that it is just as equally brilliant…Chop Sabers! (aka, lightsaber chopsticks)

Here’s the product description as seen on their website

“Suitable for eating sushi or defending the galaxy, the Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader lightsabers measure 9″ long, with the blades cast in translucent material.  The smaller “children’s size” Yoda saber measures approximately 7″ long. As a special bonus each set includes translucent Star Wars logo chopstick rests.”

I haven’t tasted this next one, so I’m not sure if it can be called brilliant yet.  However, it is highly offensive to about 1/3 of the planet’s population.  I probably would have a hard time getting through customs with it in Tel Aviv.

Here’s the legit product description from thinkgeek.com

“What’s so great about Bacon Gumballs? Well, what better flavor can you imagine for gum? Mint is boring, cinnamon is overdone – it’s time for Bacon Gumballs to be the first choice of gum aficionados. Each tin of Bacon Gumballs is loaded with bacon-y goodness, and after you’ve eaten all the gum, you can reuse the tin. And the tin will retain the scent of bacon for some time, blessing all you put in it with that wondrous and holy of smells. Bacon Gumballs – the gift that keeps on giving.”

Staying on the bacon theme, check out what they have done this time

It’s only $7.99 plus s/h.  You can also find it at thinkgeek.com.  This one comes with a hilariously, poorly dubbed video.

“Vilhelm Lillefläsk’s Squeez Bacon® is fully cooked 100% bacon. Due to the patented electro-mechanical process by which Squeez Bacon® is rendered, it requires no preservatives or other additives. Each serving is as healthy as real bacon, and equivalent to 4 premium slices of bacon! You can put it on sandwiches, pizza, pastas, bacon, soups, pies, eat it hot or cold (warm Squeez Bacon® on toasted rye is to die for), substitute it for bacon in your recipes, or even eat it right out of the tube like we do! If it’s edible, it’s better with Squeez Bacon®. In the immortal words of Vilhelm Lillefläsk, “Aldrig kommer att ge dig upp!” Once you get a taste of Squeez Bacon®, you’ll know exactly what he meant.”

Just imagine all the wonderful culinary creations that one could creat with Squeeze Bacon!

Hmmm…I might have just de-koshered my blog.

 

back from a Bedouin adventure

I’ve been reading about Abraham, Isaac and Job.  They seem to have spent a lot of time in tents and deserts…and twenty-four JUC students just came back from spending five nights in the same type of tents.  Here’s a couple of a scenes that we were part of for a few days.

We do love our camel caravans

Climbing up these rocks made it feel as if we were on top of the world

More descriptions to follow in the upcoming days.

 

why I am bad at blogging…

I got a haircut today

 

Google is better than Betty Crocker

The last couple of blogs have been somewhat more serious than normal. Wait! Cameron being serious!?? Ha…that never happens. Well, I know it is shocking to all of you, but for the sake of balance, here’s my latest and greatest accomplishment.

I’m staying with an American family in Bethlehem at the moment. Yesterday, Melissa (the mom), was sick….really sick. While her husband was helping her out, Caitlyn and I realized that if dinner was going to happen, it was going to be up to us. I asked Terry (the husband) what we should make. He said chicken noodle soup. Argghhh! The only soup I’ve ever made before with chicken and noodles was the Top Ramen version. I quickly concluded that Top Ramen was not going to be a viable option for the evening. So in a moment of inspiration, I pulled out the Betty Crocker cookbook and looked up chicken noodle soup recipes. My inspirational moment came to naught, however. Betty Crocker apparently doesn’t know how to make soup without using the entire chicken and the entire day. I only had parts of the chicken, no bones, and even less time. In a second moment of inspiration, I did what any other member of my generation would do…I went to google.

Fortunately, google gave me over 428,000 different options. I chose one at random and went for it. We cooked the chicken by boiling it, chopped up carrots, celery, and onions, threw it all together with some noodles and chicken bouillon, and then let it simmer for awhile. After a couple additions of salt, pepper, and a few moments of time, the concoction was ready for the official taste test. The craver and lover of chicken noodle soup in this household is Jeremiah (the 8 year-old). He grabbed a spoon, brought a taste up to his lips, (here’s the best part) and his eyes lit up the same way they did on Christmas morning! After his approving look, we gathered around the table, and dare I say, enjoyed some steaming bowls of soup.

I would like to take all the credit, but Caitlyn and Terry did give some well-heeded advice and helped pull everything together.  Plus, I need to send out a heartfelt thank you to the only Betty that really made this happen.  I’ve come a long ways from the boxes of Mac n Cheese I used to make at home.  Thanks mom!  I’m trying to make your cooking genes proud.

Lessons learned from this new culinary adventure.

• Homemade chicken noodle soup is easier to make than it sounds
• Some children like the noodles, others like the chicken, but few like the vegetables
• Experimenting with previously unknown recipes on a dinner deadline for picky eaters can be nerve-wracking
• Never,  stir simmering soup with plastic cutlery…unless you are trying to make new versions of the plastic spoon you’ve always loved
• Occasionally google is better than Betty Crocker (sorry mom)

I didn’t have any pictures of the soup, but here’s the average look of the kitchen sink.  Notice the empty coffee pot and ten dirty mugs   We like our coffees

Ps. Melissa just got up and tried the soup…and she loves it.  I feel almost proud

 

eyes of identity

All around I see people

walking

sitting

breathing

I notice the color of their

eyes

clothes

makeup

mood

I hear their

voices

sneezes

conversations

I make

opinions

judgments

snap decisions

On nothing more than what

I see

I hear

I notice

Forever branded are they by my instant ready-made

categories

stereotypes

labels and files

Shoved into

a box

given

an identity

forgotten

as unique

It is through these eyes

that I give them an identity

and they give me mine

Question remains

what do their eyes find inside?

what identity do they choose?

what association do they look for?

It is through the eyes of identity that I see

this world

this life

these people

Is it ever possible to see my identity through

their eyes

their judgments

their opinions of me?

Would it

hurt

wound

please?

Will I ever rid myself of the

eyes of identity?

 

remember remember the fifth of november

Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot

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Today is four hundred and three years removed from that Fifth of November. Why should we remember this day in our calendar? Mostly because it has a catchy rhyme, but also because a guy named Guy plotted to kill  King James I and a few other British notables in a massive gunpowder explosion. He was discovered, imprisoned, found guilty of treason, hung, drawn, and then quartered. Apparently kings don’t like assassination plots very much. Just think, if Guy Fawkes had been successful, we may have never been able to read the only authorized edition of the Bible–the King James Version. It wasn’t completed until the year 1611.

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Enough with gunpowder plots and assassination attempts for awhile. I woke up this morning to the news of a newly elected U.S president. Remember all those fears about voting for an unknown candidate? Well, it looks like we will find out soon enough whether or not he will actually be able to accomplish all that he has spoken about. Oh, and was he really that unknown? As pointed out by a friend, he’ll probably just be a standard Democrat. There’s not too much unknown about that. Besides, have we ever really known what any candidate is going to do?

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Living in the Middle East during an election year is a fascinating study in itself. All the headlines in this part of the world have been debating about the benefits and consequences the candidates will bring to the region. Hamas seems to have been supportive of Obama because they know nothing about him. Whereas with Hilary and McCain, they knew where they stood and were afraid. In this particular situation, it really doesn’t matter who the U.S. President is because it would be political suicide to support Hamas at this point. However, most Palestinians really aren’t too supportive of any of the candidates…because they don’t really see anyone in the U.S. government as truly sympathetic to their cause.

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Here on the Israeli side of the fence, Jews have been absolutely confused about the candidates. Bush 2000-2008 gave Israel so much military, economic, and security support that it is hard to imagine the two countries having a better relationship. Thus, with any new dude in the White House, the situation is likely to change. It’s just a matter of how big that change will actually be. However, as the only viable form of democracy in the Middle East, it would be foolish to lessen support of Israel.

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All in all, it has actually been quite pleasant being outside of the States during the last several months. We don’t have any of those lawn signs or TV adds that bug me so much at home…and that makes me happy.

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See, here I am happily sitting under my umbrella on an ancient wall in Dan with no election signs in sight.

On a side note, it is on this very wall that the first archeological proof of the existence of King David was found in 1993.  Did you know that before that date, the only proof of David’s existence was found in the Bible?  Other artifacts have been found since 1993, but that was the first “proof” the archeological community had about David’s existence.

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Second side note…I’m sorry for introducing politics to my blog…but why not?

 

Backpack Update

My red backpack did make it to school…there were a few scratches, but at least its back

 

Back to School

I am back in Jerusalem now. I traveled in yesterday afternoon from Tel Aviv. I had forgotten how much I love this city. The sights, smells, sounds, and tastes of this city have become another home to me. It is amazing how two completely different places like Albany and Jerusalem can create that same feeling of being home.  Strange, eh?  Today I helped clean up JUC’s campus to make it all nice and pretty for all the new students who arrive tomorrow. I’m currently staying at an apartment with a few of my friends from last semester who stayed in Israel over the summer to study biblical Hebrew. Being back in this ancient city provides quite a stark contrast to the relatively new city of Tel Aviv that I spet the last few days in.

Tel Aviv was founded just in the past century and has grown up to be the New York City of Israel. Well, maybe combining elements of Seattle, LA, Las Vegas, and New York would paint a better picture. It has some of the elements of each of those cities. In one way, you could look at Jerusalem as the praying city, and Tel Aviv as the playing city. It is located near the ancient city of Jaffa, which Jonah knew as Joppa. As such, it has a wonderful beach. This beautiful beach is the primary reason why the top of my head and the bottoms of my feet got sunburned. It is not the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had, especially since one must walk everywhere one goes when in Israel.

Since it is a Mediterranean beach many, many people swim, surf, kite board, sunbath, and sport speedos…especially old men. Though, some of them decided even that was too much of a hindrance. Fortunately I have no pictures of that to share with you all.

While wondering through this newer city I discovered an absolutely massive mall. As it was air conditioned and the outdoors is not, I spent several hours exploring the multiple levels of this multi-block complex. One fascinating feature was in the design of the different levels. As most modern malls, the stores are located on the sides while the middle of the building is very open. In this mall, though, the walkway in front of the stores was slanted. The entire floor was just slightly not level, so as you walked along the stores and made your way around the building you slowly made your way up to the next level. Like one giant spiral walkway. It really was quite ingenious. You could walk through the entire 5-6 levels of the mall without ever climbing stairs or riding an escalator. Though, they had those too if you wanted.

I stayed in a hostel while I was in Tel Aviv. It was perhaps the sketchiest place I have ever slept in. There were four other strange guys in the room…kind of like dorm style. We had no AC, and no wind came through the window. So we all suffered something like 85 degree nights with no breeze. I didn’t sleep too much, but in a vain attempt to get some air to circulate through, we left the doors and windows wide open. I learned quite quickly that Israeli mosquitoes are quite fond of American blood. I’m still scratching my head about that one. I did manage to create a type of friendship with a Japanese backpacker named Koo. He was a pretty random and nice guy. I guess he has been in Israel for several weeks and has gone to all the major things. Tel Aviv was one of his last stops. His English wasn’t bad, but he didn’t know very much. In a halting conversation I did discover, though, that he had lost his airline ticket home somewhere during his travels. Fortunately, though, he booked another flight home…with Uzbekistan Airways! I didn’t even know Uzbekistan had their own airline. I hope he makes it home alright. I googled the airline and here’s a quote I found.

“… their aircraft are often old and their crews badly (or not at all) trained. Hope they will improve because they have potential. The first thing they will have to do, however, is get honest ticket sales persons. Most of their ticket sales persons are on the take—usually from the buyer—and will add “tourist taxes” that do not exist and for which of course no record of payment is provided to your ticket.”

Good luck Koo!

 

on changing perceptions

Sometimes we prefer to keep the myths of our impressions alive, rather than face the truths of reality.

 

 

When I was a young child, I used to listen to radio every Saturday morning. They played these radio dramas that were targeted for kids. Do any of you remember the Adventures In Odyssey? Before it came out on VHS? Rather than cartoons on TV, these radio spots used to capture my attention every Saturday morning. I would sprawl out on the floor and play war with my army soldiers while learning lessons of gentleness, patience, and responsibility. It was a grand time in life. I used to love hearing the DJ come on and talk about the news and weather.

 

 

The DJ had a deep, smooth voice that reminded me of God. Since it was radio, though, my imagination filled in the details on what he looked like. He was tall and muscular with a twinkle in his eye and a kind word to say to every little kid who walked by. I always wished he could see me play with my toy soldiers. I just knew that he would be able to show me the perfect way to position my troops so they would be able to execute a hostile takeover of the enemy base on the other side of the couch. I kept this image alive for many years. Then one day, everything came crashing down.

 

 

I was either at church or the grocery store. I can’t remember which one exactly. Occasionally I get them confused in my memories, and I’m not really sure why. Either way, on this particular day I was with my mom and we were either in the produce section or seated in a pew at church. She pointed out a man, and told me that he was the person I heard on the radio throughout the week. I was a bit confused, though. She must be wrong. This guy was short, graying, and balding. He looked to be in his early 60s, which is practically as old as Methuselah to a little kid. He could not possibly be the radio voice. He didn’t fit the picture I had imagined him to be. Then I heard him speak. It was a tragic moment that has stuck with me all these years. For I would recognize his voice anywhere. It truly was him.

 

 

I have long since forgotten the name of that radio personality. I probably wouldn’t even recognize his voice anymore. Sometimes I wish I could force my mind to picture him the way I imagined, for I liked it better that way. My impressions were much more comforting than reality.

 

 

In a similar fashion my perceptions and impressions of the people of the Bible are being smashed and wiped away nearly every day here in Israel. Living in the States, I was far removed from the peoples and locations of the Bible. Growing up in a Christian home, though, there was a great emphasis placed on the characters of the Bible. They were called Bible Heroes, Champions of the Faith, or some other larger-than-life title. I placed great credibility on who these people were. They were surrounded by auras of mystery and mystique. It seemed as if they were in a fantasy land far away where all the good guys were heroes and talked to God. Kinda like Luke Skywalker and the Force…maybe

 

 

I knew that in coming to Israel many of my perceptions would change. Most likely, my understanding of the Bible would metamorphose and I would never be able to look at it the same. As you can imagine, this definitely has happened to me. The biblical fantasy land of my imagination has transformed into a vivid, vibrant, and all too tangible reality. This is good and healthy, but sometimes it is cause for distress.

 

 

As mentioned before, when one walks in the footsteps of Paul, gazes across the waters Peter sailed , and sits in the fields David grazed his sheep, the Bible comes almost to life. These people step out of the mystique of history and into the realms of reality. Their mystery is somewhat dissipated, and I realize that they are real people too. Maybe I can go as far as to say that they were normal even. Not really that much different than you and me. Why is realizing this distressing or dangerous? I’m glad you asked.

 

 

If I truly understand that biblical characters are real AND normal, then I am placed under a greater responsibility. On the other hand, if I think of them in terms of Super-heroes or absolutely extraordinary individuals, then I am somewhat let off the hook. For example, Jeremiah was called to preach to a hard-hearted, unrepentant people. In the record of his ministry that we have, there is not one instance where it shows he had a convert. A lifetime of preaching, and absolutely no discernible difference. In some cases it appears that his audience listened to him, and then did the exact opposite of what he said. How hard would this life be? But according to my hero mentality, it’s ok. Jeremiah was just special. He could handle that—no sweat for a Bible hero, right? What happens, though, if he is normal? What if Jeremiah and I are not that much different? Does that mean God may call me to do the same thing? This is what is so distressing at times.

 

 

Peter was called to leave his profession and family to do something he had never dreamed of before. Paul was shocked out of his way of thinking and called to preach to people had never had contact with before. David was taken from the fields with sheep to be king over a nation. I always imagined these Bible heroes as super-incredible spiritual warriors endowed with supernatural faith that would help them overcome any obstacle…but then I realized they are normal. And I am normal also. Thus, does God have the same expectation of me as he did of them?

 

 

Just as in the case of the radio DJ, sometimes my perceptions are much nicer than reality. They are much easier to swallow than cold, hard truth.

 

Sometimes we prefer to keep the myths of our impressions alive, rather than face the truths of reality.

 

Normative Amazements

Life at Jerusalem University College is a practicum in daily surprises, wonder, amazement…and normalcy.

Imagine, if you will, that you are a marine biologist. From the earliest age you have always been fascinated with the tropical fish in the pet store and National Geographic specials about the world’s oceans. In high school, you took those Marine Biology classes and loved the field trips to the local aquarium. In college, you majored in the Sciences and got a degree in Marine Biology. You have written papers about everything from the formation of coral reefs to the delicate balance of seals and Polar Bears in the Arctic. After graduating, you get hired at the local aquarium that you had an annual membership to as a kid. You love your job wholeheartedly. All your friends know this is your passion, for you bring it up in every conversation.

 

There is a catch, though. Imagine that you have done all this in in Kansas, never once leaving your home state. You have become an ‘expert’ in something that you have never seen firsthand. All your knowledge, speculation, conclusions, and beliefs is based upon what other people have done. What kind of knowledge would this be?

 

After a few years of repeating everything that you know you begin to long for something more. You’re tired of just looking at the pictures, watching the videos, and staring at the engineered environments of your everyday life. Suddenly, an unexpected package arrives in the mail! Your curiosity is piqued. What could this be? You tear it open and find inside is an invitation for a year-long internship at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia! Your duties would be to assist veteran marine biologists as they explore and document changes in the coral structures of the reef.

 

How amazing would this be? Exploring the ocean that you have studied your entire life! And what better place to do it than in this thriving tropical environment? Imagine how much your perspective would change the first day you are there? The first week? The first month? All your academic knowledge is placed under the scrutiny of real-life experience. Some of the knowledge you keep. Other parts get washed away by the deluge of new information.

 

That, my friends, is what life is like every day here. How many years have I studied the Bible at home, at church, at school, and at college? How much knowledge did I gain through all that? Intense amounts of information, I say. And the great majority of it was good, if not great. (A thousand thanks to parents, teachers, pastors, professors, and friends for guiding me in this.) It was a wonderful foundation. All that I am learning now is built upon that. However, I am now seeing with my eyes the the paths Jesus walked, sitting on the steps Peter taught from, exploring the valley that David conquered Goliath in, and getting lost in the countryside surrounding Shiloh. When I go back to the texts of the Bible, the actions of kings and the movements of armies are replayed before my eyes. No longer are they sterile, black and white. They have gained a fresh life through the explorations of daily life here in the Land of the Bible.

 

 

However, there is a danger in this type of study. What happens when these characters become too real? When their mystique is lost? When amazement turns to normalcy. Too many words have I used so far this night. The topic of a future blog these questions will be.

 

On a random side note, not just my understanding of the Bible has changed, but so also my perceptions of favored Hollywood icons. We watched Return of the Jedi in the student lounge the other night. I noticed a surprising similarity between the horn blown by the Ewoks and the shophar blown by Jews during their festivals. Perhaps Ewoks are Jewish also.

The shophar in the bottom picture corresponds nicely with the horn on the action figure. I couldn’t find a screen shot of an ewok blowing the horn/trumpet/shophar thing.